General

The population of Finland in 2003 was estimated by the United Nations at 5,207,000, which placed it as number 108 in population among the 193 nations of the world. In that year approximately 15% of the population was over 65 years of age, with another 18% of the population under 15 years of age. There were 95 males for every 100 females in the country in 2003. According to the UN, the annual population growth rate for 2000-2005 is 0.18%, with the projected population for the year 2015 at 5,284,000. The population density in 2002 was 15 per sq km (40 per sq mi). Distribution is uneven, with the density generally increasing from northern and inland regions to the southwestern region.

It was estimated by the Population Reference Bureau that 67% of the population lived in urban areas in 2001. The capital city, Helsinki, had a population of 1,150,000 in that year. Other large cities include Tampere, 173,797; Turku, 159,403; Espoo, 175,670; and Vantaa, 157,274. Rovaniemi, with a population of 55,000, is considered the capital of Finnish Lapland. Aaccording to the United Nations, the urban population growth rate for 2000-2005 was 0.9%.

Overview

Population:
5,238,460 (July 2007 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 16.9% (male 449,548/female 433,253)
15-64 years: 66.7% (male 1,768,996/female 1,727,143)
65 years and over: 16.4% (male 344,798/female 514,722) (2007 est.)

Median age:
total: 41.6 years
male: 40 years
female: 43.1 years (2007 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.127% (2007 est.)

Birth rate:
10.42 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Death rate:
9.93 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Net migration rate:
0.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.038 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.024 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
total population: 0.958 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 3.52 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 3.84 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)