Turks in Finland


Turks in Finland or Finnish Turks are the ethnic Turkish people. The majority of Finnish Turks descend from the Republic of Turkey; however there has also been significant Turkish migration from other post-Ottoman countries including ethnic Turkish communities which have come to Finland from the Balkans, the island of Cyprus, and more recently Iraq and Syria.
, there were 12,202 people born in Turkey living in Finland. Similarly, the number of people with Turkish citizenship was 8,290. The number of people who spoke Turkish as their mother tongue was 12,964.

History

Turkish migration to Finland is a relatively new phenomenon in the country; the majority have predominantly arrived since the late 1980s and are made up of largely male immigrants. Thus, many Turkish adolescents have a Finnish mother. Between 1987 and 2012 there have been 8,904 Turkish citizens who have migrated to Finland. In 2019, Turkish asylum seekers are the second largest group after Iraqis. From January to August, 283 Turkish citizens have sought asylum, while for the whole of 2018 it was 293. Their number by the end of the year is projected to be 45% more than the last year. According to Finnish Immigration Service, many Turks are seeking asylum due to the Gülen movement.

Demographics

People born in Turkey and living in Finland, according to Statistics Finland.
MunicipalityPopulation
Whole country12,202
Helsinki2,495
Vantaa1,414
Espoo1,376
Tampere735
Turku498
Oulu378
Jyväskylä282
Lahti270
Kerava226
Hämeenlinna220
Lappeenranta202
Pori174
Kouvola172
Kuopio170
Seinäjoki135
Lohja133
Porvoo123
Joensuu114
Vihti108
Rauma100
Kotka96
Järvenpää91
Vaasa82
Riihimäki80
Hyvinkää77
Nurmijärvi74
Salo71
Tuusula67
Mikkeli64
Kirkkonummi61
Nokia56
Imatra52
Ilmajoki51
Forssa50
Rovaniemi47
Sipoo46
Tornio45
Mäntsälä43
Kokkola42
Uusikaupunki42
Akaa41
Savonlinna41
Pietarsaari39
Heinola37
Raisio36
Kangasala31
Varkaus31
Loimaa29
Äänekoski29
Eura28
Janakkala28
Kankaanpää26
Orimattila26
Karkkila25
Huittinen24
Kaarina24
Kemi24
Kajaani23
Mariehamn23
Ylivieska23
Kuusamo22
Raahe22
Raseborg22
Hamina21
Laitila21
Outokumpu21
Ylöjärvi21
Lapua20
Valkeakoski19
Lempäälä18
Pirkkala18
Harjavalta17
Sastamala17
Ylitornio17
Alajärvi16
Jämsä16
Kauhajoki16
Kempele15
Parkano15
Pieksämäki15
Suomussalmi15
Haapajärvi14
Hämeenkyrö14
Iisalmi14
Kittilä14
Hollola13
Kauniainen13
Lieksa13
Kitee12
Kokemäki12
Säkylä12
Eurajoki11
Loviisa11
Nurmes11
Laukaa10
Korsholm10
Mänttä-Vilppula10
Pudasjärvi10
Utajärvi10

People with Turkish citizenship living in Finland according to Statistics Finland.
MunicipalityPopulation
Whole country8,290
Helsinki1,555
Espoo1,012
Vantaa910
Tampere536
Turku320
Oulu285
Jyväskylä205
Hämeenlinna168
Lahti166
Kerava154
Lappeenranta150
Pori135
Kouvola132
Kuopio111
Seinäjoki97
Lohja93
Porvoo88
Joensuu84
Rauma73
Riihimäki63
Kotka62
Vihti61
Järvenpää57
Vaasa54
Ilmajoki53
Nurmijärvi52
Imatra50
Hyvinkää49
Salo49
Kirkkonummi44
Kokkola41
Nokia41
Tuusula38
Mikkeli36
Mäntsälä35
Uusikaupunki32
Sipoo30
Rovaniemi29
Loimaa27
Varkaus27
Heinola26
Kankaanpää26
Savonlinna26
Ylivieska26
Hamina25
Raisio25
Forssa23
Kangasala23
Tornio23
Akaa22
Eura21
Huittinen21
Janakkala21
Pietarsaari20
Raahe20
Laitila19
Orimattila19
Äänekoski19
Karkkila18
Kuusamo16
Haapajärvi14
Kemi14
Lieksa14
Kajaani13
Kempele13
Mariehamn13
Parkano13
Ylöjärvi13
Alajärvi12
Outokumpu12
Pieksämäki12
Sastamala12
Hämeenkyrö11
Iisalmi11
Jämsä11
Kitee11
Lempäälä11
Pirkkala11
Raseborg11
Säkylä11
Valkeakoski11
Harjavalta10
Kaarina10
Utajärvi10

People with Turkish as mother tongue living in Finland according to Statistics Finland.
MunicipalityPopulation
Whole country12,964
Helsinki2,526
Vantaa1,639
Espoo1,554
Tampere793
Turku536
Oulu413
Lahti312
Jyväskylä300
Kerava273
Hämeenlinna233
Lappeenranta191
Pori180
Kuopio164
Lohja162
Kouvola154
Seinäjoki142
Rauma121
Porvoo117
Hyvinkää116
Vihti109
Kotka101
Vaasa100
Järvenpää96
Riihimäki95
Joensuu91
Salo79
Kirkkonummi70
Nokia65
Tuusula65
Nurmijärvi58
Rovaniemi54
Ilmajoki53
Mäntsälä49
Akaa44
Raisio43
Sipoo43
Uusikaupunki43
Kokkola42
Mikkeli41
Forssa40
Savonlinna38
Tornio37
Heinola35
Imatra34
Eura32
Laitila30
Janakkala29
Loimaa29
Ylöjärvi29
Hamina28
Huittinen28
Kajaani28
Ylivieska28
Raahe27
Kaarina26
Kuusamo26
Varkaus25
Kangasala24
Kankaanpää24
Karkkila24
Mariehamn24
Raseborg24
Orimattila23
Kemi22
Pietarsaari22
Hämeenkyrö21
Äänekoski21
Alajärvi20
Iisalmi20
Lempäälä20
Jämsä19
Lapua19
Hollola18
Kittilä18
Sastamala18
Harjavalta17
Kauhajoki17
Nurmes17
Valkeakoski17
Kitee16
Kempele15
Parkano15
Säkylä15
Utajärvi15
Pieksämäki14
Haapajärvi13
Pirkkala13
Suonenjoki13
Lieksa12
Paimio12
Siilinjärvi12
Alavus11
Eurajoki11
Hattula11
Karstula11
Kauniainen11
Kristinestad11
Laukaa11
Somero11
Luumäki10
Mäntyharju10

Society

65.5% of them are male while 34.5% are female. 22.2% are less than 14 years old, 76.7% are between 15 and 64 years old and only 1.1% are over the age 65.
The majority of Turkish immigrants are self-employed and are predominantly active in the restaurant and fast food sector.

Organizations

  • Suomen turkkilainen seura

Political activism

As in May 2022 Finland made an accession bid to join NATO, Turkey demanded that Finland ends its alleged support for the Gülen movement.

Notable people