Turku's population boom: city surpasses 210,000 in just 2.5 years
Over the past four years, Turku's population has grown each year more than at any point in over five decades. Growth has clearly exceeded earlier population forecasts.
March, 2026.- Turku’s population growth has been exceptionally rapid in recent years. The city has gained 10,000 new residents in just 2.5 years. According to data published by Statistics Finland on March 24, Turku’s population stood at 210,021 at the end of February.
Over the past four years, Turku’s population has grown each year more than at any point in over five decades. Growth has clearly exceeded earlier population forecasts.
Turku surpassed the long-awaited milestone of 200,000 residents in August 2023. The next round figure, 210,000, was reached in February—taking only 2.5 years. The accelerating growth rate is illustrated by the fact that it took 27 years to grow from 170,000 to 180,000 residents, and 15 years to reach 190,000.
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Surpassing the 210,000 resident mark reflects Turku’s strong attractiveness and the fact that more and more people want to build their lives here. At the same time, it highlights the importance of foresight in city decision-making and service development: we must ensure that services, housing, and mobility evolve alongside growth and support the everyday life of Turku residents. We have already responded to this growth, for example, with new schools and daycare centers, zoning of residential areas, and plans for a higher-capacity public transport solution to support urban development, says Turku Mayor Piia Elo.
Previous, though smaller, peaks in Turku’s population growth occurred in the late 1990s and the 2010s. In the 1990s, a change in the municipality law allowed students to register their place of study as their official municipality, increasing the number of university students in Turku. In the 2010s, urbanization accelerated more broadly, partly driven by investor-led housing development.
Turku’s growth is driven by migration attractiveness
Relative to its population, Turku’s growth in 2025 has been stronger than in other large and mid-sized Finnish cities. Current growth is driven by migration both domestically and internationally.
Immigration to Turku has reached record levels over the past three years. Additionally, net domestic migration in 2025 rose to its highest level since 1995. This aligns with a relocation willingness study published last year by Taloustutkimus, according to which Turku ranks among the top three most attractive municipalities in Finland, alongside Tampere and Helsinki.
"Approximately 30% of Turku’s domestic migration gain comes from multilingual residents, meaning secondary migration of immigrants within Finland. From an economic perspective, it is positive that we achieved a modest net migration gain among employed people both internationally and domestically. Students also continue to play a significant role. This is reflected in statistics as a spike in August and September when studies begin", says Turku’s Director of Strategy Timo Aro.
Population growth in Turku has been relatively stable across different age groups. The city gains significant domestic migration among young people aged 15-24, and international migration across all age groups, particularly among young adults and children.
Turku’s population growth is expected to remain strong in the coming years, although not at the same pace as in recent years.
"We continuously produce up-to-date information on population development and related phenomena, as well as other key changes in the operating environment, to support planning, decision-making, and controlled growth. The goal is to ensure that services and investments respond to the real needs of a growing city", Aro concludes.
Information on Turku’s population, vitality, employment, tourism, and housing is available in the "Winds of Change in Turku" report, published four times a year at turku.fi/muutoksen-tuulet-raportti.
Additionally, a new report focusing specifically on population development trends—Turku’s immigration overview—has been published.