Finland

World Book Index

Introduction

Background
Finland was a province and then a grand duchy under Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries and an autonomous grand duchy of Russia after 1809. It gained complete independence in 1917. Finland joined the EU in 1995 and NATO in April 2023.

Geography

Area
total : 338,145 sq km
land: 303,815 sq km
water: 34,330 sq km

Climate
cold temperate; potentially subarctic but comparatively mild because of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current, Baltic Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes

Natural resources
timber, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, nickel, gold, silver, limestone

People and Society

Population
total: 5,626,414 (2024 est.)

Ethnic groups
Finnish, Swedish, Russian, Estonian, Romani, Sami

Languages
Finnish (official) 85.9%, Swedish (official) 5.2%, Russian 1.7%, other 7.2% (2022 est.)

Religions
Lutheran 66.6%, Greek Orthodox 1.1%, other 1.7%, none 30.6% (2022 est.)

Population growth rate
0.2% (2024 est.)

Government

Government type
parliamentary republic

Capital
name: Helsinki

Executive branch
chief of state: President Alexander STUBB (since 1 March 2024)
head of government: Prime Minister Petteri ORPO (since 20 June 2023)

Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Leena-Kaisa MIKKOLA (since 18 September 2024)

Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires J. Chris KARBER (since July 2025)

Economy

Economic overview
high-income, export-based EU and eurozone economy; major timber, metals, engineering, telecom, and electronics industries; emerging from recession triggered by inflation, weak consumer and export demand, and lower private investment; labor market reform plan to address structural rigidities

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$313.591 billion (2024 est.)
$314.075 billion (2023 est.)
$317.078 billion (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita
$55,600 (2024 est.)
$56,200 (2023 est.)
$57,100 (2022 est.)

Exports
$124.531 billion (2024 est.)
$127.098 billion (2023 est.)
$129.389 billion (2022 est.)

Exports - partners
USA 11%, Germany 11%, Sweden 10%, Netherlands 7%, China 5% (2023)

Exports - commodities
paper, refined petroleum, steel, wood pulp, ships (2023)

Imports
$122.644 billion (2024 est.)
$126.175 billion (2023 est.)
$135.119 billion (2022 est.)

Imports - partners
Germany 14%, Sweden 12%, China 9%, Norway 8%, Netherlands 5% (2023)

Imports - commodities
crude petroleum, cars, refined petroleum, packaged medicine, broadcasting equipment (2023)

Human Development Index

The country's Human Development Index (HDI) is 0.948, ranking it 12th out of 193 countries tested. (more information)

World Happiness Report

The World Happiness Report ranked the country 6th out of 158 countries tested with a score of 7.319. (more information)