Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
Väestö ja oikeus PL 4B 00022 Tilastokeskus FINLAND
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
8 January 2026
2.2. Metadata last posted
8 January 2026
2.3. Metadata last update
8 January 2026
3.1. Data description
Data and metadata are transmitted to Eurostat by the Member States in the framework of the Unified Demographic Data Collection which is in accordance with Regulation (EC) 862/2007 and Regulation (EU) 1260/2013 and their implementing regulations.
The regional breakdown of the Member States in the regional demographic tables is done under the most recent NUTS classification. There are agreements between Eurostat and Candidate countries as well as between Eurostat and EFTA countries, for which statistical regions have been coded in a way that resembles NUTS. For more information on the versions in force, please see Eurostat NUTS.
3.3. Coverage - sector
Not applicable.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
3.4.1 Statistical concepts and definitions used in the statistics transmitted to Eurostat
One of the following definitions is used by a country when explaining the statistical concepts:
Usually resident population means all persons having their usual residence in a Member State at the reference time; for more information see the Article 2 of Regulation (EU) 1260/2013.
Legal residence population is composed of those persons who are entitled to be settled in the country at the reference date, either by holding the national citizenship or by other authorization issued by national authorities.
Registered residence population is composed of those persons who are listed on one or more registers owned by national authorities at the reference date. Each registered person shall be counted only once.
See the table 3.4.1 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
3.4.2 Statistical concepts and definitions used in the statistics disseminated in the National Statistical Institute's website
See the table 3.4.2 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
3.5. Statistical unit
Number of persons.
3.6. Statistical population
See the table 3.6 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
3.7. Reference area
Population, live births and deaths data are available at national and regional level of geographical detail.
3.8. Coverage - Time
Population structure since 1990.
Live births since 1990.
Deaths since 1990.
Immigration since 1990.
Emigration since 1990.
Acquisition of citizenship since 1990.
Marriages opposite-sex couples since 1990, same-sex couples since 2017.
Divorces opposite-sex couples since 1990, same-sex couples since 2017.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
Data is collected at unit (person) level.
The reference date for population data is the end of the reference period (midnight of 31 December). The reference period for vital and dual events data is the calendar year in which the events occurred. The reference period for migration flow data is the calendar year during which the migration occurred.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
Variables such as religion, citizenship, country of birth are defined as sensitive data which are not published or released if the number of persons in a certain category does not reach threshold value.
See the table 10.6 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
10.7. Quality management - documentation
Population structure:Structure Births: LVB Deaths: DTH Migration: MIG Acquisition of citizenship: ACQ Marriages: MAR Divorces: DIV Preliminary population statistics: Preliminary
11.1. Quality assurance
See the table 11.1 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
See the table 11.2.2 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
Not available.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Not available.
12.3. Completeness
Not available.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
Overall accuracy and special cases (inclusion/exclusion of asylum seekers and refugees, persons living on unauthorised or irregular basis, international students, persons who do not register/deregister, etc.).
See the table 13.1 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
13.1.1 Accuracy - unknown values
See the table 13.1.1 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
13.2. Sampling error
See the table 13.2 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
13.3. Non-sampling error
See the table 13.3 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
14.1. Timeliness
According to Article 4 (2) of the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 205/2014, each year Member States shall provide the Commission (Eurostat) with data at national and regional level as described in Annex II and related standard reference metadata (in the metadata structure definition defined for the Euro SDMX Metadata Structure) for the reference year within 12 months of the end of the reference year. According to Article 3 (2) of the Commission Regulation (EU) No 862/2007, Statistics on international migration, usually resident population and acquisition of citizenship shall be supplied to the Commission (Eurostat) within 12 months of the end of the reference year.
14.2. Punctuality
Not applicable.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
Fully comparable
15.2. Comparability - over time
See the table 15.2 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Population: Digital and population data services agency (DVV) picks information of all persons living permanently in Finland 31 Dec at the beginning of February in next year but does not publish statistics of that material on internet. DVV asks Statistics Finland for statistics of population at the end of the year to publish it on its webpages.
Population: Statistics Finland does not know how its aggregate statistics is used in other organisations or in Statistics Finland.
Births: The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare keeps medical register of births of all deliveries in Finnish hospitals and publishes statistics of that material. The difference compared to the material of Statistics Finland is that their material also contains information of deliveries of women (mothers) living permanently abroad.
Deaths: Cause of death statistics of Statistics Finland also produces statistics of deaths and publishes it on webpages of Statistics Finland. The difference compared to the material of Population statistics is that cause of deaths statistics waiting time is longer, about 11 months, than that of Population statistics. Population statistics takes into account late reported notifications of deaths into statistics of next statistical year.
