Demographics of Finland

The demographics of Finland is monitored by the Statistics Finland (, ). Finland has a population of almost 5.7 million people, ranking it 19th out of 27 within the European Union. The average population density in Finland is , making it the third most sparsely populated country in Europe, after Iceland and Norway. Population distribution is extremely uneven, with the majority of the population concentrated in the southern and western regions of the country. The majority of the Finnish population - approximately 73% - lives in urban areas. Approximately million, or almost 30%, reside solely in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. Conversely, the Arctic Lapland region contains only .

Until recently, Finland has been mainly an ethnically homogeneous country, with native Finns being the dominant ethnic group. However, with increased immigration, the country is slowly becoming more ethnically diverse. In addition, Finland is home to significant groups of Finland-Swedish, Sámi and Roma minorities, which have long historical roots in the country. The official languages are Finnish and Swedish, of which 83.5 percent and 5.0 percent of the population respectively speak as their mother tongue.

Due to recent immigration, significant populations of ethnic Estonians, Russians, Ukrainians, Iraqis, Chinese, Somalis, Filipinos, Indians and Iranians, now reside in the country.|group=note In additional calculations, the proportion of persons born outside Finland is 11%. Persons with a mother tongue other than Finnish, Swedish or Sámi account for 11.4%.

One of the primary challenges facing society in the future is adapting to demographic changes, particularly the aging of the population. The proportion of the working-age population is decreasing, resulting in projected labour shortages.

Population

, there are 5,652,881 people in Finland. Archaeological, linguistic, and genetic studies support the notion that the country was inhabited from south to north, with a population of a few thousand during prehistoric times. The Sámi people then succeeded the previous inhabitants, followed by the influx of Finnic people from the east, west, and south who eventually replaced them. The Sámi people now number around 10,000 in Finland as a minority. Although they have lived north of the Arctic Circle for 7,000 years, they make up only 5% of the population of the province of Lapland.

The reliable population data is available from 1749, when Sweden first compiled population statistics. At that time, the population of Finland stood at 410,400 individuals. The threshold of one million inhabitants was surpassed subsequent to the Finnish War (1808–1809) in 1811, upon the annexation of the Old Finland region. The milestone of five million inhabitants was reached in 1991.

Exceeding the million population milestones: Population growth declined to below 0.5% in the 1970s, and to approximately 0.2% in the 1990s. In recent years, however, population growth has recovered partially, rising to approximately 0.5%, partly due to increased immigration. There are a total of nine cities in Finland with more than 100,000 residents.

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align:right"

! colspan="18" |

! Area !! Population !! colspan="2" class="unsortable" | Of total population (%)

| style="text-align:left;" | Uusimaa

| 1,782,300 ||

| style="text-align:left;" | Southwest Finland

| 494,819||

| style="text-align:left;" | Satakunta

| 211,261 ||

| style="text-align:left;" | Kanta-Häme

| 169,455 ||

| style="text-align:left;" | Pirkanmaa

| 545,406 ||

| style="text-align:left;" | Päijät-Häme

| 204,635 ||

| style="text-align:left;" | Kymenlaakso

| 157,442 ||

| style="text-align:left;" | South Karelia

| 125,083 ||

| style="text-align:left;" | South Savo

| 129,376 ||

| style="text-align:left;" | North Savo

| 248,815 ||

| style="text-align:left;" | North Karelia

| 162,091 ||

| style="text-align:left;" | Central Finland

| 274,112 ||

| style="text-align:left;" | South Ostrobothnia

| 189,929 ||

| style="text-align:left;" | Ostrobothnia

| 178,749 ||

| style="text-align:left;" | Central Ostrobothnia

| 67,723 ||

| style="text-align:left;" | North Ostrobothnia

| 418,331 ||

| style="text-align:left;" | Kainuu

| 69,639 ||

| style="text-align:left;" | Lapland

| 176,151 ||

| style="text-align:left;" | Åland

| 30,654 ||

The geographical center of population (Weber point) of the Finnish population is currently located in Hauho, in the village of Sappee, now part of the town of Hämeenlinna. The coordinates of this point are 61' 17" N, 25' 07" E.

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