Finland population growth slowed sharply during the first half of 2026, with the country’s population increasing by just 16 people. Preliminary figures released by Statistics Finland show that immigration remained the only reason the population did not decline, as deaths continued to outnumber births despite a modest recovery in the birth rate.
The latest data reflects a demographic trend that has shaped Finland for years. The country is aging, families are having fewer children than in previous generations, and population growth increasingly depends on people moving to Finland from abroad. While the number of births has started to recover, the improvement is still too small to reverse the long-term imbalance between births and deaths.
Between January and June 2026, 19,720 people moved to Finland, while 14,494 people left the country. That resulted in net migration of 5,226 people.
Although more people arrived than departed, the migration gain was much smaller than during the same period in 2025. Last year, Finland recorded 21,552 arrivals and 8,631 departures, producing a net migration gain of 12,921 people.
Compared with a year earlier, immigration fell by 1,832 people, while departures increased by 5,863.
The figures show that Finland is still attracting international migrants, but the pace has slowed. At the same time, more people were recorded as leaving the country, reducing the overall contribution of migration to population growth.
Even so, immigration remained the largest factor preventing Finland’s population from shrinking.
The sharp increase in departures was not driven entirely by new migration.
Statistics Finland said a data-sharing agreement between Finland and Estonia led to a significant number of previously unregistered moves being added to Finland’s population records.
Many of these cases involved people who had already relocated to Estonia in earlier years, but whose departures had not been officially recorded in Finland at the time.
As those records were updated, they appeared in the 2026 statistics, making the number of departures look unusually high.
The administrative update reduced Finland’s recorded migration gain, but it does not necessarily indicate a sudden increase in people choosing to leave the country this year.
Ukraine continued to be the biggest country of origin for people moving to Finland.
During the first six months of 2026, 3,179 people arrived from Ukraine.
That was 1,316 fewer than during the same period in 2025, representing the largest decline among all nationalities.
The drop follows several years of unusually high arrivals after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since then, Finland, like many European countries, has received thousands of people seeking safety from the war.
As emergency migration has slowed, fewer Ukrainians are now arriving than during the peak years of displacement.
Migration patterns from most other countries remained relatively stable.
Syria recorded the largest increase, with 111 more people moving to Finland compared with the first half of 2025.
Finland registered 23,662 births between January and June 2026.
That was 1,255 more babies than during the same period last year, continuing a gradual increase that first became visible in 2025.
The improvement offers cautious optimism after more than a decade of declining birth rates.
For years, Finland has faced concerns about fewer young people entering the workforce, increasing pressure on public services, and a rapidly growing elderly population.
A sustained increase in births could help ease some of those challenges over time, although demographic trends typically change slowly.
Statistics Finland senior actuary Joonas Toivola said the rise in births that began last year appears to have continued during the first half of 2026.
The preliminary fertility rate for the 12 months between July 2025 and June 2026 reached 1.34 children per woman.
That is slightly higher than the 1.30 recorded during the 2025 calendar year.
Despite the improvement, Finland’s fertility rate remains well below replacement level and below the level recorded during the coronavirus pandemic.
The highest fertility rate recorded so far this decade was 1.46 children per woman in 2021.
Finland population growth continues to rely heavily on immigration because natural population change remains negative.
Simply put, more people are dying than are being born.
Until births consistently exceed deaths, or the gap narrows significantly, immigration will remain the primary driver of population stability.
This trend is becoming increasingly important as Finland competes with other European countries for skilled workers, international students, and long-term residents.
Migration supports the labor market, helps address workforce shortages, and contributes to economic activity. However, it also places greater importance on successful integration, housing, education, and employment policies.
The latest population figures show both encouraging and challenging developments.
Births are beginning to recover after years of decline, suggesting that Finland may be moving away from record-low fertility levels. At the same time, the improvement remains too modest to offset the country’s aging population.
Immigration continues to keep Finland’s population stable, but lower arrivals and higher recorded departures reduced population growth during the first half of the year.
The increase of just 16 people illustrates how finely balanced Finland’s demographic situation has become.
Looking ahead, the country’s long-term population outlook will depend on a combination of higher birth rates, sustainable immigration, and policies that make Finland an attractive place to live, work, and raise a family.
Without progress in these areas, population growth is likely to remain weak, with immigration continuing to carry most of the responsibility for maintaining the country’s population.
