Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Finland instead of Minnesota, you would:

Health

be 28.6% less likely to be obese

In Minnesota, 33.9% of adults are obese as of 2022. In Finland, that number is 24.2% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed

In Minnesota, 4.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Finland, that number is 9.5% as of 2025.

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be 38.6% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Minnesota, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Finland, however, that number is 12.2% as of 2022.

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make 18.0% less money

Minnesota has a GDP per capita of $68,478 as of 2024, while in Finland, the GDP per capita is $56,149 as of 2025.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), World Health Organization (2024), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024). How we calculate this

Compare further: Minnesota vs. Finland

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Finland is 16.5% cheaper than Minnesota
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Size Comparison · See true size
Minnesota is about 1.6 times smaller than Finland.
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Moving from Minnesota to Finland · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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City Size Comparison · See true size
Compare the size of Minneapolis vs Helsinki
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Finland: At a glance

Finland is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 303,815 sq km. Finland was a province and then a grand duchy under Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries, and an autonomous grand duchy of Russia after 1809. It gained complete independence in 1917. During World War II, it successfully defended its independence through cooperation with Germany and resisted subsequent invasions by the Soviet Union - albeit with some loss of territory. In the subsequent half century, Finland transformed from a farm/forest economy to a diversified modern industrial economy; per capita income is among the highest in Western Europe. A member of the European Union since 1995, Finland was the only Nordic state to join the euro single currency at its initiation in January 1999. In the 21st century, the key features of Finland's modern welfare state are high quality education, promotion of equality, and a national social welfare system - currently challenged by an aging population and the fluctuations of an export-driven economy.
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How big is Finland compared to Minnesota? See an in-depth size comparison.

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