Finland numbers some five million inhabitants and has an average population density of 17 inhabitants per square kilometre. This makes it, after Norway and Iceland, the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Population distribution is very uneven. About 60 per cent live in towns and cities, with 1.2 million living in Helsinki Metropolitan Area alone. In arctic Lapland, on the other hand, there are only 2 people to every square kilometre. The original inhabitants of Finland are the Sami (formerly known as the Lapps). There 4,500 of them living in Finland today and they are recognised as a minority with their own language. They have been living north of the Arctic Circle for more than 7,000 years now. In the 1960's many Finns abandoned rural areas for Sweden, while most immigrants into Finland itself come from other European countries. With 84 per cent of Finns in its congregation, the Lutheran church is the largest in the country. The official languages are Finnish and Swedish, the latter being the native language of about six per cent of the Finnish population. There is a historical explanation for the status of Swedish as an official language: from the 13th to the 19th century Finland was part of the Kingdom of Sweden.
In Finland, where there is complete freedom of religion, Lutherans account for 85.6% of the population, Orthodox Christians for 1.1% (living mainly in the towns and in the easternmost districts) and those unaffiliated with any church total 12.7% (compared with 2.7% in 1950).
The contribution of natural population growth to the increase is falling and net migration is replacing it as the factor with the strongest effect on population growth.
The overall population density is 17 per km² of land, yet the density in the province of Uusimaa, which includes the capital, is almost 205 per km².
The population of Finland is 5,231,372 (2006 estimate).
Finland possesses a wealth of folk music and a large body of church music, the former amassed since ancient times and the latter developed since the acceptance of Christianity by the Finns in the 12th century.
Finland’s best-known sculptor of the 20th century was Wäinö Aaltonen, noted for his monumental sculptures and busts.
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