Population declines in Finland’s Tampere for the first time in 18 years
In Finland’s Tampere, the population decreased by approximately 200 people in January–June. The city recorded negative population dynamics for the first time in 18 years, YLE News reports.
In July, the situation changed again: the number of residents increased by nearly 500 people. The city attributes this to new students moving in ahead of the autumn academic season. At the same time, this year’s population growth is expected to be somewhat below 3,000 people, although Tampere’s investment plans are based on an annual increase of 3,000–4,000 residents.
Unemployment and migration
Pekka Salmi, the city’s director of vitality, acknowledged that the difficult unemployment situation may have affected Tampere’s attractiveness as a place to move to. At the same time, he considers the current slowdown temporary and does not expect the city’s growth to come to a radical halt.
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Rasmus Aro, a leading expert at consulting company MDI, noted that unemployment is not the only reason. This year and last year, more people have moved away from Tampere than before, while immigration to the city has declined. In his assessment, labour immigration has also decreased significantly in both Tampere and other parts of Finland because of the difficult labour market situation.
Different rates of urban growth
According to Aro, a divide in growth rates is now noticeable among Finland’s large cities: Helsinki, Espoo and Turku are growing faster, while Tampere, Oulu and Jyväskylä are showing slower dynamics. The expert stressed that periods of both accelerating and slowing population growth are natural for cities.
One reason is a reduced inflow of residents from small towns and rural municipalities, where younger age groups are shrinking. Despite the current figures, the long-term trend remains intact, according to Aro: Tampere remains one of Finland’s fastest-growing cities.
