• Highest government surplus/deficit in the EU (5.3 % of GDP)
• Highest national savings rate in the EU (28.6 % of GDP)
• The only Nordic country to have adopted the euro
• Highest possible ratings from leading global credit rating agencies (E.g. Fitch Ratings, Moody’s, Standard & Poors)

As a telling measure of its macroeconomic stability, Finland enjoys the highest possible status with the global credit rating agencies Fitch Ratings, Moody’s and Standard & Poors. According to the latest report from Fitch, Finland’s AAA status “is underpinned by sound public finances, a solid external position, high income per capita, demonstrable political and social stability and an impeccable debt service record”.

Finland’s banking sector has largely escaped the turmoil caused by the global financial crisis. Being the only eurozone country in Northern Europe, Finland has also benefited from reduced uncertainty over interest rates and exchange rates. As a result, the growth forecast for Finland remains significantly better than for the rest of the EU, suggesting that Finland will be among the first countries to emerge from the global economic downturn. José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, recently stated that “Finland has created wealth not through easy money, not with casino money, but with work, discipline and ideas.”