Uusimaa’s foreign-language population is projected to reach around 674,000 people by 2045, almost twice the level recorded at the end of 2024, according to a new regional population projection. Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa are expected to account for most of the growth as migration continues to reshape the region’s population over the next two decades.
At the end of 2024, around 339,500 people living in Uusimaa had a registered language other than Finnish, Swedish or Sami. They accounted for approximately 19 percent of the region’s population and more than half, 56 percent, of all foreign-language speakers in Finland.
The latest projection, covering the period from 2025 to 2045, estimates that the proportion will rise to about 25 percent of Uusimaa’s population by 2035.
The figures were prepared by population experts from Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa together with the Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council. The projection estimates that Uusimaa will gain roughly 15,000 foreign-language speakers annually between 2025 and 2029. After that, the annual increase is expected to rise to around 16,000.
Much of the change will be concentrated in the Helsinki metropolitan area. In 2024, approximately 86 percent of Uusimaa’s foreign-language-speaking population already lived in Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa or Kauniainen and the surrounding metropolitan municipalities.
The distribution of that population is also expected to change. Helsinki is projected to have around 191,000 foreign-language speakers by 2035, increasing to approximately 238,000 by 2045. Espoo is expected to reach about 131,000 in 2035 and 181,000 in 2045, while Vantaa is projected to have around 116,000 and 158,000 respectively.
The projections point to particularly rapid growth in Espoo and Vantaa. As recently as 2020, Helsinki had more foreign-language speakers than Espoo and Vantaa combined. By 2035, the combined number in Espoo and Vantaa is expected to be almost one third higher than Helsinki’s figure.
The change will not be limited to one generation. Foreign-language speakers are projected to increase across every age group, including both working-age residents and older people. The number of working-age foreign-language speakers is expected to nearly double by 2045, while the number of people of pension age within the group could increase almost fivefold.
Even with that ageing trend, the foreign-language population is expected to remain younger than Uusimaa’s population as a whole. People aged 65 and over are projected to account for just over 10 percent of foreign-language speakers in 2045. For Uusimaa’s total population, Statistics Finland’s population projection puts the corresponding share at more than twice that level.
The language composition of the region is also expected to become more diverse. By 2045, the largest groups are projected to include languages originating in Asia outside the Middle East, languages from the Middle East and North Africa, as well as Russian and other languages associated with the former Soviet Union.
The projection does not treat the figures as a fixed outcome. Migration is identified as the largest source of uncertainty, meaning that changes in immigration policy, international security, labour demand and economic conditions could significantly alter the pace and scale of population growth.
That uncertainty is particularly important for Uusimaa because migration has a direct effect on the region’s population structure. The projection is built on assumptions about migration, births and deaths, with the population divided into eight broad language groups.
The study covers the capital region as well as Kauniainen, municipalities surrounding the Helsinki metropolitan area and the rest of Uusimaa. Its figures offer a long-term view of a region where the population is becoming increasingly linguistically diverse, with the strongest growth expected in the cities that already form the centre of Finland’s largest metropolitan area.
By 2045, the projected 674,000 foreign-language speakers would represent a major shift from the roughly 339,500 recorded at the end of 2024. While the exact figure will depend heavily on future migration and demographic developments, the projection points to a Uusimaa in which residents who speak languages other than Finnish, Swedish or Sami will make up a significantly larger share of the population than they do today.
