In Finland and in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, immigrants live in owner-occupied housing far less frequently than the native population. A corresponding mismatch can also be seen in many other countries, particularly with regard to immigrants who have been in the country for a short period of time.

At the end of 2016, Helsinki had 635,000 inhabitants. The population has been growing rapidly, by 8,000 annually on average in 2013–2016. This means an annual population increase of 1.3 per cent.