Helsinki

Finland COUNTRY

1,304,851 CITY POPULATION

Mayor-Council GOVERNMENT TYPE

Introduction

Helsinki, the sustainable capital of Finland, is a vibrant seaside city of beautiful islands and great green urban areas. Helsinki marches to a wonderful and unique beat of its own with dynamic food, design, architecture – and sauna! – scenes. Helsinki and its Nordic culture are made by the locals. Helsinki is the largest city in Finland and the metropolitan area is the home of 1.4 million people. When you look at a map, Helsinki is in the northernmost corner of the Europe but it is an easy hub to reach with fast flight connections from East to West. No flight? No problem. Helsinki can be reached from St. Petersburg, Estonia and Sweden via the Baltic Sea. In fact, the sea is one of the most characterizing elements of the city. The Helsinki Archipelago consists of over 300 mesmerizing islands.

Data and facts

The current population of Helsinki in 2020 is 1,305,000, a 1.01% increase from 2019.
In Helsinki, there are 27 beaches, 13 winter swimming places, 14 ice stadiums, 16 swimming halls and outdoor pools, 818 indoor sports facilities and 92 dog parks.
Russians were the biggest group of foreign travelers to stay in Helsinki overnight. Their overnight stays at registered accommodation establishments was in the excess of 209,000. Next came travelers from Germany (189,000), the United States (177,000), Great Britain (159,000) and Sweden (148,000).
The most popular museums in 2018 were Helsinki City Museum (about 445,000 visits) and Ateneum (323,000). The municipal libraries registered 6.5 million visits, that is to say about 10 visits for every city resident.
The Helsinkians’ average age is 40.7 years. In Finland as a whole, the average age is higher, 42.9 years.
The life expectancy for Helsinkian males who were born in 2018 is 78.7 years, which is almost twelve years higher than the figure for year 1978. Female Helsinkians’ life expectancy at birth (born 2018) is 84.1 years.
Single-person households made up nearly 49 percent of households in Helsinki. Households composed of two persons accounted for 31 percent, and about 11 percent of the households consisted of at least four people.
The City of Helsinki employs all told 37,700 people. The most common professional titles were childcare and practical nurse. Approximately 40 percent of all municipal employees work for the Social Services and Health Care Division.
The air quality in Helsinki centre was deemed good or satisfactory during about 91 percent of the hours of that year. The peak daily average temperature was 30.4°C, while 24.2°C had been the previous year’s record.

Administration

The highest decision-making organ in Helsinki is the City Council. The Council elects the Mayor and four Deputy Mayors for the duration of the Council term. The Council also makes appointments to city organs and the most important offices. The Mayor serves as the chair of the City Board, and the Deputy Mayors chair the sector committees. The Mayor and Deputy Mayors are full-time elected officials.

Economy

Helsinki is one of Europe's richest capitals. Contributing approximately a third of Finland's GDP, Helsinki profits on serviced-related IT and public sectors. Having moved from heavy industrial works, shipping companies also employ a substantial number of people. The city centre is the best choice for large investors to settle their businesses, as well as satellite branches of international companies. The central location supplies an adequate availability of highly qualified and skilled employers in Finland. Migration is in steady rate, as neighboring cities develop to their own industrialized peaks as well. Helsinki's tap water coming from the Päijänne Tunnel is valued potable water. It is bottled and sold to mid-eastern countries like Saudi Arabia.

Infrastructure

In Helsinki, traffic infrastructure investments and land use are always planned together. Traffic infrastructure investments are made to secure the functionality of the entire traffic and transport system and infrastructure. The share of travel made on sustainable means of transport will be increased. All modes of transport will be developed and those kinds of transport that are key to business will be secured. Planning of the implementation of the city plan will start with the Vihdintie boulevard. Planning of the light rail line in that area will proceed to the decision phase during the Council’s term, and planning the Tuusulanväylä boulevard will move forward. The conditions for building a light rail line to Malmi will also be investigated. Development of the tramway network in central Helsinki and the implementation of the tramway plan for the Kalasatama area will proceed. Alongside the new housing areas being built in Helsinki, also infill construction will be enhanced.

Technology

The Urban Eco Islands project, together with the City of Helsinki innovation company Forum Virium, is testing smart solutions for monitoring nature and the environment on Vasikkasaari. New, developing technology facilitates the utilisation of drones, for example, in monitoring nature on the island. Smart technology also makes it possible for people to enjoy the Vasikkasaari atmosphere virtually on a break from work, for example, thanks to the live-feed camera installed on the island. Smart technology identifies ships sailing past the camera and provides real-time information on air quality and noise levels.

Social Wellness and Human Resources

Education

Helsinki is the flagship city in this respect, with a number of excellent internationally focused schools, including the European School of Helsinki, which was established in 2008 to serve the needs of the children of employees of the ECHA. A competitive educational offering is to be found to meet all age criteria, from preschool daycare to higher education, and all feature a strong multi-lingual component.

Health

If your municipality of residence is Helsinki, you are entitled to use public health services. Public health services are provided by health stations, dental clinics, maternity and child health clinics and hospitals. If you are not entitled to use public health care services, you can seek help at a private medical clinic. At private clinics, you will have to pay all the expenses yourself. Helsinki has been recognized as a leader in areas including human genetics and digital health, precision cancer medicine, developmental biology, ecology and evolutionary biology.

Tourism

Helsinki, (Swedish: Helsingfors) the capital of Finland is also known as the 'Daughter of the Baltic'. It is one of the most diverse areas in Europe. The city is surrounded by sea and a vast archipelago. The best time to visit the city is in the summer months. The city is filled with a variety of museums, churches and off-course beautiful beaches.