Everything you ever wanted to know about Finland
Did you know?
Out of all countries Finland is
- the happiest
- the second most stable
- the fourth most prosperous
- the second most gender-equal and
- the second least corrupt
Sources: Corruption Perceptions Index 2024; Fragile States Index 2024; Global Gender Gap Report 2024; The Legatum Prosperity Index 2023; World Happiness Report 2024.
Location & area
- in Northern Europe
- Total area 390 906 km²
Population
- 5.6 million
Life expectancy
- Men: 79
- Women: 84
Languages
- Finnish (84.9%)
- Swedish (5.1%)
- Finland has the 14th highest English proficiency among adults
Education
- 75% of the population over the age of 15 has post-comprehensive level education
- 42% of the population aged 25–64 has higher education
Government
- Sovereign parliamentary republic since 1917
- Member of the EMU, EU, NATO, OECD, UN, and WTO
Main Industries
- Electronics, metal, engineering, chemical, and forest
Economy
- Currency: Euro
- GDP 2023: €273 billion
- GDP per capita 2023: €40,811
Climate and nature
- Four seasons; warm summers with midnight sun, cold winters with snow
- There are over 168,000 lakes and 200,000 islands in Finland
- Forests cover over 75% of Finland’s land area
- The aurora borealis can be seen especially in Northern Finland almost all year round
Fun facts
Peculiar competitions
The Finns enjoy many unusual sports and contests, such as wife-carrying, air guitar, swamp soccer, and – believe it or not – swamp skiing in high heels and floral dresses.
Baby box
The Finnish baby box is granted for free to all expectant or adoptive parents who live permanently in Finland. It contains all kinds of necessities you need when the baby is born.
Santa Claus
Forget the North Pole – did you know that the real Santa Claus lives in Finnish Lapland? His official home town is Rovaniemi, where you can visit his village!
