Half of the population of foreign origin lives in Greater Helsinki
Russians, Estonians, Iraqis and Somalis are the four largest groups.
Immigration in Finland is a much more common phenomenon in urban areas. The latest data show that presence of foreigners is especially noticeable in the capital region, where most of them live.
According to Statistics Finland, at the end of 2019 there were 423,494 persons with foreign background living in the country. Of them, 209,108 or one-half lived in Greater Helsinki.
Among the largest groups with foreign background, those with Somali background, 79%, and those with Indian background, 70%, live in the metropolitan area.
Syria and the Philippines
At the end of 2019, clearly the largest group of people with foreign background is still those whose background country is the former Soviet Union or Russia. The second largest group is equally clearly those of Estonian origin.
People with Iraqi background came third.
Over the past ten years, those with German and British background have dropped from the 15 largest groups with foreign background. People of Syrian and Philippine background have taken their place.