The number of foreigners living in Germany increased by 2.7% last year, a slower rate than in previous years although there was a marked increase in the number of non-European Union citizens with work permits.

The Federal Statistical Office said Monday that nearly 10.92 million people with only foreign citizenship were registered residents at the end of 2018 in Germany, a country of 83 million. That was up from 10.62 million in 2017.

Germany's foreign population grew 11.7% in 2015 and 10.2% in 2016 amid an influx of migrants from conflicts in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere. It grew 5.8% in 2017.

The statistical office said some 266,000 non-EU citizens had work permits in Germany at the end of last year, up from 217,000 a year earlier.