Over 1,600 Russians Granted Finnish Citizenship in 2024 Amid Decline in Overall Naturalisations

In 2024, a total of 1,624 Russian nationals were granted Finnish citizenship, making them the largest nationality group to receive citizenship during the year. Despite leading in numbers, this figure marks a 6% decrease from 2023, with 282 fewer Russian citizens naturalised compared to the previous year.

Total Number of New Finnish Citizens Declines

According to official data, 11,512 foreign nationals were granted Finnish citizenship in 2024. This represents a drop of 712 individuals, or 6%, from the previous year, reflecting a broader decline in naturalisation rates across the country.

More Than Half of New Citizens Were Women

Women made up the majority of new Finnish citizens, with 6,198 women (53.8%) compared to 5,314 men. The average age of new citizens was:

29 years overall

30 years for women

28.1 years for men

The largest age group to receive citizenship was between 30–34 years, with 1,624 individuals, accounting for 14% of the total.

Dual Citizenship Remains Common

A significant 94% of new Finnish citizens retained their original citizenship, bringing the total number of dual citizens who are permanent residents in Finland to 184,838 as of 2024.

The largest dual citizenship groups in Finland were:

Russian – 41,037

Swedish – 11,120

Iraqi – 10,607

Somali – 9,835

Estonian – 8,852

Finland Plans to Tighten Citizenship Requirements

Looking ahead, the Finnish Ministry of the Interior is considering new measures to make citizenship acquisition more rigorous. One major proposal is the introduction of a citizenship test, aimed at evaluating applicants' integration into Finnish society.

“The test would serve as proof that applicants have successfully integrated,”

— Finnish Interior Ministry

The working group also explored how the test would relate to existing language requirements. It is expected that proficiency in Finnish or Swedish will be a core component of the new citizenship process.

Countries like Denmark and Norway already require citizenship tests, and Finland appears to be moving in a similar direction.