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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.

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Population (national level) (demo_pop)

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National Reference Metadata in Euro SDMX Metadata Structure (ESMS)

Compiling agency: Statistics Finland

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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) No 862/2007 and Regulation (EU) No 1260/2013 and their implementing regulations.

This Euro SDMX Metadata Structure is used for the purpose of quality reporting. The definition of the quality concepts and guidelines are described in the European Statistical System Handbook for Quality Reports.

6 February 2025
3.4.1 Statistical concepts and definitions used in the statistics transmitted to Eurostat
  1.Usually Resident Population  2. Legal Residence Population  3. Registered Residence Population 4. Other 
Population    X   Signs of Life analysis are being carried out through the whole legal residence population to exclude those foreign persons, who have failed to make emigration notification in the past.
Live births    X   Live births are defined by the legal place of residence of the mother at the moment when the child is born.
Deaths    X   Deaths are defined as the deaths of persons with legal residence in Finland at the moment of death. 
Immigrants    X   Immigration consist of those persons who have arrived to Finland to stay at least 12 months, have been given place of residence in Finland, and have been given a PIN. 
Emigrants    X   Signs of Life analysis are being carried out through the whole legal residence population to exclude those foreign persons, who have failed to make emigration notification in the past.
Acquisitions of citizenship    X    
Loss of citizenship Not applicable.
Legally induced abortions    X   Signs of Life analysis are being carried out through the whole legal residence population to exclude those foreign persons, who have failed to make emigration notification in the past.
Late foetal deaths    X    
Infant deaths    X    
Marriages    X    
Divorces    X    

 

3.4.2 Statistical concepts and definitions used in the statistics disseminated in the National Statistical Institute's website
Population The main source used when producing Finnish population statistics is the Population Information System of the Digital and population data services agency. Changes in the data on the vital events of the resident population are updated into the Population Information System continuously by local population register authorities. 

Population includes those Finnish citizens and foreigners living permanently in Finland at the turn of the year even if temporarily residing abroad.

Foreign nationals are domiciled in Finland if their stay is intended to last or has lasted at least one year. The statistics do not include persons temporarily staying in Finland or asylum seekers, who have only a temporary residence permit or whose application for a residence permit is still under processing. An asylum seeker is included in the official population and other Statistics Finland’s statistics only if, in addition to a positive residence permit decision, he/she is granted a personal identity code and a municipality of residence. A person is not included in statistics if he/she does not have a personal identity code and/or a municipality of residence.

The staff of foreign embassies, trade missions and consulates, their family members and personal employees included, are not counted among the resident population unless they are Finnish citizens. On the other hand, the Finnish staff of Finland's embassies and trade missions abroad and persons serving in the UN peacekeeping forces are counted among the resident population. The citizens of Ukraine who have been granted temporary residence permit due to the War in Ukraine are allowed to apply for residence in Finland after they have stayed in Finland for at least 12 months.

A Finnish citizen having entered the country must notify the register office if his/her intended stay in the country exceeds three months. The register office will update his/her data in the Population Information System (Act 661/2009). A foreign citizen may enter Finland provided he/she holds a required valid visa, residence permit or residence permit for an employed or self-employed person, unless he/she is an EU or EEA citizen or unless otherwise provided by an international agreement binding Finland (Aliens Act 301/2004). An EU or EEA citizen may stay in the country without a separate permit for three months, after which his/her stay in the country requires justifications and registration with the register office. The register office enters the reported information about the domicile of a foreign citizen into the Population Information System if the person receives a municipality of domicile and a permanent place of residence in it in Finland as defined in the Act on the Municipality of Domicile (201/1994).

Signs of Life analysis are being carried out throught the whole legal residence population to exclude those foreign persons, who have failed to make emigration notification in the past.

Live births The main source used when producing Finnish population statistics is the Population Information System of the Digital and population data services agency. Changes in the data on the vital events of the resident population are updated into the Population Information System continuously by local population register authorities.

Only changes in the population resident in Finland on the day of the event are taken into account when compiling statistics of vital events.

’Liveborn’ is the term for a newborn who breaths or shows other signs of life after birth strictly speaking the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of conception, irrespective of the duration of the pregnancy, which, after such separation, breathes or shows any other evidence of life, such as beating of heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles, whether or not the umbilical cord has been cut or the placenta is attached.

Same definition as in Article. 2e Regulation (EU) No 1260/2013.

Only liveborn children of women permanently resident in Finland are taken into account in the vital statistics.

Deaths The main source used when producing Finnish population statistics is the Population Information System of the Digital and population data services agency. Changes in the data on the vital events of the resident population are updated into the Population Information System continuously by local population register authorities. 

