The population is getting older in the Nordic countries

At the moment four to five per cent of the population in the Nordic countries are above the age of 80. The share of aged people is expected to grow to eight per cent in the Nordic countries by the year 2040. These data derive from the recently published Nordic Statistical Yearbook 2010.

The Nordic Statistical Yearbook also provides the following statistical data:

In 2009, a total of over 300,000 children were born in the Nordic countries. The number of children born in Finland was good 60,000.
By the year 2035, the population in the Nordic countries is expected to grow fastest in the Åland Islands, by 27 per cent. In Iceland the population is expected to increase by 24 per cent and in Norway by 21 per cent, but in Finland by only 11 per cent.
Finland has the highest number of students in tertiary education in the Nordic countries. In Finland every fifth 20 to 39-year-old studies in tertiary education, in Sweden and Iceland every seventh and in Denmark and Norway around every eighth.
The number of workers in agriculture, forestry and fishery is highest in Iceland, good five per cent of all employed persons. The number was the next biggest in Finland, nearly five per cent. In Sweden, only about two per cent of the employed work in primary production.

The Nordic Statistical Yearbook also on the web

The Nordic Statistical Yearbook is an information package which contains statistical comparison data on the environment, population, education, labour market, industrial structure and economy, for example. The statistics cover the five Nordic countries as well as the autonomous territories of the Åland Islands, the Faroe Islands and Greenland.

In addition to figures and tables, the Yearbook contains concise background information on different topics. The data are available in both Swedish and English. There is also a freely accessible database on the Internet which contains ample Nordic comparison data. The database and a pdf version of the Yearbook are available on the website of the Nordic Council of Ministers at www.norden.org.

The Yearbook published by the Nordic Council of Ministers costs EUR 50. It can be ordered from Statistics Finland's Sales Service, tel. +358 9 1734 2011, or by email: myynti@stat.fi.

Inquiries: Hans Baumgartner, Statistics Finland, +358 9 1734 2399, firstname.lastname@stat.fi