Finland

Finland was a province and then a grand duchy under Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries and an autonomous grand duchy of Russia after 1809. It gained complete independence in 1917. During World War II, Finland successfully defended its independence through cooperation with Germany and resisted subsequent invasions by the Soviet Union, albeit with some loss of territory. During the next half-century, Finland transformed from a farm/forest economy to a diversified modern industrial economy; per-capita income is among the highest in Western Europe. A member of the EU since 1995, Finland was the only Nordic state to join the euro single currency at its initiation in January 1999. In the 21st century, the key features of Finland's modern welfare state are high-quality education, promotion of equality, and a national social welfare system, although the system is currently facing the challenges of an aging population and the fluctuations of an export-driven economy. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Finland opted to join NATO; it became the organization's 31st member in April 2023.

Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and Russia

64 00 N, 26 00 E

Europe

slightly more than two times the size of Georgia; slightly smaller than Montana

1,250 km

cold temperate; potentially subarctic but comparatively mild because of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current, Baltic Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes

mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes and low hills

timber, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, nickel, gold, silver, limestone

80 sq km (2016)

the vast majority of people are found in the south; the northern interior areas remain sparsely populated

severe winters in the north

long boundary with Russia; Helsinki is northernmost national capital on European continent; population concentrated on small southwestern coastal plain

Finnish, Swedish, Russian, Estonian, Romani, Sami

Lutheran 66.6%, Greek Orthodox 1.1%, other 1.7%, none 30.6% (2022 est.)

0.02% (2025 est.)

7.75 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

11.01 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

3.44 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

the vast majority of people are found in the south; the northern interior areas remain sparsely populated

1.338 million HELSINKI (capital) (2023)

29.5 years (2020 est.)

8 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

1.28 children born/woman (2025 est.)

0.63 (2025 est.)

3.61 physicians/1,000 population (2021)

2.8 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)

22.2% (2016)

57.1% (2023 est.)

limited air pollution in urban centers; some water pollution from industrial wastes, agricultural chemicals; habitat loss threatens wildlife populations

cold temperate; potentially subarctic but comparatively mild because of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current, Baltic Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes

6 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

110 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

parliamentary republic

19 regions (<em>maakunnat</em>, singular - <em>maakunta </em>(Finnish); <em>landskapen</em>, singular - <em>landskapet </em>(Swedish)); Aland (Swedish), Ahvenanmaa (Finnish); Etela-Karjala (Finnish), Sodra Karelen (Swedish) [South Karelia]; Etela-Pohjanmaa (Finnish), Sodra Osterbotten (Swedish) [South Ostrobothnia]; Etela-Savo (Finnish), Sodra Savolax (Swedish) [South Savo]; Kanta-Hame (Finnish), Egentliga Tavastland (Swedish); Kainuu (Finnish), Kajanaland (Swedish); Keski-Pohjanmaa (Finnish), Mellersta Osterbotten (Swedish) [Central Ostrobothnia]; Keski-Suomi (Finnish), Mellersta Finland (Swedish) [Central Finland]; Kymenlaakso (Finnish), Kymmenedalen (Swedish); Lappi (Finnish), Lappland (Swedish); Paijat-Hame (Finnish), Paijanne-Tavastland (Swedish); Pirkanmaa (Finnish), Birkaland (Swedish) [Tampere]; Pohjanmaa (Finnish), Osterbotten (Swedish) [Ostrobothnia]; Pohjois-Karjala (Finnish), Norra Karelen (Swedish) [North Karelia]; Pohjois-Pohjanmaa (Finnish), Norra Osterbotten (Swedish) [North Ostrobothnia]; Pohjois-Savo (Finnish), Norra Savolax (Swedish) [North Savo]; Satakunta (Finnish and Swedish); Uusimaa (Finnish), Nyland (Swedish) [Newland]; Varsinais-Suomi (Finnish), Egentliga Finland (Swedish) [Southwest Finland]

civil law system based on the Swedish model

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

Aland Coalition (a coalition of several political parties on the Aland Islands)<br>Center Party or Kesk <br>Christian Democrats or KD <br>Finns Party or PS <br>Green League or Vihr <br>Left Alliance or Vas <br>Movement Now or Liike Nyt <br>National Coalition Party or Kok <br>Social Democratic Party or SDP <br>Swedish People's Party or RKP or SFP

ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CD, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EITI (implementing country), EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, PFP, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMOGIP, UNOOSA, UNRWA, UNSOM, UNTSO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

6 December 1917 (from Russia)

Independence Day, 6 December (1917)

<strong>description:</strong> white with a blue cross extending to the edges of the flag; the cross is shifted to the left in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> the blue stands for the country's thousands of lakes, and the white for snow

lion

blue, white

<p>high-income, export-based EU and eurozone economy; major timber, metals, engineering, telecom, and electronics industries; emerging from recession triggered by inflation, weak consumer and export demand, and lower private investment; labor market reform plan to address structural rigidities</p>

$299.836 billion (2024 est.)

milk, barley, oats, wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, pork, chicken, peas, rye (2023)

metals and metal products, electronics, machinery and scientific instruments, shipbuilding, pulp and paper, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, clothing

-2.2% (2024 est.)

2.898 million (2024 est.)

12.2% (2022 est.)

25.4% (of GDP) (2023 est.)

USA 11%, Germany 11%, Sweden 10%, Netherlands 7%, China 5% (2023)

paper, refined petroleum, steel, wood pulp, ships (2023)

Germany 14%, Sweden 12%, China 9%, Norway 8%, Netherlands 5% (2023)

crude petroleum, cars, refined petroleum, packaged medicine, broadcasting equipment (2023)

3 publicly operated TV stations and numerous privately owned TV stations; several free and special-interest pay-TV channels; cable and satellite multi-channel subscription services are available; all TV signals are digital; 13 national and 25 regional public radio stations; a large number of private radio broadcasters&nbsp;

.fi

OH

98 (2025)

17 (2025)

Finnish Defense Forces (FDF; Puolustusvoimat): Army (Maavoimat), Navy (Merivoimat), Air Force (Ilmavoimat) (2025)

approximately 31,000 active-duty military personnel (2025)

the military's inventory consists of a mix of modern European, Israeli, South Korean, US, and domestically produced weapons systems; the Finnish defense industry produces a variety of military equipment, including wheeled armored vehicles and naval vessels; Finland also cooperates with other European countries and the US in the joint production of armaments (2025)

all Finnish men are obligated to serve 5.5-12 months of service within a branch of the military or the Border Guard upon reaching the age of 18 (length of service depends on the type of duty); women 18-29 may volunteer for service; there is also an option to perform non-military service which lasts for 8.5 or 11.5 months; after completing their initial conscript obligation, individuals enter the reserves and remain eligible for mobilization until the age of 50 for rank-and-file and 60 for non-commissioned and commissioned officers (2025)

165 Lebanon (UNIFIL); Finland also contributes to several ongoing EU and NATO missions (2025)

the Finnish Defense Forces (FDF) are focused primarily on territorial defense, which is based on having a large, trained reserve force created by general conscription; other FDF responsibilities include support to international peacekeeping operations and some domestic security duties, such as assisting the National Police in maintaining law and order in crises<br><br>the FDF is also focused on fulfilling its commitment to NATO; following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Finland applied for NATO membership, gaining entry in April 2023; Finland had been part of NATO’s Partnership for Peace program since 1994 and participated in NATO-led military missions in the Balkans, Afghanistan, and Iraq; in 2024, it joined NATO's Air Policing mission in Eastern Europe<br><br>Finland is a signatory of the EU’s Common Security and Defense Policy and actively participates in EU crisis management missions and operations; the FDF also cooperates closely with the militaries of other Nordic countries through the Nordic Defense Cooperation structure (NORDEFCO; established 2009), which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden and involves cooperation in such areas as armaments, education, human resources, training and exercises, and operations; Sweden, the UK, and the US are close bi-lateral defense partners; in 2022, Finland signed a mutual security agreement with the UK, and since 2014 has been part of the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force, a pool of high-readiness military forces from 10 Baltic and Scandinavian countries designed to respond to a wide range of contingencies in the North Atlantic, Baltic Sea, and High North regions (2025)

Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS)