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{{about|the Republic of Finland}} {{pp-vandalism|small=yes}} {{pp-pc1|small=yes}} {{pp-move-indef}} {{short description|Country in Northern Europe}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}} {{Infobox country | conventional_long_name = Republic of Finland | common_name = Finland | native_name = {{ubl|{{native name|fi|Suomen tasavalta}}|{{native name|sv|Republiken Finland}}}} | image_flag = Flag of Finland.svg | image_coat = Coat of arms of Finland.svg

| national_anthem =
{{native name|fi|Maamme|nolink=yes}}
{{native name|sv|Vårt land|nolink=yes}}
({{Lang-en|"Our Land"}})

| image_map = {{Switcher||Show globe||Show map of Europe|default=2}} | map_caption = {{map caption|location_color=dark green |region=Europe |region_color=dark grey |subregion=the European Union |subregion_color=green |legend=EU-Finland.svg}} | capital = Helsinki | coordinates = {{Coord|60|10|N|24|56|E|type:city}} | largest_city = capital | official_languages = Finnish • Swedish | national_languages = Viittomakieli • Sámi • Teckenspråk • Karelian • Finnish Kalo language | ethnic_groups = {{unbulleted list |91.33% Finnish |4.90% Other European |2.50% Asian |0.90% African |0.37% Other }} | ethnic_groups_year = 2017 | ethnic_groups_ref = <ref name="auto">{{cite web |url=http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/fi/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__vaerak/statfin_vaerak_pxt_032.px/?rxid=726cd24d-d0f1-416a-8eec-7ce9b82fd5a4 |title=032 -- Syntyperä ja taustamaa sukupuolen mukaan maakunnittain ja kunnittain 1990 - 2017| work = Tilastokeskuksen PX-Web-tietokannat | publisher = Statistics Finland|language=fi |access-date=28 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212214837/http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/fi/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__vaerak/statfin_vaerak_pxt_032.px/?rxid=726cd24d-d0f1-416a-8eec-7ce9b82fd5a4 |archive-date=12 February 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="un">{{cite web|url=http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/data/estimates2/estimates17.shtml%7Ctitle=United Nations Population Division | Department of Economic and Social Affairs|website=un.org|access-date=29 June 2018}}</ref> | religion = {{ublist |item_style=white-space:nowrap; 

 |70.7% Christianity
 |—68.7% Lutheranism
 |—1.1% Orthodoxy
 |—0.9% Other Christian
 |28.5% No religion 
 | 0.8% Other}}

| religion_year = 2019 | religion_ref = <ref name="stnin">{{cite web |title=Belonging to a religious community by age and sex, 2000-2019 |url=http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/en/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__vaerak/statfin_vaerak_pxt_11rx.px/ |website=Tilastokeskuksen PX-Web tietokannat |publisher=Government |access-date=28 March 2020}} Note these are state religious registration numbers, people may be registered yet not practicing/believing and they may be believing/practicing but not registered.</ref> | demonym = {{hlist|Finnish|Finn}} | government_type = Unitary parliamentary republic<ref name="Parliamentary"/> | leader_title1 = President | leader_name1 = Sauli Niinistö | leader_title2 = Prime Minister | leader_name2 = Sanna Marin | legislature = Eduskunta/Riksdagen | sovereignty_type = Independence | sovereignty_note = from Russia | established_event1 = Autonomy | established_date1 = 29 March 1809 | established_event2 = Declared | established_date2 = 6 December 1917 | established_event3 = Civil War | established_date3 = January – May 1918 | established_event4 = Constitution | established_date4 = 17 July 1919 | established_event5 = Winter War | established_date5 = 30 November 1939 – 13 March 1940 | established_event6 = Continuation War | established_date6 = 25 June 1941 – 19 September 1944 | established_event7 = Joined the EU | established_date7 = 1 January 1995 | area_km2 = 338,455 | area_rank = 65th | area_sq_mi = 130,596 | percent_water = 9.71 (as of 2015)<ref>{{cite web|title=Surface water and surface water change|access-date=11 October 2020|publisher=Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)|url=https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=SURFACE_WATER#}}</ref> | population_estimate = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 5,536,146<ref>{{cite web|title=Birth rate showed a slight growth in 2020|url=https://www.stat.fi/til/vamuu/2020/12/vamuu_2020_12_2021-01-21_tie_001_en.html%7Cpublisher=Statistics Finland|access-date=21 January 2021}}</ref> | population_estimate_year = December 2020 | population_estimate_rank = 116th | population_label2 = | population_data2 = | population_density_km2 = 16 | population_density_sq_mi = 41 | population_density_rank = 213th | GDP_PPP = $257 billion<ref name=imf3>{{cite web|url=https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2018/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2018&ey=2018&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&pr1.x=59&pr1.y=9&c=172&s=NGDPD%2CPPPGDP%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPPC&grp=0&a= |date=17 October 2018|title=Report for Selected Countries and Subjects|publisher=IMF}}</ref> | GDP_PPP_year = 2020 | GDP_PPP_rank = 60th | GDP_PPP_per_capita = $49,334<ref name=imf3 /> | GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 19th | GDP_nominal = $277 billion<ref name=imf3 /> | GDP_nominal_year = 2020 | GDP_nominal_rank = 43rd | GDP_nominal_per_capita = $48,461<ref name=imf3 /> | GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 14th | Gini = 26.2 | Gini_year = 2019 | Gini_change = increase | Gini_ref = <ref name=eurogini>{{cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/table.do?tab=table&init=1&language=en&pcode=tessi190&plugin=1 |title=Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income - EU-SILC survey |publisher=Eurostat |website=ec.europa.eu |access-date=27 March 2020}}</ref> | Gini_rank = 6th | HDI = 0.938 | HDI_year = 2019 | HDI_change = increase | HDI_ref = <ref name="UNHDR">{{cite web|url=http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/hdr2020.pdf%7Ctitle=Human Development Report 2020|language=en|publisher=United Nations Development Programme|date=15 December 2020|access-date=15 December 2020}}</ref> | HDI_rank = 11th | currency = Euro (€) | currency_code = EUR | time_zone = EET | utc_offset = +2 | utc_offset_DST = +3 | time_zone_DST = EEST | date_format = d.m.yyyy<ref>Ajanilmaukset {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020033758/http://www.kielikello.fi/index.php?mid=2&pid=11&aid=1709 |date=20 October 2017 }} Kielikello 2/2006. Institute for the Languages of Finland. Retrieved 20 October 2017</ref> | drives_on = right | calling_code = +358 | cctld = .fia | footnote_a = The .eu domain is also used, as it is shared with other European Union member states. | today = }}

Finland ({{lang-fi|Suomi}} {{IPA-fi|ˈsuo̯mi||fi-suomi.ogg}}; {{lang-sv|Finland}} {{IPA-sv|ˈfɪ̌nland||sv-Finland.ogg}}, {{IPA-sv|ˈfinlɑnd|langfi}}), officially the Republic of Finland ({{Lang-fi|Suomen tasavalta}}, {{Lang-sv|Republiken Finland}} {{small|({{audio|Suomi Finland.ogg|listen to all|help=no}})}}),{{refn|group=note|"Republic of Finland", or {{lang|fi|Suomen tasavalta}} in Finnish, {{lang|sv|Republiken Finland}} in Swedish, and {{lang|se|Suoma dásseváldi}} in Sami, is the long protocol name, which is however not defined by law. Legislation recognises only the short name.}} is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the west, Russia to the east, Norway to the north, and is defined by the Gulf of Bothnia to the west, and the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea across Estonia to the south. Finland covers an area of {{convert|338455|km2|mi2}}, with a population of 5.5 million. Helsinki is the country's capital and largest city, but together with the neighboring cities of Espoo, Kauniainen and Vantaa, it forms a larger metropolitan area. Finnish, the native language of the Finns, is among the few Finnic languages in the world. The climate varies relative to latitude, from the southern humid continental climate to the northern boreal climate. The land cover is primarily a boreal forest biome, with more than 180,000 recorded lakes.<ref name="thousand">{{cite web|last=Li|first=Leslie|date=16 April 1989|title=A Land of a Thousand Lakes|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/04/16/travel/a-land-of-a-thousand-lakes.html%7Caccess-date=20 September 2020|work=The New York Times}}</ref>

Finland was inhabited around 9000 BC after the Last Glacial Period.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus|year=2015|isbn=978-952-495-363-4|location=Helsinki|page=23}}</ref> The Stone Age introduced several different ceramic styles and cultures. The Bronze Age and Iron Age were characterised by extensive contacts with other cultures in Fennoscandia and the Baltic region.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus|year=2015|isbn=978-952-495-363-4|location=Helsinki|page=339}}</ref> From the late 13th century, Finland gradually became an integral part of Sweden as a consequence of the Northern Crusades. In 1809, as a result of the Finnish War, Finland was annexed by Russia as the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland, during which Finnish art flourished and the idea of independence began to take hold. In 1906, Finland became the first European state to grant universal suffrage, and the first in the world to give all adult citizens the right to run for public office.<ref name="eduskunta">{{cite web |url=http://web.eduskunta.fi/Resource.phx/parliament/aboutparliament/presentation/history.htx |work=eduskunta.fi |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 December 2015 |author=Parliament of Finland |title=History of the Finnish Parliament |archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20151206184816/http://web.eduskunta.fi/Resource.phx/parliament/aboutparliament/presentation/history.htx }}</ref><ref name="full suffrage">Finland was the first nation in the world to give all (adult) citizens full suffrage, in other words the right to vote and to run for office, in 1906. New Zealand was the first country in the world to grant all (adult) citizens the right to vote, in 1893. But women did not get the right to run for the New Zealand legislature, until 1919.</ref> Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia, tried to russify Finland and terminate its political autonomy, but after the 1917 Russian Revolution, Finland declared independence from Russia. In 1918, the fledgling state was divided by the Finnish Civil War. During World War II, Finland fought the Soviet Union in the Winter War and the Continuation War, and Nazi Germany in the Lapland War. After the wars, Finland lost parts of its territory, but maintained its independence.

Finland largely remained an agrarian country until the 1950s. After World War II, the country rapidly industrialised and developed an advanced economy, while building an extensive welfare state based on the Nordic model, resulting in widespread prosperity and a high per capita income.<ref name="imf2">{{cite web |url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2013/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=65&pr.y=7&sy=2009&ey=2012&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=172&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a= |title=Finland |publisher=International Monetary Fund |access-date=17 April 2013}}</ref> Finland joined the United Nations in 1955 and adopted an official policy of neutrality. Finland joined the OECD in 1969, the NATO Partnership for Peace in 1994,<ref name="nato.int">Relations with Finland. NATO (13 January 2016)</ref> the European Union in 1995, the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council in 1997,<ref name="nato.int" /> and the Eurozone at its inception in 1999. Finland is a top performer in numerous metrics of national performance, including education, economic competitiveness, civil liberties, quality of life and human development.<ref name="World Audit">{{cite web |url=http://www.worldaudit.org/countries/finland.htm |title=Finland: World Audit Democracy Profile |work=WorldAudit.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030113921/http://www.worldaudit.org/countries/finland.htm |archive-date=30 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite document|url=http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/tertiary-education-graduation-rates_20755120-table1 |title=Tertiary education graduation rates—Education: Key Tables from OECD |doi=10.1787/20755120-table1 |publisher=OECD iLibrary |date=14 June 2010 |access-date=6 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430055650/http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/tertiary-education-graduation-rates_20755120-table1 |archive-date=30 April 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://e24.no/makro-og-politikk/article3803493.ece |title=Her er verdens mest konkurransedyktige land—Makro og politikk |publisher=E24.no |date=9 September 2010 |access-date=6 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101014010931/http://e24.no/makro-og-politikk/article3803493.ece |archive-date=14 October 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prosperity.com/country.aspx?id=FI |title=The 2009 Legatum Prosperity Index |publisher=Prosperity.com |access-date=4 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091029140547/http://www.prosperity.com/country.aspx?id=FI |archive-date=29 October 2009 }}</ref> In 2015, Finland was ranked first in the World Human Capital<ref>{{cite web |url=http://reports.weforum.org/human-capital-report-2015/rankings/ |title=Human Capital Report 2015 |website=World Economic Forum |access-date=15 May 2015}}</ref> and the Press Freedom Index and as the most stable country in the world during 2011–2016 in the Fragile States Index,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://fsi.fundforpeace.org/rankings-2016 |title=Fragile States Index 2016 |publisher=Fundforpeace.org |access-date=27 November 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204213240/http://fsi.fundforpeace.org/rankings-2016 |archive-date=4 February 2017 }}</ref> and second in the Global Gender Gap Report.<ref>{{cite book |title = Gender Gap Report |url = http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GenderGap_Report_2012.pdf |publisher = WEF }}</ref> It also ranked first on the World Happiness Report report for 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.<ref>{{cite news |last= Hetter|first=Katia|date=26 March 2019|title=This is the world's happiest country in 2019|url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/worlds-happiest-countries-united-nations-2019/index.html%7Cwork=CNN |access-date=31 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://happiness-report.s3.amazonaws.com/2020/WHR20.pdf%7Ctitle=World Happiness Report 2020|editor-last=Helliwell|editor-first=John F.|editor2-last=Sachs|editor2-first=Jeffrey|editor3-last=De Neve|editor3-first=Jan-Emmanuel|date=2020|publisher=Sustainable Development Solutions Network|location=New York|access-date=30 April 2020}}</ref>

Etymology

Finland

Finland on a medieval map, which is part of the Carta marina (1539)

{{See also|Finns#Etymology}}

The earliest written appearance of the name Finland is thought to be on three runestones. Two were found in the Swedish province of Uppland and have the inscription finlonti (U 582). The third was found in Gotland. It has the inscription finlandi (G 319) and dates back to the 13th century.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.arkisto.fi/ |title=National Archives Service, Finland (in English) |access-date=22 January 2007}}</ref> The name can be assumed to be related to the tribe name Finns, which is mentioned at first known time AD 98 (disputed meaning).

Suomi

The name Suomi ({{Langnf|fi|2=Finnish|3=Finland}}) has uncertain origins, but a common etymology with saame (Sami, a Finno-Ugric people in Lapland) and Häme (a province in the inland) has been suggested (Proto-Finnic *hämä from older *šämä, possibly loaned into Proto-Saami as *sāmē), whose source could be the Proto-Baltic word *źemē, meaning '(low) land'.<ref>kotikielenseura.fi, SUOMI (TTAVIA ETYMOLOGIOITA).</ref> According to the hypothesis, *sāmē – or *šämä directly – was loaned back into Baltic as *sāma- (compare Latvian sāms 'Finn, Öselian'), from which Northern Finnic reborrowed it (perhaps via a Germanic intermediate *sōma-) as *sōma- > *sōme- 'Finland'.<ref name=deSmit>{{cite web |last1=de Smit |first1=Merlijn |title=De Vanitate Etymologiae. On the origins of Suomi, Häme, Sápmi. |url=https://www.academia.edu/36858309 |website=Academia.edu |publisher=Academia, Inc. |access-date=6 September 2020 |language=en}}</ref> In addition to the close relatives of Finnish (the Finnic languages), this name is also used in the Baltic languages Latvian (soms, Somija) and Lithuanian (suomis, Suomija), although these are evidently later borrowings. An alternative hypothesis by Petri Kallio suggests the Proto-Indo-European word *(dʰ)ǵʰm-on- 'human' (cf. Gothic guma, Latin homo), being borrowed into Uralic as *ćoma.<ref name=deSmit />

It has been suggested that the Finnish word Suomi is first attested the Royal Frankish Annals annal for 811, which mentions a person called Suomi among the Danish delegation at a peace treaty with the Franks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/annalesregnifrancorum.html%7Ctitle=Annesl Regni Francorum|website=thelatinlibrary.com|access-date=29 July 2018}}</ref> If so, it is also the earliest evidence for the change from the proto-Finnic monophthong {{IPA|/oː/}} to the Finnish diphthong {{IPA|/uo/}}.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Keskiajan suomen kielen dokumentoitu sanasto ensiesiintymisvuosineen |last=Heikkilä |first=Mikko K. |publisher=Mediapinta |year=2017 |isbn=978-952-236-859-1 |page=44}}</ref><ref>Mikko Heikkilä, 'Varhaissuomen äännehistorian kronologiasta', Sananjalka, 58 (2016), 136–158 (p. 147).</ref> However, some historical linguists view this interpretation of the name as unlikely, supposing another etymology or that the spelling originated as a scribal error (in which case the sound-change {{IPA|/oː/}} > {{IPA|/uo/}} could have happened much later).<ref>Petri Kallio, 'Äännehistoriaa suomen kielen erilliskehityksen alkutaipaleilta', Sananjalka, 59 (2017), 7–24 (p. 12).</ref>

Concept

In the earliest historical sources, from the 12th and 13th centuries, the term Finland refers to the coastal region around Turku from Perniö to Uusikaupunki. This region later became known as Finland Proper in distinction from the country name Finland. Finland became a common name for the whole country in a centuries-long process that started when the Catholic Church established a missionary diocese in Nousiainen in the northern part of the province of Suomi possibly sometime in the 12th century.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |title=Suomen museo 2003: "The Origins of Finland and Häme" |last=Salo |first=Unto |publisher=Suomen muinaismuistoyhdistys |year=2004 |isbn=978-951-9057-55-2 |location=Helsinki |page=55}}</ref>

The devastation of Finland during the Great Northern War (1714–1721) and during the Russo-Swedish War (1741–1743) caused Sweden to begin carrying out major efforts to defend its eastern half from Russia. These 18th-century experiences created a sense of a shared destiny that when put in conjunction with the unique Finnish language, led to the adoption of an expanded concept of Finland.<ref name=UppslagsFi>{{cite web |url=http://www.uppslagsverket.fi/sv/sok/view-103684-FinlandsHistoria1700Talet |title=Finlands historia: 1700-talet |last=Lindberg |first=Johan |date=26 May 2016 |website=Uppslagsverket Finland |access-date=30 November 2017 |language=sv}}</ref>

History

{{Main|History of Finland}} {{see also|Åland Islands}}

Prehistory

{{Main|History of Finland#Prehistory}}

Reconstruction of Stone Age dwelling from Kierikki, Oulu

If the archeological finds from Wolf Cave are the result of Neanderthals' activities, the first people inhabited Finland approximately 120,000–130,000 years ago.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus |year=2015 |isbn=978-952-495-363-4 |location=Helsinki |page=21}}</ref> The area that is now Finland was settled in, at the latest, around 8,500 BC during the Stone Age towards the end of the last glacial period. The artifacts the first settlers left behind present characteristics that are shared with those found in Estonia, Russia, and Norway.<ref name=":1">Herkules.oulu.fi. People, material, culture and environment in the north. Proceedings of the 22nd Nordic Archaeological Conference, University of Oulu, 18–23 August 2004 Edited by Vesa-Pekka Herva Gummerus Kirjapaino</ref> The earliest people were hunter-gatherers, using stone tools.<ref name="VF-Pre">Dr. Pirjo Uino of the National Board of Antiquities, ThisisFinland—"Prehistory: The ice recedes—man arrives". Retrieved 24 June 2008.</ref>

The first pottery appeared in 5200 BC, when the Comb Ceramic culture was introduced.<ref name="Hist-Fin-Geo">History of Finland and the Finnish People from stone age to WWII. Retrieved 24 June 2008.</ref> The arrival of the Corded Ware culture in Southern coastal Finland between 3000 and 2500 BC may have coincided with the start of agriculture.<ref name="Virt-Mino">Professor Frank Horn of the Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law University of Lappland writing for Virtual Finland on National Minorities of Finland. Retrieved 24 June 2008.</ref> Even with the introduction of agriculture, hunting and fishing continued to be important parts of the subsistence economy.

In the Bronze Age permanent all-year-round cultivation and animal husbandry spread, but the cold climate phase slowed the change.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus |year=2015 |location=Helsinki |pages=199, 210–211}}</ref> Cultures in Finland shared common features in pottery and also axes had similarities but local features existed. Seima-Turbino-phenomenon brought first bronze artifacts to the region and possibly also the Finno-Ugric-Languages.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus|year=2015|location=Helsinki|pages=171–178}}</ref> Commercial contacts that had so far mostly been to Estonia started to extend to Scandinavia. Domestic manufacture of bronze artifacts started 1300 BC with {{ill|Maaninka-type bronze axe|fi|Maaningan kirves|lt=Maaninka-type bronze axes}}. Bronze was imported from Volga region and from Southern Scandinavia.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus|year=2015|location=Helsinki|pages=189–190}}</ref>

Northern Europe in 814 AD

In the Iron Age population grew especially in Häme and Savo regions. Finland proper was the most densely populated area. Cultural contacts to the Baltics and Scandinavia became more frequent. Commercial contacts in the Baltic Sea region grew and extended during the 8th and 9th centuries.

Main exports from Finland were furs, slaves, castoreum, and falcons to European courts. Imports included silk and other fabrics, jewelry, Ulfberht swords, and, in lesser extent, glass. Production of iron started approximately in 500 BC.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus |year=2015 |location=Helsinki |pages=332, 364–365}}</ref>

At the end of the 9th century, indigenous artifact culture, especially women's jewelry and weapons, had more common local features than ever before. This has been interpreted to be expressing common Finnish identity which was born from an image of common origin.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus |year=2015 |location=Helsinki |page=269}}</ref>

Late Iron Age swords found in Finland

An early form of Finnic languages spread to the Baltic Sea region approximately 1900 BC with the Seima-Turbino-phenomenon. Common Finnic language was spoken around Gulf of Finland 2000 years ago. The dialects from which the modern-day Finnish language was developed came into existence during the Iron Age.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus|year=2015|location=Helsinki|pages=211–212}}</ref> Although distantly related, the Sami retained the hunter-gatherer lifestyle longer than the Finns. The Sami cultural identity and the Sami language have survived in Lapland, the northernmost province, but the Sami have been displaced or assimilated elsewhere.

The 12th and 13th centuries were a violent time in the northern Baltic Sea. The Livonian Crusade was ongoing and the Finnish tribes such as the Tavastians and Karelians were in frequent conflicts with Novgorod and with each other. Also, during the 12th and 13th centuries several crusades from the Catholic realms of the Baltic Sea area were made against the Finnish tribes. According to historical sources, Danes waged at least three crusades to Finland, in 1187 or slightly earlier,<ref name=":3">{{cite book| author = Kurt Villads Jensen| title = Ristiretket| publisher = Turun Historiallinen Yhdistys| year = 2019| pages = 126–127}}</ref> in 1191 and in 1202,<ref>{{Cite book |title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus |year=2015 |location=Helsinki |page=380}}</ref> and Swedes, possibly the so-called second crusade to Finland, in 1249 against Tavastians and the third crusade to Finland in 1293 against the Karelians. The so-called first crusade to Finland, possibly in 1155, is most likely an unreal event. Also, it is possible that Germans made violent conversion of Finnish pagans in the 13th century.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Ruotsin itämaa |last=Tarkiainen |first=Kari |publisher=Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland |year=2010 |location=Helsinki |page=88}}</ref> According to a papal letter from 1241, the king of Norway was also fighting against "nearby pagans" at that time.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Suomen varhaiskeskiajan lähteitä |last=Compiled by Martti Linna |publisher=Historian aitta |year=1989 |page=69}}</ref>

Swedish era

{{Main|Finland under Swedish rule}} {{See also|Swedish colonisation of Finland}}

The Swedish Empire following the Treaty of Roskilde of 1658.
Dark green: Sweden proper, as represented in the Riksdag of the Estates. Other greens: Swedish dominions and possessions

As a result of the crusades and the colonisation of some Finnish coastal areas with Christian Swedish population during the Middle Ages,<ref>{{Cite book|title=Ruotsin itämaa|last=Tarkiainen|first=Kari|publisher=Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland |year=2010 |isbn=978-951-583-212-2 |location=Helsinki|pages=104–147}}</ref> including the old capital Turku, Finland gradually became part of the kingdom of Sweden and the sphere of influence of the Catholic Church. Due to the Swedish conquest, the Finnish upper class lost its position and lands to the new Swedish and German nobility and to the Catholic Church.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Ruotsin itämaa|last=Tarkiainen|first=Kari|publisher=Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland |year=2010 |isbn=978-951-583-212-2 |location=Porvoo |pages=167–170}}</ref> In Sweden even in the 17th and 18th centuries, it was clear that Finland was a conquered country and its inhabitants could be treated arbitrarily. Swedish kings visited Finland rarely and in Swedish contemporary texts Finns were portrayed to be primitive and their language inferior.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://journal.fi/tt/article/view/57138/19187%7Ctitle=Kansallinen identiteetti Ruotsissa ja Suomessa 1600-1700-luvuilla |last=Kemiläinen |first=Aira|publisher=Tieteessä tapahtuu 8/2004|year=2004|pages=25–26|language=fi}}</ref>

Swedish became the dominant language of the nobility, administration, and education; Finnish was chiefly a language for the peasantry, clergy, and local courts in predominantly Finnish-speaking areas. During the Protestant Reformation, the Finns gradually converted to Lutheranism.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.europe-cities.com/en/657/finland/history/chronology%7Ctitle=History of Finland. Finland chronology |publisher=Europe-cities.com |access-date=26 August 2010 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427060720/http://www.europe-cities.com/en/657/finland/history/chronology |archive-date=27 April 2011}}</ref>

In the 16th century, Mikael Agricola published the first written works in Finnish, and Finland's current capital city, Helsinki, was founded by Gustav I of Sweden.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/409531/ |title=Ruttopuisto – Plague Park |publisher=Tabblo.com |access-date=3 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411112934/http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/409531/ |archive-date=11 April 2008 }}</ref> The first university in Finland, the Royal Academy of Turku, was established in 1640. The Finns reaped a reputation in the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) as a well-trained cavalrymen called "Hakkapeliitta", that division excelled in sudden and savage attacks, raiding and reconnaissance, which King Gustavus Adolphus took advantage of in his significant battles, like in the Battle of Breitenfeld (1631) and the Battle of Rain (1632).<ref>{{cite book|author=Joose Olavi Hannula|year=1939|title=Hakkapeliittoja ja karoliineja – Kuvia Suomen sotahistoriasta|publisher=Otava| location=Helsinki|language=fi}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Matti J. Kankaanpää|year=2016|title=Suomalainen ratsuväki Ruotsin ajalla|publisher=T:mi Toiset aijat| location=Porvoo | page = 790 |isbn = 978-952-99106-9-4|language=fi}}</ref> Finland suffered a severe famine in 1696–1697, during which about one third of the Finnish population died,<ref name="empire"/> and a devastating plague a few years later.

Now lying within Helsinki, Suomenlinna is a UNESCO World Heritage Site consisting of an inhabited 18th-century sea fortress built on six islands. It is one of Finland's most popular tourist attractions.

In the 18th century, wars between Sweden and Russia twice led to the occupation of Finland by Russian forces, times known to the Finns as the Greater Wrath (1714–1721) and the Lesser Wrath (1742–1743).<ref name="empire">"Finland and the Swedish Empire". Federal Research Division, Library of Congress.</ref> It is estimated that almost an entire generation of young men was lost during the Great Wrath, due mainly to the destruction of homes and farms, and to the burning of Helsinki.<ref name="Nordstrom, Scandinavia">{{cite book|last=Nordstrom|first=Byron J.|title=Scandinavia Since 1500|year=2000|publisher=University of Minnesota Press|location=Minneapolis, US|isbn=978-0-8166-2098-2|page=142|url=https://archive.org/details/scandinaviasince0000nord/page/142}}</ref> By this time Finland was the predominant term for the whole area from the Gulf of Bothnia to the Russian border.{{citation needed|date=June 2018}}

Two Russo-Swedish wars in twenty-five years served as reminders to the Finnish people of the precarious position between Sweden and Russia. An increasingly vocal elite in Finland soon determined that Finnish ties with Sweden were becoming too costly, and following Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790), the Finnish elite's desire to break with Sweden only heightened.<ref name="a1">{{cite book |last=Nordstrom |first=Byron J. |title=Scandinavia Since 1500 |year=2000 |publisher=University of Minnesota Press |location=Minneapolis, US |isbn=978-0-8166-2098-2 |page=143 |url=https://archive.org/details/scandinaviasince0000nord/page/143 }}</ref>

Even before the war there were conspiring politicians, among them Col G. M. Sprengtporten, who had supported Gustav III's coup in 1772. Sprengporten fell out with the king and resigned his commission in 1777. In the following decade he tried to secure Russian support for an autonomous Finland, and later became an adviser to Catherine II.<ref name="a1"/> In the spirit of the notion of Adolf Ivar Arwidsson (1791–1858), "we are not Swedes, we do not want to become Russians, let us therefore be Finns", the Finnish national identity started to become established.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lefaivre|first1=Liane|last2=Tzonis|first2=Alexander|title=Architecture of Regionalism in the Age of Globalization: Peaks and Valleys in the Flat World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FkYHEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT144%7Cyear=2020%7Cpublisher=Routledge%7Clocation=New York|isbn=978-1-00-022106-0|page=144}}</ref>

Notwithstanding the efforts of Finland's elite and nobility to break ties with Sweden, there was no genuine independence movement in Finland until the early 20th century. As a matter of fact, at this time the Finnish peasantry was outraged by the actions of their elite and almost exclusively supported Gustav's actions against the conspirators. (The High Court of Turku condemned Sprengtporten as a traitor c. 1793.)<ref name="a1"/> The Swedish era ended in the Finnish War in 1809.

Russian era

{{Main|Grand Duchy of Finland}} {{See also|Diet of Porvoo|Finland's language strife|Russification of Finland}}

website=Google Arts & Culture}}</ref>

On 29 March 1809, having been taken over by the armies of Alexander I of Russia in the Finnish War, Finland became an autonomous Grand Duchy in the Russian Empire with the recognition given at the Diet held in Porvoo. This situation lasted until the end of 1917. In 1811, Alexander I incorporated the Russian Vyborg province into the Grand Duchy of Finland. In 1854, Finland became involved in Russia's involvement in the Crimean War, when the British and French navies bombed the Finnish coast and Åland during the so-called Åland War. During the Russian era, the Finnish language began to gain recognition. From the 1860s onwards, a strong Finnish nationalist movement known as the Fennoman movement grew, and one of its most prominent leading figures of the movement was the philosopher J. V. Snellman, who was strictly inclined to Hegel's idealism, and who pushed for the stabilization of the status of the Finnish language and its own currency, the Finnish markka, in the Grand Duchy of Finland.<ref>{{cite book| author = Olavi Junnila | title = Suomen historia 5 | year = 1986 | chapter = Autonomian rakentaminen ja kansallisen nousun aika | page = 151 | location = Helsinki | publisher = Weilin + Göös | isbn = 951-35-2494-9 | language = fi }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.suomenpankki.fi/fi/media-ja-julkaisut/puheet-ja-haastattelut/2006/pankinjohtaja-sinikka-salon-puhe-snellman-ja-suomen-markka--nayttelyn-avajaisissa-suomen-pankin-rahamuseossa/ | title = Pankinjohtaja Sinikka Salon puhe Snellman ja Suomen markka -näyttelyn avajaisissa Suomen Pankin rahamuseossa | publisher = Bank of Finland | date = 10 January 2006 | access-date = 7 December 2020 | language = fi }}</ref> Milestones included the publication of what would become Finland's national epic – the Kalevala – in 1835, and the Finnish language's achieving equal legal status with Swedish in 1892.

The Finnish famine of 1866–1868 killed approximately 15% of the population, making it one of the worst famines in European history. The famine led the Russian Empire to ease financial regulations, and investment rose in following decades. Economic and political development was rapid.<ref name="equity">{{cite web |url=http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTRANETSOCIALDEVELOPMENT/Resources/finland.pdf |title=Growth and Equity in Finland |publisher=World Bank}}</ref> The gross domestic product (GDP) per capita was still half of that of the United States and a third of that of Britain.<ref name="equity" />

In 1906, universal suffrage was adopted in the Grand Duchy of Finland. However, the relationship between the Grand Duchy and the Russian Empire soured when the Russian government made moves to restrict Finnish autonomy. For example, the universal suffrage was, in practice, virtually meaningless, since the tsar did not have to approve any of the laws adopted by the Finnish parliament. Desire for independence gained ground, first among radical liberals<ref>Mickelsson, Rauli (2007). Suomen puolueet—Historia, muutos ja nykypäivä. Vastapaino.</ref> and socialists. The case is known as the "Russification of Finland", driven by the last tsar of Russian Empire, Nicholas II.<ref>Alenius, Kari. "Russification in Estonia and Finland Before 1917," Faravid, 2004, Vol. 28, pp 181–194</ref>

Civil war and early independence

{{Main|Independence of Finland|Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic|Finnish Civil War}}

White firing squad executing Red soldiers after the Battle of Länkipohja (1918)

After the 1917 February Revolution, the position of Finland as part of the Russian Empire was questioned, mainly by Social Democrats. Since the head of state was the tsar of Russia, it was not clear who the chief executive of Finland was after the revolution. The Parliament, controlled by social democrats, passed the so-called Power Act to give the highest authority to the Parliament. This was rejected by the Russian Provisional Government which decided to dissolve the Parliament.<ref>The Finnish Civil War, Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress. Countrystudies.us. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

New elections were conducted, in which right-wing parties won with a slim majority. Some social democrats refused to accept the result and still claimed that the dissolution of the parliament (and thus the ensuing elections) were extralegal. The two nearly equally powerful political blocs, the right-wing parties and the social democratic party, were highly antagonized.

The October Revolution in Russia changed the geopolitical situation once more. Suddenly, the right-wing parties in Finland started to reconsider their decision to block the transfer of highest executive power from the Russian government to Finland, as the Bolsheviks took power in Russia. Rather than acknowledge the authority of the Power Act of a few months earlier, the right-wing government, led by Prime Minister P. E. Svinhufvud, presented Declaration of Independence on 4 December 1917, which was officially approved two days later, on 6 December, by the Finnish Parliament. The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR), led by Vladimir Lenin, recognized independence on 4 January 1918.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://formin.finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=107215&contentlan=1&culture=fi-FI | title = Uudenvuodenaatto Pietarin Smolnassa – Itsenäisyyden tunnustus 31.12.1917 | publisher = Ulkoministieriö | access-date = 14 September 2020 | language = fi }}</ref>

Finnish military leader and statesman C. G. E. Mannerheim as general officer leading the White Victory Parade at the end of the Finnish Civil War in Helsinki, 1918

On 27 January 1918, the official opening shots of the civil war were fired in two simultaneous events: on the one hand the government's beginning to disarm the Russian forces in Pohjanmaa, and on the other, a coup launched by the Social Democratic Party.{{failed verification |date=December 2010 |reason=No mention of coup in the section The Finnish Civil War, which should cover this. The actions by the reds are not characterized.}} The latter gained control of southern Finland and Helsinki, but the White government continued in exile from Vaasa. This sparked the brief but bitter civil war. The Whites, who were supported by Imperial Germany, prevailed over the Reds,<ref>{{cite web |title=A Country Study: Finland—The Finnish Civil War |url=http://memory.loc.gov/frd/cs/fitoc.html |work=Federal Research Division, Library of Congress |access-date=11 December 2008}}</ref> which were guided by Kullervo Manner's desire to make the newly independent country a Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic (also known as "Red Finland") and part of the RSFSR.<ref>SDP:n puheenjohtaja halusi punadiktaattoriksi, mutta kuoli Stalinin vankileirillä (in Finnish)</ref> After the war, tens of thousands of Reds and suspected sympathizers were interned in camps, where thousands were executed or died from malnutrition and disease. Deep social and political enmity was sown between the Reds and Whites and would last until the Winter War and beyond. Even nowadays, the civil war remains a sensitive topic.<ref>Pääkirjoitus: Kansalaissota on arka muistettava (in Finnish)</ref><ref>Punaisten ja valkoisten perintöä vaalitaan yhä – Suomalaiset lähettivät yli 400 muistoa vuoden 1918 sisällissodasta (in Finnish)</ref> The civil war and the 1918–1920 activist expeditions called "Kinship Wars" into Soviet Russia strained Eastern relations. At that time, the idea of a Greater Finland also emerged for the first time.<ref>{{Cite book | last=Manninen | first=Ohto | title=Suur-Suomen ääriviivat: Kysymys tulevaisuudesta ja turvallisuudesta Suomen Saksan-politiikassa 1941 | location=Helsinki | publisher=Kirjayhtymä | year=1980 | isbn= 951-26-1735-8}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | last=Nygård | first=Toivo | title=Suur-Suomi vai lähiheimolaisten auttaminen: Aatteellinen heimotyö itsenäisessä Suomessa | location=Helsinki | publisher=Otava | year=1978 | isbn=951-1-04963-1}}</ref>

J. K. Paasikivi and P. E. Svinhufvud, both at the time future presidents of the Republic of Finland, discuss the Finnish monarchy project in 1918.

After a brief experimentation with monarchy, when an attempt to make Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse King of Finland proved to be a poor success, Finland became a presidential republic, with K. J. Ståhlberg elected as its first president in 1919. As a liberal nationalist and with a legal background, Ståhlberg anchored the state in liberal democracy, guarded the fragile shoot of the rule of law, and embarked on internal reforms.<ref>{{cite web | first = Juha | last = Mononen | title = War or Peace for Finland? Neoclassical Realist Case Study of Finnish Foreign Policy in the Context of the Anti-Bolshevik Intervention in Russia 1918–1920 | url = https://tampub.uta.fi/handle/10024/80491 | date = 2 February 2009 | publisher = University of Tampere | access-date = 25 August 2020 | archive-date = 7 June 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150607035630/http://tampub.uta.fi/handle/10024/80491 | url-status = dead }}</ref> Finland was also one of the first European countries to strongly aim for equality for women, with Miina Sillanpää serving in Väinö Tanner's cabinet as the first female minister in Finnish history in 1926–1927.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://finland.fi/life-society/real-bridge-builder-became-finlands-first-female-government-minister/%7Ctitle=Real bridge-builder became Finland's first female government minister - thisisFINLAND|date=29 September 2017|work=thisisFINLAND|access-date=7 December 2020|language=en-US}}</ref> The Finnish–Russian border was defined in 1920 by the Treaty of Tartu, largely following the historic border but granting Pechenga ({{lang-fi|Petsamo}}) and its Barents Sea harbour to Finland. Finnish democracy did not experience any Soviet coup attempts and likewise survived the anti-communist Lapua Movement. Nevertheless, the relationship between Finland and the Soviet Union remained tense. Army officers were trained in France, and relations with Western Europe and Sweden were strengthened.

In 1917, the population was three million. Credit-based land reform was enacted after the civil war, increasing the proportion of the capital-owning population.<ref name="equity" /> About 70% of workers were occupied in agriculture and 10% in industry.<ref>{{cite web |author=Finland 1917–2007 |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suomi90/helmikuu_en.html |title=From slash-and-burn fields to post-industrial society—90 years of change in industrial structure |publisher=Stat.fi |date=20 February 2007 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> The largest export markets were the United Kingdom and Germany.

World War II and after

{{Main|Finland during World War II|Finno-Soviet Treaty of 1948|Finlandization|Early 1990s depression in Finland}}

Areas ceded by Finland to the Soviet Union after World War II. The Porkkala land lease was returned to Finland in 1956.

Finland fought the Soviet Union in the Winter War of 1939–1940 after the Soviet Union attacked Finland and in the Continuation War of 1941–1944, following Operation Barbarossa, when Finland aligned with Germany following Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union. For 872 days, the German army, aided indirectly by Finnish forces, besieged Leningrad, the USSR's second-largest city.<ref>Michael Jones (2013). "Leningrad: State of Siege". Basic Books. p. 38. {{ISBN|0-7867-2177-4}}</ref> After Finnish resistance to a major Soviet offensive in June and July 1944 led to a standstill, the two sides reached an armistice. This was followed by the Lapland War of 1944–1945, when Finland fought retreating German forces in northern Finland. Perhaps the most famous war heroes during the aforementioned wars were Simo Häyhä,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R948DQAAQBAJ&q=simo+hayha+219+kills&pg=PT35%7Ctitle=The White Sniper|first=Tapio|last=Saarelainen|date=31 October 2016|publisher=Casemate|isbn=978-1-61200-429-7|access-date=12 March 2019|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rdIgAQAAIAAJ%7Ctitle=Journal of Information Warfare|first1=Edith Cowan University School of Management Information|last1=Systems|first2=Teamlink|last2=Australia|date=12 March 2019|publisher=Teamlink Australia Pty Limited|access-date=12 March 2019|via=Google Books}}</ref> Aarne Juutilainen,<ref>{{Cite book|title=Marokon Kauhu|trans-title=Terror of Morocco|last=Mäkelä|first=Jukka L.|publisher=W. Söderström|location=Porvoo|language=fi|year=1969|oclc=3935082}}</ref> and Lauri Törni.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cleverley|first=J. Michael|title=Born a Soldier: The Times and Life of Larry Thorne|year=2008|publisher=Booksurge|isbn=978-1-4392-1437-4|oclc=299168934}}</ref>

The treaties signed with the Soviet Union in 1947 and 1948 included Finnish obligations, restraints, and reparations, as well as further Finnish territorial concessions in addition to those in the Moscow Peace Treaty of 1940. As a result of the two wars, Finland ceded the Petsamo, along with parts of Finnish Karelia and Salla. This amounted to 10% of Finland's land area and 20% of its industrial capacity, including the ports of Vyborg (Viipuri) and the ice-free Liinakhamari (Liinahamari). Almost the whole Finnish population, some 400,000 people, fled these areas. The former Finnish territory now constitutes part of Russia's Republic of Karelia, Leningrad Oblast, and Murmansk Oblast. Finland was never occupied by Soviet forces and it retained its independence, but at a loss of about 97,000 soldiers. The war reparations demanded by the Soviet Union amounted to $300 million ({{Inflation|US|300|1938|fmt=c}} million in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}).

Finland rejected Marshall aid, in apparent deference to Soviet desires. However, in the hope of preserving Finland's independence, the United States provided secret development aid and helped the Social Democratic Party.<ref>Hidden help from across the Atlantic {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070129165823/http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Hidden+help+from+across+the+Atlantic/1135223633788 |date=29 January 2007 }}, Helsingin Sanomat</ref> Establishing trade with the Western powers, such as the United Kingdom, and paying reparations to the Soviet Union produced a transformation of Finland from a primarily agrarian economy to an industrialised one. Valmet was founded to create materials for war reparations. After the reparations had been paid off, Finland continued to trade with the Soviet Union in the framework of bilateral trade.

