Espoo now has 300,000 residents
Espoo’s population will exceed 300,000 during the summer. According to preliminary data, there were 299,800 residents in Espoo at the end of May. In recent years, June has been a month of population increase, meaning that we can quite confidently say that we will reach a new milestone in the middle of the summer.
Based on preliminary data, Espoo’s population will grow by around 6,400 residents this year.
The number of residents in Espoo exceeded 20,000 in the early 1950s. Now that number is fifteen times higher, and one in every 19 Finns lives in Espoo. A fifth of Espoo residents speaks a foreign language.
Espoo residents value nature, safety and good services
Today’s Espoo is a network-like city of five urban centres and two local centres.
“Espoo is a growth story, and our task is to ensure sustainable, resident-oriented and high-quality growth that keeps Espoo competitive. Right now, we must deal with challenges brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, carry out the social and health services reform and offer services for Espoo’s residents in an economically sustainable way, so we are not short of challenges,” says Mayor Jukka Mäkelä.
“Espoo has been a city for 50 years, and as if to mark the occasion, we are right now reaching the milestone of 300,000 residents,” Mayor Mäkelä notes. “Espoo has grown into a large city, but the strength of our network-like structure is that the city remains safe and close to nature, while providing services near the people. The themes valued most by Espoo’s residents are local nature, safety, competence, entrepreneurship and innovation, well-being services and the participation of residents. These themes are also visible in the Espoo Story, i.e. the City’s strategy and values.”
Fast growth started in the 1950s
The number of residents in Espoo began to grow in the 1950s. In 1949, the Finnish Government decided to locate the Helsinki University of Technology in Otaniemi. Otahalli and the first buildings of the Teekkarikylä neighbourhood were completed in the early 1950s to house athletes of the Helsinki Olympics. The construction of Tapiola began in 1953. The theme for Tapiola was “housing for the needs of families with children.” The ever-growing Espoo kept on building, and families received homes close to nature. At the same time, the language of the majority of the population changed from Swedish to Finnish.
In 1998, Espoo exceeded the threshold of 200,000 residents. Just 15 years ago we expected that the milestone of 300,000 residents would be reached in 2030, but Espoo’s growth has been faster than anticipated. “According to population projections, Espoo will reach 400,000 residents in the mid-2040s,” explains Research Director Minna Joensuu.
Espoo has grown as a part of the surrounding world. Until the late 1980s, Espoo’s population growth consisted nearly completely of domestic language speakers. The share of foreign language speakers began to grow increasingly in the 1990s, and this growth accelerated further in the 2000s, as foreign migration began to grow. In recent years, the population of Espoo has increasingly grown due to both migration and the natural population growth of foreign language speakers.
“The City is constantly changing. The median age of people who have moved to Espoo this year is 28 years, and 75% of them are aged 35 or younger. Of those who have moved to Espoo this year, 65% are Finnish-speakers, 5% Swedish-speakers and 30% speak a foreign language,” Minna Joensuu describes.
Get to know new Espoo residents
Every municipality is its people, and each resident has their own story to tell. We are celebrating the 300,000 resident milestone by getting to know Espoo’s residents during July and August on our social media channels. The City’s Facebook and Instagram accounts will feature people who have moved to Espoo in the past years, and each of them highlights a place in Espoo that is meaningful to them.
On Thursday 30 June, Mayor Jukka Mäkelä and Chair of the City Board Henrik Vuornos delivered the City’s congratulations to a brand new Espoo resident who was born in the Espoo Hospital.
“We are building a sustainable Espoo so that all newcomers are able to grow and live in a safe and prosperous world. It is always moving to see the beginning of a new life and concretely understand how the child’s future is in the hands of us adults,” Mäkelä describes.
“We warmly welcome this newcomer and all other new Espoo residents to our City!”
Espoo on social media:
Espoo’s growth history is discussed in more detail in Finnish in the Eetvartti quarterly’s special issue 4/2020 (not accessible).(external link, opens in a new window)