Emigration, Immigration: About differences and comparability of residence permits statistics and migration statistics. Here follows an account of difficulties to identify third-country nationals, who have got residence permit for at least 12 months, in immigration data. In Finland Finnish Immigration Service (FIS) is responsible for granting residence permits. With the residence permit FIS can give a person a PIN on condition that person's documents are sufficient, if not he/she has to visit DVV to appy for it. For our perspective this is a problem for a comparative study between resident permit data and immigration data. Report of this follows. FIS is also responsible for producing residence permit statistics for Eurostat. These statistics are based on FIS database on residence permits.
Statistics Finland is responsible for producing migration statistics. Migration statistics are based on data provided by Digital and population data services agency (DVV). In order that a person of third-country national is counted as an immigrant in migration statistics there are certain conditions to be fulfilled. One condition is the personal identification number (PIN), and the second is the place of residence (municipality). These are granted to a person by Digital and population data services agency only, if the person has legal right to stay in Finland (residence permit) and the person is going to stay permanently (or at least 12 months) in Finland. In principle, all third-country nationals who have got residence permit for at leat 12 months, PIN and domicile are registered in DVV, which also means that these people are counted as immigrants. However, from an annual statistic's point of view they are not necessarily in the immigration statistics in the same year the residence permit was granted. One reason for this is bureaucratic delay, which occurs in between the granting of residence permit by FIS and granting PIN and place of residence by DVV. For example a person can get residence permit late this year and is not able to get PIN and place of residence during the same year. There might be other reasons as well. Such a reason might be that a person with a resident permit don't apply for the domicile or their is, for some unknown reason, a delay to apply for it.
In 2021 we had a possibility to match residence permit data to immigration data 2020 at the individula level. This was data which FIS had transferred to the population information system (register) of DVV. The combined data revealed that only two thirds of third-country nationals data records contained informations about their residence permits. For some reason (such as insufficient information or details in documents) FIS could not give person a PIN (which they can get from DVV) after they had made the positive decision to give her/him a residence permit. This means that the comparison of FIS data to our immigration data is not perfect at all. As described above persons who have not got PIN with the residence permit have to visit DVV and apply for it and after have got it, apply for the domicile. From our angle the problem is that after third-country nationals have got PIN the DVV is not asking FIS to send these peoples information about residence permits to population information system of DVV. Only after DVV asks FIS to send these peoples information about residence permit we can make a detailed comparison between the residence permit statistics and the immigration statistics for some specific statistical year.
Citizens of Ukraine with temporary residence permit are included if they have applied for legal residency in Finland. A person with temporary residence permit can apply for legal residency in Finland only after a one year (12 months) of stay. This results to difference in the residence permit statistics compared to immigtation statistis. A citizen of Ukraine can apply and is granted a temporary residence permit by the reason of temporary protection in the year 2022. This person can apply for legal residence in Finland no sooner than one year later (in 2023). Into migration statistics this persons can be included after the legal residence in Finland is granted. As a result citizens of Ukraine will show up into immigraion statistics one year later than their temporary residence permit has been granted. Acquisition of citizenship: not applicable. Marriage: not applicable. Divorces: not applicable.
15.4. Coherence - internal
Population structure statistics are coherent with population change statistics. This is shown by population correction. The population correction variable indicates mainly late reported notifications of immigrations/emigrations which are not included in population change statistics.
All population data is free of charge except population structure data: data picking cost is 20 000 Euros per year. To produce population structure statistics requires around 7 to 8 work months (collecting, processing and releasing). There is no burden on respondents as data is totally derived from register. To produce population change statistics (births, deaths, migration) requires around 10 work months (collecting, processing and releasing). There is no burden on respondents as data is totally derived from register.
17.1. Data revision - policy
Not applicable
17.2. Data revision - practice
Not applicable
18.1. Source data
See the table 18.1 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Population stock: yearly.
Vital events and migration: daily.
18.3. Data collection
Population structure: Data is ordered by Statistics Finland in December from Digital and population data services agency. After the one month waiting period data is created during first week of February and transferred in electronical form to Statistics Finland.
Vital statistics and migration: Statistics Finland uses daily an interface to obtain notifications that are registered to population information system that is updated by Digital and population data services agency.
18.4. Data validation
Population structure: Main critical variables are logically cross-checked, e.g. age, marital status, age of mother/father. Also citizenship, country of birth, mother tongue are checked against ISO-standards.
