Kurds in Finland
Total population
16,603 (0.3%)
Regions with significant populations
Uusimaa8,573 (0.5%)[1]
Southwest Finland2,861 (0.6%)[1]
Pirkanmaa871 (0.2%)[1]
Päijät-Häme809 (0.4%)[1]
Central Finland487 (0.2%)[1]
Languages
Finnish and Kurdish
Religion
Sunni Islam Christianity Atheism Yazidism
Related ethnic groups
Iranian peoples

Kurds in Finland (Finnish: Suomen kurdit) refers to Kurds living in Finland. In 2022 there were 16,603 Kurdish speakers in Finland.[1]

History

Kurds started first arriving to Finland in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1995 there were 1,166 Turkish citizens in Finland, out of which around 300-550 were Kurds. A significant portion of the Turkish pizzerias and kebab-restaurants in Finland are established by Kurds.[2]

Some of the Finnish Kurds originate from Turkey and Iran, but most of them have come from Iraq, where they started arriving from in the 1990s as UNHCR quota refugees. Kurds make up the majority of Iraqi immigrants to Finland.[3] After ISIL gained ground against the Peshmerga in Iraqi Kurdistan the Finnish Kurds organized protests against ISIL.[4] According to the chairman of Finnish-Kurdish friendship association several dozens of Finnish Kurds had left to Syria and Iraq in order to fight against ISIL.[5]

Culture

Finnish Kurds speak several different dialects of Kurdish, the largest of which are Sorani and Kurmanji Kurdish. Kurmanji has more speakers worldwide, but Sorani is the most spoken Kurdish dialect in Finland. It is likely that there are more ethnic Kurds than there are those who speak it as a first language. For example, some of the Kurds who originate from Turkey speak Turkish rather than Kurdish. There are several different Kurdish organizations in Finland, many of which have direct or indirect connections to political parties in Iraqi Kurdistan.[3]

Almost all Finnish Kurds are Muslim and in the Iraqi Kurdistan, where the most Finnish Kurds hail from, most Kurds are Sunni Muslim. Different Kurdish organizations in Finland host their own Nowruz celebrations.[3][6]

Organizations

There are several Kurdish organizations in Finland, including Kurdiliitto[7] and Suomalais-Kurdilainen ystävyysseura.[8]

Political activism

On August 26, 2022, Kurds living in Finland held a demonstration in Helsinki to protest the NATO agreement with Finland, Sweden and Turkey and the trilateral memorandum meeting of Finland, Sweden and Turkey.[9] Turkey demanded that Finland end its support to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and People's Defense Units (YPG).[10]

Demographics

Historical population
YearPersons±% p.a.
1990179—    
1991294+64.25%
1992570+93.88%
1993868+52.28%
19941,147+32.14%
19951,381+20.40%
19961,670+20.93%
19972,099+25.69%
19982,419+15.25%
19992,860+18.23%
20003,115+8.92%
YearPersons±% p.a.
20013,477+11.62%
20023,926+12.91%
20034,340+10.55%
20044,757+9.61%
20055,123+7.69%
20065,469+6.75%
20075,893+7.75%
20086,455+9.54%
20097,135+10.53%
20108,032+12.57%
20118,623+7.36%
YearPersons±% p.a.
20129,280+7.62%
201310,075+8.57%
201410,731+6.51%
201511,271+5.03%
201612,226+8.47%
201713,327+9.01%
201814,054+5.46%
201914,803+5.33%
202015,368+3.82%
202115,850+3.14%
202216,603+4.75%
Source: [11]

Distribution

Regions of FinlandPopulation (2008) % of Kurdish-speaking populationPopulation (2018) % of Kurdish-speaking population
Uusimaa3,10648.1%7,50153.4%
Southwest Finland1,31220.3%2,54518.1%
Pirkanmaa4547%7985.7%
Päijät-Häme3946.1%7485.3%
Central Finland2584%4243%
North Ostrobothnia1201.9%3782.7%
Ostrobothnia2263.5%3112.2%
Kymenlaakso1221.9%2561.8%
Lapland861.3%1851.3%
Kanta-Häme560.9%1300.9%
North Karelia100.2%1270.9%
South Karelia621%1270.9%
Satakunta240.4%1140.8%
Northern Savonia210.3%960.7%
Kainuu741.1%760.5%
South Ostrobothnia230.4%730.5%
Southern Savonia160.2%650.5%
Åland701.1%520.4%
Central Ostrobothnia210.3%480.3%
Finland 6,455 14,054

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Kieli iän ja sukupuolen mukaan maakunnittain 1990 - 2017". Tilastokeskus. Archived from the original on 30 August 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  2. ↑ "Data" (PDF). jyx.jyu.fi. Retrieved 2019-11-22.
  3. 1 2 3 Wahlbeck, Östen (2005). "Kurds in Finland". Encyclopedia of Diasporas - Volume II. Springer. pp. 1004–1010. ISBN 0306483211.
  4. ↑ Hjelt, Yrjö. "Suomen kurdit osoittavat mieltään terroristijärjestö Isisiä vastaan". Yle Uutiset. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  5. ↑ Ijäs, Johannes. "Arvio: Jopa kymmeniä lähtenyt Suomesta kurditaistelijoiden riveihin". Kotimaa24. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  6. ↑ "Hyvä tietää". Archived from the original on 29 November 2014.
  7. ↑ ""Suomen kurdit" – Kurdiliitto ry".
  8. ↑ "Suomalais-Kurdilainen ystävyysseura ry". Archived from the original on 2019-07-20. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
  9. ↑ "Activists in Helsinki protest Finnish government's cooperation with Erdogan regime". ANF. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  10. ↑ "NATO'ya girmek isteyen İsveç ve Finlandiya, terör örgütlerini himaye ediyor". Anadolu Ajansı. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  11. ↑ "Language according to sex by municipality, 1990-2021". Statistics Finland. Archived from the original on April 25, 2022. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
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