Finland, Population

Finns constitute more than 93 percent of the population and persons of Swedish descent about 6 percent. The far north is inhabited by about 2,500 Saami; other minority groups make up less than 1 percent. Although the size of the Swedish minority is declining, Swedes in Finland have their own political party, some of their own schools, and other separate institutions.

Some 67 percent of the population is urban. Finnish and Swedish are the official languages. More than 93 percent of the population speaks Finnish, a Finno-Ugric language. About 6 percent of the people, concentrated largely in the Ahvenanmaa archipelago, speak Swedish. The Saami speak Saami, a dialect of Finnish. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland is the principal national church, and its members make up 86 percent of the population; freedom of worship is, however, guaranteed to all faiths. The Orthodox Church, still a national church, has sharply decreased in numbers since World War II (1939-1945).