There are persistent inequalities in health and well-being in Finland

A crisis-resilient society is built on people’s well-being, mutual support, everyday security, and trust in, for example, the functioning of social and health care services.

In Finland, trust has traditionally been at a high level, and differences in health and well-being between population groups have been relatively small by international standards. However, inequality is increasing: difficulties in making a living have become more common, as have, for example, mental health problems among young people.

Differences in well-being and health are strongly linked to socio-economic position. The lower a person’s level of education and income, the higher their risk of various illnesses and the more often they experience social exclusion.

The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) has proposed several measures to address current challenges related to well-being and health. Preventing and reducing inequality is important not only from a human perspective but also to ensure societal stability and crisis resilience.

Read the article on narrowing well-being inequalities

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Fragmentation of the social and health care service system: what does fragmentation mean in practice for an ordinary service user, and how is it reflected in access to services? What should be done?

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THL’s report presents 116 recommendations to address current challenges related to well-being and health

Most Finns experience their lives as safe and trust societal actors and those close to them, but trust in, for example, the social and health care system has weakened in recent years, according to the Well-being Review published by THL.

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