Urho Kekkonen, the eighth president of Finland (1956–1982)

In 1950, 46% of Finnish workers worked in agriculture and a third lived in urban areas.<ref name="populationdevelopment">{{cite web |author=Finland 1917–2007 |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suomi90/joulukuu_en.html |title=Population development in independent Finland—greying Baby Boomers |publisher=Stat.fi |date=5 December 2007 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> The new jobs in manufacturing, services, and trade quickly attracted people to the towns. The average number of births per woman declined from a baby boom peak of 3.5 in 1947 to 1.5 in 1973.<ref name="populationdevelopment" /> When baby-boomers entered the workforce, the economy did not generate jobs quickly enough, and hundreds of thousands emigrated to the more industrialized Sweden, with emigration peaking in 1969 and 1970.<ref name="populationdevelopment" /> The 1952 Summer Olympics brought international visitors. Finland took part in trade liberalization in the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

Officially claiming to be neutral, Finland lay in the grey zone between the Western countries and the Soviet bloc. The YYA Treaty (Finno-Soviet Pact of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance) gave the Soviet Union some leverage in Finnish domestic politics. This was extensively exploited by president Urho Kekkonen against his opponents. He maintained an effective monopoly on Soviet relations from 1956 on, which was crucial for his continued popularity. In politics, there was a tendency to avoid any policies and statements that could be interpreted as anti-Soviet. This phenomenon was given the name "Finlandization" by the West German press. During the Cold War, Finland also developed into one of the centers of the East-West espionage, in which both the KGB and the CIA played their parts.<ref>{{Citation|last=Ford|first=Hal|title=ESAU -LVI - FINLANDIZATION IN ACTION: HELSINKI'S EXPERIENCE WITH MOSCOW|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/esau-55.pdf%7Cseries=DIRECTORATE OF INTELLIGENCE|date=August 1972}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.economist.com/eastern-approaches/2011/12/01/secret-history%7Ctitle=Finland and American intelligence - Secret history|work=The Economist|date=1 December 2011|access-date=16 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://intelnews.org/2011/08/19/01-794/%7Ctitle=Former Finnish diplomat reveals she worked for the CIA|first=Joseph|last=Fitsanakis|website=Intelnews.org|date=19 August 2011|access-date=16 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-9692396%7Ctitle=Naisia, autoja ja piilopirttejä – Norjalainen vakoili CIA:n laskuun kylmän sodan Suomessa|first=Satu|last=Helin|publisher=YLE|date=2 July 2017|access-date=16 August 2020|language=fi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2019/10/14/kylman-sodan-suomalaisagentit-kasikirjoitus%7Ctitle=Kylmän sodan suomalaisagentit: käsikirjoitus|first=Kai|last=Byman|work=MOT|publisher=YLE|date=14 October 2019|access-date=16 August 2020|language=fi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000005833479.html%7Ctitle=Näin Neuvostoliitto vakoili Suomessa – Supo seurasi "Jakkea", joka johdatti uusille jäljille|first=Mika|last=Lehto|work=Ilta-Sanomat|date=19 September 2018|access-date=16 August 2020|language=fi}}</ref> The 1949 established Finnish Security Intelligence Service (SUPO, Suojelupoliisi), an operational security authority and a police unit under the Interior Ministry, whose core areas of activity are counter-Intelligence, counter-terrorism and national security,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://supo.fi/en/frontpage?p_p_id=fi_yja_language_version_tool_web_portlet_LanguageVersionToolMissingNotificationPortlet&_fi_yja_language_version_tool_web_portlet_LanguageVersionToolMissingNotificationPortlet_missingLanguageVersion=1%7Ctitle=Frontpage%7Cwebsite=Supo}}</ref> also participated in this activity in some places.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://tuomioja.org/kirjavinkit/2009/09/matti-simola-toimittanut-ratakatu-12-suojelupoliisi-1949-2009-wsoy-319-s-hameenlinna-2009/%7Ctitle=Salaisen palvelun tutkimuksen haasteet|last=Tuomioja|first=Erkki|date=8 September 2009|work=Tuomioja.org|access-date=24 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171024153602/https://tuomioja.org/kirjavinkit/2009/09/matti-simola-toimittanut-ratakatu-12-suojelupoliisi-1949-2009-wsoy-319-s-hameenlinna-2009/%7Carchive-date=24 October 2017|url-status=live|language=fi-FI|trans-title=Challenges in secret service research}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|chapter-url=https://helda.helsinki.fi/handle/10224/4054%7Ctitle=The Cold War and the Politics of History|last=Rentola|first=Kimmo|publisher=Edita Publishing Ltd|year=2008|isbn=978-952-10-4637-7|editor-last=Aunesluoma|editor-first=Juhani|location=Helsinki|pages=269–289|chapter=President Urho Kekkonen of Finland and the KGB|editor-last2=Kettunen|editor-first2=Pauli|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305010917/https://helda.helsinki.fi/handle/10224/4054%7Carchive-date=5 March 2016}}</ref>

Despite close relations with the Soviet Union, Finland maintained a market economy. Various industries benefited from trade privileges with the Soviets, which explains the widespread support that pro-Soviet policies enjoyed among business interests in Finland. Economic growth was rapid in the postwar era, and by 1975 Finland's GDP per capita was the 15th-highest in the world. In the 1970s and 1980s, Finland built one of the most extensive welfare states in the world. Finland negotiated with the European Economic Community (EEC, a predecessor of the European Union) a treaty that mostly abolished customs duties towards the EEC starting from 1977, although Finland did not fully join. In 1981, President Urho Kekkonen's failing health forced him to retire after holding office for 25 years.

Finland joined the European Union in 1995 and signed the Lisbon Treaty in 2007.

Finland reacted cautiously to the collapse of the Soviet Union, but swiftly began increasing integration with the West. On 21 September 1990, Finland unilaterally declared the Paris Peace Treaty obsolete, following the German reunification decision nine days earlier.<ref>formin.finland.fi {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105213131/http://formin.finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=55802&contentlan=1&culture=fi-FI |date=5 January 2016 }}; Suurlähettiläs Jaakko Blomberg: Kylmän sodan päättyminen, Suomi ja Viro – Ulkoasiainministeriö: Ajankohtaista. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

Miscalculated macroeconomic decisions, a banking crisis, the collapse of its largest trading partner (the Soviet Union), and a global economic downturn caused a deep early 1990s recession in Finland. The depression bottomed out in 1993, and Finland saw steady economic growth for more than ten years.<ref>{{Citation|last=Uusitalo|first=Hannu|title=Economic Crisis and Social Policy in Finland in the 1990s|journal=Working Paper Series|url=https://www.sprc.unsw.edu.au/media/SPRCFile/dp070.pdf%7Cseries=SPRC Discussion Paper No. 70|date=October 1996|issn=1037-2741}}</ref> Like other Nordic countries, Finland decentralised its economy since the late 1980s. Financial and product market regulation were loosened. Some state enterprises have been privatized and there have been some modest tax cuts.{{Citation needed |date=August 2017}} Finland joined the European Union in 1995, and the Eurozone in 1999. Much of the late 1990s economic growth was fueled by the success of the mobile phone manufacturer Nokia, which held a unique position of representing 80% of the market capitalization of the Helsinki Stock Exchange.

Geography

{{Main|Geography of Finland}} {{See also|List of cities and towns in Finland|List of lakes of Finland|List of national parks of Finland|Environmental issues in Finland}}

Topographic map of Finland

Lying approximately between latitudes 60° and 70° N, and longitudes 20° and 32° E, Finland is one of the world's northernmost countries. Of world capitals, only Reykjavík lies more to the north than Helsinki. The distance from the southernmost point – Hanko in Uusimaa – to the northernmost – Nuorgam in Lapland – is {{convert|1160|km|mi}}.

Finland has about 168,000 lakes (of area larger than {{convert|500|m2|acre|2|abbr=on|disp=or}}) and 179,000 islands.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_alue_en.html |title=Statistics Finland, Environment and Natural Resources|access-date=4 April 2013}}</ref> Its largest lake, Saimaa, is the fourth largest in Europe. The Finnish Lakeland is the area with the most lakes in the country; many of the major cities in the area, most notably Tampere, Jyväskylä and Kuopio, are located in the immediate vicinity of the large lakes. The greatest concentration of islands is found in the southwest, in the Archipelago Sea between continental Finland and the main island of Åland.

Much of the geography of Finland is a result of the Ice Age. The glaciers were thicker and lasted longer in Fennoscandia compared with the rest of Europe. Their eroding effects have left the Finnish landscape mostly flat with few hills and fewer mountains. Its highest point, the Halti at {{convert|1324|m|ft|0}}, is found in the extreme north of Lapland at the border between Finland and Norway. The highest mountain whose peak is entirely in Finland is Ridnitšohkka at {{convert|1316|m|ft|abbr=on}}, directly adjacent to Halti.

There are some 187,888 lakes in Finland larger than 500 square metres and 75,818 islands of over 0,5 km2 area, leading to the denomination "the land of a thousand lakes".<ref name="thousand"/>

The retreating glaciers have left the land with morainic deposits in formations of eskers. These are ridges of stratified gravel and sand, running northwest to southeast, where the ancient edge of the glacier once lay. Among the biggest of these are the three Salpausselkä ridges that run across southern Finland.

Having been compressed under the enormous weight of the glaciers, terrain in Finland is rising due to the post-glacial rebound. The effect is strongest around the Gulf of Bothnia, where land steadily rises about {{convert|1|cm|1|abbr=on}} a year. As a result, the old sea bottom turns little by little into dry land: the surface area of the country is expanding by about {{convert|7|km2|sqmi}} annually.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fimr.fi/en/tutkimus/fysikaalinen-tutkimus/vedenkorkeuden-vaihteluiden-ajalliset-muutokset.html |title=Trends in sea level variability |work=Finnish Institute of Marine Research |date=24 August 2004 |access-date=22 January 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070227172733/http://www.fimr.fi/en/tutkimus/fysikaalinen-tutkimus/vedenkorkeuden-vaihteluiden-ajalliset-muutokset.html |archive-date=27 February 2007 }}</ref> Relatively speaking, Finland is rising from the sea.<ref name="EB">"Finland." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011.</ref>

The landscape is covered mostly by coniferous taiga forests and fens, with little cultivated land. Of the total area 10% is lakes, rivers and ponds, and 78% forest. The forest consists of pine, spruce, birch, and other species.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metla.fi/suomen-metsat/ |title=Euroopan metsäisin maa |date=2013 |website= Luke |language=fi |access-date=30 April 2016}}</ref> Finland is the largest producer of wood in Europe and among the largest in the world. The most common type of rock is granite. It is a ubiquitous part of the scenery, visible wherever there is no soil cover. Moraine or till is the most common type of soil, covered by a thin layer of humus of biological origin. Podzol profile development is seen in most forest soils except where drainage is poor. Gleysols and peat bogs occupy poorly drained areas.

Biodiversity

{{Main|Fauna of Finland|Wildlife of Finland}} Phytogeographically, Finland is shared between the Arctic, central European, and northern European provinces of the Circumboreal Region within the Boreal Kingdom. According to the WWF, the territory of Finland can be subdivided into three ecoregions: the Scandinavian and Russian taiga, Sarmatic mixed forests, and Scandinavian Montane Birch forest and grasslands.<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|year=2017|pages=534–545|issn=0006-3568|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287}}</ref> Taiga covers most of Finland from northern regions of southern provinces to the north of Lapland. On the southwestern coast, south of the Helsinki-Rauma line, forests are characterized by mixed forests, that are more typical in the Baltic region. In the extreme north of Finland, near the tree line and Arctic Ocean, Montane Birch forests are common. Finland had a 2018 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 5.08/10, ranking it 109th globally out of 172 countries.<ref name="FLII-Supplementary">{{cite journal|last1=Grantham|first1=H. S.|last2=Duncan|first2=A.|last3=Evans|first3=T. D.|last4=Jones|first4=K. R.|last5=Beyer|first5=H. L.|last6=Schuster|first6=R.|last7=Walston|first7=J.|last8=Ray|first8=J. C.|last9=Robinson|first9=J. G.|last10=Callow|first10=M.|last11=Clements|first11=T.|last12=Costa|first12=H. M.|last13=DeGemmis|first13=A.|last14=Elsen|first14=P. R.|last15=Ervin|first15=J.|last16=Franco|first16=P.|last17=Goldman|first17=E.|last18=Goetz|first18=S.|last19=Hansen|first19=A.|last20=Hofsvang|first20=E.|last21=Jantz|first21=P.|last22=Jupiter|first22=S.|last23=Kang|first23=A.|last24=Langhammer|first24=P.|last25=Laurance|first25=W. F.|last26=Lieberman|first26=S.|last27=Linkie|first27=M.|last28=Malhi|first28=Y.|last29=Maxwell|first29=S.|last30=Mendez|first30=M.|last31=Mittermeier|first31=R.|last32=Murray|first32=N. J.|last33=Possingham|first33=H.|last34=Radachowsky|first34=J.|last35=Saatchi|first35=S.|last36=Samper|first36=C.|last37=Silverman|first37=J.|last38=Shapiro|first38=A.|last39=Strassburg|first39=B.|last40=Stevens|first40=T.|last41=Stokes|first41=E.|last42=Taylor|first42=R.|last43=Tear|first43=T.|last44=Tizard|first44=R.|last45=Venter|first45=O.|last46=Visconti|first46=P.|last47=Wang|first47=S.|last48=Watson|first48=J. E. M.|title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity - Supplementary Material|journal=Nature Communications|volume=11|issue=1|year=2020|page=5978|issn=2041-1723|doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3|pmid=33293507|pmc=7723057}}</ref>

The brown bear (Ursus arctos) is Finland's national animal. It is also the largest carnivora in Finland.

Similarly, Finland has a diverse and extensive range of fauna. There are at least sixty native mammalian species, 248 breeding bird species, over 70 fish species, and 11 reptile and frog species present today, many migrating from neighboring countries thousands of years ago. Large and widely recognized wildlife mammals found in Finland are the brown bear, gray wolf, wolverine, and elk. The brown bear, which is also nicknamed as the "king of the forest" by the Finns, is the country's official national animal,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://finland.fi/life-society/iconic-finnish-nature-symbols-stand-out/ | title=Iconic Finnish nature symbols stand out | publisher=This is Finland | access-date=24 December 2020}}</ref> which also occur on the coat of arms of the Satakunta region is a crown-headed black bear carrying a sword,<ref>Iltanen, Jussi: Suomen kuntavaakunat (2013), Karttakeskus, {{ISBN|951-593-915-1}}</ref> possibly referring to the regional capital city of Pori, whose Swedish name Björneborg and the Latin name Arctopolis literally means "bear city" or "bear fortress".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Savoring Heritage: A Memphis writer explores her daughter's Finnish roots |last=Maki |first=Aisling |work=Memphis magazine |date=27 March 2020 |url= https://memphismagazine.com/travel/savoring-heritage/ }}</ref> Three of the more striking birds are the whooper swan, a large European swan and the national bird of Finland; the Western capercaillie, a large, black-plumaged member of the grouse family; and the Eurasian eagle-owl. The latter is considered an indicator of old-growth forest connectivity, and has been declining because of landscape fragmentation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://herkules.oulu.fi/isbn9514259904/html/x288.html |title=Nutritional and genetic adaptation of galliform birds: implications for hand-rearing and restocking |work=Oulu University Library (2000) |access-date=23 May 2008}}</ref> The most common breeding birds are the willow warbler, common chaffinch, and redwing.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.birdlife.fi/lintuharrastus/faq-muut.shtml#pesimalinnut |title=BirdLife Finland |work=BirdLife International (2004) Birds in Europe: population estimates, trends and conservation status. Cambridge, UK. (BirdLife Conservation Series No. 12) |access-date=22 January 2007}}</ref> Of some seventy species of freshwater fish, the northern pike, perch, and others are plentiful. Atlantic salmon remains the favourite of fly rod enthusiasts.

The endangered Saimaa ringed seal (Pusa hispida saimensis), one of only three lake seal species in the world, exists only in the Saimaa lake system of southeastern Finland, down to only 390 seals today.<ref>{{cite web |title= Saimaa Ringed Seal |url= https://wwf.fi/en/saimaaringedseal/ |access-date=22 December 2018}}</ref> Ever since the species was protected in 1955,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nationalparks.fi/saimaa-ringed-seal%7Ctitle=Saimaa Ringed Seal|website=Nationalparks.fi}}</ref> it has become the emblem of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=170517&contentlan=2&culture=en-US |title=SOS: Save our seals |work=this is Finland (Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910195719/http://finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=170517&contentlan=2&culture=en-US |archive-date=10 September 2015 }}</ref> The Saimaa ringed seal lives nowadays mainly in two Finnish national parks, Kolovesi and Linnansaari,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jarvisydan.com/en/Nature-Adventures/National-Parks |title=Welcome to Linnansaari and Kolovesi National Parks |date=2016 |website=Järvisydän |access-date=2016-05-01 |archive-date=26 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160926180335/http://www.jarvisydan.com/en/Nature-Adventures/National-Parks |url-status=dead }}</ref> but strays have been seen in a much larger area, including near Savonlinna's town centre.

Climate

{{Main|Climate of Finland}}

Köppen climate classification types of Finland

The main factor influencing Finland's climate is the country's geographical position between the 60th and 70th northern parallels in the Eurasian continent's coastal zone. In the Köppen climate classification, the whole of Finland lies in the boreal zone, characterized by warm summers and freezing winters. Within the country, the temperateness varies considerably between the southern coastal regions and the extreme north, showing characteristics of both a maritime and a continental climate. Finland is near enough to the Atlantic Ocean to be continuously warmed by the Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream combines with the moderating effects of the Baltic Sea and numerous inland lakes to explain the unusually warm climate compared with other regions that share the same latitude, such as Alaska, Siberia, and southern Greenland.<ref name="Finland's climate">{{cite web |title=Finland's climate |url=http://www.fmi.fi/weather/climate.html |publisher=Finnish Meteorological Institute |access-date=3 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100721105549/http://www.fmi.fi/weather/climate.html |archive-date=21 July 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Winters in southern Finland (when mean daily temperature remains below {{convert|0|°C|disp=or}}) are usually about 100 days long, and in the inland the snow typically covers the land from about late November to April, and on the coastal areas such as Helsinki, snow often covers the land from late December to late March.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://ilmasto-opas.fi/fi/ilmastonmuutos/suomen-muuttuva-ilmasto/-/artikkeli/08848977-fd1a-4e85-8389-7ecf3ca7de7d/uusimaa-merellisen-ilmaston-maakunta.html%7Ctitle = The climate in Finland (finnish)|access-date = 3 January 2015}}</ref> Even in the south, the harshest winter nights can see the temperatures fall to {{convert|-30|°C}} although on coastal areas like Helsinki, temperatures below {{convert|-30|°C|0}} are rare. Climatic summers (when mean daily temperature remains above {{convert|10|°C|disp=or}}) in southern Finland last from about late May to mid-September, and in the inland, the warmest days of July can reach over {{convert|35|°C|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Finland's climate" /> Although most of Finland lies on the taiga belt, the southernmost coastal regions are sometimes classified as hemiboreal.<ref name="Havas">{{cite web|url=http://www.oulu.fi/northnature/finnish/Suomi/luma1.html%7Ctitle=Pohjoiset alueet / yleiskuvaus|last=Havas|first=Paavo|language=fi|access-date=3 December 2012}}</ref>

In northern Finland, particularly in Lapland, the winters are long and cold, while the summers are relatively warm but short. The most severe winter days in Lapland can see the temperature fall down to {{convert|-45|°C}}. The winter of the north lasts for about 200 days with permanent snow cover from about mid-October to early May. Summers in the north are quite short, only two to three months, but can still see maximum daily temperatures above {{convert|25|°C}} during heat waves.<ref name="Finland's climate" /> No part of Finland has Arctic tundra, but Alpine tundra can be found at the fells Lapland.<ref name="Havas" />

The Finnish climate is suitable for cereal farming only in the southernmost regions, while the northern regions are suitable for animal husbandry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mmm.fi/attachments/mmm/julkaisut/esitteet/5HIspFLpC/45920_LFA_esite.pdf%7Ctitle=Finland's Northern Conditions: Challenges and Opportunities for Agriculture|publisher=Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Finland|pages=1–4|access-date=3 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407022547/http://www.mmm.fi/attachments/mmm/julkaisut/esitteet/5HIspFLpC/45920_LFA_esite.pdf%7Carchive-date=7 April 2012 }}</ref>

A quarter of Finland's territory lies within the Arctic Circle and the midnight sun can be experienced for more days the farther north one travels. At Finland's northernmost point, the sun does not set for 73 consecutive days during summer, and does not rise at all for 51 days during winter.<ref name="Finland's climate" />

Regions

{{Main|Regions of Finland}}

Finland consists of 19 regions, called {{lang|fi|maakunta}} in Finnish and {{lang|sv|landskap}} in Swedish. The regions are governed by regional councils which serve as forums of cooperation for the municipalities of a region. The main tasks of the regions are regional planning and development of enterprise and education. In addition, the public health services are usually organized on the basis of regions. Currently, the only region where a popular election is held for the council is Kainuu. Other regional councils are elected by municipal councils, each municipality sending representatives in proportion to its population.

In addition to inter-municipal cooperation, which is the responsibility of regional councils, each region has a state Employment and Economic Development Centre which is responsible for the local administration of labour, agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and entrepreneurial affairs. The Finnish Defence Forces regional offices are responsible for the regional defence preparations and for the administration of conscription within the region.

Regions represent dialectal, cultural, and economic variations better than the former provinces, which were purely administrative divisions of the central government. Historically, regions are divisions of historical provinces of Finland, areas which represent dialects and culture more accurately.

Six Regional State Administrative Agencies were created by the state of Finland in 2010, each of them responsible for one of the regions called {{lang|fi|alue}} in Finnish and {{lang|sv|region}} in Swedish; in addition, Åland was designated a seventh region. These take over some of the tasks of the earlier Provinces of Finland (lääni/län), which were abolished.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.avi.fi/fi/Sivut/etusivu.aspx |title=Tervetuloa aluehallintoviraston verkkosivuille! |publisher=State Provincial Office |language=fi |access-date=9 June 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315151138/http://www.avi.fi/fi/Sivut/etusivu.aspx |archive-date=15 March 2012 }}</ref>

{{Finnish Regions|options=float:top}}
Name url=https://vnk.fi/documents/10616/3457861/Suomen+hallintorakenteeseen+ja+maakuntauudistukseen+liittyviä+termejä+sekä+maakuntien+ja+kuntien+nimet+fi-sv-en-%28ru%29/974f7fc5-1466-c667-9787-381c5bd57603/Suomen+hallintorakenteeseen+ja+maakuntauudistukseen+liittyviä+termejä+sekä+maakuntien+ja+kuntien+nimet+fi-sv-en-%28ru%29.pdf%7Ctitle=Suomen hallintorakenteeseen ja maakuntauudistukseen liittyviä termejä sekä maakuntien ja kuntien nimet fi-sv-en-(ru)|website=vnk.fi|pages=8–9|access-date=23 August 2019}}</ref> Finnish name Swedish name Capital Regional state administrative agency
Lapland Lapland fi|Lappi}} sv|Lappland}} Rovaniemi Lapland
North Ostrobothnia North Ostrobothnia fi|Pohjois-Pohjanmaa}} sv|Norra Österbotten}} Oulu Northern Finland
Kainuu Kainuu fi|Kainuu}} sv|Kajanaland}} Kajaani Northern Finland
North Karelia North Karelia fi|Pohjois-Karjala}} sv|Norra Karelen}} Joensuu Eastern Finland
Northern Savonia North Savo fi|Pohjois-Savo}} {{lang|sv|Norra Savolax}} Kuopio Eastern Finland
Southern Savonia South Savo fi|Etelä-Savo}} sv|Södra Savolax}} Mikkeli Eastern Finland
South Ostrobothnia South Ostrobothnia fi|Etelä-Pohjanmaa}} sv|Södra Österbotten}} Seinäjoki Western and Central Finland
Central Ostrobothnia Central Ostrobothnia fi|Keski-Pohjanmaa}} sv|Mellersta Österbotten}} Kokkola Western and Central Finland
Ostrobothnia Ostrobothnia fi|Pohjanmaa}} sv|Österbotten}} Vaasa Western and Central Finland
Pirkanmaa Pirkanmaa fi|Pirkanmaa}} sv|Birkaland}} Tampere Western and Central Finland
Central Finland Central Finland fi|Keski-Suomi}} sv|Mellersta Finland}} Jyväskylä Western and Central Finland
Satakunta Satakunta fi|Satakunta}} sv|Satakunta}} Pori South-Western Finland
Southwest Finland Southwest Finland fi|Varsinais-Suomi}} sv|Egentliga Finland}} Turku South-Western Finland
South Karelia South Karelia fi|Etelä-Karjala}} sv|Södra Karelen}} Lappeenranta Southern Finland
Päijänne Tavastia Päijät-Häme fi|Päijät-Häme}} sv|Päijänne-Tavastland}} Lahti Southern Finland
Tavastia Proper Kanta-Häme fi|Kanta-Häme}} sv|Egentliga Tavastland}} Hämeenlinna Southern Finland
Uusimaa Uusimaa fi|Uusimaa}} sv|Nyland}} Helsinki Southern Finland
Kymenlaakso Kymenlaakso fi|Kymenlaakso}} sv|Kymmenedalen}} Kotka and Kouvola Southern Finland
Åland Islands<ref name="åland_note">The role that the regional councils serve on Mainland Finland are on the Åland Islands handled by the autonomous Government of Åland.</ref> Åland fi|Ahvenanmaa}} sv|Åland}} Mariehamn Åland

The region of Eastern Uusimaa (Itä-Uusimaa) was consolidated with Uusimaa on 1 January 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.valtioneuvosto.fi/ajankohtaista/tiedotteet/tiedote/fi.jsp?oid=274585 |title=Valtioneuvosto päätti Uudenmaan ja Itä-Uudenmaan maakuntien yhdistämisestä |date=22 October 2009 |publisher=Ministry of Finance |language=fi |access-date=30 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807084712/http://www.valtioneuvosto.fi/ajankohtaista/tiedotteet/tiedote/fi.jsp?oid=274585 |archive-date=7 August 2011 }}</ref>

Administrative divisions

{{Main|Administrative divisions of Finland|Regions of Finland|Sub-regions of Finland|Municipalities of Finland|Historical provinces of Finland}}

The fundamental administrative divisions of the country are the municipalities, which may also call themselves towns or cities. They account for half of public spending. Spending is financed by municipal income tax, state subsidies, and other revenue. {{As of|2021}}, there are 309 municipalities,<ref name="Suomen Kuntaliitto">{{cite web|title=Kaupunkien ja kuntien lukumäärät ja väestötiedot|url=https://www.kuntaliitto.fi/tilastot-ja-julkaisut/kaupunkien-ja-kuntien-lukumaarat-ja-vaestotiedot%7Caccess-date=7 March 2021|publisher=Suomen Kuntaliitto – Association of Finnish Municipalities|language=fi}}</ref> and most have fewer than 6,000 residents.

In addition to municipalities, two intermediate levels are defined. Municipalities co-operate in seventy sub-regions and nineteen regions. These are governed by the member municipalities and have only limited powers. The autonomous province of Åland has a permanent democratically elected regional council. Sami people have a semi-autonomous Sami native region in Lapland for issues on language and culture.

In the following chart, the number of inhabitants includes those living in the entire municipality (kunta/kommun), not just in the built-up area. The land area is given in km2, and the density in inhabitants per km2 (land area). The figures are as of {{#time:d F Y |{{Data Finland municipality/population count|sourcedate}}}}. The capital region – comprising Helsinki, Vantaa, Espoo and Kauniainen – forms a continuous conurbation of over 1.1 million people. However, common administration is limited to voluntary cooperation of all municipalities, e.g. in Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council.

City Population{{Data Finland municipality/population count}} Land area{{Data Finland municipality/total area}} Density Regional map Population density map
Helsinki Helsinki }} }} Helsinki }} }} Helsinki }} round 2}} }}
Municipalities (thin borders) and regions (thick borders) of Finland (2021)
The population densities of Finnish municipalities (2010)
Espoo Espoo }} }} Espoo }} }} Espoo }} round 2}} }}
Tampere Tampere }} }} Tampere }} }} Tampere }} round 2}} }}
Vantaa Vantaa }} }} Vantaa }} }} Vantaa }} round 2}} }}
Oulu Oulu }} }} Oulu }} }} Oulu }} round 2}} }}
Turku Turku }} }} Turku }} }} Turku }} round 2}}

}}

Jyväskylä Jyväskylä }} }} Jyväskylä }} }} Jyväskylä }} round 2}} }}
Kuopio Kuopio }} }} Kuopio }} }} Kuopio }} round 2}} }}
Lahti Lahti }} }} Lahti }} }} Lahti }} round 2}} }}
Pori Pori }} }} Pori }} }} Pori }} round 2}} }}
Kouvola Kouvola }} }} Kouvola }} }} Kouvola }} round 2}} }}
Joensuu Joensuu }} }} Joensuu }} }} Joensuu }} round 2}} }}
Lappeenranta Lappeenranta }} }} Lappeenranta }} }} Lappeenranta }} round 2}} }}
Hämeenlinna Hämeenlinna }} }} Hämeenlinna }} }} Hämeenlinna }} round 2}} }}
Vaasa Vaasa }} }} Vaasa }} }} Vaasa}} round 2}} }}

Politics

{{multiple image 

| align = right
| direction = horizontal
| caption_align = center
| image1 = President Trump Meets with the President of the Republic of Finland (48834234637) (cropped).jpg
| width1 = 115
| caption1 = Sauli Niinistö
12th President
since 1 March 2012
| image2 = Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin 2019 (cropped).jpg
| width2 = 113
| caption2 = Sanna Marin
46th Prime Minister
since 10 December 2019

}} {{Main|Politics of Finland}} {{See also|List of political parties in Finland|Human rights in Finland}}

the European Union}}

Constitution

The Constitution of Finland defines the political system; Finland is a parliamentary republic within the framework of a representative democracy. The Prime Minister is the country's most powerful person. The current version of the constitution was enacted on 1 March 2000, and was amended on 1 March 2012. Citizens can run and vote in parliamentary, municipal, presidential and European Union elections.

President

{{Main|President of Finland}} The head of state of Finland is President of the Republic of Finland (in Finnish: Suomen tasavallan presidentti; in Swedish: Republiken Finlands president). Finland has had for most of its independence a semi-presidential system, but in the last few decades the powers of the President have been diminished. Constitutional amendments, which came into effect in 1991 and 1992, as well as a new drafted constitution of 2000 (amended in 2012), have made the presidency a primarily ceremonial office. However, the President still leads the nation's foreign politics together with the Council of State and is the commander-in-chief of the Defence Forces.<ref name="Parliamentary">Formerly a semi-presidential republic, it is now a parliamentary republic according to David Arter, First Chair of Politics at Aberdeen University. In his "Scandinavian Politics Today" (Manchester University Press, revised 2008 {{ISBN|978-0-7190-7853-8}}), he quotes {{Cite journal |last=Nousiainen |first=Jaakko |date=June 2001 |title=From semi-presidentialism to parliamentary government: political and constitutional developments in Finland |journal=Scandinavian Political Studies |volume=24 |issue=2 |pages=95–109 |doi=10.1111/1467-9477.00048 }} as follows: "There are hardly any grounds for the epithet 'semi-presidential'." Arter's own conclusions are only slightly more nuanced: "The adoption of a new constitution on 1 March 2000 meant that Finland was no longer a case of semi-presidential government other than in the minimalist sense of a situation where a popularly elected fixed-term president exists alongside a prime minister and cabinet who are responsible to parliament (Elgie 2004: 317)". According to the Finnish Constitution, the president has no possibility to rule the government without the ministerial approval, and does not have the power to dissolve the parliament under his or her own desire. Finland is actually represented by its prime minister, and not by its president, in the Council of the Heads of State and Government of the European Union. The 2012 constitutional amendments reduced the powers of the president even further.</ref> The position still does entail some powers, including responsibility for foreign policy (excluding affairs related to the European Union) in cooperation with the cabinet, being the head of the armed forces, some decree and pardoning powers, and some appointive powers. Direct, one- or two-stage elections are used to elect the president for a term of six years and for a maximum of two consecutive 6-year terms. The current president is Sauli Niinistö; he took office on 1 March 2012. Former presidents were K. J. Ståhlberg (1919–1925), L. K. Relander (1925–1931), P. E. Svinhufvud (1931–1937), Kyösti Kallio (1937–1940), Risto Ryti (1940–1944), C. G. E. Mannerheim (1944–1946), J. K. Paasikivi (1946–1956), Urho Kekkonen (1956–1982), Mauno Koivisto (1982–1994), Martti Ahtisaari (1994–2000), and Tarja Halonen (2000–2012).

The current president was elected from the ranks of the National Coalition Party for the first time since 1946. The presidency between 1946 and the present was instead held by a member of the Social Democratic Party or the Centre Party.

Parliament

{{Main|Parliament of Finland}}

The Parliament of Finland's main building along Mannerheimintie in Töölö, Helsinki
The Session Hall of the Parliament of Finland

The 200-member unicameral Parliament of Finland ({{Lang-fi|Eduskunta}}, {{Lang-sv|Riksdag}}) exercises supreme legislative authority in the country. It may alter the constitution and ordinary laws, dismiss the cabinet, and override presidential vetoes. Its acts are not subject to judicial review; the constitutionality of new laws is assessed by the parliament's constitutional law committee. The parliament is elected for a term of four years using the proportional D'Hondt method within a number of multi-seat constituencies through the most open list multi-member districts. Various parliament committees listen to experts and prepare legislation.

Since universal suffrage was introduced in 1906, the parliament has been dominated by the Centre Party (former Agrarian Union), the National Coalition Party, and the Social Democrats. These parties have enjoyed approximately equal support, and their combined vote has totalled about 65–80% of all votes. Their lowest common total of MPs, 121, was reached in the 2011 elections. For a few decades after 1944, the Communists were a strong fourth party. Due to the electoral system of proportional representation, and the relative reluctance of voters to switch their support between parties, the relative strengths of the parties have commonly varied only slightly from one election to another. However, there have been some long-term trends, such as the rise and fall of the Communists during the Cold War; the steady decline into insignificance of the Liberals and their predecessors from 1906 to 1980; and the rise of the Green League since 1983.

The Marin Cabinet is the incumbent 76th government of Finland. It was formed following the collapse of the Rinne Cabinet and officially took office on 10 December 2019.<ref name=NYT1>{{Cite news| last1 = Lemola | first1 = Johanna | last2 = Specia | first2 = Megan | date=10 December 2019| title=Who Is Sanna Marin, Finland's 34-Year-Old Prime Minister? | work=The New York Times|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/10/world/europe/finland-sanna-marin.html | access-date=4 February 2020 | language = en | issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=NYT2>{{Cite news| last=Specia |first=Megan | date=10 December 2019| title=Sanna Marin of Finland to Become World's Youngest Prime Minister|work=The New York Times|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/09/world/europe/finland-prime-minister-sanna-marin.html | access-date=4 February 2020 | language = en | issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The cabinet consists of a coalition formed by the Social Democratic Party, the Centre Party, the Green League, the Left Alliance, and the Swedish People's Party.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kaatuneen hallituksen kaikki puolueet halukkaita jatkoon samalla hallitusohjelmalla – vanhan opposition puolueet eivät hyväksy ohjelmaa |url=https://www.savonsanomat.fi/kotimaa/Kaatuneen-hallituksen-kaikki-puolueet-halukkaita-jatkoon-samalla-hallitusohjelmalla-%E2%80%93-vanhan-opposition-puolueet-eiv%C3%A4t-hyv%C3%A4ksy-ohjelmaa/1479764 |work=Savon Sanomat |language= fi |access-date=10 December 2019 |date=7 December 2019}}</ref>

Cabinet

{{See also|List of female cabinet ministers of Finland}} After parliamentary elections, the parties negotiate among themselves on forming a new cabinet (the Finnish Government), which then has to be approved by a simple majority vote in the parliament. The cabinet can be dismissed by a parliamentary vote of no confidence, although this rarely happens (the last time in 1957), as the parties represented in the cabinet usually make up a majority in the parliament.<ref>The Finnish Wikipedia's article on Motion of no confidence</ref>{{circular reference|date=December 2020}}

The cabinet exercises most executive powers, and originates most of the bills that the parliament then debates and votes on. It is headed by the Prime Minister of Finland, and consists of him or her, of other ministers, and of the Chancellor of Justice. The current prime minister is Sanna Marin (Social Democratic Party). Each minister heads his or her ministry, or, in some cases, has responsibility for a subset of a ministry's policy. After the prime minister, the most powerful minister is the minister of finance. The incumbent Minister of Finance is Matti Vanhanen.

As no one party ever dominates the parliament, Finnish cabinets are multi-party coalitions. As a rule, the post of prime minister goes to the leader of the biggest party and that of the minister of finance to the leader of the second biggest.

Law

{{Main|Law of Finland|Judicial system of Finland}}

The Court House of the Supreme Court

The judicial system of Finland is a civil law system divided between courts with regular civil and criminal jurisdiction and administrative courts with jurisdiction over litigation between individuals and the public administration. Finnish law is codified and based on Swedish law and in a wider sense, civil law or Roman law. The court system for civil and criminal jurisdiction consists of local courts (käräjäoikeus, tingsrätt), regional appellate courts (hovioikeus, hovrätt), and the Supreme Court (korkein oikeus, högsta domstolen). The administrative branch of justice consists of administrative courts (hallinto-oikeus, förvaltningsdomstol) and the Supreme Administrative Court (korkein hallinto-oikeus, högsta förvaltningsdomstolen). In addition to the regular courts, there are a few special courts in certain branches of administration. There is also a High Court of Impeachment for criminal charges against certain high-ranking officeholders.

Around 92% of residents have confidence in Finland's security institutions.<ref name="corruptionpolicing">Policing corruption, International Perspectives.</ref> The overall crime rate of Finland is not high in the EU context. Some crime types are above average, notably the high homicide rate for Western Europe.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/images/3/3e/Intentional_homicides%2C_2016_%28police-recorded_offences_per_100_000_inhabitants%29.png |title=File:Intentional homicides, 2016 (police-recorded offences per 100 000 inhabitants).png |access-date=10 December 2010}}</ref> A day fine system is in effect and also applied to offenses such as speeding.

Finland has successfully fought against government corruption, which was more common in the 1970s and 1980s.<ref name="corruption">The History of Corruption in Central Government By Seppo Tiihonen, International Institute of Administrative Sciences</ref>{{verify source|date=March 2011|reason=Surprising, not clear what part of the work is used.}} For instance, economic reforms and EU membership introduced stricter requirements for open bidding and many public monopolies were abolished.<ref name="corruption" /> Today, Finland has a very low number of corruption charges; Transparency International ranks Finland as one of the least corrupt countries in Europe.

In 2008, Transparency International criticized the lack of transparency of the system of Finnish political finance.<ref>Vaalijohtaja: Vaalirahoituslain rikkominen melko yleistä YLE 15 May 2008</ref> According to GRECO in 2007, corruption should be taken into account in the Finnish system of election funds better.<ref>Evaluation Report on Finland on Incriminations, Theme I, s. 21, GRECO 3–7.12.2007</ref> A scandal revolving around campaign finance of the 2007 parliamentary elections broke out in spring 2008. Nine cabinet ministers submitted incomplete funding reports and even more of the members of parliament. The law includes no punishment of false funds reports of the elected politicians.

Foreign relations

{{Main|Foreign relations of Finland}}

Martti Ahtisaari receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008

According to the 2012 constitution, the president (currently Sauli Niinistö) leads foreign policy in cooperation with the government, except that the president has no role in EU affairs.<ref name="Finnish constitution.">Finnish constitution, Section 93.</ref>

In 2008, president Martti Ahtisaari was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.<ref name="Nobelprize">{{cite web |url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2008/%7Ctitle=The Nobel Peace Prize 2008|work=The Nobel Foundation|publisher=Nobelprize.org|access-date=10 May 2009}}</ref> Finland was considered a cooperative model state, and Finland did not oppose proposals for a common EU defence policy.<ref name="foreignpolicyidea" /> This was reversed in the 2000s, when Tarja Halonen and Erkki Tuomioja made Finland's official policy to resist other EU members' plans for common defence.<ref name="foreignpolicyidea">"Finland's foreign policy idea" ("Suomen ulkopolitiikan idea"), Risto E. J. Penttilä, 2008.</ref>

Military

{{Main|Finnish Defence Forces|Military history of Finland}} {{See also|List of wars involving Finland}}

Finnish Leopard 2A4 tank Ps 273–106 in a combat demonstration at Comprehensive security exhibition 2015 in Tampere.

The Finnish Defence Forces consist of a cadre of professional soldiers (mainly officers and technical personnel), currently serving conscripts, and a large reserve. The standard readiness strength is 34,700 people in uniform, of which 25% are professional soldiers. A universal male conscription is in place, under which all male Finnish nationals above 18 years of age serve for 6 to 12 months of armed service or 12 months of civilian (non-armed) service. Voluntary post-conscription overseas peacekeeping service is popular, and troops serve around the world in UN, NATO, and EU missions. Approximately 500 women choose voluntary military service every year.<ref>Women's voluntary service {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409182820/http://www.mil.fi/varusmies/naisten_vapaaehtoinen_asepalvelus.dsp |date=9 April 2008 }} (in Finnish)</ref> Women are allowed to serve in all combat arms including front-line infantry and special forces. The army consists of a highly mobile field army backed up by local defence units. The army defends the national territory and its military strategy employs the use of the heavily forested terrain and numerous lakes to wear down an aggressor, instead of attempting to hold the attacking army on the frontier.

Sisu Nasu NA-110 tracked transport vehicle of the Finnish Army. Most conscripts receive training for warfare in winter, and transport vehicles such as this give mobility in heavy snow.

Finnish defence expenditure per capita is one of the highest in the European Union.<ref>Työvoimakustannukset puuttuvat puolustusmenoista, Statistics Finland (in Finnish): Eurostat ranking is sixth, but the third when conscription is accounted.</ref> The Finnish military doctrine is based on the concept of total defence. The term total means that all sectors of the government and economy are involved in the defence planning. The armed forces are under the command of the Chief of Defence (currently General Jarmo Lindberg), who is directly subordinate to the president in matters related to military command. The branches of the military are the army, the navy, and the air force. The border guard is under the Ministry of the Interior but can be incorporated into the Defence Forces when required for defence readiness.

