Finnish Consumer Morale Remains Weak

Finland’s consumer confidence dropped to -8.7 in January 2026 from -7.3 in the previous month, marking the lowest level since February last year and moving further away from the long-term average of -2.8. Households’ assessments of both their own finances (-3 vs -0.2 in December) and the broader Finnish economy deteriorated, with views on the current economic situation remaining very poor (-41.8 vs -41.4). Expectations for economic conditions a year ahead also stayed subdued (-16 vs -12.8), and consumers continued to see it as an unfavorable time to purchase durable goods (-15 vs -16.5) or take out loans (-29.9 vs -30.3). Still, some plans to buy a car (15.1 vs 13.8) and take out a loan continued to emerge (16.4 vs 15.4). Meanwhile, unemployment expectations remained gloomy (-26.5 vs -26.7), with the perceived threat of job losses at its highest level since the pandemic year of 2020 (-18.4 vs -15.7).

Finland’s consumer confidence fell to -7.3 in December 2025 from -6.5 in the previous month. The latest figure remained well below the long-term average of -2.8, reflecting continued weakness in overall sentiment. While households’ assessments of their current economic situation improved slightly from both November and a year ago (-0.2 vs -2.8 in November), they were still low, and outlooks for the broader Finnish economy remained subdued (-41.4 vs -37.1). Most consumers also still viewed the timing as unfavorable for purchasing durable goods (-16.5 vs -10.6) or taking out loans (-30.3 vs -25.5), with few planning major spending or home purchases (-23.9 vs -20.5). Additionally, concerns about unemployment remained high, both generally (-26.7 vs -27.2) and personally (-15.7 vs -16.6), and women’s confidence in the economy continued to lag behind men’s. Meanwhile, expectations for personal finances over the next year (7.8 vs 9.2) softened a little but stayed near the long-term average.

Finland’s consumer confidence rose to -6.5 in November 2025 from -7.6 in the previous month. Despite the uptick, the figure remained well below the long-term average of -2.8, reflecting continued weakness in overall sentiment. Assessments of the current state of the Finnish economy remained very subdued (-37.1 vs -40.1 in October), and expectations for economic conditions a year ahead were also cautious (-12 vs -13.2). Additionally, the period was still seen as unfavorable for major purchases (-10.6 vs -16.6) or loans (-25.5 vs -29.4), with few plans to spend or buy a home (11 vs 10.3). Expectations regarding the general unemployment trend also continued to be pessimistic (-27.2 vs -30.1), and individuals perceived the risk of personal unemployment as high (-16.6 vs -17.1). On a positive note, expectations for personal finances over the next year improved, reaching a relatively optimistic level (9.2 vs 6.2).