Did you know?
| indicator | value | unit |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 5.4 | mil. |
| Visitors per year | 6.2 | mil. |
| Renewable energy | 24.48 | % |
How’s Life?
Finland performs well in many measures of well-being relative to most other countries in the Better Life Index. Finland ranks at the top in education and skills, and above average in environmental quality, subjective well-being, personal security, social connections, civic engagement, housing and work-life balance.
Money, while it cannot buy happiness, is an important means to achieving higher living standards. In Finland, the average household net-adjusted disposable income per capita is USD 27 927 a year, more than the OECD average of USD 25 908 a year. But there is a considerable gap between the richest and poorest – the top 20% of the population earn almost four times as much as the bottom 20%.
In terms of employment, 69% of people aged 15 to 64 in Finland have a paid job, above the OECD employment average of 65%. Some 69% of men are in paid work, compared with 68% of women. In Finland, 4% of employees work very long hours, much lower than the OECD average of 13%, with 6% of men working very long hours compared with just 2% for women.
Good education and skills are important requisites for finding a job. In Finland, 85% of adults aged 25-64 have completed upper secondary education, higher than the OECD average of 75%. This is truer of women than men, as 82% of men have successfully completed high-school compared with 87% of women. Finland is a top-performing country in terms of the quality of its educational system. The average student scored 529 in reading literacy, maths and science in the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). This score is much higher than the OECD average of 497 making Finland one of the strongest OECD countries in students’ skills. On average in Finland, girls outperformed boys by 27 points, considerably more than the average OECD gap of 8 points.
In terms of health, life expectancy at birth in Finland is almost 81 years, one year higher than the OECD average of 80 years. Life expectancy for women is 84 years, compared with 78 for men. The level of atmospheric PM10 – tiny air pollutant particles small enough to enter and cause damage to the lungs –is 15.2 micrograms per cubic meter in large urban areas, considerably lower than the OECD average of 20.1 micrograms per cubic meter. Finland also does well in terms of water quality, as 94% of people say they are satisfied with the quality of their water, more than the OECD average of 81%.
Concerning the public sphere, there is a strong sense of community and moderate levels of civic participation in Finland, where 95% of people believe that they know someone they could rely on in time of need, higher than the OECD average of 88%, and one of the highest figures in the OECD. Voter turnout, a measure of citizens’ participation in the political process, was 69% during recent elections; slightly above the OECD average of 68%. Social and economic status can affect voting rates; voter turnout for the top 20% of the population is an estimated 74% and for the bottom 20% it is an estimated 61%, in line with the OECD average gap of 13 percentage points.
In general, Finns are more satisfied with their lives than the OECD average. When asked to rate their general satisfaction with life on a scale from 0 to 10, Finns gave it a 7.4 grade, higher than the OECD average of 6.6.
For more information on estimates and years of reference, see FAQ section and BLI database.
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OECD in Action
OECD Economic Surveys: Finland 2016
This 2016 OECD Economic Survey of Finland examines recent economic developments, policies and prospects. The special chapters cover: Productivity and Employment and Skills.
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Finland in Detail
Housing – Finland expand
Key Findings
Living in satisfactory housing conditions is one of the most important aspects of people’s lives. Housing is essential to meet basic needs, such as shelter, but it is not just a question of four walls and a roof. Housing should offer a place to sleep and rest where people feel safe and have privacy and personal space; somewhere they can raise a family. All of these elements help make a house a home. And of course there is the question whether people can afford adequate housing.
Housing costs take up a large share of the household budget and represent the largest single expenditure for many individuals and families, by the time you add up elements such as rent, gas, electricity, water, furniture or repairs. In Finland, households on average spend 22% of their gross adjusted disposable income on keeping a roof over their heads, above the OECD average of 18%.
In addition to housing costs it is also important to examine living conditions, such as the average number of rooms shared per person and whether households have access to basic facilities. The number of rooms in a dwelling, divided by the number of persons living there, indicates whether residents are living in crowded conditions. Overcrowded housing may have a negative impact on physical and mental health, relations with others and children’s development. In addition, dense living conditions are often a sign of inadequate water and sewage supply. In Finland, the average home contains 1.9 rooms per person, slightly more than the OECD average of 1.8 rooms per person. In terms of basic facilities, 99.4% of people in Finland live in dwellings with private access to an indoor flushing toilet, more than the OECD average of 97.6%.
