Kuopio's interests

Kuopio’s interests 

Kuopio City’s vision for 2030 is to be the Capital of Good Life, reflecting health, vitality, and happiness. Kuopio is safe, unique, and inspiring. It offers a good environment for living and working.

• Sustainably and steadily growing city with 124,000 residents
• 250,000 residents in a cohesive commuting area
• For the third consecutive year, Kuopio is the second most attractive city in Finland, just behind Tampere (T-Media study)
• Resident satisfaction is at a high level, and Kuopio is a desired destination for relocation. In 2022, over 1,400 new housing units were completed in Kuopio.
• The elements of a good life are well established in Kuopio; factors related to quality of life, work-life balance, culture, environment, and community.
• Kuopio has participated in a national employment experiment and is preparing for TE Services reform. At the end of August, the unemployment rate was 9.7 %, with 5,686 unemployed job seekers.
• Kuopio emphasizes partnership collaboration to strengthen vitality.

Kuopio must keep up with the development of other Finnish cities and regions and ensure the attractiveness and development of its area. The most significant action from the city’s interests perspective is improving transportation connections to ensure the city’s positive development. The city’s accessibility benefits the entire economic development of Northern Savonia. Kuopio has a MAL agreement (land use, housing, and transportation agreement) with the Ministry of the Environment and an innovation ecosystem agreement with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, with a focus on health and water expertise.

As a major Finnish university city and a driver of growth and attractiveness in Eastern Finland, Kuopio makes a significant contribution to both Finland’s and broader development. Kuopio is a capable and internationally significant university city, where the foundation of sustainable growth lies in business renewal and job growth. Research, development, and innovation activities closely aligned with companies and workplaces are strong in Kuopio.