Finland

Responding to challenges and existing knowledge gaps facing the cooperative movement, this mapping research seeks to provide exhaustive information on cooperatives around the world.

This is achieved through a process jointly conducted by the ICA and its four regional offices – Cooperatives of the Americas, Cooperatives Europe, ICA Africa, and ICA Asia-Pacific – using a common methodology, designed with the support of external experts from the European Research Institute on Cooperative and Social Enterprises (Euricse).

Each office collected the input of ICA members present in the countries within its geographic area, by using a common questionnaire, and completing it with relevant national statistics, in order to obtain a picture of the national situation. As a result, the data above is collected following two strategies: 1) a survey targeting ICA cooperative members 2) collecting national statistics already available in the country. The numbers above provide data from ICA members on the number of cooperatives, as well as the number of cooperative employees and memberships in the country. More methodological information is available in the full report. In Finland, the data is collected for the reference year 2017.

Mapping out cooperatives in each country provides a more precise picture of the cooperative context at national and regional levels, enhances the movement's visibility, networking, partnerships opportunities, as well as advocacy, and empowers cooperators by providing tools for positive change.

This webpage presents a snapshot of the research results for Finland. For more information and the full research results, you can download the full report and highlights using the links above.

Although the cooperative movement in Finland can be said to have been firmly established in 1903 following the passing of the first cooperative law in 1901, Finland’s harsh climate and rugged terrain necessitated working together for survival long before this. Prior to this, Finns had already joined up to establish formal rules for purposes such as hunting, harvesting crops and constructing houses. In 1866, the first account of the Rochdale Pioneers was published in Finnish, whilst certain groups of factory workers formed societies during the 1870s and 1880s. The impetus for cooperation was initially stronger in urban settings than rural areas, with the first farmers’ trading association not appearing until 1898.

The influence of Hannes and Hedvig Gebhard on the development of the Finnish Cooperative movement was also profound. Drawing inspiration from other countries, Hannes Gebhard of Helsinki University published his book Agricultural Co-operation in Other Lands in 1899. During this period, Finland was part of the Russian Empire and the cooperative movement was connected to the country’s struggle for independence. In this book, Gebhard made the claim that “farmers' cooperation is the rock upon which the major social improvements and perhaps in the future nationhood and independence is possible to build up.”

Gebhard would go on to set up the cooperative information office Pellervo, which deployed university students to rural areas to promote cooperation. Pellervo became an ICA member organisation in 1902 and quickly grew to become the country’s main cooperative federation, with nearly all Finnish agricultural cooperatives being part of Pellervo’s network today, and more than half of its membership consisting of cooperative banks.

By the 1950s, Finland had arguably the strongest cooperative movement in the world on a per-head basis. In 1951, Finnish cooperatives accounted for more than double the percentage of total retail sales in the country compared to neighbouring Sweden and marketed more than 60% of the country’s agricultural produce.

The strength of the Finnish cooperative sector has continued to apply in the modern context, with a 2018 article from Pellervo stating that 90% of Finns are a member of a cooperative.Following the decline of Nokia, some ex-employees set up A. Vipunen, an inventor’s cooperative with 160 inventor members in the north of the country, which has led to an increase in patents registered in the region. In 2020, there were over 4000 cooperatives in Finland, the most significant in terms of membership are in the retail and banking sectors, whilst mutual insurance is another important sector.

Finland counts 2 ICA member organisations, Pellervo Coop Center, or Osuustoimintakeskus Pellervo in Finnish, and SOK Corporation.

Pellervo is a service organisation for Finnish cooperatives and a forum for cooperative activities. It is an organisation of expertise on cooperative matters and Pellervo provides advice, publications and seminars, among other things, to approximately 300 members.

SOK Corporation comprises Suomen Osuuskauppojen Keskuskunta (SOK) and its subsidiaries. SOK, which is owned by cooperatives, serves as a central company and provides expert and support services – such as chain management, product range, procurement and marketing services – for the cooperatives of S Group. SOK itself is also part of the S Group network of cooperatives and is responsible for its strategic guidance and the development of the business chains. SOK’s business operations supplement S Group’s offering in Finland and the neighbouring regions

In Finland, the Mapping questionnaire, was distributed to, and completed by 1 ICA member organisation in the country. The data below was gathered through compiling the member’s replies to a common questionnaire. Data collected was for the reference year 2017.

Pellervo represents 288 cooperatives in the country, with a total number of memberships of 6 362 053, and a total number of 88 482 employees. For further information, readers are invited to download the full report and country highlights, available by clicking the links above.