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How's Life? at a GlanceIndicators
Income – Finland expand
Key Findings
While money may not buy happiness, it is an important means to achieving higher living standards and thus greater well-being. Higher economic wealth may also improve access to quality education, health care and housing.
Household net-adjusted disposable income is the amount of money that a household earns each year after taxes and transfers. It represents the money available to a household for spending on goods or services. In Finland, the average household net-adjusted disposable income per capita is USD 27 927 a year, higher than the OECD average of USD 25 908.
Household financial wealth is the total value of a household’s financial worth, such as money or shares held in bank accounts. In Finland, the average household net financial wealth per capita is estimated at USD 18 761, lower than the OECD average of USD 67 139. While the ideal measure of household wealth should also include non-financial assets (e.g. land and dwellings), such information is currently available for only a small number of OECD countries, and is not included here.
Despite a general increase in living standards across OECD countries over the past fifteen years, not all people have benefited from this to the same extent. In Finland, the average net-adjusted disposable income of the top 20% of the population is an estimated USD 49 592 a year, whereas the bottom 20% live on an estimated USD 13 253 a year.
For more information on estimates and years of reference, see FAQ section and BLI database.
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How's Life? at a GlanceIndicators
Jobs – Finland expand
Key Findings
Having a job brings many important benefits, including: providing a source of income, improving social inclusion, fulfilling one’s own aspirations, building self-esteem and developing skills and competencies. In Finland, 69% of the working-age population aged 15 to 64 has a paid job. This figure is higher than the OECD employment average of 65%. Employment rates are generally higher for individuals with a higher level of education; in Finland, an estimated 84% of individuals with at least a tertiary education have a paid job, compared with an estimated 40% for those without an upper secondary education. This 44 percentage point difference is larger than the OECD average of 34 percentage points.
Women are still less likely than men to participate in the labour market. In Finland, 68% of women have jobs. This is more than the OECD average of 58% and relatively close to the 69% employment rate of men in Finland. This 1 percentage point gender difference is much lower than the OECD average of 15 percentage points and suggests Finland has been successful in addressing the constraints and barriers women face in accessing work.
Unemployed persons are defined as those who are not currently working but are willing to do so and actively searching for work. Long-term unemployment can have a large negative effect on feelings of well-being and self-worth and result in a loss of skills, further reducing employability. In Finland, the percentage of the labour force that has been unemployed for a year or longer is currently at about 1.7%, lower than the OECD average of 2.8%. There is little difference on average between men and women in the OECD area when it comes to long-term unemployment. In Finland, the long-term unemployment rate for men is higher than for women, with respectively 2.1% and 1.4%.
The wages and other monetary benefits that come with employment are an important aspect of job quality. Finns earn USD 40 060 per year on average, more than the OECD average of USD 36 118. Not everyone earns that amount however. In all OECD countries, men still earn more than women, with an average wage gap of 15.5%. In Finland, men earn 18.7% more than women. Also, whereas the top 20% of the population earn an estimated USD 49 228 per year, the bottom 20% live on an estimated USD 27 078 per year.
Another essential factor of employment quality is job security. Workers facing a high risk of job loss are more vulnerable, especially in countries with smaller social safety nets. In Finland, workers face a 6.9% chance of losing their job, higher than the OECD average of 5.4%.
For more information on estimates and years of reference, see FAQ section and BLI database.
Better Policies for Better Lives
Adult education for better employment
Finland has invested highly in vocation education and training (VET) to maintain and develop adult skills that lead to better job prospects and a greater capacity to adapt to the labour market.
About 1.7 million adults, more than 60% of the adult population, participate in adult education each year and a growing number of Finnish adults participate in further vocational education and apprenticeship training. Adults over 25 are highly represented in apprenticeship programmes, in comparison with other European countries: around 80% of apprentices are over 25 and many of the trainees are already employed when they begin an apprenticeship.
The Finnish government allocates 40% adult education budget, a relatively large proportion, to vocational education and training. Most of the programmes are offered free of charge.
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Well‑being in the workplace: Measuring job qualityIndicators
Community – Finland expand
Key Findings
Humans are social creatures. The frequency of our contact with others and the quality of our personal relationships are thus crucial determinants of our well-being.