Even while Finland hasn't joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the country has joined the NATO Response Force, the EU Battlegroup,<ref>{{cite web|title=European Union battlegroups|url=http://puolustusvoimat.fi/en/international-crisis-management/eu-battle-group%7Cpublisher=Finnish Defence Forces|access-date=27 May 2018}}</ref> the NATO Partnership for Peace and in 2014 signed a NATO memorandum of understanding,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://natowatch.org/sites/default/files/briefing_paper_no.51_finland_and_nato.pdf |title=Is Finland taking a step closer to NATO membership |first=Nigel |last=Chamberlain |publisher=NATO Watch |date=19 May 2014 |access-date=27 May 2018}}</erf></ref><ref name="eduskunta.fi">MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU) BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF FINLAND AND HEADQUARTERS, SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER TRANSFORMATION. NATO</ref> thus forming a practical coalition.<ref name="nato.int" /> In 2015, the Finland-NATO ties were strengthened with a host nation support agreement allowing assistance from NATO troops in emergency situations.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://www.wsj.com/articles/sweden-and-finland-forge-closer-ties-with-nato-1409237354 |title = Sweden and Finland Forge Closer Ties With NATO |newspaper = Wall Street Journal }}</ref> Finland has been an active participant in the Afghanistan and Kosovo.<ref>Finnish soldiers involved in 20-minute gunfight in Afghanistan |Yle Uutiset. yle.fi. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref><ref>Finland's participation in NATO-led crisis management operations. Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland</ref>

Social security

{{Main|Social security in Finland}}

Finland has one of the world's most extensive welfare systems, one that guarantees decent living conditions for all residents: Finns, and non-citizens. Since the 1980s the social security has been cut back, but still the system is one of the most comprehensive in the world. Created almost entirely during the first three decades after World War II, the social security system was an outgrowth of the traditional Nordic belief that the state was not inherently hostile to the well-being of its citizens, but could intervene benevolently on their behalf. According to some social historians, the basis of this belief was a relatively benign history that had allowed the gradual emergence of a free and independent peasantry in the Nordic countries and had curtailed the dominance of the nobility and the subsequent formation of a powerful right wing. Finland's history has been harsher than the histories of the other Nordic countries, but not harsh enough to bar the country from following their path of social development.<ref name="LOC">Text from PD source: US Library of Congress: A Country Study: Finland, Library of Congress Call Number DL1012 .A74 1990.</ref>

Human rights

{{Main|Human rights in Finland|Women's suffrage in Finland|LGBT rights in Finland}}

People gathering at the Senate Square, Helsinki, right before the 2011 Helsinki Pride parade started.

§ 6 in two sentences of the Finnish Constitution states: "No one shall be placed in a different position on situation of sex, age, origin, language, religion, belief, opinion, state of health, disability or any other personal reason without an acceptable reason."<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/1999/19990731 | title = Perustuslaki: 2. luku Perusoikeudet, 6 § Yhdenvertaisuus 2 momentti | date = 1999 | publisher = Finlex | access-date = 27 August 2020 | language = fi }}</ref>

Finland has been ranked above average among the world's countries in democracy,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.democracyranking.org/downloads/2012/Scores_of_the_Democracy-Ranking-2012.htm |title=Scores of the Democracy Ranking 2012 |publisher= Global Democracy Ranking |year=2012 |access-date=27 September 2013}}</ref> press freedom,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2013/finland |title=Freedom of the Press: Finland |publisher= Freedom House |year=2013 |access-date=27 September 2013}}</ref> and human development.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/FIN.html |title=Statistics of the Human Development Report |publisher=United Nations Development Programme |year=2013 |access-date=27 September 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131128081803/http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/FIN.html |archive-date=28 November 2013 }}</ref>

Amnesty International has expressed concern regarding some issues in Finland, such as alleged permitting of stopovers of CIA rendition flights, the imprisonment of conscientious objectors, and societal discrimination against Romani people and members of other ethnic and linguistic minorities.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/region/finland/report-2013 |title=Annual Report 2013: Finland |publisher= Amnesty International |year=2013 |access-date=27 September 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm#wrapper |title=Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012: Finland |publisher= U.S. State of Department Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor |year=2012 |access-date=27 September 2013}}</ref>

Economy

{{Main|Economy of Finland}} {{See also|List of companies of Finland|List of largest companies in Finland|Helsinki Stock Exchange}}

Angry Birds Land, a theme park in the Särkänniemi amusement park, in Tampere, Pirkanmaa; the mobile phone game Angry Birds, developed in Finland, has become a commercial hit both domestically and internationally.

The economy of Finland has a per capita output equal to that of other European economies such as those of France, Germany, Belgium, or the UK. The largest sector of the economy is the service sector at 66% of GDP, followed by manufacturing and refining at 31%. Primary production represents 2.9%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_kansantalous_en.html |title=Finland in Figures—National Accounts |work=Statistics Finland |access-date=26 April 2007}}</ref> With respect to foreign trade, the key economic sector is manufacturing. The largest industries in 2007<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_teollisuus_en.html |title=Finland in Figures—Manufacturing |work=Statistics Finland |access-date=26 April 2007}}</ref> were electronics (22%); machinery, vehicles, and other engineered metal products (21.1%); forest industry (13%); and chemicals (11%). The gross domestic product peaked in 2008. {{As of|2015}}, the country's economy is at the 2006 level.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://yle.fi/uutiset/finlands_lost_decade_continueseconomy_same_size_as_in_2006/8044629 |title = Finland's 'lost decade' continues—economy same size as in 2006 |work = yle.fi |date = 4 June 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/35c8560c-c62f-11e4-add0-00144feab7de.html |title = Finland's economy: In search of the sunny side |work=Financial Times |location=London |date = 11 March 2015 }}</ref>

Finland has significant timber, mineral (iron, chromium, copper, nickel, and gold), and freshwater resources. Forestry, paper factories, and the agricultural sector (on which taxpayers spend{{clarify|subsidize?|date=June 2017}} around €3 billion annually) are important for rural residents so any policy changes affecting these sectors are politically sensitive for politicians dependent on rural votes. The Greater Helsinki area generates around one third of Finland's GDP. In a 2004 OECD comparison, high-technology manufacturing in Finland ranked second largest after Ireland. Knowledge-intensive services have also resulted in the smallest and slow-growth sectors – especially agriculture and low-technology manufacturing – being ranked the second largest after Ireland.<ref name="oecd2004">Finland Economy 2004, OECD</ref>

Finland's climate and soils make growing crops a particular challenge. The country lies between the latitudes 60°N and 70°N, and it has severe winters and relatively short growing seasons that are sometimes interrupted by frost. However, because the Gulf Stream and the North Atlantic Drift Current moderate the climate, Finland contains half of the world's arable land north of 60° north latitude. Annual precipitation is usually sufficient, but it occurs almost exclusively during the winter months, making summer droughts a constant threat. In response to the climate, farmers have relied on quick-ripening and frost-resistant varieties of crops, and they have cultivated south-facing slopes as well as richer bottomlands to ensure production even in years with summer frosts. Most farmland was originally either forest or swamp, and the soil has usually required treatment with lime and years of cultivation to neutralize excess acid and to improve fertility. Irrigation has generally not been necessary, but drainage systems are often needed to remove excess water. Finland's agriculture has been efficient and productive—at least when compared with farming in other European countries.<ref name="LOC" />

A treemap representing the exports of Finland in 2017

Forests play a key role in the country's economy, making it one of the world's leading wood producers and providing raw materials at competitive prices for the crucial wood-processing industries. As in agriculture, the government has long played a leading role in forestry, regulating tree cutting, sponsoring technical improvements, and establishing long-term plans to ensure that the country's forests continue to supply the wood-processing industries. To maintain the country's comparative advantage in forest products, Finnish authorities moved to raise lumber output toward the country's ecological limits. In 1984, the government published the Forest 2000 plan, drawn up by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The plan aimed at increasing forest harvests by about 3% per year, while conserving forestland for recreation and other uses.<ref name="LOC" />

Private sector employees amount to 1.8 million, out of which around a third with tertiary education. The average cost of a private sector employee per hour was €25.10 in 2004.<ref>Tehdyn työtunnin hinta 23–27 euroa, Statistics Finland</ref> {{As of|2008}}, average purchasing power-adjusted income levels are similar to those of Italy, Sweden, Germany, and France.<ref name="incomecomparison">{{cite web |url=http://www.tilastokeskus.fi/artikkelit/2008/art_2008-06-09_001.html |title=Suomalaisten tulot Euroopan keskitasoa. Hyvinvointipalvelut eivät paranna sijoitusta |publisher=Tilastokeskus.fi |date=9 June 2008 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> In 2006, 62% of the workforce worked for enterprises with less than 250 employees and they accounted for 49% of total business turnover and had the strongest rate of growth.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/htimes/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=895:small-enterprises-grow-faster-than-the-big-ones&catid=33:general&Itemid=201 |title=Small enterprises grow faster than the big ones |publisher=Helsinkitimes.fi |date=11 April 2008 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> The female employment rate is high. Gender segregation between male-dominated professions and female-dominated professions is higher than in the US.<ref name="niels">The Nordic Model of Welfare: A Historical Reappraisal, by Niels Finn Christiansen</ref> The proportion of part-time workers was one of the lowest in OECD in 1999.<ref name="niels" /> In 2013, the 10 largest private sector employers in Finland were Itella, Nokia, OP-Pohjola, ISS, VR, Kesko, UPM-Kymmene, YIT, Metso, and Nordea.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.talouselama.fi/uutiset/sata-suurinta-tyonantajaa-nokia-jai-kakkoseksi/72619deb-427d-3852-8a82-edfa4a7e818e%7Ctitle=Sata suurinta työnantajaa: Nokia jäi kakkoseksi|first=Antti|last=Mikkonen|website=Talouselämä}}</ref>

The unemployment rate was 9.4% in 2015, having risen from 8.7% in 2014.<ref>{{cite web |author=Finland in Figures |url=http://www.tilastokeskus.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_tyoelama_en.html |title=Statistics Finland: Labour Market |publisher=Tilastokeskus.fi |date=22 January 2015 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> Youth unemployment rate rose from 16.5% in 2007 to 20.5% in 2014.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Towards employment |work=SixDegrees |date=2016-01-16 |access-date=2016-07-21 |url= https://www.6d.fi/index.php/society/945-towards-employment |language=en }}</ref> A fifth of residents are outside the job market at the age of 50 and less than a third are working at the age of 61.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oecd.org/document/9/0,3343,en_2649_34747_28023113_1_1_1_1,00.html |title=OECD recommends Finland to do more to help older people stay in work |publisher=Oecd.org |date=1 January 1970 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> In 2014, nearly one million people were living with minimal wages or unemployed not enough to cover their costs of living.<ref>yle.fi; Suomessa on liki miljoona köyhää –"Heikoimmassa asemassa olevista on tullut muukalaisia" |Yle Uutiset. (28 August 2014). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

access-date=11 January 2021}}</ref>

{{As of|2006}}, 2.4 million households reside in Finland. The average size is 2.1 persons; 40% of households consist of a single person, 32% two persons and 28% three or more persons. Residential buildings total 1.2 million, and the average residential space is {{convert|38|m2}} per person. The average residential property without land costs €1,187 per sq metre and residential land €8.60 per sq metre. 74% of households had a car. There are 2.5 million cars and 0.4 million other vehicles.<ref>{{cite web|author=Finland in Figures |url=http://www.tilastokeskus.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_liikenne_en.html |title=Statistics Finland: Transport and Tourism|publisher=Tilastokeskus.fi|access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref>

Around 92% have a mobile phone and 83.5% (2009) Internet connection at home. The average total household consumption was €20,000, out of which housing consisted of about €5,500, transport about €3,000, food and beverages (excluding alcoholic beverages) at around €2,500, and recreation and culture at around €2,000.<ref>{{cite web |author=Households' consumption |url=http://www.tilastokeskus.fi/til/ktutk/2006/ktutk_2006_2007-12-19_tie_001_en.html |title=Own-account worker households' consumption has grown most in 2001–2006 |publisher=Tilastokeskus.fi |date=19 December 2007 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> According to Invest in Finland, private consumption grew by 3% in 2006 and consumer trends included durables, high-quality products, and spending on well-being.<ref>"Retail growth best in Finland for five years". For updates, see the Invest in Finland website.</ref>

In 2017, Finland's GDP reached €224 billion. However, second quarter of 2018 saw a slow economic growth. Unemployment rate fell to a near one-decade low in June, marking private consumption growth much higher.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.focus-economics.com/countries/finland%7Ctitle=Finland Economic Outlook|access-date=25 September 2018}}</ref>

Finland has the highest concentration of cooperatives relative to its population.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://maine.coop/Finland.php |title=Finland: Globalization Insurance: Finland's Leap of Caution |website=Cooperatives Build a Better Maine|publisher=Cooperative Maine Business Alliance & Cooperative Development Institute |access-date=1 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202042001/http://maine.coop/Finland.php |archive-date=2 February 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The largest retailer, which is also the largest private employer, S-Group, and the largest bank, OP-Group, in the country are both cooperatives.

Energy

{{See also|Nordic energy market|Peat energy in Finland|Nuclear power in Finland}}

access-date=7 November 2013}}</ref>

The free and largely privately owned financial and physical Nordic energy markets traded in NASDAQ OMX Commodities Europe and Nord Pool Spot exchanges, have provided competitive prices compared with other EU countries. {{As of|2007}}, Finland has roughly the lowest industrial electricity prices in the EU-15 (equal to France).<ref>Electricity prices—industrial users. Web.archive.org. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

In 2006, the energy market was around 90 terawatt hours and the peak demand around 15 gigawatts in winter. This means that the energy consumption per capita is around 7.2 tons of oil equivalent per year. Industry and construction consumed 51% of total consumption, a relatively high figure reflecting Finland's industries.<ref>{{cite web |author=Energy consumption |url=http://www.stat.fi/til/ekul/2006/ekul_2006_2007-12-12_kuv_009_en.html |title=Statistics Finland |publisher=Stat.fi |date= 12 December 2007|access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Energy consumption |url=http://www.stat.fi/til/ekul/2006/ekul_2006_2007-12-12_tie_001_en.html |title=Total energy consumption |publisher=Stat.fi |date=12 December 2007 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> Finland's hydrocarbon resources are limited to peat and wood. About 10–15% of the electricity is produced by hydropower,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metsavastaa.net/vattenkraft |title=Metsävastaa: Vattenkraft |language=sv |publisher=Metsavastaa.net |access-date=6 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090303204918/http://www.metsavastaa.net/vattenkraft |archive-date=3 March 2009 }}</ref> which is low compared with more mountainous Sweden or Norway. In 2008, renewable energy (mainly hydropower and various forms of wood energy) was high at 31% compared with the EU average of 10.3% in final energy consumption.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.energy.eu/#renewable |title=Europe's Energy Portal |publisher=energy.eu |access-date=17 February 2011}}</ref> Russia supplies more than 75% of Finland's oil imports and 100% of total gas imports.<ref> {{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/pdfscache/46126.pdf%7Ctitle=EU imports of energy products - recent developments|date=4 July 2018|publisher=Eurostat|pages=3–4}} </ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Europe helps fund non-Russia gas line for Finland |url=https://www.upi.com/Energy-News/2016/08/10/Europe-helps-fund-non-Russia-gas-line-for-Finland/6271470828765/ |work=United Press International |date=10 August 2016}}</ref>

File:Statistics of the energy supply in Finland.jpg
access-date=28 February 2015}}</ref>

Finland has four privately owned nuclear reactors producing 18% of the country's energy<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tilastokeskus.fi/tk/yr/yeenergiakuviot_en.pdf |title=Energy Consumption in 2001 |work=Statistics Finland |access-date=22 January 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061108043546/http://tilastokeskus.fi/tk/yr/yeenergiakuviot_en.pdf |archive-date=8 November 2006 }}</ref> and one research reactor (decommissioned 2018 <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.vtt.fi/palvelut/v%C3%A4h%C3%A4hiilinen-energia/ydinvoima/tutkimusreaktorin-purku |title = FiR 1 -ydinreaktorin käytöstä poisto}}</ref>) at the Otaniemi campus. The fifth AREVA-Siemens-built reactor – the world's largest at 1600 MWe and a focal point of Europe's nuclear industry – has faced many delays and is currently scheduled to be operational by 2018–2020, a decade after the original planned opening.<ref name="kauppalehti-02-2014">{{cite news |title = Areva ajaa Olkiluodon työmaata alas |author = Paula Nikula |url = http://www.kauppalehti.fi/etusivu/areva+ajaa+olkiluodon+tyomaata+alas/201402652139 |language = fi |publisher = Kauppalehti |date = 28 February 2014 |access-date = 28 February 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140304095114/http://www.kauppalehti.fi/etusivu/areva+ajaa+olkiluodon+tyomaata+alas/201402652139 |archive-date = 4 March 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> A varying amount (5–17%) of electricity has been imported from Russia (at around 3 gigawatt power line capacity), Sweden and Norway.

The Onkalo spent nuclear fuel repository is currently under construction at the Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant in the municipality of Eurajoki, on the west coast of Finland, by the company Posiva.<ref>{{cite news |title=Journey deep into the Finnish caverns where nuclear waste will be buried for millenia |url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/olkiluoto-island-finland-nuclear-waste-onkalo |work=Wired |date=24 April 2017}}</ref> Energy companies are about to increase nuclear power production, as in July 2010 the Finnish parliament granted permits for additional two new reactors.

Transport

{{Main|Transport in Finland}} {{multiple image 

| direction = vertical
| alignment = left
| width = 180
| footer = The state-owned VR operates a railway network serving all major cities in Finland.
| image3 = VR Sr1 3089.jpg
| caption3 = Soviet-made electric locomotive VR Class Sr1 model from 1981
| image2 = Vr sr3 3304 3307 3306.jpg
| caption2 = Three VR Class Sr3 locomotives
| image1 = VR Sr2 3202 Tampere 2012-06-22.JPG
| caption1 = A VR Class Sr2 locomotive

}}

Finland's road system is utilized by most internal cargo and passenger traffic. The annual state operated road network expenditure of around €1 billion is paid for with vehicle and fuel taxes which amount to around €1.5 billion and €1 billion, respectively. Among the Finnish highways, the most significant and busiest main roads include the Turku Highway (E18), the Tampere Highway (E12), the Lahti Highway (E75), and the ring roads (Ring I and Ring III) of the Helsinki metropolitan area and the Tampere Ring Road of the Tampere urban area.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://newsnowfinland.fi/domestic/top-gear-finlands-busiest-roads-revealed%7Ctitle=Top Gear: Finland's Busiest Roads Revealed | News Now Finland|first=News Now|last=Staff|date=19 March 2018}}</ref>

The main international passenger gateway is Helsinki Airport, which handled about 17 million passengers in 2016. Oulu Airport is the second largest, whilst another 25 airports have scheduled passenger services.<ref name="finavia_pass_stats">{{cite web |url=http://www.finavia.fi/files/finavia/vuosikertomukset_pdf/Finavia_vsk_2008_GB_LR.pdf |title=Airport operations |work=Annual report 2008 |date=17 March 2009 |access-date=28 July 2009 |location=Vantaa |publisher=Finavia |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807205454/http://www.finavia.fi/files/finavia/vuosikertomukset_pdf/Finavia_vsk_2008_GB_LR.pdf |archive-date=7 August 2011 }}</ref> The Helsinki Airport-based Finnair, Blue1, and Nordic Regional Airlines, Norwegian Air Shuttle sell air services both domestically and internationally. Helsinki has an optimal location for great circle (i.e. the shortest and most efficient) routes between Western Europe and the Far East.

Despite having a low population density, the Government annually spends around €350 million to maintain the {{convert|5865|km|mi|adj=mid|-long}} network of railway tracks. Rail transport is handled by the state owned VR Group, which has a 5% passenger market share (out of which 80% are from urban trips in Greater Helsinki) and 25% cargo market share.<ref name="ljvr">Transport and communications ministry—Rail. For year 2009 update: Finnish Railway Statistics 2010. For subsequent years when available: Finnish Railway Statistics. liikennevirasto.fi</ref> Since 12 December 2010, Karelian Trains, a joint venture between Russian Railways and VR Group, has been running Alstom Pendolino operated high-speed services between Saint Petersburg's Finlyandsky and Helsinki's Central railway stations. These services are branded as "Allegro" trains. The journey from Helsinki to Saint Petersburg takes only three and a half hours. A high-speed rail line is planned between Helsinki and Turku, with a line from the capital to Tampere also proposed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/16167-finland-earmarks-funds-for-new-rail-links-between-helsinki-turku-and-tampere.html%7Ctitle=Finland earmarks funds for new rail links between Helsinki, Turku and Tampere|website=Helsinki Times|date=4 February 2019}}</ref> Helsinki opened the world's northernmost metro system in 1982, which also serves the neighbouring city of Espoo since 2017.

The majority of international cargo shipments are handled at ports. Vuosaari Harbour in Helsinki is the largest container port in Finland; others include Kotka, Hamina, Hanko, Pori, Rauma, and Oulu. There is passenger traffic from Helsinki and Turku, which have ferry connections to Tallinn, Mariehamn, Stockholm and Travemünde. The Helsinki-Tallinn route – one of the busiest passenger sea routes in the world – has also been served by a helicopter line, and the Helsinki-Tallinn Tunnel has been proposed to provide railway services between the two cities.<ref name="busiest">{{Cite web |title=The Busiest Crossing |work=Discover the Baltic |date=2009-04-24 |url= http://discoverthebaltic.com/travel/bblog.htm#280409 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100326210756/http://www.discoverthebaltic.com/travel/bblog.htm |archive-date=2010-03-26 |language=en }}</ref> Largely following the example of the Øresund Bridge between Sweden and Denmark, the Kvarken Bridge connecting Umeå in Sweden and Vaasa in Finland to cross the Gulf of Bothnia has also been planned for decades.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tellerreport.com/news/2020-07-19-politicians-disagree-on-bridge-over-kvarken.rkOCYVt-ew.html%7Ctitle=Politicians disagree on bridge over Kvarken | tellerreport.com|website=www.tellerreport.com}}</ref>

Industry

{{Main|Economy of Finland}}

The Oasis of the Seas was built at the Perno shipyard in Turku.

Finland rapidly industrialized after World War II, achieving GDP per capita levels comparable to that of Japan or the UK in the beginning of the 1970s. Initially, most of the economic development was based on two broad groups of export-led industries, the "metal industry" (metalliteollisuus) and "forest industry" (metsäteollisuus). The "metal industry" includes shipbuilding, metalworking, the automotive industry, engineered products such as motors and electronics, and production of metals and alloys including steel, copper and chromium. Many of the world's biggest cruise ships, including MS Freedom of the Seas and the Oasis of the Seas have been built in Finnish shipyards.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oasisoftheseas.com/presskit/Oasis_of_the_Seas.pdf |title=Oasis of the Seas: Fast Facts |work=OasisoftheSeas.com |date=10 September 2009 |access-date=24 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220080037/http://www.oasisoftheseas.com/presskit/Oasis_of_the_Seas.pdf |archive-date=20 February 2012}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web|title=Freedom of the Seas Fact Sheet - Royal Caribbean Press Center|url=https://www.royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com/fact-sheet/5/freedom-of-the-seas/%7Caccess-date=16 June 2020|website=royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com}}</ref> The "forest industry" includes forestry, timber, pulp and paper, and is often considered a logical development based on Finland's extensive forest resources, as 73% of the area is covered by forest. In the pulp and paper industry, many major companies are based in Finland; Ahlstrom-Munksjö, Metsä Board, and UPM are all Finnish forest-based companies with revenues exceeding €1 billion. However, in recent decades, the Finnish economy has diversified, with companies expanding into fields such as electronics (Nokia), metrology (Vaisala), petroleum (Neste), and video games (Rovio Entertainment), and is no longer dominated by the two sectors of metal and forest industry. Likewise, the structure has changed, with the service sector growing, with manufacturing declining in importance; agriculture remains a minor part. Despite this, production for export is still more prominent than in Western Europe, thus making Finland possibly more vulnerable to global economic trends.

In 2017, the Finnish economy was estimated to consist of approximately 2.7% agriculture, 28.2% manufacturing and 69.1% services.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Europe :: Finland — The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/finland/%7Caccess-date=16 June 2020|website=cia.gov}}</ref> In 2019, the per-capita income of Finland was estimated to be $48,869. In 2020, Finland was ranked 20th on the ease of doing business index, among 190 jurisdictions.

Public policy

{{See also|Nordic model}}

Flags of the Nordic countries from left to right: Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark

Finnish politicians have often emulated the Nordic model.<ref name="nordicmodel">The Nordic Model {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120905212132/http://www.etla.fi/files/1892_the_nordic_model_complete.pdf |date=5 September 2012 }} by Torben M. Andersen, Bengt Holmström, Seppo Honkapohja, Sixten Korkman, Hans Tson Söderström, Juhana Vartiainen</ref> Nordics have been free-trading and relatively welcoming to skilled migrants for over a century, though in Finland immigration is relatively new. The level of protection in commodity trade has been low, except for agricultural products.<ref name="nordicmodel" />

Finland has top levels of economic freedom in many areas.{{clarify|date=April 2011|I have the impression that the Finnish labour market is quite flexible compared with other European countries—is this meant to be in relation to USA?}} Finland is ranked 16th in the 2008 global Index of Economic Freedom and 9th in Europe.<ref name="freedom" /> While the manufacturing sector is thriving, the OECD points out that the service sector would benefit substantially from policy improvements.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kilpailuvirasto.fi/cgi-bin/suomi.cgi?sivu=uut/u-2005-3-1 |title=Kilpailuvirasto.fi |publisher=Kilpailuvirasto.fi |date=17 October 2005 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref>

The 2007 IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook ranked Finland 17th most competitive.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imd.ch/research/publications/wcy/announcing.cfm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612031526/http://www.imd.ch/research/publications/wcy/announcing.cfm |archive-date=12 June 2007 |title=World Competitiveness Yearbook 2007 |publisher=Imd.ch |access-date=26 August 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> The World Economic Forum 2008 index ranked Finland the 6th most competitive.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.weforum.org/en/initiatives/gcp/Global%20Competitiveness%20Report/index.htm |title=The Global Competitiveness Report 2007–2008 |publisher=World Economic Forum |access-date=8 October 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080619083349/http://www.weforum.org/en/initiatives/gcp/Global%2BCompetitiveness%2BReport/index.htm |archive-date=19 June 2008 }}</ref> In both indicators, Finland's performance was next to Germany, and significantly higher than most European countries. In the Business competitiveness index 2007–2008 Finland ranked third in the world.

Economists attribute much growth to reforms in the product markets. According to the OECD, only four EU-15 countries have less regulated product markets (UK, Ireland, Denmark and Sweden) and only one has less regulated financial markets (Denmark). Nordic countries were pioneers in liberalizing energy, postal, and other markets in Europe.<ref name="nordicmodel" /> The legal system is clear and business bureaucracy less than most countries.<ref name="freedom">{{cite web|url=http://www.heritage.org/index/country/Finland |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629041208/http://www.heritage.org/index/country/Finland |archive-date=29 June 2011 |title=Finland economy |publisher=The Heritage Foundation |access-date=26 August 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> Property rights are well protected and contractual agreements are strictly honoured.<ref name="freedom" /> Finland is rated the least corrupt country in the world in the Corruption Perceptions Index<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2012/results/ |title=Corruption Perceptions Index 2012 – Results |publisher=Transparency.org |access-date=12 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131129013918/http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2012/results/ |archive-date=29 November 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and 13th in the Ease of doing business index. This indicates exceptional ease in cross-border trading (5th), contract enforcement (7th), business closure (5th), tax payment (83rd), and low worker hardship (127th).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.doingbusiness.org/economyrankings/%7Ctitle=Ranking of economies – Doing Business – World Bank Group|work=doingbusiness.org}}</ref>

Finnish law forces all workers to obey the national contracts that are drafted every few years for each profession and seniority level. The agreement becomes universally enforceable provided that more than 50% of the employees support it, in practice by being a member of a relevant trade union. The unionization rate is high (70%), especially in the middle class (AKAVA—80%). A lack of a national agreement in an industry is considered an exception.<ref name="oecd2004" /><ref name="nordicmodel" />

Tourism

{{Main|Tourism in Finland}}

website=www.travelofinland.com/}}</ref>
website=Visit Häme}}</ref>

In 2017, tourism in Finland grossed approximately €15.0 billion with a 7% increase from the previous year. Of this, €4.6 billion (30%) came from foreign tourism.<ref name="Matkailutilinpito">{{cite report|author=Business Finland|year=2019|title=Matkailutilinpito: Matkailun talous- ja työllisyysvaikutukset 2016–2017|url= https://www.businessfinland.fi/499c03/contentassets/4b07e15186484a69b62e991ed85a6c45/matkailutilinpito_2016-2017.pdf%7Cpublisher=Business Finland, Visit Finland|access-date=2 April 2020|language = fi}}</ref> In 2017, there were 15.2 million overnight stays of domestic tourists and 6.7 million overnight stays of foreign tourists.<ref name="TEM"/> Much of the sudden growth can be attributed to the globalisation of the country as well as a rise in positive publicity and awareness. While Russia remains the largest market for foreign tourists, the biggest growth came from Chinese markets (35%).<ref name="TEM">{{cite web|url=https://tem.fi/en/finnish-tourism-in-numbers%7Ctitle=Finnish tourism in numbers|author=Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (Finland)|access-date=2 April 2020}}</ref> Tourism contributes roughly 2.7% to Finland's GDP, making it comparable to agriculture and forestry.<ref name="Tourism_infographic"/>

Commercial cruises between major coastal and port cities in the Baltic region, including Helsinki, Turku, Mariehamn, Tallinn, Stockholm, and Travemünde, play a significant role in the local tourism industry. There are also separate ferry connections dedicated to tourism in the vicinity of Helsinki and its region, such as the connection to the fortress island of Suomenlinna<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hel.fi/helsinki/en/maps-and-transport/transport/ferry/%7Ctitle=Ferries%7Cwebsite=Helsingin kaupunki}}</ref> or the connection to the old town of Porvoo.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.msjlruneberg.fi/cruises/helsinki-porvoo/%7Ctitle=Helsinki - Porvoo|website=m/s J.L. Runeberg}}</ref> By passenger counts, the Port of Helsinki is the busiest port in the world after the Port of Dover in the United Kingdom and the Port of Tallinn in Estonia.<ref name="POH">{{cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/pdfscache/6652.pdf%7Ctitle=Maritime ports freight and passenger statistics|publisher=Eurostat|access-date=2 February 2020}}</ref> The Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport is the fourth busiest airport in the Nordic countries in terms of passenger numbers,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.helsinki-airport.com/%7Ctitle=Helsinki Airport (HEL)|publisher=Helsinki Airport|access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref> and about 90% of Finland's international air traffic passes through the airport.<ref>{{cite web|title=Helsinki Airport is designed for smooth travelling|url=https://www.finavia.fi/en/helsinki-airport/in-brief/%7Cpublisher=Finavia%7Caccess-date=25 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161004015600/http://www.finavia.fi/en/helsinki-airport/in-brief/%7Carchive-date=4 October 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Lapland has the highest tourism consumption of any Finnish region.<ref name="Tourism_infographic">{{cite report|author=Business Finland|year=2019|title=Tourism as Export Infographic 2019|url=https://www.businessfinland.fi/494339/globalassets/julkaisut/visit-finland/tutkimukset/2020/2019-tourism-as-export-infographic.pdf%7Cpublisher=Business Finland, Visit Finland|access-date=2 April 2020}}</ref> Above the Arctic Circle, in midwinter, there is a polar night, a period when the sun does not rise for days or weeks, or even months, and correspondingly, midnight sun in the summer, with no sunset even at midnight (for up to 73 consecutive days, at the northernmost point). Lapland is so far north that the aurora borealis, fluorescence in the high atmosphere due to solar wind, is seen regularly in the fall, winter, and spring. Finnish Lapland is also locally regarded as the home of Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus, with several theme parks, such as Santa Claus Village and Santa Park in Rovaniemi.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Real Home of Santa Claus in Finland |url=http://www.lifeinlapland.com/articles/lapland-travel-tips/real-home-santa-korvatunturi.html%7Caccess-date=20 November 2017}}</ref> Other significant tourist destinations in Lapland also include ski resorts (such as Ylläs, Levi and Ruka)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theculturetrip.com/europe/finland/articles/top-12-ski-resorts-in-finland/%7Ctitle=The Top 12 Ski Resorts in Finland|first=Jessica|last=Wood|website=Culture Trip}}</ref> and sleigh rides led by either reindeer or huskies.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://santaclausvillage.info/services/activity-services/santa-claus-reindeer-rides-safaris-rovaniemi/%7Ctitle=Santa Claus Reindeer rides & excursions in Rovaniemi Lapland Finland|website=Santa Claus Village Rovaniemi Finland}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.yllas.fi/en/activities/husky-safaris-and-reindeers.html%7Ctitle=Discover the winter magic with Huskies and Reindeers|website=www.yllas.fi}}</ref>

Tourist attractions in Finland include the natural landscape found throughout the country as well as urban attractions. Finland is covered with thick pine forests, rolling hills, and lakes. Finland contains 40 national parks (such as the Koli National Park in North Karelia), from the Southern shores of the Gulf of Finland to the high fells of Lapland. Outdoor activities range from Nordic skiing, golf, fishing, yachting, lake cruises, hiking, and kayaking, among many others. Bird-watching is popular for those fond of avifauna, however hunting is also popular. Elk and hare are common game in Finland.

Finland also has urbanised regions with many cultural events and activities. The most famous tourist attractions in Helsinki include the Helsinki Cathedral and the Suomenlinna sea fortress. The most well-known Finnish amusement parks include Linnanmäki in Helsinki, Särkänniemi in Tampere, PowerPark in Kauhava, Tykkimäki in Kouvola and Nokkakivi in Laukaa.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://trip101.com/article/theme-parks-in-finland%7Ctitle=Top 6 Theme Parks And Amusement Parks In Finland|date=30 December 2019|website=Trip101}}</ref> St. Olaf's Castle (Olavinlinna) in Savonlinna hosts the annual Savonlinna Opera Festival,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://operafestival.fi/en/%7Ctitle=Home - Savonlinna Opera Festival|access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref> and the medieval milieus of the cities of Turku, Rauma and Porvoo also attract curious spectators.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foreigner.fi/articulo/tourism/five-finnish-cities-worth-touristic-visit/20190623190002002246.html%7Ctitle=5 Finnish cities that deserve a tourist visit|website=Foreigner.fi|access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref>

Demographics

{{Main|Demographics of Finland}} {{Pie chart |thumb = left |caption = Population by ethnic background in 2017<ref name="auto"/><ref name="un"/> |label1 = Finnish |value1 = 91.33 |color1 = #003399 |label2 = Other European |value2 = 4.90 |color2 = #4080bf |label3 = Asian |value3 = 2.50 |color3 = #ff471a |label4 = African |value4 = 0.90 |color4 = #ffff00 |label5 = Other |value5 = 0.37 }}

The population of Finland is currently about 5.5 million. The current birth rate is 10.42 per 1,000 residents, for a fertility rate of 1.49 children born per woman,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/en/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__kuol/?tablelist=true%7Ctitle=PxWeb - Select table|website=pxnet2.stat.fi}}</ref> one of the lowest in the world, significantly below the replacement rate of 2.1. In 1887 Finland recorded its highest rate, 5.17 children born per woman.<ref>{{citation|url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?year=1800&country=FIN%7Ctitle=Total Fertility Rate around the world over the last centuries|author=Max Roser|date=2014|work=Our World In Data, Gapminder Foundation|access-date=7 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190205121631/https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?year=1800&country=FIN%7Carchive-date=5 February 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> Finland has one of the oldest populations in the world, with a median age of 42.6 years.<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/finland/%7Ctitle=World Factbook EUROPE : FINLAND|work=The World Factbook|date=12 July 2018}}</ref> Approximately half of voters are estimated to be over 50 years old.<ref>Tilastokeskus – Population. Stat.fi. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref><ref name="populationdevelopment" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.globalhealthfacts.org/data/topic/map.aspx?ind=81 |title=Median Age (Years) |publisher=GlobalHealthFacts.org |access-date=22 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130403123202/http://www.globalhealthfacts.org/data/topic/map.aspx?ind=81 |archive-date=3 April 2013 }}</ref><ref name="pop_stat">{{cite web|date=4 June 2020|title=Finland in Figures > Population|url=https://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_vaesto_en.html%7Caccess-date=12 August 2020|website=stat.fi|publisher=Statistics Finland}}</ref> Finland has an average population density of 18 inhabitants per square kilometre. This is the third-lowest population density of any European country, behind those of Norway and Iceland, and the lowest population density of any European Union member country. Finland's population has always been concentrated in the southern parts of the country, a phenomenon that became even more pronounced during 20th-century urbanisation. Two of the three largest cities in Finland are situated in the Greater Helsinki metropolitan area—Helsinki and Espoo, and some municipalities in the metropolitan area have also shown clear growth of population year after year, the most notable being Järvenpää, Nurmijärvi, Kirkkonummi, Kerava and Sipoo.<ref>Kirkkonummen Sanomat: Nurmijärvi - ilmiö voimistui heinäkuussa - Kirkkonummella väkiluvun kasvu 1,2 % (in Finnish)</ref> In the largest cities of Finland, Tampere holds the third place after Helsinki and Espoo while also Helsinki-neighbouring Vantaa is the fourth. Other cities with population over 100,000 are Turku, Oulu, Jyväskylä, Kuopio, and Lahti. On the other hand, Sottunga of the Åland Islands is the smallest municipality in Finland in terms of population (Luhanka in mainland Finland),<ref>Kaupunkien ja kuntien lukumäärät ja väestötiedot – Kuntaliitto (in Finnish)</ref> and Savukoski of Lapland is sparsely populated in terms of population density.<ref>Kuntien pinta-alat ja asukastiheydet – Kuntaliitto (in Finnish)</ref>

{{As of|2019}}, there were 423,494 people with a foreign background living in Finland (7.7% of the population), most of whom are from the former Soviet Union, Estonia, Somalia, Iraq and former Yugoslavia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ulkomaalaistaustaiset |publisher=Tilastokeskus |access-date= 2021-04-25 |url= https://www.stat.fi/tup/maahanmuutto/maahanmuuttajat-vaestossa/ulkomaalaistaustaiset.html |language=fi }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Population |publisher=Statistics Finland |date=2021-04-23 |access-date=2021-04-25 |url= https://www.tilastokeskus.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_vaesto_en.html |language=en }}</ref> The children of foreigners are not automatically given Finnish citizenship, as Finnish nationality law practices and maintain jus sanguinis policy where only children born to at least one Finnish parent are granted citizenship. If they are born in Finland and cannot get citizenship of any other country, they become citizens.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Child born in Finland |publisher=Finnish Immigration Service |access-date=2021-04-25 |url= https://migri.fi/en/child-born-in-finland |language=en }}</ref> Additionally, certain persons of Finnish descent who reside in countries that were once part of Soviet Union, retain the right of return, a right to establish permanent residency in the country, which would eventually entitle them to qualify for citizenship.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.migri.fi/netcomm/content.asp?path=8,2475 |title=Finnish Directorate of Immigration |date=10 November 2011 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111110122502/http://www.migri.fi/netcomm/content.asp?path=8,2475 |archive-date=10 November 2011 }}</ref> 387,215 people in Finland in 2018 were born in another country, representing 7% of the population. The 10 largest foreign born groups are (in order) from Russia, Estonia, Sweden, Iraq, Somalia, China, Thailand, Serbia, Vietnam and Turkey.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/en/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__vaerak/?tablelist%7Ctitle=PxWeb - Select table|website=pxnet2.stat.fi}}</ref>

Finland's immigrant population is growing. By 2035, the three largest cites in Finland are projected to have over a quarter of residents of a foreign-speaking background: in Helsinki, they are projected to form 26% of the population; in Espoo, 30%; and in Vantaa, 34%. The Helsinki region is projected to have 437,000 people of a foreign linguistic background, compared to 201,000 in 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hel.fi/uutiset/fi/kaupunginkanslia/helsingin-seudun-vieraskielinen-vaesto-yli-kaksinkertaistuu-vuoteen-2035-mennessa%7Ctitle=Helsingin seudun vieraskielinen väestö yli kaksinkertaistuu vuoteen 2035 mennessä|website=Helsingin kaupunki}}</ref>

Language

{{Main|Finnish language|Finland Swedish|Languages of Finland}} {{See also|List of municipalities of Finland in which Finnish is not the sole official language}}

bilingual with Finnish as majority language, Sami as minority language}}

Finnish and Swedish are the official languages of Finland. Finnish predominates nationwide while Swedish is spoken in some coastal areas in the west and south (such as Raseborg,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theculturetrip.com/europe/finland/articles/the-10-most-beautiful-towns-in-finland/%7Ctitle=The 10 Most Beautiful Towns In Finland|first=Lani|last=Seelinger|website=Culture Trip}}</ref> Pargas,<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/18417-twice-a-minority-foreign-immigration-to-swedish-speaking-communities-in-finland.html%7Ctitle=Twice a minority: foreign immigration to Swedish-speaking communities in Finland|website=www.helsinkitimes.fi}}</ref> Närpes,<ref name="auto1"/> Kristinestad,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/themes/themes/travel/12675-discovering-swedish-speaking-municipalities-kristinestad.html%7Ctitle=Discovering Swedish-speaking municipalities: Kristinestad|website=www.helsinkitimes.fi}}</ref> Jakobstad<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/themes/themes/travel/13124-discovering-swedish-speaking-municipalities-jakobstad.html%7Ctitle=Discovering Swedish-speaking municipalities: Jakobstad|website=www.helsinkitimes.fi}}</ref> and Nykarleby.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/themes/themes/travel/12953-discovering-swedish-speaking-municipalities-nykarleby.html%7Ctitle=Discovering Swedish-speaking municipalities: Nykarleby|website=www.helsinkitimes.fi}}</ref>) and in the autonomous region of Åland, which is the only monolingual Swedish-speaking region in Finland.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.norden.org/en/info-norden/swedish-language-courses-foreigners-aland%7Ctitle=Swedish language courses for foreigners in Åland | Nordic cooperation|website=www.norden.org}}</ref> The native language of 87.3% of the population is Finnish,<ref name="Population according to language">{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.fi/til/vaerak/2015/vaerak_2015_2016-04-01_tau_002_en.html |title=Appendix table 2. Population according to language 1980–2015 |work=Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Population structure |access-date=27 November 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stat.fi/tup/julkaisut/tiedostot/julkaisuluettelo/yyti_fif_201900_2019_21461_net.pdf |title=Finland in Figures 2019 |work=Statistics Finland |date=June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190711184650/https://www.stat.fi/tup/julkaisut/tiedostot/julkaisuluettelo/yyti_fif_201900_2019_21461_net.pdf |archive-date=11 July 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> which is part of the Finnic subgroup of the Uralic languages. The language is one of only four official EU languages not of Indo-European origin, and has no relation to the other national languages of the Nordics. Conversely, Finnish is closely related to Estonian and Karelian, and more distantly to Hungarian and the Sami languages.

