Support services for daily living – Social assistance

7 per cent of the population received social assistance in 2025

In 2025, 271,000 households and 398,000 people received social assistance. This corresponded to 7 per cent of the population.

A total of 256,000 households received basic social assistance, 53,000 received supplementary social assistance and 32,000 households received preventive social assistance. The number of households receiving supplementary social assistance increased by approximately 1 per cent, while the number of households receiving preventive social assistance decreased by 3 per cent.

Large regional differences in the number of young people receiving supplementary and preventive social assistance

The number of households receiving supplementary social assistance increased in 11 wellbeing services counties and decreased in 12 counties. The number of households receiving preventive social assistance increased in eight wellbeing services counties and decreased in 14 counties.

Differences between wellbeing services counties in supplementary and preventive social assistance are considerable and particularly pronounced among persons aged 18–24. The share of young people receiving preventive social assistance varies from approximately 0.2 to 2.3 per cent of the age group. In some areas, the share is more than ten times higher than in areas with few recipients.

Supplementary and preventive social assistance are granted on a case-by-case basis for specific expenses and situations not covered by basic social assistance. The assistance is applied for from the relevant wellbeing services county, and it is usually required that basic social assistance has first been applied for from Kela.

Expenditure on social assistance was nearly EUR 1.1 billion in 2025

Expenditure on basic social assistance increased by a total of EUR 245 million in 2025.

Total expenditure on social assistance amounted to EUR 1,051 million. Of this, EUR 1,004 million was paid as basic social assistance, EUR 27 million as supplementary social assistance and EUR 20 million as preventive social assistance.

Approximately two thirds of the increase is estimated to be related to the inclusion of fully state-funded basic social assistance in the social assistance register, and about one third to other developments in basic social assistance expenditure.

The social assistance register now covers all social assistance – the 2025 data are not directly comparable with previous years

Previously, THL’s social assistance register included only data on basic social assistance jointly funded by the state and municipalities. Fully state-funded basic social assistance was not included in the register.

Fully state-funded basic social assistance was discontinued on 1 April 2025. After this change, all basic social assistance is jointly funded by the state and municipalities. As a result, from 2025 onwards, the register also includes clients who previously received state-funded assistance as well as the related expenditure.

Due to this change, the data for 2025 is not directly comparable with previous years.

In practice, a new client group has been added to the register, consisting largely of people who have fled Russia’s war of aggression, particularly from Ukraine. After residing in the country for one year, they may become eligible for social assistance. They are typically not granted unemployment benefits, which means that the amount of basic social assistance they receive is on average higher and the need for assistance may be more long-term than for other client groups.

Changes to social assistance in 2026

A legislative amendment that entered into force in February 2026 tightens the conditions for receiving social assistance. Kela encourages clients to apply for primary benefits and to register as jobseekers, and the basic amount of social assistance may be reduced if the client does not comply with these requirements.

The basic amount of basic social assistance will be reduced for adults from March 2026, and the earned income disregard will be removed. As a result, the income earned will have a greater impact on the level of assistance.

In addition, the housing component of social assistance may be paid directly to the landlord if the client has been granted a rental guarantee from Kela.

Further information is available from Kela.

About the data in more detail 

• Read the entire statistical report (Julkari) (in Finnish) 
• Indicator data in Sotkanet
• Attached tables (xls 95 kt)

Background information

• Statistical quality report (in Finnish)
• Privacy policy (in Finnish)
• Data description (Data resources catalogue) 
• Instructions for submitting data (in Finnish)

Source

Social assistance 2025
Statistical report18/2026, 29.5.2026.
Official Statistics of Finland, Social assistance. THL.

Description of the statistics

The Social Assistance Register contains data on clients who have been forced to resort to social assistance due to the lack or inadequacy of social security benefits. 

Data on recipients of basic social assistance, supplementary social assistance and preventive social assistance is collected in the register. Assistance granted to refugees, returnees and asylum seekers paid for by the state is excluded from the register.  

As social assistance is granted to households, information about the number of children under the age of 18 is also collected in the Social Assistance Register. The data on the children does not include personal identity codes. 

Update schedule 

The statistics are updated annually in May. 

A more precise publication date will be updated in the publication calendar.
Statistics publication calendar