Health in Pohjois-Pohjanmaa (Pohjois- ja Itä-Suomi, Finland): official figures
With an age-standardised morbidity index of 113.7 in 2024 (Finland = 100), North Ostrobothnia ranked 2nd highest among Finland's 19 regions for the burden of illness.
How often do people see a doctor in North Ostrobothnia?
Primary health care recorded 983 outpatient doctor visits per 1,000 residents of the North Ostrobothnia region in 2025, below the national figure of 1,056; that is 7th lowest among Finland's 19 regions, down 10% from 1,097 in 2020.
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyHow long is the wait for a doctor in North Ostrobothnia?
In 2024, 64.5% of non-urgent primary care doctor appointments in the North Ostrobothnia region took place more than seven days after the need for care was assessed, above the national figure of 48.7%; that ranks 2nd longest of the 18 with data.
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyWhat is the flu vaccination rate in North Ostrobothnia?
56.2% of people aged 65 or over in Pohjois-Pohjanmaa (North Ostrobothnia) were vaccinated against influenza in the 2025 season, below the national figure of 59.6%; that is 6th lowest among Finland's 19 regions.
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyHow many people smoke in North Ostrobothnia?
THL's Healthy Finland survey found that 9.5% of adults in the North Ostrobothnia region smoked daily in 2024, above the national figure of 9.1%; that is 9th highest among Finland's 19 regions.
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyWhat is the obesity rate in North Ostrobothnia?
25.8% of adults in the North Ostrobothnia region were obese (body mass index of 30 or more) in 2024, above the national figure of 24.5%; that is 9th lowest among Finland's 19 regions.
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyHow much do people drink in North Ostrobothnia?
29.7% of adults in North Ostrobothnia 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 North Ostrobothnia?
Shops and licensed premises in North Ostrobothnia sold 7.0 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 North Ostrobothnia?
North Ostrobothnia recorded 14.8 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 North Ostrobothnia?
Regular home care services reached 2.10% of residents of the North Ostrobothnia region 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 Ostrobothnia?
Health and social work provided 21.0% of all jobs located in Pohjois-Pohjanmaa (North Ostrobothnia) in 2023, above the national figure of 18.1%.
Source: Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus) · saved copyHow Pohjois-Pohjanmaa compares with other regions in Finland
THL morbidity index, age-standardised (Finland = 100) (2024)
Pohjois-Pohjanmaa ranks 2 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-Pohjanmaa ranks 13 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Outpatient physician visits in primary health care per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Kymenlaakso | 1,056 |
| 11 | Lappi | 1,054 |
| 12 | Pohjois-Karjala | 1,005 |
| 13 | Pohjois-Pohjanmaa | 983 |
| 14 | Helsinki-Uusimaa | 969 |
| 15 | Satakunta | 965 |
| 16 | Keski-Pohjanmaa | 930 |
Non-urgent primary care physician visits with a wait of over 7 days (%) (2024)
Pohjois-Pohjanmaa ranks 2 of 18, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Non-urgent primary care physician visits with a wait of over 7 days (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keski-Pohjanmaa | 66.4% |
| 2 | Pohjois-Pohjanmaa | 64.5% |
| 3 | Pohjois-Savo | 62.1% |
| 4 | Kanta-Häme | 60.2% |
| 5 | Helsinki-Uusimaa | 55.9% |
| 6 | Keski-Suomi | 54.9% |
| 7 | Pohjanmaa | 53.3% |
Influenza vaccination coverage among people aged 65 or over (%) (2025)
Pohjois-Pohjanmaa ranks 14 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Influenza vaccination coverage among people aged 65 or over (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 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% |
| 17 | Etelä-Pohjanmaa | 49.3% |
Daily smokers among adults (%) (2024)
Pohjois-Pohjanmaa ranks 9 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Daily smokers among adults (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 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% |
| 11 | Kainuu | 8.9% |
| 12 | Keski-Pohjanmaa | 8.7% |
Adults with obesity (BMI 30 or more) (%) (2024)
Pohjois-Pohjanmaa ranks 11 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Adults with obesity (BMI 30 or more) (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Kainuu | 26.7% |
| 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% |
More on Pohjois-Pohjanmaa: 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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