Swedish is the native language of 5.2% of the population (Swedish-speaking Finns).<ref name="population-2016">Statistics Finland, Population Retrieved on 18 October 2017.</ref> Finnish is dominant in all the country's larger cities; though Helsinki, Turku and Vaasa were once predominantly Swedish-speaking, they have undergone a language shift since the 19th century to become largely Finnish-speaking.

Swedish is a compulsory school subject and general knowledge of the language is good among non-native speakers. In 2005, a total of 47% of Finnish citizens reported the ability to speak Swedish, either as primary or a secondary language.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_243_en.pdf%7Ctitle=Europeans and their languages, situation in 2005|publisher=European Commission|access-date=5 January 2021}}</ref> Likewise, a majority of mainland Sweden Finns are able to speak Finnish. However, most Sweden Finnish youth reported seldom using Finnish: 71% reported always or mostly speaking Swedish in social settings outside of their households.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hbl.fi/artikel/finlandssvenska-ungdomar-talar-sallan-finska-sarskilt-pa-natet-ar-finskan-ovanlig/%7C title=Finlandssvenska ungdomar talar sällan finska - särskilt på nätet är finskan ovanlig|publisher=Hufvudstadsbladet|last=Piippo|first=Mikael|date=12 December 2018|access-date=5 January 2021}}</ref> The Finnish side of the land border with Sweden is unilingually Finnish-speaking, with a stark language divide over the Torne River: on the Swedish side, a Northern Swedish accent can be heard that is distinct from the Swedish spoken in other parts of Finland. There is a sizeable pronunciation difference between the varieties of Swedish spoken in the two countries, although their mutual intelligibility is nearly universal.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.infofinland.fi/sv/livet-i-finland/finska-och-svenska-spraket/det-svenska-spraket-i-finland%7Ctitle=Det svenska språket i Finland|publisher=InfoFinland|language=sv|access-date=5 January 2021}}</ref>

The Nordic languages and Karelian are also specially recognized in parts of Finland.

Finnish Romani is spoken by some 5,000–6,000 people; Romani and Finnish Sign Language are also recognized in the constitution. There are two sign languages: Finnish Sign Language, spoken natively by 4,000–5,000 people,<ref>{{cite web |title=Forskningscentralen för de inhemska språken—Teckenspråken i Finland |language=sv |url=http://www.kotus.fi/index.phtml?l=sv&s=206 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318084839/http://www.kotus.fi/index.phtml?l=sv&s=206 |archive-date=18 March 2015 }}</ref> and Finland-Swedish Sign Language, spoken natively by about 150 people. Tatar is spoken by a Finnish Tatar minority of about 800 people whose ancestors moved to Finland mainly during Russian rule from the 1870s to the 1920s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://forum.hunturk.net/national-minorities-of-finland-the-tatars-2491.html |title=National Minorities of Finland, The Tatars |publisher=Forum.hunturk.net |access-date=6 December 2011}}</ref>

The Sami language has an official status in Lapland where the Sami people predominate, numbering around 7,000<ref>According to the Finnish Population Registry Centre and the Finnish Sami parliament, the Sami population living in Finland was 7,371 in 2003. See Regional division of Sami people in Finland by age in 2003 (in Finnish).</ref> and recognized as an indigenous people. About a quarter of them speak a Sami language as their mother tongue.<ref name="Population 2006-12-31">{{cite web |url=http://tilastokeskus.fi/til/vaerak/2006/vaerak_2006_2007-03-23_tie_001_en.html |title=The population of Finland in 2006 |work=Statistics Finland |date=31 December 2006 |access-date=4 September 2007}}</ref> The Sami languages that are spoken in Finland are Northern Sami, Inari Sami, and Skolt Sami.{{refn|group=note|The names for Finland in its Sami languages are: {{lang|se|Suopma}} (Northern Sami), {{lang|smn|Suomâ}} (Inari Sami) and {{lang|sms|Lää'ddjânnam}} (Skolt Sami). See Geonames.de.}}

The rights of minority groups (in particular Sami, Swedish speakers, and Romani people) are protected by the constitution.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/kaannokset/1999/en19990731.pdf |title=The Constitution of Finland, 17 § and 121 § |work=FINLEX Data Bank |access-date=4 September 2007}}</ref>

The largest immigrant languages are Russian (1.5%), Estonian (0.9%), Arabic (0.6%), Somali (0.4%) and English (0.4%).<ref name="population-2016" /> English is studied by most pupils as a compulsory subject from the first grade (at seven years of age) in the comprehensive school (in some schools other languages can be chosen instead),<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/15462-finland-s-first-graders-to-start-learning-foreign-language-in-spring-2020.html%7Ctitle=Finland's first-graders to start learning foreign language in spring 2020|last=Teivainen|first=Aleksi|date=13 April 2019|work=Helsinki Times|access-date=1 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite thesis|last=Yang|first=Junyi|title=Teachers' Role in Developing Healthy Self-esteem in Young Learners: A study of English language teachers in Finland|date=Spring 2018|degree=Master’s Degree Program in Early Language Education for Intercultural Communication|publisher=University of Eastern Finland|url=http://epublications.uef.fi/pub/urn_nbn_fi_uef-20180513/urn_nbn_fi_uef-20180513.pdf}}</ref> as a result of which Finns' English language skills have been significantly strengthened over several decades.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://finlandtoday.fi/finland-places-among-the-top-four-english-speaking-countries-in-the-world/%7Ctitle=Finland Places Among the Top Four English-Speaking Countries in the World|first=Tony|last=Öhberg}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finland_ranks_sixth_in_english_skills_early_instruction_crucial/10071036%7Ctitle=Finland ranks sixth in English skills, early instruction crucial|website=Yle Uutiset}}</ref> German, French, Spanish and Russian can be studied as second foreign languages from the fourth grade (at 10 years of age; some schools may offer other options).<ref>{{Cite conference|last=Nuolijärvi|first=Pirkko|date=Fall 2011|title=Language education policy and practice in Finland|url=http://www.efnil.org/documents/conference-publications/london-2011/the-role-of-language-education-in-creating-a/15-Pirkko-Nuolijarvi.pdf%7Cconference=European Federation of National Institutions for Language}}</ref>

About 93% of Finns can speak a second language.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/more_than_90_percent_of_finnish_residents_are_at_least_bilingual/10550664 |title=More than 90 percent of Finnish residents are at least bilingual |publisher=YLE |access-date=12 December 2018}}</ref> The figures in this section should be treated with caution, as they come from the official Finnish population register. People can only register one language and so bilingual or multilingual language users' language competencies are not properly included. A citizen of Finland that speaks bilingually Finnish and Swedish will often be registered as a Finnish only speaker in this system. Similarly "old domestic language" is a category applied to some languages and not others for political not linguistic reasons, for example Russian.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ling.helsinki.fi/~fkarlsso/Languages%20of%20Finland_1917-2017.pdf |title=THE LANGUAGES OF FINLAND 1917–2017 |work=Lingsoft Language Library publications |access-date=15 December 2018}}</ref>

Largest cities

{{Largest cities of Finland}}

Religion

{{Main|Religion in Finland}} {{Pie chart |thumb = right |caption = Religions in Finland (2019)<ref name="stnin"/> |label1 = Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland |value1 = 68.72 |color1 = DodgerBlue |label2 = Orthodox Church |value2 = 1.10 |color2 = Orchid |label3 = Other Christian |value3 = 0.93 |color3 = DarkOrchid |label4 = Other religions |value4 = 0.76 |color4 = Chartreuse |label5 = Unaffiliated |value5 = 28.49 |color5 = Honeydew }}

With 3.9 million members,<ref>Seurakuntien jäsentilasto 2018 Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland</ref> the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland is one of the largest Lutheran churches in the world and is also by far Finland's largest religious body; at the end of 2019, 68.7% of Finns were members of the church.<ref name="relig_stat">Population structure Statistics Finland</ref> The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland has seen its share of the country's population declining by roughly one percent annually in recent years.<ref name="relig_stat" /> The decline has been due to both church membership resignations and falling baptism rates.<ref>Eroakirkosta.fi – Kirkosta eronnut tänä vuonna 40 000 ihmistä (in Finnish)</ref><ref>Karjalainen – Kastettujen määrä romahtanut – kirkollisista ristiäisistä luopuu yhä useampi 13 June 2016 (in Finnish)</ref> The second largest group, accounting for 26.3% of the population<ref name="relig_stat" /> in 2017, has no religious affiliation. The irreligious group rose quickly from just below 13% in the year 2000. A small minority belongs to the Finnish Orthodox Church (1.1%). Other Protestant denominations and the Roman Catholic Church are significantly smaller, as are the Jewish and other non-Christian communities (totalling 1.6%); for example, in the Protestant trend, there are about 1,500 Baptists concentrated in the region of Central Finland,<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.uskonnot.fi/uskonnot/view.php?religionId=26%7C title= Baptismi| work= Uskonnot Suomessa | access-date=6 January 2021 | language=fi}}</ref> and there are only about 2,000 Methodists who are scattered around the country.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.uskonnot.fi/uskonnot/view.php?religionId=24%7C title= Metodismi| work= Uskonnot Suomessa| access-date= 6 January 2021| language= fi| archive-date= 8 January 2021| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210108084048/http://www.uskonnot.fi/uskonnot/view.php?religionId=24%7C url-status= dead}}</ref> The Pew Research Center estimated the Muslim population at 2.7% in 2016.<ref>{{cite web|title=Muslim Population Growth in Europe|url=http://www.pewforum.org/2017/11/29/europes-growing-muslim-population/%7Cwebsite=pewforum.org}}</ref> The main Lutheran and Orthodox churches are national churches of Finland with special roles such as in state ceremonies and schools.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://finland.fi/Public/default.aspx?contentid=160099&nodeid=41800&culture=en-US |title=The Church in Finland today |author=Salla Korpela |date=May 2005 |access-date=11 January 2011 |publisher=Finland Promotion Board; Produced by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Department for Communications and Culture}}</ref>

In 1869, Finland was the first Nordic country to disestablish its Evangelical Lutheran church by introducing the Church Act, followed by the Church of Sweden in 2000. Although the church still maintains a special relationship with the state, it is not described as a state religion in the Finnish Constitution or other laws passed by the Finnish Parliament.<ref name=FinlandConstitution>{{cite web|url=https://servat.unibe.ch/icl/fi00000_.html |title=Finland > Constitution: Chapter 1 Fundamental provisions (Section 76 The Church Act) |last=Tschentscher |first=Axel |date=27 June 2020}}</ref> Finland's state church was the Church of Sweden until 1809. As an autonomous Grand Duchy under Russia 1809–1917, Finland retained the Lutheran State Church system, and a state church separate from Sweden, later named the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, was established. It was detached from the state as a separate judicial entity when the new church law came to force in 1869. After Finland had gained independence in 1917, religious freedom was declared in the constitution of 1919 and a separate law on religious freedom in 1922. Through this arrangement, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland lost its position as a state church but gained a constitutional status as a national church alongside the Finnish Orthodox Church, whose position however is not codified in the constitution.

The Evangelical Lutheran Helsinki Cathedral

In 2016, 69.3% of Finnish children were baptized<ref>Lutheran church member statistics (2016) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215122035/http://sakasti.evl.fi/sakasti.nsf/0/FFEDB75916EB394AC22576CC003D875E/$FILE/Vaestonmuutokset_koko%20kirkko_2016.xlsx |date=15 December 2018 }} evl.fi</ref> and 82.3% were confirmed in 2012 at the age of 15,<ref>Church statistical yesrbook 2012 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140320170001/http://sakasti.evl.fi/sakasti.nsf/0/8A75CE045AD09FE4C22577AE00256611/$FILE/KKH_Tilastollinen_vuosikirja2012_toiminta_lopullinen%20versio.pdf |date=20 March 2014 }} The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland</ref> and over 90% of the funerals are Christian. However, the majority of Lutherans attend church only for special occasions like Christmas ceremonies, weddings, and funerals. The Lutheran Church estimates that approximately 1.8% of its members attend church services weekly.<ref>Church Attendance Falls; Religion Seen as Private 3 June 2012 YLE</ref> The average number of church visits per year by church members is approximately two.<ref name="state2004">{{cite web |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2004/35453.htm |title=International Religious Freedom Report 2004 |work=U.S. Department of State |date=15 September 2004 |access-date=22 January 2007}}</ref>

According to a 2010 Eurobarometer poll, 33% of Finnish citizens responded that they "believe there is a God"; 42% answered that they "believe there is some sort of spirit or life force"; and 22% that they "do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God, or life force".<ref name="EUROBAROMETER">{{cite web |url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_341_en.pdf |title=Special Eurobarometer Biotechnology |page=204 |edition=Fieldwork: January–February 2010 |date=October 2010 |access-date=16 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101215001129/http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_341_en.pdf |archive-date=15 December 2010 }}</ref> According to ISSP survey data (2008), 8% consider themselves "highly religious", and 31% "moderately religious". In the same survey, 28% reported themselves as "agnostic" and 29% as "non-religious".<ref>Kimmo, Ketola et al. (2011). Uskonto suomalaisten elämässä {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916015652/http://tampub.uta.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/65683/uskonto_suomalaisten_elamassa_2011.pdf?sequence=1 |date=16 September 2018 }}. Tampereen yliopistopaino Oy . {{ISBN|978-951-44-8483-4}}</ref>

Health

{{Main|Healthcare in Finland}}

The Meilahti Tower Hospital, part of the Helsinki University Central Hospital (HUCH) in Töölö, Helsinki

Life expectancy has increased from 71 years for men and 79 years for women in 1990 to 79 years for men and 84 years for women in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/julkaisut/tiedostot/julkaisuluettelo/yyti_fif_201800_2018_19693_net.pdf |title=Finland in Figures 2018 |publisher=Finnish Population Centre|access-date=10 December 2018}}</ref> The under-five mortality rate has decreased from 51 per 1,000 live births in 1950 to 2.3 per 1,000 live births in 2017, ranking Finland's rate among the lowest in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://data.unicef.org/country/fin/%7Ctitle=Trends in Under five Mortality Rate |publisher=UNICEF|access-date=10 December 2018}}</ref> The fertility rate in 2014 stood at 1.71 children born/per woman and has been below the replacement rate of 2.1 since 1969.<ref name="stat.fi">Statistics Finland – Births 2014. Stat.fi (14 April 2015). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref> With a low birth rate women also become mothers at a later age, the mean age at first live birth being 28.6 in 2014.<ref name="stat.fi" /> A 2011 study published in The Lancet medical journal found that Finland had the lowest stillbirth rate out of 193 countries, including the UK, France and New Zealand.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)62187-3/fulltext#article_upsell |title=Stillbirths: Where? When? Why? How to make the data count? |journal=The Lancet |access-date=6 December 2011 |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(10)62187-3 |pmid=21496911 |volume=377 |issue=9775 |pages=1448–1463|year=2011 |last1=Lawn |first1=Joy E. |last2=Blencowe |first2=Hannah |last3=Pattinson |first3=Robert |last4=Cousens |first4=Simon |last5=Kumar |first5=Rajesh |last6=Ibiebele |first6=Ibinabo |last7=Gardosi |first7=Jason |last8=Day |first8=Louise T. |last9=Stanton |first9=Cynthia |hdl=2263/16343 |s2cid=14278260 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

There has been a slight increase or no change in welfare and health inequalities between population groups in the 21st century. Lifestyle-related diseases are on the rise. More than half a million Finns suffer from diabetes, type 1 diabetes being globally the most common in Finland. Many children are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The number of musculoskeletal diseases and cancers are increasing, although the cancer prognosis has improved. Allergies and dementia are also growing health problems in Finland. One of the most common reasons for work disability are due to mental disorders, in particular depression.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stm.fi/c/document_library/get_file?folderId=6511570&name=DLFE-26813.pdf |title=Health care in Finland |publisher=STM |access-date=6 September 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317183526/http://www.stm.fi/c/document_library/get_file?folderId=6511570&name=DLFE-26813.pdf |archive-date=17 March 2015 }}</ref> Treatment for depression has improved and as a result the historically high suicide rates have declined to 13 per 100 000 in 2017, closer to the North European average.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/eurostat_falling_suicide_rate_in_finland_nears_european_average/10324113%7Ctitle=Eurostat: Falling suicide rate in Finland nears European average |publisher=YLE|access-date=18 December 2018}}</ref> Suicide rates are still among the highest among developed countries in the OECD.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.MHSUICIDEASDR?lang=en%7Ctitle=GHO {{!}} By category {{!}} Suicide rate estimates, age-standardized - Estimates by country|website=WHO|access-date=17 March 2020}}</ref>

There are 307 residents for each doctor.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_terveys_en.html |title=Health (2004) |work=Statistics Finland |access-date=22 January 2007}}</ref> About 19% of health care is funded directly by households and 77% by taxation.

In April 2012, Finland was ranked 2nd in Gross National Happiness in a report published by The Earth Institute.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pakblog.net/2012/04/pakistan-ranked-85th-happiest-nation-in.html |title=World Happiness report |year=2012 |access-date=7 April 2012}}</ref> Since 2012, Finland has every time ranked at least in the top 5 of world's happiest countries in the annual World Happiness Report by the United Nations,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://worldhappiness.report/ed/2017/%7Ctitle=World Happiness Report 2017|access-date=22 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/happiness-report/2016/HR-V1_web.pdf%7Ctitle=World Happiness Report 2016 {{pipe}} Volume I (page 22)|access-date=22 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/happiness-report/2012/World_Happiness_Report_2012.pdf%7Ctitle=World Happiness Report 2012 (page 30) |access-date=22 May 2018}}</ref> as well as ranking as the happiest country in 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://worldhappiness.report/ed/2018/%7Ctitle=World Happiness Report 2018|access-date=21 May 2018|date=14 March 2018}}</ref>

Education and science

{{Main|Education in Finland}} {{See also|List of universities in Finland|List of schools in Finland}}

access-date=11 October 2020}}</ref>
Auditorium in Aalto University's main building, designed by Alvar Aalto
The library of the University of Eastern Finland in Snellmania, the Kuopio campus of the university
Pupils at the school of Torvinen in Sodankylä, Finland, in the 1920s

Most pre-tertiary education is arranged at municipal level. Even though many or most schools were started as private schools, today only around 3 percent of students are enrolled in private schools (mostly specialist language and international schools), much less than in Sweden and most other developed countries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eurydice.org/ressources/Eurydice/pdf/047DN/047_NL_EN.pdf |title=Summary sheets on education systems in Europe |publisher=Eurydice.org |access-date=26 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080910005807/http://www.eurydice.org/ressources/Eurydice/pdf/047DN/047_NL_EN.pdf |archive-date=10 September 2008 }}</ref> Pre-school education is rare compared with other EU countries and formal education is usually started at the age of 7. Primary school takes normally six years and lower secondary school three years. Most schools are managed by municipal officials.

The flexible curriculum is set by the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Education Board. Education is compulsory between the ages of 7 and 16. After lower secondary school, graduates may either enter the workforce directly, or apply to trade schools or gymnasiums (upper secondary schools). Trade schools offer a vocational education: approximately 40% of an age group choose this path after the lower secondary school.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unevoc.unesco.org/worldtvetdatabase1.php?ct=FIN |title=Vocational Education in Finland |date=18 November 2013 |access-date=9 May 2014 |author=UNESCO-UNEVOC}}</ref> Academically oriented gymnasiums have higher entrance requirements and specifically prepare for Abitur and tertiary education. Graduation from either formally qualifies for tertiary education.

In tertiary education, two mostly separate and non-interoperating sectors are found: the profession-oriented polytechnics and the research-oriented universities. Education is free and living expenses are to a large extent financed by the government through student benefits. There are 15 universities and 24 Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) in the country.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.scholarshipsineurope.com/list-of-university-in-finland/ |title=List of University in Finland |website=scholarshipsineurope.com |access-date=4 August 2018|date=July 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.studyinfinland.fi/where_to_study/universities_of_applied_sciences |title=Universities of Applied Sciences in Finland |website=studyinfinland.fi |access-date=4 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808092603/http://studyinfinland.fi/where_to_study/universities_of_applied_sciences |archive-date=8 August 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The University of Helsinki is ranked 75th in the Top University Ranking of 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.topuniversities.com/university/258/university-of-helsinki |title=Top University Ranking of 2010: University of Helsinki |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102111112/http://topuniversities.com/university/258/university-of-helsinki |archive-date=2 January 2010 }}</ref> The World Economic Forum ranks Finland's tertiary education No. 1 in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GlobalCompetitivenessReport_2013-14.pdf |title=The Global Competitiveness Report 2013–2014 |access-date=9 May 2014 |author=World Economic Forum |page=36|author-link=World Economic Forum }}</ref> Around 33% of residents have a tertiary degree, similar to Nordics and more than in most other OECD countries except Canada (44%), United States (38%) and Japan (37%).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tilastokeskus.fi/artikkelit/2006/art_2006-07-06_001.html |title=Tilastokeskus.fi |publisher=Tilastokeskus.fi |access-date=6 March 2011}}</ref> The proportion of foreign students is 3% of all tertiary enrollments, one of the lowest in OECD, while in advanced programs it is 7.3%, still below OECD average 16.5%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/24/52/39315711.pdf%7Ctitle=Education at Glance 2007: Finland|publisher=OECD}}</ref> Other reputable universities of Finland include Aalto University in Espoo, both University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University in Turku, University of Jyväskylä, University of Oulu, LUT University in Lappeenranta and Lahti, University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio and Joensuu, and Tampere University.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.study.eu/best-universities/finland%7Ctitle=The top 9 best universities in Finland: 2021 rankings|website=www.study.eu}}</ref>

More than 30% of tertiary graduates are in science-related fields. Forest improvement, materials research, environmental sciences, neural networks, low-temperature physics, brain research, biotechnology, genetic technology, and communications showcase fields of study where Finnish researchers have had a significant impact.<ref name="innovation">{{cite web|author=Kari Sipilä |title=A country that innovates |url=http://www.finland.cn/Public/default.aspx?contentid=99637 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707031053/http://www.finland.cn/Public/default.aspx?contentid=99637 |archive-date=7 July 2011 |work=Virtual Finland |publisher=Ministry for Foreign Affairs / Department for Communication and Culture / Unit for Promotion and Publications / Embassy and Consulates General of Finland in China |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Finland has a long tradition of adult education, and by the 1980s nearly one million Finns were receiving some kind of instruction each year. Forty percent of them did so for professional reasons. Adult education appeared in a number of forms, such as secondary evening schools, civic and workers' institutes, study centres, vocational course centres, and folk high schools. Study centres allowed groups to follow study plans of their own making, with educational and financial assistance provided by the state. Folk high schools are a distinctly Nordic institution. Originating in Denmark in the 19th century, folk high schools became common throughout the region. Adults of all ages could stay at them for several weeks and take courses in subjects that ranged from handicrafts to economics.<ref name="LOC" />

Finland is highly productive in scientific research. In 2005, Finland had the fourth most scientific publications per capita of the OECD countries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.research.fi/en/performance/scientific_publication.html |title=Scientific publication—Finnish science and technology Information Service |language=fi |publisher=Research.fi |date=15 November 2007 |access-date=3 August 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113085004/http://www.research.fi/en/performance/scientific_publication.html |archive-date=13 November 2013 }}</ref> In 2007, 1,801 patents were filed in Finland.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.research.fi/en/performance/patents/patents_with%20numbers |title=Patents with numbers—Finnish science and technology Information Service |language=fi |publisher=Research.fi |date=8 December 2009 |access-date=4 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091011194752/http://www.research.fi/en/performance/patents/patents_with%20numbers |archive-date=11 October 2009 }}</ref>

In addition, 38 percent of Finland's population has a university or college degree, which is among the highest percentages in the world.<ref>Sauter, Michael B. (24 September 2012) The Most Educated Countries in the World {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820025707/http://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-most-educated-countries-in-the-world.html;_ylt=AlaWy8IcyeBaviKi7_.WJyhE6odG;_ylu=X3oDMTJrY2d2NGZyBG1pdANDeFMgRmluYW5jaWFsbHkgRml0IEFydGljbGUgQXJ0aWNsZSBCb2R5IFByb2QEcG9zAzMEc2VjA01lZGlhQXJ0aWNsZUJvZHlBc3NlbWJseQ--;_ylg=X3oDMTNjdGVoaXJqBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDY2IyOTRhMGEtYmY2OS0zYTdlLThlYTUtZWFlNTU3YWI1ZTc3BHBzdGNhdANleGNsdXNpdmVzfGZpbmFuY2lhbGx5Zml0BHB0A3N0b3J5cGFnZQ--;_ylv=3?page=1 |date=20 August 2016 }}. Finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref><ref>And the World's Most Educated Country Is.... Newsfeed.time.com (27 September 2012). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

In 2010 a new law was enacted considering the universities, which defined that there are 16 of them as they were excluded from the public sector to be autonomous legal and financial entities, however enjoying special status in the legislation.<ref>. finlex.fi; Yliopistolaki 558/2009 – Säädökset alkuperäisinä – FINLEX. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref> As result many former state institutions were driven to collect funding from private sector contributions and partnerships. The change caused deep rooted discussions among the academic circles.<ref>Educational Schizophrenia in Finland |Teivo Teivainen. Teivo.net (8 August 2013). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

English language is important in Finnish education. There are a number of degree programs that are taught in English, which attracts thousands of degree and exchange students every year.

In December 2017 the OECD reported that Finnish fathers spend an average of eight minutes a day more with their school-aged children than mothers do.<ref>{{cite news |first=Charles |last=Bremner |title=Finland is the first country where fathers do most of the childcare |work=The Times |date=9 December 2017 |page=51}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/dec/04/finland-only-country-world-dad-more-time-kids-moms |title=Finland: the only country where fathers spend more time with kids than mothers |access-date=23 December 2017 |date=4 October 2017 |newspaper= The Guardian}}</ref>

Culture

{{Main|Culture of Finland}}

Sauna

{{Main|Finnish sauna}}

A smoke sauna in Ruka, Kuusamo

The Finns' love for saunas is generally associated with Finnish cultural tradition in the world. Sauna is a type of dry steam bath practiced widely in Finland, which is especially evident in the strong tradition around Midsummer and Christmas. In Finland, the sauna has been a traditional cure or part of the treatment for many different diseases, thanks to the heat, which why the sauna has been a very hygienic place. There is an old Finnish saying: "Jos sauna, terva ja viina ei auta, on tauti kuolemaksi." ("If sauna, tar and booze doesn't help you, then a disease is deadly").<ref>Sauna, viina ja terva – Potilaan Lääkärilehti (in Finnish)</ref> The word is of Proto-Finnish origin (found in Finnic and Sámi languages) dating back 7,000 years.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sauna – A Finnish national institution |last1=Helamaa |first1=Erkki |last2=Pentikäinen |first2=Juha |work=Virtual Finland |date=November 2001 |url= http://virtual.finland.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=26074 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080209130410/http://virtual.finland.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=26074 |archive-date=2008-02-09 |language=en }}</ref> Steam baths have been part of European tradition elsewhere as well, but the sauna has survived best in Finland, in addition to Sweden, the Baltic States, Russia, Norway, and parts of the United States and Canada. Moreover, nearly all Finnish houses have either their own sauna or in multistory apartment houses, a timeshare sauna. Public saunas were previously common, but the tradition has declined when saunas have been built nearly everywhere (private homes, municipal swimming halls, hotels, corporate headquarters, gyms, etc.). At one time, the World Sauna Championships were held in Heinola, Finland, but the death of a Russian competitor in 2010 finally stopped organizing the competitions as too dangerous.<ref>Sauna contest leaves Russian dead and champion Finn in hospital - The Guardian</ref>

The Finnish sauna culture was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists at the 17 December 2020 meeting of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. As authorized by the state, the Finnish Heritage Agency commits, together with Finnish sauna communities and promoters of the sauna culture, to safeguard the vitality of the sauna tradition and to highlight its importance as part of customs and wellbeing.<ref>{{cite web| title= Sauna culture in Finland |url= https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/sauna-culture-in-finland-01596 |publisher=UNESCO |access-date=18 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title= Finnish sauna culture steams up UNESCO Heritage List |url= https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finnish_sauna_culture_steams_up_unesco_heritage_list/11703917 |publisher=YLE |date=17 December 2020|access-date=18 December 2020}}</ref>

Literature

{{Main|Finnish literature}}

Mikael Agricola (1510–1557), Bishop of Turku, a prominent Lutheran Protestant reformer and the father of the Finnish written language

Written Finnish could be said to have existed since Mikael Agricola translated the New Testament into Finnish during the Protestant Reformation, but few notable works of literature were written until the 19th century and the beginning of a Finnish national Romantic Movement. This prompted Elias Lönnrot to collect Finnish and Karelian folk poetry and arrange and publish them as the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic. The era saw a rise of poets and novelists who wrote in Finnish, notably Aleksis Kivi (The Seven Brothers), Minna Canth (Anna Liisa), Eino Leino ({{ill|Helkavirsiä|fi}}), Johannes Linnankoski (The Song of the Blood-Red Flower) and Juhani Aho (The Railroad and Juha). Many writers of the national awakening wrote in Swedish, such as the national poet J. L. Runeberg (The Tales of Ensign Stål) and Zachris Topelius (The Tomten in Åbo Castle).

After Finland became independent, there was a rise of modernist writers, most famously the Finnish-speaking Mika Waltari and Swedish-speaking Edith Södergran. Frans Eemil Sillanpää was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1939. World War II prompted a return to more national interests in comparison to a more international line of thought, characterized by Väinö Linna with his The Unknown Soldier and Under the North Star trilogy. Besides Lönnrot's Kalevala and Waltari, the Swedish-speaking Tove Jansson, best known as the creator of The Moomins, is the most translated Finnish writer;<ref>Finnish post honours Moomin creator Jansson - YLE News</ref> her books have been translated into more than 40 languages.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://finland.fi/arts-culture/tove-jansson-and-the-moomin-story/%7Ctitle=Finland's Tove Jansson and the Moomin story|date=11 March 2014|website=thisisFINLAND}}</ref> Popular modern writers include Arto Paasilinna, Veikko Huovinen, Antti Tuuri, Ilkka Remes, Kari Hotakainen, Sofi Oksanen, Tuomas Kyrö, and Jari Tervo, while the best novel is annually awarded the prestigious Finlandia Prize.

Visual arts, design, and architecture

{{See also|Architecture of Finland|Finnish art}}

Akseli Gallen-Kallela, The Defense of the Sampo, 1896, Turku Art Museum

The visual arts in Finland started to form their individual characteristics in the 19th century, when Romantic nationalism was rising in autonomic Finland. The best known of Finnish painters, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, started painting in a naturalist style, but moved to national romanticism. Other notable world-famous Finnish painters include Magnus Enckell, Pekka Halonen, Eero Järnefelt, Helene Schjerfbeck and Hugo Simberg. Finland's best-known sculptor of the 20th century was Wäinö Aaltonen, remembered for his monumental busts and sculptures. Finns have made major contributions to handicrafts and industrial design: among the internationally renowned figures are Timo Sarpaneva, Tapio Wirkkala and Ilmari Tapiovaara. Finnish architecture is famous around the world, and has contributed significantly to several styles internationally, such as Jugendstil (or Art Nouveau), Nordic Classicism and Functionalism. Among the top 20th-century Finnish architects to gain international recognition are Eliel Saarinen and his son Eero Saarinen. Architect Alvar Aalto is regarded as among the most important 20th-century designers in the world;<ref>James Stevens Curl, Dictionary of Architecture, Grange Books, Rochester, 2005, p. 1.</ref> he helped bring functionalist architecture to Finland, but soon was a pioneer in its development towards an organic style.<ref>Sigfried Giedion, Space, Time and Architecture: The Growth of a New Tradition, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2nd edition, 1949.</ref> Aalto is also famous for his work in furniture, lamps, textiles and glassware, which were usually incorporated into his buildings.

Music

{{Main|Music of Finland|Rock music in Finland|Sami music}}

The Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865–1957) was a significant figure in the history of classical music.
Classical

Much of Finland's classical music is influenced by traditional Karelian melodies and lyrics, as comprised in the Kalevala. Karelian culture is perceived as the purest expression of the Finnic myths and beliefs, less influenced by Germanic influence than the Nordic folk dance music that largely replaced the kalevaic tradition. Finnish folk music has undergone a roots revival in recent decades, and has become a part of popular music.

The people of northern Finland, Sweden, and Norway, the Sami, are known primarily for highly spiritual songs called joik. The same word sometimes refers to lavlu or vuelie songs, though this is technically incorrect.

The first Finnish opera was written by the German-born composer Fredrik Pacius in 1852. Pacius also wrote the music to the poem Maamme/Vårt land (Our Country), Finland's national anthem. In the 1890s Finnish nationalism based on the Kalevala spread, and Jean Sibelius became famous for his vocal symphony Kullervo. He soon received a grant to study runo singers in Karelia and continued his rise as the first prominent Finnish musician. In 1899 he composed Finlandia, which played its important role in Finland gaining independence. He remains one of Finland's most popular national figures and is a symbol of the nation. Another one of the most significant and internationally best-known Finnish-born classical composers long before Sibelius was Bernhard Crusell.<ref>See {{cite web|url=http://www.mozartforum.com/Contemporary%20Pages/Crusell_Contemp.htm%7Ctitle=Bernhard Henrik Crusell (1775-1838)|last=Asiado|first=Tel|work=Mozart Forum|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090708192751/http://www.mozartforum.com/Contemporary%20Pages/Crusell_Contemp.htm |archive-date=8 July 2009|access-date=31 January 2010}}</ref>

Modern
Perttu Kivilaakso of Apocalyptica

Iskelmä (coined directly from the German word Schlager, meaning "hit") is a traditional Finnish word for a light popular song.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Suomalainen iskelmä |last=Kaivanto |first=Petri |work=Pomus.net |access-date=18 July 2020 |url= http://pomus.net/kehityslinjat/suomalaineniskelma |language=fi }}</ref> Finnish popular music also includes various kinds of dance music; tango, a style of Argentine music, is also popular.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explaining the Finnish love of tango |author=C.G. |work=The Economist |date=11 October 2017 |access-date=18 July 2020 |url= https://www.economist.com/prospero/2017/10/11/explaining-the-finnish-love-of-tango }}</ref> The light music in Swedish-speaking areas has more influences from Sweden. Modern Finnish popular music includes a number of prominent rock bands, jazz musicians, hip hop performers, dance music acts, etc.<ref>{{Cite web|date=9 September 2014|title=Don't mess with Finnish jazz|url=https://finland.fi/arts-culture/dont-mess-with-finnish-jazz/%7Caccess-date=1 September 2020|website=thisisFINLAND|language=en-US}}</ref>{{Additional citation needed|date=September 2020}} Also, at least a couple of Finnish polkas are known worldwide, such as Säkkijärven polkka<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/how-the-finns-stopped-the-soviets-with-this-polka-song/%7Ctitle=How the Finns stopped the Soviets with this polka song|date=6 August 2020}}</ref> and Ievan polkka.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://musicfinland.com/en/news/finnish-jenkka-song-took-over-japans-department-stores%7Ctitle=Finnish jenkka song took over Japan's department stores|website=Music Finland}}</ref>

During the early 1960s, the first significant wave of Finnish rock groups emerged, playing instrumental rock inspired by groups such as The Shadows. Around 1964, Beatlemania arrived in Finland, resulting in further development of the local rock scene. During the late 1960s and '70s, Finnish rock musicians increasingly wrote their own music instead of translating international hits into Finnish. During the decade, some progressive rock groups such as Tasavallan Presidentti and Wigwam gained respect abroad but failed to make a commercial breakthrough outside Finland. This was also the fate of the rock and roll group Hurriganes. The Finnish punk scene produced some internationally acknowledged names including Terveet Kädet in the 1980s. Hanoi Rocks was a pioneering 1980s glam rock act that inspired the American hard rock group Guns N' Roses, among others.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304587704577333813382925678%7Ctitle=Guns N' Roses Can Agree on at Least One Thing: This Finnish Saxophonist Rocks |last=Shah|first=Neil|date=15 April 2012|work=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=19 November 2012}}</ref>

Many Finnish metal bands have gained international recognition; Finland has been often called the "Promised Land of Heavy Metal", because there are more than 50 metal Bands for every 100,000 inhabitants – more than any other nation in the world.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://finland.fi/arts-culture/finnish-metropolises-vie-to-win-capital-of-metal/%7Ctitle=Finnish metropolises vie to win Capital of Metal|date=8 May 2018|website=thisisFINLAND}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.famouscampaigns.com/2019/07/finlands-stage-worlds-first-heavy-metal-knitting-championship/%7Ctitle=Finland stage world's first heavy metal knitting championship|first=Famous|last=Campaigns}}</ref>

Cinema and television

{{Main|Cinema of Finland|Television in Finland}} {{See also|Lists of Finnish films}}

The Finnish filmmakers Edvin Laine and Matti Kassila in 1955

In the film industry, notable directors include brothers Mika and Aki Kaurismäki, Dome Karukoski, Antti Jokinen, Jalmari Helander, Mauritz Stiller, Edvin Laine, Teuvo Tulio, Spede Pasanen, and Hollywood film director and producer Renny Harlin. Internationally well-known Finnish actors and actresses include Jasper Pääkkönen, Peter Franzén, Laura Birn, Irina Björklund, Samuli Edelmann, Krista Kosonen, Ville Virtanen and Joonas Suotamo. Around twelve feature films are made each year.<ref name="Media moves">{{cite web |url=http://finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=162833&contentlan=2&culture=en-US |title=Media moves |work=ThisisFINLAND (Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501141049/http://finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=162833&contentlan=2&culture=en-US |archive-date=1 May 2011 }}</ref>

One of the most internationally successful Finnish films are The White Reindeer, directed by Erik Blomberg in 1952, which won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film in 1956, five years after its limited release in the United States;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.awardsandshows.com/features/best-foreign-film-506.html |title=List of Winners – Golden Globes Best Foreign Film |access-date=12 December 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Sundholm|first1=John|last2=Thorsen|first2=Isak|last3=Andersson|first3=Lars Gustaf|last4=Hedling|first4=Olof|last5=Iversen|first5=Gunnar|last6=Møller|first6=Birgir Thor|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QktG6a4YnQYC&q=1957+golden+globe+best+foreign+film+white+reindeer&pg=PA390 |title= Historical Dictionary of Scandinavian Cinema (Google eBook) |access-date=12 December 2013|date = 20 September 2012| page=389 et seq|isbn = 978-0-8108-7899-0}}</ref> The Man Without a Past, directed by Aki Kaurismäki in 2002, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2002 and won the Grand Prix at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival;<ref>{{cite web|last=Fauth|first=Jurgen|url=http://worldfilm.about.com/od/scandinavianfilm/fr/manwithoutpast.htm%7Ctitle=The Man Without a Past|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906125603/http://worldfilm.about.com/od/scandinavianfilm/fr/manwithoutpast.htm |archive-date=6 September 2015|work=About.com|access-date=5 February 2008}}</ref> and The Fencer, directed by Klaus Härö in 2015, which was nominated for the 73rd Golden Globe Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category as a Finnish/German/Estonian co-production.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/fencer%7Ctitle=The Fencer|website=www.goldenglobes.com}}</ref>

In Finland, the most significant films include The Unknown Soldier, directed by Edvin Laine in 1955, which is shown on television every Independence Day.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finnish_independence_day_galas_protests_and_war_memories/7671639%7Ctitle=Finnish Independence Day: Galas, protests and war memories|website=Yle Uutiset}}</ref> Here, Beneath the North Star from 1968, also directed by Laine, which includes the Finnish Civil War from the perspective of the Red Guards, is also one of the most significant works in Finnish history.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lfq.salisbury.edu/_issues/48_1/agreeing_on_history_adaptation_as_restorative_truth_in_finnish_reconciliation.html%7Ctitle=Agreeing on History Adaptation as Restorative Truth in Finnish Reconciliation, Mads Larsen, Literature Film Quarterly|website=lfq.salisbury.edu}}</ref> A 1960 crime comedy film Inspector Palmu's Mistake, directed by Matti Kassila, was voted in 2012 the best Finnish film of all time by Finnish film critics and journalists in a poll organized by Yle Uutiset,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://yle.fi/uutiset/kriitikot_valitsivat_kaikkien_aikojen_parhaan_kotimaisen_elokuvan/6372726 | title=Kriitikot valitsivat kaikkien aikojen parhaan kotimaisen elokuvan | publisher=Yle Uutiset | date=12 November 2012 | access-date=9 May 2014 | author=Sundqvist, Janne | language=fi}}</ref> but the 1984 comedy film Uuno Turhapuro in the Army, the ninth film in the Uuno Turhapuro film series, remains Finland's most seen domestic film made since 1968 by Finnish audience.<ref>Uuno armeijan leivissä ja muut Turhapuro elokuvat (in Finnish)</ref>

Although Finland's television offerings are largely known for their domestic dramas, such as the long-running soap opera series Salatut elämät,<ref>Juha Suoranta & Hanna Lehtimäki: Children in the Information Society: The Case of Finland (New Literacies and Digital Epistemologies). Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers, 2004. {{ISBN|978-0-8204-6829-7}}.</ref><ref>Elisabeth Eide & Kaarina Nikunen: Media in Motion: Cultural Complexity and Migration in the Nordic Region (Research in Migration and Ethnic Relations). Routledge, 2010. {{ISBN|978-1-4094-0446-0}}.</ref> there are also internationally known drama series, such as {{ill|Syke (TV series)|fi|Syke (televisiosarja)|lt=Syke}} and Bordertown.<ref>YLE: Syke, Sorjonen ja Suomi Love myyvät maailmalla, mutta Presidentti ei maistunut kriitikoille (in Finnish)</ref> One of Finland's most internationally successful TV shows are the backpacking travel documentary series Madventures and the reality TV show The Dudesons.

Media and communications

{{See also|Telecommunications in Finland|List of newspapers in Finland}}

Linus Torvalds, the Finnish software engineer best known for creating the popular open-source kernel Linux

Thanks to its emphasis on transparency and equal rights, Finland's press has been rated the freest in the world.<ref>2010 Freedom of the Press Survey {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111105114819/http://newseum.org/news/2011/05/world-press-freedom.html |date=5 November 2011}} (retrieved 4 May 2011).</ref>

Today, there are around 200 newspapers, 320 popular magazines, 2,100 professional magazines, 67 commercial radio stations, three digital radio channels and one nationwide and five national public service radio channels.

