Population Information System update to be reflected in the population number of Finland the day after tomorrow

In the Population Information System, people with unknown residence refers to those who still have a municipality of residence in Finland but whose place of residence has been unknown to the authorities since 1 January 2023. In practice, these are people who have moved away from Finland but have not thought to submit an emigration notification.

In Finland, the Municipality of Residence Act requires that every person notifies their up-to-date address information to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency whenever they change their place of residence. The Digital and Population Data Services Agency records the data in the Population Information System. The address must correspond to the person’s actual place of residence.

Light-up billboard shows the number of people with a municipality of residence in Finland

The Digital and Population Data Services Agency’s website at dvv.fi and the light-up billboard on the roof of the Helsinki service location show how many living persons have a municipality of residence in Finland. The figure is based on the register data from the previous day, and it updates every morning at about 5 a.m.  

However, the number shown on the light-up billboard is not the same as the official population of Finland. The official population number is produced by Statistics Finland based on register data from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency and other data sources and analysis. Statistics Finland is also responsible for the population forecast.

- People are interested in the number on the billboard and at dvv.fi. Round numbers are of especial interest. Many people contacted the agency when the number hit 5,555,555, for example. This update to the municipality of residence data concerns 2,250 people, and it will be reflected as a more significant decrease of the number compared to normal daily variation, says Chief Specialist Tytti Ronkainen from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

A similar update to the Population Information System was last made on 12 November 2024. The procedure is based on section 9a, subsection 2 of the Municipality of Residence Act (201/1994).

PLEASE NOTE when dealing with the authorities! If you are informed that your municipality of residence has been removed even though you still live in Finland, you can correct this by a change of address notification at muuttoilmoitus.fi or by visiting your nearest Digital and Population Data Services Agency service point.

Up-to-date information in the Population Information System facilitates everyday life and decision-making

The Finnish Population Information System is rare on a global scale. It contains information on all Finnish citizens and foreign citizens residing in Finland. The system is used to collect information on births, deaths, addresses, marriages and divorces as well as received citizenships.

Thanks to the Population Information System, much of what happens in our society seems automatic to the citizens. For example, families of children entering compulsory school age receive a notification of the start of compulsory education and a proposal for a school place. The system also creates a register of those entitled to vote, so people do not have to register to vote.