Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Helsinki, Finland metro area from 1950 to 2025.

The most populous area in Finland is the capital region of Uusimaa, with almost 1.8 million inhabitants as of 2024. Almost one third of the 5.64 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 545,406 people. Three out of the ten largest cities located in Uusimaa The Uusimaa region also has Finland's highest population density with roughly 195.7 inhabitants per square kilometer. Pirkanmaa's population density is only 41.2 inhabitants per square meter. Out of the 10 largest cities in the country, three are 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 6.18 million in 2050. 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.

The largest city in Finland is Helsinki with 684,018 inhabitants. Helsinki is the capital of Finland, and it is located in the south within the Uusimaa region. In 2024, the second largest city was Espoo, a city located in the Greater Helsinki metropolitan area, which had approximately 320,900 inhabitants. After the cities of Helsinki and Espoo, the third largest and most populous city outside the capital region was Tampere, with roughly 280,200 inhabitants. The Finnish population is highly concentrated in southern Finland The total population of Finland is roughly 5.64 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 5.64 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 38.4 years in 2000 to 43 years in 2024. The estimated median age for the Finnish population in 2035 was 45.3 years.

In 2024, the total population of Finland amounted to roughly 5.6 million. The largest age groups were 20 to 39 year-olds (1.41 million), and 40 to 59 year-olds (1.40 million), which made up over half of the population. While the number of individuals belonging to the younger age groups declined over the period from 2020 to 2024, the age group of 60 years and older continued to increase. By the end of 2024, number of people aged 60 or older was almost 1.7 million. The growing number of individuals aged 60 or older reflects the change towards an older population structure of the country.

In 2024, the average age of the population of Finland was 44 years. The South Savo region had the highest average age with 50 years. The Uusimaa region, including the capital city Helsinki, had the lowest average age of 41.5 years.

The Swedish capital Stockholm has the largest population of the five Nordic capitals with **** million inhabitants. This is unsurprising as Sweden also is the Nordic country with the largest population. The capital area of Copenhagen is slightly larger than that of Helsinki, whereas Iceland's capital Reykjavik had the smallest population with ******* inhabitants. Oslo's rapid population decline in 2024 is explained by only the numbers for Oslo municipality being reported.

With over half a million students, comprehensive schools accounted for the largest educational institution in Finland in 2024. These schools provide elementary education and include primary schools (grades 1 to 6) and secondary schools (grades 7 to 9). That year, there were roughly 422,400 students in adult education centers, and around 230,000 students in vocational institutions. The region of Uusimaa with the highest number of pupils Uusimaa, Finland's most populous region with the capital city Helsinki, had over 500 comprehensive schools. Consequently, with roughly 180,600 pupils, the region also had the highest number of children attending primary and secondary schools. Finland’s PISA performance declining Finland is globally acknowledged as one of the top countries when it comes to the education system. The Nordic country ranked first in the quality of primary education in 2017/18, passing countries such as Singapore and Belgium. However, while the pupils in the country perform well overall, the student performance according to the PISA score has decreased since 2009. Furthermore, the gender gap in PISA scores of girls and boys has widened in recent years.