By Sami Rusanen
International Lawyer, legal counsel, critical analyst, executive consultant, project & HR Manager, Investment (Linkedin)
Since the 1970s, Finnish identity has undergone a profound transformation, closely tied to Finland’s shift from a largely homogeneous country of emigration to an increasingly diverse society shaped by immigration. What was once a marginal issue has become central to political debate and everyday conversations about belonging. Migration has not only changed who lives in Finland, but also how Finnishness itself is understood, questioned, and redefined.
In the 1970s, Finland was primarily a country people left rather than moved to. Tens of thousands of Finns migrated abroad, especially to Sweden, in search of work and better economic opportunities. Migration at the time was seen mainly as a practical response to labor demand, not as something that challenged national identity. Finnish society was widely perceived as culturally and ethnically homogeneous. Being Finnish was closely associated with speaking Finnish, sharing a common historical narrative, and fitting into a relatively uniform cultural framework. Apart from the Swedish-speaking minority and the Sámi—whose voices were often sidelined—internal diversity received little public attention.
This began to change slowly in the 1980s. Finland started to receive small numbers of refugees, including people fleeing war and political repression in Vietnam and parts of Latin America. There were also labor migrants and Finns returning from Sweden. Yet immigration remained limited in scale and visibility, and it rarely sparked broader political debate. Finnish identity was still largely seen as stable and clearly bounded. Integration, where it was discussed at all, was understood as a one-way process: newcomers were expected to adapt to Finnish society, rather than society adapting in response.
The 1990s marked a turning point. The collapse of the Soviet Union reshaped migration patterns across Northern Europe, and Finland was no exception. Ingrian Finns arrived from Russia under policies that framed them as ethnic “return migrants.” At the same time, Finland began to receive more asylum seekers, notably from Somalia and the Balkan region. Finland’s accession to the European Union in 1995 further embedded the country in European migration and asylum frameworks. Migration became more visible, and with visibility came debate—about citizenship, integration, and who could truly belong. Finnishness started to shift, slowly, from a narrowly ethnic concept toward a more civic one, based on citizenship, language skills, and participation in society. Still, anxieties about cultural difference and social cohesion were never far from the surface.
During the 2000s, migration became more firmly institutionalized. Integration policies were developed, language training expanded, and labor market participation became a central goal. Immigration diversified, including labor migrants, family members, international students, and people seeking protection. Finnish identity was increasingly articulated through values rather than ancestry: equality, education, the rule of law, and trust in institutions were emphasized as core elements of Finnish society. Yet boundaries persisted. Many people with migrant backgrounds found that formal integration did not always translate into full social acceptance. Being “Finnish on paper” did not necessarily mean being seen as Finnish in everyday life.
The 2010s brought migration into the spotlight as never before. The arrival of a larger number of asylum seekers in 2015 intensified public debate and contributed to political polarization. Migration-critical and populist movements gained influence, while civil society organizations mobilized in support of solidarity and inclusion. At the same time, Finns with migrant backgrounds became more visible in schools, workplaces, arts, media, and politics. This visibility challenged the long-standing image of Finland as a culturally uniform nation. Finnish identity became openly contested. For some, immigration symbolized a threat to social cohesion, cultural continuity, or the welfare state. For others, it represented an opportunity to live up to Finland’s professed values of fairness, responsibility, and equality.
In the 2020s, up to 2025, migration has entered a phase of partial normalization. Immigration is increasingly recognized as economically necessary in an aging society facing labor shortages. At the same time, migration remains politically sensitive, shaped by security concerns and geopolitical developments such as the war in Ukraine and debates over the EU’s external borders. A growing second and third generation of Finns with migrant backgrounds is now coming of age. Their lived realities challenge older assumptions about who counts as Finnish. Finnishness is less automatically tied to ethnic origin or mother tongue, and more often linked to participation, education, and shared everyday life.
From the 1970s to today, Finland has evolved from a largely homogeneous nation-state into a society where belonging is constantly negotiated. Migration has not simply added diversity; it has forced a re-examination of long-held assumptions about identity. Finnishness in 2025 is more plural, layered, and dynamic than in previous decades. The debates surrounding migration do not signal the disappearance of Finnish identity, but rather its ongoing transformation. They reflect a society still learning how to tell its story—and deciding who gets to be part of it.