Each year, around 12,000 book titles are published and 12 million records are sold.<ref name="Media moves" />

Sanoma publishes the newspapers Helsingin Sanomat (its circulation of 412,000<ref>{{cite web |title=Circulation Statistics |url=http://www.levikintarkastus.fi/english/statistics.php |publisher=The Finnish Audit Bureau of Circulations (Levikintarkastus Oy) |access-date=25 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090601160935/http://www.levikintarkastus.fi/english/statistics.php |archive-date=1 June 2009 }}</ref> making it the largest) and Aamulehti, the tabloid Ilta-Sanomat, the commerce-oriented Taloussanomat and the television channel Nelonen. The other major publisher Alma Media publishes over thirty magazines, including the tabloid Iltalehti and commerce-oriented Kauppalehti. Worldwide, Finns, along with other Nordic peoples and the Japanese, spend the most time reading newspapers.<ref>{{cite web |title=World Press Trends: Newspapers Still Reach More Than Internet |url=http://www.wan-ifra.org/press-releases/2011/10/12/world-press-trends-newspapers-still-reach-more-than-internet |publisher=World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers |access-date=19 November 2012 |archive-date=23 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121123093454/http://www.wan-ifra.org/press-releases/2011/10/12/world-press-trends-newspapers-still-reach-more-than-internet |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Yle, the Finnish Broadcasting Company, operates five television channels and thirteen radio channels in both national languages. Yle is funded through a mandatory television license and fees for private broadcasters. All TV channels are broadcast digitally, both terrestrially and on cable. The commercial television channel MTV3 and commercial radio channel Radio Nova are owned by Nordic Broadcasting (Bonnier and Proventus).

In regards to telecommunication infrastructure, Finland is the highest ranked country in the World Economic Forum's Network Readiness Index (NRI) – an indicator for determining the development level of a country's information and communication technologies. Finland ranked 1st overall in the 2014 NRI ranking, unchanged from the year before.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GITR/2014/GITR_OverallRanking_2014.pdf |title=NRI Overall Ranking 2014 |publisher=World Economic Forum |access-date=28 June 2014}}</ref> This is shown in its penetration throughout the country's population. Around 79% of the population use the Internet (2007).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stat.fi/til/sutivi/2007/sutivi_2007_2007-09-28_tie_001_en.html |title=Internet used by 79 per cent of the population at the beginning of 2007|work=Statistics Finland |access-date=22 December 2007}}</ref> Finland had around 1.52 million broadband Internet connections by the end of June 2007 or around 287 per 1,000 inhabitants.<ref name="FICORA">{{cite web |url=http://www.ficora.fi/attachments/englanti/5ruZDB5VP/Files/CurrentFile/Market_review_2_2007.pdf |title=Market Review 2/2007 |work=Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority (FICORA) |date=31 August 2007 |access-date=4 September 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070925220234/http://www.ficora.fi/attachments/englanti/5ruZDB5VP/Files/CurrentFile/Market_review_2_2007.pdf |archive-date=25 September 2007 }}</ref> All Finnish schools and public libraries have Internet connections and computers and most residents have a mobile phone.<ref>Information technology has become part of Finns' everyday life (Statistics Finland).</ref>

Cuisine

{{Main|Finnish cuisine}}

Karelian pasty (karjalanpiirakka) is a traditional Finnish dish made from a thin rye crust with a filling of rice. Butter, often mixed with boiled egg (eggbutter or munavoi), is spread over the hot pastries before eating.

Finnish cuisine is notable for generally combining traditional country fare and haute cuisine with contemporary style cooking. Fish and meat play a prominent role in traditional Finnish dishes from the western part of the country, while the dishes from the eastern part have traditionally included various vegetables and mushrooms. Refugees from Karelia contributed to foods in eastern Finland. Many regions have strongly branded traditional delicacies, such as Tampere has mustamakkara<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/eat-and-drink/4311-the-black-sausage-is-the-pride-of-tampere%7Ctitle=The black sausage is the pride of Tampere|website=www.helsinkitimes.fi}}</ref> and Kuopio has kalakukko.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theculturetrip.com/europe/finland/articles/top-10-finnish-pastries-try/%7Ctitle=Top 10 Finnish Pastries You Have to Try|first=Jessica|last=Wood|website=Culture Trip}}</ref>

Finnish foods often use wholemeal products (rye, barley, oats) and berries (such as bilberries, lingonberries, cloudberries, and sea buckthorn). Milk and its derivatives like buttermilk are commonly used as food, drink, or in various recipes. Various turnips were common in traditional cooking, but were replaced with the potato after its introduction in the 18th century.

According to the statistics, red meat consumption has risen, but still Finns eat less beef than many other nations, and more fish and poultry. This is mainly because of the high cost of meat in Finland.

Finland has the world's highest per capita consumption of coffee.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fusiontables.google.com/DataSource?docid=1C-fn6nSe21acP0xJIO1T1x0wohqfMYCQyJjbqdk#rows:id=1%7Ctitle=Google Fusion Tables|website=fusiontables.google.com}}</ref> Milk consumption is also high, at an average of about {{convert|112|litre}}, per person, per year,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.luke.fi/en/news/what-was-eaten-in-finland-in-2017%7Ctitle=What was eaten in Finland in 2017|website=Luonnonvarakeskus}}</ref> even though 17% of the Finns are lactose intolerant.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.edunation.co/studyinfinland/blog/5-odd-facts-finland/%7Ctitle=Odd Facts about Finland|website=edunation.co|date=19 September 2017|access-date=17 November 2018|archive-date=17 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181117153004/https://www.edunation.co/studyinfinland/blog/5-odd-facts-finland/%7Curl-status=dead}}</ref>

Public holidays

{{Main|Public holidays in Finland|Flag flying days in Finland}} There are several holidays in Finland, of which perhaps the most characteristic of Finnish culture include Christmas (joulu), Midsummer (juhannus), May Day (vappu) and Independence Day (itsenäisyyspäivä). Of these, Christmas and Midsummer are special in Finland because the actual festivities take place on eves, such as Christmas Eve (jouluaatto)<ref>Llewellyn's Sabbats Almanac: Samhain 2010 to Mabon 2011 p.64. Llewellyn Worldwide, 2010</ref><ref>Festivals of Western Europe p.202. Forgotten Books, 1973</ref> and Midsummer's Eve (juhannusaatto),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.finlit.fi/tietopalvelu/juhlat/juhannus/kokko.htm |title=Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura: Juhannuskokko |publisher=Finlit.fi |access-date=25 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121212031052/http://www.finlit.fi/tietopalvelu/juhlat/juhannus/kokko.htm |archive-date=12 December 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.finlit.fi/tietopalvelu/juhlat/juhannus/koriste.htm |title=Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura: Koivunoksia ja maitoruokia |publisher=Finlit.fi |access-date=25 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121212031056/http://www.finlit.fi/tietopalvelu/juhlat/juhannus/koriste.htm |archive-date=12 December 2012 }}</ref> while Christmas Day (joulupäivä) and Midsummer's Day (juhannuspäivä) are more consecrated to rest. Other public holidays in Finland are New Year's Day (uudenvuodenpäivä), Epiphany (loppiainen), Good Friday (pitkäperjantai), Easter Sunday (pääsiäissunnuntai) and Easter Monday (pääsiäismaanantai), Ascension Day (helatorstai), All Saints' Day (pyhäinpäivä) and Saint Stephen's Day (tapaninpäivä). All official holidays in Finland are established by Acts of Parliament. On the other hand, laskiainen that is strongly part of the Finnish tradition is not defined as a public holiday in relation to the above-mentioned holidays.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iltalehti.fi/kotimaa/a/a5ada22b-379b-4b8b-83ca-51bf6f97213c%7Ctitle=Tänään on vietetty laskiaista – mutta tiedätkö, mistä päivässä on oikein kyse?|first=Samppa|last=Rautio|work=Iltalehti|date=5 March 2019|access-date=26 November 2020|language=fi}}</ref>

Sports

{{Main|Sport in Finland}}

Finland's men's national ice hockey team is ranked as one of the best in the world. The team has won three world championship titles (in 1995, 2011 and 2019) and six Olympic medals.
Kankkunen on the Laajavuori stage of the 2010 Rally Finland

Various sporting events are popular in Finland. Pesäpallo, resembling baseball, is the national sport of Finland, although the most popular sport in terms of spectators is ice hockey. The Ice Hockey World Championships 2016 final, Finland-Canada, was watched by 69% of Finnish people on TV.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://mtv.fi/sport/mm2016/uutiset/artikkeli/leijonien-mm-finaalista-kaikkien-aikojen-katsotuin-jaakiekko-ottelu-suomessa/5908282 |title = Leijonien MM-finaalista historian katsotuin jääkiekko-ottelu Suomessa!| work = mtv.fi| date = 23 May 2016| access-date = 23 May 2016}}</ref> Other popular sports include athletics, cross-country skiing, ski jumping, football, volleyball and basketball.<ref>Valta vaihtui urheilussa: Suomalaiset arvostavat nyt enemmän futista kuin jääkiekkoa |Jalkapallo |HS. Hs.fi (27 February 2014). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref> While ice hockey is the most popular sport when it comes to attendance at games, association football is the most played team sport in terms of the number of players in the country and is also the most appreciated sport in Finland.<ref>Jalkapallo nousi arvostetuimmaksi urheilulajiksi |Yle Urheilu. yle.fi. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref><ref>{{in lang|fi}} Jalkapallolla eniten harrastajia – se lyö lätkän, hiihto on alamäessä |Länsiväylä {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826183108/https://www.lansivayla.fi/artikkeli/369185-jalkapallolla-eniten-harrastajia-se-lyo-latkan-hiihto-on-alamaessa |date=26 August 2018 }}. Lansivayla.fi (28 February 2016). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

In terms of medals and gold medals won per capita, Finland is the best performing country in Olympic history.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.medalspercapita.com/#medals-per-capita:all-time%7Ctitle=Olympic Medals per Capita|website=medalspercapita.com}}</ref> Finland first participated as a nation in its own right at the Olympic Games in 1908, while still an autonomous Grand Duchy within the Russian Empire. At the 1912 Summer Olympics, great pride was taken in the three gold medals won by the original "Flying Finn" Hannes Kolehmainen.

Finland was one of the most successful countries at the Olympic Games before World War II. At the 1924 Summer Olympics, Finland, a nation then of only 3.2 million people, came second in the medal count. In the 1920s and '30s, Finnish long-distance runners dominated the Olympics, with Paavo Nurmi winning a total of nine Olympic gold medals between 1920 and 1928 and setting 22 official world records between 1921 and 1931. Nurmi is often considered the greatest Finnish sportsman and one of the greatest athletes of all time.

For over 100 years, Finnish male and female athletes have consistently excelled at the javelin throw. The event has brought Finland nine Olympic gold medals, five world championships, five European championships, and 24 world records.

The 1952 Summer Olympics were held in Helsinki. Other notable sporting events held in Finland include the 1983 and 2005 World Championships in Athletics.

Finland also has a notable history in figure skating. Finnish skaters have won 8 world championships and 13 junior world cups in synchronized skating, and Finland is considered one of the best countries at the sport.

Some of the most popular recreational sports and activities include floorball, Nordic walking, running, cycling, and skiing (alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and ski jumping). Floorball, in terms of registered players, occupies third place after football and ice hockey. According to the Finnish Floorball Federation, floorball is the most popular school, youth, club and workplace sport.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.expat-finland.com/events/finnish_sports.html%7Ctitle=Finnish Sports: Try the sports Finns love!|first=Stuart Allt Web Design, Turku|last=Finland|website=expat-finland.com}}</ref> {{as of|2016}}, the total number of licensed players reaches 57,400.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.floorball.org/pages/EN/Finland%7Ctitle=IFF%7Clast=IFF%7Cwebsite=floorball.org}}</ref>

Especially since the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Finland's national basketball team has received widespread public attention. More than 8,000 Finns travelled to Spain to support their team. Overall, they chartered more than 40 airplanes.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.fiba.com/basketballworldcup/2014/news/Fan-power-Finn-power-The-tournament--begins--on-win |title= Fan power! Finn power! The tournament "begins" on a winning note for Dettman's team |author=FIBA |date=31 August 2014 |publisher=FIBA.com |access-date=2 November 2014}}</ref>

See also

{{Portal |Finland|Arctic}}

{{Clear}}

Notes

{{reflist|group=note}}

References

{{Reflist|30em}}

Further reading

{{refbegin|30em}}

  • Chew, Allen F. The White Death: The Epic of the Soviet-Finnish Winter War ({{ISBN|0-87013-167-2}}).
  • Engle, Eloise and Paananen, Pauri. The Winter War: The Soviet Attack on Finland 1939–1940 ({{ISBN|0-8117-2433-6}}).
  • Insight Guide: Finland ({{ISBN|981-4120-39-1}}).
  • Jakobson, Max. Finland in the New Europe ({{ISBN|0-275-96372-1}}).
  • Jutikkala, Eino; Pirinen, Kauko. A History of Finland ({{ISBN|0-88029-260-1}}).
  • Klinge, Matti. Let Us Be Finns: Essays on History ({{ISBN|951-1-11180-9}}).
  • Lavery, Jason. The History of Finland, Greenwood Histories of the Modern Nations, Greenwood Press, 2006 ({{ISBN|0-313-32837-4}}, {{ISSN|1096-2905}}).
  • Lewis, Richard D. Finland: Cultural Lone Wolf ({{ISBN|1-931930-18-X}}).
  • Lonely Planet: Finland ({{ISBN|1-74059-791-5}})
  • Mann, Chris. Hitler's Arctic War: The German Campaigns in Norway, Finland, and the USSR 1940–1945 ({{ISBN|0-312-31100-1}}).
  • Rusama, Jaakko. Ecumenical Growth in Finland ({{ISBN|951-693-239-8}}).
  • Singleton, Fred. A Short History of Finland ({{ISBN|0-521-64701-0}}).
  • Subrenat, Jean-Jacques. Listen, there's music from the forest; a brief presentation of the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival ({{ISBN|952-92-0564-3}}).
  • Swallow, Deborah. Culture Shock! Finland: A Guide to Customs and Etiquette ({{ISBN|1-55868-592-8}}).
  • Trotter, William R. A Frozen Hell: The Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939–1940 ({{ISBN|1-56512-249-6}}).

{{refend}}

External links

{{Sister project links|Finland|voy=Finland}}

Government

Maps

  • {{osmrelation-inline|54224}}
  • {{wikiatlas|Finland}}

Travel

{{Finland topics}} {{Navboxes |list= {{Sovereign states of Europe}} {{Nordic countries}} {{Nordic Council}} {{Member states of the European Union}} {{European Economic Area (EEA)}} {{Countries bordering the Baltic Sea}} }} {{Authority control}} {{coord|64|N|26|E|region:FI_type:country|display=title}} {{about|the Republic of Finland}} {{pp-vandalism|small=yes}} {{pp-pc1|small=yes}} {{pp-move-indef}} {{short description|Country in Northern Europe}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}} {{Infobox country | conventional_long_name = Republic of Finland | common_name = Finland | native_name = {{ubl|{{native name|fi|Suomen tasavalta}}|{{native name|sv|Republiken Finland}}}} | image_flag = Flag of Finland.svg | image_coat = Coat of arms of Finland.svg

| national_anthem =
{{native name|fi|Maamme|nolink=yes}}
{{native name|sv|Vårt land|nolink=yes}}
({{Lang-en|"Our Land"}})

| image_map = {{Switcher||Show globe||Show map of Europe|default=2}} | map_caption = {{map caption|location_color=dark green |region=Europe |region_color=dark grey |subregion=the European Union |subregion_color=green |legend=EU-Finland.svg}} | capital = Helsinki | coordinates = {{Coord|60|10|N|24|56|E|type:city}} | largest_city = capital | official_languages = Finnish • Swedish | national_languages = Viittomakieli • Sámi • Teckenspråk • Karelian • Finnish Kalo language | ethnic_groups = {{unbulleted list |91.33% Finnish |4.90% Other European |2.50% Asian |0.90% African |0.37% Other }} | ethnic_groups_year = 2017 | ethnic_groups_ref = <ref name="auto">{{cite web |url=http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/fi/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__vaerak/statfin_vaerak_pxt_032.px/?rxid=726cd24d-d0f1-416a-8eec-7ce9b82fd5a4 |title=032 -- Syntyperä ja taustamaa sukupuolen mukaan maakunnittain ja kunnittain 1990 - 2017| work = Tilastokeskuksen PX-Web-tietokannat | publisher = Statistics Finland|language=fi |access-date=28 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212214837/http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/fi/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__vaerak/statfin_vaerak_pxt_032.px/?rxid=726cd24d-d0f1-416a-8eec-7ce9b82fd5a4 |archive-date=12 February 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="un">{{cite web|url=http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/data/estimates2/estimates17.shtml%7Ctitle=United Nations Population Division | Department of Economic and Social Affairs|website=un.org|access-date=29 June 2018}}</ref> | religion = {{ublist |item_style=white-space:nowrap; 

 |70.7% Christianity
 |—68.7% Lutheranism
 |—1.1% Orthodoxy
 |—0.9% Other Christian
 |28.5% No religion 
 | 0.8% Other}}

| religion_year = 2019 | religion_ref = <ref name="stnin">{{cite web |title=Belonging to a religious community by age and sex, 2000-2019 |url=http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/en/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__vaerak/statfin_vaerak_pxt_11rx.px/ |website=Tilastokeskuksen PX-Web tietokannat |publisher=Government |access-date=28 March 2020}} Note these are state religious registration numbers, people may be registered yet not practicing/believing and they may be believing/practicing but not registered.</ref> | demonym = {{hlist|Finnish|Finn}} | government_type = Unitary parliamentary republic<ref name="Parliamentary"/> | leader_title1 = President | leader_name1 = Sauli Niinistö | leader_title2 = Prime Minister | leader_name2 = Sanna Marin | legislature = Eduskunta/Riksdagen | sovereignty_type = Independence | sovereignty_note = from Russia | established_event1 = Autonomy | established_date1 = 29 March 1809 | established_event2 = Declared | established_date2 = 6 December 1917 | established_event3 = Civil War | established_date3 = January – May 1918 | established_event4 = Constitution | established_date4 = 17 July 1919 | established_event5 = Winter War | established_date5 = 30 November 1939 – 13 March 1940 | established_event6 = Continuation War | established_date6 = 25 June 1941 – 19 September 1944 | established_event7 = Joined the EU | established_date7 = 1 January 1995 | area_km2 = 338,455 | area_rank = 65th | area_sq_mi = 130,596 | percent_water = 9.71 (as of 2015)<ref>{{cite web|title=Surface water and surface water change|access-date=11 October 2020|publisher=Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)|url=https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=SURFACE_WATER#}}</ref> | population_estimate = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 5,536,146<ref>{{cite web|title=Birth rate showed a slight growth in 2020|url=https://www.stat.fi/til/vamuu/2020/12/vamuu_2020_12_2021-01-21_tie_001_en.html%7Cpublisher=Statistics Finland|access-date=21 January 2021}}</ref> | population_estimate_year = December 2020 | population_estimate_rank = 116th | population_label2 = | population_data2 = | population_density_km2 = 16 | population_density_sq_mi = 41 | population_density_rank = 213th | GDP_PPP = $257 billion<ref name=imf3>{{cite web|url=https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2018/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2018&ey=2018&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&pr1.x=59&pr1.y=9&c=172&s=NGDPD%2CPPPGDP%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPPC&grp=0&a= |date=17 October 2018|title=Report for Selected Countries and Subjects|publisher=IMF}}</ref> | GDP_PPP_year = 2020 | GDP_PPP_rank = 60th | GDP_PPP_per_capita = $49,334<ref name=imf3 /> | GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 19th | GDP_nominal = $277 billion<ref name=imf3 /> | GDP_nominal_year = 2020 | GDP_nominal_rank = 43rd | GDP_nominal_per_capita = $48,461<ref name=imf3 /> | GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 14th | Gini = 26.2 | Gini_year = 2019 | Gini_change = increase | Gini_ref = <ref name=eurogini>{{cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/table.do?tab=table&init=1&language=en&pcode=tessi190&plugin=1 |title=Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income - EU-SILC survey |publisher=Eurostat |website=ec.europa.eu |access-date=27 March 2020}}</ref> | Gini_rank = 6th | HDI = 0.938 | HDI_year = 2019 | HDI_change = increase | HDI_ref = <ref name="UNHDR">{{cite web|url=http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/hdr2020.pdf%7Ctitle=Human Development Report 2020|language=en|publisher=United Nations Development Programme|date=15 December 2020|access-date=15 December 2020}}</ref> | HDI_rank = 11th | currency = Euro (€) | currency_code = EUR | time_zone = EET | utc_offset = +2 | utc_offset_DST = +3 | time_zone_DST = EEST | date_format = d.m.yyyy<ref>Ajanilmaukset {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020033758/http://www.kielikello.fi/index.php?mid=2&pid=11&aid=1709 |date=20 October 2017 }} Kielikello 2/2006. Institute for the Languages of Finland. Retrieved 20 October 2017</ref> | drives_on = right | calling_code = +358 | cctld = .fia | footnote_a = The .eu domain is also used, as it is shared with other European Union member states. | today = }}

Finland ({{lang-fi|Suomi}} {{IPA-fi|ˈsuo̯mi||fi-suomi.ogg}}; {{lang-sv|Finland}} {{IPA-sv|ˈfɪ̌nland||sv-Finland.ogg}}, {{IPA-sv|ˈfinlɑnd|langfi}}), officially the Republic of Finland ({{Lang-fi|Suomen tasavalta}}, {{Lang-sv|Republiken Finland}} {{small|({{audio|Suomi Finland.ogg|listen to all|help=no}})}}),{{refn|group=note|"Republic of Finland", or {{lang|fi|Suomen tasavalta}} in Finnish, {{lang|sv|Republiken Finland}} in Swedish, and {{lang|se|Suoma dásseváldi}} in Sami, is the long protocol name, which is however not defined by law. Legislation recognises only the short name.}} is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the west, Russia to the east, Norway to the north, and is defined by the Gulf of Bothnia to the west, and the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea across Estonia to the south. Finland covers an area of {{convert|338455|km2|mi2}}, with a population of 5.5 million. Helsinki is the country's capital and largest city, but together with the neighboring cities of Espoo, Kauniainen and Vantaa, it forms a larger metropolitan area. Finnish, the native language of the Finns, is among the few Finnic languages in the world. The climate varies relative to latitude, from the southern humid continental climate to the northern boreal climate. The land cover is primarily a boreal forest biome, with more than 180,000 recorded lakes.<ref name="thousand">{{cite web|last=Li|first=Leslie|date=16 April 1989|title=A Land of a Thousand Lakes|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/04/16/travel/a-land-of-a-thousand-lakes.html%7Caccess-date=20 September 2020|work=The New York Times}}</ref>

Finland was inhabited around 9000 BC after the Last Glacial Period.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus|year=2015|isbn=978-952-495-363-4|location=Helsinki|page=23}}</ref> The Stone Age introduced several different ceramic styles and cultures. The Bronze Age and Iron Age were characterised by extensive contacts with other cultures in Fennoscandia and the Baltic region.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus|year=2015|isbn=978-952-495-363-4|location=Helsinki|page=339}}</ref> From the late 13th century, Finland gradually became an integral part of Sweden as a consequence of the Northern Crusades. In 1809, as a result of the Finnish War, Finland was annexed by Russia as the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland, during which Finnish art flourished and the idea of independence began to take hold. In 1906, Finland became the first European state to grant universal suffrage, and the first in the world to give all adult citizens the right to run for public office.<ref name="eduskunta">{{cite web |url=http://web.eduskunta.fi/Resource.phx/parliament/aboutparliament/presentation/history.htx |work=eduskunta.fi |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 December 2015 |author=Parliament of Finland |title=History of the Finnish Parliament |archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20151206184816/http://web.eduskunta.fi/Resource.phx/parliament/aboutparliament/presentation/history.htx }}</ref><ref name="full suffrage">Finland was the first nation in the world to give all (adult) citizens full suffrage, in other words the right to vote and to run for office, in 1906. New Zealand was the first country in the world to grant all (adult) citizens the right to vote, in 1893. But women did not get the right to run for the New Zealand legislature, until 1919.</ref> Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia, tried to russify Finland and terminate its political autonomy, but after the 1917 Russian Revolution, Finland declared independence from Russia. In 1918, the fledgling state was divided by the Finnish Civil War. During World War II, Finland fought the Soviet Union in the Winter War and the Continuation War, and Nazi Germany in the Lapland War. After the wars, Finland lost parts of its territory, but maintained its independence.

Finland largely remained an agrarian country until the 1950s. After World War II, the country rapidly industrialised and developed an advanced economy, while building an extensive welfare state based on the Nordic model, resulting in widespread prosperity and a high per capita income.<ref name="imf2">{{cite web |url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2013/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=65&pr.y=7&sy=2009&ey=2012&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=172&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a= |title=Finland |publisher=International Monetary Fund |access-date=17 April 2013}}</ref> Finland joined the United Nations in 1955 and adopted an official policy of neutrality. Finland joined the OECD in 1969, the NATO Partnership for Peace in 1994,<ref name="nato.int">Relations with Finland. NATO (13 January 2016)</ref> the European Union in 1995, the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council in 1997,<ref name="nato.int" /> and the Eurozone at its inception in 1999. Finland is a top performer in numerous metrics of national performance, including education, economic competitiveness, civil liberties, quality of life and human development.<ref name="World Audit">{{cite web |url=http://www.worldaudit.org/countries/finland.htm |title=Finland: World Audit Democracy Profile |work=WorldAudit.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030113921/http://www.worldaudit.org/countries/finland.htm |archive-date=30 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite document|url=http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/tertiary-education-graduation-rates_20755120-table1 |title=Tertiary education graduation rates—Education: Key Tables from OECD |doi=10.1787/20755120-table1 |publisher=OECD iLibrary |date=14 June 2010 |access-date=6 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430055650/http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/tertiary-education-graduation-rates_20755120-table1 |archive-date=30 April 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://e24.no/makro-og-politikk/article3803493.ece |title=Her er verdens mest konkurransedyktige land—Makro og politikk |publisher=E24.no |date=9 September 2010 |access-date=6 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101014010931/http://e24.no/makro-og-politikk/article3803493.ece |archive-date=14 October 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prosperity.com/country.aspx?id=FI |title=The 2009 Legatum Prosperity Index |publisher=Prosperity.com |access-date=4 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091029140547/http://www.prosperity.com/country.aspx?id=FI |archive-date=29 October 2009 }}</ref> In 2015, Finland was ranked first in the World Human Capital<ref>{{cite web |url=http://reports.weforum.org/human-capital-report-2015/rankings/ |title=Human Capital Report 2015 |website=World Economic Forum |access-date=15 May 2015}}</ref> and the Press Freedom Index and as the most stable country in the world during 2011–2016 in the Fragile States Index,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://fsi.fundforpeace.org/rankings-2016 |title=Fragile States Index 2016 |publisher=Fundforpeace.org |access-date=27 November 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204213240/http://fsi.fundforpeace.org/rankings-2016 |archive-date=4 February 2017 }}</ref> and second in the Global Gender Gap Report.<ref>{{cite book |title = Gender Gap Report |url = http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GenderGap_Report_2012.pdf |publisher = WEF }}</ref> It also ranked first on the World Happiness Report report for 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.<ref>{{cite news |last= Hetter|first=Katia|date=26 March 2019|title=This is the world's happiest country in 2019|url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/worlds-happiest-countries-united-nations-2019/index.html%7Cwork=CNN |access-date=31 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://happiness-report.s3.amazonaws.com/2020/WHR20.pdf%7Ctitle=World Happiness Report 2020|editor-last=Helliwell|editor-first=John F.|editor2-last=Sachs|editor2-first=Jeffrey|editor3-last=De Neve|editor3-first=Jan-Emmanuel|date=2020|publisher=Sustainable Development Solutions Network|location=New York|access-date=30 April 2020}}</ref>

Etymology

Finland

Finland on a medieval map, which is part of the Carta marina (1539)

{{See also|Finns#Etymology}}

The earliest written appearance of the name Finland is thought to be on three runestones. Two were found in the Swedish province of Uppland and have the inscription finlonti (U 582). The third was found in Gotland. It has the inscription finlandi (G 319) and dates back to the 13th century.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.arkisto.fi/ |title=National Archives Service, Finland (in English) |access-date=22 January 2007}}</ref> The name can be assumed to be related to the tribe name Finns, which is mentioned at first known time AD 98 (disputed meaning).

Suomi

The name Suomi ({{Langnf|fi|2=Finnish|3=Finland}}) has uncertain origins, but a common etymology with saame (Sami, a Finno-Ugric people in Lapland) and Häme (a province in the inland) has been suggested (Proto-Finnic *hämä from older *šämä, possibly loaned into Proto-Saami as *sāmē), whose source could be the Proto-Baltic word *źemē, meaning '(low) land'.<ref>kotikielenseura.fi, SUOMI (TTAVIA ETYMOLOGIOITA).</ref> According to the hypothesis, *sāmē – or *šämä directly – was loaned back into Baltic as *sāma- (compare Latvian sāms 'Finn, Öselian'), from which Northern Finnic reborrowed it (perhaps via a Germanic intermediate *sōma-) as *sōma- > *sōme- 'Finland'.<ref name=deSmit>{{cite web |last1=de Smit |first1=Merlijn |title=De Vanitate Etymologiae. On the origins of Suomi, Häme, Sápmi. |url=https://www.academia.edu/36858309 |website=Academia.edu |publisher=Academia, Inc. |access-date=6 September 2020 |language=en}}</ref> In addition to the close relatives of Finnish (the Finnic languages), this name is also used in the Baltic languages Latvian (soms, Somija) and Lithuanian (suomis, Suomija), although these are evidently later borrowings. An alternative hypothesis by Petri Kallio suggests the Proto-Indo-European word *(dʰ)ǵʰm-on- 'human' (cf. Gothic guma, Latin homo), being borrowed into Uralic as *ćoma.<ref name=deSmit />

It has been suggested that the Finnish word Suomi is first attested the Royal Frankish Annals annal for 811, which mentions a person called Suomi among the Danish delegation at a peace treaty with the Franks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/annalesregnifrancorum.html%7Ctitle=Annesl Regni Francorum|website=thelatinlibrary.com|access-date=29 July 2018}}</ref> If so, it is also the earliest evidence for the change from the proto-Finnic monophthong {{IPA|/oː/}} to the Finnish diphthong {{IPA|/uo/}}.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Keskiajan suomen kielen dokumentoitu sanasto ensiesiintymisvuosineen |last=Heikkilä |first=Mikko K. |publisher=Mediapinta |year=2017 |isbn=978-952-236-859-1 |page=44}}</ref><ref>Mikko Heikkilä, 'Varhaissuomen äännehistorian kronologiasta', Sananjalka, 58 (2016), 136–158 (p. 147).</ref> However, some historical linguists view this interpretation of the name as unlikely, supposing another etymology or that the spelling originated as a scribal error (in which case the sound-change {{IPA|/oː/}} > {{IPA|/uo/}} could have happened much later).<ref>Petri Kallio, 'Äännehistoriaa suomen kielen erilliskehityksen alkutaipaleilta', Sananjalka, 59 (2017), 7–24 (p. 12).</ref>

Concept

In the earliest historical sources, from the 12th and 13th centuries, the term Finland refers to the coastal region around Turku from Perniö to Uusikaupunki. This region later became known as Finland Proper in distinction from the country name Finland. Finland became a common name for the whole country in a centuries-long process that started when the Catholic Church established a missionary diocese in Nousiainen in the northern part of the province of Suomi possibly sometime in the 12th century.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |title=Suomen museo 2003: "The Origins of Finland and Häme" |last=Salo |first=Unto |publisher=Suomen muinaismuistoyhdistys |year=2004 |isbn=978-951-9057-55-2 |location=Helsinki |page=55}}</ref>

The devastation of Finland during the Great Northern War (1714–1721) and during the Russo-Swedish War (1741–1743) caused Sweden to begin carrying out major efforts to defend its eastern half from Russia. These 18th-century experiences created a sense of a shared destiny that when put in conjunction with the unique Finnish language, led to the adoption of an expanded concept of Finland.<ref name=UppslagsFi>{{cite web |url=http://www.uppslagsverket.fi/sv/sok/view-103684-FinlandsHistoria1700Talet |title=Finlands historia: 1700-talet |last=Lindberg |first=Johan |date=26 May 2016 |website=Uppslagsverket Finland |access-date=30 November 2017 |language=sv}}</ref>

History

{{Main|History of Finland}} {{see also|Åland Islands}}

Prehistory

{{Main|History of Finland#Prehistory}}

Reconstruction of Stone Age dwelling from Kierikki, Oulu

If the archeological finds from Wolf Cave are the result of Neanderthals' activities, the first people inhabited Finland approximately 120,000–130,000 years ago.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus |year=2015 |isbn=978-952-495-363-4 |location=Helsinki |page=21}}</ref> The area that is now Finland was settled in, at the latest, around 8,500 BC during the Stone Age towards the end of the last glacial period. The artifacts the first settlers left behind present characteristics that are shared with those found in Estonia, Russia, and Norway.<ref name=":1">Herkules.oulu.fi. People, material, culture and environment in the north. Proceedings of the 22nd Nordic Archaeological Conference, University of Oulu, 18–23 August 2004 Edited by Vesa-Pekka Herva Gummerus Kirjapaino</ref> The earliest people were hunter-gatherers, using stone tools.<ref name="VF-Pre">Dr. Pirjo Uino of the National Board of Antiquities, ThisisFinland—"Prehistory: The ice recedes—man arrives". Retrieved 24 June 2008.</ref>

The first pottery appeared in 5200 BC, when the Comb Ceramic culture was introduced.<ref name="Hist-Fin-Geo">History of Finland and the Finnish People from stone age to WWII. Retrieved 24 June 2008.</ref> The arrival of the Corded Ware culture in Southern coastal Finland between 3000 and 2500 BC may have coincided with the start of agriculture.<ref name="Virt-Mino">Professor Frank Horn of the Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law University of Lappland writing for Virtual Finland on National Minorities of Finland. Retrieved 24 June 2008.</ref> Even with the introduction of agriculture, hunting and fishing continued to be important parts of the subsistence economy.

In the Bronze Age permanent all-year-round cultivation and animal husbandry spread, but the cold climate phase slowed the change.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus |year=2015 |location=Helsinki |pages=199, 210–211}}</ref> Cultures in Finland shared common features in pottery and also axes had similarities but local features existed. Seima-Turbino-phenomenon brought first bronze artifacts to the region and possibly also the Finno-Ugric-Languages.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus|year=2015|location=Helsinki|pages=171–178}}</ref> Commercial contacts that had so far mostly been to Estonia started to extend to Scandinavia. Domestic manufacture of bronze artifacts started 1300 BC with {{ill|Maaninka-type bronze axe|fi|Maaningan kirves|lt=Maaninka-type bronze axes}}. Bronze was imported from Volga region and from Southern Scandinavia.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus|year=2015|location=Helsinki|pages=189–190}}</ref>

Northern Europe in 814 AD

In the Iron Age population grew especially in Häme and Savo regions. Finland proper was the most densely populated area. Cultural contacts to the Baltics and Scandinavia became more frequent. Commercial contacts in the Baltic Sea region grew and extended during the 8th and 9th centuries.

Main exports from Finland were furs, slaves, castoreum, and falcons to European courts. Imports included silk and other fabrics, jewelry, Ulfberht swords, and, in lesser extent, glass. Production of iron started approximately in 500 BC.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus |year=2015 |location=Helsinki |pages=332, 364–365}}</ref>

At the end of the 9th century, indigenous artifact culture, especially women's jewelry and weapons, had more common local features than ever before. This has been interpreted to be expressing common Finnish identity which was born from an image of common origin.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus |year=2015 |location=Helsinki |page=269}}</ref>

Late Iron Age swords found in Finland

An early form of Finnic languages spread to the Baltic Sea region approximately 1900 BC with the Seima-Turbino-phenomenon. Common Finnic language was spoken around Gulf of Finland 2000 years ago. The dialects from which the modern-day Finnish language was developed came into existence during the Iron Age.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus|year=2015|location=Helsinki|pages=211–212}}</ref> Although distantly related, the Sami retained the hunter-gatherer lifestyle longer than the Finns. The Sami cultural identity and the Sami language have survived in Lapland, the northernmost province, but the Sami have been displaced or assimilated elsewhere.

The 12th and 13th centuries were a violent time in the northern Baltic Sea. The Livonian Crusade was ongoing and the Finnish tribes such as the Tavastians and Karelians were in frequent conflicts with Novgorod and with each other. Also, during the 12th and 13th centuries several crusades from the Catholic realms of the Baltic Sea area were made against the Finnish tribes. According to historical sources, Danes waged at least three crusades to Finland, in 1187 or slightly earlier,<ref name=":3">{{cite book| author = Kurt Villads Jensen| title = Ristiretket| publisher = Turun Historiallinen Yhdistys| year = 2019| pages = 126–127}}</ref> in 1191 and in 1202,<ref>{{Cite book |title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus |year=2015 |location=Helsinki |page=380}}</ref> and Swedes, possibly the so-called second crusade to Finland, in 1249 against Tavastians and the third crusade to Finland in 1293 against the Karelians. The so-called first crusade to Finland, possibly in 1155, is most likely an unreal event. Also, it is possible that Germans made violent conversion of Finnish pagans in the 13th century.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Ruotsin itämaa |last=Tarkiainen |first=Kari |publisher=Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland |year=2010 |location=Helsinki |page=88}}</ref> According to a papal letter from 1241, the king of Norway was also fighting against "nearby pagans" at that time.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Suomen varhaiskeskiajan lähteitä |last=Compiled by Martti Linna |publisher=Historian aitta |year=1989 |page=69}}</ref>

Swedish era

{{Main|Finland under Swedish rule}} {{See also|Swedish colonisation of Finland}}

The Swedish Empire following the Treaty of Roskilde of 1658.
Dark green: Sweden proper, as represented in the Riksdag of the Estates. Other greens: Swedish dominions and possessions

As a result of the crusades and the colonisation of some Finnish coastal areas with Christian Swedish population during the Middle Ages,<ref>{{Cite book|title=Ruotsin itämaa|last=Tarkiainen|first=Kari|publisher=Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland |year=2010 |isbn=978-951-583-212-2 |location=Helsinki|pages=104–147}}</ref> including the old capital Turku, Finland gradually became part of the kingdom of Sweden and the sphere of influence of the Catholic Church. Due to the Swedish conquest, the Finnish upper class lost its position and lands to the new Swedish and German nobility and to the Catholic Church.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Ruotsin itämaa|last=Tarkiainen|first=Kari|publisher=Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland |year=2010 |isbn=978-951-583-212-2 |location=Porvoo |pages=167–170}}</ref> In Sweden even in the 17th and 18th centuries, it was clear that Finland was a conquered country and its inhabitants could be treated arbitrarily. Swedish kings visited Finland rarely and in Swedish contemporary texts Finns were portrayed to be primitive and their language inferior.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://journal.fi/tt/article/view/57138/19187%7Ctitle=Kansallinen identiteetti Ruotsissa ja Suomessa 1600-1700-luvuilla |last=Kemiläinen |first=Aira|publisher=Tieteessä tapahtuu 8/2004|year=2004|pages=25–26|language=fi}}</ref>

Swedish became the dominant language of the nobility, administration, and education; Finnish was chiefly a language for the peasantry, clergy, and local courts in predominantly Finnish-speaking areas. During the Protestant Reformation, the Finns gradually converted to Lutheranism.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.europe-cities.com/en/657/finland/history/chronology%7Ctitle=History of Finland. Finland chronology |publisher=Europe-cities.com |access-date=26 August 2010 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427060720/http://www.europe-cities.com/en/657/finland/history/chronology |archive-date=27 April 2011}}</ref>

In the 16th century, Mikael Agricola published the first written works in Finnish, and Finland's current capital city, Helsinki, was founded by Gustav I of Sweden.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/409531/ |title=Ruttopuisto – Plague Park |publisher=Tabblo.com |access-date=3 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411112934/http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/409531/ |archive-date=11 April 2008 }}</ref> The first university in Finland, the Royal Academy of Turku, was established in 1640. The Finns reaped a reputation in the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) as a well-trained cavalrymen called "Hakkapeliitta", that division excelled in sudden and savage attacks, raiding and reconnaissance, which King Gustavus Adolphus took advantage of in his significant battles, like in the Battle of Breitenfeld (1631) and the Battle of Rain (1632).<ref>{{cite book|author=Joose Olavi Hannula|year=1939|title=Hakkapeliittoja ja karoliineja – Kuvia Suomen sotahistoriasta|publisher=Otava| location=Helsinki|language=fi}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Matti J. Kankaanpää|year=2016|title=Suomalainen ratsuväki Ruotsin ajalla|publisher=T:mi Toiset aijat| location=Porvoo | page = 790 |isbn = 978-952-99106-9-4|language=fi}}</ref> Finland suffered a severe famine in 1696–1697, during which about one third of the Finnish population died,<ref name="empire"/> and a devastating plague a few years later.

Now lying within Helsinki, Suomenlinna is a UNESCO World Heritage Site consisting of an inhabited 18th-century sea fortress built on six islands. It is one of Finland's most popular tourist attractions.

In the 18th century, wars between Sweden and Russia twice led to the occupation of Finland by Russian forces, times known to the Finns as the Greater Wrath (1714–1721) and the Lesser Wrath (1742–1743).<ref name="empire">"Finland and the Swedish Empire". Federal Research Division, Library of Congress.</ref> It is estimated that almost an entire generation of young men was lost during the Great Wrath, due mainly to the destruction of homes and farms, and to the burning of Helsinki.<ref name="Nordstrom, Scandinavia">{{cite book|last=Nordstrom|first=Byron J.|title=Scandinavia Since 1500|year=2000|publisher=University of Minnesota Press|location=Minneapolis, US|isbn=978-0-8166-2098-2|page=142|url=https://archive.org/details/scandinaviasince0000nord/page/142}}</ref> By this time Finland was the predominant term for the whole area from the Gulf of Bothnia to the Russian border.{{citation needed|date=June 2018}}

Two Russo-Swedish wars in twenty-five years served as reminders to the Finnish people of the precarious position between Sweden and Russia. An increasingly vocal elite in Finland soon determined that Finnish ties with Sweden were becoming too costly, and following Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790), the Finnish elite's desire to break with Sweden only heightened.<ref name="a1">{{cite book |last=Nordstrom |first=Byron J. |title=Scandinavia Since 1500 |year=2000 |publisher=University of Minnesota Press |location=Minneapolis, US |isbn=978-0-8166-2098-2 |page=143 |url=https://archive.org/details/scandinaviasince0000nord/page/143 }}</ref>

Even before the war there were conspiring politicians, among them Col G. M. Sprengtporten, who had supported Gustav III's coup in 1772. Sprengporten fell out with the king and resigned his commission in 1777. In the following decade he tried to secure Russian support for an autonomous Finland, and later became an adviser to Catherine II.<ref name="a1"/> In the spirit of the notion of Adolf Ivar Arwidsson (1791–1858), "we are not Swedes, we do not want to become Russians, let us therefore be Finns", the Finnish national identity started to become established.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lefaivre|first1=Liane|last2=Tzonis|first2=Alexander|title=Architecture of Regionalism in the Age of Globalization: Peaks and Valleys in the Flat World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FkYHEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT144%7Cyear=2020%7Cpublisher=Routledge%7Clocation=New York|isbn=978-1-00-022106-0|page=144}}</ref>

Notwithstanding the efforts of Finland's elite and nobility to break ties with Sweden, there was no genuine independence movement in Finland until the early 20th century. As a matter of fact, at this time the Finnish peasantry was outraged by the actions of their elite and almost exclusively supported Gustav's actions against the conspirators. (The High Court of Turku condemned Sprengtporten as a traitor c. 1793.)<ref name="a1"/> The Swedish era ended in the Finnish War in 1809.

