More than a quarter of residents in some areas speak a foreign language at home
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By Kalle Silfverberg
The proportion of residents with a home language other than Finnish or Swedish exceeds a fifth of the population in a total of 15 areas in the greater Helsinki region. The greatest proportion of foreign-language speakers is in the Helsinki district of Meri-Rastila, where they number 28 per cent.
In Vantaa the greatest proportion of foreign language speakers – 26 per cent – is in Länsimäki. In Espoo, Suvela has the largest proportion, 24 per cent. The figures represent the situation at the beginning of the year.
Many residents of foreign background live in the eastern suburbs of Helsinki, in the east of Vantaa, and in central Espoo.
The student-dominated areas of Otaniemi in Espoo and Viikki in Helsinki also have a large concentration of people speaking languages other than the national languages of Finland.
A considerable change has taken place in many suburbs in the past ten years. The proportion of those speaking foreign languages has more than doubled. For instance, in Kurkimäki in Helsinki 11 per cent of residents spoke foreign languages at home. Now the figure is 24 per cent. In Suvela the proportion has actually tripled.
As might be expected, the smallest proportions of foreign language speakers were in the sparsely-populated semi-rural areas of Espoo and Vantaa, and in Santahamina, which is populated by military personnel.
An unexpectedly large concentration of foreign language speakers is in the Espoo area of Lakisto, where 51 of the 277 local residents speak a language other than Finnish or Swedish. The explanation for it is that it is home to the Rinnekoti institution for the care of the mentally disabled, which has many Estonian nurses who live in housing provided by the facility.
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 1.5.2011
More on this subject:
 Elections show sharp political divisions in Helsinki region
See also:
Helsinki parents at pains to avoid schools with high proportion of immigrants (3.5.2011)
KALLE SILFVERBERG / Helsingin Sanomat
kalle.silfverberg@hs.fi
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