The largest city in Finland is Helsinki with 674,500 inhabitants. Helsinki is the capital of Finland, and it is located in the south within the Uusimaa region. In 2023, the second largest city was Espoo, a city located in the Greater Helsinki metropolitan area, which had approximately 314,000 inhabitants. After the cities of Helsinki and Espoo, the third largest and most populous city outside the capital region was Tampere, with roughly 255,100 inhabitants.

The Finnish population is highly concentrated in southern Finland

The total population of Finland is roughly 5.6 million. Finland is one of the most sparsely populated countries in Europe, and the population is highly concentrated in the southern and southwestern parts of the country. Since 1915 the population of Finland grew steadily from 3.1 million to more than 5.6 million inhabitants. But the upwards trend slowed down in recent years.

The median age of the Finnish population is rising

While the population growth slowed down the Finnish population also got older. The media age increased from 27.8 years in 1950 to 39.4 years in 2000. The estimated median age for the Finnish population in 2022 was 42.6 years.

The most populous area in Finland is the capital region of Uusimaa, with almost 1.8 million inhabitants as of 2023. Almost one third of the 5.6 million population lived in the capital city and the surrounding Greater Helsinki area. The second largest region in terms of population was Pirkanmaa, inhabited by 539,309 people.

Three out of the ten largest cities located in Uusimaa The Uusimaa region also had Finland's highest population density with roughly 190.4 inhabitants per square kilometer. Pirkanmaa's population density was only 40.2 inhabitants per square meter. Out of the ten largest cities in the country, three of them were located in the Uusimaa region, including the capital city Helsinki.

Changing population structure
The population of Finland is expected to grow in the following decade, reaching 5.57 million in 2030. However, the population is aging rapidly, as the number of inhabitants aged 75 years and older continues to increase in the future. At the same time, the population aged 14 and younger is estimated to constantly decline.

Finland FI: Population in Largest City data was reported at 1,259,875.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 1,240,942.000 Person for 2016. Finland FI: Population in Largest City data is updated yearly, averaging 820,866.000 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,259,875.000 Person in 2017 and a record low of 448,192.000 Person in 1960. Finland FI: Population in Largest City data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Finland – Table FI.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population in largest city is the urban population living in the country's largest metropolitan area.; ; United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.; ;

In 2023, the population density of Finland was 18.4 inhabitants per square kilometer. The most densely populated region was Uusimaa with approximately 193.2 inhabitants per square kilometer. Lapland was the most scarcely populated region with roughly two inhabitants per square kilometer.

Finland FI: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data was reported at 26.791 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 26.481 % for 2016. Finland FI: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data is updated yearly, averaging 21.142 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 26.791 % in 2017 and a record low of 17.233 % in 1969. Finland FI: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Finland – Table FI.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.; ; United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.; Weighted average;

Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.

In 2023, the share of urban population in Finland remained nearly unchanged at around 85.77 percent. Nevertheless, 2023 still represents a peak in the share in Finland. A population may be defined as urban depending on the size (population or area) or population density of the village, town, or city. The urbanization rate then refers to the share of the total population who live in an urban setting. International comparisons may be inconsistent due to differing parameters for what constitutes an urban center.Find more key insights for the share of urban population in countries like Faroe Islands and Sweden.

Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.

Related article: Bergroth, C., Järv, O., Tenkanen, H., Manninen, M., Toivonen, T., 2022. A 24-hour population distribution dataset based on mobile phone data from Helsinki Metropolitan Area, Finland. Scientific Data 9, 39.

In this dataset:

We present temporally dynamic population distribution data from the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, Finland, at the level of 250 m by 250 m statistical grid cells. Three hourly population distribution datasets are provided for regular workdays (Mon – Thu), Saturdays and Sundays. The data are based on aggregated mobile phone data collected by the biggest mobile network operator in Finland. Mobile phone data are assigned to statistical grid cells using an advanced dasymetric interpolation method based on ancillary data about land cover, buildings and a time use survey. The data were validated by comparing population register data from Statistics Finland for night-time hours and a daytime workplace registry. The resulting 24-hour population data can be used to reveal the temporal dynamics of the city and examine population variations relevant to for instance spatial accessibility analyses, crisis management and planning.

