Nurses — Health and social employment in Finland

Finland: Nurses — Health and social employment was 21.14 Per 1 000 inhabitants in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
21.14 Per 1 000 inhabitants
Change on year
up 1.7%
World rank
4th
of 24 countries
All-time high
21.14 Per 1 000 inhabitants
in 2025
All-time low
6.1 Per 1 000 inhabitants
in 1980
Years of data
46
1980–2025

Nurses — Health and social employment in Finland, 1980–2025

5101520198020022025

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Per 1 000 inhabitants.

Analysis

The most recent figure for nurses — health and social employment in Finland is 21.14 Per 1 000 inhabitants, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 46 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.7% on the previous year and up 14.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, nurses — health and social employment in Finland peaked at 21.14 Per 1 000 inhabitants in 2025 and was at its lowest, 6.1 Per 1 000 inhabitants, in 1980.

Finland ranks 4th of 24 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 46 years of available data.

Nurses — Health and social employment in Finland, year by year

Annual values for Nurses — Health and social employment in Finland, 1980 to 2025.
Year Per 1 000 inhabitants Change
1980 6.1 Per 1 000 inhabitants
1981 6.68 Per 1 000 inhabitants +9.5%
1982 7.05 Per 1 000 inhabitants +5.5%
1983 7.35 Per 1 000 inhabitants +4.3%
1984 7.64 Per 1 000 inhabitants +3.9%
1985 7.97 Per 1 000 inhabitants +4.3%
1986 8.34 Per 1 000 inhabitants +4.6%
1987 8.7 Per 1 000 inhabitants +4.3%
1988 9.12 Per 1 000 inhabitants +4.8%
1989 9.5 Per 1 000 inhabitants +4.2%
1990 9.61 Per 1 000 inhabitants +1.2%
1991 9.96 Per 1 000 inhabitants +3.6%
1992 10.47 Per 1 000 inhabitants +5.1%
1993 11.03 Per 1 000 inhabitants +5.3%
1994 11.66 Per 1 000 inhabitants +5.7%
1995 12.29 Per 1 000 inhabitants +5.4%
1996 12.95 Per 1 000 inhabitants +5.4%
1997 13.58 Per 1 000 inhabitants +4.9%
1998 14.15 Per 1 000 inhabitants +4.2%
1999 14.65 Per 1 000 inhabitants +3.5%
2000 15.06 Per 1 000 inhabitants +2.8%
2001 15.38 Per 1 000 inhabitants +2.1%
2002 15.72 Per 1 000 inhabitants +2.2%
2003 15.95 Per 1 000 inhabitants +1.5%
2004 16.16 Per 1 000 inhabitants +1.3%
2005 16.4 Per 1 000 inhabitants +1.5%
2006 16.57 Per 1 000 inhabitants +1.0%
2007 16.81 Per 1 000 inhabitants +1.4%
2008 17.06 Per 1 000 inhabitants +1.5%
2009 17.3 Per 1 000 inhabitants +1.4%
2010 17.48 Per 1 000 inhabitants +1.0%
2011 17.65 Per 1 000 inhabitants +1.0%
2012 17.82 Per 1 000 inhabitants +1.0%
2013 17.99 Per 1 000 inhabitants +1.0%
2014 18.19 Per 1 000 inhabitants +1.1%
2015 18.54 Per 1 000 inhabitants +1.9%
2016 18.81 Per 1 000 inhabitants +1.5%
2017 19.15 Per 1 000 inhabitants +1.8%
2018 19.51 Per 1 000 inhabitants +1.9%
2019 19.97 Per 1 000 inhabitants +2.4%
2020 20.29 Per 1 000 inhabitants +1.6%
2021 20.52 Per 1 000 inhabitants +1.1%
2022 20.52 Per 1 000 inhabitants +0.0%
2023 20.65 Per 1 000 inhabitants +0.6%
2024 20.79 Per 1 000 inhabitants +0.7%
2025 21.14 Per 1 000 inhabitants +1.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 7.85 Per 1 000 inhabitants 6.1 Per 1 000 inhabitants 9.5 Per 1 000 inhabitants 10
1990s 12.04 Per 1 000 inhabitants 9.61 Per 1 000 inhabitants 14.65 Per 1 000 inhabitants 10
2000s 16.24 Per 1 000 inhabitants 15.06 Per 1 000 inhabitants 17.3 Per 1 000 inhabitants 10
2010s 18.51 Per 1 000 inhabitants 17.48 Per 1 000 inhabitants 19.97 Per 1 000 inhabitants 10
2020s 20.65 Per 1 000 inhabitants 20.29 Per 1 000 inhabitants 21.14 Per 1 000 inhabitants 6

Countries ranked near Finland

  1. 1 Iceland 31.78 Per 1 000 inhabitants compare
  2. 2 Norway 29.13 Per 1 000 inhabitants compare
  3. 3 Luxembourg 22.33 Per 1 000 inhabitants compare
  4. 5 Sweden 21.08 Per 1 000 inhabitants compare
  5. 6 Belgium 20.26 Per 1 000 inhabitants compare
  6. 7 United States of America 20.22 Per 1 000 inhabitants compare

See the full ranking of 31 places →

More work & labour data for Finland

All data for Finland →

Frequently asked questions

What is nurses — health and social employment in Finland?
Nurses — health and social employment in Finland was 21.14 Per 1 000 inhabitants in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest nurses — health and social employment recorded in Finland?
The highest recorded value was 21.14 Per 1 000 inhabitants in 2025.
What is the lowest nurses — health and social employment recorded in Finland?
The lowest recorded value was 6.1 Per 1 000 inhabitants in 1980.
How does Finland rank for nurses — health and social employment?
Finland ranks 4th out of 24 countries with data for 2025.
Is nurses — health and social employment rising or falling in Finland?
Over the last ten years it is up 14.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Finland data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Nurses — Health and social employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Nurses — Health and social employment in Finland. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/nurses-health-and-social-employment/finland/

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About this data

Indicator
Nurses — Health and social employment
Unit
Per 1 000 inhabitants
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
31 places, 714 data points, 1980–2025
Last refreshed

This dataset provides data on the number of nurses by status (ie. practising nurses, professionally active nurses, and nurses licenced to practice) and category (ie. Professional nurses and associate professional nurses). Practising nurses provide services directly to patients. Professionally active nurses include practising nurses and other nurses for whom their education is a prerequisite for the execution of the job. A nurse licensed to practice has completed a programme of nursing education and is qualified and authorised in his/her country to practice nursing. They include practising and other (non-practising) nurses. Professional nurses assume responsibility for the planning and management of the care of patients, including the supervision of other healthcare workers, working autonomously or in teams with medical doctors and others in the practical application of preventive and curative measures. Associate professional nurses generally work under the supervision of, and in support of implementation of healthcare, treatment and referrals plans established by medical, nursing and other health professionals. Please refer to the Sources and Methods for detailed country-specific information.