Russian era

{{Main|Grand Duchy of Finland}} {{See also|Diet of Porvoo|Finland's language strife|Russification of Finland}}

website=Google Arts & Culture}}</ref>

On 29 March 1809, having been taken over by the armies of Alexander I of Russia in the Finnish War, Finland became an autonomous Grand Duchy in the Russian Empire with the recognition given at the Diet held in Porvoo. This situation lasted until the end of 1917. In 1811, Alexander I incorporated the Russian Vyborg province into the Grand Duchy of Finland. In 1854, Finland became involved in Russia's involvement in the Crimean War, when the British and French navies bombed the Finnish coast and Åland during the so-called Åland War. During the Russian era, the Finnish language began to gain recognition. From the 1860s onwards, a strong Finnish nationalist movement known as the Fennoman movement grew, and one of its most prominent leading figures of the movement was the philosopher J. V. Snellman, who was strictly inclined to Hegel's idealism, and who pushed for the stabilization of the status of the Finnish language and its own currency, the Finnish markka, in the Grand Duchy of Finland.<ref>{{cite book| author = Olavi Junnila | title = Suomen historia 5 | year = 1986 | chapter = Autonomian rakentaminen ja kansallisen nousun aika | page = 151 | location = Helsinki | publisher = Weilin + Göös | isbn = 951-35-2494-9 | language = fi }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.suomenpankki.fi/fi/media-ja-julkaisut/puheet-ja-haastattelut/2006/pankinjohtaja-sinikka-salon-puhe-snellman-ja-suomen-markka--nayttelyn-avajaisissa-suomen-pankin-rahamuseossa/ | title = Pankinjohtaja Sinikka Salon puhe Snellman ja Suomen markka -näyttelyn avajaisissa Suomen Pankin rahamuseossa | publisher = Bank of Finland | date = 10 January 2006 | access-date = 7 December 2020 | language = fi }}</ref> Milestones included the publication of what would become Finland's national epic – the Kalevala – in 1835, and the Finnish language's achieving equal legal status with Swedish in 1892.

The Finnish famine of 1866–1868 killed approximately 15% of the population, making it one of the worst famines in European history. The famine led the Russian Empire to ease financial regulations, and investment rose in following decades. Economic and political development was rapid.<ref name="equity">{{cite web |url=http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTRANETSOCIALDEVELOPMENT/Resources/finland.pdf |title=Growth and Equity in Finland |publisher=World Bank}}</ref> The gross domestic product (GDP) per capita was still half of that of the United States and a third of that of Britain.<ref name="equity" />

In 1906, universal suffrage was adopted in the Grand Duchy of Finland. However, the relationship between the Grand Duchy and the Russian Empire soured when the Russian government made moves to restrict Finnish autonomy. For example, the universal suffrage was, in practice, virtually meaningless, since the tsar did not have to approve any of the laws adopted by the Finnish parliament. Desire for independence gained ground, first among radical liberals<ref>Mickelsson, Rauli (2007). Suomen puolueet—Historia, muutos ja nykypäivä. Vastapaino.</ref> and socialists. The case is known as the "Russification of Finland", driven by the last tsar of Russian Empire, Nicholas II.<ref>Alenius, Kari. "Russification in Estonia and Finland Before 1917," Faravid, 2004, Vol. 28, pp 181–194</ref>

Civil war and early independence

{{Main|Independence of Finland|Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic|Finnish Civil War}}

White firing squad executing Red soldiers after the Battle of Länkipohja (1918)

After the 1917 February Revolution, the position of Finland as part of the Russian Empire was questioned, mainly by Social Democrats. Since the head of state was the tsar of Russia, it was not clear who the chief executive of Finland was after the revolution. The Parliament, controlled by social democrats, passed the so-called Power Act to give the highest authority to the Parliament. This was rejected by the Russian Provisional Government which decided to dissolve the Parliament.<ref>The Finnish Civil War, Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress. Countrystudies.us. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

New elections were conducted, in which right-wing parties won with a slim majority. Some social democrats refused to accept the result and still claimed that the dissolution of the parliament (and thus the ensuing elections) were extralegal. The two nearly equally powerful political blocs, the right-wing parties and the social democratic party, were highly antagonized.

The October Revolution in Russia changed the geopolitical situation once more. Suddenly, the right-wing parties in Finland started to reconsider their decision to block the transfer of highest executive power from the Russian government to Finland, as the Bolsheviks took power in Russia. Rather than acknowledge the authority of the Power Act of a few months earlier, the right-wing government, led by Prime Minister P. E. Svinhufvud, presented Declaration of Independence on 4 December 1917, which was officially approved two days later, on 6 December, by the Finnish Parliament. The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR), led by Vladimir Lenin, recognized independence on 4 January 1918.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://formin.finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=107215&contentlan=1&culture=fi-FI | title = Uudenvuodenaatto Pietarin Smolnassa – Itsenäisyyden tunnustus 31.12.1917 | publisher = Ulkoministieriö | access-date = 14 September 2020 | language = fi }}</ref>

Finnish military leader and statesman C. G. E. Mannerheim as general officer leading the White Victory Parade at the end of the Finnish Civil War in Helsinki, 1918

On 27 January 1918, the official opening shots of the civil war were fired in two simultaneous events: on the one hand the government's beginning to disarm the Russian forces in Pohjanmaa, and on the other, a coup launched by the Social Democratic Party.{{failed verification |date=December 2010 |reason=No mention of coup in the section The Finnish Civil War, which should cover this. The actions by the reds are not characterized.}} The latter gained control of southern Finland and Helsinki, but the White government continued in exile from Vaasa. This sparked the brief but bitter civil war. The Whites, who were supported by Imperial Germany, prevailed over the Reds,<ref>{{cite web |title=A Country Study: Finland—The Finnish Civil War |url=http://memory.loc.gov/frd/cs/fitoc.html |work=Federal Research Division, Library of Congress |access-date=11 December 2008}}</ref> which were guided by Kullervo Manner's desire to make the newly independent country a Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic (also known as "Red Finland") and part of the RSFSR.<ref>SDP:n puheenjohtaja halusi punadiktaattoriksi, mutta kuoli Stalinin vankileirillä (in Finnish)</ref> After the war, tens of thousands of Reds and suspected sympathizers were interned in camps, where thousands were executed or died from malnutrition and disease. Deep social and political enmity was sown between the Reds and Whites and would last until the Winter War and beyond. Even nowadays, the civil war remains a sensitive topic.<ref>Pääkirjoitus: Kansalaissota on arka muistettava (in Finnish)</ref><ref>Punaisten ja valkoisten perintöä vaalitaan yhä – Suomalaiset lähettivät yli 400 muistoa vuoden 1918 sisällissodasta (in Finnish)</ref> The civil war and the 1918–1920 activist expeditions called "Kinship Wars" into Soviet Russia strained Eastern relations. At that time, the idea of a Greater Finland also emerged for the first time.<ref>{{Cite book | last=Manninen | first=Ohto | title=Suur-Suomen ääriviivat: Kysymys tulevaisuudesta ja turvallisuudesta Suomen Saksan-politiikassa 1941 | location=Helsinki | publisher=Kirjayhtymä | year=1980 | isbn= 951-26-1735-8}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | last=Nygård | first=Toivo | title=Suur-Suomi vai lähiheimolaisten auttaminen: Aatteellinen heimotyö itsenäisessä Suomessa | location=Helsinki | publisher=Otava | year=1978 | isbn=951-1-04963-1}}</ref>

J. K. Paasikivi and P. E. Svinhufvud, both at the time future presidents of the Republic of Finland, discuss the Finnish monarchy project in 1918.

After a brief experimentation with monarchy, when an attempt to make Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse King of Finland proved to be a poor success, Finland became a presidential republic, with K. J. Ståhlberg elected as its first president in 1919. As a liberal nationalist and with a legal background, Ståhlberg anchored the state in liberal democracy, guarded the fragile shoot of the rule of law, and embarked on internal reforms.<ref>{{cite web | first = Juha | last = Mononen | title = War or Peace for Finland? Neoclassical Realist Case Study of Finnish Foreign Policy in the Context of the Anti-Bolshevik Intervention in Russia 1918–1920 | url = https://tampub.uta.fi/handle/10024/80491 | date = 2 February 2009 | publisher = University of Tampere | access-date = 25 August 2020 | archive-date = 7 June 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150607035630/http://tampub.uta.fi/handle/10024/80491 | url-status = dead }}</ref> Finland was also one of the first European countries to strongly aim for equality for women, with Miina Sillanpää serving in Väinö Tanner's cabinet as the first female minister in Finnish history in 1926–1927.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://finland.fi/life-society/real-bridge-builder-became-finlands-first-female-government-minister/%7Ctitle=Real bridge-builder became Finland's first female government minister - thisisFINLAND|date=29 September 2017|work=thisisFINLAND|access-date=7 December 2020|language=en-US}}</ref> The Finnish–Russian border was defined in 1920 by the Treaty of Tartu, largely following the historic border but granting Pechenga ({{lang-fi|Petsamo}}) and its Barents Sea harbour to Finland. Finnish democracy did not experience any Soviet coup attempts and likewise survived the anti-communist Lapua Movement. Nevertheless, the relationship between Finland and the Soviet Union remained tense. Army officers were trained in France, and relations with Western Europe and Sweden were strengthened.

In 1917, the population was three million. Credit-based land reform was enacted after the civil war, increasing the proportion of the capital-owning population.<ref name="equity" /> About 70% of workers were occupied in agriculture and 10% in industry.<ref>{{cite web |author=Finland 1917–2007 |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suomi90/helmikuu_en.html |title=From slash-and-burn fields to post-industrial society—90 years of change in industrial structure |publisher=Stat.fi |date=20 February 2007 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> The largest export markets were the United Kingdom and Germany.

World War II and after

{{Main|Finland during World War II|Finno-Soviet Treaty of 1948|Finlandization|Early 1990s depression in Finland}}

Areas ceded by Finland to the Soviet Union after World War II. The Porkkala land lease was returned to Finland in 1956.

Finland fought the Soviet Union in the Winter War of 1939–1940 after the Soviet Union attacked Finland and in the Continuation War of 1941–1944, following Operation Barbarossa, when Finland aligned with Germany following Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union. For 872 days, the German army, aided indirectly by Finnish forces, besieged Leningrad, the USSR's second-largest city.<ref>Michael Jones (2013). "Leningrad: State of Siege". Basic Books. p. 38. {{ISBN|0-7867-2177-4}}</ref> After Finnish resistance to a major Soviet offensive in June and July 1944 led to a standstill, the two sides reached an armistice. This was followed by the Lapland War of 1944–1945, when Finland fought retreating German forces in northern Finland. Perhaps the most famous war heroes during the aforementioned wars were Simo Häyhä,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R948DQAAQBAJ&q=simo+hayha+219+kills&pg=PT35%7Ctitle=The White Sniper|first=Tapio|last=Saarelainen|date=31 October 2016|publisher=Casemate|isbn=978-1-61200-429-7|access-date=12 March 2019|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rdIgAQAAIAAJ%7Ctitle=Journal of Information Warfare|first1=Edith Cowan University School of Management Information|last1=Systems|first2=Teamlink|last2=Australia|date=12 March 2019|publisher=Teamlink Australia Pty Limited|access-date=12 March 2019|via=Google Books}}</ref> Aarne Juutilainen,<ref>{{Cite book|title=Marokon Kauhu|trans-title=Terror of Morocco|last=Mäkelä|first=Jukka L.|publisher=W. Söderström|location=Porvoo|language=fi|year=1969|oclc=3935082}}</ref> and Lauri Törni.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cleverley|first=J. Michael|title=Born a Soldier: The Times and Life of Larry Thorne|year=2008|publisher=Booksurge|isbn=978-1-4392-1437-4|oclc=299168934}}</ref>

The treaties signed with the Soviet Union in 1947 and 1948 included Finnish obligations, restraints, and reparations, as well as further Finnish territorial concessions in addition to those in the Moscow Peace Treaty of 1940. As a result of the two wars, Finland ceded the Petsamo, along with parts of Finnish Karelia and Salla. This amounted to 10% of Finland's land area and 20% of its industrial capacity, including the ports of Vyborg (Viipuri) and the ice-free Liinakhamari (Liinahamari). Almost the whole Finnish population, some 400,000 people, fled these areas. The former Finnish territory now constitutes part of Russia's Republic of Karelia, Leningrad Oblast, and Murmansk Oblast. Finland was never occupied by Soviet forces and it retained its independence, but at a loss of about 97,000 soldiers. The war reparations demanded by the Soviet Union amounted to $300 million ({{Inflation|US|300|1938|fmt=c}} million in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}).

Finland rejected Marshall aid, in apparent deference to Soviet desires. However, in the hope of preserving Finland's independence, the United States provided secret development aid and helped the Social Democratic Party.<ref>Hidden help from across the Atlantic {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070129165823/http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Hidden+help+from+across+the+Atlantic/1135223633788 |date=29 January 2007 }}, Helsingin Sanomat</ref> Establishing trade with the Western powers, such as the United Kingdom, and paying reparations to the Soviet Union produced a transformation of Finland from a primarily agrarian economy to an industrialised one. Valmet was founded to create materials for war reparations. After the reparations had been paid off, Finland continued to trade with the Soviet Union in the framework of bilateral trade.

Urho Kekkonen, the eighth president of Finland (1956–1982)

In 1950, 46% of Finnish workers worked in agriculture and a third lived in urban areas.<ref name="populationdevelopment">{{cite web |author=Finland 1917–2007 |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suomi90/joulukuu_en.html |title=Population development in independent Finland—greying Baby Boomers |publisher=Stat.fi |date=5 December 2007 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> The new jobs in manufacturing, services, and trade quickly attracted people to the towns. The average number of births per woman declined from a baby boom peak of 3.5 in 1947 to 1.5 in 1973.<ref name="populationdevelopment" /> When baby-boomers entered the workforce, the economy did not generate jobs quickly enough, and hundreds of thousands emigrated to the more industrialized Sweden, with emigration peaking in 1969 and 1970.<ref name="populationdevelopment" /> The 1952 Summer Olympics brought international visitors. Finland took part in trade liberalization in the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

Officially claiming to be neutral, Finland lay in the grey zone between the Western countries and the Soviet bloc. The YYA Treaty (Finno-Soviet Pact of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance) gave the Soviet Union some leverage in Finnish domestic politics. This was extensively exploited by president Urho Kekkonen against his opponents. He maintained an effective monopoly on Soviet relations from 1956 on, which was crucial for his continued popularity. In politics, there was a tendency to avoid any policies and statements that could be interpreted as anti-Soviet. This phenomenon was given the name "Finlandization" by the West German press. During the Cold War, Finland also developed into one of the centers of the East-West espionage, in which both the KGB and the CIA played their parts.<ref>{{Citation|last=Ford|first=Hal|title=ESAU -LVI - FINLANDIZATION IN ACTION: HELSINKI'S EXPERIENCE WITH MOSCOW|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/esau-55.pdf%7Cseries=DIRECTORATE OF INTELLIGENCE|date=August 1972}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.economist.com/eastern-approaches/2011/12/01/secret-history%7Ctitle=Finland and American intelligence - Secret history|work=The Economist|date=1 December 2011|access-date=16 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://intelnews.org/2011/08/19/01-794/%7Ctitle=Former Finnish diplomat reveals she worked for the CIA|first=Joseph|last=Fitsanakis|website=Intelnews.org|date=19 August 2011|access-date=16 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-9692396%7Ctitle=Naisia, autoja ja piilopirttejä – Norjalainen vakoili CIA:n laskuun kylmän sodan Suomessa|first=Satu|last=Helin|publisher=YLE|date=2 July 2017|access-date=16 August 2020|language=fi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2019/10/14/kylman-sodan-suomalaisagentit-kasikirjoitus%7Ctitle=Kylmän sodan suomalaisagentit: käsikirjoitus|first=Kai|last=Byman|work=MOT|publisher=YLE|date=14 October 2019|access-date=16 August 2020|language=fi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000005833479.html%7Ctitle=Näin Neuvostoliitto vakoili Suomessa – Supo seurasi "Jakkea", joka johdatti uusille jäljille|first=Mika|last=Lehto|work=Ilta-Sanomat|date=19 September 2018|access-date=16 August 2020|language=fi}}</ref> The 1949 established Finnish Security Intelligence Service (SUPO, Suojelupoliisi), an operational security authority and a police unit under the Interior Ministry, whose core areas of activity are counter-Intelligence, counter-terrorism and national security,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://supo.fi/en/frontpage?p_p_id=fi_yja_language_version_tool_web_portlet_LanguageVersionToolMissingNotificationPortlet&_fi_yja_language_version_tool_web_portlet_LanguageVersionToolMissingNotificationPortlet_missingLanguageVersion=1%7Ctitle=Frontpage%7Cwebsite=Supo}}</ref> also participated in this activity in some places.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://tuomioja.org/kirjavinkit/2009/09/matti-simola-toimittanut-ratakatu-12-suojelupoliisi-1949-2009-wsoy-319-s-hameenlinna-2009/%7Ctitle=Salaisen palvelun tutkimuksen haasteet|last=Tuomioja|first=Erkki|date=8 September 2009|work=Tuomioja.org|access-date=24 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171024153602/https://tuomioja.org/kirjavinkit/2009/09/matti-simola-toimittanut-ratakatu-12-suojelupoliisi-1949-2009-wsoy-319-s-hameenlinna-2009/%7Carchive-date=24 October 2017|url-status=live|language=fi-FI|trans-title=Challenges in secret service research}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|chapter-url=https://helda.helsinki.fi/handle/10224/4054%7Ctitle=The Cold War and the Politics of History|last=Rentola|first=Kimmo|publisher=Edita Publishing Ltd|year=2008|isbn=978-952-10-4637-7|editor-last=Aunesluoma|editor-first=Juhani|location=Helsinki|pages=269–289|chapter=President Urho Kekkonen of Finland and the KGB|editor-last2=Kettunen|editor-first2=Pauli|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305010917/https://helda.helsinki.fi/handle/10224/4054%7Carchive-date=5 March 2016}}</ref>

Despite close relations with the Soviet Union, Finland maintained a market economy. Various industries benefited from trade privileges with the Soviets, which explains the widespread support that pro-Soviet policies enjoyed among business interests in Finland. Economic growth was rapid in the postwar era, and by 1975 Finland's GDP per capita was the 15th-highest in the world. In the 1970s and 1980s, Finland built one of the most extensive welfare states in the world. Finland negotiated with the European Economic Community (EEC, a predecessor of the European Union) a treaty that mostly abolished customs duties towards the EEC starting from 1977, although Finland did not fully join. In 1981, President Urho Kekkonen's failing health forced him to retire after holding office for 25 years.

Finland joined the European Union in 1995 and signed the Lisbon Treaty in 2007.

Finland reacted cautiously to the collapse of the Soviet Union, but swiftly began increasing integration with the West. On 21 September 1990, Finland unilaterally declared the Paris Peace Treaty obsolete, following the German reunification decision nine days earlier.<ref>formin.finland.fi {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105213131/http://formin.finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=55802&contentlan=1&culture=fi-FI |date=5 January 2016 }}; Suurlähettiläs Jaakko Blomberg: Kylmän sodan päättyminen, Suomi ja Viro – Ulkoasiainministeriö: Ajankohtaista. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

Miscalculated macroeconomic decisions, a banking crisis, the collapse of its largest trading partner (the Soviet Union), and a global economic downturn caused a deep early 1990s recession in Finland. The depression bottomed out in 1993, and Finland saw steady economic growth for more than ten years.<ref>{{Citation|last=Uusitalo|first=Hannu|title=Economic Crisis and Social Policy in Finland in the 1990s|journal=Working Paper Series|url=https://www.sprc.unsw.edu.au/media/SPRCFile/dp070.pdf%7Cseries=SPRC Discussion Paper No. 70|date=October 1996|issn=1037-2741}}</ref> Like other Nordic countries, Finland decentralised its economy since the late 1980s. Financial and product market regulation were loosened. Some state enterprises have been privatized and there have been some modest tax cuts.{{Citation needed |date=August 2017}} Finland joined the European Union in 1995, and the Eurozone in 1999. Much of the late 1990s economic growth was fueled by the success of the mobile phone manufacturer Nokia, which held a unique position of representing 80% of the market capitalization of the Helsinki Stock Exchange.

Geography

{{Main|Geography of Finland}} {{See also|List of cities and towns in Finland|List of lakes of Finland|List of national parks of Finland|Environmental issues in Finland}}

Topographic map of Finland

Lying approximately between latitudes 60° and 70° N, and longitudes 20° and 32° E, Finland is one of the world's northernmost countries. Of world capitals, only Reykjavík lies more to the north than Helsinki. The distance from the southernmost point – Hanko in Uusimaa – to the northernmost – Nuorgam in Lapland – is {{convert|1160|km|mi}}.

Finland has about 168,000 lakes (of area larger than {{convert|500|m2|acre|2|abbr=on|disp=or}}) and 179,000 islands.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_alue_en.html |title=Statistics Finland, Environment and Natural Resources|access-date=4 April 2013}}</ref> Its largest lake, Saimaa, is the fourth largest in Europe. The Finnish Lakeland is the area with the most lakes in the country; many of the major cities in the area, most notably Tampere, Jyväskylä and Kuopio, are located in the immediate vicinity of the large lakes. The greatest concentration of islands is found in the southwest, in the Archipelago Sea between continental Finland and the main island of Åland.

Much of the geography of Finland is a result of the Ice Age. The glaciers were thicker and lasted longer in Fennoscandia compared with the rest of Europe. Their eroding effects have left the Finnish landscape mostly flat with few hills and fewer mountains. Its highest point, the Halti at {{convert|1324|m|ft|0}}, is found in the extreme north of Lapland at the border between Finland and Norway. The highest mountain whose peak is entirely in Finland is Ridnitšohkka at {{convert|1316|m|ft|abbr=on}}, directly adjacent to Halti.

There are some 187,888 lakes in Finland larger than 500 square metres and 75,818 islands of over 0,5 km2 area, leading to the denomination "the land of a thousand lakes".<ref name="thousand"/>

The retreating glaciers have left the land with morainic deposits in formations of eskers. These are ridges of stratified gravel and sand, running northwest to southeast, where the ancient edge of the glacier once lay. Among the biggest of these are the three Salpausselkä ridges that run across southern Finland.

Having been compressed under the enormous weight of the glaciers, terrain in Finland is rising due to the post-glacial rebound. The effect is strongest around the Gulf of Bothnia, where land steadily rises about {{convert|1|cm|1|abbr=on}} a year. As a result, the old sea bottom turns little by little into dry land: the surface area of the country is expanding by about {{convert|7|km2|sqmi}} annually.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fimr.fi/en/tutkimus/fysikaalinen-tutkimus/vedenkorkeuden-vaihteluiden-ajalliset-muutokset.html |title=Trends in sea level variability |work=Finnish Institute of Marine Research |date=24 August 2004 |access-date=22 January 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070227172733/http://www.fimr.fi/en/tutkimus/fysikaalinen-tutkimus/vedenkorkeuden-vaihteluiden-ajalliset-muutokset.html |archive-date=27 February 2007 }}</ref> Relatively speaking, Finland is rising from the sea.<ref name="EB">"Finland." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011.</ref>

The landscape is covered mostly by coniferous taiga forests and fens, with little cultivated land. Of the total area 10% is lakes, rivers and ponds, and 78% forest. The forest consists of pine, spruce, birch, and other species.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metla.fi/suomen-metsat/ |title=Euroopan metsäisin maa |date=2013 |website= Luke |language=fi |access-date=30 April 2016}}</ref> Finland is the largest producer of wood in Europe and among the largest in the world. The most common type of rock is granite. It is a ubiquitous part of the scenery, visible wherever there is no soil cover. Moraine or till is the most common type of soil, covered by a thin layer of humus of biological origin. Podzol profile development is seen in most forest soils except where drainage is poor. Gleysols and peat bogs occupy poorly drained areas.

Biodiversity

{{Main|Fauna of Finland|Wildlife of Finland}} Phytogeographically, Finland is shared between the Arctic, central European, and northern European provinces of the Circumboreal Region within the Boreal Kingdom. According to the WWF, the territory of Finland can be subdivided into three ecoregions: the Scandinavian and Russian taiga, Sarmatic mixed forests, and Scandinavian Montane Birch forest and grasslands.<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|year=2017|pages=534–545|issn=0006-3568|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287}}</ref> Taiga covers most of Finland from northern regions of southern provinces to the north of Lapland. On the southwestern coast, south of the Helsinki-Rauma line, forests are characterized by mixed forests, that are more typical in the Baltic region. In the extreme north of Finland, near the tree line and Arctic Ocean, Montane Birch forests are common. Finland had a 2018 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 5.08/10, ranking it 109th globally out of 172 countries.<ref name="FLII-Supplementary">{{cite journal|last1=Grantham|first1=H. S.|last2=Duncan|first2=A.|last3=Evans|first3=T. D.|last4=Jones|first4=K. R.|last5=Beyer|first5=H. L.|last6=Schuster|first6=R.|last7=Walston|first7=J.|last8=Ray|first8=J. C.|last9=Robinson|first9=J. G.|last10=Callow|first10=M.|last11=Clements|first11=T.|last12=Costa|first12=H. M.|last13=DeGemmis|first13=A.|last14=Elsen|first14=P. R.|last15=Ervin|first15=J.|last16=Franco|first16=P.|last17=Goldman|first17=E.|last18=Goetz|first18=S.|last19=Hansen|first19=A.|last20=Hofsvang|first20=E.|last21=Jantz|first21=P.|last22=Jupiter|first22=S.|last23=Kang|first23=A.|last24=Langhammer|first24=P.|last25=Laurance|first25=W. F.|last26=Lieberman|first26=S.|last27=Linkie|first27=M.|last28=Malhi|first28=Y.|last29=Maxwell|first29=S.|last30=Mendez|first30=M.|last31=Mittermeier|first31=R.|last32=Murray|first32=N. J.|last33=Possingham|first33=H.|last34=Radachowsky|first34=J.|last35=Saatchi|first35=S.|last36=Samper|first36=C.|last37=Silverman|first37=J.|last38=Shapiro|first38=A.|last39=Strassburg|first39=B.|last40=Stevens|first40=T.|last41=Stokes|first41=E.|last42=Taylor|first42=R.|last43=Tear|first43=T.|last44=Tizard|first44=R.|last45=Venter|first45=O.|last46=Visconti|first46=P.|last47=Wang|first47=S.|last48=Watson|first48=J. E. M.|title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity - Supplementary Material|journal=Nature Communications|volume=11|issue=1|year=2020|page=5978|issn=2041-1723|doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3|pmid=33293507|pmc=7723057}}</ref>

The brown bear (Ursus arctos) is Finland's national animal. It is also the largest carnivora in Finland.

Similarly, Finland has a diverse and extensive range of fauna. There are at least sixty native mammalian species, 248 breeding bird species, over 70 fish species, and 11 reptile and frog species present today, many migrating from neighboring countries thousands of years ago. Large and widely recognized wildlife mammals found in Finland are the brown bear, gray wolf, wolverine, and elk. The brown bear, which is also nicknamed as the "king of the forest" by the Finns, is the country's official national animal,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://finland.fi/life-society/iconic-finnish-nature-symbols-stand-out/ | title=Iconic Finnish nature symbols stand out | publisher=This is Finland | access-date=24 December 2020}}</ref> which also occur on the coat of arms of the Satakunta region is a crown-headed black bear carrying a sword,<ref>Iltanen, Jussi: Suomen kuntavaakunat (2013), Karttakeskus, {{ISBN|951-593-915-1}}</ref> possibly referring to the regional capital city of Pori, whose Swedish name Björneborg and the Latin name Arctopolis literally means "bear city" or "bear fortress".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Savoring Heritage: A Memphis writer explores her daughter's Finnish roots |last=Maki |first=Aisling |work=Memphis magazine |date=27 March 2020 |url= https://memphismagazine.com/travel/savoring-heritage/ }}</ref> Three of the more striking birds are the whooper swan, a large European swan and the national bird of Finland; the Western capercaillie, a large, black-plumaged member of the grouse family; and the Eurasian eagle-owl. The latter is considered an indicator of old-growth forest connectivity, and has been declining because of landscape fragmentation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://herkules.oulu.fi/isbn9514259904/html/x288.html |title=Nutritional and genetic adaptation of galliform birds: implications for hand-rearing and restocking |work=Oulu University Library (2000) |access-date=23 May 2008}}</ref> The most common breeding birds are the willow warbler, common chaffinch, and redwing.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.birdlife.fi/lintuharrastus/faq-muut.shtml#pesimalinnut |title=BirdLife Finland |work=BirdLife International (2004) Birds in Europe: population estimates, trends and conservation status. Cambridge, UK. (BirdLife Conservation Series No. 12) |access-date=22 January 2007}}</ref> Of some seventy species of freshwater fish, the northern pike, perch, and others are plentiful. Atlantic salmon remains the favourite of fly rod enthusiasts.

The endangered Saimaa ringed seal (Pusa hispida saimensis), one of only three lake seal species in the world, exists only in the Saimaa lake system of southeastern Finland, down to only 390 seals today.<ref>{{cite web |title= Saimaa Ringed Seal |url= https://wwf.fi/en/saimaaringedseal/ |access-date=22 December 2018}}</ref> Ever since the species was protected in 1955,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nationalparks.fi/saimaa-ringed-seal%7Ctitle=Saimaa Ringed Seal|website=Nationalparks.fi}}</ref> it has become the emblem of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=170517&contentlan=2&culture=en-US |title=SOS: Save our seals |work=this is Finland (Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910195719/http://finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=170517&contentlan=2&culture=en-US |archive-date=10 September 2015 }}</ref> The Saimaa ringed seal lives nowadays mainly in two Finnish national parks, Kolovesi and Linnansaari,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jarvisydan.com/en/Nature-Adventures/National-Parks |title=Welcome to Linnansaari and Kolovesi National Parks |date=2016 |website=Järvisydän |access-date=2016-05-01 |archive-date=26 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160926180335/http://www.jarvisydan.com/en/Nature-Adventures/National-Parks |url-status=dead }}</ref> but strays have been seen in a much larger area, including near Savonlinna's town centre.

Climate

{{Main|Climate of Finland}}

Köppen climate classification types of Finland

The main factor influencing Finland's climate is the country's geographical position between the 60th and 70th northern parallels in the Eurasian continent's coastal zone. In the Köppen climate classification, the whole of Finland lies in the boreal zone, characterized by warm summers and freezing winters. Within the country, the temperateness varies considerably between the southern coastal regions and the extreme north, showing characteristics of both a maritime and a continental climate. Finland is near enough to the Atlantic Ocean to be continuously warmed by the Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream combines with the moderating effects of the Baltic Sea and numerous inland lakes to explain the unusually warm climate compared with other regions that share the same latitude, such as Alaska, Siberia, and southern Greenland.<ref name="Finland's climate">{{cite web |title=Finland's climate |url=http://www.fmi.fi/weather/climate.html |publisher=Finnish Meteorological Institute |access-date=3 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100721105549/http://www.fmi.fi/weather/climate.html |archive-date=21 July 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Winters in southern Finland (when mean daily temperature remains below {{convert|0|°C|disp=or}}) are usually about 100 days long, and in the inland the snow typically covers the land from about late November to April, and on the coastal areas such as Helsinki, snow often covers the land from late December to late March.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://ilmasto-opas.fi/fi/ilmastonmuutos/suomen-muuttuva-ilmasto/-/artikkeli/08848977-fd1a-4e85-8389-7ecf3ca7de7d/uusimaa-merellisen-ilmaston-maakunta.html%7Ctitle = The climate in Finland (finnish)|access-date = 3 January 2015}}</ref> Even in the south, the harshest winter nights can see the temperatures fall to {{convert|-30|°C}} although on coastal areas like Helsinki, temperatures below {{convert|-30|°C|0}} are rare. Climatic summers (when mean daily temperature remains above {{convert|10|°C|disp=or}}) in southern Finland last from about late May to mid-September, and in the inland, the warmest days of July can reach over {{convert|35|°C|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Finland's climate" /> Although most of Finland lies on the taiga belt, the southernmost coastal regions are sometimes classified as hemiboreal.<ref name="Havas">{{cite web|url=http://www.oulu.fi/northnature/finnish/Suomi/luma1.html%7Ctitle=Pohjoiset alueet / yleiskuvaus|last=Havas|first=Paavo|language=fi|access-date=3 December 2012}}</ref>

In northern Finland, particularly in Lapland, the winters are long and cold, while the summers are relatively warm but short. The most severe winter days in Lapland can see the temperature fall down to {{convert|-45|°C}}. The winter of the north lasts for about 200 days with permanent snow cover from about mid-October to early May. Summers in the north are quite short, only two to three months, but can still see maximum daily temperatures above {{convert|25|°C}} during heat waves.<ref name="Finland's climate" /> No part of Finland has Arctic tundra, but Alpine tundra can be found at the fells Lapland.<ref name="Havas" />

The Finnish climate is suitable for cereal farming only in the southernmost regions, while the northern regions are suitable for animal husbandry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mmm.fi/attachments/mmm/julkaisut/esitteet/5HIspFLpC/45920_LFA_esite.pdf%7Ctitle=Finland's Northern Conditions: Challenges and Opportunities for Agriculture|publisher=Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Finland|pages=1–4|access-date=3 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407022547/http://www.mmm.fi/attachments/mmm/julkaisut/esitteet/5HIspFLpC/45920_LFA_esite.pdf%7Carchive-date=7 April 2012 }}</ref>

A quarter of Finland's territory lies within the Arctic Circle and the midnight sun can be experienced for more days the farther north one travels. At Finland's northernmost point, the sun does not set for 73 consecutive days during summer, and does not rise at all for 51 days during winter.<ref name="Finland's climate" />

Regions

{{Main|Regions of Finland}}

Finland consists of 19 regions, called {{lang|fi|maakunta}} in Finnish and {{lang|sv|landskap}} in Swedish. The regions are governed by regional councils which serve as forums of cooperation for the municipalities of a region. The main tasks of the regions are regional planning and development of enterprise and education. In addition, the public health services are usually organized on the basis of regions. Currently, the only region where a popular election is held for the council is Kainuu. Other regional councils are elected by municipal councils, each municipality sending representatives in proportion to its population.

In addition to inter-municipal cooperation, which is the responsibility of regional councils, each region has a state Employment and Economic Development Centre which is responsible for the local administration of labour, agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and entrepreneurial affairs. The Finnish Defence Forces regional offices are responsible for the regional defence preparations and for the administration of conscription within the region.

Regions represent dialectal, cultural, and economic variations better than the former provinces, which were purely administrative divisions of the central government. Historically, regions are divisions of historical provinces of Finland, areas which represent dialects and culture more accurately.

Six Regional State Administrative Agencies were created by the state of Finland in 2010, each of them responsible for one of the regions called {{lang|fi|alue}} in Finnish and {{lang|sv|region}} in Swedish; in addition, Åland was designated a seventh region. These take over some of the tasks of the earlier Provinces of Finland (lääni/län), which were abolished.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.avi.fi/fi/Sivut/etusivu.aspx |title=Tervetuloa aluehallintoviraston verkkosivuille! |publisher=State Provincial Office |language=fi |access-date=9 June 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315151138/http://www.avi.fi/fi/Sivut/etusivu.aspx |archive-date=15 March 2012 }}</ref>

{{Finnish Regions|options=float:top}}
Name url=https://vnk.fi/documents/10616/3457861/Suomen+hallintorakenteeseen+ja+maakuntauudistukseen+liittyviä+termejä+sekä+maakuntien+ja+kuntien+nimet+fi-sv-en-%28ru%29/974f7fc5-1466-c667-9787-381c5bd57603/Suomen+hallintorakenteeseen+ja+maakuntauudistukseen+liittyviä+termejä+sekä+maakuntien+ja+kuntien+nimet+fi-sv-en-%28ru%29.pdf%7Ctitle=Suomen hallintorakenteeseen ja maakuntauudistukseen liittyviä termejä sekä maakuntien ja kuntien nimet fi-sv-en-(ru)|website=vnk.fi|pages=8–9|access-date=23 August 2019}}</ref> Finnish name Swedish name Capital Regional state administrative agency
Lapland Lapland fi|Lappi}} sv|Lappland}} Rovaniemi Lapland
North Ostrobothnia North Ostrobothnia fi|Pohjois-Pohjanmaa}} sv|Norra Österbotten}} Oulu Northern Finland
Kainuu Kainuu fi|Kainuu}} sv|Kajanaland}} Kajaani Northern Finland
North Karelia North Karelia fi|Pohjois-Karjala}} sv|Norra Karelen}} Joensuu Eastern Finland
Northern Savonia North Savo fi|Pohjois-Savo}} {{lang|sv|Norra Savolax}} Kuopio Eastern Finland
Southern Savonia South Savo fi|Etelä-Savo}} sv|Södra Savolax}} Mikkeli Eastern Finland
South Ostrobothnia South Ostrobothnia fi|Etelä-Pohjanmaa}} sv|Södra Österbotten}} Seinäjoki Western and Central Finland
Central Ostrobothnia Central Ostrobothnia fi|Keski-Pohjanmaa}} sv|Mellersta Österbotten}} Kokkola Western and Central Finland
Ostrobothnia Ostrobothnia fi|Pohjanmaa}} sv|Österbotten}} Vaasa Western and Central Finland
Pirkanmaa Pirkanmaa fi|Pirkanmaa}} sv|Birkaland}} Tampere Western and Central Finland
Central Finland Central Finland fi|Keski-Suomi}} sv|Mellersta Finland}} Jyväskylä Western and Central Finland
Satakunta Satakunta fi|Satakunta}} sv|Satakunta}} Pori South-Western Finland
Southwest Finland Southwest Finland fi|Varsinais-Suomi}} sv|Egentliga Finland}} Turku South-Western Finland
South Karelia South Karelia fi|Etelä-Karjala}} sv|Södra Karelen}} Lappeenranta Southern Finland
Päijänne Tavastia Päijät-Häme fi|Päijät-Häme}} sv|Päijänne-Tavastland}} Lahti Southern Finland
Tavastia Proper Kanta-Häme fi|Kanta-Häme}} sv|Egentliga Tavastland}} Hämeenlinna Southern Finland
Uusimaa Uusimaa fi|Uusimaa}} sv|Nyland}} Helsinki Southern Finland
Kymenlaakso Kymenlaakso fi|Kymenlaakso}} sv|Kymmenedalen}} Kotka and Kouvola Southern Finland
Åland Islands<ref name="åland_note">The role that the regional councils serve on Mainland Finland are on the Åland Islands handled by the autonomous Government of Åland.</ref> Åland fi|Ahvenanmaa}} sv|Åland}} Mariehamn Åland

The region of Eastern Uusimaa (Itä-Uusimaa) was consolidated with Uusimaa on 1 January 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.valtioneuvosto.fi/ajankohtaista/tiedotteet/tiedote/fi.jsp?oid=274585 |title=Valtioneuvosto päätti Uudenmaan ja Itä-Uudenmaan maakuntien yhdistämisestä |date=22 October 2009 |publisher=Ministry of Finance |language=fi |access-date=30 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807084712/http://www.valtioneuvosto.fi/ajankohtaista/tiedotteet/tiedote/fi.jsp?oid=274585 |archive-date=7 August 2011 }}</ref>

Administrative divisions

{{Main|Administrative divisions of Finland|Regions of Finland|Sub-regions of Finland|Municipalities of Finland|Historical provinces of Finland}}

The fundamental administrative divisions of the country are the municipalities, which may also call themselves towns or cities. They account for half of public spending. Spending is financed by municipal income tax, state subsidies, and other revenue. {{As of|2021}}, there are 309 municipalities,<ref name="Suomen Kuntaliitto">{{cite web|title=Kaupunkien ja kuntien lukumäärät ja väestötiedot|url=https://www.kuntaliitto.fi/tilastot-ja-julkaisut/kaupunkien-ja-kuntien-lukumaarat-ja-vaestotiedot%7Caccess-date=7 March 2021|publisher=Suomen Kuntaliitto – Association of Finnish Municipalities|language=fi}}</ref> and most have fewer than 6,000 residents.

In addition to municipalities, two intermediate levels are defined. Municipalities co-operate in seventy sub-regions and nineteen regions. These are governed by the member municipalities and have only limited powers. The autonomous province of Åland has a permanent democratically elected regional council. Sami people have a semi-autonomous Sami native region in Lapland for issues on language and culture.

In the following chart, the number of inhabitants includes those living in the entire municipality (kunta/kommun), not just in the built-up area. The land area is given in km2, and the density in inhabitants per km2 (land area). The figures are as of {{#time:d F Y |{{Data Finland municipality/population count|sourcedate}}}}. The capital region – comprising Helsinki, Vantaa, Espoo and Kauniainen – forms a continuous conurbation of over 1.1 million people. However, common administration is limited to voluntary cooperation of all municipalities, e.g. in Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council.