Please cite this dataset as:

Bergroth, C., Järv, O., Tenkanen, H., Manninen, M., Toivonen, T., 2022. A 24-hour population distribution dataset based on mobile phone data from Helsinki Metropolitan Area, Finland. Scientific Data 9, 39. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-021-01113-4

Organization of data

The dataset is packaged into a single Zipfile Helsinki_dynpop_matrix.zip which contains following files:

1. HMA_Dynamic_population_24H_workdays.csv represents the dynamic population for average workday in the study area.
2. HMA_Dynamic_population_24H_sat.csv represents the dynamic population for average saturday in the study area.
3. HMA_Dynamic_population_24H_sun.csv represents the dynamic population for average sunday in the study area.
4. target_zones_grid250m_EPSG3067.geojson represents the statistical grid in ETRS89/ETRS-TM35FIN projection that can be used to visualize the data on a map using e.g. QGIS.

Column names

1. YKR_ID : a unique identifier for each statistical grid cell (n=13,231). The identifier is compatible with the statistical YKR grid cell data by Statistics Finland and Finnish Environment Institute.
2. H0, H1 ... H23 : Each field represents the proportional distribution of the total population in the study area between grid cells during a one-hour period. In total, 24 fields are formatted as “Hx”, where x stands for the hour of the day (values ranging from 0-23). For example, H0 stands for the first hour of the day: 00:00 - 00:59.
   The sum of all cell values for each field equals to 100 (i.e. 100% of total population for each one-hour period)

In order to visualize the data on a map, the result tables can be joined with the target_zones_grid250m_EPSG3067.geojson data. The data can be joined by using the field YKR_ID as a common key between the datasets.

License
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International.

Related datasets

• Järv, Olle; Tenkanen, Henrikki & Toivonen, Tuuli. (2017). Multi-temporal function-based dasymetric interpolation tool for mobile phone data. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.252612
• Tenkanen, Henrikki, & Toivonen, Tuuli. (2019). Helsinki Region Travel Time Matrix [Data set]. Zenodo. http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3247564

cities in Finland. name, office head of government, Mayor, image, Area, date founded, Elevation, Country, administrative division, continent, latitude, waterbody, longitude, Website, population, Demonym

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Helsinki, Finland metro area from 1950 to 2025. United Nations population projections are also included through the year 2035.

Overall, the share of population aged 65 years and older in Finland increased across the country. In the South Savo region, approximately 33.4 percent of the population were 65 years and older as of 2023. The capital region Uusimaa had the smallest share of individuals aged 65 years and older with 18.3 percent.

The total population of Finland amounted to approximately 5.60 million inhabitants in 2023. Slightly more than half of the population in Finland, roughly 2.8 million, were women, compared to around 2.77 million men. The population of Finland has been steadily increasing, but showed a slowing trend in recent years.

Fertility rate dropped to an all-time low in Finland The slowing increase of the Finnish population can be seen in the country’s decreasing fertility rate, which dropped to an all-time low in 2019. The estimated number of children born to a woman amounted to 1.35 in 2019, whereas in 2010 this was 1.87.

The number of elders in Finland exceeded the number of 0 to 19 year-olds Another factor slowing down the population growth is the aging population of the country. The number of people aged 60 years and older has been increasing in recent years, amounting to over 1.6 million in 2023. In 2018, the elderly population in Finland exceeded that of children and teenagers.

The number of children in early childhood education by age group and type of care from 2002, the days of attendance from 2005 and the number of personnel from 2008 in municipal daycare centres and the costs of the early childhood education system from 2009 in the six largest cities in Finland.

The reviews of early childhood education monitor the use and costs of municipal early childhood education and early childhood education purchased by the municipality, organised with a service voucher and supported with private day care allowance. The examination also includes pre-primary education according to the Basic Education Act and open early childhood education according to the Early Childhood Education Act.

The Six Cities comprise the six largest cities in Finland by population. In the order of population, the Six Cities are Helsinki, Espoo, Tampere, Vantaa, Oulu and Turku. The Kuusikko working groups compare the health and social services, employment services and early childhood education services in the cities. The data on customer numbers, services, personnel and costs are mainly compiled from the municipalities’ own information systems and financial statements. Experts from the cities agree on the most uniform definitions for data collection and implement the data collection in practice.

Kristiinankaupunki is a city. It is in Finland and has a population of 7,712 people.

The number of clients, services and costs of social services for persons with intellectual disabilities in the six largest cities in Finland in 2004–2016.

The dataset has been combined with the comparison of services for people with disabilities since 2017.

Examination of the number of clients, services and costs of services for persons with intellectual disabilities in the six largest cities is mainly limited to services under the Act on Special Care for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (519/1977) and their costs. The Act on Special Care for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities lays down provisions on providing special care to persons whose development or mental ability is hindered or disordered due to an inborn illness or disability or an illness or disability suffered during adolescence and who cannot get the services they need on the basis of other legislation. Persons with intellectual disabilities can receive priority services under, for example, the Social Welfare Act (710/1982), the Act on Disability Services and Assistance (380/1987), the Child Day Care Act (36/1973) and the Health Care Act (1326/2010).

