Helsinki set to pass 700,000 residents, city says

Helsinki is expected to exceed 700,000 residents around the middle of August, the city said, according to Yle. The capital’s population growth has reached record levels over the past two years.

Migration from abroad and elsewhere in Finland accounts for about 80 per cent of the city’s annual population increase. In 2025, migration accounted for 90 per cent of the growth, and one in five people who moved to Helsinki came from abroad.

The fastest-growing population group is working-age people, whose numbers are also expected to rise sharply in the coming years.

Helsinki will mark the milestone with a campaign called Kiva, kun olet yksi meistä, or Nice that you are one of us. The campaign begins on August 21 and will focus on Helsinki residents, the city’s diversity and the life stages behind its population growth.

The campaign will run across several channels in eight languages. It will reach residents through outdoor advertising, social media, the city’s own channels, meetings and other activities.

Helsinki last passed a comparable milestone in 2012, when its population reached 600,000.