Economy of Finland
The economy of Finland is a highly industrialised, mixed economy with a per capita output similar to that of western European economies such as France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The largest sector of Finland's economy is its service sector, which contributes 72.7% to the country's gross domestic product (GDP); followed by manufacturing and refining at 31.4%; and concluded with the country's primary sector at 2.9%.
A panoramic view over the southernmost districts of Helsinki from Hotel Torni. The Helsinki Old Church and its surrounding park are seen in the foreground, while the towers of St. John's Church (near centre) and Mikael Agricola Church (right) can be seen in the middle distance, backdropped by the Gulf of Finland. | |
Currency | Euro (EUR, €) |
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calendar year | |
Trade organisations | EU, WTO and OECD |
Country group |
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Statistics | |
Population | 5,550,066 (1 March 2023) |
GDP |
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GDP rank |
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GDP growth |
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GDP per capita |
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GDP per capita rank |
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GDP by sector |
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1.6% (2022 est.) | |
Population below poverty line | 15.6% at risk of poverty or social exclusion (AROPE, 2019) |
26.2 low (2019, Eurostat) | |
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Labour force |
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Labour force by occupation |
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Unemployment |
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Average gross salary | €3,974 monthly (2023) |
Average net salary | €2,366 monthly (2023) |
Main industries | metals and metal products, electronics, machinery and scientific instruments, shipbuilding, pulp and paper, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, clothing |
External | |
Exports | €98.47 billion (2021 est.) |
Export goods | electrical and optical equipment, machinery, transport equipment, paper and pulp, chemicals, basic metals; timber |
Main export partners | |
Imports | €97.88 billion (2021 est.) |
Import goods | foodstuffs, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, transport equipment, iron and steel, machinery, computers, electronic industry products, textile yarn and fabrics, grains |
Main import partners | |
FDI stock |
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$1.806 billion (2017 est.) | |
Gross external debt | $150.6 billion (31 December 2016 est.) |
Public finances | |
Government debt |
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Revenues | 52.2% of GDP (2019) |
Expenses | 53.3% of GDP (2019) |
Economic aid |
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Credit rating | AAA (Domestic) AAA (Foreign) AA+ (T&C Assessment) (Standard & Poor's) Scope: AA+ Outlook: Stable |
$10.51 billion (31 December 2017 est.) | |
All values, unless otherwise stated, are in US dollars. |
Finland's key economic sector is manufacturing. The largest industries are electronics (21.6% - very old data), machinery, vehicles and other engineered metal products (21.1%), forest industry (13.1%), and chemicals (10.9%). Finland has timber and several mineral and freshwater resources. Forestry, paper factories, and the agricultural sector (on which taxpayers spend around 2 billion euro annually) are politically sensitive to rural residents. The Helsinki metropolitan area generates around a third of GDP.
In a 2004 OECD comparison, high-technology manufacturing in Finland ranked second largest in the world, after Ireland. Investment was below the expected levels. The overall short-term outlook was good and GDP growth has been above many of its peers in the European Union. Finland has the 4th largest knowledge economy in Europe, behind Sweden, Denmark and the UK. The economy of Finland tops the ranking of the Global Information Technology 2014 report by the World Economic Forum for concerted output between the business sector, the scholarly production and the governmental assistance on information and communications technology.
Finland is highly integrated in the global economy, and international trade represents a third of the GDP. Trade with the European Union represents 60% of the country's total trade. The largest trade flows are with Germany, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Netherlands and China. The trade policy is managed by the European Union, where Finland has traditionally been among the free trade supporters, except for agriculture. Finland is the only Nordic country to have joined the Eurozone; Denmark and Sweden have retained their traditional currencies, whereas Iceland and Norway are not members of the EU at all. Finland has been ranked seventh in the Global Innovation Index of 2023, making it the seventh most innovative country down from 2nd in 2018.
Finland is one of the few European countries that achieved development without a historical involvement in colonialism, slave trade, or tax evasion and money laundering.