Only changes in the population resident in Finland on the day of the event are taken into account when compiling statistics of vital events.

A person is dead if the police or physician doesn't see any signs of life. Same definition as in Article 2 (f) Regulation (EU) No 1260/2013.

Deaths have to be reported immediately either to a physician or to the police. The health care unit or the physician has to report the death to the Population Information System or its maintainer. (Act 1065/2009). A death certificate is issued by a physician.

Immigrants The main source used when producing Finnish population statistics is the Population Information System of the Digital and population data services agency. Changes in the data on the vital events of the resident population are updated into the Population Information System continuously by local population register authorities. A person's move into Finland from elsewhere is regarded as immigration only if a notation has been made into the Population Information System that he/she has received a permanent place of residence in Finland.

A Finnish citizen having entered the country must notify the register office if his/her intended stay in the country exceeds three months. The register office will update his/her data in the Population Information System (Act 661/2009). A foreign citizen may enter Finland provided he/she holds a required valid visa, residence permit or residence permit for an employed or self-employed person, unless he/she is an EU or EEA citizen or unless otherwise provided by an international agreement binding Finland (Aliens Act 301/2004). An EU or EEA citizen may stay in the country without a separate permit for three months, after which his/her stay in the country requires justifications and registration with the register office. An intend of living a year in the country is a prerequisite for EU or EEA citizens to become registered as permanent residents in Finland and besides one year's living in the country is required also before this intended living. After a citizen of the third countries have travelled to Finland his or her work or studies must last or he or she must have a job contract at least one year before he or she can get right to the municipality of domicile in Finland. (399/2007) The register office enters the information about the domicile of a foreign citizen into the Population Information System if the person receives a municipality of domicile and a permanent place of residence in it in Finland as defined in the Act on the Municipality of Domicile (201/1994).

When a person moves from one Nordic country to Finland, he/she must report his/her move to the local register authority, which will decide on the bases of the mover's report whether or not the person is registered as resident in the country. When he/she reports of the move, at the same time he/she tells if the move is permanent or temporary. The move is permanent if it will last 12 months or more. 

The register authority of the country of entry informs the person concerned and the register authority of the country of exit about its decision. The date when the person has been entered into the local population register of the country of entry is recorded as the date of emigration in the population register of the country of exit (Act on the Municipality of Domicile 201/1994, Decree and International Treaty 96/2006).

In accordance with an agreement between the Nordic countries, a temporary period of residence of less than six months is not usually regarded as a move (Act on the Municipality of Domicile 201/1994, Decree and Treaty 96/2006).
The citizens of Ukraine who have been granted temporary residence permit due to the War in Ukraine are allowed to apply for residence in Finland after they have stayed in Finland for at least 12 months.

Emigrants The main source used when producing Finnish population statistics is the Population Information System of the Digital and population data services agency. Changes in the data on the vital events of the resident population are updated into the Population Information System continuously by local population register authorities.

Persons who move to live abroad for more than one year are primarily regarded as emigrants. An exception to this are Finnish diplomats and persons working in development co-operation, etc. (Act on the Municipality of Domicile 201/1994). In accordance with an agreement between the Nordic countries, a temporary period of residence of less than six months is not usually regarded as a move (Act on the Municipality of Domicile 201/1994, Decree and Treaty 96/2006). Register officials of other Nordic countries follow their own rules of the duration of move and that is why some Finnish moves are registered as permanent moves although intended duration of the move is shorter than one year. 

When a Finn moves permanently to other Nordic country, he/she must report his/her move to the local register authority of the country of entry, which will decide whether or not the person is registered as resident in the country of entry. The register authority of the country of entry informs the person concerned and the register authority of the country of exit about its decision. The date when the person has been entered into the local population register of the country of entry is recorded as the date of emigration in the population register of the country of exit (Act on the Municipality of Domicile 201/1994, Decree and International Treaty 96/2006).

Acquisitions of citizenship

The main source used when producing Finnish population statistics is the Population Information System of the Digital and population data services agency. Changes in the data on the vital events of the resident population are updated into the Population Information System continuously by local population register authorities.

Citizenship refers to a person's legal nationality in a certain country. Citizenship is usually determined at birth, but it may be changed upon moving to live in another country. A most important prequalification is that person has lived in Finland five years. A person may also be a citizen of more than one country (see Nationality Act, 359/2003). Persons with both Finnish and foreign citizenship will be entered in the statistics as Finnish nationals. If a foreign national living in Finland has several nationalities, that person will be entered in the statistics as a national of the country on whose passport he or she arrived in the country. Persons having received Finnish nationality by both proceedings initiated upon petition and by declaration procedure are included in statistics on recipients of Finnish nationality. The number of citizenships granted by the declaration procedure has been exceptionally big in 2004-2008 when extended possibility for receiving Finnish citizenship prevailed because the amendment of legislation in 2003.

