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Homeless people 2025

In 2025 in Finland there were 4,579 homeless people living alone, which is 773 more than in the year before. The number of homeless people living alone grew for the second year in a row and it made an upturn for the first time in the year 2024 after over 10 years of decline. Homelessness among persons under the age of 25, women and persons with foreign background has also increased from the previous year. Also long-term homelessness rose for the first time in five years.
The line chart shows the development of the numbers of persons living alone and long-term homeless in 2008-2025. Homelessness among those living alone will decrease steadily throughout the 2010s and fall sharply in 2018, but will return to an upward trend, especially in 2024–2025.
Trends in the number of people living alone and the long-term homeless in 2008–2025. © Centre for State-subsidised Housing Construction
In 2025:
  • 4 579
    homeless people living alone
  • 1 306
    long-term homeless people
  • 1 023
    homeless women
  • 966
    homeless people with foreign background
  • 761
    homeless people under the age of 25
  • 68
    homeless families
  • 99
    municipalities with homeless people
The number of homeless people rose in 2025 from the previous year as follows:
  • + 20 %
    homeless people living alone
  • + 37 %
    under the age of 25
  • + 24 %
    women
  • + 22 %
    persons with foreign background
  • + 29 %
    long-term homeless people

Homelessness has increased in large and some medium-sized cities

The number of homeless people rose in nearly all large cities and also in many medium-sized cities. The number of homeless persons was highest in towns with the largest population. One-fifth of the homeless people living alone were in Helsinki.

The number of homeless people living alone was highest in the following large towns:

  • Helsinki (979 homeless)
  • Tampere (468 homeless)
  • Turku (467 homeless)
  • Espoo (447 homeless)
  • Vantaa (384 homeless).

Of medium-sized municipalities, Joensuu, Vaasa, Kotka, Pori and Rovaniemi stand out in the number of homeless people. There were over 70 homeless people in each of these municipalities.

Relative to the population, the number of homeless people was highest

  • in Turku (2.3 homeless per 1,000 inhabitants)
  • in Tampere (1.8)
  • in Vaasa (1.8)  
  • in Kotka (1.6).

Number of long-term homeless has increased

In November 2025, the number of long-term homeless was in total 1,306. The number grew by 29 per cent from the previous year. In large towns, long-term homelessness increased in all other towns except Kuopio, Oulu and Espoo, where the number decreased or remained almost unchanged.

Majority of the homeless temporarily with friends or relatives

Most of the homeless stayed temporarily with friends or relatives (64%). There were 21% more of them than in 2024.

The share of homeless people living outside, in stairwells or shelters is 17%, or 758 persons, which is 64 persons more than in the year before.

Of the homeless, 9% stayed in dormitories and accommodation establishments and 10% lived in institutions.

Reasons for growing homelessness

According to the homelessness survey, several factors influence the rise in homelessness. The municipalities that responded to the survey reported the following reasons for the growing number of homeless people in their area:

  • changes in social security
  • rise in living expenses
  • increase in housing costs and imbalance between rent level and housing costs approved by Kela
  • increase in unemployment
  • financial difficulties, rent payment problems and default entries
  • increase in substance abuse and mental health problems

Read the full report

The report has been published in the Government's institutional repository Valto:

Updated 12.5.2026