Foreign language speakers catching up to Finnish Swedes
An increasing number of people living in Finland have a mother tongue other than Finnish, Swedish or Sami. In fact, the country will soon boast as many native speakers of foreign languages as Swedish-speaking Finns.
About 245,000 native speakers of foreign languages lived in Finland in 2011, making up about 4.5 percent of the population, according to Statistics Finland. On the other hand, Swedish-speaking Finns number 5.4 percent of the population, or 291,000 people.
Russian is the most commonly spoken foreign language in Finland, claiming 31 percent of all native speakers of foreign languages. Also frequently heard in Finland are Estonian (18 percent), Somali (7 percent) and English (7 percent).
At the end of last year, some 183,000 foreign nationals were resident in Finland. This amounts to 3.4 percent of the population.
Latest in: News
Veolia drivers to return to work
Bus drivers working for the Veolia company will return to work on Tuesday, bringing their week-long work stoppage to an end.
Finnish traffic cops set to miss out on Gumball speeding fine jackpot
Several contestants in the Gumball rally were stopped for speeding on Monday, on the Turku-Helsinki leg of their unorthodox race. Police say that despite their concerns, the drivers are likely to escape Finland’s hefty income-based fines.
Yle News building its freelance database
Yle News is building up a database of freelance journalists for occasional work in radio, television and online news production.
Jolla to sell new phone this year
A mobile firm founded by former Nokia employees is set to put a new smartphone on sale by the end of the year. The company, Jolla, was set up to continue working on an open source Linux-based smartphone when Nokia announced it was switching to the Windows Phone operating system.
Decline in church membership will cost jobs
In order to cope with decreasing membership, the Evangelical Lutheran Church will be forced to reduce its staff significantly in coming years. Many congregations are facing dire financial circumstances due to the reduction in the tax revenue that flows as a result of membership.
Finns Party women: Party is neither racist nor chauvinist
Both male and female representatives of the Finns Party claim that both their party and its leader are in favour of gender equality.
Vantaa bus drivers’ strike continues
Bus engines at the Veolia depot in Vantaa have been quiet for nearly one week, as bus drivers continue their work stoppage on Monday.
Rooftop blaze in Helsinki's Punavuori
A fire on Kankurinkatu in central Helsinki's Punavuori district attracted more than a dozen emergency rescue units. Residents were evacuated due to the rooftop blaze, which broke out around 5:00 am Monday.
The U.S. snatches bronze from Finland
Finland’s men’s ice hockey team lost the World Championship bronze match to the U.S. in a thriller that went into overtime and a shootout.
Son drowns, father missing after fishing trip
A son and father went fishing on Näsijärvi Lake in the Pirkanmaa region on Friday. The son was later found drowned, while the father is still missing.
Discuss this topic
0 comments
Kiitos! Kommenttisi on lähetetty Yle Uutisten toimitukseen. Julkaisemme kommentteja klo 07-23 välisenä aikana.
Yle Uutisten toimitus lukee kommentit ennen julkaisua. Asiattomia ja hyvien tapojen vastaisia kommentteja ei julkaista. Pitkiä kirjoituksia voidaan lyhentää, muuten kommentit julkaistaan sellaisenaan.
Thank you. Your report has been sent to Yle News. We review the reports between 9 AM and 5 PM.
Yle News will review the comment you reported and will delete it if necessary.