FAMAGUSTA GAZETTE – Finland’s foreign-language speakers surpassed 610,000 last year, accounting for nearly 11% of the population, according to Statistics Finland.
This marks a one-percentage-point rise from the previous year. In Uusimaa, almost one-fifth of residents are of foreign origin.
Russian remains the largest foreign-language group, with over 30,000 speakers added in the last decade.
Estonian is the second-largest group, though its numbers declined last year.
Arabic is rapidly approaching Estonian, with the number of Arabic speakers having nearly tripled since 2014.
The data highlights Finland’s evolving demographic landscape, driven by migration and diverse linguistic communities.