Haku

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is Finland’s most important international partner in the development and evaluation of health policy in Finland and globally. Finland is an active participant in global health policy an...

Ministry of Social Affairs and Health Minister of Social Affairs and Health Wille Rydman The Finns Party Minister of Social Affairs and Health Wille Rydman is responsible for all other matters covered by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, ...

6.3.2026 | The 70th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) will take place in New York from 9 to 19 March 2026. Finland will be represented at the session by a broad-based delegation led by Minister Sanni Grahn-Laasonen, who is responsible for gender equality issues.

The 11th annual Gender Equality Days (Tasa-arvopäivät) were organised on 8-9 October 2025 at the Clarion Hotel Aviapolis in Vantaa. 

5.12.2025 | Country report: ECDC Public Health Emergency Preparedness Assessment for Finland, 2024 Under Article 8 of the Regulation (EU) 2022/2371 ASSESSMENT ECDC ASSESSMENT Country report: ECDC Public Health Emergency Preparedness Assessment for Finland, 20...

4.11.2025 | The Second UN World Summit for Social Development will be organised on 4–6 2025 November in Doha, Qatar. The summit will strengthen the global commitment to social development. Minister of Social Security Sanni Grahn-Laasonen will represent Finland at the summit.

7.3.2025 | The promotion of gender equality, women’s rights and the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) people is facing strong opposition around the world. The situation causes concern, but Finland’s policy is clear: we defend gender equality and continue to work towards achieving equality between women, men and people belonging to gender minorities together with the other Nordic countries, civil society and our other partners.

26.9.2024 | Minister of Social Security Sanni Grahn-Laasonen will attend a High-level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance in New York on 26 September 2024. Minister Grahn-Laasonen will deliver Finland’s address at the meeting, highlighting as a new theme the importance of the gender perspective in comprehensive antimicrobial resistance prevention.

7.4.2022 | There are still no signs of the COVID-19 epidemic abating in Finland. The total number of patients in specialised healthcare and primary healthcare has remained high since the turn of 2021–2022. Vaccinations continue to provide effective protection against the more serious forms of the disease. It is essential that people take measures to prevent the spread of infections.

17.2.2022 | Koronaepidemia on tasaantunut parin viimeisen viikon aikana. Sairaalahoidon tarve on pysynyt tasaisen korkealla tasolla ja tehohoidon kuormitus samalla tasolla kuin viime viikolla. Kolmansien rokoteannosten ottamista suositellaan kaikille 18 vuotta täyttäneille, mutta erityisen tärkeää se on riskiryhmille ja 60 vuotta täyttäneille. Rajoitusten keventyessä korostuvat ihmisten omaehtoiset toimet tartuntojen leviämisen estämiseksi.

19.5.2022 | COVID-19 also spread widely among the older population in early 2022. This led to a rise in the number of COVID-19-related deaths occurring within 30 days of testing positive. However, this trend took a downward turn in late April–early May. Despite the considerable number of infections, the mortality rate among those who have received at least three vaccine doses has clearly remained at a lower level when compared to the rest of the population.

10.6.2021 | The number of COVID-19 cases is decreasing in Finland, with most areas recording only a small number of new cases. The incidence of COVID-19 cases is higher in some areas of southern Finland than in the rest of the country. However, the epidemic has also continued to slow down in densely populated areas.

3.3.2022 | It is recommended that everyone aged 18 years or over take a third vaccine dose. Although the restrictions imposed due to COVID-19 have been eased, it is still important for people to stay at home when ill, to wear a mask in public indoor spaces and to practise good hand hygiene.

24.2.2022 | The need for hospital care has remained at a high but stable level. It is recommended that everyone aged 18 years or over take a third vaccine dose. The epidemiological situation is still serious. For that reason, the focus will be on people’s own measures to prevent the spread of infections as the restrictions are eased.

