Health in Etelä-Karjala (Etelä-Suomi, Finland): official figures
With an age-standardised morbidity index of 103.8 in 2024 (Finland = 100), the South Karelia region ranked 10th highest among Finland's 19 regions for the burden of illness.
How often do people see a doctor in South Karelia?
Primary health care recorded 869 outpatient doctor visits per 1,000 residents of Etelä-Karjala (South Karelia) in 2025, below the national figure of 1,056; that is the lowest among Finland's 19 regions, down 11% from 974 in 2020.
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyHow long is the wait for a doctor in South Karelia?
In 2024, 52.8% of non-urgent primary care doctor appointments in Etelä-Karjala (South Karelia) took place more than seven days after the need for care was assessed, above the national figure of 48.7%; that ranks 8th longest of the 18 with data.
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyWhat is the flu vaccination rate in South Karelia?
65.7% of people aged 65 or over in South Karelia were vaccinated against influenza in the 2025 season, above the national figure of 59.6%; that is the highest among Finland's 19 regions.
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyHow many people smoke in South Karelia?
THL's Healthy Finland survey found that 10.1% of adults in Etelä-Karjala (South Karelia) smoked daily in 2024, above the national figure of 9.1%; that is 6th highest among Finland's 19 regions.
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyWhat is the obesity rate in South Karelia?
20.7% of adults in Etelä-Karjala (South Karelia) were obese (body mass index of 30 or more) in 2024, below the national figure of 24.5%; that is the lowest among Finland's 19 regions.
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyHow much do people drink in South Karelia?
34.2% of adults in the South Karelia region drank alcohol at a risky level by the AUDIT-C test in 2024, against 29.9% nationally.
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyHow much alcohol is sold in South Karelia?
Shops and licensed premises in the South Karelia region sold 8.5 litres of pure alcohol per resident aged 18 or over in 2025, above the national figure of 7.2.
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyWhat is the suicide rate in South Karelia?
The South Karelia region recorded 6.4 suicides per 100,000 residents in 2024, against 13.6 for Finland as a whole.
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyHow many people get home care in South Karelia?
Regular home care services reached 2.70% of residents of Etelä-Karjala (South Karelia) in 2025, above the national figure of 2.00%.
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyHow many people work in healthcare in South Karelia?
Health and social work provided 19.7% of all jobs located in South Karelia in 2023, above the national figure of 18.1%.
Source: Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus) · saved copyHow Etelä-Karjala compares with other regions in Finland
THL morbidity index, age-standardised (Finland = 100) (2024)
Etelä-Karjala ranks 10 of 19, highest first. Figures come from the wellbeing services counties; Uusimaa combines East, Central and West Uusimaa, Vantaa-Kerava and the City of Helsinki, weighted by population, and NUTS 2 figures combine their counties the same way.
| Rank | Area | THL morbidity index, age-standardised (Finland = 100) |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Kymenlaakso | 108.1 |
| 8 | Etelä-Pohjanmaa | 107.4 |
| 9 | Keski-Suomi | 104.4 |
| 10 | Etelä-Karjala | 103.8 |
| 11 | Kanta-Häme | 103.8 |
| 12 | Varsinais-Suomi | 102.3 |
| 13 | Pirkanmaa | 101.8 |
Outpatient physician visits in primary health care per 1,000 residents (2025)
Etelä-Karjala ranks 19 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Outpatient physician visits in primary health care per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Pohjois-Pohjanmaa | 983 |
| 14 | Helsinki-Uusimaa | 969 |
| 15 | Satakunta | 965 |
| 16 | Keski-Pohjanmaa | 930 |
| 17 | Pohjanmaa | 921 |
| 18 | Päijät-Häme | 887 |
| 19 | Etelä-Karjala | 869 |
Non-urgent primary care physician visits with a wait of over 7 days (%) (2024)
Etelä-Karjala ranks 8 of 18, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Non-urgent primary care physician visits with a wait of over 7 days (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Helsinki-Uusimaa | 55.9% |
| 6 | Keski-Suomi | 54.9% |
| 7 | Pohjanmaa | 53.3% |
| 8 | Etelä-Karjala | 52.8% |
| 9 | Kymenlaakso | 51.8% |
| 10 | Etelä-Savo | 51.4% |
| 11 | Varsinais-Suomi | 51.0% |
Influenza vaccination coverage among people aged 65 or over (%) (2025)
Etelä-Karjala ranks 1 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Influenza vaccination coverage among people aged 65 or over (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Etelä-Karjala | 65.7% |
| 2 | Pohjois-Savo | 65.0% |
| 3 | Etelä-Savo | 64.4% |
| 4 | Helsinki-Uusimaa | 63.0% |
| 5 | Kymenlaakso | 62.9% |
| 6 | Kanta-Häme | 61.9% |
| 7 | Varsinais-Suomi | 60.6% |
Daily smokers among adults (%) (2024)
Etelä-Karjala ranks 6 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Daily smokers among adults (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Lappi | 11.4% |
| 4 | Kanta-Häme | 10.2% |
| 5 | Varsinais-Suomi | 10.2% |
| 6 | Etelä-Karjala | 10.1% |
| 7 | Pohjois-Karjala | 10.0% |
| 8 | Päijät-Häme | 9.9% |
| 9 | Pohjois-Pohjanmaa | 9.5% |
Adults with obesity (BMI 30 or more) (%) (2024)
Etelä-Karjala ranks 19 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Adults with obesity (BMI 30 or more) (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Keski-Suomi | 25.3% |
| 14 | Keski-Pohjanmaa | 24.7% |
| 15 | Pohjanmaa | 24.3% |
| 16 | Pirkanmaa | 23.0% |
| 17 | Åland | 22.7% |
| 18 | Helsinki-Uusimaa | 21.0% |
| 19 | Etelä-Karjala | 20.7% |
More on Etelä-Karjala: overview · economy and jobs · education and schools · poverty and living standards · government budget · government and politics · Etelä-Suomi · Finland
Sources
- Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus): Regional time series 1987-2025 (table 142h, Municipal key figures database): population, housing, education, employment and jobs by NUTS region, region and municipality (PxWeb API POST query, json-stat2, years 2015-2025), read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 18a97e220312…)
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet: Sotkanet indicator bank, REST API 1.1: 32 indicators (one exact JSON response per indicator, e.g. indicator=5761, plus the region list) on morbidity, primary care, lifestyle, social assistance, homelessness, county election turnout and the net operating costs of wellbeing services counties, 2015-2025, bundled in one zip, read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 e5b01db4f1e9…)
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