The IMF’s concluding statement on the Finnish economy

According to the IMF, the recovery of the Finnish economy has been slow but is expected to accelerate next year. Inflation is expected to remain at 2% in the medium term.

The IMF recommends that Finland’s policy actions should focus on consolidating the public finances, increasing the labour supply and boosting productivity. According to the IMF, the banking sector remains resilient, but vulnerabilities persist, including the weak housing market and elevated household debt.

The concluding statement discusses in more detail the economic outlook and risks, as well as government finances, productivity growth and financial markets, among other things.

Statement is part of IMF’s country monitoring

The IMF monitors the economic health of its member countries on a regular basis. IMF staff visit each country annually, meeting extensively with different concerned parties. At the end of these Article IV consultations, a concluding statement is published describing the preliminary findings of the IMF staff. A final report on the member country’s economy is published at a later date.

The IMF’s concluding statement is based on discussions held by IMF representatives with Finnish authorities as well as representatives of social partners, private financial institutions, research institutes and other relevant parties. The assessments and views in the statement are those of the IMF staff. The Bank of Finland publishes unofficial translations into Finnish and Swedish of an IMF-prepared summary of the concluding statement.

The concluding statement can be accessed in full on both the Finland page of the IMF’s website and the Bank of Finland’s website (www.suomenpankki.fi/en).

Summary in English (PDF)

Concluding statement (PDF)

Background information on the Bank of Finland’s international cooperation and the IMF.

Further information

Antti Raukola, Economist, tel. +358 9 183 2330, antti.raukola@bof.fi