Turks in Finland or Finnish Turks (; or ''Finlandiya'da yaşayan Türkler'' ) are the ethnic

Turkish people Turks (), or Turkish people, are the largest Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group, comprising the majority of the population of Turkey and Northern Cyprus. They generally speak the various Turkish dialects. In addition, centuries-old Turkish co ...

. The majority of Finnish Turks descend from the

Republic of Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

; however there has also been significant Turkish migration from other post- Ottoman countries including ethnic Turkish communities which have come to Finland from the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

, the island of

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

, and more recently

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

and

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

. , there were 12,202 people born in Turkey living in Finland. Similarly, the number of people with Turkish

citizenship Citizenship is a membership and allegiance to a sovereign state. Though citizenship is often conflated with nationality in today's English-speaking world, international law does not usually use the term ''citizenship'' to refer to nationalit ...

was 8,290. The number of people who spoke

Turkish Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...

as their

mother tongue A first language (L1), native language, native tongue, or mother tongue is the first language a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongue'' refers ...

was 12,964.

History

Turkish migration to Finland is a relatively new phenomenon in the country; the majority have predominantly arrived since the late 1980s and are made up of largely male immigrants. Thus, many Turkish adolescents have a Finnish mother. Between 1987 and 2012 there have been 8,904 Turkish citizens who have migrated to Finland. In 2019, Turkish asylum seekers are the second largest group after

Iraqis Iraqis ( ; ) are the citizens and nationals of the Republic of Iraq. The majority of Iraqis are Arabs, with Kurds accounting for the largest ethnic minority, followed by Turkmen. Other ethnic groups from the country include Yazidis, As ...

. From January to August, 283 Turkish citizens have sought asylum, while for the whole of 2018 it was 293. Their number by the end of the year is projected to be 45% more than the last year. According to Finnish Immigration Service, many Turks are seeking asylum due to the

Gülen movement The Gülen movement () or Hizmet movement () is an Islamist fraternal movement. It is a sub-sect of Sunni Islam based on a Nursian theological perspective as reflected in Fethullah Gülen's religious teachings. It is referred to by its membe ...

Demographics

People born in Turkey and living in Finland, according to Statistics Finland. People with Turkish citizenship living in Finland according to Statistics Finland. People with Turkish as mother tongue living in Finland according to Statistics Finland.

Society

65.5% of them are male while 34.5% are female. 22.2% are less than 14 years old, 76.7% are between 15 and 64 years old and only 1.1% are over the age 65. The majority of Turkish immigrants are self-employed and are predominantly active in the restaurant and fast food sector.

Organizations

* Suomen turkkilainen seura

Political activism

As in May 2022 Finland made an accession bid to join NATO, Turkey demanded that Finland ends its alleged support for the

Notable people

* Erol Ates, football manager and former player *

Fikret Güler Fikret Güler (6 May 1953 – 17 November 2023) was a Turkish Taekwondo Grand Master and 9th-degree black belt. He was a key figure in the development of martial arts in Scandinavia, particularly in Finland. Throughout his Taekwondo career, he r ...

, Turkish taekwondo Grand Master *

Oliver Günes Oliver Leo Aurel Günes (born 24 December 2002) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Veikkausliiga club Gnistan. Club career Günes debuted in top tier Veikkausliiga with SJK first team in 2021, but played mostly ...

, football player *

Mehmet Gürs Mehmet Gürs (born 13 December 1969) is a Finnish celebrity chef, television personality, restaurateur and consultant. He is considered to be Istanbul's most recognizable chef. Biography Gürs was born in Finland to a Turkish father and a Fi ...

, chef (Turkish father) *, women's activist and public enlightener (her mother, Adolfina Sofia Soldan, was a descendant of who was the first documented Turk in Germany) * Sinem Kurtbay, sailor (Turkish father) * Berat Köse, football player * Ibrahim Köse, football player * Onary Köse, footballer *

Kaan Kairinen Kasper Kaan Özden Kairinen (born 22 December 1998) is a Finnish professional footballer, who plays as a central midfielder for Czech First League club Sparta Prague and the Finland national team. Early life Kairinen was born to a Turkish fat ...

, football player (Turkish father) * Melek Mazici, visual artist *

Anton Odabasi Ozan Anton Odabasi (born 8 August 1995) is a Finnish-Turkish professional basketball player for Galatasaray S.K. (men's basketball), Galatasaray of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL) and the EuroCup Basketball, EuroCup. Odabasi grew up with ...

, basketball player (Turkish father) * Mert Otsamo, fashion designer (Turkish father) *

Masar Ömer Masar Ömer (born 12 June 1993) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays for FC Honka, as a striker. He is of Turkish Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ...

, football player *

Teuvo Tulio Theodor Antonius Tugai (23 August 1912 – 8 June 2000), better known as Teuvo Tulio, was a Finnish film director and actor. Beginning his career as an actor at the end of the silent era, Tulio turned to directing and producing in the 1930s. Hi ...

, film director *

Ozan Yanar Ozan Göksu Yanar (born 3 May 1987 in Istanbul, Turkey) is a Finnish politician and a former Member of the Finnish Parliament, representing the Green League. He has been the chairman of Federation of Green Youth and Students since 2015. Yanar wa ...

, former member of the Finnish Parliament *, singer (Turkish father) * Taha Özcelik, football player

References

Bibliography

* * * . {{Portal bar, Finland, Turkey Ethnic groups in Finland Finland–Turkey relations Middle Eastern diaspora in Finland Muslim communities in Europe

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

Islam in Finland