Transport industry in Finland - statistics & facts
Finland’s transport system is shaped by the country’s low population density, large coastline and its location in the northeast of Europe between Sweden and Norway to the west and Russia to its east. In a country with a population of 5.5 million, the Finnish transport sector employed close to 20,000 people in 2020. Most of these employees were active in the road freight and passenger sector. In terms of revenue, the warehousing and support activities sector generated the highest revenues, meanwhile, closely followed by the road freight sector. Each of these two sectors generated nearly a third of the total Finish transport sector revenue in 2020.
International rail freight transport is additionally hampered by Finland’s rail gauge. While most European networks operate with a gauge of 1,435mm, Finland’s standard gauge is 1,524mm. However, the Finnish government is now exploring options to adopt the European standard on its national rail network. While there are efforts to strengthen rail connections to its western neighbors, cross-border transport with Russia has significantly slowed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The volume of freight cars crossing the main rail border crossing from Russia into Finland at Vainikkala dropped by nearly three-quarter between January 2022 and June 2024. However, between 3,800 and 2,400 freight cars continued crossing the border monthly in 2024.
Despite long and harsh winters Fins are avid active and micromobility users. Not only does Helsinki score highest among Nordic capitals in terms of infrastructure provision for these modes, the city also has one of the highest modal shares for walking among Nordic capitals. Fins have also enthusiastically adopted the use of shared e-scooters. The average revenue for the mobility service stood at over twenty euros per user, higher than in any other Nordic country. This trend is expected to continue and the shared e-scooter sector is expected to grow to a value of over 19 million euros by 2029.
Moving freight by road and rail
While the country has an extensive rail network, the vast majority of freight and passenger transport is done by road, on a network of 13,500 kilometers of motorways, main, or national roads spanning the country. Around 3.5 times as much freight was moved by road in Finland as by rail in 2022.International rail freight transport is additionally hampered by Finland’s rail gauge. While most European networks operate with a gauge of 1,435mm, Finland’s standard gauge is 1,524mm. However, the Finnish government is now exploring options to adopt the European standard on its national rail network. While there are efforts to strengthen rail connections to its western neighbors, cross-border transport with Russia has significantly slowed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The volume of freight cars crossing the main rail border crossing from Russia into Finland at Vainikkala dropped by nearly three-quarter between January 2022 and June 2024. However, between 3,800 and 2,400 freight cars continued crossing the border monthly in 2024.
Ready for the future?
In 2023, the Finnish capital, Helsinki ranked first among cities globally in urban mobility readiness. The city scored particularly highly on its infrastructure, which includes extensive pedestrian and cycling provision, EV charging infrastructure and a robust public transport offering.Despite long and harsh winters Fins are avid active and micromobility users. Not only does Helsinki score highest among Nordic capitals in terms of infrastructure provision for these modes, the city also has one of the highest modal shares for walking among Nordic capitals. Fins have also enthusiastically adopted the use of shared e-scooters. The average revenue for the mobility service stood at over twenty euros per user, higher than in any other Nordic country. This trend is expected to continue and the shared e-scooter sector is expected to grow to a value of over 19 million euros by 2029.
