Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Finland
Finland: Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas was 26.1% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Finland, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Finland stood at 26.1%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 10.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Finland peaked at 26.1% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 6.3%, in 1950.
Finland ranks 155th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Finland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 6.3% | — |
| 1955 | 6.6% | +4.9% |
| 1960 | 8.1% | +22.8% |
| 1965 | 9.7% | +18.9% |
| 1970 | 11.2% | +15.5% |
| 1975 | 11.9% | +6.9% |
| 1980 | 14.7% | +23.1% |
| 1985 | 16.2% | +10.2% |
| 1990 | 19.2% | +18.5% |
| 1995 | 21.6% | +12.7% |
| 2000 | 22.5% | +4.0% |
| 2005 | 23.2% | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 23.6% | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 25.7% | +9.2% |
| 2020 | 26.1% | +1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.5% | 6.3% | 6.6% | 2 |
| 1960s | 8.9% | 8.1% | 9.7% | 2 |
| 1970s | 11.5% | 11.2% | 11.9% | 2 |
| 1980s | 15.4% | 14.7% | 16.2% | 2 |
| 1990s | 20.4% | 19.2% | 21.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 22.8% | 22.5% | 23.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 24.7% | 23.6% | 25.7% | 2 |
| 2020s | 26.1% | 26.1% | 26.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Finland
More population data for Finland
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.3569 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -0.3888 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.3569 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.1705 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 5,461 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.0156 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.0727 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.4% (2100)
- Population density 15.14 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 178,591 people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Finland?
- Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Finland was 26.1% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Finland?
- The highest recorded value was 26.1% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Finland?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.3% in 1950.
- How does Finland rank for share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- Finland ranks 155th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas rising or falling in Finland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Finland data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Estimated share of the population living in cities. Cities are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.