Finnish news was rich and varied in 2024, with subsea cables and elections dominating the international headlines. The most-read stories of the year might surprise you, however.
10. Why is Finland's biggest retailer urging customers to welcome foreign workers?
In July we covered a move by S Group to try and increase understanding of service sector workers who don't speak fluent Finnish.
Mark B. Odom's piece looked at why the retailer wanted a better reception for these workers, who now form a crucial part of the service sector.
9. As it happened: Stubb wins presidency
In February Alexander Stubb swept to victory in the presidential election, and our live coverage of the second round of the election was the ninth most-read story of the year.
8. Would you pass the YKI test? Practice with Yle's learning pack
Finland's YKI test is a key step along the way to getting Finnish citizenship. Our story offering a useful tool to test your knowledge was the eighth most-read article of the year.
7. Citizenship law changes
The government's changes to citizenship laws were a big focus for our audience. The seventh and ninth most-read stories concerned the government's announcement that the residency requirement would increase to eight years.
They were published in April and July. In October, however, Priya Ramachandran D'souza finally got an answer from Migri about how these rules were to be implemented, and we reported that despite government rhetoric, the new residency requirement would be five years for most people.
That story was the 11th most-read article on our website over the year.
6. Finland detects more GPS jammers as drivers increasingly try to hide their tracks
In March we reported on an uptick in discoveries of GPS jammers used by motorists. They disrupt the GPS signal in a small radius and can stop tachographs from tracking a vehicle's movements.
A total of 714 jammers were discovered on Finland's roads in 2023, and this story was the sixth most-read article of the year.
5. "It feels like mission impossible": Jobseekers in Finland battle a ruthless job market
The job market has been particularly difficult for many people recently, and Priya Ramachandran D'souza's story on foreigners' experiences captured the imagination of our audience in June.
The added pressure of changes to residence permit rules was a real worry for many people, who could potentially face deportation quicker under the government's new rules if they lose their jobs.
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4. Finland to introduce full tuition and application fee for non-EEA students
Students looking to move to Finland are a key part of our audience, so it was no surprise that a big jump in costs for many foreign students was a big hit this year.
The government claimed the move could help reduce the number of "low quality applications" that institutions have to process.
3. Finland issues preparedness guide for households
Finns have long been advised on how to prepare for a crisis. The basic rule of thumb is that they should be able to manage for 72 hours without utilities, using what they have stored at home.
This year a new guide was issued spelling out the latest list of necessary items, including a radio, batteries, food and water. It proved a hit online, mostly among those based outside Finland who were curious about the Finnish resilience strategy.
2. Finnish passport climbs to second place in global ranking
A global ranking once more showed just how valuable Finnish citizenship can be, with the news that the Finnish passport offers visa-free access to some 193 countries.
That's up from 189 in the same ranking one year earlier.
1. One pupil dead in Vantaa shooting
The most-read story of the year overall was a hard news event that our readers were naturally keen to follow as it happened.
On 2 April a pupil at Viertola school in Vantaa shot three of his classmates, killing one and seriously injuring another. The suspect was only 12-years-old, as were his victims.
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