City Population{{Data Finland municipality/population count}} Land area{{Data Finland municipality/total area}} Density Regional map Population density map
Helsinki Helsinki }} }} Helsinki }} }} Helsinki }} round 2}} }}
Municipalities (thin borders) and regions (thick borders) of Finland (2021)
The population densities of Finnish municipalities (2010)
Espoo Espoo }} }} Espoo }} }} Espoo }} round 2}} }}
Tampere Tampere }} }} Tampere }} }} Tampere }} round 2}} }}
Vantaa Vantaa }} }} Vantaa }} }} Vantaa }} round 2}} }}
Oulu Oulu }} }} Oulu }} }} Oulu }} round 2}} }}
Turku Turku }} }} Turku }} }} Turku }} round 2}}

}}

Jyväskylä Jyväskylä }} }} Jyväskylä }} }} Jyväskylä }} round 2}} }}
Kuopio Kuopio }} }} Kuopio }} }} Kuopio }} round 2}} }}
Lahti Lahti }} }} Lahti }} }} Lahti }} round 2}} }}
Pori Pori }} }} Pori }} }} Pori }} round 2}} }}
Kouvola Kouvola }} }} Kouvola }} }} Kouvola }} round 2}} }}
Joensuu Joensuu }} }} Joensuu }} }} Joensuu }} round 2}} }}
Lappeenranta Lappeenranta }} }} Lappeenranta }} }} Lappeenranta }} round 2}} }}
Hämeenlinna Hämeenlinna }} }} Hämeenlinna }} }} Hämeenlinna }} round 2}} }}
Vaasa Vaasa }} }} Vaasa }} }} Vaasa}} round 2}} }}

Politics

{{multiple image 

| align = right
| direction = horizontal
| caption_align = center
| image1 = President Trump Meets with the President of the Republic of Finland (48834234637) (cropped).jpg
| width1 = 115
| caption1 = Sauli Niinistö
12th President
since 1 March 2012
| image2 = Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin 2019 (cropped).jpg
| width2 = 113
| caption2 = Sanna Marin
46th Prime Minister
since 10 December 2019

}} {{Main|Politics of Finland}} {{See also|List of political parties in Finland|Human rights in Finland}}

the European Union}}

Constitution

The Constitution of Finland defines the political system; Finland is a parliamentary republic within the framework of a representative democracy. The Prime Minister is the country's most powerful person. The current version of the constitution was enacted on 1 March 2000, and was amended on 1 March 2012. Citizens can run and vote in parliamentary, municipal, presidential and European Union elections.

President

{{Main|President of Finland}} The head of state of Finland is President of the Republic of Finland (in Finnish: Suomen tasavallan presidentti; in Swedish: Republiken Finlands president). Finland has had for most of its independence a semi-presidential system, but in the last few decades the powers of the President have been diminished. Constitutional amendments, which came into effect in 1991 and 1992, as well as a new drafted constitution of 2000 (amended in 2012), have made the presidency a primarily ceremonial office. However, the President still leads the nation's foreign politics together with the Council of State and is the commander-in-chief of the Defence Forces.<ref name="Parliamentary">Formerly a semi-presidential republic, it is now a parliamentary republic according to David Arter, First Chair of Politics at Aberdeen University. In his "Scandinavian Politics Today" (Manchester University Press, revised 2008 {{ISBN|978-0-7190-7853-8}}), he quotes {{Cite journal |last=Nousiainen |first=Jaakko |date=June 2001 |title=From semi-presidentialism to parliamentary government: political and constitutional developments in Finland |journal=Scandinavian Political Studies |volume=24 |issue=2 |pages=95–109 |doi=10.1111/1467-9477.00048 }} as follows: "There are hardly any grounds for the epithet 'semi-presidential'." Arter's own conclusions are only slightly more nuanced: "The adoption of a new constitution on 1 March 2000 meant that Finland was no longer a case of semi-presidential government other than in the minimalist sense of a situation where a popularly elected fixed-term president exists alongside a prime minister and cabinet who are responsible to parliament (Elgie 2004: 317)". According to the Finnish Constitution, the president has no possibility to rule the government without the ministerial approval, and does not have the power to dissolve the parliament under his or her own desire. Finland is actually represented by its prime minister, and not by its president, in the Council of the Heads of State and Government of the European Union. The 2012 constitutional amendments reduced the powers of the president even further.</ref> The position still does entail some powers, including responsibility for foreign policy (excluding affairs related to the European Union) in cooperation with the cabinet, being the head of the armed forces, some decree and pardoning powers, and some appointive powers. Direct, one- or two-stage elections are used to elect the president for a term of six years and for a maximum of two consecutive 6-year terms. The current president is Sauli Niinistö; he took office on 1 March 2012. Former presidents were K. J. Ståhlberg (1919–1925), L. K. Relander (1925–1931), P. E. Svinhufvud (1931–1937), Kyösti Kallio (1937–1940), Risto Ryti (1940–1944), C. G. E. Mannerheim (1944–1946), J. K. Paasikivi (1946–1956), Urho Kekkonen (1956–1982), Mauno Koivisto (1982–1994), Martti Ahtisaari (1994–2000), and Tarja Halonen (2000–2012).

The current president was elected from the ranks of the National Coalition Party for the first time since 1946. The presidency between 1946 and the present was instead held by a member of the Social Democratic Party or the Centre Party.

Parliament

{{Main|Parliament of Finland}}

The Parliament of Finland's main building along Mannerheimintie in Töölö, Helsinki
The Session Hall of the Parliament of Finland

The 200-member unicameral Parliament of Finland ({{Lang-fi|Eduskunta}}, {{Lang-sv|Riksdag}}) exercises supreme legislative authority in the country. It may alter the constitution and ordinary laws, dismiss the cabinet, and override presidential vetoes. Its acts are not subject to judicial review; the constitutionality of new laws is assessed by the parliament's constitutional law committee. The parliament is elected for a term of four years using the proportional D'Hondt method within a number of multi-seat constituencies through the most open list multi-member districts. Various parliament committees listen to experts and prepare legislation.

Since universal suffrage was introduced in 1906, the parliament has been dominated by the Centre Party (former Agrarian Union), the National Coalition Party, and the Social Democrats. These parties have enjoyed approximately equal support, and their combined vote has totalled about 65–80% of all votes. Their lowest common total of MPs, 121, was reached in the 2011 elections. For a few decades after 1944, the Communists were a strong fourth party. Due to the electoral system of proportional representation, and the relative reluctance of voters to switch their support between parties, the relative strengths of the parties have commonly varied only slightly from one election to another. However, there have been some long-term trends, such as the rise and fall of the Communists during the Cold War; the steady decline into insignificance of the Liberals and their predecessors from 1906 to 1980; and the rise of the Green League since 1983.

The Marin Cabinet is the incumbent 76th government of Finland. It was formed following the collapse of the Rinne Cabinet and officially took office on 10 December 2019.<ref name=NYT1>{{Cite news| last1 = Lemola | first1 = Johanna | last2 = Specia | first2 = Megan | date=10 December 2019| title=Who Is Sanna Marin, Finland's 34-Year-Old Prime Minister? | work=The New York Times|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/10/world/europe/finland-sanna-marin.html | access-date=4 February 2020 | language = en | issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=NYT2>{{Cite news| last=Specia |first=Megan | date=10 December 2019| title=Sanna Marin of Finland to Become World's Youngest Prime Minister|work=The New York Times|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/09/world/europe/finland-prime-minister-sanna-marin.html | access-date=4 February 2020 | language = en | issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The cabinet consists of a coalition formed by the Social Democratic Party, the Centre Party, the Green League, the Left Alliance, and the Swedish People's Party.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kaatuneen hallituksen kaikki puolueet halukkaita jatkoon samalla hallitusohjelmalla – vanhan opposition puolueet eivät hyväksy ohjelmaa |url=https://www.savonsanomat.fi/kotimaa/Kaatuneen-hallituksen-kaikki-puolueet-halukkaita-jatkoon-samalla-hallitusohjelmalla-%E2%80%93-vanhan-opposition-puolueet-eiv%C3%A4t-hyv%C3%A4ksy-ohjelmaa/1479764 |work=Savon Sanomat |language= fi |access-date=10 December 2019 |date=7 December 2019}}</ref>

Cabinet

{{See also|List of female cabinet ministers of Finland}} After parliamentary elections, the parties negotiate among themselves on forming a new cabinet (the Finnish Government), which then has to be approved by a simple majority vote in the parliament. The cabinet can be dismissed by a parliamentary vote of no confidence, although this rarely happens (the last time in 1957), as the parties represented in the cabinet usually make up a majority in the parliament.<ref>The Finnish Wikipedia's article on Motion of no confidence</ref>{{circular reference|date=December 2020}}

The cabinet exercises most executive powers, and originates most of the bills that the parliament then debates and votes on. It is headed by the Prime Minister of Finland, and consists of him or her, of other ministers, and of the Chancellor of Justice. The current prime minister is Sanna Marin (Social Democratic Party). Each minister heads his or her ministry, or, in some cases, has responsibility for a subset of a ministry's policy. After the prime minister, the most powerful minister is the minister of finance. The incumbent Minister of Finance is Matti Vanhanen.

As no one party ever dominates the parliament, Finnish cabinets are multi-party coalitions. As a rule, the post of prime minister goes to the leader of the biggest party and that of the minister of finance to the leader of the second biggest.

Law

{{Main|Law of Finland|Judicial system of Finland}}

The Court House of the Supreme Court

The judicial system of Finland is a civil law system divided between courts with regular civil and criminal jurisdiction and administrative courts with jurisdiction over litigation between individuals and the public administration. Finnish law is codified and based on Swedish law and in a wider sense, civil law or Roman law. The court system for civil and criminal jurisdiction consists of local courts (käräjäoikeus, tingsrätt), regional appellate courts (hovioikeus, hovrätt), and the Supreme Court (korkein oikeus, högsta domstolen). The administrative branch of justice consists of administrative courts (hallinto-oikeus, förvaltningsdomstol) and the Supreme Administrative Court (korkein hallinto-oikeus, högsta förvaltningsdomstolen). In addition to the regular courts, there are a few special courts in certain branches of administration. There is also a High Court of Impeachment for criminal charges against certain high-ranking officeholders.

Around 92% of residents have confidence in Finland's security institutions.<ref name="corruptionpolicing">Policing corruption, International Perspectives.</ref> The overall crime rate of Finland is not high in the EU context. Some crime types are above average, notably the high homicide rate for Western Europe.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/images/3/3e/Intentional_homicides%2C_2016_%28police-recorded_offences_per_100_000_inhabitants%29.png |title=File:Intentional homicides, 2016 (police-recorded offences per 100 000 inhabitants).png |access-date=10 December 2010}}</ref> A day fine system is in effect and also applied to offenses such as speeding.

Finland has successfully fought against government corruption, which was more common in the 1970s and 1980s.<ref name="corruption">The History of Corruption in Central Government By Seppo Tiihonen, International Institute of Administrative Sciences</ref>{{verify source|date=March 2011|reason=Surprising, not clear what part of the work is used.}} For instance, economic reforms and EU membership introduced stricter requirements for open bidding and many public monopolies were abolished.<ref name="corruption" /> Today, Finland has a very low number of corruption charges; Transparency International ranks Finland as one of the least corrupt countries in Europe.

In 2008, Transparency International criticized the lack of transparency of the system of Finnish political finance.<ref>Vaalijohtaja: Vaalirahoituslain rikkominen melko yleistä YLE 15 May 2008</ref> According to GRECO in 2007, corruption should be taken into account in the Finnish system of election funds better.<ref>Evaluation Report on Finland on Incriminations, Theme I, s. 21, GRECO 3–7.12.2007</ref> A scandal revolving around campaign finance of the 2007 parliamentary elections broke out in spring 2008. Nine cabinet ministers submitted incomplete funding reports and even more of the members of parliament. The law includes no punishment of false funds reports of the elected politicians.

Foreign relations

{{Main|Foreign relations of Finland}}

Martti Ahtisaari receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008

According to the 2012 constitution, the president (currently Sauli Niinistö) leads foreign policy in cooperation with the government, except that the president has no role in EU affairs.<ref name="Finnish constitution.">Finnish constitution, Section 93.</ref>

In 2008, president Martti Ahtisaari was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.<ref name="Nobelprize">{{cite web |url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2008/%7Ctitle=The Nobel Peace Prize 2008|work=The Nobel Foundation|publisher=Nobelprize.org|access-date=10 May 2009}}</ref> Finland was considered a cooperative model state, and Finland did not oppose proposals for a common EU defence policy.<ref name="foreignpolicyidea" /> This was reversed in the 2000s, when Tarja Halonen and Erkki Tuomioja made Finland's official policy to resist other EU members' plans for common defence.<ref name="foreignpolicyidea">"Finland's foreign policy idea" ("Suomen ulkopolitiikan idea"), Risto E. J. Penttilä, 2008.</ref>

Military

{{Main|Finnish Defence Forces|Military history of Finland}} {{See also|List of wars involving Finland}}

Finnish Leopard 2A4 tank Ps 273–106 in a combat demonstration at Comprehensive security exhibition 2015 in Tampere.

The Finnish Defence Forces consist of a cadre of professional soldiers (mainly officers and technical personnel), currently serving conscripts, and a large reserve. The standard readiness strength is 34,700 people in uniform, of which 25% are professional soldiers. A universal male conscription is in place, under which all male Finnish nationals above 18 years of age serve for 6 to 12 months of armed service or 12 months of civilian (non-armed) service. Voluntary post-conscription overseas peacekeeping service is popular, and troops serve around the world in UN, NATO, and EU missions. Approximately 500 women choose voluntary military service every year.<ref>Women's voluntary service {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409182820/http://www.mil.fi/varusmies/naisten_vapaaehtoinen_asepalvelus.dsp |date=9 April 2008 }} (in Finnish)</ref> Women are allowed to serve in all combat arms including front-line infantry and special forces. The army consists of a highly mobile field army backed up by local defence units. The army defends the national territory and its military strategy employs the use of the heavily forested terrain and numerous lakes to wear down an aggressor, instead of attempting to hold the attacking army on the frontier.

Sisu Nasu NA-110 tracked transport vehicle of the Finnish Army. Most conscripts receive training for warfare in winter, and transport vehicles such as this give mobility in heavy snow.

Finnish defence expenditure per capita is one of the highest in the European Union.<ref>Työvoimakustannukset puuttuvat puolustusmenoista, Statistics Finland (in Finnish): Eurostat ranking is sixth, but the third when conscription is accounted.</ref> The Finnish military doctrine is based on the concept of total defence. The term total means that all sectors of the government and economy are involved in the defence planning. The armed forces are under the command of the Chief of Defence (currently General Jarmo Lindberg), who is directly subordinate to the president in matters related to military command. The branches of the military are the army, the navy, and the air force. The border guard is under the Ministry of the Interior but can be incorporated into the Defence Forces when required for defence readiness.

Even while Finland hasn't joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the country has joined the NATO Response Force, the EU Battlegroup,<ref>{{cite web|title=European Union battlegroups|url=http://puolustusvoimat.fi/en/international-crisis-management/eu-battle-group%7Cpublisher=Finnish Defence Forces|access-date=27 May 2018}}</ref> the NATO Partnership for Peace and in 2014 signed a NATO memorandum of understanding,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://natowatch.org/sites/default/files/briefing_paper_no.51_finland_and_nato.pdf |title=Is Finland taking a step closer to NATO membership |first=Nigel |last=Chamberlain |publisher=NATO Watch |date=19 May 2014 |access-date=27 May 2018}}</erf></ref><ref name="eduskunta.fi">MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU) BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF FINLAND AND HEADQUARTERS, SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER TRANSFORMATION. NATO</ref> thus forming a practical coalition.<ref name="nato.int" /> In 2015, the Finland-NATO ties were strengthened with a host nation support agreement allowing assistance from NATO troops in emergency situations.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://www.wsj.com/articles/sweden-and-finland-forge-closer-ties-with-nato-1409237354 |title = Sweden and Finland Forge Closer Ties With NATO |newspaper = Wall Street Journal }}</ref> Finland has been an active participant in the Afghanistan and Kosovo.<ref>Finnish soldiers involved in 20-minute gunfight in Afghanistan |Yle Uutiset. yle.fi. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref><ref>Finland's participation in NATO-led crisis management operations. Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland</ref>

Social security

{{Main|Social security in Finland}}

Finland has one of the world's most extensive welfare systems, one that guarantees decent living conditions for all residents: Finns, and non-citizens. Since the 1980s the social security has been cut back, but still the system is one of the most comprehensive in the world. Created almost entirely during the first three decades after World War II, the social security system was an outgrowth of the traditional Nordic belief that the state was not inherently hostile to the well-being of its citizens, but could intervene benevolently on their behalf. According to some social historians, the basis of this belief was a relatively benign history that had allowed the gradual emergence of a free and independent peasantry in the Nordic countries and had curtailed the dominance of the nobility and the subsequent formation of a powerful right wing. Finland's history has been harsher than the histories of the other Nordic countries, but not harsh enough to bar the country from following their path of social development.<ref name="LOC">Text from PD source: US Library of Congress: A Country Study: Finland, Library of Congress Call Number DL1012 .A74 1990.</ref>

Human rights

{{Main|Human rights in Finland|Women's suffrage in Finland|LGBT rights in Finland}}

People gathering at the Senate Square, Helsinki, right before the 2011 Helsinki Pride parade started.

§ 6 in two sentences of the Finnish Constitution states: "No one shall be placed in a different position on situation of sex, age, origin, language, religion, belief, opinion, state of health, disability or any other personal reason without an acceptable reason."<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/1999/19990731 | title = Perustuslaki: 2. luku Perusoikeudet, 6 § Yhdenvertaisuus 2 momentti | date = 1999 | publisher = Finlex | access-date = 27 August 2020 | language = fi }}</ref>

Finland has been ranked above average among the world's countries in democracy,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.democracyranking.org/downloads/2012/Scores_of_the_Democracy-Ranking-2012.htm |title=Scores of the Democracy Ranking 2012 |publisher= Global Democracy Ranking |year=2012 |access-date=27 September 2013}}</ref> press freedom,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2013/finland |title=Freedom of the Press: Finland |publisher= Freedom House |year=2013 |access-date=27 September 2013}}</ref> and human development.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/FIN.html |title=Statistics of the Human Development Report |publisher=United Nations Development Programme |year=2013 |access-date=27 September 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131128081803/http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/FIN.html |archive-date=28 November 2013 }}</ref>

Amnesty International has expressed concern regarding some issues in Finland, such as alleged permitting of stopovers of CIA rendition flights, the imprisonment of conscientious objectors, and societal discrimination against Romani people and members of other ethnic and linguistic minorities.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/region/finland/report-2013 |title=Annual Report 2013: Finland |publisher= Amnesty International |year=2013 |access-date=27 September 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm#wrapper |title=Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012: Finland |publisher= U.S. State of Department Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor |year=2012 |access-date=27 September 2013}}</ref>

Economy

{{Main|Economy of Finland}} {{See also|List of companies of Finland|List of largest companies in Finland|Helsinki Stock Exchange}}

Angry Birds Land, a theme park in the Särkänniemi amusement park, in Tampere, Pirkanmaa; the mobile phone game Angry Birds, developed in Finland, has become a commercial hit both domestically and internationally.

The economy of Finland has a per capita output equal to that of other European economies such as those of France, Germany, Belgium, or the UK. The largest sector of the economy is the service sector at 66% of GDP, followed by manufacturing and refining at 31%. Primary production represents 2.9%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_kansantalous_en.html |title=Finland in Figures—National Accounts |work=Statistics Finland |access-date=26 April 2007}}</ref> With respect to foreign trade, the key economic sector is manufacturing. The largest industries in 2007<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_teollisuus_en.html |title=Finland in Figures—Manufacturing |work=Statistics Finland |access-date=26 April 2007}}</ref> were electronics (22%); machinery, vehicles, and other engineered metal products (21.1%); forest industry (13%); and chemicals (11%). The gross domestic product peaked in 2008. {{As of|2015}}, the country's economy is at the 2006 level.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://yle.fi/uutiset/finlands_lost_decade_continueseconomy_same_size_as_in_2006/8044629 |title = Finland's 'lost decade' continues—economy same size as in 2006 |work = yle.fi |date = 4 June 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/35c8560c-c62f-11e4-add0-00144feab7de.html |title = Finland's economy: In search of the sunny side |work=Financial Times |location=London |date = 11 March 2015 }}</ref>

Finland has significant timber, mineral (iron, chromium, copper, nickel, and gold), and freshwater resources. Forestry, paper factories, and the agricultural sector (on which taxpayers spend{{clarify|subsidize?|date=June 2017}} around €3 billion annually) are important for rural residents so any policy changes affecting these sectors are politically sensitive for politicians dependent on rural votes. The Greater Helsinki area generates around one third of Finland's GDP. In a 2004 OECD comparison, high-technology manufacturing in Finland ranked second largest after Ireland. Knowledge-intensive services have also resulted in the smallest and slow-growth sectors – especially agriculture and low-technology manufacturing – being ranked the second largest after Ireland.<ref name="oecd2004">Finland Economy 2004, OECD</ref>

Finland's climate and soils make growing crops a particular challenge. The country lies between the latitudes 60°N and 70°N, and it has severe winters and relatively short growing seasons that are sometimes interrupted by frost. However, because the Gulf Stream and the North Atlantic Drift Current moderate the climate, Finland contains half of the world's arable land north of 60° north latitude. Annual precipitation is usually sufficient, but it occurs almost exclusively during the winter months, making summer droughts a constant threat. In response to the climate, farmers have relied on quick-ripening and frost-resistant varieties of crops, and they have cultivated south-facing slopes as well as richer bottomlands to ensure production even in years with summer frosts. Most farmland was originally either forest or swamp, and the soil has usually required treatment with lime and years of cultivation to neutralize excess acid and to improve fertility. Irrigation has generally not been necessary, but drainage systems are often needed to remove excess water. Finland's agriculture has been efficient and productive—at least when compared with farming in other European countries.<ref name="LOC" />

A treemap representing the exports of Finland in 2017

Forests play a key role in the country's economy, making it one of the world's leading wood producers and providing raw materials at competitive prices for the crucial wood-processing industries. As in agriculture, the government has long played a leading role in forestry, regulating tree cutting, sponsoring technical improvements, and establishing long-term plans to ensure that the country's forests continue to supply the wood-processing industries. To maintain the country's comparative advantage in forest products, Finnish authorities moved to raise lumber output toward the country's ecological limits. In 1984, the government published the Forest 2000 plan, drawn up by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The plan aimed at increasing forest harvests by about 3% per year, while conserving forestland for recreation and other uses.<ref name="LOC" />

Private sector employees amount to 1.8 million, out of which around a third with tertiary education. The average cost of a private sector employee per hour was €25.10 in 2004.<ref>Tehdyn työtunnin hinta 23–27 euroa, Statistics Finland</ref> {{As of|2008}}, average purchasing power-adjusted income levels are similar to those of Italy, Sweden, Germany, and France.<ref name="incomecomparison">{{cite web |url=http://www.tilastokeskus.fi/artikkelit/2008/art_2008-06-09_001.html |title=Suomalaisten tulot Euroopan keskitasoa. Hyvinvointipalvelut eivät paranna sijoitusta |publisher=Tilastokeskus.fi |date=9 June 2008 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> In 2006, 62% of the workforce worked for enterprises with less than 250 employees and they accounted for 49% of total business turnover and had the strongest rate of growth.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/htimes/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=895:small-enterprises-grow-faster-than-the-big-ones&catid=33:general&Itemid=201 |title=Small enterprises grow faster than the big ones |publisher=Helsinkitimes.fi |date=11 April 2008 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> The female employment rate is high. Gender segregation between male-dominated professions and female-dominated professions is higher than in the US.<ref name="niels">The Nordic Model of Welfare: A Historical Reappraisal, by Niels Finn Christiansen</ref> The proportion of part-time workers was one of the lowest in OECD in 1999.<ref name="niels" /> In 2013, the 10 largest private sector employers in Finland were Itella, Nokia, OP-Pohjola, ISS, VR, Kesko, UPM-Kymmene, YIT, Metso, and Nordea.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.talouselama.fi/uutiset/sata-suurinta-tyonantajaa-nokia-jai-kakkoseksi/72619deb-427d-3852-8a82-edfa4a7e818e%7Ctitle=Sata suurinta työnantajaa: Nokia jäi kakkoseksi|first=Antti|last=Mikkonen|website=Talouselämä}}</ref>

The unemployment rate was 9.4% in 2015, having risen from 8.7% in 2014.<ref>{{cite web |author=Finland in Figures |url=http://www.tilastokeskus.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_tyoelama_en.html |title=Statistics Finland: Labour Market |publisher=Tilastokeskus.fi |date=22 January 2015 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> Youth unemployment rate rose from 16.5% in 2007 to 20.5% in 2014.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Towards employment |work=SixDegrees |date=2016-01-16 |access-date=2016-07-21 |url= https://www.6d.fi/index.php/society/945-towards-employment |language=en }}</ref> A fifth of residents are outside the job market at the age of 50 and less than a third are working at the age of 61.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oecd.org/document/9/0,3343,en_2649_34747_28023113_1_1_1_1,00.html |title=OECD recommends Finland to do more to help older people stay in work |publisher=Oecd.org |date=1 January 1970 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> In 2014, nearly one million people were living with minimal wages or unemployed not enough to cover their costs of living.<ref>yle.fi; Suomessa on liki miljoona köyhää –"Heikoimmassa asemassa olevista on tullut muukalaisia" |Yle Uutiset. (28 August 2014). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

access-date=11 January 2021}}</ref>

{{As of|2006}}, 2.4 million households reside in Finland. The average size is 2.1 persons; 40% of households consist of a single person, 32% two persons and 28% three or more persons. Residential buildings total 1.2 million, and the average residential space is {{convert|38|m2}} per person. The average residential property without land costs €1,187 per sq metre and residential land €8.60 per sq metre. 74% of households had a car. There are 2.5 million cars and 0.4 million other vehicles.<ref>{{cite web|author=Finland in Figures |url=http://www.tilastokeskus.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_liikenne_en.html |title=Statistics Finland: Transport and Tourism|publisher=Tilastokeskus.fi|access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref>

Around 92% have a mobile phone and 83.5% (2009) Internet connection at home. The average total household consumption was €20,000, out of which housing consisted of about €5,500, transport about €3,000, food and beverages (excluding alcoholic beverages) at around €2,500, and recreation and culture at around €2,000.<ref>{{cite web |author=Households' consumption |url=http://www.tilastokeskus.fi/til/ktutk/2006/ktutk_2006_2007-12-19_tie_001_en.html |title=Own-account worker households' consumption has grown most in 2001–2006 |publisher=Tilastokeskus.fi |date=19 December 2007 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> According to Invest in Finland, private consumption grew by 3% in 2006 and consumer trends included durables, high-quality products, and spending on well-being.<ref>"Retail growth best in Finland for five years". For updates, see the Invest in Finland website.</ref>

In 2017, Finland's GDP reached €224 billion. However, second quarter of 2018 saw a slow economic growth. Unemployment rate fell to a near one-decade low in June, marking private consumption growth much higher.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.focus-economics.com/countries/finland%7Ctitle=Finland Economic Outlook|access-date=25 September 2018}}</ref>

Finland has the highest concentration of cooperatives relative to its population.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://maine.coop/Finland.php |title=Finland: Globalization Insurance: Finland's Leap of Caution |website=Cooperatives Build a Better Maine|publisher=Cooperative Maine Business Alliance & Cooperative Development Institute |access-date=1 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202042001/http://maine.coop/Finland.php |archive-date=2 February 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The largest retailer, which is also the largest private employer, S-Group, and the largest bank, OP-Group, in the country are both cooperatives.

Energy

{{See also|Nordic energy market|Peat energy in Finland|Nuclear power in Finland}}

access-date=7 November 2013}}</ref>

The free and largely privately owned financial and physical Nordic energy markets traded in NASDAQ OMX Commodities Europe and Nord Pool Spot exchanges, have provided competitive prices compared with other EU countries. {{As of|2007}}, Finland has roughly the lowest industrial electricity prices in the EU-15 (equal to France).<ref>Electricity prices—industrial users. Web.archive.org. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

In 2006, the energy market was around 90 terawatt hours and the peak demand around 15 gigawatts in winter. This means that the energy consumption per capita is around 7.2 tons of oil equivalent per year. Industry and construction consumed 51% of total consumption, a relatively high figure reflecting Finland's industries.<ref>{{cite web |author=Energy consumption |url=http://www.stat.fi/til/ekul/2006/ekul_2006_2007-12-12_kuv_009_en.html |title=Statistics Finland |publisher=Stat.fi |date= 12 December 2007|access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Energy consumption |url=http://www.stat.fi/til/ekul/2006/ekul_2006_2007-12-12_tie_001_en.html |title=Total energy consumption |publisher=Stat.fi |date=12 December 2007 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> Finland's hydrocarbon resources are limited to peat and wood. About 10–15% of the electricity is produced by hydropower,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metsavastaa.net/vattenkraft |title=Metsävastaa: Vattenkraft |language=sv |publisher=Metsavastaa.net |access-date=6 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090303204918/http://www.metsavastaa.net/vattenkraft |archive-date=3 March 2009 }}</ref> which is low compared with more mountainous Sweden or Norway. In 2008, renewable energy (mainly hydropower and various forms of wood energy) was high at 31% compared with the EU average of 10.3% in final energy consumption.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.energy.eu/#renewable |title=Europe's Energy Portal |publisher=energy.eu |access-date=17 February 2011}}</ref> Russia supplies more than 75% of Finland's oil imports and 100% of total gas imports.<ref> {{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/pdfscache/46126.pdf%7Ctitle=EU imports of energy products - recent developments|date=4 July 2018|publisher=Eurostat|pages=3–4}} </ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Europe helps fund non-Russia gas line for Finland |url=https://www.upi.com/Energy-News/2016/08/10/Europe-helps-fund-non-Russia-gas-line-for-Finland/6271470828765/ |work=United Press International |date=10 August 2016}}</ref>

File:Statistics of the energy supply in Finland.jpg
access-date=28 February 2015}}</ref>

Finland has four privately owned nuclear reactors producing 18% of the country's energy<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tilastokeskus.fi/tk/yr/yeenergiakuviot_en.pdf |title=Energy Consumption in 2001 |work=Statistics Finland |access-date=22 January 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061108043546/http://tilastokeskus.fi/tk/yr/yeenergiakuviot_en.pdf |archive-date=8 November 2006 }}</ref> and one research reactor (decommissioned 2018 <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.vtt.fi/palvelut/v%C3%A4h%C3%A4hiilinen-energia/ydinvoima/tutkimusreaktorin-purku |title = FiR 1 -ydinreaktorin käytöstä poisto}}</ref>) at the Otaniemi campus. The fifth AREVA-Siemens-built reactor – the world's largest at 1600 MWe and a focal point of Europe's nuclear industry – has faced many delays and is currently scheduled to be operational by 2018–2020, a decade after the original planned opening.<ref name="kauppalehti-02-2014">{{cite news |title = Areva ajaa Olkiluodon työmaata alas |author = Paula Nikula |url = http://www.kauppalehti.fi/etusivu/areva+ajaa+olkiluodon+tyomaata+alas/201402652139 |language = fi |publisher = Kauppalehti |date = 28 February 2014 |access-date = 28 February 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140304095114/http://www.kauppalehti.fi/etusivu/areva+ajaa+olkiluodon+tyomaata+alas/201402652139 |archive-date = 4 March 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> A varying amount (5–17%) of electricity has been imported from Russia (at around 3 gigawatt power line capacity), Sweden and Norway.

The Onkalo spent nuclear fuel repository is currently under construction at the Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant in the municipality of Eurajoki, on the west coast of Finland, by the company Posiva.<ref>{{cite news |title=Journey deep into the Finnish caverns where nuclear waste will be buried for millenia |url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/olkiluoto-island-finland-nuclear-waste-onkalo |work=Wired |date=24 April 2017}}</ref> Energy companies are about to increase nuclear power production, as in July 2010 the Finnish parliament granted permits for additional two new reactors.

Transport

{{Main|Transport in Finland}} {{multiple image 

| direction = vertical
| alignment = left
| width = 180
| footer = The state-owned VR operates a railway network serving all major cities in Finland.
| image3 = VR Sr1 3089.jpg
| caption3 = Soviet-made electric locomotive VR Class Sr1 model from 1981
| image2 = Vr sr3 3304 3307 3306.jpg
| caption2 = Three VR Class Sr3 locomotives
| image1 = VR Sr2 3202 Tampere 2012-06-22.JPG
| caption1 = A VR Class Sr2 locomotive

}}

Finland's road system is utilized by most internal cargo and passenger traffic. The annual state operated road network expenditure of around €1 billion is paid for with vehicle and fuel taxes which amount to around €1.5 billion and €1 billion, respectively. Among the Finnish highways, the most significant and busiest main roads include the Turku Highway (E18), the Tampere Highway (E12), the Lahti Highway (E75), and the ring roads (Ring I and Ring III) of the Helsinki metropolitan area and the Tampere Ring Road of the Tampere urban area.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://newsnowfinland.fi/domestic/top-gear-finlands-busiest-roads-revealed%7Ctitle=Top Gear: Finland's Busiest Roads Revealed | News Now Finland|first=News Now|last=Staff|date=19 March 2018}}</ref>

The main international passenger gateway is Helsinki Airport, which handled about 17 million passengers in 2016. Oulu Airport is the second largest, whilst another 25 airports have scheduled passenger services.<ref name="finavia_pass_stats">{{cite web |url=http://www.finavia.fi/files/finavia/vuosikertomukset_pdf/Finavia_vsk_2008_GB_LR.pdf |title=Airport operations |work=Annual report 2008 |date=17 March 2009 |access-date=28 July 2009 |location=Vantaa |publisher=Finavia |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807205454/http://www.finavia.fi/files/finavia/vuosikertomukset_pdf/Finavia_vsk_2008_GB_LR.pdf |archive-date=7 August 2011 }}</ref> The Helsinki Airport-based Finnair, Blue1, and Nordic Regional Airlines, Norwegian Air Shuttle sell air services both domestically and internationally. Helsinki has an optimal location for great circle (i.e. the shortest and most efficient) routes between Western Europe and the Far East.

Despite having a low population density, the Government annually spends around €350 million to maintain the {{convert|5865|km|mi|adj=mid|-long}} network of railway tracks. Rail transport is handled by the state owned VR Group, which has a 5% passenger market share (out of which 80% are from urban trips in Greater Helsinki) and 25% cargo market share.<ref name="ljvr">Transport and communications ministry—Rail. For year 2009 update: Finnish Railway Statistics 2010. For subsequent years when available: Finnish Railway Statistics. liikennevirasto.fi</ref> Since 12 December 2010, Karelian Trains, a joint venture between Russian Railways and VR Group, has been running Alstom Pendolino operated high-speed services between Saint Petersburg's Finlyandsky and Helsinki's Central railway stations. These services are branded as "Allegro" trains. The journey from Helsinki to Saint Petersburg takes only three and a half hours. A high-speed rail line is planned between Helsinki and Turku, with a line from the capital to Tampere also proposed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/16167-finland-earmarks-funds-for-new-rail-links-between-helsinki-turku-and-tampere.html%7Ctitle=Finland earmarks funds for new rail links between Helsinki, Turku and Tampere|website=Helsinki Times|date=4 February 2019}}</ref> Helsinki opened the world's northernmost metro system in 1982, which also serves the neighbouring city of Espoo since 2017.

The majority of international cargo shipments are handled at ports. Vuosaari Harbour in Helsinki is the largest container port in Finland; others include Kotka, Hamina, Hanko, Pori, Rauma, and Oulu. There is passenger traffic from Helsinki and Turku, which have ferry connections to Tallinn, Mariehamn, Stockholm and Travemünde. The Helsinki-Tallinn route – one of the busiest passenger sea routes in the world – has also been served by a helicopter line, and the Helsinki-Tallinn Tunnel has been proposed to provide railway services between the two cities.<ref name="busiest">{{Cite web |title=The Busiest Crossing |work=Discover the Baltic |date=2009-04-24 |url= http://discoverthebaltic.com/travel/bblog.htm#280409 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100326210756/http://www.discoverthebaltic.com/travel/bblog.htm |archive-date=2010-03-26 |language=en }}</ref> Largely following the example of the Øresund Bridge between Sweden and Denmark, the Kvarken Bridge connecting Umeå in Sweden and Vaasa in Finland to cross the Gulf of Bothnia has also been planned for decades.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tellerreport.com/news/2020-07-19-politicians-disagree-on-bridge-over-kvarken.rkOCYVt-ew.html%7Ctitle=Politicians disagree on bridge over Kvarken | tellerreport.com|website=www.tellerreport.com}}</ref>

Industry

{{Main|Economy of Finland}}

The Oasis of the Seas was built at the Perno shipyard in Turku.

Finland rapidly industrialized after World War II, achieving GDP per capita levels comparable to that of Japan or the UK in the beginning of the 1970s. Initially, most of the economic development was based on two broad groups of export-led industries, the "metal industry" (metalliteollisuus) and "forest industry" (metsäteollisuus). The "metal industry" includes shipbuilding, metalworking, the automotive industry, engineered products such as motors and electronics, and production of metals and alloys including steel, copper and chromium. Many of the world's biggest cruise ships, including MS Freedom of the Seas and the Oasis of the Seas have been built in Finnish shipyards.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oasisoftheseas.com/presskit/Oasis_of_the_Seas.pdf |title=Oasis of the Seas: Fast Facts |work=OasisoftheSeas.com |date=10 September 2009 |access-date=24 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220080037/http://www.oasisoftheseas.com/presskit/Oasis_of_the_Seas.pdf |archive-date=20 February 2012}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web|title=Freedom of the Seas Fact Sheet - Royal Caribbean Press Center|url=https://www.royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com/fact-sheet/5/freedom-of-the-seas/%7Caccess-date=16 June 2020|website=royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com}}</ref> The "forest industry" includes forestry, timber, pulp and paper, and is often considered a logical development based on Finland's extensive forest resources, as 73% of the area is covered by forest. In the pulp and paper industry, many major companies are based in Finland; Ahlstrom-Munksjö, Metsä Board, and UPM are all Finnish forest-based companies with revenues exceeding €1 billion. However, in recent decades, the Finnish economy has diversified, with companies expanding into fields such as electronics (Nokia), metrology (Vaisala), petroleum (Neste), and video games (Rovio Entertainment), and is no longer dominated by the two sectors of metal and forest industry. Likewise, the structure has changed, with the service sector growing, with manufacturing declining in importance; agriculture remains a minor part. Despite this, production for export is still more prominent than in Western Europe, thus making Finland possibly more vulnerable to global economic trends.

In 2017, the Finnish economy was estimated to consist of approximately 2.7% agriculture, 28.2% manufacturing and 69.1% services.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Europe :: Finland — The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/finland/%7Caccess-date=16 June 2020|website=cia.gov}}</ref> In 2019, the per-capita income of Finland was estimated to be $48,869. In 2020, Finland was ranked 20th on the ease of doing business index, among 190 jurisdictions.

Public policy

{{See also|Nordic model}}

Flags of the Nordic countries from left to right: Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark

Finnish politicians have often emulated the Nordic model.<ref name="nordicmodel">The Nordic Model {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120905212132/http://www.etla.fi/files/1892_the_nordic_model_complete.pdf |date=5 September 2012 }} by Torben M. Andersen, Bengt Holmström, Seppo Honkapohja, Sixten Korkman, Hans Tson Söderström, Juhana Vartiainen</ref> Nordics have been free-trading and relatively welcoming to skilled migrants for over a century, though in Finland immigration is relatively new. The level of protection in commodity trade has been low, except for agricultural products.<ref name="nordicmodel" />

Finland has top levels of economic freedom in many areas.{{clarify|date=April 2011|I have the impression that the Finnish labour market is quite flexible compared with other European countries—is this meant to be in relation to USA?}} Finland is ranked 16th in the 2008 global Index of Economic Freedom and 9th in Europe.<ref name="freedom" /> While the manufacturing sector is thriving, the OECD points out that the service sector would benefit substantially from policy improvements.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kilpailuvirasto.fi/cgi-bin/suomi.cgi?sivu=uut/u-2005-3-1 |title=Kilpailuvirasto.fi |publisher=Kilpailuvirasto.fi |date=17 October 2005 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref>

The 2007 IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook ranked Finland 17th most competitive.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imd.ch/research/publications/wcy/announcing.cfm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612031526/http://www.imd.ch/research/publications/wcy/announcing.cfm |archive-date=12 June 2007 |title=World Competitiveness Yearbook 2007 |publisher=Imd.ch |access-date=26 August 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> The World Economic Forum 2008 index ranked Finland the 6th most competitive.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.weforum.org/en/initiatives/gcp/Global%20Competitiveness%20Report/index.htm |title=The Global Competitiveness Report 2007–2008 |publisher=World Economic Forum |access-date=8 October 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080619083349/http://www.weforum.org/en/initiatives/gcp/Global%2BCompetitiveness%2BReport/index.htm |archive-date=19 June 2008 }}</ref> In both indicators, Finland's performance was next to Germany, and significantly higher than most European countries. In the Business competitiveness index 2007–2008 Finland ranked third in the world.

