HS Metro 19.8.2003 - Average Helsinki resident: 37-year-old woman, unmarried, but probably not living alone

By Merituuli Ahola

Helsinki is a great city for men; for every thousand males living in the Finnish capital there are 1,151 females.

The average Helsinki resident is a 37-year-old woman. The median age in the city is 37 - which means that there are an equal number of Helsinki-dwellers above and below the age of 37.

The people in Helsinki are generally well-educated. Most of them have at least a secondary education, and 32.8% have higher education.

The typical Helsinki resident

was not born in Helsinki - only 43% of the residents are native-born to the city. The rest were most commonly born in nearby cities and communities - mainly in Espoo or Vantaa - while 6.7% were born in a foreign country.

A girl born in Helsinki this year has a life expectancy of 80.1 years, and the average 37-year-old Helsinki woman has 44 years left. A 37-year-old man would be at the halfway-point of his life, with another 37 years to go.

Helsinki's largest residential area

is the western division, which includes the districts of Munkkiniemi, Reijola, Haaga, Pitäjänmäki and Kaarela. In the Kaarela area the neighbourhood of Kannelmäki is the largest. Therefore it could be said that the average Helsinki resident would live in Kannelmäki.

As for the typical living situation of the average Helsinki resident, she is unmarried, but does not live alone. However, only one in four are unmarried cohabiting couples.

The person living with a Helsinki resident is sometimes a child. There are 21,000 single mothers in Helsinki. However it is even more common for couples not to have children.

Homes in Helsinki

are somewhat better equipped than the average for the whole country. Helsinki residents also tend to earn more than the average Finn.

People in Helsinki tend to live a more cramped existence than Finns on the average. However, the amount of living space has been growing in Helsinki. In 1980 the average Helsinki resident had 27 square metres at his or her disposal. Now the figure has grown to 32.5 square metres. The average living space for all of Finland is 34.9 square metres per person.

In neighbouring Espoo

the per capita living space is slightly higher than in Helsinki: 33.2 square metres. The average Vantaa resident gets 31.9 square metres, while in prosperous Kauniainen the figure is 42.4 square metres.

In elections Helsinki residents are more likely to vote for candidates of the Green League than in other parts of the country. However, the most popular political party in Helsinki is the moderate conservative National Coalition Party.

Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 11.8.2003