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Published: 28 May 2021

Every seventh person aged 30 to 34 is of foreign background

According to Statistics Finland's statistics on population structure, every seventh person aged 30 to 34 living permanently in Finland at the end of 2020 was of foreign background. In Greater Helsinki, already every fourth person aged 30 to 34 was of foreign background.

Share of persons with foreign background in the population by age in 2020

In total, there were 444,031 persons with foreign background living permanently in Finland at the end of 2020, which is eight per cent of the population. There were 367,417 persons with foreign background in the first generation, i.e. born abroad, and 76,614 persons with foreign background in the second generation, i.e. born in Finland.

Largest background country group Russia or the former Soviet Union

The clearly largest group of persons with foreign background were people whose background country was Russia or the former Soviet Union. At the end of 2020, they numbered 90,801, which is one fifth of all persons with foreign background. The next largest groups were people with Estonian background, 50,590, Iraqi background, 25,439, and Somali background, 22,534.

Largest background country groups in the population in 2020

*) Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Former Serbia and Montenegro, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia

Share of people with African background grows in the second generation

At the end of 2020, the share of persons with European background among people with foreign background in the first generation was over one half (53 per cent). The share of those with Asian background was 30 per cent and that of persons with African background 11 per cent.

Among persons with foreign background born in Finland, the share of persons with European background was 46 per cent, with Asian background 28 per cent and with African background 22 per cent. The share of people with African background among persons with foreign background is double in the second generation.

Persons with foreign background by background continent in 2020

 

The share of people with foreign origin is highest in Åland and the Helsinki area

The number of people with foreign origin was highest in the region of Åland, where their share of the population was 16.7 per cent and second highest in Uusimaa, 14.9 per cent. Of those with foreign origin in Åland, 41 per cent had Swedish background. The share of population with foreign origin was lowest in South Ostrobothnia, 2.5 per cent.

One-half of all persons with foreign background lived in Greater Helsinki. Examined by municipality, the share of people with foreign background among Mainland Finland municipalities was highest in Vantaa, 22.0 per cent, Espoo, 19.1 per cent and in Närpiö, 18.5 per cent.

Share of persons with foreign background in the population in Greater Helsinki, in the satellite area and elsewhere in Finland in 1990 to 2020

*) Satellite area: Hyvinkää, Järvenpää, Kirkkonummi, Kerava, Mäntsälä, Nurmijärvi, Pornainen, Sipoo, Tuusula, Vihti

Every tenth child under school-age has foreign background, as many as every fourth in Greater Helsinki

The average age of persons with foreign background in the first generation was 38.7 years in 2020, while the average age of the entire population was 43.4 years. The average age of persons with Finnish background was 44.2 years. The average age of persons with foreign background in the second generation was 11.3 years.

The share of under school-age children (aged 0 to 6) with foreign background was 11.7 per cent at the end of 2020. Already one in four of under school-age children is of foreign background in Greater Helsinki.

Source: Population Structure 2020, Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Markus Rapo 029 551 3238, info@stat.fi, vaesto.tilasto@stat.fi

Head of Department in charge: Hannele Orjala

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Appendix tables

• Appendix table 1. Married women by duration and order of marriage 31.12.2020 (28.5.2021)
• Appendix table 2. Females aged 15 - 85 by number of live-born children 31.12.2020 (28.5.2021)
• Appendix table 3. Males aged 15 - 85 by number of live-born children 31.12.2020 (28.5.2021)
• Appendix table 4. Women by age, number of children and the proportion of birth 31.12.2020 (28.5.2021)
• Appendix table 5. Males by age and number of children 31.12.2020 (28.5.2021)

Figures

• Appendix figure 1. Population with foreign background in 1990 - 2020 (28.5.2021)

Quality descriptions

• Quality description: Population structure 2020 (28.5.2021)

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Updated 28.05.2021