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1. Young people as voters

2. Young people as political representatives

Young people as voters

The voting age in Finland is 18 years, and there are no special provisions for certain groups of young people. Proposals to lower the voting age have not been actively discussed in Parliament, and Parliament has no official position on the matter. The voting age in the Evangelical Lutheran church council elections is 16, based on section 20 of the Church Act (652/2023) (Kirkkolaki, also available in Swedish). 

In Finland, the elections are direct, secret, and proportional (except the presidential election, which is not proportional). Parliamentary, county, and municipal elections are held every four years, while presidential elections are held every six years. Elections to the European Parliament take place every five years in all Member States of the European Union. (General presentation of the Finnish election system, see the publication The Finnish Election System: Overview (2023) written by Arto Jääskeläinen, published by the Ministry of Justice.) 

Below are the latest turnout percentages reported for each of the above-mentioned elections. 

Presidential elections 

As mentioned in the press release Voting turnout decreased clearly among young men in the second round of the Presidential election 2024 published on 19 April 2024 by Statistics Finland, voter turnout in the second round of the presidential elections in spring 2024 among 18–34-year-olds varied between 55% and 63%. The average turnout in the second round was approximately 70%.

European Parliament elections

In 2024, the voter turnout in the elections to the European Parliament among people living in Finland was approximately 42%, as mentioned in the release  Voting turnout in the elections to the European Parliament 2024 on level with the previous elections, published on 18 June 2024 by Statistics Finland. A later release entitled Pensioners active voters in the elections to the European Parliament 2024, published on 5 September 2024 by the same institute, provided age-specific information. For the 18–19-year-olds, voter turnout was approximately 12%, and for 20–34-year-olds it was as low as 16–17%. 

Parliament elections

In the 2023 parliamentary elections, the turnout was 58% among 18–24-year-olds and 64% among 25–35-year-olds. The average turnout was approximately 71%. These figures are based on the article by Sami Borg entitled ‘Electoral participation and attitudes about voting’ in the National Election Study 2023, ‘Prime Minister Elections in the Age of Political Polarisation’ (Pääministerivaalit polarisaation aikakaudella Eduskuntavaalitutkimus 2023) (2024), edited by E. Kestilä-Kekkonen (et al.), published by the Ministry of Justice, as well as on the statistical report by Statistics Finland entitled Parliament Elections 2023, background analysis of the voters. 

County elections

According to Statistics Finland, voter turnout in the 2025 county elections was 51.7%. Overall, voter turnout was reported to remain low among young people by Statistics Finland, with 21-year-olds reported as the most inactive voters, while 71-year-olds were the most active. Among 21-year-olds, men were less active voters than women. 

The  Finnish National Youth Council and Youth Sector's press release (Nuoret äänestivät aktiivisemmin kunta- ja aluevaaleissa, mutta kuilu alueiden ja sukupuolten välillä syveni) published on 9 June 2025, stated that the gender divide in voting activity among young voters has widened, with young women being more active than men. At the same time, overall youth turnout in the 2025 county and municipal elections increased compared with previous elections. Among young voters, 18-year-olds were the most active, with a voter turnout of 39.6% in the county elections. Voter turnout among other youth age groups was 32.4% among 19-year-olds and 31.2% among 20–24-year-olds.

Municipal elections

According to Statistics Finland, voter turnout in the 2025 municipal elections across all age groups was 54.3%. Statistics Finland’s report Number of candidates 29,950 in Municipal elections 2025 states that 7.8% of the candidates were under 30, while the average age of candidates was 50.7 years. When examining the voters by age group, 16.4% of eligible voters were under 30. According to the previously mentioned Finnish National Youth Council and Youth Sector's press release (Nuoret äänestivät aktiivisemmin kunta- ja aluevaaleissa, mutta kuilu alueiden ja sukupuolten välillä syveni), 41.9% of 18-year-olds, 34.1% of 19-year-olds, and 32.3% of 20–24-year-olds voted in the elections. 

The Association of Finnish Cities and Municipalities estimated similarly that 35.4% of voters aged 18–24 voted in the latest elections. Furthermore, they observed that 11 municipalities did not have any candidates under the age of 30, while the share of candidates aged 65 and over had risen to 19.2%.

Despite the relatively low number of young voters and candidates in the 2025 municipal elections, the 2024 Youth Barometer (Nuorisobarometri 2024) shows that young people's interest in politics has increased compared with results from previous Youth Barometers. These results are elaborated in more detail in the publication in Finnish (see pp. 55-60), and the English language Infographics (also available in Finnish and Swedish). 

There are no recent statistics regarding voter turnout in referendums (or in the case of Finland, plebiscites, as they are advisory only), as the last referendum was held in 1994. 

Young people as political representatives

Young people over 18 years old can stand as political candidates in local, county, national, and European elections. There is no quota of seats reserved for young people, nor are there any provisions aimed at facilitating young people standing as political candidates. As recognised in the press release (Eduskuntaan valittiin 7 nuorta kansanedustajaa) by The Finnish National Youth Council and Youth Sector (FYCS), seven (3.5%) of the 200 members of the national parliament are under the age of 30 during the 2023–2027 parliamentary term. The average age of representatives is approximately 47 years. There are no functions within Parliament reserved exclusively for young people. ´

In  Background analysis of candidates and elected councillors in County elections 2022, published on 16 February 2022 by Statistics Finland, it is reported that the average age of all candidates in the county elections was 50, while those elected to the county councils were aged 51 on average. Based on the report '21 different kinds of county elections: Voting turnout and the elected in the county elections 2022' (21 Erilaista aluevaalia. Äänestysaktiivisuus ja valitut vuoden 2022 aluevaaleissa), published by the  Association of Finnish Cities and Municipalities, 7.6% of the candidates and only 4.8% of those elected were under 30 years of age.

As for the elections in 2021, 5.6 % of the members under the age of 30 were elected to local councils in the municipal elections. The average age of the councillors is approximately 51 years old (Pekola-Sjöblom & Piipponen 'Municipal elections 2021' (Kuntavaalit 2021: 293 vaalia, 8859 valtuustopaikkaa Keskeisiä tuloksia kuntavaalien 2021 tuloksista), published by the Association of Finnish Cities and Municipalities. For more information see the review entitled Background analysis of candidates and elected councillors in Municipal elections 2021, published on 24th of June 2021 by the Statistics Finland.

There are no functions within the councils that are specifically reserved for young people.