The Estonian Government granted citizenship to 1,670 people through naturalization in 2009. Data from the Police and Border Guard show that out of the new citizens, 1,556 persons had not previously defined their citizenship. Naturalization has steadily declined in Estonia in recent years. The number of naturalized new citizens was 2,124 in 2008, 4,228 in 2007 and 4,753 in 2006.
