Foreign-language speakers living in Finland do not form a religiously homogeneous group. Differences between language groups are considerable. At the same time, the study shows that Christian churches are widely appreciated regardless of respondents’ own religious background, although only a small minority would consider becoming a church member.
More than 3,200 foreign-language speakers living in Finland responded to a survey commissioned by the parish unions of Espoo, Helsinki, Tampere and Vantaa, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland’s Research unit at the Church Council. The newly published research report examines six major language groups and the differences between them. Respondents were selected through a stratified random sample from the Finnish Population Information System in spring 2026.
Approximately 646,000 foreign-language speakers live in Finland. The term refers to people whose mother tongue is neither Finnish, Swedish, Sami, Romani nor Sign Language. About half of them live in Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa and Tampere, which were the focus areas of the study.
According to the study, foreign-language speakers constitute a highly diverse group in both religious and cultural terms. Attitudes toward religion vary significantly between and within language groups. In addition, nearly half of the respondents did not identify with any religious community or tradition.
“A key finding is that foreign-language speakers do not form a religiously uniform group. The differences between language groups are sometimes considerable. At the same time, the study shows that religion is not a central component of identity for many respondents. These findings challenge simplistic assumptions about the relationship between immigration and religiosity,” says Kimmo Ketola, Researcher at the Church Council.
About half of the respondents said they value the work carried out by Christian churches. By contrast, only around one in ten had participated in activities organised by an Evangelical Lutheran parish, and only four percent said they would consider becoming members of the church.
The survey nevertheless indicates that interest in parish activities is greater than current participation rates suggest. Nearly one-third of respondents expressed an interest in Christianity, and around one-fifth said they would be willing to take part in activities organised by an Evangelical Lutheran parish.
“One of the most important findings is that church membership and appreciation of the church are not the same thing. Although only a small minority of respondents would consider membership, the work of the church was widely valued, and interest in parish activities was greater than participation figures alone would suggest,” says Eeva Salonen, Development Lead at the Helsinki Parish Union.
According to the survey, social factors are often an important reason for participating in parish activities. In addition to practising one’s faith, participation is motivated by friendships and the desire to belong to a community. Peer networks played a particularly important role in inviting people to participate. The opportunity to get to know Finns emerged as one of the most significant factors encouraging involvement.
The Finnish language also proved to be an important key to participation. Many respondents considered it important to have opportunities to participate either in their own language or in Finnish.
The findings suggest that parishes can play a significant role in helping people build new social networks and supporting integration into Finnish society.
When asked about the most important functions of religious communities, respondents ranked charity and helping others as the top priority. Language and cultural education came next, followed by various cultural and religious celebrations.
Interfaith dialogue was widely regarded as important, particularly for reducing prejudice. However, personal interest in taking part in such dialogue was considerably lower.
About the Study
The study was designed by Kimmo Ketola, Researcher in Church Research, and Professor Tuomas Martikainen from the University of Turku. It was commissioned by the parish unions of Espoo, Helsinki, Tampere and Vantaa in cooperation with the Church Council. Data collection was carried out by Taloustutkimus Research. A total of 3,227 foreign-language speakers living in Espoo, Helsinki, Vantaa and Tampere participated in the survey.
Further Information
Kimmo KetolaResearcher, Church Research, Church CouncilTel. +358 40 570 1166kimmo.ketola@evl.fi
Eeva Salonen
Development Lead, Helsinki Parish UnionTel. +358 50 2800 907eeva.salonen@evl.fi