Welcome to the happiest country in the world – passengers are greeted by a population display at Helsinki Airport
5.6.2026 12:00:00 EEST | Digi- ja väestötietovirasto | Press release
From the beginning of June, passengers arriving at Helsinki Airport will be greeted by a display showing Finland's population figure from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. The display is located in the airport’s baggage claim area, along the route taken by arriving passengers.
The new location makes the up-to-date population figure available to a wider audience. The light box below the display welcomes passengers to Finland:
Welcome to the happiest country in the world!
Finland has repeatedly been selected as the happiest country in the world. The population display shows how many Finns and foreigners living in Finland call this northern country of forests, lakes and silence home.
For Finavia, the display is part of the airport’s immersive passenger experience and strengthens Finland’s positive image right from the very first encounter. For many passengers, the airport is their first contact with Finland, and the population display provides an interesting and accessible way for passengers to learn about the country as soon as they arrive.
The light-up billboard displays the number of persons recorded in the Population Information System. The figure is based on register data from the previous day, and it is updated every day at about 5 a.m. The population figure published by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency attracts interest particularly when round numbers are reached. However, it should be noted that the figure in the Population Information System is not the same as the official population of Finland. The official population figure is compiled by Statistics Finland based on the Digital and Population Data Services Agency’s register data and other data sources.
For the time being, the population display at the Digital and Population Data Services Agency’s former office building will remain on Sörnäisten rantatie. The population figure can always also be found on the Digital and Population Data Services Agency’s website
What is the Population Information System?
- The Population Information System is one of the most important basic registers in Finland
- It contains the up-to-date personal data of Finnish citizens and foreigners living in Finland
- The system also contains information about buildings, apartment blocks and properties
- The register is widely used for information management across society as a whole
- The system was created in 1969 and is maintained by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency
Keywords
Digital and Population Data Services Agency (The Finnish Digital Agency)
Digital and Population Data Services Agency (The Finnish Digital Agency) serves people at different stages of life, promotes the smooth functioning and stability of Finnish society and secures the availability of reliable data.
The Digital and Population Data Services Agency sees to the maintenance of the Population Information System, which is the foundation for our society, and to the digitalisation of society.
The agency’s tasks include civil marriages, name and address changes, guardianship and administrative guardianship, maintenance of the Population Information System, development of solutions for electronic identification, as well as the development and maintenance of centralised support services for e-services. E-service support services include the Suomi.fi Web Service, electronic messages from authorities (Suomi.fi Messages) as well as authorisation for acting on behalf of another party (Suomi.fi e-Authorization).
The Digital and Population Data Services Agency leads the way, reforms society and supports citizens in their interaction with public administration. Our aim is to further promote the smooth functioning of Finnish society. Digitalisation is one important way to achieve this.
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