Sweden Finns
ruotsinsuomalaiset
sverigefinnar | |
---|---|
Total population | |
estimated c. 426,000–712,000 | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Stockholm | 46,927[1] |
Gothenburg | 20,372 |
Eskilstuna | 12,072 |
Västerås | 11,592 |
Södertälje | 10,722 |
Borås | 9,821 |
Uppsala | 8,838 |
Botkyrka Municipality | 8,408 |
Huddinge Municipality | 7,729 |
Haninge Municipality | 7,015 |
Languages | |
Finnish (Sweden Finnish) and Swedish | |
Religion | |
Lutheranism | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Other Finns |
Sweden Finns (Finnish: ruotsinsuomalaiset; Swedish: sverigefinnar) are a Finnish-speaking national minority in Sweden.[2]
People with Finnish heritage comprise a relatively large share of the population of Sweden. In addition to a smaller part of Sweden Finns historically residing in Sweden, there were about 426,000 people in Sweden (4.46% of the total population in 2012) who were either born in Finland or had at least one parent who was born in Finland.[3] In 2017 that number was 720,000.[4] Like the Swedish language, the Finnish language has been spoken on both sides of the Gulf of Bothnia since the late Middle Ages. Following military campaigns in Finland by Sweden in the 13th century, Finland gradually came under Swedish rule and Finns in Finland and Sweden became subjugates of Sweden. Already in the 1400s, a sizeable population of Stockholm spoke Finnish, and around 4% in the 1700s.[5] Finland remained a part of Sweden until 1809 when the peace after the Finnish War handed Finland to the Russian Empire, leaving Finnish populations on the Swedish side of the Torne river.
In the 1940s, 70,000 young Finnish children were evacuated from Finland. Most of them came to Sweden during the Winter War and the Continuation War, and around 20% remained after the war. Helped by the Nordic Passport Union, Finnish immigration to Sweden was considerable during the 1950s and 1960s. In 2015, Finnish immigrants to Sweden made out 156 045 persons (or 1.58% of the Swedish population)[6] Not all of them, however, were Finnish speakers.
The national minority of Sweden Finns usually does not include immigrated Swedish-speaking Finns, and the national minority of Sweden Finns is protected by Swedish laws that grant specific rights to speakers of the Finnish language. English somewhat lacks the distinction between Finns in Sweden (Swedish: sverigefinländare), which emphases nationality rather than linguistic or ethnic belonging and thereby includes all Finnish heritage regardless of language, and Sweden Finns (Swedish: sverigefinnar) which emphases linguistic and ethnic belonging rather than nationality and usually excludes Swedish-speaking Finns. Such distinctions are, however, blurred by the dynamics of migration, bilingualism, and national identities in the two countries. Note that speakers of Meänkieli are singled out as a separate linguistic minority by Swedish authorities.[7]
History
Communities of Finns in Sweden can be traced back to the
In the 16th and the 17th century large groups of
In the 1600s, there were plans to set up a new region
Distribution of Sweden Finns
The city of Eskilstuna, Södermanland, is one of the most heavily populated Sweden Finnish cities of Sweden, due to migration from Finland, during the 1950s until the 1970s, due to Eskilstuna's large number of industries. In Eskilstuna, the Finnish-speaking minority have both a private school (the only one in the city of Eskilstuna, there is no public school or teachers in Finnish at the public schools. Only the lower level is in Finnish, upper level is in Swedish) and only one magazine in Finnish. Some of the municipal administration is also available in Finnish.
In the Finnish mindset, the term "Sweden Finns" (ruotsinsuomalaiset) is first and foremost directed at these
In the Swedish mindset, the term "Sweden Finns" historically denominated primarily the (previously)
Today
Today Finnish is an official
Notable Sweden Finns
- Sebastian Aho, hockey player
- Anneli Alhanko, actress
- Hasse Aro, television host
- Miriam Bryant, singer
- Mikael Damberg, politician
- Markus Fagervall, singer and winner of Swedish Idol 2006
- Mika Hannula, former ice hockey player
- Elsa Hosk, professional model
- Peter Hultqvist, politician
- Jan Huokko, former ice hockey player
- Richard Jomshof, politician
- Johanna Jussinniemi, adult model
- Markus Krunegård, singer
- Marko Lehtosalo, singer and comedian
- Markus Mustonen, musician
- Mikael Niemi, author
- Martin Ponsiluoma, biathlete
- Sebastian Rajalakso, football player
- Mattias Ritola, ice hockey player
- Hanna Ryd, singer
- Timo Räisänen, musician
- Max Salminen, sailor
- Rami Shaaban, former football player
- Sami Sirviö, musician
- Daniel Ståhl, athlete
- Hans Tikkanen, chess player
- Ola Toivonen, football player
- Fredrik Virtanen, journalist
- Mika Zibanejad, ice hockey player
See also
- Sweden Finns' Day
- Languages of Sweden
- Sami
- Karelians
- Tornedalians
- Ingrians
- Forest Finns
- Finland-Swedes
- Kvens
References
- ^ "Ruotsinsuomalaiset". Archived from the original on 19 December 2007.
- ^ "Ds 2001:10 Mänskliga rättigheter i Sverige". The Government of Sweden. p. 20. Archived from the original on 19 January 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
- ^ "Fler med finsk bakgrund i Sverige". Sveriges Radio. Sverige Radio. 22 February 2013. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
- ^ Vuonokari, Kaisa; Laitinen, Merja; Karlsson, Veronica (24 February 2017). "Ruotsissa on nyt 719 000 suomalaistaustaista". Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2023 – via sverigesradio.se.
- ^ "SOU 2005:40 Rätten till mitt språk (del 2)" (in Swedish). SOU 2005:40. pp. 217–218. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
- ^ "Finland och Irak de två vanligaste födelsälnderna". Statistics Sweden. 2005. Archived from the original on 22 September 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
- ^ "Nationella minoriteter". The Government of Sweden. 24 September 2014. Archived from the original on 26 February 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
- ^ "Finska språket i Sverige". minoritet.se. Sámi Parliament of Sweden. 10 March 2017. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
- ^ Kuuntelijat – Lyssnarna Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine (in Finnish and Swedish) Sveriges Radio
- ^ Lag (2009:724) om nationella minoriteter och minoritetsspråk Archived 10 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Swedish law on national minorities and minority languages (in Swedish). Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ Förvaltningsområdet för finska Archived 10 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine. List of municipalities in the administrative area for the Finnish language, including municipalities added subsequently. Retrieved 31 May 2018.