Helsinki leads Nordic capitals in single-person households and studio apartments

More than half of Helsinki residents live alone, a higher proportion than in any other Nordic capital, while nearly a quarter of the city’s housing stock consists of studio apartments, according to a report by Finnish public broadcaster Yle.

Asta Hiippala, 35, has embraced minimalism to make her 28-square-metre studio in the Kallio district work for her. “I realised I don’t actually need many things in my daily life,” she said, a mindset she developed while splitting her studies between Scotland and Finland. Her current home—like her previous 25-square-metre apartment in Munkkivuori, where she lived for seven years—prioritises essentials: a sofa instead of a dining table, a kettle but no coffee maker, and only the items she regularly uses.

Helsinki’s latest statistics from 2024 show 50.9 percent of residents live alone, slightly down from 51.1 percent the previous year. The figure outpaces Oslo (48.1 percent), Stockholm (45.5 percent), and Copenhagen (38.5 percent), according to Reetta Marttinen, a researcher at Helsinki’s urban data service. “Across the Nordics, young adults tend to live alone after gaining independence, unlike in Southern Europe, where multigenerational living is more common,” Marttinen noted.

For Hiippala, minimalism reduces daily decision fatigue. “There’s no need to choose between five different shampoos—it simplifies life,” she said. Financial constraints also shape her choices: “Housing is expensive, so I’d rather not pay for storage space. Every square metre must serve a purpose.”

Studio apartments make up 23 percent of Helsinki’s housing stock, second only to two-bedroom units (36 percent). In new developments, roughly one in three apartments built since 2020 has been a studio. High demand and investor purchases have pushed owner-occupied housing out of reach for many young adults, with Marttinen noting that Helsinki residents typically buy their first home in their 40s—five years later than in neighbouring Vantaa or Espoo.

Hiippala, currently renting, acknowledges the trade-offs: “Our generation faces different realities in employment and housing. I’ve chosen to prioritise location over space.” For her, minimalism isn’t just practical—it’s liberating. “At least I don’t have to organise excess belongings.”