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1. Main challenges to social inclusion

2. Definitions and concepts

Main challenges to social inclusion

Racism, discrimination, violence and bullying, mental health issues, and homelessness are recognised as the main challenges to social inclusion and are addressed through current policy initiatives. 

Racism and discrimination

In the 2023 Being Black in the EU study, published by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights , Finland recorded the third highest level of discrimination on any ground among the countries surveyed. Similarly, findings from the MoniSuomi study (2022–2023), published by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, indicate that more than 40% of adults born abroad reported experiencing discrimination in the previous year. 

Violence, bullying and mental health

According to the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare’s School Health Promotion study (2023), around 10% of girls in grades 4–5 (ages 10–11) and pupils in grades 8–9 (ages 13–15) reported being bullied at least once a week (Helenius & Kivimäki 2023). In the study, bullying is defined as the harassment of a pupil by another pupil or a group of pupils, either verbally or physically. Social inclusion was measured using the ‘Experiences of Social Inclusion Scale’ (in Finnish), developed by the institute. 

Between 2019 and 2023, the proportion of young people reporting extremely low levels of social inclusion varied by gender and school level, ranging from 5 to 15%. Girls in grades 8–9 (ages 13–15) reported the highest levels of social exclusion. The social inclusion indicator covers several dimensions, including whether respondents feel they can make an impact, whether they perceive their actions as meaningful, and whether they experience a sense of belonging in communities that are important to them. 

Youth homelessness

Based on the Homeless people 2024 webpage of the Centre for State-Subsidised Housing Construction (Varke), ‘there were in total 3,806 homeless people living alone in Finland, which is 377 more than in 2023. The number of homeless people living alone increased for the first time since 2012. There were 1,010 long-term homeless people and 110 homeless families.’ The Housing Finance and Development Centre of Finland’s (Ara) Housing 2024 report further states that, compared to 2023, the number of homeless young people increased, while the number of homeless immigrants decreased. Young people accounted for 15% of all homeless individuals (see p. 18). It should be noted that Ara no longer exists as an independent agency; its functions have been transferred to Varke.

Payment defaults and youth indebtedness

According to the Overall Review of Indebtedness as a Phenomenon (Kokonaistarkastelu velkaantumisilmiöstä, in Finnish), published on 6 June 2025 by the Ministry of Justice, indebtedness has increased particularly among young people. 

Data from Suomen Asiakastieto indicates that, relative to the size of the age cohort, the highest proportion of individuals receiving their first payment default entry is found among those ages 20–24. (See the news release in Finnish: Maksuhäiriöisten kuluttajien määrän kasvu hidastui vuodessa lähes 30 % - maksuhäiriöisiä on nyt 382 000, 15 January 2026). Suomen Asiakastieto is one of Finland’s leading providers of corporate risk management and sales and marketing information services. The company maintains a consumer credit information register, including Payment Default Statistics.

Definitions and concepts

In the Finnish context, it should be noted that the Finnish-language term osallisuus can be understood as equivalent to either inclusion or participation, depending on the context. This may lead to scarcity in the explicit use of the concept social inclusion (sosiaalinen inkluusio, in Finnish) in national policy documents, even though the concept does exist in Finnish. Consequently, policy measures promoting young people’s osallisuus are addressed in both YouthWiki/Finland 4 Social Inclusion and YouthWiki/Finland 5 Participation.