Common diseases in Helsinki became less prevalent between 2019 and 2025, but the improvement has not been shared equally across the capital. New data from the City of Helsinki shows that the prevalence of the most common diseases fell by 10 per cent during the period, while residents overall recorded lower levels of illness than the Finnish population as a whole.
In 2025, the prevalence of the seven diseases examined in the review was 21 per cent lower in Helsinki than the national level. The decline was driven particularly by lower rates of hypertension and coronary heart disease, according to the city’s research review, which draws on data from the Social Insurance Institution of Finland, Kela, and Statistics Finland.
The seven disease categories included in the analysis showed different patterns. Psychotic disorders were the only category in which prevalence was slightly higher in Helsinki than across Finland. The largest relative differences in Helsinki’s favour were recorded for coronary heart disease and hypertension.
The city’s overall health picture was also reflected in a separate morbidity index. The index combines information on disability, mortality and eligibility for medicine reimbursements to provide a broader measure of population health. Of the three components, disability showed the largest decline.
Helsinki’s age-standardised morbidity index stood at 84 in 2025, compared with the national reference level of 100. Age standardisation is used to make comparisons between areas with different age structures, since the prevalence of many diseases varies significantly with age.
However, the citywide figures conceal considerable differences between neighbourhoods. Morbidity remained below the Helsinki average in the inner city and in the northernmost parts of the capital. At the same time, nine basic districts recorded morbidity levels substantially above the city average, even after differences in the age of residents were taken into account.
The geographical gap also widened slightly during the period covered by the review. Changes in disability between 2023 and 2025 were identified as an important factor behind the increase in differences between areas.
The City of Helsinki linked these differences partly to the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of neighbourhoods. Disease prevalence tends to be higher in areas where residents have lower incomes, suggesting that the health differences seen across the city are connected to wider differences between population groups.
The findings have practical implications for how health and social services are planned across Helsinki. The city said resources should be directed towards areas where needs are greater, while broader measures are also needed to address health differences between population groups.
The figures therefore present two developments at the same time. Helsinki has seen a clear decline in the prevalence of several common diseases and continues to record a lower overall morbidity level than Finland as a whole. But the improvement at city level has not eliminated the differences between neighbourhoods, with some parts of Helsinki continuing to experience considerably higher levels of illness and disability than others.
