"The happiest country in the world" has its dark side.
The EU has included Finland in the list of countries under observation due to social development issues. Other countries on the list include Lithuania, Bulgaria, and Romania.
Anna Jarvinen, a special expert from the Association of Social Health Organizations Soste, believes that the situation looks hopeless and will not change quickly.
"If the situation does not change, the number of poor people in Finland will increase by about 26,000 in the coming years," the Soste report states.
Jarvinen points out that recent trends do not provide grounds for optimism: the number of poor people is rising, unemployment has reached a record level, and the number of homeless individuals has also increased.
Previously, authorities aimed to combat poverty. In 2019, 838,000 people were at risk of poverty or social isolation. By 2024, that number had risen to 958,000.
"I would not consider it impossible to exceed the one million mark. It may have already been surpassed," Jarvinen noted to the Yle portal.
A person is considered at risk of poverty or social isolation, for example, if they cannot pay their rent, mortgage payments, bills on time, or maintain a sufficient temperature in their home.
The expert links the negative trend to government cuts. For instance, unemployment benefits and housing allowances have been reduced. Sick pay has also been decreased.
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