2020 in Finland

• January 27 – Following the developments of COVID-19 outbreak in mainland China, Finland's Ministry for Foreign Affairs advised citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to Hubei province.^[1]
• January 28 – Finnair announced it would be suspending its five weekly routes to Nanjing and Beijing Daxing until the end of March.^[2]
• January 29 – COVID-19 pandemic in Finland: 1st confirmed case. A 32-year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan sought medical attention in Ivalo and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. She had travelled from Wuhan. She was quarantined at Lapland Central Hospital in Rovaniemi.^[3][4][5][6]
• January 30 – Finland's health officials estimated that up to 24 people may have been exposed to the virus.^[7]

• February 5 – 3 of the 24 people suspected of being exposed have left Finland by this date, and 14 of the remaining 21 have been quarantined.^[8]
• February 26 – Finland's health officials confirmed the second case, a Finnish woman, who made a trip to Milan and was back in Finland on 22 February, tested positive at the Helsinki University Central Hospital.^[9]
• February 28 – A Finnish woman who had traveled to Northern Italy, tested positive by the Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District and was advised to remain in home isolation.^[10][11]

• March 13 – the remaining part of the 2019–20 Liiga season was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.^[12]
• March 28 – the region of Uusimaa was temporarily isolated from the rest of Finland due to increased COVID-19 infections.^[13]

• July 17 – Finns Party political functionary Pekka Kataja [fi] was assaulted [fi] in his home by two unknown people posing as parcel delivery men. Kataja was beaten with a hammer or similar object approximately 20 times and suffered a fractured skull. The case was investigated by the police as an attempted murder, and remains unsolved as of 2025.^[14]

• August 1 – Prime Minister Sanna Marin married her long-time partner Markus Räikkönen at Kesäranta.^[15]

• October 21 – The Vastaamo data breach case began with a then-unknown person or group (later revealed to be ex-Lizard Squad member Aleksanteri Kivimäki, also known as Julius Kivimäki^[16]) releasing online some of the data on patients and their histories that they had acquired from the Vastaamo psychotherapy centre. Among the affected were politician Kirsi Piha.^[17][18]

• 4 December – Three underage boys murdered a 16-year-old boy in an act of protracted violence in Helsinki.^[19]

• 20 January – Reijo Kuistila, 88, Finnish Olympic equestrian.^[20]
• 23 January – Kalevi Tuominen, Hall of Fame basketball player, coach and executive (b. 1927)^[21]
• 30 January – Jörn Donner, writer, film director and politician (b. 1933)^[22]

• 28 February – Stig-Göran Myntti, football and bandy player (b. 1925)^[23]

• 5 March – Susanna Majuri, photographer (b. 1978)^[24]
• 7 March – Karri Käyhkö, Olympic swimmer (b. 1937)^[25]
• 11 March – Aarne Kainlauri, Olympic steeplechaser (b. 1915)^[26]
• 12 March – Juha Harjula, Olympic basketball player (b. 1942)^[27]
• 19 March – Max Engman, historian and translator (b. 1945)^[28]
• 26 March – Olavi Borg [fi], professor and politician, Liberal People's Party member of parliament 1972–1975 (b. 1935)^[29]

• 4 April – Pertti Paasio, politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs 1989–1991 (b. 1939)^[30]
• 5 April – Pentti Linkola, writer, ornithologist and ecologist (b. 1932)^[31]
• 12 April – Mikko Kaasalainen, mathematician (b. 1965)^[32]
• 15 April – Vesa Törnroos, Olympic sports shooter (b. 1982)^[33]
• 26 April – Kauko Juhantalo, Centre Party politician (b. 1942)^[34]

• 8 May – Ritva Valkama, actress (b. 1932)^[35]
• 9 May
  • Timo Honkela, computer scientist (b. 1962)^[36]
  • Kari Karanko, diplomat (b. 1941)^[37]
• 26 May
  • Johanna Ehrnrooth, painter (b. 1958)^[38]
  • Jon Hellevig, lawyer and businessman (b. 1962)^[39]

• 3 June – Veli Lehtelä, rower, Olympic bronze medalist (b. 1935)
• 24 June – Gösta Ågren, poet (b. 1936)^[40]
• 27 June – Arja Tuomarila, singer and continuity announcer (b. 1941)^[41]

• 12 July – Jarno Sarkula, musician (Alamaailman Vasarat) (b. 1973)^[42]
• 18 July – Jope Ruonansuu, actor, musician and stand-up comedian (b. 1964)^[43]
• 20 July – Mirja Jämes, 95, Finnish Olympic hurdler (1948).^[44]

• 14 August – Kalevi Oikarainen, 84, Finnish cross-country skier, world champion (1970), Olympic bronze medalist (1968).^[45]
• 25 August – Erik Allardt, 95, Finnish sociologist, Chancellor of Åbo Akademi University (1992–1994).^[46]
• 28 August – Jan Klenberg, admiral, Chief of Defence 1990–1994 (b. 1931)^[47]

• 8 September – Vexi Salmi, lyricist (b. 1942)^[48]

• 16 October – Marjatta Väänänen, politician, Minister of Culture 1972–1975, Education 1976–1977 and Social Affairs and Health 1982–1983 (b. 1923)^[49]

• 1 November – Tuomas Gerdt, military officer, last surviving Mannerheim Cross recipient (b. 1922)^[50]
• 3 November – Matti Laakso, Olympic wrestler (b. 1939)^[51]
• 5 November – Ossi Runne, trumpeter, orchestra leader and composer (b. 1927)^[52]
• 6 November – Sakari Paasonen, Olympic shooter (b. 1935)^[53]
• 14 November – Osmo Ala-Honkola, Olympic shooter (b. 1939)^[54]
• 20 November – Hannu Lahtinen, Olympic wrestler (b. 1960)^[55]
• 25 November – Paul Nyman, Olympic racing cyclist (b. 1929)^[56]

• 11 December – Richard Tötterman, diplomat (b. 1926)^[57]
• 14 December – Seppo Vainio, Olympic ice hockey player (b. 1937)^[58]
• 28 December – Jyrki Heliskoski, football coach (b. 1945)^[59]
• 31 December – Olli Lehto, mathematician (b. 1925)^[60]