The figures are taken from the new projection for 2025–2045 for the foreign-language-speaking population in the Uusimaa region. The projection has been drawn up in collaboration with population experts from the cities in the Helsinki metropolitan area and the Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council.
At the end of 2024, 56 per cent of Finland’s total foreign-language-speaking population lived in the Uusimaa region. Around 19 per cent of the population of Uusimaa spoke a foreign language, and this figure is anticipated to rise to around 25 per cent by 2035.
Growth concentrated in the Helsinki metropolitan area
It is estimated that the number of foreign-language speakers in Uusimaa will grow by around 15,000 per year between 2025 and 2029, and by around 16,000 per year after that. Most of this growth is concentrated in the Helsinki metropolitan area, in whose major cities around 86 per cent of the entire foreign-language-speaking population of Uusimaa was living as early as 2024.
It is estimated that in 2035, the number of foreign-language speakers will be around 191,000 in Helsinki, around 131,000 in Espoo and around 116,000 in Vantaa. By 2045, the figures are predicted to rise further to around 238,000 in Helsinki, 181,000 in Espoo and 158,000 in Vantaa.
The growth in the foreign-language-speaking population is fastest in Espoo and Vantaa. As recently as 2020, Helsinki had more residents who spoke a foreign language than Espoo and Vantaa combined. According to the projection, the combined foreign-language-speaking population of Espoo and Vantaa would already surpass that of Helsinki by almost a third by 2035.
Growth in foreign-language population across all age groups
The number of people speaking a foreign language is expected to increase across all age groups. The strongest growth, in relative terms, is among the working-age population and the elderly.
The number of foreign-language speakers of working age is projected to almost double by 2045. At the same time, the number of pensioners who speak a foreign language could increase almost fivefold.
However, the age structure of the foreign-language-speaking population remains younger than that of the population as a whole. It is estimated that in 2045, people aged 65 and over will account for just over 10 per cent of the foreign-language-speaking population, whilst the corresponding proportion in the population of the whole of Uusimaa will be more than double that, according to Statistics Finland’s population projection.
Languages of Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and the former Soviet Union to remain largest language groups
In 2045, the largest language groups across the whole of Uusimaa are predicted to consist of residents who speak languages from Asia (excluding the Middle East), the Middle East, and North Africa, as well as Russian and other languages of the former Soviet Union.
According to the projection, the largest language groups in Espoo and Vantaa are the same as those throughout Uusimaa. In Helsinki, on the other hand, the number of residents speaking languages from the Middle East and North Africa, other parts of Asia and Western Europe is growing particularly rapidly.
In the surrounding suburban municipalities of the Helsinki region and elsewhere in Uusimaa, the largest language group continues to be residents who speak Russian and other languages of the former Soviet Union.
Uncertainties associated with the projection
The most significant source of uncertainty in the projection is migration. International migration is influenced by factors such as immigration policy, the international security situation and developments in the labour market, as well as economic conditions in Finland and around the world.
The projection outlines a possible future trajectory based on current data and assumptions, but significant changes in migration patterns may have a major impact on future population trends.
Projection covers six regions and eight language groups
The projection for the foreign-language-speaking population in Uusimaa outlines population trends for the 2025–2045 period across six regions: Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Kauniainen, the surrounding suburban municipalities of the Helsinki region, and the rest of Uusimaa.
The projection is based on a demographic method in which future population trends are estimated using assumptions regarding birth rates, mortality rates and migration. The publication presents the results for eight language groups and describes the projection method and its key assumptions in detail.
Publication: Uudenmaan maakunnan vieraskielisen väestön ennuste vuosille 2025–2045 (Foreign-language population projection for the Uusimaa region for 2025–2045)
Authors: City of Helsinki Urban Research and Statistics Unit, the research units of the City of Vantaa and the City of Espoo, the Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council