Loss of citizenship

Not available.

Legally induced abortions

Artificially induced termination of pregnancy which is not a birth and which results in the death of one or more foetuses (≥ 1) and in which there is no indication of intrauterine foetal death before the termination. See also web pages of the National Institution for Health and Welfare: abortions.

Late foetal deaths According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) definition, “stillborn” is the term for a newborn with a birth weight of at least 500 g or, if the birth weight is not available, a newborn born dead after a pregnancy lasting 22 weeks or more. The WHO definition has been in use since 1987. From the 2003 vital statistics onwards, the same national definition is used as in the cause-of-death statistics: “stillborn” is the term for a newborn with a birth weight of at least 500 g, or a newborn born dead after a pregnancy lasting 22 weeks or more.
Infant deaths The main source used when producing Finnish population statistics is the Population Information System of the Digital and population services agency. Changes in the data on the vital events of the resident population are updated into the Population Information System continuously by local population register authorities. 

Children who died before their first birthday are called infant dead.

Marriages

 

The main source used when producing Finnish population statistics is the Population Information System of the Digital and population data services agency. Changes in the data on the vital events of the resident population are updated into the Population Information System continuously by local population register authorities. 

In 1980 to 2016, contracted marriages referred to marriages of women living permanently in Finland. Starting from the statistical reference year 2017, contracted marriages refer to marriages where at least one of the spouses has resided permanently in Finland on the day when the marriage was contracted. The amendment to the Marriage Act that entered into force on 1 March 2017 enabled same-sex couples to enter into marriage (156/2015). The number of marriages contracted annually is, thus, the number of marriages entered into by same-sex and opposite-sex spouses.

Divorces

 

The main source used when producing Finnish population statistics is the Population Information System of the Digital and population data services agency. Changes in the data on the vital events of the resident population are updated into the Population Information System continuously by local population register authorities.

The divorce statistics are based on data on granted decrees of divorce transmitted to the Population Information System by district courts. The statistics also include cases where a permanent resident of Finland is granted a divorce by a foreign court. If the divorce is granted abroad, it must be reported to the register keeper for registration of divorce. Exceptions are divorces granted to Finnish citizens in Sweden, on which the Swedish register keeper notifies the Finnish counterpart directly.

A divorce granted to a Finnish citizen abroad usually requires validation by the Helsinki Court of Appeal before registration. Divorce decisions given in the Nordic Countries and in the EU countries as of 1 March 2001 can be registered without validation.

In 1980 to 2016, divorces referred to divorces of women living permanently in Finland unless otherwise stated. Starting from the statistical reference year 2017, divorces where at least one of the spouses has resided permanently in Finland on the day the divorce was granted are included in the statistics as divorces. The amendment to the Marriage Act that entered into force on 1 March 2017 enabled same-sex couples to enter into marriage (156/2015).

Since 2017, the total number of divorces consists of the number of divorces of marriages between opposite-sex and same-sex couples.

 

3.4.3 Differences in statistical concepts and definitions between the statistics transmitted to Eurostat and those disseminated in the National Statistics Institute's website
Population Not available.
Live births 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.
Deaths Not applicable.
Immigrants 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.
Emigrants

Register officials of other Nordic countries follow their own rules of the duration of move and that is why some Finnish moves are registered as permanent moves although intended duration of the move is shorter than one year. 

Acquisitions of citizenship No differences.
Loss of citizenship No differences.
Legally induced abortions Not available.
Late foetal deaths No deviations.
Infant deaths No deviations.
Marriages No deviations.
Divorces No deviations.

Number of persons.

  Statistical population
Population Not available.
Live births Not available.
Deaths Not available.
Immigrants Not available.
Emigrants Not available.
Acquisitions of citizenship Not available.
Loss of citizenship Not available.
Legally induced abortions Not available.
Late foetal deaths Not available.
Infant deaths Not available.
Marriages Not available.
Divorces Not available.

Population, live births, deaths, acquisition of citizenship, immigration and emigration, marriages and divorces 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 in which the migration occurred.

The reference period for vital events data is the calendar year in which the events occurred.  Due to short waiting time, one month or end of January, some events are lacking from the data. This is the reason to estimate those lacking events by including data relating to the years t-4, t-3, t-2 and t-1 and reported between February year t and January year t+1.  See below a table “Vital events of prior years included in the data for 2023”.

