At the end of 2019, around 52 per cent of the total population in Helsinki were women. Among the population with foreign background men were in the majority with a share of 52 per cent.

However, there are great differences between people from different background continents and language groups. Women were a majority only among those residents with foreign background whose background country was a European country outside the EU.

Differences in gender structure are great between background-country groups, as far as large groups are concerned. Of those persons whose background country was the former Soviet Union 59 per cent and those originating from Estonia 52 per cent were women, whereas with Somalis, men were in a 52 per cent majority.

As a whole, Helsinki’s foreign-background population is younger than the Finnish-origin population. The majority of foreign-background residents are of working age with, for example, 25-44 year olds making up 44 per cent at the end of 2019. This proportion among the Finnish-background population was one-third. The proportion of under 16 year olds was 20 per cent in the foreign-background population and 14 per cent among Finnish-background residents. Instead, the proportion of 65 year olds or older was just 5 per cent in the foreign-background population but one-fifth among those with a domestic mother tongue. There are clear differences of age structure between background-country groups.

The age structure of first-generation foreign-background residents differs clearly from that of second-generation foreign-background residents. At the end of 2019, no less than 74 per cent of those with a foreign background born in Finland were no older than 15 years. Of minor foreign-background residents in Helsinki, 68 per cent had been born in Finland. Of first-generation immigrants, on the other hand, 85 per cent were of working age.

Age structure of the whole population and those with a foreign mother tongue in Helsinki on 31 Dec. 2019