More immigrants coming to Helsinki region from Asia
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Helsinki, Espoo, and Vantaa currently have about 90,000 residents with an immigrant background. In the past three years, their numbers have grown by 25 per cent.
There is much public debate about immigration in Finland, but how much do people really know about immigrants? Helsingin Sanomat collected statistics and facts as a basis of debate.
A new wave of immigration to the Helsinki region began in 2005. The trend differs significantly from the immigration boom of the early 1990s.
In the early ‘90s the arrivals were primarily “returning migrants” - Ingrians from Russia, as well as refugees from Somalia.
Now the greatest number of immigrants in the Helsinki region come from Estonia and Russia, but the number of people from Asia is also growing. The number of new arrivals from India and China has grown. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are also reflected in immigration statistics.
The proportion of refugees among immigrants is nevertheless relatively small.
For instance, in 2007, the number of people of foreign background in Helsinki grew by 4,500 individuals. Only 223 of them were refugees officially received by the city.
Immigrants tend to concentrate in neighbourhoods with large amounts of public housing.
Nearly half of immigrants who live alone have state-supported rental accommodation. The larger the family, the more frequently the housing arrangement involves an apartment with subsidised rent.
In Helsinki, areas in the east and northeast of the city stand out as having large immigrant populations. In Vantaa, Hakunila has a high proportion of immigrants.
Housing patterns also separate different groups of immigrants from each other. Those coming from Western countries are more likely to live in owned housing in the centre fo Helsinki than those from other parts of the world.
A third of Helsinki residents who speak Russian, Estonian, or Somali as their mother tongues, live in eastern parts of the city.
There is much public debate about immigration in Finland, but how much do people really know about immigrants? Helsingin Sanomat collected statistics and facts as a basis of debate.
A new wave of immigration to the Helsinki region began in 2005. The trend differs significantly from the immigration boom of the early 1990s.
In the early ‘90s the arrivals were primarily “returning migrants” - Ingrians from Russia, as well as refugees from Somalia.
Now the greatest number of immigrants in the Helsinki region come from Estonia and Russia, but the number of people from Asia is also growing. The number of new arrivals from India and China has grown. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are also reflected in immigration statistics.
The proportion of refugees among immigrants is nevertheless relatively small.
For instance, in 2007, the number of people of foreign background in Helsinki grew by 4,500 individuals. Only 223 of them were refugees officially received by the city.
Immigrants tend to concentrate in neighbourhoods with large amounts of public housing.
Nearly half of immigrants who live alone have state-supported rental accommodation. The larger the family, the more frequently the housing arrangement involves an apartment with subsidised rent.
In Helsinki, areas in the east and northeast of the city stand out as having large immigrant populations. In Vantaa, Hakunila has a high proportion of immigrants.
Housing patterns also separate different groups of immigrants from each other. Those coming from Western countries are more likely to live in owned housing in the centre fo Helsinki than those from other parts of the world.
A third of Helsinki residents who speak Russian, Estonian, or Somali as their mother tongues, live in eastern parts of the city.
Helsingin Sanomat