Population change:
Births: Main critical variables are logically cross-checked, e.g. mother has a place of domicile in Finland at the time of delivery, marital status of mother at the time of delivery, extreme ages of mother/father. Also citizenship, country of birth, mother tongue are checked against ISO-standards.
Deaths: Main critical variables are logically cross-checked, e.g. dead person has a place of domicile in Finland at the time of death, marital status of dead person at the time of death, extreme ages of dead person. Also citizenship, country of birth, mother tongue are checked against ISO-standards.
Migration: Main critical variables are logically cross-checked, e.g. migrated person has a place of domicile in Finland at the time of move, marital status of migrated person at the time of move, extreme ages of migrated person. Also country of destination/departure, citizenship, country of birth, mother tongue are checked against ISO-standards. Immigration record is generated if person doesn't belong to population data in the beginning of the year when he/she moves for the first time in statistical year inside the country.
The Digital and population data services agency has charged Statistics Finland with the task of conducting a sample survey on correctness of address information. Around 11 000 people are asked whether their address in the Population Information System (register) is correct. In the most recent survey in 2012, the address was correct for 98.9 per cent of the respondents.
18.5. Data compilation
In May 2020, the Digital and Population Data Services Agency changed the municipality of residence into unknown for around 10,000 persons. These were persons whose location had been unspecified for at least two years and who have had no known place of residence since 1 January 2017. These persons have failed to make notification of emigration and have been excluded from the population statistics. When compiling the official population, Statistics Finland has made removals to the population with a municipality of residence from the data of the Population Information System since 2010.
A total of 15,555 persons who have probably moved abroad were removed after analyses from the population data derived from the Population Information System for the end of 2019.
In 2022, altogether 13,717 persons were removed from the population with a municipality of residence when compiling the official population. The number is lower than in the previous years due to a correction made to the household-dwelling population by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency in May 2020. The removed persons are mainly foreign citizens whose address was unknown and who have not received earned income, capital income, entrepreneurial income, unemployment benefit, pension income, income support or compensation from sickness insurance between 2020 and 2021. They do not have earned income recordings in the Incomes Register for 2022 either.
In 2023, altogether 13,484 persons were removed from the population with a municipality of residence when compiling the official population. The removed persons are mainly foreign citizens whose address was unknown and who have not received earned income, capital income, entrepreneurial income, unemployment benefit, pension income, income support or compensation from sickness insurance between 2021 and 2023. They do not have earned income recordings in the Incomes Register for 2023 either.
In 2024, altogether 12,023 persons were removed from the population with a municipality of residence when compiling the official population. The removed persons are mainly foreign citizens whose address was unknown and who have not received earned income, capital income, entrepreneurial income, unemployment benefit, pension income, income support or compensation from sickness insurance between 2022 and 2024. They do not have earned income recordings in the Incomes Register for 2024 either.
In 2024 the Population Information System included 157,000 persons without data on marital status. They are immigrants whose marital status could not be ascertained. The Population Information Act requires storing of data on marital status in the Population Information System only as concerns Finnish citizens. In the statistics childless persons were coded as unmarried and if they had children, their absent marital status was changed into divorced. For those babies born at the end of the year, for whom no name, language and religion have been registered in the Population Information System during January, the mother’s language and religion are entered in the statistics for the end of the year.
Population changes: In all population change data record is deleted if person does not live permanently in Finland at the time of event. In the tables delivered to Eurostat the year of birth of persons with the late notifications is edited as if the notifications had been received during the statistical year (population changes+marriages, divorces, less than one per cent off all notifications).
Births: For those babies born for whom no language has been registered in the Population Information System, the mother’s language is entered in the statistics.
Immigration: We do not do imputations for the country of departure.
A liveborn child of mother non-permanently resident but father permanently resident in Finland is not taken into account in the birth statistics. However this child is included in immigration statistics and thus in population.
Emigration: We do not do any imputations for the country of destinations. If the record of the person is taken away of the raw material of the population data then the record is included in the data of emigration.
18.6. Adjustment
Population correction (immigration/emigration):
Population correction is the difference of total change and population increase. Corrections are mainly adjustments made later to errors occurring in handling of notices of removal.
In general, the move has taken place a very long time ago, in which case changing the information by a notice of removal would not make sense, or the person is known to have moved at some point but no information has been obtained on the target domicile.
Data and metadata are transmitted to Eurostat by the Member States in the framework of the Unified Demographic Data Collection which is in accordance with Regulation (EC) 862/2007 and Regulation (EU) 1260/2013 and their implementing regulations.