16.12.2021 | More than 10,500 new COVID-19 cases were recorded in Finland between 6 and 12 December. The incidence of new infections continued to increase over the last 14-day period, standing at 360 per 100,000 inhabitants at the end of last week. About 145,000 tests are carried out weekly. On 15 December 2021, the total number of confirmed cases of the Omicron variant in Finland was 34. In addition, preliminary screening tests indicate that cases of the Omicron variant are clearly increasing.

27.1.2022 | The estimated weekly total of COVID-19 cases was 52,000 in Finland between 17 and 23 January, compared to 57,000 in the previous week. Despite a fall in the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care, the burden on other specialised healthcare has remained unchanged at the national level. It is particularly important that people aged 60 or over and those belonging to risk groups get a third vaccine dose.

27.5.2021 | The epidemiological situation has remained stable in Finland in the past few weeks. The number of new COVID-19 cases took a sharp downward turn in late March, which levelled out in late April. Since then the number of new cases has remained stable.

5.1.2022 | Around 38,700 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the past seven days, between 26 December 2021 and 1 January 2022, compared to around 19,600 new cases in the previous week. On 4 January 2022, the total number of confirmed cases of the Omikron variant was 363. The overall burden on hospital care has risen, while the need for intensive care has stayed at its high level.

10.3.2022 | The virus that causes COVID-19 continues to circulate through the population. However, vaccines provide effective protection against severe forms of the disease. It is particularly important that people aged 60 or over and those belonging to risk groups get a third vaccine dose. As the restrictions are eased, the focus will be on people’s own measures to prevent the spread of infections.

3.6.2021 | The COVID-19 situation has improved noticeably in Finland over the past week. There are, however, major regional differences in the development of the epidemic. The incidence of COVID-19 is still higher in southern and southwestern Finland and Central Ostrobothnia than in the rest of the country. The development of the epidemic has, nevertheless, slowed down in many areas.

17.12.2020 | The number of new coronavirus infections is still at a high level, and community transmission is common in different age groups across Finland. It is alarming that more and more infections are found in older age groups and that there is a clear increase in the number of patients in need of hospital care.

5.8.2021 | The number of new COVID-19 cased has increased by 56 per cent over the last week. The total number of new cases reported between 26 July and -1 August was 4,574 whereas, a week before, the number of new cases was 2,925.

3.12.2020 | The coronavirus situation is rapidly worsening in Finland. Over the past two weeks, the number and incidence of cases has risen sharply in almost all regions. This development calls for an immediate and proactive response.

3.9.2020 | The coronavirus situation remains stable in Finland, although the number of infections and the incidence of the disease increased at the beginning of August, compared to the low figures in June and at the beginning of July. Since then, the numbers have stabilised and remained largely unchanged for a month.

19.11.2020 | The number and incidence of new COVID-19 cases are increasing in Finland. Last week, the majority of the new cases were reported in the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa. Currently, there are so many new cases that the epidemiological situation can worsen rapidly across the country.

22.4.2021 | Over the past five weeks, the number of new COVID-19 cases has clearly declined. This is a good sign indicating that the epidemic is calming down in Finland. The current restrictions and recommendations and the closure of businesses serving food and beverages have clearly been effective and prevented infections.

24.3.2022 | The COVID-19 epidemic in Finland shows no signs of abating, although there is some regional variation in the intensity of the epidemic. The epidemic continues to put a strain on hospital care capacity. The need for intensive care has remained unchanged. Vaccinations continue to provide effective protection against the most serious forms of COVID-19. As the restrictions have been eased, the focus is now on people’s own measures to prevent the spread of infections.

12.8.2021 | The number of new COVID-19 cases has increased slightly compared to the previous week. The total number of new cases reported between 2 and 8 August was 5,017, whereas a week before the number of new cases was 4,618.

1.4.2021 | Slightly fewer new COVID-19 cases were reported in Finland between 22 and 28 March than in the first weeks of the month. The current restrictions and recommendations and the closure of businesses serving food or beverages seem to have slowed down the spread of the epidemic. It takes some time for the restrictive measures to take effect, and the number of new cases remains high. Therefore, it is possible that the epidemic could take a rapid turn for the worse.

