Population
Most Finns live in the urban areas of southern Finland. The capital, Helsinki, and the neighbouring towns of Espoo and Vantaa form the metropolitan region which is now home to almost a million people. Other important towns are Lahti, Tampere and Turku in southern Finland and Oulu in the north.
Ageing population
Average life expectancy is now 82 years for women and 75 for men and has risen steadily since the 1950s.
In comparison with other European countries, the birth rate, however, remains relatively high at 1.7 children per woman.
Finnish and Swedish
Finland has two official languages, Finnish and Swedish, both of which have strong roots in society. Swedish is spoken as a mother tongue by some 6% of the population and all children are taught both languages at school. Everyone has the right to use Finnish or Swedish in dealing with state authorities.
The small community of Saami people in Lapland speak Saami as their mother tongue. In specified areas, the Saami have a right to public services in their own language. English is by far the most popular foreign language and visitors with knowledge of the language are unlikely to have communication problems in Finland.
Religion
The position of the Evangelic Lutheran Church is unrivalled with some 84% of the population as its members. Only one percent of Finns belong to the Finnish Orthodox Church. About 14% of Finns do not belong to a religious denomination.
Most Finns are not regular church-goers and only attend important ecclesiastical events such as baptisms, confirmations, weddings and funerals.
Virtual Finland: The Population of Finland
Virtual Finland: Swedish in Finland
