Statistics Finland’s preliminary population bulletin released on 22 January 2026 confirms that Finland’s post-pandemic immigration boom is losing steam. According to the agency, 50,060 foreign nationals moved to Finland in 2025—13,905 fewer than in 2024 and more than 23,000 fewer than the 2023 peak. Emigration also edged down to 15,208, leaving a positive net migration balance of 34,852 that single-handedly offset the country’s natural decrease of 13,195 deaths over births. Finland’s population stood at 5,656,900 on 31 December 2025.
The data matter for employers and mobility planners because immigration—not domestic births—is now the only source of labour-force expansion in an ageing economy. Ukrainian nationals remained the largest immigrant cohort (8,388 arrivals) as temporary-protection holders continued to convert their status into longer-term residence. Arrivals from the Philippines (2,701) and Sri Lanka (2,435) were also significant, reflecting ongoing recruitment in health care, construction and logistics. By contrast, arrivals from Russia dropped by 1,270 amid heightened border restrictions.
The citizenship pipeline also accelerated: a record 14,124 foreign residents were naturalised in 2025, led by Iraq (1,960), Russia (1,491) and Syria (1,282). Corporate relocation teams should note that stricter permanent-residence rules—already in force since 8 January 2026—extend the qualifying stay to six years and require demonstrable language skills. Fewer new arrivals combined with tougher settlement criteria could tighten the talent market in the medium term.
![Statistics Finland: Immigration to Finland fell sharply in 2025 – but still accounted for all population growth]()
Organisations looking to navigate Finland’s evolving entry requirements don’t have to go it alone. VisaHQ’s Finland portal (https://www.visahq.com/finland/) offers up-to-the-minute visa guidance, document checklists and application concierge services that streamline work-permit filings for both HR teams and individual assignees, ensuring compliance even as rules tighten.
Regional figures show that the growth is highly concentrated. Three metropolitan regions—Uusimaa (Greater Helsinki), Pirkanmaa (Tampere) and Southwest Finland (Turku)—captured nearly all net international inflows, reaffirming the pull of established tech and manufacturing hubs. Employers outside those areas may need to invest more in integration support and spousal employment if they want to attract overseas hires.
For global mobility managers the headline message is two-fold: Finland remains open, but the easy gains of 2023 have evaporated. Budgeting for longer lead times on work-permit processing, enlarging recruitment pipelines in key source countries, and allocating resources for language training will be essential to keep projects on schedule.
The data matter for employers and mobility planners because immigration—not domestic births—is now the only source of labour-force expansion in an ageing economy. Ukrainian nationals remained the largest immigrant cohort (8,388 arrivals) as temporary-protection holders continued to convert their status into longer-term residence. Arrivals from the Philippines (2,701) and Sri Lanka (2,435) were also significant, reflecting ongoing recruitment in health care, construction and logistics. By contrast, arrivals from Russia dropped by 1,270 amid heightened border restrictions.
The citizenship pipeline also accelerated: a record 14,124 foreign residents were naturalised in 2025, led by Iraq (1,960), Russia (1,491) and Syria (1,282). Corporate relocation teams should note that stricter permanent-residence rules—already in force since 8 January 2026—extend the qualifying stay to six years and require demonstrable language skills. Fewer new arrivals combined with tougher settlement criteria could tighten the talent market in the medium term.
Organisations looking to navigate Finland’s evolving entry requirements don’t have to go it alone. VisaHQ’s Finland portal (https://www.visahq.com/finland/) offers up-to-the-minute visa guidance, document checklists and application concierge services that streamline work-permit filings for both HR teams and individual assignees, ensuring compliance even as rules tighten.
Regional figures show that the growth is highly concentrated. Three metropolitan regions—Uusimaa (Greater Helsinki), Pirkanmaa (Tampere) and Southwest Finland (Turku)—captured nearly all net international inflows, reaffirming the pull of established tech and manufacturing hubs. Employers outside those areas may need to invest more in integration support and spousal employment if they want to attract overseas hires.
For global mobility managers the headline message is two-fold: Finland remains open, but the easy gains of 2023 have evaporated. Budgeting for longer lead times on work-permit processing, enlarging recruitment pipelines in key source countries, and allocating resources for language training will be essential to keep projects on schedule.
