Health in Etelä-Pohjanmaa (Länsi-Suomi, Finland): official figures
THL's age-standardised morbidity index, which combines seven major disease groups, stood at 107.4 in Etelä-Pohjanmaa (South Ostrobothnia) in 2024 against 100 for the whole country; that is 8th highest among Finland's 19 regions.
How often do people see a doctor in South Ostrobothnia?
Residents of South Ostrobothnia made 1,197 visits to a primary care physician per 1,000 people in 2025 (4th highest among Finland's 19 regions; Finland 1,056), down 19% from 1,485 in 2020.
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyHow long is the wait for a doctor in South Ostrobothnia?
Patients in South Ostrobothnia waited more than a week for 27.4% of elective primary care physician visits in 2024 (4th shortest of the 18 with data; Finland 48.7%).
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyWhat is the flu vaccination rate in South Ostrobothnia?
Flu vaccine uptake among over-65s in the South Ostrobothnia region reached 49.3% in 2025, 3rd lowest among Finland's 19 regions.
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyHow many people smoke in South Ostrobothnia?
In 2024, 7.6% of adults in South Ostrobothnia said they smoked every day (5th lowest among Finland's 19 regions; Finland 9.1%).
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyWhat is the obesity rate in South Ostrobothnia?
Obesity affected 30.1% of the adult population of South Ostrobothnia in 2024, the highest among Finland's 19 regions.
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyHow much do people drink in South Ostrobothnia?
In 2024, risky drinking (AUDIT-C) was reported by 27.9% of adults in Etelä-Pohjanmaa (South Ostrobothnia).
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyHow much alcohol is sold in South Ostrobothnia?
Shops and licensed premises in Etelä-Pohjanmaa (South Ostrobothnia) sold 6.4 litres of pure alcohol per resident aged 18 or over in 2025, below the national figure of 7.2.
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyWhat is the suicide rate in South Ostrobothnia?
The suicide rate in Etelä-Pohjanmaa (South Ostrobothnia) was 15.8 per 100,000 people in 2024.
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyHow many people get home care in South Ostrobothnia?
Regular home care services reached 2.30% of residents of South Ostrobothnia 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 Ostrobothnia?
Health and social work provided 22.2% of all jobs located in the South Ostrobothnia region in 2023, above the national figure of 18.1%.
Source: Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus) · saved copyHow Etelä-Pohjanmaa compares with other regions in Finland
THL morbidity index, age-standardised (Finland = 100) (2024)
Etelä-Pohjanmaa ranks 8 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) |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Kainuu | 109.2 |
| 6 | Etelä-Savo | 108.4 |
| 7 | Kymenlaakso | 108.1 |
| 8 | Etelä-Pohjanmaa | 107.4 |
| 9 | Keski-Suomi | 104.4 |
| 10 | Etelä-Karjala | 103.8 |
| 11 | Kanta-Häme | 103.8 |
Outpatient physician visits in primary health care per 1,000 residents (2025)
Etelä-Pohjanmaa ranks 4 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Outpatient physician visits in primary health care per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pohjois-Savo | 1,277 |
| 2 | Kanta-Häme | 1,270 |
| 3 | Pirkanmaa | 1,204 |
| 4 | Etelä-Pohjanmaa | 1,197 |
| 5 | Keski-Suomi | 1,184 |
| 6 | Varsinais-Suomi | 1,143 |
| 7 | Åland | 1,106 |
Non-urgent primary care physician visits with a wait of over 7 days (%) (2024)
Etelä-Pohjanmaa ranks 15 of 18, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Non-urgent primary care physician visits with a wait of over 7 days (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Lappi | 44.2% |
| 13 | Pirkanmaa | 42.6% |
| 14 | Päijät-Häme | 41.0% |
| 15 | Etelä-Pohjanmaa | 27.4% |
| 16 | Kainuu | 27.0% |
| 17 | Satakunta | 25.6% |
| 18 | Pohjois-Karjala | 24.0% |
Influenza vaccination coverage among people aged 65 or over (%) (2025)
Etelä-Pohjanmaa ranks 17 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Influenza vaccination coverage among people aged 65 or over (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Pohjois-Karjala | 57.2% |
| 14 | Pohjois-Pohjanmaa | 56.2% |
| 15 | Keski-Pohjanmaa | 55.5% |
| 16 | Päijät-Häme | 53.7% |
| 17 | Etelä-Pohjanmaa | 49.3% |
| 18 | Åland | 46.4% |
| 19 | Pohjanmaa | 43.3% |
Daily smokers among adults (%) (2024)
Etelä-Pohjanmaa ranks 15 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Daily smokers among adults (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Keski-Pohjanmaa | 8.7% |
| 13 | Helsinki-Uusimaa | 8.6% |
| 14 | Pohjanmaa | 7.7% |
| 15 | Etelä-Pohjanmaa | 7.6% |
| 16 | Keski-Suomi | 7.6% |
| 17 | Pirkanmaa | 7.4% |
| 18 | Etelä-Savo | 7.2% |
Adults with obesity (BMI 30 or more) (%) (2024)
Etelä-Pohjanmaa ranks 1 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Adults with obesity (BMI 30 or more) (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Etelä-Pohjanmaa | 30.1% |
| 2 | Satakunta | 29.5% |
| 3 | Kanta-Häme | 28.4% |
| 4 | Lappi | 27.9% |
| 5 | Kymenlaakso | 27.8% |
| 6 | Pohjois-Savo | 27.7% |
| 7 | Varsinais-Suomi | 27.2% |
More on Etelä-Pohjanmaa: overview · economy and jobs · education and schools · poverty and living standards · government budget · government and politics · Länsi-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…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.