24.6.2021 | The weekly number of COVID-19 cases in Finland is now down to about one third of what was reported in the first week of May. Last week (14–20 June), however, the downward trend in the number of cases slowed down. A total of 514 new cases were reported to the communicable diseases register, showing a decrease of about 40 cases from the previous week.

11.6.2020 | According to the assessment published on 11 June 2020, the coronavirus epidemic continues to slow down compared to the situation two weeks ago. The number of cases reported every week to the communicable diseases register has again decreased clearly.

15.10.2020 | The number of new coronavirus infections has increased significantly in Finland over the last month. The number of patients in hospital care has more than doubled since the end of September.  

11.3.2021 | Finland recorded nearly 4,400 new cases of COVID-19 between 1 and 7 March, which is the highest number since the epidemic started. The situation is now particularly difficult in the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa and the Hospital District of Southwest Finland. The need for hospital care has continued to increase almost throughout the country.

20.1.2022 | Nearly 55,500 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Finland between 10 and 16 January, compared to more than 57,400 new cases in the previous week. The burden on inpatient specialised healthcare remains high. The burden on inpatient primary healthcare is also increasing rapidly. Vaccines provide good protection against the most serious forms of COVID-19. For this reason, it is particularly important that people aged 60 or over and those belonging to risk groups get a third dose.  

17.6.2021 | The COVID-19 epidemic has continued to subside throughout Finland within the last two weeks. However, there is still regional variation in the development of the epidemic, as the incidence of COVID-19 cases is higher in some areas of southern Finland than in the rest of the country. Overall, the COVID-19 situation is calm, with most areas recording only a small number of new cases. The estimated effect...

22.10.2020 | For the past month, the number of new COVID-19 infections has risen significantly in Finland, but now the growth rate seems to have slowed down. The percentage of positive samples of all tested samples has come down at national level compared to the previous week.

18.2.2021 | Over the past four weeks, the number of COVID-19 cases have remained at the same relatively high level across Finland. About 2,300–2,700 new cases are reported every week. The number of people requiring hospital care has remained relatively stable, but the need for intensive care has increased slightly in the past few days. The weekly number of deaths from COVID-19 is decreasing slowly.

Världshälsoorganisationen WHO Världshälsoorganisationen WHO (World Health Organization) är Finlands viktigaste internationella samarbetspartner när det gäller utvecklingen och bedömningen av hälsopolitiken. Finland deltar aktivt i den globala häls...

18.3.2021 | The COVID-19 situation remains difficult in the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa and the Hospital District of Southwest Finland. Over the past few weeks, the need for specialised healthcare and particularly the need for intensive care have increased considerably in these Districts.

20.5.2021 | In Finland, the COVID-19 situation deteriorated very quickly in some areas, also at local level, between 10 and 16 May. Despite this, the number of new cases was about 70 per cent lower than between 8 and 14 March when the number of cases was at its highest.

6.5.2021 | The number of new COVID-19 cases continued to decline between 26 April and 2 May although the rate of decline slowed down slightly. The regional differences in the development of the epidemic have also evened out to some extent. The number of people getting tested is commendably high. It is expected that the need for hospital care will decrease slowly.

14.1.2021 | The number and incidence of new COVID-19 cases and the number of patients requiring hospital care have decreased slightly since mid-December 2020. However, new cases are still found widely across the country. It is worrying that people get tested more seldom than before.

22.7.2021 | The number of new COVID-19 cases has been increasing over the past four weeks. The total number of new cases reported between 12 and 18 July was 2,210. The number of cases per week has quadrupled and the share of positive samples has risen to 2.3 per cent since mid-June. Due to vaccination coverage, the number of serious cases requiring hospital care has not increased this summer as fast in proportion to the number of new cases as earlier during the epidemic.

