The purpose of regional classifications used in statistics is to describe regional variations of various phenomena and regional structure.
The classification can be used to describe the structure of wellbeing services counties and in what way healthcare, social welfare and rescue services are organised in different counties. In statistics production, the classification of wellbeing services counties will be used for the first time in the county elections to be organised in 2022.
The establishment of the wellbeing services counties was decreed by an Act that entered into force on 1 July 2021. The objective of the Act is to promote and maintain the health and wellbeing of the population. Interim preparatory bodies are responsible for the preparation of the activities of wellbeing services counties until a county council has been elected for each wellbeing services county in the county elections in January 2022. The duty of wellbeing services counties is to organise healthcare, social welfare and rescue services in their respective counties. The duties will be transferred from municipalities and hospital districts to the wellbeing services counties on 1 January 2023.
Statistics Finland has prepared the classification in cooperation with the National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.