"be fruitful and increase in number"

The Swedish Statistics Central Bureau (SCB) is monitoring the growth of the Swedish population month by month.

I took some of their numbers and made my own little graph above.

The yellow graph shows the growth of the population in exact numbers. The yellow graph shows that if the trend is consistant the rest of this year, the Swedish population will increase with more than 70 000 people.

The blue graph shows the difference between immigration and emigration.

The red graph shows the difference between newborns and deaths. The red graph shows that in the years 1998-2002 more people died than were born in Sweden. During these years the population increased only due to immigration.

The chart shows that until the middle of 2005 the growth of the population was mainly due to immigration. Then suddely something happened.
Both the immigration and the birth of new citizens accelerated and are now reaching the highest numbers since the fifties and the sixties.

So, what has happened? Did suddenly God's vision for families, sink in and become real to the Swedes?

Genesis 1:27-28
27 God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, "be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the living creature that moves on the ground."

Or, is it just that the economy has been very good for a few years and people believe in the future and are willing to invest in family?

Or, maybe a combination of both; the belief in God's vision and a belief in the future?

The Swedish economy is very strong at the moment. Swedish companies need labour and immigration is necessary to meet that need. That is probably why immigration is increasing.

What can we learn from this exercise?

I would say that we learn that Sweden is growing and Sweden is becoming more multi ethnic.
I like that because I think it's good for Sweden.

Isn't it nice to walk the streets of Stockholm, Gothenburg and other big Swedish cities, and see the increasing number of mixed couples passing by?
I think so.

As they say: LOVE REALLY IS COLOR BLIND

"be fruitful and increase in number"

Cheers !