seutukunnissa

Seutukunta (plural seutukunnat) is a Finnish term for a functional regional unit that groups several municipalities into a coherent economic and social area. The locative form seutukunnissa means “in subregions.” Seutukunnat are defined for planning and statistical purposes by Statistics Finland and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, and they are not independent administrative authorities.

The purpose of seutukunnat is to reflect real-world economic ties, commuting patterns, service centers, and population concentration in a way that helps regional policy and development work. They provide a basis for regional strategies, budgeting, and the allocation of funding, including aspects tied to EU structural funds. Data on population, employment, income, mobility, and other indicators are often reported at the seutukunta level to show regional disparities and trends.

In governance terms, seutukunnat do not have their own elected bodies or formal decision-making powers. Instead, governance remains at the municipal level and, at a higher tier, within the regional structures (maakunnat) and their regional councils. The boundaries and membership of seutukunnat can change over time as municipalities merge or reorganize, to better reflect current economic and social connections.

Well-known examples include the Helsinki seutukunta, Tampereen seutukunta, Turun seutukunta, and Oulun seutukunta, among others. In everyday language and in official documents, the term seutukunnissa is used to refer to conditions, statistics, or policies within these functional regions.