At 82.8 million, the number of people living in Germany at the end of 2016 was a new record for the country, the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden reported on Friday. There were some 600,000 people more in Germany at the end of 2016 than at the end of 2015.

Previously, 2002 was the year with the highest population in Germany. Officials counted 82.5 million people living in the country as the year wrapped up.

Without the uptick in inward migration that began in 2012, the country's population would have decreased, the report indicated. In 2015 and 2016, more than a million people sought refuge in Germany, mainly fleeing conflicts in the Middle East. In 2016, 750,000 more people migrated to Germany than departed. That was fewer than the 1.1 million person difference for 2015.

Births increase, deaths remain constant

2016 also saw a slight increase in live births in comparison to the previous year, with between 730,000 and 770,000 children estimated to have been born in 2016. The number of deaths, however, remained similar to that of 2015 at around 900,000 to 940,000, resulting in a slight birth deficit of around 150,000 to 190,000 for 2016.

Germany's population hit a record high in 2016 due to immigration gains.

cmb/sms (KNA, dpa, epd)