Home > Statistics > Dwellings and housing conditions > 2013 > Living in overcrowded dwellings became more widespread in Greater Helsinki in 2013

Published: 21 May 2014

Living in overcrowded dwellings became more widespread in Greater Helsinki in 2013

According to Statistics Finland, there were 2,600,000 household-dwelling units in Finland at the end of 2013. Of these, 42 per cent were one-person household-dwelling units. In 2013, nine per cent of all household-dwelling units were living in overcrowded conditions. The share of people living in overcrowded dwellings in Greater Helsinki has turned towards growth. In Greater Helsinki, ten per cent of all household-dwelling units were living in overcrowded dwellings.

Share of household-dwelling units living in overcrowded dwellings in all household-dwelling units in 1989 to 2013, %

The share of household-dwelling units living in overcrowded conditions has fallen over several decades. When 19 per cent of two million household-dwelling units were living in overcrowded conditions in 1989 (384,000 household-dwelling units), the corresponding share was only around nine per cent in 2013 (226,000 household-dwelling units).

In Greater Helsinki, the share of household-dwelling units living in overcrowded conditions in all household-dwelling units was falling until 2006, after which the share has grown yearly. The number of household-dwelling units living in overcrowded conditions in Greater Helsinki was at its lowest in 2006, when 46,700 household-dwelling unit were living in overcrowded quarters. In 2013, ten per cent of the 528,000 household-dwelling units in Greater Helsinki were living in overcrowded conditions, which made up 54,400 household-dwelling units.

A household-dwelling unit is formed by all persons living permanently at the same dwelling. A household-dwelling unit is defined as living in an overcrowded dwelling if it consists of more than one person per one room, when the kitchen is not counted as a room.

Every fourth foreign-language household-dwelling units was living in an overcrowded dwelling in 2013

In 2013, six per cent (150,000) of all household-dwelling units were household-dwelling units which had at least one foreign-language person. Foreign-language household-dwelling units live more often in an overcrowded dwelling that the rest of the population. Every fourth foreign-language speaking household-dwelling units (25 per cent) were living in overcrowded conditions, while this was so for nearly one-tenth of all household-dwelling units (9 per cent).

Although the number of household-dwelling units living in overcrowded conditions went down by 33,000 over the past ten years, the number of foreign-language speaking household-dwelling units living in overcrowded dwellings increased by 20,000. The number of foreign-language speaking household-dwelling units living in overcrowded conditions was 38,000 in 2013.

The number of household-dwelling units living in overcrowded dwellings in Greater Helsinki grew by 4,000 in the past ten years and the number of foreign-language speaking household-dwelling units living in overcrowded conditions went up by 10,000. In 2013, every third household-dwelling unit (34 per cent) living in overcrowded conditions in Greater Helsinki was a foreign-language speaker.

Household-dwelling units by foreign-language speaking and occupancy rate in 2003 ja 2013

Whole country	2003	2013	Change 2013-2003
Household-dwelling units	2 378 079	2 599 613	221 534
Household-dwelling units living in overcrowded dwellings	259 238	226 145	-33 093
%, share of household-dwelling units	10.9	8.7	-2,2 (percentage point)
Foreign-language speaking household-dwelling units	67 665	150 258	82 593
%, share of all household-dwelling units	2.9	5.8	2.9 (percentage point)
Foreign-language speaking household-dwelling units living in overcrowded dwellings	18 489	38 058	19 569
%, share of foreign-language speaking household-dwelling units	27.3	25.3	-2,0 (percentage point)
Greater Helsinki (Espoo, Helsinki, Kauniainen ja Vantaa)	2003	2013	Change 2013-2003
Household-dwelling units	466 645	527 998	61 353
Household-dwelling units living in overcrowded dwellings	50 444	54 363	3 919
%, share of household-dwelling units	10.8	10.3	-0,5 (percentage point)
Foreign-language speaking household-dwelling units	29 957	66 246	36 289
%, share of all household-dwelling units	6.4	12.6	6.1 (percentage point)
Foreign-language speaking household-dwelling units living in overcrowded dwellings	8 686	18 729	10 043
%, share of foreign-language speaking household-dwelling units	29.0	28.3	-0,7 (percentage point)

Source: Dwellings and Housing Conditions, Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Marja Hermiö 09 1734 3211 (9.6.2014=> 029 551 3211), Topias Pyykkönen 09 1734 2628, Arja Tiihonen 09 1734 3272, asuminen@stat.fi

Director in charge: Riitta Harala

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Appendix tables

• Appendix table 1. Household-dwelling units by number of person 1960-2013 (21.5.2014)
• Appendix table 2. Floorarea per dwelling by type of building 1970-2013, whole dwellingstock (21.5.2014)

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Updated 21.5.2014