Islam education in Finland has seen a steady rise across comprehensive schools, making it the third most popular religion taught in the country. According to new data from Statistics Finland, more Finnish pupils are now studying Islam than ever before.
In 2024, 4.2 percent of pupils in primary grades (years 1 to 6) received instruction in Islam. The number for lower secondary grades (years 7 to 9) stood at 3.3 percent. These figures mark a gradual but clear increase over the past few years.
Since 2018, the share of pupils studying Islam has risen by nearly two percentage points in primary schools and by one point in lower secondary schools. The growth shows how Finland’s classrooms are becoming more diverse and reflective of the country’s changing population.
Vesa Hämäläinen, a senior statistician at Statistics Finland, noted that among primary school pupils, the share of those studying Islam is now two percentage points higher than those studying Orthodox Christianity. In lower secondary grades, the difference is 1.3 points.
Although Islam education in Finland is growing, Evangelical Lutheran religion still holds the largest share within the religion and ethics category.
In 2024, 82 percent of pupils in lower secondary schools studied Evangelical Lutheran religion. In primary schools, the number was slightly lower at 77 percent. While still dominant, the share has been gradually declining as more pupils choose alternative subjects such as ethics or Islam.
The number of pupils studying secular ethics, officially known in Finnish as “elämänkatsomustieto” or worldview education, has also grown significantly. In 2024, 15 percent of primary pupils studied ethics, while 11 percent of lower secondary pupils chose the subject.
Compared to 2016, the share of ethics students has more than doubled across both levels. This reflects a broader social trend toward pluralism and personal choice in values education.
Religious education patterns vary widely across the country. In Uusimaa, the most populous region that includes Helsinki, both Islam and ethics are studied more than anywhere else in Finland. One in five pupils in Uusimaa is a non-native speaker of Finnish or Swedish, a demographic factor strongly linked to the rise in Islam and ethics studies.
In Uusimaa’s primary schools, 9 percent of pupils studied Islam in 2024, while 24.2 percent studied ethics. These numbers highlight the region’s cultural and linguistic diversity.
By contrast, Evangelical Lutheran religion remains dominant in many other parts of Finland. In South Ostrobothnia, about 96 percent of primary pupils studied Lutheranism, while only 2 percent took ethics. Neighboring Central Ostrobothnia showed nearly identical results, according to Statistics Finland.
The continued growth of Islam education in Finland reflects the country’s evolving demographics. Immigration and population diversity are shaping what is taught in Finnish schools. The data suggests that Finland is slowly transitioning from a religiously uniform society to one that embraces multiple faiths and worldviews.
While Lutheranism remains central to Finnish education, the rise of Islam and ethics classes shows a broader acceptance of varied cultural identities within the country’s school system.
