We have talked a bit about Finns, like what they appreciate most in life [1], their most popular names [2], and even how they look [3]. Today, we introduce you to your average Mr. Finnish Man and Mrs. Finnish Woman.
Some average Finns walking in the capital of Finland, Helsinki [4]. Source (CC: by-sa) [5].
Table of Contents
How do we know the average Finnish man and woman?
Some time ago there was a study about the average of different parameters in Finland’s top newspaper, the Helsingin Sanomat. If you want to read it, the article can be found here [11].
It is a nice interpretation of the data shown in the Statistical Yearbook of Finland, which otherwise might just seem a “boring” collection of things. Nicely played, Helsingin Sanomat.
The data is a bit old – this article was first featured on our Spanish version of Big in Finland [12], but it still holds relevance as things don’t change that quickly.
Finnish people on the street.
Mr. Finnish Man and Mrs. Finnish Woman
How is a day in the life for them?
The average Finn is 40 years old, and thus is in the middle of his/her lifespan. He/She lives in a residential neighborhood in a house that he/she owns, and that has 3-4 rooms and about 78,4 square feet. He/She is still paying off the mortgage on the house and still owes 22.400€ to the bank. About a quarter of the income that he/she makes is used to cover his/her own personal needs.
Besides the mortgage on the house, the average Finn is also paying off another loan for 9.400€, that they took on to buy some consumer goods. This second credit could theoretically be paid off immediately, since the average Finn has around 11.000€ in savings in the bank. Of course the keyword here is “average”, since the wealth is not equally divided and around 44.580 credit cards are canceled each year because of debts.
Maybe an average Finn. Source (CC: by-sa) [14]
How is an average day of a Finn?
An average Finn goes to work in the morning. If he is a man, he’ll be working in construction, reparations or manufacturing. If she is a woman, she’ll be working in the service sector or in the commercial or health industries. He will be working in the private sector while she will probably be working for the local authorities. The average Finnish man earns approximately 2.300€ per month and the average Finnish woman earns 2.000€ per month.
Maybe today is one of the two days per week when the average Finn does some sport (this includes going for a walk, riding the bike or doing some cross country skiing). This isn’t enough, though, to keep an average Finn thin and in top shape. He (she not so much) is prone to obesity. His good appetite and his penchant for the liquid element with some percentage of alcohol has something to do with this. Per year, a Finnish man eats an average of 72 kilos of meat, drinks 78 liters of low-alcohol drinks, eats 61 kilos of potatoes and 47 kilos of fruit.
A Finnish woman walking the streets of Helsinki. Source (CC: by) [15]
What else happens during an average Finnish day?
There’s the daily lottery draft, which could help someone get out of the average income. But besides that, 161 children are born and 132 people close their eyes forever. 77 couples proclaim “yes, I do”, and for 36 other couples it’s the end of the line for their relationship. 45 new buildings will be constructed, and the average car will add 49 kilometers to their odometer.
Just another Finnish day.
How is your average day in Finland? Do you recognize yourself in some of these statistics, even if you are not a Finn?