List of municipalities of Finland in which Finnish is not the sole official language


There are 53 municipalities of Finland in which Finnish is not the sole official language. In Finland, as of December 31, 2013, 89.3% of the population speak Finnish, 5.3% Swedish and 0.04% Sami languages. Both Finnish and Swedish are official languages of Finland. Officially, a municipality is bilingual if the minority language group consists of at least 8% of the population, or at least 3,000 speakers. A previously bilingual municipality remains so if the linguistic minority proportion drops below 8%, up to 6%. If it drops below 6%, it is possible for the municipality to remain bilingual by government decree, on the recommendation of the municipal council, for a further ten years. Municipalities that make use of the 3,000-speaker rule include the national capital Helsinki and the cultural center of Swedish Finns, Turku. On the Åland archipelago, where Finnish is almost absent from daily life, the language law does not apply. On the mainland, the highest proportion of Swedish-speakers is found on the western coast, in Ostrobothnia.
Of the 311 Finnish municipalities, 16 are monolingually Swedish. 33 municipalities are bilingually Finnish and Swedish; of these, 15 have a Swedish-speaking majority and 18 a Finnish-speaking one. Four municipalities, all located in Lapland, have a Finnish-speaking majority and a Sami-speaking minority: Enontekiö, Inari, Sodankylä and Utsjoki. Initially, only Swedish was accorded official bilingualism, through a language act of 1922; similar provisions were extended to Sami through a 1991 law. The 1922 law was replaced by new but largely similar legislation in 2003.

Municipalities

Name in majority languageName in minority languageLanguagePercentage of population
speaking official language
other than Finnish
31 December 2013
Region
Monolingually Swedish78.7
Monolingually Swedish89.1
Eanodat
Enontekis
Finnish majority, Sami minority10.8Lapland
EsboFinnish majority, Swedish minority7.8Uusimaa
Monolingually Swedish91.7
Monolingually Swedish85.7
Monolingually Swedish87.2
Monolingually Swedish92.5
HangöFinnish majority, Swedish minority42.8Uusimaa
HelsingforsFinnish majority, Swedish minority5.9Uusimaa
Aanaar
Aanar
Anár
Enare
Finnish majority, Sami minority6.4Lapland
InkooSwedish majority, Finnish minority54.3Uusimaa
PietarsaariSwedish majority, Finnish minority55.8Ostrobothnia
Monolingually Swedish90.1
KasköFinnish majority, Swedish minority28.5Ostrobothnia
GrankullaFinnish majority, Swedish minority35.9Uusimaa
KemiönsaariSwedish majority, Finnish minority70.3Southwest Finland
KyrkslättFinnish majority, Swedish minority17.6Uusimaa
Monolingually Swedish88.4
KarlebyFinnish majority, Swedish minority13.1Central Ostrobothnia
MustasaariSwedish majority, Finnish minority69.0Ostrobothnia
Swedish majority, Finnish minority87.2Ostrobothnia
KristiinankaupunkiSwedish majority, Finnish minority55.4Ostrobothnia
KruunupyySwedish majority, Finnish minority80.7Ostrobothnia
Monolingually Swedish90.3
LappträskFinnish majority, Swedish minority32.8Uusimaa
LuotoSwedish majority, Finnish minority92.5Ostrobothnia
Monolingually Swedish92.9
LojoFinnish majority, Swedish minority3.5Uusimaa
LovisaFinnish majority, Swedish minority42.0Uusimaa
Monolingually Swedish91.0
MaalahtiSwedish majority, Finnish minority86.1Ostrobothnia
MaarianhaminaMonolingually Swedish85.7
MörskomFinnish majority, Swedish minority9.8Uusimaa
NärpiöSwedish majority, Finnish minority84.8Ostrobothnia
UusikaarlepyySwedish majority, Finnish minority87.3Ostrobothnia
ParainenSwedish majority, Finnish minority56.4Southwest Finland
Pedersören kuntaSwedish majority, Finnish minority89.7Ostrobothnia
BorgåFinnish majority, Swedish minority30.4Uusimaa
PyttisFinnish majority, Swedish minority8.1Kymenlaakso
RaaseporiSwedish majority, Finnish minority65.4Uusimaa
Monolingually Swedish92.8
SibboFinnish majority, Swedish minority35.6Uusimaa
SjundeåFinnish majority, Swedish minority29.6Uusimaa
Soađegilli
Suáđigil
Suäʹđjel
Finnish majority, Sami minority1.6Lapland
Monolingually Swedish91.0
Monolingually Swedish92.3
ÅboFinnish majority, Swedish minority5.4Southwest Finland
Ohcejohka
Uccjuuhâ
Uccjokk
Finnish majority, Sami minority46.0Lapland
VasaFinnish majority, Swedish minority22.7Ostrobothnia
VandaFinnish majority, Swedish minority2.7Uusimaa
Monolingually Swedish90.1
VöyriSwedish majority, Finnish minority82.6Ostrobothnia