In Turku, some of the services for persons with intellectual disabilities are organised in accordance with the Social Welfare Act, which is why services in accordance with the Social Welfare Act are included in the Turku data. In addition, short-term care for persons with intellectual disabilities related to leave days in the support for informal care is included in its entirety in the data of Helsinki, Espoo and Turku, as its costs are included in the costs of services for persons with intellectual disabilities (see the Act on Support for Informal Care 937/2005). The Tampere data includes short-term care in an institution for persons with intellectual disabilities related to leave days in the support for informal care, as its costs are included in the costs of services for persons with intellectual disabilities.

Municipalities organise special services for persons with intellectual disabilities themselves or buy them from joint municipal authorities, other municipalities or private service providers. When collecting data on the activities and costs of services for persons with intellectual disabilities in the Six Cities, only the clients who are residents of each municipality and whose services are the responsibility of the municipality in question are taken into account. On the basis of the amendments to the Municipality of Residence Act (201/1994) and the Social Welfare Act that entered into force on 1 January 2011, the number of persons who moved to or from a municipality during the year was not significant.

The Six Cities comprise the six largest cities in Finland by population. In the order of population, the Six Cities are Helsinki, Espoo, Tampere, Vantaa, Turku and Oulu. The Kuusikko working groups compare the health and social services and early childhood education services in the cities. The data on customer numbers, services, personnel and costs are mainly compiled from the municipalities’ own information systems and financial statements. Experts from the cities agree on the most uniform definitions for data collection and implement the data collection in practice.

Varkaus is a city. It is in Finland and has a population of 22,365 people.

The number of clients, services and costs of substance abuse and mental health services for the adult population in the six largest cities in Finland in 2016-2021.

The dataset contains information on integrated substance abuse and mental health services in the six largest cities, as well as on substance abuse services and mental health services. In the case of substance abuse services and mental health services, the data is broken down into open care services, services provided home, work and day activities, housing services and institutional care. The agreed definitions for data collection can be found on their own tab in the file. Further information on the organisation of services in municipalities can be found in the report (in Finnish) compiled by the Kuusikko working group.

The Six Cities comprise the six largest cities in Finland by population. In the order of population, the Six Cities are Helsinki, Espoo, Tampere, Vantaa, Oulu and Turku. The Kuusikko working groups compare the health and social services, employment services and early childhood education services in the cities. The data on customer numbers, services, personnel and costs are mainly compiled from the municipalities’ own information systems and financial statements. Experts from the cities agree on the most uniform definitions for data collection and implement the data collection in practice.

Most online shopping in Finland in 2021 was done in Muonio, a city in the Lapland region. Followed by Utsjoki, also located in Lapland, and Tammela in the Kanta-Häme region.

Valtakunnallisessa yhdyskuntarakenteen seurannassa (YKR) kaupunkiseutu muodostuu suurimpien kaupunkikeskusten keskustaajamasta, siihen fyysisesti ja toiminnallisesti tiiviisti liittyvistä lähitaajamista sekä näitä ympäröivästä lievealueesta, joka on haja-asutusaluetta. Kaikkiaan Suomessa kaupunkiseutuja on 34, joista kolme on kaksoiskaupunkeja. Keskustaajamia ovat sellaiset taajamat, joissa väestömäärä oli vuoden 2000 taajamarajauksessa yli 15 000 ja taajama ei ole kaupunkiseudun lähitaajama. Näille keskustaajamille muodostetaan kaupunkiseudut ja joiden kehitystä rajauksella seurataan. Kaksoiskaupungit muodostuvat sellaisista keskustaajamista, joiden reunat ovat alle viiden kilometrin päässä toisistaan ja jotka ovat väestömäärältään samaa kokoluokkaa. Lähitaajama kuuluu kaupunkiseutuun aina siinä tapauksessa jos etäisyys keskustaajaman reunaan on enintään kolme kilometriä. Lähitaajama kuuluu kaupunkiseutuun myös siinä tapauksessa, jos se on yli kolmen kilometrin päässä keskustaajamasta, mutta sen työllisistä yli 20 % käy töissä keskustaajamassa ja lähitaajaman ja keskustaajaman välillä on yhtenäinen alue, jossa talotiheys yhden kilometrin säteellä on yli 45 ja lähitaajaman reuna on alle 40 kilometrin päässä keskustaajaman toiminnallisesta keskipisteestä. Lähitaajaman ja keskustaajaman välillä on oltava myös suora tieyhteys ja kaupunkiseudun on muodostettava lievealueineen yhtenäinen kokonaisuus.

