Population Information System update to be reflected in the population number of Finland tomorrow

The Population Information System will undergo an update on 12 November 2024 that will affect the data on Finland’s population number. The population number is displayed in places such as the website of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency and a light-up billboard on the roof of the Helsinki service location starting 13 November 2024. The annual update to the population number involves removing people whose place of residence has been unknown for two years. The change applies to about 3900 persons.

The Population Information System contains people who still have a municipality of residence in Finland but whose place of residence has been unknown to the authorities since 1 January 2022. In practice, these are people who have moved away from Finland but have not thought to submit an emigration notification. With the update, they will no longer have a municipality of residence in Finland and are removed from the Finnish population.

In Finland, the Municipality of Residence Act requires that every person notifies their up-to-date address information to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency whenever they change their place of residence. The Digital and Population Data Services Agency records the data in the Population Information System. The address must correspond to the person's actual place of residence.

Up-to-date Population Information System facilitates everyday life and decision-making

The Population Information System contains information on all Finnish citizens and foreign citizens residing in Finland. The system is used to collect information on births, deaths, addresses, marriages and divorces as well as received citizenships. Hospitals usually submit information to the Population Information System on children being born within 24 hours of their birth.

“The Finnish Population Information System is rare on a global scale. Using it widely in various functions of society saves money and trouble and makes everyday life easier for citizens in many ways. For example, a single notification of move sends your new address automatically to all authorities through the Population Information System”, says Chief Specialist Tytti Ronkainen from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

The Population Information System is an important tool for public authorities. Thanks to the Population Information System, much of what happens in our society is done from the citizen's point of view, rather than automatically. For example, families of children entering compulsory school age receive a notification of the start of compulsory education and a proposal for a school place. The system also creates a register of those entitled to vote, so people do not have to register to vote.

Light-up billboard shows the number of persons recorded in the Population Information System

The up-to-date number of people recorded in the Population Information System is displayed on the Digital and Population Data Services Agency’s website dvv.fi and a light-up billboard on the roof of the Helsinki service location. The figure is based on the register data from the previous day, and it updates every morning at about 5 a.m.

However, the number of persons recorded in the Population Information System is not the same as the official population of Finland. The official population number is produced by Statistics Finland based on register data from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency and other data sources and analysis. Statistics Finland is also responsible for the population forecast.

“People are interested in the number on the billboard and at dvv.fi. Round numbers are of especial interest; many people contacted the agency when the number hit 5,555,555, for example. This update to the municipality of residence data concerns 3900 people, and it will be reflected as a more significant decrease of the number compared to normal daily variation”, says Ronkainen.

A similar update to the Population Information System was last made on 10 May 2023. The procedure is based on section 9a, subsection 2 of the Municipality of Residence Act (201/1994).

PLEASE NOTE when dealing with the authorities! If you are informed that your municipality of residence has been removed even though you still live in Finland, you can correct this by submitting a change of address notification at muuttoilmoitus.fi or by visiting your nearest Digital and Population Data Services Agency service point.