A strong social network, or community, can provide emotional support during both good and bad times as well as provide access to jobs, services and other material opportunities. In Finland, 95% of people believe that they know someone they could rely on in time of need, one of the highest figures in the OECD, where the average is 88%. There is a 2 percentage point difference between men and women, as 94% of men believe they have this kind of social support, compared with 96% of women. While on average there is a clear relationship between the availability of social support on the one hand, and people’s education level on the other, in Finland the level of social support is similar across society: around 94% of people who have completed primary education report having someone to count on for help in times of need, compared to 97% for people who attained tertiary education.
A weak social network can result in limited economic opportunities, a lack of contact with others, and eventually, feelings of isolation. Socially isolated individuals face difficulties integrating into society as a contributing member and fulfilling personal aspirations.
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How's Life? at a Glance OECD Insights: Human CapitalIndicators
Education – Finland expand
Key Findings
A well-educated and well-trained population is essential for a country’s social and economic well-being. Education plays a key role in providing individuals with the knowledge, skills and competences needed to participate effectively in society and in the economy. Most concretely, having a good education greatly improves the likelihood of finding a job and earning enough money. Finns can expect to go through close to 19.7 years of education between the ages of 5 and 39, more than the OECD average of 17.7 years and one of the highest levels across OECD countries.
Graduating from upper secondary education has become increasingly important in all countries, as the skills needed in the labour market are becoming more knowledge-based. High-school graduation rates therefore provide a good indication of whether a country is preparing its students to meet the minimum requirements of the job market. In Finland, 85% of adults aged 25-64 have completed upper secondary education, higher than the OECD average of 75%. Across the OECD, slightly more men aged 25-64 have the equivalent of a high-school degree compared with women from the same age group. In Finland, however 87% of women have successfully completed high-school compared with 82% of men. This is also true at the university level, as more women complete tertiary education than men in Finland, at 47% and 34% respectively. This 13 percentage point gap is larger than the OECD average of 4 percentage points.
But graduation rates, while important, speak little to the quality of education received. The OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) reviews the extent to which students have acquired some of the knowledge and skills that are essential for full participation in modern societies. In 2012, PISA focused on examining students’ reading ability, skills in maths and level in sciences, as research shows that these skills are more reliable predictors of economic and social well-being than the number of years spent in school.
Finland is a top-performing OECD country in reading literacy, maths and sciences with the average student scoring 529. This score is higher than the OECD average of 497, making Finland the one of the strongest OECD countries in students’ skills. On average in Finland, girls outperformed boys by 27 points, much more than the OECD average of 8 points, with an overall score of 543 points compared with 516 points for boys.
The best-performing school systems manage to provide high-quality education to all students. In Finland, the average difference in results, between the students with the highest socio-economic background and the students with the lowest socio-economic background is 73 points, lower than the OECD average of 96 points and the one of the lowest gaps amongst OECD countries. This suggests the school system in Finland provides relatively equal access to high-quality education.
Better Policies for Better Lives
Highly respected teachers
The trust that teachers enjoy in Finnish society is deserved and reflects the very high quality of their training. Finland has raised the social status of its teachers to a level where there are few occupations with higher status. University professors are among the most highly regarded of all professionals, and even the word for teacher is the same for school teachers as for university professors. In 2010, there were more than 10 applicants for each of the 660 available slots on university courses for training primary schoolteachers, making teaching one of the most sought-after professions.
As a result of this competitive climate, teaching is now a highly selective occupation in Finland, with highly skilled, well-trained teachers spread throughout the country. While teachers in Finland have always enjoyed respect in society, a combination of raising the bar for entry and granting teachers greater autonomy over their classrooms and working conditions than their peers enjoy elsewhere has helped to raise the status of the profession. Teachers have earned the trust of parents and the wider society by their demonstrated capacity to use professional discretion and judgment in the way they manage their classrooms and respond to the challenge of helping virtually all students become successful learners.
Since the 1980s, the Finnish system of accountability was redeveloped entirely from the bottom up. Teacher candidates are selected, in part, according to their capacity to convey their belief in the core mission of public education in Finland, which is deeply humanistic as well as civic and economic. The preparation they receive is designed to build a powerful sense of individual responsibility for the learning and well-being of all the students in their care. During their careers, they must combine the roles of researcher and practitioner. Teachers in Finland are not only expected to become familiar with the knowledge base in education and human development, but are also required to write a research-based thesis as the final requirement for the Master’s degree.
