Citizenship celebration held in Espoo

At the event held at Dipoli, nearly 500 guests celebrated in a joyful atmosphere. Espoo residents aged 18 or older who were granted Finnish citizenship in 2025 were invited to attend together with their families.

At the citizenship celebration, Pilar Valdivia spoke about how love brought her to Finland. Her journey to Espoo began during her student years in Austria, where she met her future Finnish spouse at the University of Graz. The couple got married in Olari, Espoo. In her speech, Pilar described how much it meant to her when the official who conducted the wedding ceremony greeted her with two simple words: “Welcome to Finland”. In 1994, the family moved permanently to Espoo. Over the years, Finland has become Pilar’s home. Its nature, freedom, and everyday life have come to hold a special place in her heart.

In his address, the Mayor of Espoo, Kai Mykkänen, emphasised that obtaining Finnish citizenship is a significant milestone for both the individual and the wider community. He noted that citizenship means belonging to society and helping to build a shared future. “You have chosen to live in Finland and in Espoo. Here, you work, raise your children, and pursue your dreams. You have brought with you skills and experiences that are important to Espoo,” the Mayor told the attendees. He also stressed that obtaining citizenship is not the end of a journey, but the beginning of a new phase: “We will continue this journey forward together.”

In 2025, 2,161 Espoo residents were granted Finnish citizenship. Of these, 680 were under 18 years of age.

We are committed to being the leading city for integration in Finland. At the end of 2025, Espoo had 84,225 foreign-language residents, accounting for 25.9% of its population.

Espoo’s foreign-language population is growing more rapidly than the Finnish-speaking population. In 2025, Espoo gained 4,059 new foreign-language residents, which accounted for 84,8% of the population growth. There were 54,680 foreign citizens living in Espoo (16.8% of the population).

Espoo’s foreign-language population consists mainly of working-age people, young people and children. The most common foreign languages spoken in Espoo are Russian, Arabic, English, Estonian and Chinese.

“In Finland and Espoo, growth in the working-age population is largely driven by the increase in the foreign-language population. We must do all we can to ensure that those who move to Espoo from other countries – adults, children and youth alike – learn Finnish or Swedish and can truly become part of our society. This means easy access to education, employment and entrepreneurship, as well as the opportunity to build a meaningful life – one where you belong and feel at home. For many, getting their citizenship is an important milestone on this journey and well worth celebrating,” says Sanna Lindholm, Director of Immigration Affairs.

HelloEspoo.fi offers tips for moving and integration.

Integration programme of the City of Espoo 2022–2025(external link, opens in a new window) (in Finnish)