Russians in Finland

Russians in Finland or Russian Finns are a linguistic and ethnic minority in Finland. As of 2022^[update], there are 93,535 Russian-speaking people, or 1.7% of population, in Finland. It is the largest linguistic minority in the country.^[1] However, many of Russian-speaking immigrants are ethnically Ingrian Finns and other Finno-Ugric peoples.^[2]

There are 33,428 people, or 0.6% of population, who hold Russian citizenship residing in Finland – dual citizens included. The dissolution of the Soviet Union has influenced how Statistics Finland defines a person's country of birth in their statistical data. Before 1991, individuals born in what is now Russia, Latvia, Belarus, Ukraine, or in other Post-Soviet states, are considered to have been born in the Soviet Union. 20,499 people were born in Russia and whereas 63,885 people come from the former Soviet Union.^[1]

Furthermore, there are people with Russian-background who have received only Finnish citizenship, and Estonian Russians. Two common reasons for immigration were marriage, and descendant from Ingrian Finns.^[3]

Russian citizens who moved before the Second World War are called "Old Russians". The next immigration wave happened after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, as Ingrian Finns re-migrated to Finland. At present, marriage and family ties are two other common reasons for Russians to immigrate to Finland.^[4]