Romani people in Finland
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Finland has a Romani population of approximately 10,000 to 12,000.[1] Most Romani people in the country belong to the Finnish Kale subgroup and had settled in Finland at the end of the sixteenth century. Finnish Roma mostly live in Finland's urban areas. Although some of Finland’s Romani community still speak Kalo Romani, most Finnish Roma just speak only Finnish. In 1995, an amendment to the 1919 Constitution had granted the Romani people, Sámi people and other Finnish minorities, the right to retain and develop their own language and culture in Finland. The Finnish Kalo language has the status of a non-territorial minority language in Finland. Finland’s Romani community are also recognized as a national minority under the European Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.[2]
Romani migrants from Romania and Bulgaria have settled in Southern Finland.[3]
Romani people first came to Finland from Sweden, Baltic countries and Russia during the 16th century.[4]
According to the Council of Europe, approximately 11,000 Romani people live in Finland (0.21% of the population).[5]
