The coverage of the data varies by service task and region. Therefore, the reported number of clients is based on data that the wellbeing services counties have assessed as comprehensive.
Client relationships are most common among those aged over 85
Approximately 220,000 persons are covered by services for older people, which means that around one in five Finns aged 65 or over was a client of services for older people in October and December 2025. Among those aged 85 or over, more than half (53%) were clients.
150,000 children are clients of services for families with children
Services for families with children include both adults and children. It is estimated that about 5% of the population under 65 were clients of these services during October–December 2025, corresponding to approximately 230,000 persons.
Of these clients, approximately 150,000 were under 18 years of age (59%). Among all children, nearly one in six (15%) was a client of services for families with children.
An estimated 41,000 children under the age of 18 were clients of child welfare services, corresponding to 4% of all children. One in every ten (10 %) child clients of services for families with children receives child welfare services as well. However, the share of these joint customers varies by region.
Six per cent of the working-age population are social welfare clients
There were 220,000 clients of services for persons of the working age, representing 6% of people aged 18 to 64. Services for persons of the working age focus on young adults and clients nearing the end of their working lives.
2.4% of Finns receive services for persons with disabilities
There were approximately 136,000 clients of services for persons with disabilities (2.4% of the Finnish population).
The majority of these clients are aged 65 or over. More than half of the clients of services for persons with disabilities who had turned 65 were also covered by services for older people.