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How's Life? at a GlanceIndicators
Environment – Finland expand
Key Findings
The quality of our local living environment has a direct impact on our health and well-being. Outdoor air pollution is one important environmental issue that directly affects the quality of people’s lives. Despite national and international interventions and decreases in major pollutant emissions, the health impacts of urban air pollution continue to worsen, with air pollution set to become the top environmental cause of premature mortality globally by 2050. Air pollution in urban centres, often caused by transport and the use of small-scale burning of wood or coal, is linked to a range of health problems, from minor eye irritation to upper respiratory symptoms in the short-term and chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma, cardiovascular diseases and lung cancer in the long-term. Children and the elderly may be particularly vulnerable.
PM10 – tiny particulate matter small enough to be inhaled into the deepest part of the lung – is monitored in OECD countries because it can harm human health and reduce life expectancy. In Finland, PM10 levels in urban areas are 15.2 micrograms per cubic meter, lower than the OECD average of 20.1 micrograms per cubic meter and lower than the annual guideline limit of 20 micrograms per cubic meter set by the World Health Organization.
Urban air quality in Finland is generally good, and people living in cities have relatively low exposure to air pollution by ozone and PM10 by EU standards. However, exposure to particulate matter from small scale wood burning is common, especially in rural and semi-urban areas where district heating is not available.
Access to clean water is fundamental to human well-being. Despite significant progress in OECD countries in reducing water pollution, improvements in freshwater quality are not always easy to discern. In Finland, 94% of people say they are satisfied with water quality, higher than the OECD average of 81%.
Better Policies for Better Lives
Tackling climate change
Finland, like other Nordic countries, has set climate change mitigation and green growth as strong priorities. The government is using a variety of instruments to promote energy efficiency, which supplement EU legislation. Energy taxes based on energy content, CO2 and particle emissions, have been increased progressively and are high by OECD standards. The share of renewable energy in overall energy production is about a third, one of the highest in the OECD, and Finland is likely to meet its ambitious target of 38% for renewable energy by 2020. The biofuel obligation will rise from the current 6% of transport fuels to 20% in 2020.
The government has identified EUR 2.7 billion-EUR 4.5 billion in production-linked subsidies which can heighten environmental pressures, mainly in energy, transport and agriculture. Such evaluation is very useful and should be followed by the phasing out of harmful subsidies where feasible, taking into consideration wider socio-economic and competitiveness effects.
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How's Life? at a Glance OECD Environmental Outlook to 2030Indicators
Governance – Finland expand
Key Findings
Trust in government is essential for social cohesion and well-being. High voter turnout is a measure of citizens’ participation in the political process. In the most recent elections for which data are available, voter turnout in Finland was 69% of those registered. This figure is slightly higher than the OECD average of 68%.
Even if the right to vote is universal in all OECD countries, not everyone exercises this right. There is little difference in the voting rates of men and women in most OECD countries. This is the case in Finland, where the voter turnout of men and women is similar, at an estimated 70% and 68%. While on average there are few differences between men and women concerning participation in elections, income can make a big difference in voter turnout. In Finland, voter turnout for the top 20% of the population is an estimated 74%, whereas the participation rate of the bottom 20% is an estimated 61%. This 13 percentage point difference is in line with the OECD average.
In general, women are in the minority among elected representatives and although their number has slightly increased in the last decade, it is still well below parity. In Finland, 43% of the seats in national parliament are held by women, much more than the OECD average of 28%.
Ensuring that government decision making is not compromised by conflicts of interest is key to maintaining trust in government. Transparency is therefore essential to hold government to account and to maintain confidence in public institutions.
Freedom of information laws (FOI) allow the possibility for individuals to access undisclosed information. For such policies to be successful, the public should have a clear understanding of their rights under the law, should be able to file requests with ease and should be protected against any possible retaliation. People in Finland can file a request for information either in writing, online, by telephone or in person – thus greatly facilitating the FOI process. There are also provisions for anonymity and built-in protection from retaliation – important protections that few OECD countries have adopted. As a result, Finland has one of the most accessible freedom of information policies in the OECD area.
For more information on estimates and years of reference, see FAQ section and BLI database.
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How's Life? at a GlanceIndicators
Health – Finland expand
Key Findings
Most OECD countries have enjoyed large gains in life expectancy over the past decades, thanks to improvements in living conditions, public health interventions and progress in medical care. Life expectancy at birth in Finland stands at almost 81 years, one year above the OECD average of 80 years. Life expectancy for women is 84 years, compared with 78 for men, close to the average OECD gender gap of five years, with a life expectancy of 82 years for women and 77 years for men. Higher life expectancy is generally associated with higher health care spending per person, although many other factors have an impact on life expectancy (such as living standards, lifestyles, education and environmental factors).
