Bioeconomy in numbers

In Finland, bioeconomy refers to an economy that relies on renewable, biological natural resources in a resource-wise manner to produce food, energy, products and services. The most important renewable, biological resources in Finland are the biomass, i.e. the organic matter, in the forests, soil, fields, water systems and the sea, and fresh water. These are used as raw materials and derivates. Ecosystem services are part of the bioeconomy.  The Finnish Bioeconomy Strategy, 2022

The most up-to-date statistics describing the development of the bioeconomy have been compiled on this website. The calculations are a joint effort between Luke and Statistics Finland. The Finnish bioeconomy is monitored using five indicators: output, value added, investments, employment and exports. The main source is the annual national accounts, produced by Statistics Finland. The calculations do not take the market-free values of the bioeconomy into account.    

Value added 2023*

• The value added of the bioeconomy was EUR 29.3 billion, representing 12 per cent of the total value added of the national economy.
• The forest sector accounted for a third (EUR 9.5 billion) of the value added of the bioeconomy.
• The food sector, consisting mainly of agriculture and the food industry, accounted for 17 per cent (EUR 5.1 billion) of the total value added of the bioeconomy.

Output 2023*

• The output of the bioeconomy was EUR 86.1 billion, which was 16 per cent of the national economy’s total output.
• The forest sector accounted for a third (EUR 29.2 billion) of the output of the bioeconomy.
• The food sector produced a quarter (EUR 19.7 billion) of the bioeconomy’s output.

Number of people employed 2023*

• Sectors in the bioeconomy employed 308,800 people, or 11 per cent of the total labour force.
• The food sector employed a third (104,500 people), of whom:
  • 38,400 worked in the food industry,
  • 1,200 worked in the fish processing industry, and
  • 63,200 worked in agriculture.
• The forestry sector employed a fifth (61,000 people) of the people employed in the bioeconomy.

Investments 2022*

• Bioeconomy investments were EUR 6.7 billion, accounting for a tenth of total investments in the national economy.
• A third (EUR 2.0 billion) of the investments were made in the energy sector.
• The food sector accounted for a quarter (EUR 1.6 billion) of the investments.
• A fifth (EUR 1.4 billion) of the investments were allocated to the forest sector.

Exports 2022*

• The value of bioeconomy exports was EUR 22.3 billion, accounting for a quarter of total exports.
• More than 70 per cent (EUR 15.9 billion) of bioeconomy exports consisted for forest sector products.