Health in Pohjois-Savo (Pohjois- ja Itä-Suomi, Finland): official figures
THL's age-standardised morbidity index, which combines seven major disease groups, stood at 115.1 in the North Savo region in 2024 against 100 for the whole country; that is the highest among Finland's 19 regions.
How often do people see a doctor in North Savo?
Residents of Pohjois-Savo (North Savo) made 1,277 visits to a primary care physician per 1,000 people in 2025 (the highest among Finland's 19 regions; Finland 1,056), down 19% from 1,570 in 2020.
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyHow long is the wait for a doctor in North Savo?
Patients in Pohjois-Savo (North Savo) waited more than a week for 62.1% of elective primary care physician visits in 2024 (3rd longest 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 Savo?
Flu vaccine uptake among over-65s in North Savo reached 65.0% in 2025, 2nd highest among Finland's 19 regions.
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyHow many people smoke in North Savo?
In 2024, 9.0% of adults in Pohjois-Savo (North Savo) said they smoked every day (10th 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 Savo?
Obesity affected 27.7% of the adult population of Pohjois-Savo (North Savo) in 2024, 6th highest among Finland's 19 regions.
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyHow much do people drink in North Savo?
In 2024, risky drinking (AUDIT-C) was reported by 29.9% of adults in the North Savo region.
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyHow much alcohol is sold in North Savo?
Shops and licensed premises in the North Savo region sold 7.7 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 North Savo?
The suicide rate in the North Savo region was 18.5 per 100,000 people in 2024.
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyHow many people get home care in North Savo?
Regular home care services reached 2.50% of residents of Pohjois-Savo (North Savo) 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 Savo?
Health and social work provided 22.1% of all jobs located in North Savo in 2023, above the national figure of 18.1%.
Source: Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus) · saved copyHow Pohjois-Savo compares with other regions in Finland
THL morbidity index, age-standardised (Finland = 100) (2024)
Pohjois-Savo ranks 1 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-Savo ranks 1 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)
Pohjois-Savo ranks 3 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-Savo ranks 2 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)
Pohjois-Savo ranks 10 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Daily smokers among adults (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 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% |
| 13 | Helsinki-Uusimaa | 8.6% |
Adults with obesity (BMI 30 or more) (%) (2024)
Pohjois-Savo ranks 6 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Adults with obesity (BMI 30 or more) (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Kanta-Häme | 28.4% |
| 4 | Lappi | 27.9% |
| 5 | Kymenlaakso | 27.8% |
| 6 | Pohjois-Savo | 27.7% |
| 7 | Varsinais-Suomi | 27.2% |
| 8 | Kainuu | 26.7% |
| 9 | Etelä-Savo | 25.9% |
More on Pohjois-Savo: 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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