Vital events of prior years included in the data for 2023 by type of event 

Type of event/Year of event
Total

2022

2021

2020
 
2019
Live births 96 75 14 3 4
Death 150 135 7 6 2
Immigration 465 457 6 2 0
Emigration 213 159 38 11 5
Marriages  1491  1036  312  76  67
Divorces  272  158  74  30  10
  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,...)
Population Data quality of the Population Information System of Digital and population data services agency is excellent. Asylum seekers are excluded, refugees are included. Information of asulym seekers is lacking from the source data: population information system (register). 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.
Live births Data quality of the Population Information System of Digital and population data services is excellent. Asylum seekers are excluded, refugees are included. Information of asulym seekers is lacking from the source data: population information system (register). Unknown: birth weight, duration of gestation. Information is lacking from the source data population information system but is received from the Finnish instute for health and wellfare.
Deaths Data quality of the Population Information System of Digital and population data services is excellent. Asylum seekers are excluded, refugees are included. Information of asulym seekers is lacking from the source data: population information system (register).
Immigrants Data quality of the Population Information System of Digital and population data services is excellent. Asylum seekers are excluded, refugees are included. Information of asulym seekers is lacking from the source data: population information system (register). Citizens of 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.
Emigrants Data quality of the Population Information System of Digital and population data services is excellent. Based on signs of life analysis (yearly basis) some persons are added to emigration statistics as they have failed to make notification of their emigration.
Acquisitions of citizenship Data quality of the Population Information System of Digital and population data services is excellent. Asylum seekers are excluded, refugees are included. Category unknown: previous citizenship. Information is lacking from the source data: population information system (register).
Loss of citizenship Not available. 
Legally induced abortions Data quality of the Birth register of the National Institute for Health and Welfare is excellent. Asylum seekers are excluded, refugees are included. Category unknown:  parity. Information is lacking from the source data but received from the Finnish institute for health and welfare.
Late foetal deaths Data quality of the Population Information System of Digital and population data services is excellent. Asylum seekers are excluded, refugees are included.
Infant deaths Data quality of the Population Information System of Digital and population data services is excellent. Asylum seekers are excluded, refugees are included.
Marriages Data quality of the Population Information System of Digital and population data services is excellent. Asylum seekers are excluded, refugees are included. Category unknown: country of birth, citizenship. Information is lacking from the source data: population information system (register).
Divorces Data quality of the Population Information System of Digital and population data services is excellent. Asylum seekers are excluded, refugees are included. Category unknown: country of birth, citizenship, duration of marriage. Information is lacking from the source data: population. information system (register).

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 2023 the Population Information System included 137,000 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.

  List of data sources
Population Population information system (register) of the Digital and population data services agency.
Live births Population information system of the Digital and population data services agency.
Deaths Population information system of the Digital and population data services agency.
Immigrants Population information system of the Digital and population data services agency.
Emigrants Population information system of the Digital and population data services agency.
Acquisitions of citizenship Population information system of the Digital and population data services agency.
Loss of citizenship Not available.
Legally induced abortions The Register of induced abortions of the Finnis institute for health and welfare.
Late foetal deaths Late foetal death certificates.
Infant deaths Population information system of the Digital and population data services agency.
Marriages Population information system of Digital and population data services agency.
Divorces Population information system of Digital and population data services agency.
Surface in km2 National land survey of Finland.

Yearly.

According to Art 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 (EC) 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.

Population: about 4 months.

Live births: about 4 months.

Deaths: about 4 months.

Immigration and emigration: about 5 months.

Acquisitions of citizenship: about 5 months.

Marriage: about 4 months.

Divorce: about 4 months.

Fully comparable.

  Comparability - over time
Population Whole country and NUTS since 1990.
Live births Whole country and NUTS since 1990.
Deaths Whole country and NUTS since 1990.
Immigrants Whole country and NUTS since 1990.
Emigrants Whole country and NUTS since 1990.
Acquisitions of citizenship Whole country and NUTS since 1990.
Loss of citizenship Not available.
Legally induced abortions Whole country since 1994.
Late foetal deaths Whole country and NUTS since 1990.
Infant deaths Whole country and NUTS since 1990.
Marriages Whole country and NUTS since  2017, opposite-sex couples, woman/man residing permanently in Finland on the wedding day since 1990. See 3.4.2. about new concept and how to calculate the number of marriages contracted annually. If needed it's possible to update whole country and NUTS totals for opposite-sex couples from 1990 to 2017 by applying the new rule.
Divorces Whole country and NUTS since 2017, opposite-sex couples, woman/man residing permanently in Finland on the day divorce was granted since 1990. See 3.4.2. about new concept and how to calculate annual number of divorces. It's possible to update whole country and NUTS totals for opposite-sex couples from 1990 to 2017 by applying the new rule.
Surface in km2 Whole country and NUTS since 1990.