Health in Pohjois-Karjala (Pohjois- ja Itä-Suomi, Finland): official figures
THL's age-standardised morbidity index, which combines seven major disease groups, stood at 111.1 in Pohjois-Karjala (North Karelia) in 2024 against 100 for the whole country; that is 3rd highest among Finland's 19 regions.
How often do people see a doctor in North Karelia?
Residents of North Karelia made 1,005 visits to a primary care physician per 1,000 people in 2025 (8th lowest among Finland's 19 regions; Finland 1,056), down 6% from 1,071 in 2020.
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyHow long is the wait for a doctor in North Karelia?
Patients in North Karelia waited more than a week for 24.0% of elective primary care physician visits in 2024 (the 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 North Karelia?
Flu vaccine uptake among over-65s in the North Karelia region reached 57.2% in 2025, 7th lowest among Finland's 19 regions.
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyHow many people smoke in North Karelia?
In 2024, 10.0% of adults in North Karelia said they smoked every day (7th highest among Finland's 19 regions; Finland 9.1%).
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyWhat is the obesity rate in North Karelia?
Obesity affected 25.5% of the adult population of North Karelia in 2024, 8th lowest among Finland's 19 regions.
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyHow much do people drink in North Karelia?
In 2024, risky drinking (AUDIT-C) was reported by 29.5% of adults in Pohjois-Karjala (North Karelia).
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyHow much alcohol is sold in North Karelia?
Shops and licensed premises in Pohjois-Karjala (North Karelia) sold 7.2 litres of pure alcohol per resident aged 18 or over in 2025, level with the national figure of 7.2.
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyWhat is the suicide rate in North Karelia?
The suicide rate in Pohjois-Karjala (North Karelia) was 16.0 per 100,000 people in 2024.
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyHow many people get home care in North Karelia?
Regular home care services reached 2.20% of residents of North 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 North Karelia?
Health and social work provided 22.3% of all jobs located in the North Karelia region in 2023, above the national figure of 18.1%.
Source: Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus) · saved copyHow Pohjois-Karjala compares with other regions in Finland
THL morbidity index, age-standardised (Finland = 100) (2024)
Pohjois-Karjala ranks 3 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) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pohjois-Savo | 115.1 |
| 2 | Pohjois-Pohjanmaa | 113.7 |
| 3 | Pohjois-Karjala | 111.1 |
| 4 | Lappi | 110.6 |
| 5 | Kainuu | 109.2 |
| 6 | Etelä-Savo | 108.4 |
| 7 | Kymenlaakso | 108.1 |
Outpatient physician visits in primary health care per 1,000 residents (2025)
Pohjois-Karjala ranks 12 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Outpatient physician visits in primary health care per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Kainuu | 1,057 |
| 10 | Kymenlaakso | 1,056 |
| 11 | Lappi | 1,054 |
| 12 | Pohjois-Karjala | 1,005 |
| 13 | Pohjois-Pohjanmaa | 983 |
| 14 | Helsinki-Uusimaa | 969 |
| 15 | Satakunta | 965 |
Non-urgent primary care physician visits with a wait of over 7 days (%) (2024)
Pohjois-Karjala ranks 18 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)
Pohjois-Karjala ranks 13 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Influenza vaccination coverage among people aged 65 or over (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Lappi | 58.0% |
| 11 | Satakunta | 57.9% |
| 12 | Kainuu | 57.3% |
| 13 | Pohjois-Karjala | 57.2% |
| 14 | Pohjois-Pohjanmaa | 56.2% |
| 15 | Keski-Pohjanmaa | 55.5% |
| 16 | Päijät-Häme | 53.7% |
Daily smokers among adults (%) (2024)
Pohjois-Karjala ranks 7 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Daily smokers among adults (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 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% |
| 10 | Pohjois-Savo | 9.0% |
Adults with obesity (BMI 30 or more) (%) (2024)
Pohjois-Karjala ranks 12 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Adults with obesity (BMI 30 or more) (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Etelä-Savo | 25.9% |
| 10 | Päijät-Häme | 25.8% |
| 11 | Pohjois-Pohjanmaa | 25.8% |
| 12 | Pohjois-Karjala | 25.5% |
| 13 | Keski-Suomi | 25.3% |
| 14 | Keski-Pohjanmaa | 24.7% |
| 15 | Pohjanmaa | 24.3% |
More on Pohjois-Karjala: overview · economy and jobs · education and schools · poverty and living standards · government budget · government and politics · Pohjois- ja Itä-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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