Immigration to Finland decreased, the decline in the birth rate seems to have levelled off, and the population of Uusimaa grew the fastest. Those are among the figures for the first three months of this year released by Statistics Finland on Friday.
The decline in immigration is explained by the arrival of fewer Ukrainians. Between January and March, some 2,700 fewer Ukrainians came to Finland compared to a year earlier. Ukrainians fleeing the war-torn country are eligible for temporary protection in Finland, meaning that they need not apply for asylum. That protection has been extended until March of next year.
"Not counting the impact of Ukrainians, immigration decreased by approximately 2,600 people from the same period of last year," chief actuary Joonas Toivola said.
The largest increase in immigration was from Myanmar, with the number of arrivals rising by almost 150 compared to early 2024.
Even before a major earthquake there in late March, "the humanitarian situation in Myanmar has been very difficult due to the ongoing conflict in the country," the Foreign Ministry said as Finland donated a million euros in humanitarian aid after the quake, which killed some 5,000 people.
Birth rate holding steady
Meanwhile the decline in Finland's birth rate seems to have levelled off.
The rate remained around last year's level during the first months of 2025. According to Toivola, the decline in birth rates appears to have plateaued for now.
During the January-March period, 10,852 children were born, up by 11 from the corresponding period of the previous year.
However the number of births did not make up for the mortality rate, although it was down slightly. During the three months, 15,123 people died, which was 140 fewer than a year earlier.
More people around Helsinki and Tampere
Uusimaa, which includes Helsinki, saw its population grow by almost 5,000 people, which was the largest number in all of Finland, but also the highest proportional growth. Pirkanmaa, which includes Tampere, was second, with a population increase of around 700 people. Lapland is third, with a rise of just under 200 people.
The population loss was greatest in two eastern regions, South Savo and North Karelia, which lost around 300 inhabitants each.
The state statistics bureau’s preliminary estimate of country's total population last month is 5,640,437 people. However last autumn, Statistics Finland had to revise its population figures, reducing the total count by nearly 4,000 inhabitants.