There is a large variety among the Nordic neighbours regarding their willingness to migrate between the Nordic countries, ranging from very willing Icelanders to reluctant Norwegians and Danes. To be precise, 46% of Finns, 56% of Swedes, 31% of Norwegians, 32% of Danes, and 73% of Icelanders would consider a move to another Nordic country. These figures mirror the findings of a 2024 study on the Common Nordic labour market, which found out that Icelandic people are most likely to move around all the Nordic countries for various reasons (Lundgren et al. 2024). Below are more detailed  graphs about their characteristics and preferred destinations.

Graph 43. Where in the Nordics would people, who are open to moving to another Nordic country, migrate.

Norway is by far the most favoured destination for a potential move within the Nordics, followed by Denmark and Sweden. As for moving motivations, Icelanders are most open towards all destinations, except for the autonomous regions. Compared to others, Finnish respondents also have broader preferences for a potential move than their neighbours, as they are most likely to consider a move to Iceland, (Åland), Greenland, or Faroe islands. The historical migration trend from Finland to Sweden is still somewhat visible here, and Swedes are also more likely than other nationalities to consider Finland as a destination.

Graph 44. Characteristics of people open to moving to another Nordic country.

Compared with the average respondent, people open to move to another Nordic country are more likely to be men (except in Finland) that do not have children. They are also slightly more likely to be looking for a job, while relationship status does not seem to have an impact on this factor. Finnish, Norwegian and Danish respondents are more likely to have led an overall mobile life thus far, having left their place of origin behind. Respondents from all countries are also more likely than average to continue moving in the future. 

When asking the respondents if they were open to moving to a rural place (defined as a place an hour away from a regional centre) for additional benefits such as a better salary, better working benefits, improved housing conditions, etc. 65% of Swedes, 55% of Finns, 50% of Icelanders, 43% of Norwegians, and only 36% of Danes would be open to considering this possibility. Below are more details about their characteristics and desired benefits.

Graph 45. Benefits, that might make respondents consider moving to a rural area.

These results demonstrate that although finding a job from a rural area may constitute an important factor to move there (especially in Sweden), it’s likely that there needs to be other benefits as well to persuade people to consider this option. The most important factor is that the new job would come with a better salary or other benefits; this applies to all countries. Furthermore, being able to have one’s partner or family follow without trouble is an important point (especially for Finland, Sweden and Iceland), as well as other social networks in the area (especially for Sweden. Affordable and suitable housing also rises in importance for most countries, again especially in Sweden. Icelandic respondents are most likely to reject the idea under any circumstances, closely followed by Danes.

Graph 46. Characteristics of people who might consider moving to a rural area for added benefits.

People who were open to moving to a rural area under certain circumstances are more likely to be men (except in Finland and Norway, where gender does not appear to play a role). They are somewhat less likely to be in a relationship or have children, considerably so in Iceland. Iceland is also the only place where unemployment and willingness to migrate to rural areas clearly correlate. Potential rural movers may still live in their place of origin (more likely to have moved out only in Denmark and Iceland), but they are overall more likely to plan a move somewhere in the near or more distant future. 

To explore the impact of remote work on people’s migration plans, we asked whether they would consider moving to another place if it was possible for them to continue working remotely from there.

Graph 47. People who have considered moving to another place to continue working remotely or who may consider it in the future.

The share of people open to using remote work as an enabler for moving is rather similar throughout the Nordics. Danes are the least interested in remote work and Icelandic people the most interested, possibly reflecting their state’s strategy to support remote work for example by offering all state positions as “site-less” unless otherwise specified (Rohrer & Granath Hansson 2024).

Graph 48. Characteristics of people who would definitely or possibly consider moving and working remotely.

People who have considered remote work (or are able to do so) are most likely to be women (except in Denmark) and in a relationship, not necessarily with children. They are also more likely to have left their place of origin. These indicators may imply that they belong to the group of people considering a return to their place of origin, as this group consists of a similar demography. Compared to the average, they are much more likely to already have plans to move in the future, especially in Finland, Sweden, and Denmark.