A unique city

Espoo is the second-largest and fastest growing city in Finland. In 2022, Espoo’s population surpassed the milestone of 300,000 residents and in autumn 2023 there were 312,700 Espoo residents. According to population forecasts, the city will continue to grow; by the end of 2030, Espoo will have over 340,000 residents. The city’s population is growing by approximately 7,000-8,000 residents every year, which reflects Espoo’s attractiveness as a city.

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Espoo is also the home of many international major companies. Companies such as Nokia(external link, opens in a new window), Kone(external link, opens in a new window), Neste(external link, opens in a new window), Rovio(external link, opens in a new window), Fortum(external link, opens in a new window), Fiskars(external link, opens in a new window) and Valmet(external link, opens in a new window) have all chosen Espoo as the place for their head office. The companies based in Espoo produce almost half of the turnover of Nasdaq Helsinki.

Espoo is also the capital of Finnish growth company operations, as more than half of Finland’s university-based growth companies are established in Aalto University(external link, opens in a new window). Together with Aalto University and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland(external link, opens in a new window), Espoo forms a core that brings together the operators that build innovations for a better life.

Espoo is favourable place for business activities due to factors such as the city’s demography. Espoo’s population is growing and over 60 percent of the city’s population is of working age. Espoo residents are educated, as more than half of residents over the age of 24 have a higher education degree. Espoo also has Finland’s youngest metropolitan population, as 24 percent of Espoo residents are under the age of 20 – which means that the city’s future looks bright!

Espoo is an internationally recognised pioneer in sustainable development. In 2023, emissions decreased even faster than targeted, and per capita emissions remained the lowest in the Helsinki metropolitan area. In 2024, Espoo compiled the Carbon-neutral Espoo 2030 roadmap(external link, opens in a new window), which brings together Espoo’s ambitious climate actions.

Espoo’s sustainable development efforts focus on developing, testing and adopting urban structures of the future in cooperation with partners and residents. An excellent example of this is the award-winning development commitment for the Kera area. In Kera, the city utilises a new urban development tool that guides local operators to implement sustainable solutions in a collaborative and long-term manner. Another prime example of cooperation for sustainability is the collaborative project by Microsoft and Fortum(external link, opens in a new window). Microsoft’s planned data centre in Espoo will produce zero-emission district heating for Fortum’s customers in the Helsinki metropolitan area. This initiative will not only enable digitalisation but also reduce emissions, create jobs and boost vitality in the region.

Espoo is committed to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a pioneer city by 2025. In 2023, Espoo was the first Finnish city selected to lead a network of cities under the EU-funded URBACT cooperation programme. The programme focuses on promoting the strategic and comprehensive sustainable development of cities based on the SDGs. The green transition takes place in cities, and networking provides Espoo with new opportunities to strengthen its competitiveness and sustainable growth.

Through climate-smart city planning, Espoo is transforming into a pleasant, nature-oriented city where daily services are conveniently accessible on foot and by bike and public transport. The Sustainable Future Districts project complements these efforts by pioneering innovative solutions and services in developing areas within four urban environment themes: clean energy, low-carbon construction and circular economy, sustainable transport and nature-based solutions. Through planning, Espoo is not only addressing the challenges of climate change and growth but also creating a vibrant, sustainable urban environment for its residents.

Further information about climate-smart city planning is available on the City of Espoo website.

Read more about sustainable development in Espoo.

Espoo is one of Finland’s most international cities. At the end of 2023, more than one-fifth of Espoo residents were people who speak a foreign language. Espoo is also home to 150 different nationalities. At the moment, the factor increasing Espoo’s population the most is net immigration. The city’s growing number of international residents means that Espoo will rapidly become more international by 2030, when the number of residents who speak a foreign language is forecast to be around 95,000.

Read more about international Espoo.

The City of Espoo provides its residents and guests with versatile and high-quality cultural and leisure services.

Espoo has several ongoing urban development projects that improve and diversify the city’s cultural services. A good example of this is the Kulttuuriaukio Square in Tapiola where the current Espoo Cultural Centre will, once its extension is completed, have a new 500-seat theatre hall. Furthermore, the surroundings of the Kulttuuriaukio Square will be turned into a comfortable and uninterrupted urban space surrounded by office and business premises, services and residential flats. In the future, the Kulttuuriaukio Square can also accommodate events.

Vermo Areena, a trotting track located in Leppävaara, is also an excellent setting for many kinds of events. The arena’s operations have been expanded from trotting to organising other major events. For example, the music event Weekend Festival was held for the first time in Vermo in summer 2023.

In the field of exercise and sports, the Tapiola Sports Park is undergoing a renovation project, which will turn the sports park into an easily approachable sports and event venue. The football stadium to be built in the sports park will enable the organisation of world-class matches and major events.