12.11.2020 | The current epidemiological situation is characterised by rapid regional developments. Finland still has good opportunities to keep the situation relatively stable by international comparison. This requires that people continue to stay alert and patiently follow the guidelines and recommendations issued by the authorities. We should not be lulled into thinking that the epidemic will end quickly.

28.1.2021 | The latest COVID-19 figures for Finland show a clear upward trend in the number of new cases. This is following a long period of relative stability in the number of new cases. The numbers of cases have increased in several hospital districts. Some of the cases are related to known large-scale transmission chains.

8.4.2021 | The number of new COVID-19 cases in Finland dropped before Easter, and this downward trend continues. The current restrictions and recommendations and the closure of businesses serving food or beverages have clearly had an impact. The positive trend can be maintained by continuing with the restrictions, and they should not be dismantled too early or too quickly. The number of new cases remains high, amounting to over 3,000 a week.

25.3.2021 | Between 15 and 21 March, the number of new COVID-19 cases reported in Finland decreased for the first time since the increase in case numbers in mid-February. Although the rise in the number of cases has subsided at the national level for the time being, new cases are still reported in large numbers. Most of them are reported in southern and southwestern Finland. In March, inpatients in speciali...

21.4.2022 | The number of COVID-19 patients in specialised and primary healthcare has decreased slightly. Vaccinations continue to provide effective protection against the more serious forms of the disease. A fourth vaccine dose is recommended for people aged 12 or over who have a severely weakened immune system, people aged 80 or over and all older people living in residential care homes.

10.9.2020 | The number of new coronavirus infections has remained moderate in Finland, and the national epidemiological situation is stable. The weekly numbers and incidence of cases have risen since early August, compared to the situation in June and July.

4.6.2020 | According to the assessment published on 4 June 2020, the coronavirus epidemic has continued to slow down compared to the situation two weeks ago.

5.11.2020 | The number and incidence of coronavirus cases have risen again compared to the past few weeks. While the national epidemiological situation has remained fairly stable for several weeks now, there are considerable regional differences. Getting tested is the key to curbing the spread of coronavirus.

8.10.2020 | The weekly number of new COVID-19 cases has increased significantly in Finland over the past month. The incidence of cases is growing sharply and the percentage of positive samples of those tested continues to increase. The source of infection is unknown in more than half of all new cases.

24.9.2020 | The number of new COVID-19 cases has risen in Finland over the past few weeks, and more hospital districts are reporting new cases. The rising incidence, the growing share of positive samples, the increasing difficulties to trace sources of infection and the growing number of further infections all foreshadow an approaching acceleration stage in the epidemic. People under 30 years of age account for about 50% of all cases.

25.6.2020 | According to the assessment published on 25 June 2020, the coronavirus epidemic has calmed down in Finland. The number of cases reported weekly to the communicable diseases register has still continued to decrease.

17.9.2020 | The number of new coronavirus cases has increased in Finland during the past week. Several coronavirus clusters and transmission chains have been reported in many hospital districts.

13.1.2022 | Nearly 53,600 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Finland between 3 and 9 January, compared to more than 42,100 new cases in the previous week. Cases are now reported even among people who have been vaccinated. The need for inpatient specialised healthcare has grown considerably while the burden on intensive care remains high but relatively stable. Vaccinations continue to provide good protection against the more serious forms of the disease.

15.7.2021 | A total of 1,651 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Finland between 5 and 11 July. The number of cases has been increasing for the past three weeks. About 540 new cases were reported in the middle of June (14–20 June), after which the number of cases has approximately tripled.

13.8.2020 | The number and incidence of new coronavirus infections has clearly increased compared to the low figures at the beginning of July. Nevertheless, the number of cases remains relatively small at national level. The increased number of new cases is most evident in Helsinki and the Uusimaa region.

11.2.2021 | The number of new COVID-19 cases has remained at the same level as the week before. Finland has succeeded in curbing the epidemic in many regions. Despite this, the virus has spread throughout the country, and new cases have been reported in large numbers in many hospital districts.

