Recipes for Systemic Change - Helsinki Design Lab

futures of finlandThere's no way to predict the future, but by using scenarios we can make aneducated guess. In the following pages is a brief glimpse of what Finland maylook like in 2020 and 2050. As a projection, this is meant to act as a roughguide for what we may reasonably expect.Finland 2020 – At a GlancePopulation 1➢ 5.6 million, evenly distributed between women and men➢ Age distribution (in years)0-14: 17%15-64: 60%65 +: 23%➢ Population by age and gender 2020, projection 2009 2➢ Natural population growth: 9,900.➢ Net immigration: 20,000 (immigration: 36,000 persons, emigration:16,000 persons).➢ Emigration mainly to EU and other European countries, NorthAmerica and Asia.➢ Over one million Finns live or have settled abroad.➢ Some 1.1 million live in the Helsinki area, which includes Espoo andVantaa.➢ City populations:Helsinki 620,000Espoo 280,000Tampere 230,000Vantaa 220,000Turku 180,000Oulu 150,000Jyväskylä 140,000➢ Some 80% of the population live in cities➢ Commuting times and distance have continued to rise and the country’saverage is now approximately 18 kilometres. Due to the distances,the majority of commuters use private cars.➢ Life expectancy: men 79 years, women 84 years.➢ Employment rate: 72%; unemployment rate: 6%.➢ Foreigners 4%, most from Russia, Estonia, Sweden and Somalia; 25%of Helsinki region dwellers have an immigrant background.➢ Religion: Lutheran 75%; Orthodox 1%; Other 2%; some 22% do notbelong to a religious group.➢ Languages: Finnish speaking 89%; Swedish speakers 5%; foreign languagespeakers 6%.➢ Major health challenges: alcohol abuse, obesity and memory-relatedillnesses.186