Turks in Finland

Turks in Finland
Total population
est. 10,000 (2010 academic estimate)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Helsinki, Vantaa, Espoo, Tampere, Turku
Languages
Turkish and Finnish
Religion
Predominantly Sunni Islam
Minority Alevism, Christianity, Other religions and Irreligion
Related ethnic groups
Turks in Denmark,
Turks in Norway,
Turks in Sweden
Turkish Embassy in Helsinki, Finland

Turks in Finland, also referred to as Turkish Finns or Finnish Turks, (Turkish: Finlandiya Türkleri; or Finlandiya'da yaşayan Türkler Finnish: Suomen turkkilaiset or Suomessa asuvat turkkilaiset) are the ethnic Turkish people living in Finland, including Finnish-born persons who have Turkish parents or a Turkish ancestral background. The majority of Finnish Turks descend from the Republic of Turkey; however there has also been significant Turkish migration from other post-Ottoman countries including ethnic Turkish communities which have come to Finland from the Balkans (e.g. Bulgaria, Greece, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Romania), the island of Cyprus, and more recently Iraq and Syria.

History

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Turkish migration to Finland is a relatively new phenomenon in the country; the majority have predominantly arrived since the late 1980s and are made up of largely male immigrants.[2] Thus, many Turkish adolescents have a Finnish mother.[3] Between 1987 and 2012 there have been 8,904 Turkish citizens who have migrated to Finland.[4] In 2019, Turkish asylum seekers are the second largest group after Iraqis. From January to August, 283 Turkish citizens have sought asylum, while for the whole of 2018 it was 293. Their number by the end of the year is projected to be 45% more than the last year. According to Finnish Immigration Service, many Turks are seeking asylum due to the Gülen movement.[5]

Number of Turkish immigrants entering Finland by year[4]
Year Number Year Number Year Number
1987 25 2000 316 2013 603
1988 50 2001 341 2014 510
1989 83 2002 514 2015 427
1990 417 2003 354 2016 764
1991 394 2004 401 2017 925
1992 455 2005 504 2018 951
1993 238 2006 515
1994 364 2007 446
1995 167 2008 570
1996 235 2009 528
1997 375 2010 306
1998 196 2011 370
1999 297 2012 443

Demographics

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According to Statistics Finland, the majority of Turks live in the Uusimaa region with smaller communities in Pirkanmaa, Varsinais-Suomi, North Ostrobothnia, and Kymenlaakso.[6]

8,127 speak Turkish, making Turkish the 14th most spoken language in Finland. There are 4,794 Turkish citizens, while 7,472 are born in Turkey. There are 7,221 first generation Turkish immigrants in Finland and 2,135 second generation immigrants for a total of 9,356.

Turks by Municipality in 2018
No. Municipality Turks %
1. Helsinki 2,300 0.35
2. Vantaa 1,119 0.49
3. Espoo 726 0.26
4. Tampere 456 0.19
5. Turku 291 0.15
6. Kerava 237 0.65
7. Oulu 222 0.11
8. Lahti 212 0.18
9. Jyväskylä 201 0.14
10. Lappeenranta 174 0.25

Society

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65.5% of them are male while 34.5% are female. 22.2% are less than 14 years old, 76.7% are between 15 and 64 years old and only 1.1% are over the age 65.

The majority of Turkish immigrants are self-employed and are predominantly active in the restaurant and fast food sector.[7]

Organizations

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  • Suomen turkkilainen seura[8]

Political activism

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Turkey demanded that Finland ends its alleged support for the Gülen movement.[9]

Notable people

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Kütük, Zeki (2010), Finlandiya'da Yabancı Düşmanlığı, Sosyal Dışlanma ve Türk Diasporası, Türk Asya Stratejik Araştırmalar Merkezi, retrieved 8 November 2020, Toplam sayılarının 10 000 civarında olduğu tahmin edilen Türklerin...
  2. ^ Östen 2007, 548.
  3. ^ Phinney et al. 2006, 225.
  4. ^ a b Statistics Finland. "Immigration and emigration by country of exit and entry and by age and gender 1987 - 2012". Retrieved 2011-06-25.
  5. ^ "SKA: Turkkilaisten turvapaikanhakijoiden määrä räjähtänyt Suomessa muutamassa vuodessa – jo toiseksi suurin ryhmä".
  6. ^ Statistics Finland. "Country of birth according to age and gender by region 1990-2012". Retrieved 2011-06-25.
  7. ^ Östen 2008, 53.
  8. ^ "Finto: Yhteisöt: Suomen turkkilainen seura".
  9. ^ "NATO'ya girmek isteyen İsveç ve Finlandiya, terör örgütlerini himaye ediyor". Anadolu Ajansı. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  10. ^ Taylor, Stephen (1935), Who's who in Central and East-Europe, Central European Times Publishing Company, p. 351

Bibliography

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