1.7.2021 | A total of 947 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Finland between 21 and 27 June, which is much more than in the preceding weeks. In fact, this is over 400 cases more than the week before. The recent spike in Covid-19 cases is largely due to football fans returning from Russia after attending UEFA European Championship matches. 

4.2.2021 | The number of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 continued to grow the week before last, and this trend continued between 25 and 31 January. The positive news is that the number of people tested in the whole of Finland was considerably higher at the end of January than in late December and early January. Contact tracing works well in municipalities although it takes a lot of hard work. It is essential to trace and break new chains of transmission quickly.

20.8.2020 | The number of new coronavirus infections remains relatively small at national level, although the number and incidence of cases have risen compared to the low figures at the beginning of July.

29.10.2020 | Rapid developments at regional level are typical of the current epidemiological situation. At the national level, the incidence of new COVID-19 cases, the number of tested samples and the percentage of positive samples of all tested samples have remained more or less at the same level for the last few weeks. The COVID-19 situation in Vaasa is on the wane, and thanks to prompt action, many other regions have also succeeded in breaking transmission chains.

21.1.2021 | According to current information, the Christmas and New Year period did not cause any significant rise in the number of COVID-19 infections. However, new cases are still reported in large numbers across the country. The number of people getting tested continues to be considerably lower than last autumn.

26.11.2020 | The COVID-19 situation has worsened almost throughout Finland but particularly in the Greater Helsinki area and the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa. New restrictions and recommendations have already been introduced and will be introduced not only in the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa but also elsewhere in the country. However, in South Savo, for example, transmission chains have been kept well under control.

1.10.2020 | The weekly number of new coronavirus cases has increased significantly in Finland over the last month. Of the indicators defined in the hybrid strategy, the incidence of new cases both in the previous seven days and in the previous 14 days as well as the proportion of positive COVID-19 cases of all samples taken have grown at an alarming rate.

5.5.2022 | The number of COVID-19 patients in specialised and primary healthcare started to decline in April. The results of wastewater monitoring also indicate a downward trend in the epidemic. A fourth vaccine dose is recommended for people aged 12 or over who have a severely weakened immune system, people aged 80 or over and all older people living in residential care homes.

6.8.2020 | At the national level, the number of new coronavirus infections is still small, even though there has been a slight increase in reported cases in July. 

29.4.2021 | The number of new COVID-19 cases continues to decline, which indicates that the epidemic is currently winding down in Finland. The restrictions and recommendations have clearly been effective and prevented infections. As the spring progresses, vaccinations and seasonal variation will begin to contribute to the positive development of the epidemic. The fact that people have complied with the recommendations and restrictions in a commendable manner has also helped ease the epidemic.

19.8.2021 | The number of new COVID-19 cases has remained at almost the same level as the week before. The total number of new cases reported between 9 and 15 August was 5,163, whereas in the previous week the number of new cases was 5,072. Currently, COVID-19 is spreading especially among unvaccinated young people and young adults.

4.3.2021 | Over the past two weeks, the number of new COVID-19 cases reported in Finland has been significantly higher than before, and the number has continued to increase at an alarming rate despite the restrictions. In fact, during the latest reporting period (22–28 February), Finland recorded the highest number of new cases since the start of the epidemic. The rapid deterioration of the situation calls for swift and more stringent measures to curb the epidemic.

15.4.2021 | The number of new COVID-19 cases reported in Finland has decreased noticeably over the past few weeks. The number started to fall before Easter. The current restrictions and recommendations and the closure of businesses serving food and beverages have clearly been effective and prevented infections. Vaccinations have also reduced infections, particularly among older people. It is imperative that t...

30.10.2018 | The 70th Session of the Nordic Council starts this week in Oslo and its agenda includes various topics, such as culture, environment, sustainable development, international cooperation, and other matters relating to the current challenges facing our welfare states.