When asked, “How is your health in general?” 65% of people in Finland reported to be in good health, less than the OECD average of 68%. Despite the subjective nature of this question, answers have been found to be a good predictor of people’s future health care use. Gender, age and social status may affect answers to this question. On average in OECD countries, men are more likely to report good health than women, with an average of 70% for men and 66% for women. In Finland, the average is 65% for men and 64% for women. Not surprisingly, older people report poorer health, as do those who are unemployed, or who have less education or income. About 77% of adults with a disposable income in the top 20% in Finland rate their health as “good” or “very good”, compared to about 49% for those with a disposable income in the bottom 20%.
Better Policies for Better Lives
Health care in restaurants and bars
The provision of health care in restaurants and bars is providing patients who are typically hard to reach for more traditional services with access to health care. The service is carried out by nursing students of Metropolia University of Applied Sciences (Helsinki), who visit bars and restaurants during the day.
This combats the passive attitude towards personal health by providing health care in a familiar environment. Blood pressure and diabetes are considered as major public health issues. Finding and tackling these diseases improves life quality and makes early interventions possible. The programme provides hard to reach patients with the knowledge and means for following their own health condition on a daily basis.
The service was made available to 150 people from a group who are normally quite passive in health care. In interviews, both customers and nurses said they were satisfied with the programme.
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How's Life? at a GlanceIndicators
Life Satisfaction – Finland expand
Key Findings
Happiness or subjective well-being can be measured in terms of life satisfaction, the presence of positive experiences and feelings, and the absence of negative experiences and feelings. Such measures, while subjective, are a useful complement to objective data to compare the quality of life across countries.
Life satisfaction measures how people evaluate their life as a whole rather than their current feelings. When asked to rate their general satisfaction with life on a scale from 0 to 10, Finns gave it a 7.4 grade, higher than the OECD average of 6.6.
There is little difference in life satisfaction levels between men and women across OECD countries. This is true in Finland, where men gave their life a 7.2 grade, only slightly lower than the 7.5 grade given by women. When considering people’s education level, however, there is a clear difference in life satisfaction levels in many OECD countries. Whereas people who have only completed primary education in Finland have a life satisfaction level of 7.0, this score reaches 7.9 for people with tertiary education.
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How's Life? at a GlanceIndicators
Safety – Finland expand
Key Findings
Personal security is a core element for the well-being of individuals, and includes the risks of people being physically assaulted or falling victim to other types of crime. Across the OECD, assault rates have generally declined in the past five years. In Finland, almost 2.4% of people reported falling victim to assault over the previous 12 months, less than the OECD average of 3.9%. There is a 3 percentage point difference between men and women in assault rates, at respectively 3.9% and 0.9%.
The homicide rate (the number of murders per 100 000 inhabitants) is a more reliable measure of a country’s safety level because, unlike other crimes, murders are usually always reported to the police. According to the latest OECD data, Finland’s homicide rate is 1.4, lower than the OECD average of 4.0. In Finland, the homicide rate is the same for men and women.
However, while men are at a greater risk of being victims of assault and violent crime, women report lower feelings of security than men. This has been explained by a greater fear of sexual attacks, the feeling they must also protect their children and their concern that they may be seen as partially responsible.
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How's Life? at a GlanceIndicators
Work-Life Balance – Finland expand
Key Findings
Finding a suitable balance between work and life is a challenge for all workers, especially working parents. The ability to successfully combine work, family commitments and personal life is important for the well-being of all members in a household. Governments can help to address the issue by encouraging supportive and flexible working practices, making it easier for parents to strike a better balance between work and home life.
An important aspect of work-life balance is the amount of time a person spends at work. Evidence suggests that long work hours may impair personal health, jeopardise safety and increase stress. The share of employees working 50 hours or more per week is not very large across OECD countries. In Finland, almost 4% of employees work very long hours, less than the OECD average of 13%. Overall, more men work very long hours; in Finland 6% of men work very long hours, compared with 2% for women.
The more people work, the less time they have to spend on other activities, such as time with others or leisure. The amount and quality of leisure time is important for people’s overall well-being, and can bring additional physical and mental health benefits. In Finland, full-time workers devote 62% of their day on average, or 14.9 hours, to personal care (eating, sleeping, etc.) and leisure (socialising with friends and family, hobbies, games, computer and television use, etc.) – slightly less than the OECD average of 15 hours.