Lähitaajama voi kuulua ainoastaan yhteen kaupunkiseutuun ja ollessaan kriteereiltään osa useampaa kuin yhtä kaupunkiseutu, taajama katsotaan kuuluvaksi suurempaan kaupunkiseutuun. Lievealue on kaupunkiseuduille muodostuva yhtenäinen alue, joka ulottuu viiden kilometrin päähän keskustaajaman ulkoreunasta ja kolmen kilometrin päähän kaupunkiseudun lähitaajaman ulkoreunasta. Lievealueeseen eivät kuulu vesistöt, Suomen rajojen ulkopuoliset alueet, eivätkä kaupunkiseutujen ulkopuoliset taajama-alueet. Aineisto kuuluu SYKEn avoimiin aineistoihin (CC BY 4.0).

Avoin tieto -palvelussa jaossa on aina uusin versio, joka päivitetään keskimäärin kahden vuoden välein sekä joka viidennen vuoden versio alkaen vuodesta 2010. Ympäristöhallinnon sisäiseen käyttöön aineisto on

saatavissa viisivuosittain alkaen vuodesta 1990 lukuunottamatta vuotta 1995.

Kaupunkiseutujen muodostamisen lähtötietoina käytetään aina uusimpia mahdollisia YKR-tietoja. Kuitenkin muun muassa työmatkatieodot ovat siihen vuoteen nähden, jota kaupunkiseudut kuvaavat yleensä kaksi vuotta vanhoja. Tämä johtuu aineistojen tuotannossa olevasta viiveestä.

Käyttötarkoitus: YKR-kaupunkiseudut on rajattu Sykessä yhdyskuntarakenteen seurannan tarpeisiin.

Lisätietoja: https://geoportal.ymparisto.fi/meta/julkinen/dokumentit/YkrKaupunkiseutu.pdf

The YKR Urban Regions is a spatial dataset based on the Monitoring System of Spatial Structure and Urban Form (YKR). The definition of urban regions is based on the delineation of localities. The Urban regions consist of the urban localities, which exceed population threshold of 15 000 inhabitants, neighboring localities, which are physically and functionally connected to the urban localities and surrounding urban fringe areas with sparse population.

In total there are 34 urban regions in Finland, out of which three are so called twin cities. Twin cities are formed from two urban localities having less than a 5 km distance between their borders and share approximately the same amount of inhabitants.

An urban locality is formed of a locality (densely populated area) with a population of at least 15 000 inhabitants and which is not categorized as a neighboring locality of another larger urban region.

If the distance from the border of a neighboring locality is less than three kilometers to the border of an urban locality, it is invariably included in an urban region.

If the distance from the neighboring locality to the functional center of the urban locality is more than three kilometers, but less than 40 kilometers, and at least 20% of the working population is commuting to the urban locality, the area is included in the urban region. However, in these cases, there has to be also a continuous residential area, with more than 45 residential buildings per km² between the urban locality and the neighboring locality. There must also be direct road access between the urban and neighboring locality. If these criteria are met, the area is included in the urban region.

A neighboring locality can be connected to only one urban locality at a time. In conflict situations the locality in question is joined to the largest of the urban regions. The urban fringe area is a continuous area surrounding urban regions. It extends five kilometers from the border of the urban locality and three kilometers from the border of the neighboring locality. The urban fringe area does not include water areas, areas outside Finnish national borders or localities outside urban regions.

The Finnish title of the dataset is YKR Kaupunkiseudut.

This dataset belongs to Syke’s open data collection (CC BY 4.0).

Syke’s open information service delivers the most current version of the dataset, which is updated at five year intervals. For the internal use in environmental administration the data is available at five year intervals from 1990 onwards with the exception of 1995.

Urban regions are always formed using the most current YKR-data available. In some cases (e.g. YKR-commuting data) YKR-data is outdated compared to the year that the urban regions represent. This results from the delays in the data production processes.

Purpose of use: The urban regions dataset is used internally in Finnish Environmental Institute for tasks related to the monitoring of urban changes.

Kaupunkiseutu rajauksen lähtöaineistona on Sykessa muodostettu saman vuoden YKR-taajama rajaus, joka perustuu 250 x 250 metrin ruudukkoon. Rajauksessa huomioidaan asukasluvun lisäksi, rakennusten lukumäärä, kerrosala ja keskittyneisyys.