3.4.1 Statistical concepts and definitions used in the statistics transmitted to Eurostat
One of the following definitions is used by a country when explaining the statistical concepts:
Usually resident population means all persons having their usual residence in a Member State at the reference time; for more information see the Article 2 of Regulation (EU) 1260/2013.
Legal residence population is composed of those persons who are entitled to be settled in the country at the reference date, either by holding the national citizenship or by other authorization issued by national authorities.
Registered residence population is composed of those persons who are listed on one or more registers owned by national authorities at the reference date. Each registered person shall be counted only once.
See the table 3.4.1 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
3.4.2 Statistical concepts and definitions used in the statistics disseminated in the National Statistical Institute's website
See the table 3.4.2 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
Number of persons.
See the table 3.6 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
Population, live births and deaths data are available at national and regional level of geographical detail.
The reference date for population data is the end of the reference period (midnight of 31 December). The reference period for vital and dual events data is the calendar year in which the events occurred. The reference period for migration flow data is the calendar year during which the migration occurred.
Overall accuracy and special cases (inclusion/exclusion of asylum seekers and refugees, persons living on unauthorised or irregular basis, international students, persons who do not register/deregister, etc.).
See the table 13.1 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
13.1.1 Accuracy - unknown values
See the table 13.1.1 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
Data is collected at unit (person) level.
In May 2020, the Digital and Population Data Services Agency changed the municipality of residence into unknown for around 10,000 persons. These were persons whose location had been unspecified for at least two years and who have had no known place of residence since 1 January 2017. These persons have failed to make notification of emigration and have been excluded from the population statistics. When compiling the official population, Statistics Finland has made removals to the population with a municipality of residence from the data of the Population Information System since 2010.
A total of 15,555 persons who have probably moved abroad were removed after analyses from the population data derived from the Population Information System for the end of 2019.
In 2022, altogether 13,717 persons were removed from the population with a municipality of residence when compiling the official population. The number is lower than in the previous years due to a correction made to the household-dwelling population by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency in May 2020. The removed persons are mainly foreign citizens whose address was unknown and who have not received earned income, capital income, entrepreneurial income, unemployment benefit, pension income, income support or compensation from sickness insurance between 2020 and 2021. They do not have earned income recordings in the Incomes Register for 2022 either.
In 2023, altogether 13,484 persons were removed from the population with a municipality of residence when compiling the official population. The removed persons are mainly foreign citizens whose address was unknown and who have not received earned income, capital income, entrepreneurial income, unemployment benefit, pension income, income support or compensation from sickness insurance between 2021 and 2023. They do not have earned income recordings in the Incomes Register for 2023 either.
In 2024, altogether 12,023 persons were removed from the population with a municipality of residence when compiling the official population. The removed persons are mainly foreign citizens whose address was unknown and who have not received earned income, capital income, entrepreneurial income, unemployment benefit, pension income, income support or compensation from sickness insurance between 2022 and 2024. They do not have earned income recordings in the Incomes Register for 2024 either.
In 2024 the Population Information System included 157,000 persons without data on marital status. They are immigrants whose marital status could not be ascertained. The Population Information Act requires storing of data on marital status in the Population Information System only as concerns Finnish citizens. In the statistics childless persons were coded as unmarried and if they had children, their absent marital status was changed into divorced. For those babies born at the end of the year, for whom no name, language and religion have been registered in the Population Information System during January, the mother’s language and religion are entered in the statistics for the end of the year.
Population changes: In all population change data record is deleted if person does not live permanently in Finland at the time of event. In the tables delivered to Eurostat the year of birth of persons with the late notifications is edited as if the notifications had been received during the statistical year (population changes+marriages, divorces, less than one per cent off all notifications).
Births: For those babies born for whom no language has been registered in the Population Information System, the mother’s language is entered in the statistics.
Immigration: We do not do imputations for the country of departure.
A liveborn child of mother non-permanently resident but father permanently resident in Finland is not taken into account in the birth statistics. However this child is included in immigration statistics and thus in population.
Emigration: We do not do any imputations for the country of destinations. If the record of the person is taken away of the raw material of the population data then the record is included in the data of emigration.
See the table 18.1 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
Yearly
According to Article 4 (2) of the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 205/2014, each year Member States shall provide the Commission (Eurostat) with data at national and regional level as described in Annex II and related standard reference metadata (in the metadata structure definition defined for the Euro SDMX Metadata Structure) for the reference year within 12 months of the end of the reference year. According to Article 3 (2) of the Commission Regulation (EU) No 862/2007, Statistics on international migration, usually resident population and acquisition of citizenship shall be supplied to the Commission (Eurostat) within 12 months of the end of the reference year.
Fully comparable
See the table 15.2 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
