Iraqis in Finland

Iraqis in Finland
Total population
	34,005 (0.5%)
Regions with significant populations
	Helsinki, Espoo, Turku, Vantaa, Tampere, Lahti
Languages
	Finnish and Iraqi Arabic ; also Kurdish (Sorani and Kurmanji dialects), Turkish (Iraqi Turkmen/Turkoman dialects), and Neo-Aramaic (Assyrian and Mandaic)
Religion
	Islam (Shia and Sunni), Christianity, Mandaeanism
Related ethnic groups
	Swedish Iraqis, Iraqis in Denmark, Iraqis in Norway

Iraqis in Finland (Arabic: العراقيون في فنلندا, romanized: al-ʻIrāqīyūn fī Finlandā) are people with Iraqi background residing in Finland. As of 31 December 2023, they numbered 29,266, making them the second largest immigrant group in Finland after Estonians.^[1]

Migration

Most Iraqis in Finland have come as refugees. Of the 32,000 people who sought asylum in Finland in 2015, 21,000 were Iraqis, or two-thirds of all asylum seekers.^[2]

Asylum based on clan feuds

Iraq is a clan-based society like many in the Middle East. Many Iraqis claim asylum in Finland on the basis that they are threatened by rival clans in their home country, but the refugee conventions state that asylum is granted on the basis of being persecuted by authorities of a country. Persecution by other civilians is primarily a concern of police in the country of origin. This creates contradictions because officials in Iraqi police authorities might themselves be members of a rival clan.^[3]

Mandaeans

Finland has a community of Iraqi Mandaeans.^[4]

Distribution

Helsinki is home to the largest Iraqi community, but Turku has the highest proportion.

Iraqis by Municipality in 2018^[5]
No.	Municipality	Iraqis	%
1.	Helsinki	5,936	0.92
2.	Espoo	3,181	1.12
3.	Turku	2,771	1.45
4.	Vantaa	2,460	1.08
5.	Tampere	1,642	0.70
6.	Lahti	909	0.76
7.	Oulu	681	0.33
8.	Vaasa	382	0.57
9.	Hämeenlinna	357	0.53
10.	Jyväskylä	281	0.20

Notable Finnish people of Iraqi descent

References

^ Population 31.12. by Origin, Background country, Language, Year, Age, Sex and Information, retrieved 23 July 2024
^ "Analyysi: Miksi 21 000 irakilaista haki turvapaikkaa juuri Suomesta? Tässä 6 syytä". Yle Uutiset.
^ "Clash of clans i verkliga livet - hur är det att leva i ett klansamhälle?". svenska.yle.fi (in Swedish). Retrieved 2019-11-29.
^ Pyhäranta, Tuija (9 January 2015). "Rekisteröityjen uskonnollisten yhdyskuntien määrä ylitti sadan – uutena uskontona mandealaisuus". Kotimaa. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
^ "PX-Web - Valitse muuttuja ja arvot". pxnet2.stat.fi. Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved 25 December 2018.

[1] Population 31.12. by Origin, Background country, Language, Year, Age, Sex and Information, retrieved 23 July 2024

[2] "Analyysi: Miksi 21 000 irakilaista haki turvapaikkaa juuri Suomesta? Tässä 6 syytä". Yle Uutiset.

[3] "Clash of clans i verkliga livet - hur är det att leva i ett klansamhälle?". svenska.yle.fi (in Swedish). Retrieved 2019-11-29.

[4] Pyhäranta, Tuija (9 January 2015). "Rekisteröityjen uskonnollisten yhdyskuntien määrä ylitti sadan – uutena uskontona mandealaisuus". Kotimaa. Retrieved 5 November 2021.

[stat-5] "PX-Web - Valitse muuttuja ja arvot". pxnet2.stat.fi. Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved 25 December 2018.

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v t e Immigration to Finland
Europe	Albanians Dutch Estonians Germans Hungarians Italians Jews Latvians Norwegians Poles Portuguese Romani Kale Romanians Russians Swiss Tatars Ukrainians
Middle East	Arabs Iraqis Syrians Assyrians Iranians Kurds Turks
South & East Asia	Afghans Chinese Indians Pakistanis Thais Vietnamese
Africa	Africans Nigerians Somalis
Americas	Latin Americans Chileans
Persons	Citizens of foreign descent Expatriates Immigrants Naturalized citizens Refugees
See also	Demographics of Finland Ethnic groups in Finland