Finland’s consumer confidence fell to -11.5 in March 2026 from -10.5 in February, moving further below the long-term average of -2.8 and hitting its lowest level since April 2024. Households’ views of their own finances continued to deteriorate, both regarding the current situation (-6 vs -5.5) and the outlook for the next 12 months (2.7 vs 4). At the same time, expectations for the broader Finnish economy over the coming year became more pessimistic (-21.3 vs -17.9), while assessments of current economic conditions improved only marginally (-43.9 vs -44.4).
By contrast, consumers were somewhat less negative about the timing for major purchases: assessments of whether it is a good time to buy durable goods improved (-17 vs -21), as did views on taking out loans (-34.2 vs -34.3). Intentions to purchase a car rose (14.1 vs 13.8), and plans for major home-related purchases also increased (12.2 vs 11.2).
Inflation expectations ticked up slightly, both for the current period (4.7% vs 4.6%) and for the year ahead (4.1% vs 4.0%). Meanwhile, worries about unemployment intensified (-29.6 vs -25.6), while the perceived risk of personally facing unemployment remained unchanged at -16.
