Language

The Finnish language is spoken by a great majority of the population, while a small minority speak Swedish. Finns are generally seen as a melancholy and quite silent. They don’t speak unless they have something in particular to say (or have had a couple of drinks). No need for small talk. When Finns speak they are generally very frank and direct. No unnecessary politeness.

Value System and Relationships

Finland is low on the masculinity and power distance indices. Finns are very low-context people. Regardless of the time of year, the Finns are great at combining their tradition of using the sauna with lots of song and drink.

Business Climate

The Finns have a very competitive business environment. Thus, expect them to be tough negotiators. Finns are normally very efficient when it comes to business. They accept hierarchy and are quick to make decisions. No consensus necessary.

The Pew Global Attitudes Project is an interactive database that allows users to explore public opinion trends in 55 countries on topics ranging from attitudes towards the U.S. to peoples assessments of their own lives to views about globalization, democratization and extremism and other important issues.

The country ranks as no. 5 (of 180 countries) on Transparency International’s 2008 Corruption Perceptions Index.