Prosessointihistoria: Kriteerit lyhyesti:
1. Etäisyys keskustaajamaan alle 3 kilometriä TAI
2. Työssäkäynti keskustaajamaan yli 20 % taajaman työllisistä JA
3. Keskustaajaman ja lähitaajaman välillä yhtenäinen alue, jossa talotiheys kilometrin säteellä yli 45 JA 4. Lähitaajaman reuna alle 40 kilometrin päässä keskustaajaman toiminnallisesta keskipisteestä JA
5. Keskustaajama, lähitaajamat ja lievealue muodostavat yhtenäisen kokonaisuuden
a. Keskustaajaman ja lähitaajaman välillä suora tieyhteys
b.Kaupunkiseutuun ei muodostu erillisiä saarekkeita

Menetelmä lyhyesti: Kaupunkiseuduille on muodostettu keskustaajamat hakemalla taajama-aineistosta ne taajamat, joiden väestömäärä oli yli 15000 vuoden 2000 taajamarajauksessa. Kaksoiskaupungit muodostetaan näistä tekemällä taajamille viiden kilometrin etäisyysvyöhyke ja vertaamalla tähän vyöhykkeeseen osuvien taajamien väestömääriä keskenään. Jos väestömäärien ero on alle 100 000 asukasta, muodostuvat keskustaajamat kaksoiskaupungiksi. Ensimmäisessä vaiheessa merkitään ne taajamat, jotka ovat alle kolmen kilometrin päässä keskustaajamasta

(1). Seuraavassa vaiheessa menetelmässä lasketaan työssäkäynti kustakin lähitaajamasta keskustaajamiin. Uusin 250x250 metrin ruutukohtainen työssäkäyntiaineisto yhdistetään työllisen asuinruudun perusteella taajamiin ja lasketaan kuinka suuri osuus taajaman työllisistä käy töissä kussakin keskustaajamassa. Taajamat, joista yli 20 % käy töissä keskustaajamassa täyttävät kriteerin

(2). Kolmannessa vaiheessa muodostetaan alueet, jotka kuvaavat taajamien välistä rakentamisyhteyttä YKR:n rakennustietojen perusteella

(3). Pistemäinen aineisto muutetaan ensin 250 metrin rasteriksi ja yleistetään focal-sum menetelmällä, jossa jokaiseen ruutuun summataan rakennusten määrä 1km:n säteeltä. Aineisto luokitellaan vielä niin, että kriteerin (45 rakennusta) täyttävät ruudut saavat arvon 1 ja kriteerin alle jäävät saavat arvoksi NoData. Neljännessä vaiheessa merkitään ne taajamat, joiden reuna on alle 40 kilometrin päässä keskustaajaman toiminnallisesta keskipisteestä

(4). Viimeisessä vaiheessa muodostetaan varsinaiset kaupunkiseudut kriteerien perusteella valitsemalla kullekin keskustaajamalle ensin ne taajamat, jotka toteuttavat ensimmäisen kriteerin. Tämän jälkeen valitaan ne taajamat, jotka toteuttavat kriteerit kaksi, kolme ja neljä ja yhdistetään ensimmäisen kriteerin toteuttaviin taajamiin. Tästä aineistosta poistetaan vielä toisten kaupunkiseutujen keskustaajamat sekä tarkastetaan, että suoran tieyhteyden kriteeri toteutuu. Lopuksi kaupunkiseudut yhdistetään, mahdolliset päällekkäisyydet poistetaan ja muodostetaan lievealue laskemalla keskustaajamille viiden kilometrin ja lähitaajamille kolmen kilometrin etäisyysvyöhyke, joista poistetaan vesialueet ja Suomen ulkopuoliset alueet. Lopuksi tarkastetaan vielä, että kaupunkiseudut muodostavat lievealueen kanssa yhtenäisiä kokonaisuuksia.

The urban regions dataset is a spatial delineation process produced on the basis of the Monitoring System of Spatial Structure and Urban Form (YKR). YKR is is a spatial grid-based information system maintained annually by the Finnish Environment institute (Syke).The urban region delineation process applies the delineation of densely populated areas (localities) on a statistical 250m x 250 m grid as the source data. The delineation of the urban regions is carried out based on the number of population, number of buildings, gross floor area and building density (in the cells of the grid.)

Processing history: Process criteria

1. Distance to urban locality less than 3 kilometers OR

2. Commuting to urban locality from neighboring localities reaches 20 % of the working population