Finland is a country in Northern Europe. Its capital is Helsinki.
Europe and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Helsinki; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.
Natural Earth · locator mapFinland is a country of forests, lakes and low, gently rolling terrain. Glaciers left numerous basins, ridges and waterways across the landscape. Higher, more open uplands occur in the far north, especially in Lapland.
Lake Saimaa belongs to a complex network of interconnected waters and islands rather than a single simple basin. The Baltic coast also contains extensive archipelagos. These inland and coastal waters make shorelines an unusually prominent feature of the country.
Winters are cold and long, especially in the north. The Baltic Sea moderates coastal conditions, while northern inland areas have a more subarctic climate.
Boreal forests and peatlands cover large areas. Winters are cold, while summer daylight becomes especially long in the north. Seasonal freezing and thawing affect lakes, rivers and the movement of water through the landscape.
White with a blue cross extending to the edges of the flag; the cross is shifted to the left in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · NATO · Finland accession
An aerial view shows the intricate pattern of lakes, islands and forest.
Photo: kallerna · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
A path toward Pallastunturi passes through autumn vegetation.
Photo: Ximonic (Simo Räsänen) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Finnish and Swedish are Finland’s national languages. Their local use and public-service arrangements vary between municipalities.
Sámi languages have particular rights in the Sámi homeland in the north. Russian, Estonian, Arabic, Somali and other languages are also spoken. Finnish and Swedish belong to different language families despite their shared national status.
Saunas are used in homes and shared public settings. Water poured over heated stones produces löyly, the heat and steam central to the experience. Family traditions and community spaces help pass on the customs surrounding sauna bathing, which takes several different forms.
Sources: UNESCO · Finnish sauna culture
Finland was part of Sweden until 1809, then an autonomous grand duchy within the Russian Empire. It declared independence in December 1917 following the Russian Revolution. A civil war followed in 1918, and Finland later fought the Soviet Union during the Second World War.
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · NATO · Finland accession
Engineering, forest products, technology and services are major activities. Exports include machinery, paper products and electronics. Finland is part of the EU and uses the euro.
metals and metal products, electronics, machinery and scientific instruments, shipbuilding, pulp and paper, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, clothing
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · NATO · Finland accession
Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.
Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.
Sources: World Bank · Population
| Year | People | Millions of people |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 4,606,307 | 4.606 |
| 1980 | 4,779,535 | 4.780 |
| 1990 | 4,986,431 | 4.986 |
| 2000 | 5,176,209 | 5.176 |
| 2010 | 5,363,352 | 5.363 |
| 2020 | 5,529,543 | 5.530 |
| 2025 | 5,646,436 | 5.646 |
Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.
Sources: World Bank · Real GDP
| Year | Constant 2015 US$ | Billions of constant 2015 US dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 156,033,016,628 | 156.033 |
| 1991 | 146,857,345,005 | 146.857 |
| 1992 | 141,994,349,627 | 141.994 |
| 1993 | 140,887,056,303 | 140.887 |
| 1994 | 146,472,344,494 | 146.472 |
| 1995 | 152,674,521,262 | 152.675 |
| 1996 | 158,266,465,562 | 158.266 |
| 1997 | 168,391,880,312 | 168.392 |
| 1998 | 177,576,428,489 | 177.576 |
| 1999 | 185,370,756,399 | 185.371 |
| 2000 | 196,036,503,504 | 196.037 |
| 2001 | 201,212,380,923 | 201.212 |
| 2002 | 204,607,490,635 | 204.607 |
| 2003 | 208,723,783,983 | 208.724 |
| 2004 | 217,083,963,685 | 217.084 |
| 2005 | 223,113,056,548 | 223.113 |
| 2006 | 232,081,249,320 | 232.081 |
| 2007 | 244,411,266,035 | 244.411 |
| 2008 | 246,328,504,349 | 246.329 |
| 2009 | 226,434,937,569 | 226.435 |
| 2010 | 233,609,048,325 | 233.609 |
| 2011 | 239,193,226,293 | 239.193 |
| 2012 | 235,550,695,854 | 235.551 |
| 2013 | 233,242,909,052 | 233.243 |
| 2014 | 232,127,848,351 | 232.128 |
| 2015 | 233,210,733,506 | 233.211 |
| 2016 | 239,208,760,000 | 239.209 |
| 2017 | 247,110,710,502 | 247.111 |
| 2018 | 250,058,685,919 | 250.059 |
| 2019 | 253,433,824,169 | 253.434 |
| 2020 | 247,120,696,232 | 247.121 |
| 2021 | 253,734,502,126 | 253.735 |
| 2022 | 255,670,602,725 | 255.671 |
| 2023 | 252,373,129,874 | 252.373 |
| 2024 | 253,318,435,247 | 253.318 |
| 2025 | 253,757,802,164 | 253.758 |
The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.
The latest values refer to 2023. All historical scores use the same report edition. HDI does not describe every aspect of inequality or quality of life.
Sources: UNDP · Human Development Report 2025
Parliamentary republic. Parliament (Eduskunta - Riksdagen) has one chamber (a unicameral legislature).
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · NATO · Finland accession
Three questions about Finland.
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · NATO · Finland accession
Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.
Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.
