# Finland and Russia compared

Finland and Russia side by side: 43 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 11 events their chronicles record of each other.

Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/fin-vs-rus
Updated: 2026-08-10 (latest of the two dossiers' refreshes and the two chronicles' verification dates)

Two sourced records set beside each other — nothing on this page was written for the pair. Every figure is the same observation, with the same source, as on the two national dossiers; every event is the same record, with the same sources, as on its own chronicle. Figures are compared, never graded. A "—" is an absence in the source data, never a zero; each value shows its own observation year — vintages differ by indicator and nation.

## Formation

- Finland: 6 December 1917 — Finland declares independence from the Russian Empire
- Russia: 882 — Oleg takes Kiev and Kievan Rus' becomes a single state

## Economy

| Metric | Finland | Observed | Russia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $299 B | 2024 | $2.17 T | 2024 |
| GDP per capita | $53,150 | 2024 | $14,889 | 2024 |
| GDP growth | 0.4% | 2024 | 4.3% | 2024 |
| Inflation | 1.6% | 2024 | 8.4% | 2024 |
| Trade openness | 83.5% | 2024 | 39.5% | 2024 |

## Society

| Metric | Finland | Observed | Russia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 5.6 m | 2024 | 144 m | 2024 |
| Life expectancy | 82.3 yrs | 2024 | 73.4 yrs | 2024 |
| Urban population | 74.3% | 2024 | 75.1% | 2024 |
| Fertility rate | 1.3 | 2024 | 1.4 | 2024 |

## Governance

| Metric | Finland | Observed | Russia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & accountability | 89.3 | 2024 | 32.0 | 2024 |
| Political stability | 80.1 | 2024 | 50.5 | 2024 |
| Government effectiveness | 86.7 | 2024 | 45.1 | 2024 |
| Regulatory quality | 85.8 | 2024 | 38.0 | 2024 |
| Rule of law | 91.8 | 2024 | 37.1 | 2024 |
| Control of corruption | 92.2 | 2024 | 29.8 | 2024 |

## Health

| Metric | Finland | Observed | Russia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spending | 10.5% | 2023 | 7.0% | 2023 |
| Physicians | 3.61 | 2021 | 5.11 | 2022 |
| Under-5 mortality | 2.4 | 2024 | 5.2 | 2024 |
| Measles immunisation | 94.0% | 2024 | 97.0% | 2024 |
| Safe drinking water | 99.6% | 2024 | 76.3% | 2024 |

## Education

| Metric | Finland | Observed | Russia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education spending | 6.4% | 2022 | 4.2% | 2023 |
| Primary enrolment | 98.9% | 2024 | 97.7% | 2023 |
| Secondary enrolment | 142.4% | 2024 | 92.5% | 2023 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 110.3% | 2024 | 60.4% | 2024 |
| Adult literacy | — | — | 99.9% | 2021 |

## Technology

| Metric | Finland | Observed | Russia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D spending | 3.1% | 2023 | 0.9% | 2024 |
| Researchers (per million) | 8,315 | 2023 | 2,639 | 2024 |
| Internet users | 93.7% | 2024 | 94.4% | 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 126 | 2024 | 186 | 2024 |
| High-tech exports | 9.3% | 2024 | 9.7% | 2021 |

## Geography

| Metric | Finland | Observed | Russia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land area | 303,960 km² | 2023 | 16,376,870 km² | 2023 |
| Forest area | 73.7% | 2023 | 49.8% | 2023 |
| Agricultural land | 7.4% | 2023 | 13.2% | 2023 |
| CO₂ per capita (t) | 5.5 | 2024 | 14.0 | 2024 |
| Renewable energy | 50.2% | 2021 | 3.5% | 2021 |

## Resources

| Metric | Finland | Observed | Russia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource rents | 0.4% | 2021 | 18.5% | 2021 |
| Oil rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 9.7% | 2021 |
| Mineral rents | 0.1% | 2021 | 2.1% | 2021 |
| Forest rents | 0.3% | 2021 | 0.3% | 2021 |
| Electricity access | 100.0% | 2023 | 100.0% | 2023 |
| Phosphate rock | 980 kt | 2025 | 14 Mt | 2025 |
| Copper (mined) | — | — | 1.3 Mt | 2025 |
| Iron ore | — | — | 86 Mt | 2025 |
| Gold (mined) | — | — | 310 t | 2025 |
| Cobalt (mined) | — | — | 7,700 t | 2025 |
| Nickel (mined) | — | — | 200 kt | 2025 |
| Rare earths | — | — | 2,600 t | 2025 |
| Bauxite | — | — | 5.7 Mt | 2025 |
| Zinc (mined) | — | — | 430 kt | 2025 |

## Military

| Metric | Finland | Observed | Russia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military burden | 2.3% | 2024 | 7.1% | 2024 |
| Defense spending | $7.0 B | 2024 | $149 B | 2024 |
| Armed forces | 22,000 | 2020 | 1.5 m | 2020 |

Each metric is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/<metric>.md). Full dossiers: https://terralore.co/country/FIN.md and https://terralore.co/country/RUS.md.