29.5.2017 | Finland has made much progress in gender equality work. Our long history in promoting women's rights goes back to 1906 when Finland became the first country in the world to grant women full political rights.

15.12.2017 | he Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has granted a separate appropriation of EUR 80,000 to support the preparation and implementation of a new action programme to prevent female genital mutilation. The previous action programme covered the years 2012–2016.

9.4.2026 | 1 ADI-ROM(2025)26 Restricted Strasbourg, 9 March 2026 COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS ON ROMA AND TRAVELLER1 ISSUES (ADI-ROM) 13th meeting Strasbourg, 1-2 April 2026 Explanatory Memorandum Recommendation to the member States on desegregation and inclusion po...

10.12.2020 | The number of new coronavirus infections is still at a high level and a number of regions are in the community transmission phase. It is possible that the epidemic will take a sudden turn for the worse across the country. However, there are indications that the sharp increase in new cases we saw in mid-November seems to have levelled off. We will have to wait a few weeks more before we can see the effects of the regional restrictions and recommendations. 

6.9.2024 | 15 April 2024 Ministry of Social Affairs and Health policy on international and EU cooperation for 2024–2027 The policies of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health on international and EU coopera- tion for 2024–2027 guide the Ministry and its a...

2.12.2019 | “To ensure girls’ and women’s active and equal participation in society, the right laws and legal frameworks need to be in place.” Thomas Blomqvist, Minister for Nordic Cooperation and Equality, said in his speech at the reception of the International Gender Equality Prize award ceremony on 2nd December 2019 in Tampere, Finland.

2.6.2023 | SUOMEN SÄÄDÖSKOKOELMAN SOPIMUS SARJA Julkaistu Helsingissä 31 päivänä toukokuuta 2016 (Suomen säädöskokoelman n:o 398/2016) Valtioneuvoston asetus 27/2016 vammaisten henkilöiden oikeuksista tehdyn yleissopimuksen ja sen valinnaisen pöytäkir- jan v...

25.11.2019 | Monday 25 November is the International Day of the Elimination of Violence against Women. This week, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and its partners will highlight the need to reduce violence against women and children and domestic violence on a number of occasions, including two side events of Finland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Regeringens proposition till riksdagen med förslag till lag om ändring av hälso- och sjukvårdslagen och till lagar som har samband med den PROPOSITIONENS HUVUDSAKLIGA INNEHÅLL I denna proposition föreslås det att hälso- och sjukvårdslagen ändras t...

6.9.2024 | 15.04.2024 Social- och hälsovårdsministeriets riktlinjer för internationellt samarbete och EU-samarbete 2024–2027 Social- och hälsovårdsministeriets riktlinjer för internationellt samarbete och EU-samarbete 2024–2027 styr ministeriets och förvaltn...

6.3.2018 | 14o years of gender equality 1906 Finnish women attain full political rights Women’s organisations Suffragette Eligibility for election Right to vote Political rights Parliament Finland is a gender equality pioneer 1878 Equal hereditary rights for...

Regeringens proposition till riksdagen med förslag till lagar om ändring av hälso- och sjukvårdslagen och lagar som har samband med den PROPOSITIONENS HUVUDSAKLIGA INNEHÅLL I denna proposition föreslås det att hälso- och sjukvårdslagen, värnplikts...

2.6.2023 | FINLANDS FÖRFATTNINGSSAMLINGS FÖRDRAGSSERIE Utgiven i Helsingfors den 31 maj 2016 (Finlands författningssamlings nr 398/2016) Statsrådets förordning 27/2016 om sättande i kraft av konventionen om rättigheter för personer med funktionsnedsätt- ning...

9.12.2025 | Uppföljningsrapport: Nationellt handlingsprogram för FN:s konvention om rättigheter för personer med funktionsnedsättning (2020–2023) SOCIAL- OCH HÄLSOVÅRDSMINISTERIETS PUBLIKATIONER 2023:25 Uppföljningsrapport: Nationellt handlingsprogram för FN:...