Estonians in Finland or Finnish Estonians are people with an ethnic Estonian background residing in

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. In 2017, there were 52,424 Estonian immigrants in Finland, according to the UN.

Estonians Estonians or Estonian people ( et, eestlased) are a Finnic ethnic group native to Estonia who speak the Estonian language. The Estonian language is spoken as the first language by the vast majority of Estonians; it is closely related to other ...

are Finland's second largest immigrant group, after

Russians , native_name_lang = ru , image = , caption = , population = , popplace = 118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 ''Winkler Prins'' estimate) , region1 = , pop1 ...

. Estonians have for a long time helped the workforce in Finland, especially in the capital region. Over 35,000 of them reside in

Uusimaa Uusimaa (; sv, Nyland, ; both lit. 'new land') is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Southwest Finland, Tavastia Proper (Kanta-Häme), Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme), and Kymenlaakso. Finland's capital and largest city, He ...

History

Immigration from Estonia to Finland was low before 1990. After the collapse of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

, and Estonia's EU membership in 2004, emigration from Estonia to Finland increased rapidly. The peak migration of Estonians was in 2012, when over 6,000 Estonians emigrated to Finland. In 2017 however the net migration from Estonia was negative, as Estonians are returning to their country. Reasons for this are better salaries in Estonia and family ties. In spite of this the Estonian population is still growing, although at a much slower rate than previously.

Employment

The employment rate of Estonians is 76%, higher than Finns.

Population

In 2017, there were 49,590 speakers of

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also

...

. Finland has the largest community of

outside

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

In 2012, 5,000 more people from

emigrated to

than immigrated to Estonia. There are an estimated 100,000

working in Finland.

Notable Estonians in Finland

Hans Kalm Hans Kalm (21 April 1889 – 1 February 1981) was an Estonian soldier who served in the armies of Russian Empire, Finland and Estonia. He was also a homeopath and naturopath who took interest in alternative medicine. World War I and Finnish Civi ...

, soldier *

Hella Wuolijoki Hella Wuolijoki (née Ella Marie Murrik; 22 July 1886 – 2 February 1954), also known by the pen name Juhani Tervapää, was an Estonian-born Finnish writer known for her ''Niskavuori'' series.Wuolijoki, Hella. Eesti Entsüklopeedia 10. Estonian ...

, writer *

Imbi Paju Imbi Paju (born 3 June 1959) is an Estonian-born journalist, writer and filmmaker resident in Finland. Biography Paju was born in Jõgevamaa, but has been operating in Finland as a correspondent of the Estonian newspapers ''Eesti Päevaleht'' ...

, journalist, writer and filmmaker * Kalevi Kotkas, athlete *

Mikael Gabriel Mikael Kristian Gabriel Sohlman (born 25 February 1990), professionally known as Mikael Gabriel or MG, is a Finnish rapper. He has released six solo albums and appeared as a featured guest on songs by artists such as Cheek, Lord Est, Robin and U ...

, rapper *

Mäkki Gert Kaasik better known as Mäkki, is an Estonian-born Finnish rapper and DJ.Siim Liivik Siim Liivik (born 14 February 1988) is an Estonian-Finnish professional ice hockey winger who is currently an unrestricted free agent. Playing career Liivik started his professional career with HIFK in 2008. Before joining the Helsinki-based c ...

, ice hockey player *

Sofi Oksanen Sofi-Elina Oksanen (born 7 January 1977) is a Finnish writer and playwright. Oksanen has published six novels, of which "Purge" has gained the widest recognition. She has received several international and domestic awards for her literary work. ...

, writer *

Tiina Lillak Ilse Kristiina ('Tiina') Lillak (born 15 April 1961) is a Finnish former javelin thrower. She is the 1983 world champion and 1984 Olympic silver medalist. She also twice broke the world record, with throws of 72.40 metres in 1982 and 74.76 metr ...

, athlete

References

{{Portal bar, Estonia, Finland Ethnic groups in Finland Estonia–Finland relations