You’ve probably heard that Finland is the happiest country in the world. However, expats have something to say about that.
We’ve said it more than once. Finland doesn’t just seem to be one of the happiest places on Earth, it actually is. Surveys over the years have proven it, and even the workers confirm it. It’s so clear to them that even the government offers free trips so that people can learn how to be happy. As such, it’s a monumental paradox that foreigners and expats in the country consider it one of the worst places to live.
Is there an explanation?
Third-to-last place. The news that reflected this gibberish appeared in the annual Expat Insider survey by InterNations, a global expat advice and social media website. To the surprise of many, Finland came in third-to-last place this year, beaten only by Turkey and Kuwait. According to the survey, Finland is the one of the biggest losers in 2024 because “in just one year, expats’ happiness with their life there dropped from 15th to 52nd place.”
The keys. InterNations notes that Finland scored well among the 53 countries surveyed in the categories of digital skills (6th) and climate and environment (8th), but faltered (badly) in the categories of working abroad (46th), ease of settling in (50th), and personal finance (52nd).
“With a relatively high cost of living (42nd), expats may find themselves grappling with budgeting and financial constraints in their day-to-day lives,” InterNations states. In addition, the cold climate extends to social circles, “and Finland’s challenges in expat integration are evident in its bottom-10 ranking.”
It’s a political problem. Riikka Pakarinen, CEO of the Finnish Startup Community, described the collapse with astonishment in local outlet Helsingin Sanomat: “Especially when we need labor and experts. They bring the greatest benefit to Finland. In the bigger picture, of course, Finland needs workers regardless of the field,” according to an English translation provided by Google. Pakarinen argues that the government should recognize the situation and take steps to rectify it by presenting and communicating a clear proposal for action.
As Pakarinen stated, even the Finns Party, the most anti-immigrant member of the four-party ruling coalition, should recognize the seriousness of the situation. “One should be able to distinguish situations where people come here on the wrong grounds from the general situation where the majority of newcomers want to work for the benefit of this society,” she emphasized.
Language is a disadvantage. The survey concludes that expats struggle with many aspects of life in the country. It’s one of the most challenging places to learn the local language, which has a ripple effect on friendships and career opportunities.
In this regard, one Estonian expat said that even if the language used at a company is English, companies still require applicants to speak Finnish at a near native level. “Job opportunities are halved if you don’t speak Finnish," the Estonian expat said.
Prospects and social circle, another wall. The country ranked very low in terms of career prospects and job security. “Local job opportunities for expats are scarce and often discriminatory,” commented one expat from the UK. Not much changes when it comes to building a social circle.
When making friends, expats describe Finns as “not very tolerant of foreigners” and “too inward-looking.” Indeed, some comments raise the tone, with one Greek expat adding that he has experienced “nepotism and very problematic situations every day.”
Moving for your partner. InterNations marketing director Kathrin Chudoba tells Fortune that many people move to Finland to join a Finnish partner or significant other, which means they’re not necessarily moving for their career prospects or desire to live there. “I can imagine these people who may not have a clearly laid out career path when they move might be hit particularly hard by a recession or difficulties entering the job market,” she says.
That would explain the survey’s findings about the lack of opportunity (and income) in the country. “If you are not satisfied with your financial situation or your disposable household income is not enough to live a comfortable life, you’ll likely rate a whole range of categories more negatively, such as leisure options or housing, because you can’t afford to access them,” Chudoba states.
The happiest country. This is the great paradox of InterNations' results. For years, and again in 2024, Finland has topped the World Happiness Report, an analysis based on very different questions than the Expat Insider study. In the case of the World Happiness Report, the survey asks participants to think of a scale where the best possible life is a 10 and the worst is a 0. Then, they must rate their own life on this scale.
On the other hand, the Expat Insider survey focuses on specific, practical experiences. Asking the general population versus expats will result in quite different perspectives.
The bill. In the background, there’s an issue that certainly doesn’t help. A new Finnish law requires foreign workers to regain employment within three months (or six months in the case of professionals) after leaving their job to retain the right to reside in the country.
Happiness, as we can see, is a very abstract concept. It’s possible to live in the happiest country in the world and still feel the exact opposite.
This article was written by Miguel Jorge and originally published in Spanish on Xataka.
Image | youngrobv, Kuunkuiskaajat
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