Immigration: Helsinki Is Not Attractive to Foreign-Born Newcomers

Helsinki has reached 700,000 residents, but the city’s latest population study presents an unsettled picture of who is driving that growth and how long they stay. For many residents with foreign backgrounds, Helsinki is a stopover rather than a final destination.

The study describes a “floating population” with roots abroad. These residents may move on to another part of Finland or leave the country altogether. Over the past 15 years, migration into and out of Helsinki among people with foreign backgrounds has grown sharply, while movement among native Finns has remained relatively stable.

Helsinki attracts international migration tied to education and protection. International students arrive especially from Asia. Yet the city loses the competition for EU citizens who move to Finland for work, with neighboring municipalities in the metropolitan area proving more attractive.

The pattern has become visible in migration during the 2020s. Estonians and people from elsewhere in Europe, as well as North and South America, have moved from Helsinki to other parts of Finland. Estonian speakers are no longer the city’s second-largest foreign-language group. Somali and Arabic speakers now outnumber them, while Russian remains the largest foreign-language group.

Migration flows differ by country of birth. More people born in Somalia and Iraq move to Helsinki than leave it. Some movement also escapes official records. EU mobility rules allow people to live in Helsinki for short periods without appearing in the population register, making it impossible to know precisely who lives in the city. The study estimates that a small number of people live in Helsinki without residence permits.

By the end of 2025, more than one in five Helsinki residents had a foreign background, defined by the city as having two foreign-born parents or a single known parent born abroad. In some neighborhoods, residents with foreign backgrounds form a majority. The largest groups generally trace their origins to Russia or the former Soviet Union, Estonia and Somalia.