Data on homelessness and housing exclusion 2026: Finland

Summary of key data and information

	Summary of key data and information
Official statistical definition of homelessness (Table 1)	A person experiencing homelessness is defined as someone who does not have their own dwelling (rented or owned) and who lives due to a lack of dwelling in one of the following: 1. outdoors, in stairwells or so-called overnight shelters; 2. dormitories or accommodation businesses; 3. housing service units, rehabilitation units, hospitals or other institutions; 4. temporarily with friends or relatives. A person defined as long-term homeless has been homeless for at least one year or repeatedly homeless in the past three years. In addition, they either have a social or health problem that affects their possibilities of successful housing, or their homelessness has been prolonged due to the unsuitability of housing solutions or the lack of support services. The need for help and treatment is emphasised in long-term homelessness – the duration is secondary. A homeless family or couple is a family or couple who, in the absence of a shared residence, lives in separation or in temporary accommodation, hotels or with relatives and acquaintances. Homeless families also include families living in mother and child homes and shelters for victims of domestic violence and in crisis housing.
Latest national estimates of homelessness (Table 2, Table 3)	4 579 individuals, representing 0.08% of the total population (2025)
	22% are women, 78% are men
	Point-in-time count, based on data collected from municipalities by the Centre for State‑Subsidised Housing Construction, published in yearly homelessness report
	ETHOS Light groups included	Included: ETHOS Light 1: Living on the streets, in public spaces ETHOS Light 2: Emergency accommodation (e.g. shelters) ETHOS Light 3: Accommodation for the homeless (e.g. hostels and women’s refuges)\ ETHOS Light 4: People in institutions ETHOS Light 6: Living temporarily with others in conventional housing (e.g. sofa-surfing) Not included: ETHOS Light 5: People in non-conventional dwellings (e.g. caravans, cars or tents)
	Notes: Each ETHOS Light group includes one or more sub-categories of living situations. ETHOS Light groups are considered as “included” in the data collection approach if at least one of the sub-categories is counted.
Legal framework to collect data on homelessness (Table 4)	There is no legal obligation to collect data on homelessness in Finland.
Homelessness Strategy (Table 5)	National Homelessness Strategy: Programme to end long-term homelessness by 2027 Regional and/or local homelessness strategies exist
Approaches to collect data on homelessness (Table 6)	Homelessness in Finland Report: Municipalities fill out surveys on homelessness (Table 6.1)

Table 1. Official statistical definition of homelessness

Statistical definition

Homelessness

A person experiencing homelessness is defined as someone who does not have their own dwelling (rented or owned) and who lives due to a lack of dwelling in one of the following: 1. outdoors, in stairwells or so-called overnight shelters; 2. dormitories or accommodation businesses; 3. housing service units, rehabilitation units, hospitals or other institutions; 4. temporarily with friends or relatives. A person defined as long-term homeless has been homeless for at least one year or repeatedly homeless in the past three years. In addition, they either have a social or health problem that affects their possibilities of successful housing, or their homelessness has been prolonged due to the unsuitability of housing solutions or the lack of support services. The need for help and treatment is emphasised in long-term homelessness – the duration is secondary. A homeless family or couple is a family or couple who, in the absence of a shared residence, lives in separation or in temporary accommodation, hotels or with relatives and acquaintances. Homeless families also include families living in mother and child homes and shelters for victims of domestic violence and in crisis housing.

Table 2. Data on people experiencing homelessness: Headline estimate, by living situation

Presented according to ETHOS Light Typology

Year	Headline estimate of homelessness (Individuals)(2)	% of total population	ETHOS Light 1 People living rough	ETHOS Light 2 People in emergency accommodation	ETHOS Light 3 People in accommodation for the homeless	ETHOS Light 4 People living in institutions	ETHOS Light 5 People living in unconventional dwellings	ETHOS Light 6 People staying with family/friends
2018	4 882(1)	0.1%	Included in ETHOS 2	283	229	381	Not included	3 167
2023	3 429	0.06%	Included in ETHOS 2	464	414	412	Not included	2 139
2025	4 579	0.08%	Included in ETHOS 2	758	409	467	Not included	2 945
Metadata: Type of count: Point-in-time Data are comparable across years: Yes Included in headline estimate: Children: No Temporary accommodation for: Asylum seekers: No Refugees: No Victims/survivors of domestic violence: Yes

Note: 1. Ethos category not known: 822. 2. The headline estimate refers to the number of homeless people living alone; however, in 2025 there were 99 families and couples experiencing homelessness.