## Entangled histories (11 events)

Events in which either nation's sourced chronicle names the other — including under earlier names of the same state. Each is the record exactly as its own chronicle carries it, with that chronicle's sources.

- 1323: **Treaty of Noteborg** — The peace of Noteborg fixed an approximate frontier between the Swedish and Russian spheres in Karelia, assigning Finland to Sweden's orbit and splitting the Karelians between Catholic west and Orthodox east. (from the Finland chronicle; sources: Main outlines of Finnish history; Finland: Finland under Swedish rule)
- 1808–1809: **The Finnish War and the end of Swedish rule** — Russia conquered Finland from Sweden in the war of 1808-09, ending some six centuries during which Finland had formed the eastern half of the Kingdom of Sweden. (from the Finland chronicle; sources: Finland: Finland under Swedish rule; History of Finland)
- 1809: **Finland becomes an autonomous Grand Duchy** — By the Treaty of Fredrikshamn Sweden ceded Finland to Russia; it became the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland, joined to the empire through the tsar, who reigned as Grand Duke, and kept its own laws and religion. (from the Finland chronicle; sources: History of Finland; History of Finland)
- 6 Dec 1917: **Declaration of independence** — The Parliament of Finland approved a declaration of independence amid the turmoil of the Russian Revolution, ending more than a century as an autonomous Grand Duchy of the Russian Empire. (from the Finland chronicle; sources: History of Finland; Main outlines of Finnish history)
- 31 Dec 1917: **Soviet Russia recognises Finland** — Lenin's Bolshevik government formally recognised Finnish independence on the last day of 1917, calculating that it could not retain the periphery of the former empire. (from the Finland chronicle; sources: History of Finland; History of Finland)
- 30 Nov 1939: **The Winter War begins** — The Soviet Union invaded Finland on 30 November 1939 after Finland refused to cede territory near Leningrad; the outnumbered Finns mounted a celebrated defence through the winter of 1939-40. (from the Finland chronicle; sources: Russo-Finnish War (Winter War); History of Finland)
- 1941–1944: **The Continuation War** — Allied with Germany after its 1941 invasion of the USSR, Finland fought the Continuation War to recover Karelia, but a Soviet offensive in 1944 forced it to seek an armistice. (from the Finland chronicle; sources: Finland during World War II; Russo-Finnish War (Winter War))
- 19 Sep 1944: **Moscow Armistice and cession of Petsamo** — The Moscow Armistice ended the Continuation War, restoring the 1940 border, returning Petsamo to the Soviet Union, leasing Porkkala as a naval base, and imposing reparations. (from the Finland chronicle; sources: Finland during World War II; Draft Peace Treaty with Finland (Paris Peace Treaty terms))
- 1948: **Treaty with the Soviet Union and neutrality** — A 1948 treaty of friendship with the Soviet Union framed Finland's Cold War policy of strict neutrality and non-alignment, later known as 'Finlandization', under which it preserved its democracy and independence. (from the Finland chronicle; sources: History of Finland; History of Finland)
- May 2022: **Finland applies to join NATO** — Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 reversed Finnish opinion on military alignment; together with Sweden, Finland applied to join NATO, abandoning its long-standing non-alignment. (from the Finland chronicle; sources: Finland joins NATO as 31st Ally; History of Finland)
- 4 Apr 2023: **Finland becomes NATO's 31st member** — Finland deposited its instrument of accession and joined NATO as its 31st member on 4 April 2023, ending generations of neutrality and more than doubling the Alliance's land border with Russia. (from the Finland chronicle; sources: Finland joins NATO as 31st Ally)

## Sources

- World Development Indicators — World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://data.worldbank.org
- Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) — Worldwide Governance Indicators / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators
- Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) — WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.who.int/data/gho
- Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) — UNICEF and WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://childmortality.org
- R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) — UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://uis.unesco.org
- ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) — ITU / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics
- Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 — U.S. Geological Survey · Public domain (U.S. Government work) · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center
- Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex

Chronicle references are cited inline above and resolve in full at https://terralore.co/country/FIN/chronicle.md and https://terralore.co/country/RUS/chronicle.md.

Citation template: Terralore, "Finland and Russia compared", terralore.co/compare/fin-vs-rus, retrieved <YYYY-MM-DD>.