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Contents
In brief
The country
- 3
5.65 million people, growing only through arrivals
- 4
More deaths than births, arrivals keep growth going
Where the market is now
- 5
Permits peaked in 2022 and have fallen since
- 6
Below the EU rate, between Sweden and Denmark
- 7
Ukraine leads, the Philippines second, China third
- 8
Ukraine first, the seven sourcing centres 31.9% of permits
- 9
Stricter rules, 70,100 more people aged 20 to 64 by 2041
The outlook
- 10
About 9,210 permits in 2026, between 5,690 and 14,000
- 11
Origin shares held, and the drivers beside the lines
- 11
What could change this
Method and sources
- 12
How to read this report
- 12
Sources, photographs and flags
Cover: Helsinki at dusk, the cathedral above the South Harbour. Photograph by Tapio Haaja, Pexels.
Finland issued 9,211 first residence permits for work in 2025 to citizens of countries outside the EU, 18.7 percent fewer than in 2024 and 41 percent below the 15,575 of 2022. That is 2.9 for every 1,000 residents aged 20 to 64, against 4.9 across the EU, 4.7 in Denmark and 1.9 in Sweden. The fall follows the economy: unemployment reached 9.7 percent in 2025, and the immigration service names the weak economy as the main cause. On the national count, 11,324 first applications for a residence permit on the basis of work were filed in 2025, and from January to May 2026 applications rose 16 percent. Ukraine was the largest origin; the seven sourcing centres of Werklist received 2,936 permits. Our estimate is about 9,210 permits in 2026, the 2025 count held because applications rose, with a range of 5,690 to 14,000. For 2027 the range is too wide for a yearly number, and the direction is flat; in 2031 the central line, a stated assumption, gives 9,210 a year.
First residence permits for work issued in 2025
Permits in 2026, 5,690 to 14,000
Permits a year in 2031, the central line
More people aged 20 to 64 by 2041
5.65 million people, growing only through arrivals
Finland has 5.65 million people, 181,128 more than in 2015. More people die than are born, 59,209 deaths against 45,832 births in 2025, and people moving in make up the difference. Output per head is 120 percent of the EU average, yet the economy grew 3.9 percent from 2021 to 2025, against 13.7 percent across the EU. On Eurostat's 2025 projection the number of people aged 20 to 64 grows 2.2 percent by 2041, and only because people move in.
People living in Finland on 1 January 2026
3.3 percent more than in 2015, and 1.3 percent of the EU's 452.0 million. People aged 65 and over were 23.6 percent of the population in 2025.
GDP in 2025, billion euro at current prices
1.5 percent of the EU economy.
GDP per head in 2025
120 percent of the EU average of 41,700 euro in 2025. Counting higher prices at home, 101 percent, down from 109 percent in 2015.
Real growth in 2025
Against 1.4 percent across the EU. Over 2021 to 2025 the economy grew 3.9 percent in all, the EU grew 13.7 percent (our estimate from the yearly rates).
People aged 20 to 64 in work, 2025
Against 76.1 percent across the EU.
Two changes to residence permits for work
Sources: Eurostat, demo_gind (population, updated 21 July 2026), nama_10_gdp and nama_10_pc (GDP, updated 21 September 2026), tec00114 (price adjusted GDP per head), tec00115 (growth), lfsi_emp_a (employment), demo_pjanbroad (age). All retrieved 27 September 2026. Figures for 2025 GDP, GDP per head and growth are provisional. Key dates: Finnish Immigration Service, 18 December 2024 and 11 June 2025; Act 255/2025, Statute Book of Finland; retrieved 27 September 2026.
Finland
Sweden
Denmark
Ukraine
The Philippines
China
India
Vietnam
Thailand
The United Kingdom
Türkiye
The United States
Russia
Norway
Iceland
Bangladesh
Nepal
Uzbekistan
IndonesiaWhat this report answers
How many first residence permits for work has Finland issued each year since 2019?
9,211 in 2025, 18.7% fewer than the 11,332 of 2024 and 41 percent below the 15,575 of the 2022 peak; 8,228 in 2019.
Which countries do the new hires come from, and which are growing?
Ukraine leads with 1,420 permits in 2025, ahead of the Philippines with 975, a third fewer than in 2024, China with 890 and India with 847. Nepal and Bangladesh have grown from small numbers, to 219 and 259.
How does Finland compare with its neighbours per resident?
2.9 first residence permits for work for every 1,000 residents aged 20 to 64 in 2025, down from 5.0 in 2022: below the EU's 4.9 and Denmark's 4.7, above Sweden's 1.9 and Estonia's 1.4.
Which rules apply to employers who hire from abroad?
The immigration service may test whether a suitable jobseeker is available in Finland or the EU and EEA, and the gross salary must be at least 1,600 euro a month in 2026. In July 2026 a positive decision on a first permit took 17 days on average.
How is the working age population changing?
Eurostat projects 3,176,248 people aged 20 to 64 in 2026 and 3,246,314 in 2041: about 70,100 more, a rise of 2.2 percent, and only because people move in.
How many first residence permits for work do we expect Finland to issue in 2026, and what comes after?
About 9,210 in 2026, between 5,690 and 14,000, the count of 2025 held because first applications rose 16 percent from January to May 2026. For 2027 the direction is flat. In 2031 the central line, a stated assumption, holds 9,210 a year.
The full report answers each question with its figures, charts and sources. Request the full report