Finland’s resource overshoot day arrives after just three months

Finland has already exhausted its fair share of the Earth’s renewable natural resources for 2024, according to WWF, marking the country’s annual overshoot day on 30 March.

The calculation, based on data from the Global Footprint Network, divides the planet’s renewable resources equally among all inhabitants. Finland ranks 16th in this year’s overshoot rankings, consistently among the world’s highest per capita consumers of natural resources.

Qatar reached its overshoot day earliest, on 4 February, followed by Luxembourg and Singapore. Among Nordic peers, Denmark’s overshoot day fell in late March, while Sweden follows Finland on 4 April. Data for Norway and Iceland was unavailable.

Of the 82 countries included in the analysis, only 13 remain within the Earth’s sustainable capacity. Bangladesh performs best, using less than half its fair share of resources annually. Other nations living within ecological limits include Nigeria, India, and the Philippines, primarily in Asia and Africa.

WWF highlights that systemic overconsumption drives biodiversity loss and environmental degradation, visible in deforestation and water pollution. The overshoot dates are recalculated annually using UN data and economic indicators, with Finland’s 2023 date later revised to 31 March.