Source: OECD Questionnaire on Affordable and Social Housing (QuASH); Centre for State‑Subsidised Housing Construction (2025) Asunnottomat 2025.

Table 3. Data on people experiencing homelessness: Headline estimate, by sub-group and living situation

Presented according to ETHOS Light Typology, 2025

	Single adults	Men	Women	Youth (aged under 25)	Older people (aged 65 and over)	Families with children (# of households)
Headline estimate of homelessness	4 579	3 556	1 023	761	NA	68
As percentage of total population experiencing homelessness	100%	77.70%	22.30%	16.60%	NA	NA
ETHOS Light 1: People living rough	Included in ETHOS 2	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
ETHOS Light 2: People in emergency accommodation	758	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
ETHOS Light 3: People in accommodation for the homeless	409	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
ETHOS Light 4: People living in institutions	467	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
ETHOS Light 5: People living in unconventional dwellings	Not included	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
ETHOS Light 6: People staying with family/friends	2 945	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
Metadata: Type of count: Point-in-time Included in headline estimate: Children: No Temporary accommodation for: Asylum seekers: No Refugees: No Victims/survivors of domestic violence: Yes

Note: Sub-groups are not mutually exclusive.

Source: OECD Questionnaire on Affordable and Social Housing (QuASH); Centre for State‑Subsidised Housing Construction (2025) Asunnottomat 2025.

Table 4. Legal framework to collect data on homelessness

	Legal framework
Law that governs data collection on homelessness	None.
Legal obligations	None.

Table 5. Homelessness strategy

	Homelessness strategies in place
National Homelessness Strategy	Programme to end long-term homelessness by 2027
Regional and/or local homelessness strategies exist	Yes

Table 6. Approaches to collect data on homelessness

6.1. Homelessness in Finland Report
Description The Centre for State‑Subsidised Housing Construction gathers nationwide data on homelessness through surveys circulated to municipalities. Municipalities collect and report data from one or more of the following sources: social welfare service registers, housing applicant registers of municipal rental housing companies, the register of the Social Insurance Institution, the Digital and Population Data Services Agency’s Population Information Register, registers of local service providers relating to homelessness. Data collection methods may vary among and within municipalities.
Type of count generated Point-in-time	Methods Administrative data Service‑based method
Lead authority(ies) Centre for State‑Subsidised Housing Construction	Source(s) of information Service providers
Scope National level (only mainland Finland) 81% of municipalities responded to the survey (2025)	Depth of data A limited number of sociodemographic characteristics are taken into account: total number of homeless women, number of youth under 25 years old, number of people with foreign background, number of homeless families, number of children in families, and number of homeless couples. The Ethos category for these groups is not available. The results are disaggregated by people experiencing long-term homelessness and their Ethos category.
Frequency Annual
ETHOS Light groups included: ETHOS Light 1: Living on the streets, in public spaces ETHOS Light 2: Emergency accommodation (e.g. shelters) ETHOS Light 3: Accommodation for the homeless (e.g. hostels and women’s refuges) ETHOS Light 4: People in institutions ETHOS Light 6: Living temporarily with others in conventional housing (e.g. sofa-surfing) Note: Each ETHOS Light group includes one or more sub-categories of living situations. ETHOS Light groups are considered as “included” in the data collection approach if at least one of the sub-categories is counted.
Notes and sources Ethos groups 1 and 2 are combined. https://www.varke.fi/en/statistics/homelessness

Please refer to the OECD Affordable Housing Database, indicator HC3.1.Population experiencing homelessness, https://www.oecd.org/content/oecd/en/data/datasets/oecd-affordable-housing-database.html.

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