Altogether 44.1 per cent of those elected in the County elections 2025 are new councillors

Background analysis of elected councillors in County elections 2025

The release is based on the legally valid voting register and Statistics Finland's statistical data, such as population and employment statistics and the Register of Completed Education and Degrees. Thus, the data may differ slightly from the background analysis of the candidates published on 2 April 2025, for which the legal version of the voting register and the population data for 2024 were not yet available. Background information is presented more extensively in Statistics Finland’s StatFin database.

Majority of county councillors held their seats

Among the candidates in both of the 2025 elections, 11.9 per cent were elected to county councils. By contrast, 34.6 per cent of the candidates nominated only in the County elections were elected to county councils.

All 51 current MPs who were nominated in the County elections were elected to county councils. Of the current county councillors, 82.6 per cent were re-elected. Among the parties, the Swedish People's Party had the biggest share of those (93.6%). Of the current municipal councillors nominated in the County elections, 39.1 per cent were elected to county councils. Of all candidates, 13.7 per cent were elected to councils.

Of all elected councillors, 55.9 per cent were in county councils already in the previous term, so 44.1 per cent are new county councillors. The Christian Democrats have the lowest share of new councillors, 35.5 per cent.

County councils are even more female-dominated

In the County elections 2025, a total of 587 men and 792 women were elected to county councils. Women's proportion of candidates is thus 57.4 per cent, which is 4.1 percentage points higher than in the 2022 County elections. In the new county councils, the proportion of women is 9.7 percentage points higher than women's proportion of candidates and 6.9 percentage points higher than women's proportion of persons entitled to vote.

In relative terms, the Green League (80.4%), the Social Democratic Party (72.0%) and the Left Alliance (66.7%) have the highest numbers of female county councillors. Women's proportion of elected councillors is under one half only for the Finns Party (32.4%), the Christian Democrats (46.8%) and the National Coalition Party (48%). The proportion of women is higher among elected councillors than their proportion of candidates in in all parties except the Christian Democrats.

Content is being loaded

A female majority was elected to county councils in 18 wellbeing services counties. The proportion of women among elected councillors is highest in the wellbeing services county of West Uusimaa (72.2%) and lowest in the wellbeing services county of Kainuu (37.3%).

County councillors youngest for the Green League and the Left Alliance

The average age of those elected to county councils is 51.5 years, which is 0.4 years more than in the 2022 County elections. Elected councillors are, on average, 1.1 years older than all candidates but 0.4 years younger than persons entitled to vote. The average age of elected men is 54.1 years and that of women 49.6 years. By contrast, the average age of women is higher than that of men in the population entitled to vote.

Only 4.8 per cent of the elected councillors are aged under 30 and 28.4 per cent over 60, while 16 per cent of persons entitled to vote are aged under 30 and nearly 37 per cent over 60. In all, 36.1 per cent of male county councillors and 22.7 per cent of female county councillors are aged over 60. Of all candidates, 8.2 per cent were aged under 30 and 26.6 per cent over 60.

The average age of councillors is highest in the Movement Now (59.0 years), lowest in the Green League (41.0 years). In relative terms, the number of councillors aged over 60 is highest in the Movement Now (50.0%), among those elected from constituency associations (42.9%) and in the Centre Party (39.8%). The proportion of persons aged under 30 is, in turn, highest in the Left Alliance (12.8%) and the Green League (12.1%).

Proportion of elected foreign-language speakers lower than their proportion of candidates

Of those elected to county councils in the 2025 County elections, 92.0 per cent are Finnish or Sami speakers, 6.7 per cent Swedish speakers and 1.3 per cent foreign-language speakers. The proportion of Swedish speakers is thus higher and that of foreign-language speakers lower than among the candidates and persons entitled to vote. Of all candidates, 5.1 per cent are Swedish speakers and 2.8 per cent foreign-language speakers. Of the persons entitled to vote, 4.4 per cent are Swedish speakers and 7.5 per cent speak other languages than national languages.

Of the candidates, 2.9 per cent are of foreign background and of persons entitled to vote 7.8 per cent. The right to vote in the County elections is determined by domicile, so in relative terms more persons entitled to vote have foreign background than in the Parliamentary elections, for example. Twenty persons or 1.5 per cent of the elected councillors are of foreign background, which is only a little more than in the 2022 elections (17 persons or 1.2 per cent of elected councillors).

Persons elected to county councils more highly educated than candidates

Persons elected to county councils are more highly educated than those entitled to vote and the candidates. Over two-thirds of the elected county councillors have tertiary level degrees, while this is the case for just under one-half of all candidates and for about 24 per cent of all persons entitled to vote. Under two per cent of the elected councillors had no post-comprehensive level qualifications. Of the candidates, just under seven per cent had completed comprehensive level education and so had 22.5 per cent of all persons entitled to vote.

Content is being loaded

Women are nowadays more educated than men, especially in the younger age groups. This is also visible in the county councils. Around 75 per cent of female councillors and around 60 per cent of male councillors have completed at least a Bachelor's degree.

Majority of county councillors in working life

Of all elected councillors, around 86 per cent were employed and as many as 88 per cent of new councillors. Around 75 per cent of the candidates and slightly over one half of persons entitled to vote were employed. Nearly one-third of persons entitled to vote were pensioners, but only good 13 per cent of the candidates. Under 10 per cent of those elected to county councils were pensioners. The latest statistical data on the population’s main type of activity are from the end of 2023.

Persons elected to county councils have high income

The median disposable income of the candidates in 2023 was about EUR 34,000 and that of persons entitled to vote around EUR 25,100. The median for the disposable income of those elected to county councils was around EUR 46,900, which is about 38 per cent higher than for candidates and around 87 per cent higher than for persons entitled to vote. This is partly explained by the elected councillors’ higher level of education and larger share of employed persons. The median for disposable monetary income of those elected as new candidates to county councils was around EUR 41,500.

Content is being loaded

When the population entitled to vote is arranged according to the income of 2023 and divided into ten equal parts, the income deciles of the population entitled to vote are generated. Of all candidates, 24.5 per cent belonged to the highest income decile and as many as 54.4 per cent of those elected to county councils. Around 41 per cent of new county councillors reached the highest income decile.