Finland considers ending official election statistics amid budget cuts

Finland’s Statistics Finland agency is reviewing whether to discontinue its election statistics as part of cost-saving measures, a move researchers warn would set the country apart from other Western democracies.

The Finnish Election Research Consortium, comprising the University of Helsinki, Tampere University, and Åbo Akademi, has called the potential decision “highly problematic.” In a statement, the group questioned which international peer group Finland would align with if it no longer maintained comprehensive, long-term election data.

“Open and high-quality election statistics are a cornerstone of Western, comparable democracy monitoring,” the consortium wrote, emphasizing that no other Western democracy has abolished official election statistics.

Statistics Finland cited a €6 million funding cut for 2025–2027 as the reason for reassessing all national statistical production not mandated by EU regulations. The agency is evaluating whether to continue non-obligatory data collection, including election statistics.

The consortium acknowledged financial pressures but argued that short-term savings should not justify ending election data collection. “Measuring democracy is not an optional service requiring special funding—it is a fundamental societal function,” the statement read. “Once long-term election data series are interrupted, the lost information cannot be recovered.”

Without election statistics, the group noted, Finland would diverge from nations it has traditionally been compared to in terms of democratic quality and transparency. “Systematic, open democracy monitoring has been a hallmark of countries emphasizing the rule of law, trust in governance, and evidence-based decision-making,” the consortium said. “Abandoning election statistics would send the opposite signal.”

The issue was first reported by Helsingin Sanomat.