Economists attribute much growth to reforms in the product markets. According to the OECD, only four EU-15 countries have less regulated product markets (UK, Ireland, Denmark and Sweden) and only one has less regulated financial markets (Denmark). Nordic countries were pioneers in liberalizing energy, postal, and other markets in Europe.<ref name="nordicmodel" /> The legal system is clear and business bureaucracy less than most countries.<ref name="freedom">{{cite web|url=http://www.heritage.org/index/country/Finland |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629041208/http://www.heritage.org/index/country/Finland |archive-date=29 June 2011 |title=Finland economy |publisher=The Heritage Foundation |access-date=26 August 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> Property rights are well protected and contractual agreements are strictly honoured.<ref name="freedom" /> Finland is rated the least corrupt country in the world in the Corruption Perceptions Index<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2012/results/ |title=Corruption Perceptions Index 2012 – Results |publisher=Transparency.org |access-date=12 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131129013918/http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2012/results/ |archive-date=29 November 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and 13th in the Ease of doing business index. This indicates exceptional ease in cross-border trading (5th), contract enforcement (7th), business closure (5th), tax payment (83rd), and low worker hardship (127th).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.doingbusiness.org/economyrankings/%7Ctitle=Ranking of economies – Doing Business – World Bank Group|work=doingbusiness.org}}</ref>

Finnish law forces all workers to obey the national contracts that are drafted every few years for each profession and seniority level. The agreement becomes universally enforceable provided that more than 50% of the employees support it, in practice by being a member of a relevant trade union. The unionization rate is high (70%), especially in the middle class (AKAVA—80%). A lack of a national agreement in an industry is considered an exception.<ref name="oecd2004" /><ref name="nordicmodel" />

Tourism

{{Main|Tourism in Finland}}

website=www.travelofinland.com/}}</ref>
website=Visit Häme}}</ref>

In 2017, tourism in Finland grossed approximately €15.0 billion with a 7% increase from the previous year. Of this, €4.6 billion (30%) came from foreign tourism.<ref name="Matkailutilinpito">{{cite report|author=Business Finland|year=2019|title=Matkailutilinpito: Matkailun talous- ja työllisyysvaikutukset 2016–2017|url= https://www.businessfinland.fi/499c03/contentassets/4b07e15186484a69b62e991ed85a6c45/matkailutilinpito_2016-2017.pdf%7Cpublisher=Business Finland, Visit Finland|access-date=2 April 2020|language = fi}}</ref> In 2017, there were 15.2 million overnight stays of domestic tourists and 6.7 million overnight stays of foreign tourists.<ref name="TEM"/> Much of the sudden growth can be attributed to the globalisation of the country as well as a rise in positive publicity and awareness. While Russia remains the largest market for foreign tourists, the biggest growth came from Chinese markets (35%).<ref name="TEM">{{cite web|url=https://tem.fi/en/finnish-tourism-in-numbers%7Ctitle=Finnish tourism in numbers|author=Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (Finland)|access-date=2 April 2020}}</ref> Tourism contributes roughly 2.7% to Finland's GDP, making it comparable to agriculture and forestry.<ref name="Tourism_infographic"/>

Commercial cruises between major coastal and port cities in the Baltic region, including Helsinki, Turku, Mariehamn, Tallinn, Stockholm, and Travemünde, play a significant role in the local tourism industry. There are also separate ferry connections dedicated to tourism in the vicinity of Helsinki and its region, such as the connection to the fortress island of Suomenlinna<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hel.fi/helsinki/en/maps-and-transport/transport/ferry/%7Ctitle=Ferries%7Cwebsite=Helsingin kaupunki}}</ref> or the connection to the old town of Porvoo.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.msjlruneberg.fi/cruises/helsinki-porvoo/%7Ctitle=Helsinki - Porvoo|website=m/s J.L. Runeberg}}</ref> By passenger counts, the Port of Helsinki is the busiest port in the world after the Port of Dover in the United Kingdom and the Port of Tallinn in Estonia.<ref name="POH">{{cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/pdfscache/6652.pdf%7Ctitle=Maritime ports freight and passenger statistics|publisher=Eurostat|access-date=2 February 2020}}</ref> The Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport is the fourth busiest airport in the Nordic countries in terms of passenger numbers,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.helsinki-airport.com/%7Ctitle=Helsinki Airport (HEL)|publisher=Helsinki Airport|access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref> and about 90% of Finland's international air traffic passes through the airport.<ref>{{cite web|title=Helsinki Airport is designed for smooth travelling|url=https://www.finavia.fi/en/helsinki-airport/in-brief/%7Cpublisher=Finavia%7Caccess-date=25 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161004015600/http://www.finavia.fi/en/helsinki-airport/in-brief/%7Carchive-date=4 October 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Lapland has the highest tourism consumption of any Finnish region.<ref name="Tourism_infographic">{{cite report|author=Business Finland|year=2019|title=Tourism as Export Infographic 2019|url=https://www.businessfinland.fi/494339/globalassets/julkaisut/visit-finland/tutkimukset/2020/2019-tourism-as-export-infographic.pdf%7Cpublisher=Business Finland, Visit Finland|access-date=2 April 2020}}</ref> Above the Arctic Circle, in midwinter, there is a polar night, a period when the sun does not rise for days or weeks, or even months, and correspondingly, midnight sun in the summer, with no sunset even at midnight (for up to 73 consecutive days, at the northernmost point). Lapland is so far north that the aurora borealis, fluorescence in the high atmosphere due to solar wind, is seen regularly in the fall, winter, and spring. Finnish Lapland is also locally regarded as the home of Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus, with several theme parks, such as Santa Claus Village and Santa Park in Rovaniemi.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Real Home of Santa Claus in Finland |url=http://www.lifeinlapland.com/articles/lapland-travel-tips/real-home-santa-korvatunturi.html%7Caccess-date=20 November 2017}}</ref> Other significant tourist destinations in Lapland also include ski resorts (such as Ylläs, Levi and Ruka)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theculturetrip.com/europe/finland/articles/top-12-ski-resorts-in-finland/%7Ctitle=The Top 12 Ski Resorts in Finland|first=Jessica|last=Wood|website=Culture Trip}}</ref> and sleigh rides led by either reindeer or huskies.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://santaclausvillage.info/services/activity-services/santa-claus-reindeer-rides-safaris-rovaniemi/%7Ctitle=Santa Claus Reindeer rides & excursions in Rovaniemi Lapland Finland|website=Santa Claus Village Rovaniemi Finland}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.yllas.fi/en/activities/husky-safaris-and-reindeers.html%7Ctitle=Discover the winter magic with Huskies and Reindeers|website=www.yllas.fi}}</ref>

Tourist attractions in Finland include the natural landscape found throughout the country as well as urban attractions. Finland is covered with thick pine forests, rolling hills, and lakes. Finland contains 40 national parks (such as the Koli National Park in North Karelia), from the Southern shores of the Gulf of Finland to the high fells of Lapland. Outdoor activities range from Nordic skiing, golf, fishing, yachting, lake cruises, hiking, and kayaking, among many others. Bird-watching is popular for those fond of avifauna, however hunting is also popular. Elk and hare are common game in Finland.

Finland also has urbanised regions with many cultural events and activities. The most famous tourist attractions in Helsinki include the Helsinki Cathedral and the Suomenlinna sea fortress. The most well-known Finnish amusement parks include Linnanmäki in Helsinki, Särkänniemi in Tampere, PowerPark in Kauhava, Tykkimäki in Kouvola and Nokkakivi in Laukaa.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://trip101.com/article/theme-parks-in-finland%7Ctitle=Top 6 Theme Parks And Amusement Parks In Finland|date=30 December 2019|website=Trip101}}</ref> St. Olaf's Castle (Olavinlinna) in Savonlinna hosts the annual Savonlinna Opera Festival,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://operafestival.fi/en/%7Ctitle=Home - Savonlinna Opera Festival|access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref> and the medieval milieus of the cities of Turku, Rauma and Porvoo also attract curious spectators.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foreigner.fi/articulo/tourism/five-finnish-cities-worth-touristic-visit/20190623190002002246.html%7Ctitle=5 Finnish cities that deserve a tourist visit|website=Foreigner.fi|access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref>

Demographics

{{Main|Demographics of Finland}} {{Pie chart |thumb = left |caption = Population by ethnic background in 2017<ref name="auto"/><ref name="un"/> |label1 = Finnish |value1 = 91.33 |color1 = #003399 |label2 = Other European |value2 = 4.90 |color2 = #4080bf |label3 = Asian |value3 = 2.50 |color3 = #ff471a |label4 = African |value4 = 0.90 |color4 = #ffff00 |label5 = Other |value5 = 0.37 }}

The population of Finland is currently about 5.5 million. The current birth rate is 10.42 per 1,000 residents, for a fertility rate of 1.49 children born per woman,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/en/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__kuol/?tablelist=true%7Ctitle=PxWeb - Select table|website=pxnet2.stat.fi}}</ref> one of the lowest in the world, significantly below the replacement rate of 2.1. In 1887 Finland recorded its highest rate, 5.17 children born per woman.<ref>{{citation|url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?year=1800&country=FIN%7Ctitle=Total Fertility Rate around the world over the last centuries|author=Max Roser|date=2014|work=Our World In Data, Gapminder Foundation|access-date=7 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190205121631/https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?year=1800&country=FIN%7Carchive-date=5 February 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> Finland has one of the oldest populations in the world, with a median age of 42.6 years.<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/finland/%7Ctitle=World Factbook EUROPE : FINLAND|work=The World Factbook|date=12 July 2018}}</ref> Approximately half of voters are estimated to be over 50 years old.<ref>Tilastokeskus – Population. Stat.fi. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref><ref name="populationdevelopment" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.globalhealthfacts.org/data/topic/map.aspx?ind=81 |title=Median Age (Years) |publisher=GlobalHealthFacts.org |access-date=22 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130403123202/http://www.globalhealthfacts.org/data/topic/map.aspx?ind=81 |archive-date=3 April 2013 }}</ref><ref name="pop_stat">{{cite web|date=4 June 2020|title=Finland in Figures > Population|url=https://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_vaesto_en.html%7Caccess-date=12 August 2020|website=stat.fi|publisher=Statistics Finland}}</ref> Finland has an average population density of 18 inhabitants per square kilometre. This is the third-lowest population density of any European country, behind those of Norway and Iceland, and the lowest population density of any European Union member country. Finland's population has always been concentrated in the southern parts of the country, a phenomenon that became even more pronounced during 20th-century urbanisation. Two of the three largest cities in Finland are situated in the Greater Helsinki metropolitan area—Helsinki and Espoo, and some municipalities in the metropolitan area have also shown clear growth of population year after year, the most notable being Järvenpää, Nurmijärvi, Kirkkonummi, Kerava and Sipoo.<ref>Kirkkonummen Sanomat: Nurmijärvi - ilmiö voimistui heinäkuussa - Kirkkonummella väkiluvun kasvu 1,2 % (in Finnish)</ref> In the largest cities of Finland, Tampere holds the third place after Helsinki and Espoo while also Helsinki-neighbouring Vantaa is the fourth. Other cities with population over 100,000 are Turku, Oulu, Jyväskylä, Kuopio, and Lahti. On the other hand, Sottunga of the Åland Islands is the smallest municipality in Finland in terms of population (Luhanka in mainland Finland),<ref>Kaupunkien ja kuntien lukumäärät ja väestötiedot – Kuntaliitto (in Finnish)</ref> and Savukoski of Lapland is sparsely populated in terms of population density.<ref>Kuntien pinta-alat ja asukastiheydet – Kuntaliitto (in Finnish)</ref>

{{As of|2019}}, there were 423,494 people with a foreign background living in Finland (7.7% of the population), most of whom are from the former Soviet Union, Estonia, Somalia, Iraq and former Yugoslavia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ulkomaalaistaustaiset |publisher=Tilastokeskus |access-date= 2021-04-25 |url= https://www.stat.fi/tup/maahanmuutto/maahanmuuttajat-vaestossa/ulkomaalaistaustaiset.html |language=fi }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Population |publisher=Statistics Finland |date=2021-04-23 |access-date=2021-04-25 |url= https://www.tilastokeskus.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_vaesto_en.html |language=en }}</ref> The children of foreigners are not automatically given Finnish citizenship, as Finnish nationality law practices and maintain jus sanguinis policy where only children born to at least one Finnish parent are granted citizenship. If they are born in Finland and cannot get citizenship of any other country, they become citizens.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Child born in Finland |publisher=Finnish Immigration Service |access-date=2021-04-25 |url= https://migri.fi/en/child-born-in-finland |language=en }}</ref> Additionally, certain persons of Finnish descent who reside in countries that were once part of Soviet Union, retain the right of return, a right to establish permanent residency in the country, which would eventually entitle them to qualify for citizenship.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.migri.fi/netcomm/content.asp?path=8,2475 |title=Finnish Directorate of Immigration |date=10 November 2011 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111110122502/http://www.migri.fi/netcomm/content.asp?path=8,2475 |archive-date=10 November 2011 }}</ref> 387,215 people in Finland in 2018 were born in another country, representing 7% of the population. The 10 largest foreign born groups are (in order) from Russia, Estonia, Sweden, Iraq, Somalia, China, Thailand, Serbia, Vietnam and Turkey.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/en/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__vaerak/?tablelist%7Ctitle=PxWeb - Select table|website=pxnet2.stat.fi}}</ref>

Finland's immigrant population is growing. By 2035, the three largest cites in Finland are projected to have over a quarter of residents of a foreign-speaking background: in Helsinki, they are projected to form 26% of the population; in Espoo, 30%; and in Vantaa, 34%. The Helsinki region is projected to have 437,000 people of a foreign linguistic background, compared to 201,000 in 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hel.fi/uutiset/fi/kaupunginkanslia/helsingin-seudun-vieraskielinen-vaesto-yli-kaksinkertaistuu-vuoteen-2035-mennessa%7Ctitle=Helsingin seudun vieraskielinen väestö yli kaksinkertaistuu vuoteen 2035 mennessä|website=Helsingin kaupunki}}</ref>

Language

{{Main|Finnish language|Finland Swedish|Languages of Finland}} {{See also|List of municipalities of Finland in which Finnish is not the sole official language}}

bilingual with Finnish as majority language, Sami as minority language}}

Finnish and Swedish are the official languages of Finland. Finnish predominates nationwide while Swedish is spoken in some coastal areas in the west and south (such as Raseborg,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theculturetrip.com/europe/finland/articles/the-10-most-beautiful-towns-in-finland/%7Ctitle=The 10 Most Beautiful Towns In Finland|first=Lani|last=Seelinger|website=Culture Trip}}</ref> Pargas,<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/18417-twice-a-minority-foreign-immigration-to-swedish-speaking-communities-in-finland.html%7Ctitle=Twice a minority: foreign immigration to Swedish-speaking communities in Finland|website=www.helsinkitimes.fi}}</ref> Närpes,<ref name="auto1"/> Kristinestad,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/themes/themes/travel/12675-discovering-swedish-speaking-municipalities-kristinestad.html%7Ctitle=Discovering Swedish-speaking municipalities: Kristinestad|website=www.helsinkitimes.fi}}</ref> Jakobstad<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/themes/themes/travel/13124-discovering-swedish-speaking-municipalities-jakobstad.html%7Ctitle=Discovering Swedish-speaking municipalities: Jakobstad|website=www.helsinkitimes.fi}}</ref> and Nykarleby.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/themes/themes/travel/12953-discovering-swedish-speaking-municipalities-nykarleby.html%7Ctitle=Discovering Swedish-speaking municipalities: Nykarleby|website=www.helsinkitimes.fi}}</ref>) and in the autonomous region of Åland, which is the only monolingual Swedish-speaking region in Finland.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.norden.org/en/info-norden/swedish-language-courses-foreigners-aland%7Ctitle=Swedish language courses for foreigners in Åland | Nordic cooperation|website=www.norden.org}}</ref> The native language of 87.3% of the population is Finnish,<ref name="Population according to language">{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.fi/til/vaerak/2015/vaerak_2015_2016-04-01_tau_002_en.html |title=Appendix table 2. Population according to language 1980–2015 |work=Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Population structure |access-date=27 November 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stat.fi/tup/julkaisut/tiedostot/julkaisuluettelo/yyti_fif_201900_2019_21461_net.pdf |title=Finland in Figures 2019 |work=Statistics Finland |date=June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190711184650/https://www.stat.fi/tup/julkaisut/tiedostot/julkaisuluettelo/yyti_fif_201900_2019_21461_net.pdf |archive-date=11 July 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> which is part of the Finnic subgroup of the Uralic languages. The language is one of only four official EU languages not of Indo-European origin, and has no relation to the other national languages of the Nordics. Conversely, Finnish is closely related to Estonian and Karelian, and more distantly to Hungarian and the Sami languages.

Swedish is the native language of 5.2% of the population (Swedish-speaking Finns).<ref name="population-2016">Statistics Finland, Population Retrieved on 18 October 2017.</ref> Finnish is dominant in all the country's larger cities; though Helsinki, Turku and Vaasa were once predominantly Swedish-speaking, they have undergone a language shift since the 19th century to become largely Finnish-speaking.

Swedish is a compulsory school subject and general knowledge of the language is good among non-native speakers. In 2005, a total of 47% of Finnish citizens reported the ability to speak Swedish, either as primary or a secondary language.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_243_en.pdf%7Ctitle=Europeans and their languages, situation in 2005|publisher=European Commission|access-date=5 January 2021}}</ref> Likewise, a majority of mainland Sweden Finns are able to speak Finnish. However, most Sweden Finnish youth reported seldom using Finnish: 71% reported always or mostly speaking Swedish in social settings outside of their households.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hbl.fi/artikel/finlandssvenska-ungdomar-talar-sallan-finska-sarskilt-pa-natet-ar-finskan-ovanlig/%7C title=Finlandssvenska ungdomar talar sällan finska - särskilt på nätet är finskan ovanlig|publisher=Hufvudstadsbladet|last=Piippo|first=Mikael|date=12 December 2018|access-date=5 January 2021}}</ref> The Finnish side of the land border with Sweden is unilingually Finnish-speaking, with a stark language divide over the Torne River: on the Swedish side, a Northern Swedish accent can be heard that is distinct from the Swedish spoken in other parts of Finland. There is a sizeable pronunciation difference between the varieties of Swedish spoken in the two countries, although their mutual intelligibility is nearly universal.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.infofinland.fi/sv/livet-i-finland/finska-och-svenska-spraket/det-svenska-spraket-i-finland%7Ctitle=Det svenska språket i Finland|publisher=InfoFinland|language=sv|access-date=5 January 2021}}</ref>

The Nordic languages and Karelian are also specially recognized in parts of Finland.

Finnish Romani is spoken by some 5,000–6,000 people; Romani and Finnish Sign Language are also recognized in the constitution. There are two sign languages: Finnish Sign Language, spoken natively by 4,000–5,000 people,<ref>{{cite web |title=Forskningscentralen för de inhemska språken—Teckenspråken i Finland |language=sv |url=http://www.kotus.fi/index.phtml?l=sv&s=206 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318084839/http://www.kotus.fi/index.phtml?l=sv&s=206 |archive-date=18 March 2015 }}</ref> and Finland-Swedish Sign Language, spoken natively by about 150 people. Tatar is spoken by a Finnish Tatar minority of about 800 people whose ancestors moved to Finland mainly during Russian rule from the 1870s to the 1920s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://forum.hunturk.net/national-minorities-of-finland-the-tatars-2491.html |title=National Minorities of Finland, The Tatars |publisher=Forum.hunturk.net |access-date=6 December 2011}}</ref>

The Sami language has an official status in Lapland where the Sami people predominate, numbering around 7,000<ref>According to the Finnish Population Registry Centre and the Finnish Sami parliament, the Sami population living in Finland was 7,371 in 2003. See Regional division of Sami people in Finland by age in 2003 (in Finnish).</ref> and recognized as an indigenous people. About a quarter of them speak a Sami language as their mother tongue.<ref name="Population 2006-12-31">{{cite web |url=http://tilastokeskus.fi/til/vaerak/2006/vaerak_2006_2007-03-23_tie_001_en.html |title=The population of Finland in 2006 |work=Statistics Finland |date=31 December 2006 |access-date=4 September 2007}}</ref> The Sami languages that are spoken in Finland are Northern Sami, Inari Sami, and Skolt Sami.{{refn|group=note|The names for Finland in its Sami languages are: {{lang|se|Suopma}} (Northern Sami), {{lang|smn|Suomâ}} (Inari Sami) and {{lang|sms|Lää'ddjânnam}} (Skolt Sami). See Geonames.de.}}

The rights of minority groups (in particular Sami, Swedish speakers, and Romani people) are protected by the constitution.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/kaannokset/1999/en19990731.pdf |title=The Constitution of Finland, 17 § and 121 § |work=FINLEX Data Bank |access-date=4 September 2007}}</ref>

The largest immigrant languages are Russian (1.5%), Estonian (0.9%), Arabic (0.6%), Somali (0.4%) and English (0.4%).<ref name="population-2016" /> English is studied by most pupils as a compulsory subject from the first grade (at seven years of age) in the comprehensive school (in some schools other languages can be chosen instead),<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/15462-finland-s-first-graders-to-start-learning-foreign-language-in-spring-2020.html%7Ctitle=Finland's first-graders to start learning foreign language in spring 2020|last=Teivainen|first=Aleksi|date=13 April 2019|work=Helsinki Times|access-date=1 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite thesis|last=Yang|first=Junyi|title=Teachers' Role in Developing Healthy Self-esteem in Young Learners: A study of English language teachers in Finland|date=Spring 2018|degree=Master’s Degree Program in Early Language Education for Intercultural Communication|publisher=University of Eastern Finland|url=http://epublications.uef.fi/pub/urn_nbn_fi_uef-20180513/urn_nbn_fi_uef-20180513.pdf}}</ref> as a result of which Finns' English language skills have been significantly strengthened over several decades.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://finlandtoday.fi/finland-places-among-the-top-four-english-speaking-countries-in-the-world/%7Ctitle=Finland Places Among the Top Four English-Speaking Countries in the World|first=Tony|last=Öhberg}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finland_ranks_sixth_in_english_skills_early_instruction_crucial/10071036%7Ctitle=Finland ranks sixth in English skills, early instruction crucial|website=Yle Uutiset}}</ref> German, French, Spanish and Russian can be studied as second foreign languages from the fourth grade (at 10 years of age; some schools may offer other options).<ref>{{Cite conference|last=Nuolijärvi|first=Pirkko|date=Fall 2011|title=Language education policy and practice in Finland|url=http://www.efnil.org/documents/conference-publications/london-2011/the-role-of-language-education-in-creating-a/15-Pirkko-Nuolijarvi.pdf%7Cconference=European Federation of National Institutions for Language}}</ref>

About 93% of Finns can speak a second language.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/more_than_90_percent_of_finnish_residents_are_at_least_bilingual/10550664 |title=More than 90 percent of Finnish residents are at least bilingual |publisher=YLE |access-date=12 December 2018}}</ref> The figures in this section should be treated with caution, as they come from the official Finnish population register. People can only register one language and so bilingual or multilingual language users' language competencies are not properly included. A citizen of Finland that speaks bilingually Finnish and Swedish will often be registered as a Finnish only speaker in this system. Similarly "old domestic language" is a category applied to some languages and not others for political not linguistic reasons, for example Russian.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ling.helsinki.fi/~fkarlsso/Languages%20of%20Finland_1917-2017.pdf |title=THE LANGUAGES OF FINLAND 1917–2017 |work=Lingsoft Language Library publications |access-date=15 December 2018}}</ref>

Largest cities

{{Largest cities of Finland}}

Religion

{{Main|Religion in Finland}} {{Pie chart |thumb = right |caption = Religions in Finland (2019)<ref name="stnin"/> |label1 = Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland |value1 = 68.72 |color1 = DodgerBlue |label2 = Orthodox Church |value2 = 1.10 |color2 = Orchid |label3 = Other Christian |value3 = 0.93 |color3 = DarkOrchid |label4 = Other religions |value4 = 0.76 |color4 = Chartreuse |label5 = Unaffiliated |value5 = 28.49 |color5 = Honeydew }}

With 3.9 million members,<ref>Seurakuntien jäsentilasto 2018 Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland</ref> the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland is one of the largest Lutheran churches in the world and is also by far Finland's largest religious body; at the end of 2019, 68.7% of Finns were members of the church.<ref name="relig_stat">Population structure Statistics Finland</ref> The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland has seen its share of the country's population declining by roughly one percent annually in recent years.<ref name="relig_stat" /> The decline has been due to both church membership resignations and falling baptism rates.<ref>Eroakirkosta.fi – Kirkosta eronnut tänä vuonna 40 000 ihmistä (in Finnish)</ref><ref>Karjalainen – Kastettujen määrä romahtanut – kirkollisista ristiäisistä luopuu yhä useampi 13 June 2016 (in Finnish)</ref> The second largest group, accounting for 26.3% of the population<ref name="relig_stat" /> in 2017, has no religious affiliation. The irreligious group rose quickly from just below 13% in the year 2000. A small minority belongs to the Finnish Orthodox Church (1.1%). Other Protestant denominations and the Roman Catholic Church are significantly smaller, as are the Jewish and other non-Christian communities (totalling 1.6%); for example, in the Protestant trend, there are about 1,500 Baptists concentrated in the region of Central Finland,<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.uskonnot.fi/uskonnot/view.php?religionId=26%7C title= Baptismi| work= Uskonnot Suomessa | access-date=6 January 2021 | language=fi}}</ref> and there are only about 2,000 Methodists who are scattered around the country.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.uskonnot.fi/uskonnot/view.php?religionId=24%7C title= Metodismi| work= Uskonnot Suomessa| access-date= 6 January 2021| language= fi| archive-date= 8 January 2021| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210108084048/http://www.uskonnot.fi/uskonnot/view.php?religionId=24%7C url-status= dead}}</ref> The Pew Research Center estimated the Muslim population at 2.7% in 2016.<ref>{{cite web|title=Muslim Population Growth in Europe|url=http://www.pewforum.org/2017/11/29/europes-growing-muslim-population/%7Cwebsite=pewforum.org}}</ref> The main Lutheran and Orthodox churches are national churches of Finland with special roles such as in state ceremonies and schools.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://finland.fi/Public/default.aspx?contentid=160099&nodeid=41800&culture=en-US |title=The Church in Finland today |author=Salla Korpela |date=May 2005 |access-date=11 January 2011 |publisher=Finland Promotion Board; Produced by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Department for Communications and Culture}}</ref>

In 1869, Finland was the first Nordic country to disestablish its Evangelical Lutheran church by introducing the Church Act, followed by the Church of Sweden in 2000. Although the church still maintains a special relationship with the state, it is not described as a state religion in the Finnish Constitution or other laws passed by the Finnish Parliament.<ref name=FinlandConstitution>{{cite web|url=https://servat.unibe.ch/icl/fi00000_.html |title=Finland > Constitution: Chapter 1 Fundamental provisions (Section 76 The Church Act) |last=Tschentscher |first=Axel |date=27 June 2020}}</ref> Finland's state church was the Church of Sweden until 1809. As an autonomous Grand Duchy under Russia 1809–1917, Finland retained the Lutheran State Church system, and a state church separate from Sweden, later named the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, was established. It was detached from the state as a separate judicial entity when the new church law came to force in 1869. After Finland had gained independence in 1917, religious freedom was declared in the constitution of 1919 and a separate law on religious freedom in 1922. Through this arrangement, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland lost its position as a state church but gained a constitutional status as a national church alongside the Finnish Orthodox Church, whose position however is not codified in the constitution.

The Evangelical Lutheran Helsinki Cathedral

In 2016, 69.3% of Finnish children were baptized<ref>Lutheran church member statistics (2016) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215122035/http://sakasti.evl.fi/sakasti.nsf/0/FFEDB75916EB394AC22576CC003D875E/$FILE/Vaestonmuutokset_koko%20kirkko_2016.xlsx |date=15 December 2018 }} evl.fi</ref> and 82.3% were confirmed in 2012 at the age of 15,<ref>Church statistical yesrbook 2012 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140320170001/http://sakasti.evl.fi/sakasti.nsf/0/8A75CE045AD09FE4C22577AE00256611/$FILE/KKH_Tilastollinen_vuosikirja2012_toiminta_lopullinen%20versio.pdf |date=20 March 2014 }} The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland</ref> and over 90% of the funerals are Christian. However, the majority of Lutherans attend church only for special occasions like Christmas ceremonies, weddings, and funerals. The Lutheran Church estimates that approximately 1.8% of its members attend church services weekly.<ref>Church Attendance Falls; Religion Seen as Private 3 June 2012 YLE</ref> The average number of church visits per year by church members is approximately two.<ref name="state2004">{{cite web |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2004/35453.htm |title=International Religious Freedom Report 2004 |work=U.S. Department of State |date=15 September 2004 |access-date=22 January 2007}}</ref>

According to a 2010 Eurobarometer poll, 33% of Finnish citizens responded that they "believe there is a God"; 42% answered that they "believe there is some sort of spirit or life force"; and 22% that they "do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God, or life force".<ref name="EUROBAROMETER">{{cite web |url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_341_en.pdf |title=Special Eurobarometer Biotechnology |page=204 |edition=Fieldwork: January–February 2010 |date=October 2010 |access-date=16 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101215001129/http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_341_en.pdf |archive-date=15 December 2010 }}</ref> According to ISSP survey data (2008), 8% consider themselves "highly religious", and 31% "moderately religious". In the same survey, 28% reported themselves as "agnostic" and 29% as "non-religious".<ref>Kimmo, Ketola et al. (2011). Uskonto suomalaisten elämässä {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916015652/http://tampub.uta.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/65683/uskonto_suomalaisten_elamassa_2011.pdf?sequence=1 |date=16 September 2018 }}. Tampereen yliopistopaino Oy . {{ISBN|978-951-44-8483-4}}</ref>

Health

{{Main|Healthcare in Finland}}

The Meilahti Tower Hospital, part of the Helsinki University Central Hospital (HUCH) in Töölö, Helsinki

Life expectancy has increased from 71 years for men and 79 years for women in 1990 to 79 years for men and 84 years for women in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/julkaisut/tiedostot/julkaisuluettelo/yyti_fif_201800_2018_19693_net.pdf |title=Finland in Figures 2018 |publisher=Finnish Population Centre|access-date=10 December 2018}}</ref> The under-five mortality rate has decreased from 51 per 1,000 live births in 1950 to 2.3 per 1,000 live births in 2017, ranking Finland's rate among the lowest in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://data.unicef.org/country/fin/%7Ctitle=Trends in Under five Mortality Rate |publisher=UNICEF|access-date=10 December 2018}}</ref> The fertility rate in 2014 stood at 1.71 children born/per woman and has been below the replacement rate of 2.1 since 1969.<ref name="stat.fi">Statistics Finland – Births 2014. Stat.fi (14 April 2015). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref> With a low birth rate women also become mothers at a later age, the mean age at first live birth being 28.6 in 2014.<ref name="stat.fi" /> A 2011 study published in The Lancet medical journal found that Finland had the lowest stillbirth rate out of 193 countries, including the UK, France and New Zealand.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)62187-3/fulltext#article_upsell |title=Stillbirths: Where? When? Why? How to make the data count? |journal=The Lancet |access-date=6 December 2011 |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(10)62187-3 |pmid=21496911 |volume=377 |issue=9775 |pages=1448–1463|year=2011 |last1=Lawn |first1=Joy E. |last2=Blencowe |first2=Hannah |last3=Pattinson |first3=Robert |last4=Cousens |first4=Simon |last5=Kumar |first5=Rajesh |last6=Ibiebele |first6=Ibinabo |last7=Gardosi |first7=Jason |last8=Day |first8=Louise T. |last9=Stanton |first9=Cynthia |hdl=2263/16343 |s2cid=14278260 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

There has been a slight increase or no change in welfare and health inequalities between population groups in the 21st century. Lifestyle-related diseases are on the rise. More than half a million Finns suffer from diabetes, type 1 diabetes being globally the most common in Finland. Many children are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The number of musculoskeletal diseases and cancers are increasing, although the cancer prognosis has improved. Allergies and dementia are also growing health problems in Finland. One of the most common reasons for work disability are due to mental disorders, in particular depression.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stm.fi/c/document_library/get_file?folderId=6511570&name=DLFE-26813.pdf |title=Health care in Finland |publisher=STM |access-date=6 September 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317183526/http://www.stm.fi/c/document_library/get_file?folderId=6511570&name=DLFE-26813.pdf |archive-date=17 March 2015 }}</ref> Treatment for depression has improved and as a result the historically high suicide rates have declined to 13 per 100 000 in 2017, closer to the North European average.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/eurostat_falling_suicide_rate_in_finland_nears_european_average/10324113%7Ctitle=Eurostat: Falling suicide rate in Finland nears European average |publisher=YLE|access-date=18 December 2018}}</ref> Suicide rates are still among the highest among developed countries in the OECD.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.MHSUICIDEASDR?lang=en%7Ctitle=GHO {{!}} By category {{!}} Suicide rate estimates, age-standardized - Estimates by country|website=WHO|access-date=17 March 2020}}</ref>

There are 307 residents for each doctor.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_terveys_en.html |title=Health (2004) |work=Statistics Finland |access-date=22 January 2007}}</ref> About 19% of health care is funded directly by households and 77% by taxation.

In April 2012, Finland was ranked 2nd in Gross National Happiness in a report published by The Earth Institute.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pakblog.net/2012/04/pakistan-ranked-85th-happiest-nation-in.html |title=World Happiness report |year=2012 |access-date=7 April 2012}}</ref> Since 2012, Finland has every time ranked at least in the top 5 of world's happiest countries in the annual World Happiness Report by the United Nations,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://worldhappiness.report/ed/2017/%7Ctitle=World Happiness Report 2017|access-date=22 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/happiness-report/2016/HR-V1_web.pdf%7Ctitle=World Happiness Report 2016 {{pipe}} Volume I (page 22)|access-date=22 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/happiness-report/2012/World_Happiness_Report_2012.pdf%7Ctitle=World Happiness Report 2012 (page 30) |access-date=22 May 2018}}</ref> as well as ranking as the happiest country in 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://worldhappiness.report/ed/2018/%7Ctitle=World Happiness Report 2018|access-date=21 May 2018|date=14 March 2018}}</ref>

Education and science

{{Main|Education in Finland}} {{See also|List of universities in Finland|List of schools in Finland}}

access-date=11 October 2020}}</ref>
Auditorium in Aalto University's main building, designed by Alvar Aalto
The library of the University of Eastern Finland in Snellmania, the Kuopio campus of the university
Pupils at the school of Torvinen in Sodankylä, Finland, in the 1920s

Most pre-tertiary education is arranged at municipal level. Even though many or most schools were started as private schools, today only around 3 percent of students are enrolled in private schools (mostly specialist language and international schools), much less than in Sweden and most other developed countries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eurydice.org/ressources/Eurydice/pdf/047DN/047_NL_EN.pdf |title=Summary sheets on education systems in Europe |publisher=Eurydice.org |access-date=26 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080910005807/http://www.eurydice.org/ressources/Eurydice/pdf/047DN/047_NL_EN.pdf |archive-date=10 September 2008 }}</ref> Pre-school education is rare compared with other EU countries and formal education is usually started at the age of 7. Primary school takes normally six years and lower secondary school three years. Most schools are managed by municipal officials.

The flexible curriculum is set by the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Education Board. Education is compulsory between the ages of 7 and 16. After lower secondary school, graduates may either enter the workforce directly, or apply to trade schools or gymnasiums (upper secondary schools). Trade schools offer a vocational education: approximately 40% of an age group choose this path after the lower secondary school.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unevoc.unesco.org/worldtvetdatabase1.php?ct=FIN |title=Vocational Education in Finland |date=18 November 2013 |access-date=9 May 2014 |author=UNESCO-UNEVOC}}</ref> Academically oriented gymnasiums have higher entrance requirements and specifically prepare for Abitur and tertiary education. Graduation from either formally qualifies for tertiary education.

In tertiary education, two mostly separate and non-interoperating sectors are found: the profession-oriented polytechnics and the research-oriented universities. Education is free and living expenses are to a large extent financed by the government through student benefits. There are 15 universities and 24 Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) in the country.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.scholarshipsineurope.com/list-of-university-in-finland/ |title=List of University in Finland |website=scholarshipsineurope.com |access-date=4 August 2018|date=July 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.studyinfinland.fi/where_to_study/universities_of_applied_sciences |title=Universities of Applied Sciences in Finland |website=studyinfinland.fi |access-date=4 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808092603/http://studyinfinland.fi/where_to_study/universities_of_applied_sciences |archive-date=8 August 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The University of Helsinki is ranked 75th in the Top University Ranking of 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.topuniversities.com/university/258/university-of-helsinki |title=Top University Ranking of 2010: University of Helsinki |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102111112/http://topuniversities.com/university/258/university-of-helsinki |archive-date=2 January 2010 }}</ref> The World Economic Forum ranks Finland's tertiary education No. 1 in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GlobalCompetitivenessReport_2013-14.pdf |title=The Global Competitiveness Report 2013–2014 |access-date=9 May 2014 |author=World Economic Forum |page=36|author-link=World Economic Forum }}</ref> Around 33% of residents have a tertiary degree, similar to Nordics and more than in most other OECD countries except Canada (44%), United States (38%) and Japan (37%).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tilastokeskus.fi/artikkelit/2006/art_2006-07-06_001.html |title=Tilastokeskus.fi |publisher=Tilastokeskus.fi |access-date=6 March 2011}}</ref> The proportion of foreign students is 3% of all tertiary enrollments, one of the lowest in OECD, while in advanced programs it is 7.3%, still below OECD average 16.5%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/24/52/39315711.pdf%7Ctitle=Education at Glance 2007: Finland|publisher=OECD}}</ref> Other reputable universities of Finland include Aalto University in Espoo, both University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University in Turku, University of Jyväskylä, University of Oulu, LUT University in Lappeenranta and Lahti, University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio and Joensuu, and Tampere University.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.study.eu/best-universities/finland%7Ctitle=The top 9 best universities in Finland: 2021 rankings|website=www.study.eu}}</ref>

More than 30% of tertiary graduates are in science-related fields. Forest improvement, materials research, environmental sciences, neural networks, low-temperature physics, brain research, biotechnology, genetic technology, and communications showcase fields of study where Finnish researchers have had a significant impact.<ref name="innovation">{{cite web|author=Kari Sipilä |title=A country that innovates |url=http://www.finland.cn/Public/default.aspx?contentid=99637 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707031053/http://www.finland.cn/Public/default.aspx?contentid=99637 |archive-date=7 July 2011 |work=Virtual Finland |publisher=Ministry for Foreign Affairs / Department for Communication and Culture / Unit for Promotion and Publications / Embassy and Consulates General of Finland in China |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Finland has a long tradition of adult education, and by the 1980s nearly one million Finns were receiving some kind of instruction each year. Forty percent of them did so for professional reasons. Adult education appeared in a number of forms, such as secondary evening schools, civic and workers' institutes, study centres, vocational course centres, and folk high schools. Study centres allowed groups to follow study plans of their own making, with educational and financial assistance provided by the state. Folk high schools are a distinctly Nordic institution. Originating in Denmark in the 19th century, folk high schools became common throughout the region. Adults of all ages could stay at them for several weeks and take courses in subjects that ranged from handicrafts to economics.<ref name="LOC" />

Finland is highly productive in scientific research. In 2005, Finland had the fourth most scientific publications per capita of the OECD countries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.research.fi/en/performance/scientific_publication.html |title=Scientific publication—Finnish science and technology Information Service |language=fi |publisher=Research.fi |date=15 November 2007 |access-date=3 August 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113085004/http://www.research.fi/en/performance/scientific_publication.html |archive-date=13 November 2013 }}</ref> In 2007, 1,801 patents were filed in Finland.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.research.fi/en/performance/patents/patents_with%20numbers |title=Patents with numbers—Finnish science and technology Information Service |language=fi |publisher=Research.fi |date=8 December 2009 |access-date=4 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091011194752/http://www.research.fi/en/performance/patents/patents_with%20numbers |archive-date=11 October 2009 }}</ref>

In addition, 38 percent of Finland's population has a university or college degree, which is among the highest percentages in the world.<ref>Sauter, Michael B. (24 September 2012) The Most Educated Countries in the World {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820025707/http://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-most-educated-countries-in-the-world.html;_ylt=AlaWy8IcyeBaviKi7_.WJyhE6odG;_ylu=X3oDMTJrY2d2NGZyBG1pdANDeFMgRmluYW5jaWFsbHkgRml0IEFydGljbGUgQXJ0aWNsZSBCb2R5IFByb2QEcG9zAzMEc2VjA01lZGlhQXJ0aWNsZUJvZHlBc3NlbWJseQ--;_ylg=X3oDMTNjdGVoaXJqBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDY2IyOTRhMGEtYmY2OS0zYTdlLThlYTUtZWFlNTU3YWI1ZTc3BHBzdGNhdANleGNsdXNpdmVzfGZpbmFuY2lhbGx5Zml0BHB0A3N0b3J5cGFnZQ--;_ylv=3?page=1 |date=20 August 2016 }}. Finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref><ref>And the World's Most Educated Country Is.... Newsfeed.time.com (27 September 2012). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

In 2010 a new law was enacted considering the universities, which defined that there are 16 of them as they were excluded from the public sector to be autonomous legal and financial entities, however enjoying special status in the legislation.<ref>. finlex.fi; Yliopistolaki 558/2009 – Säädökset alkuperäisinä – FINLEX. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref> As result many former state institutions were driven to collect funding from private sector contributions and partnerships. The change caused deep rooted discussions among the academic circles.<ref>Educational Schizophrenia in Finland |Teivo Teivainen. Teivo.net (8 August 2013). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

English language is important in Finnish education. There are a number of degree programs that are taught in English, which attracts thousands of degree and exchange students every year.

In December 2017 the OECD reported that Finnish fathers spend an average of eight minutes a day more with their school-aged children than mothers do.<ref>{{cite news |first=Charles |last=Bremner |title=Finland is the first country where fathers do most of the childcare |work=The Times |date=9 December 2017 |page=51}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/dec/04/finland-only-country-world-dad-more-time-kids-moms |title=Finland: the only country where fathers spend more time with kids than mothers |access-date=23 December 2017 |date=4 October 2017 |newspaper= The Guardian}}</ref>

Culture

{{Main|Culture of Finland}}

Sauna

{{Main|Finnish sauna}}

A smoke sauna in Ruka, Kuusamo

The Finns' love for saunas is generally associated with Finnish cultural tradition in the world. Sauna is a type of dry steam bath practiced widely in Finland, which is especially evident in the strong tradition around Midsummer and Christmas. In Finland, the sauna has been a traditional cure or part of the treatment for many different diseases, thanks to the heat, which why the sauna has been a very hygienic place. There is an old Finnish saying: "Jos sauna, terva ja viina ei auta, on tauti kuolemaksi." ("If sauna, tar and booze doesn't help you, then a disease is deadly").<ref>Sauna, viina ja terva – Potilaan Lääkärilehti (in Finnish)</ref> The word is of Proto-Finnish origin (found in Finnic and Sámi languages) dating back 7,000 years.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sauna – A Finnish national institution |last1=Helamaa |first1=Erkki |last2=Pentikäinen |first2=Juha |work=Virtual Finland |date=November 2001 |url= http://virtual.finland.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=26074 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080209130410/http://virtual.finland.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=26074 |archive-date=2008-02-09 |language=en }}</ref> Steam baths have been part of European tradition elsewhere as well, but the sauna has survived best in Finland, in addition to Sweden, the Baltic States, Russia, Norway, and parts of the United States and Canada. Moreover, nearly all Finnish houses have either their own sauna or in multistory apartment houses, a timeshare sauna. Public saunas were previously common, but the tradition has declined when saunas have been built nearly everywhere (private homes, municipal swimming halls, hotels, corporate headquarters, gyms, etc.). At one time, the World Sauna Championships were held in Heinola, Finland, but the death of a Russian competitor in 2010 finally stopped organizing the competitions as too dangerous.<ref>Sauna contest leaves Russian dead and champion Finn in hospital - The Guardian</ref>

The Finnish sauna culture was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists at the 17 December 2020 meeting of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. As authorized by the state, the Finnish Heritage Agency commits, together with Finnish sauna communities and promoters of the sauna culture, to safeguard the vitality of the sauna tradition and to highlight its importance as part of customs and wellbeing.<ref>{{cite web| title= Sauna culture in Finland |url= https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/sauna-culture-in-finland-01596 |publisher=UNESCO |access-date=18 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title= Finnish sauna culture steams up UNESCO Heritage List |url= https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finnish_sauna_culture_steams_up_unesco_heritage_list/11703917 |publisher=YLE |date=17 December 2020|access-date=18 December 2020}}</ref>

Literature

{{Main|Finnish literature}}

Mikael Agricola (1510–1557), Bishop of Turku, a prominent Lutheran Protestant reformer and the father of the Finnish written language

Written Finnish could be said to have existed since Mikael Agricola translated the New Testament into Finnish during the Protestant Reformation, but few notable works of literature were written until the 19th century and the beginning of a Finnish national Romantic Movement. This prompted Elias Lönnrot to collect Finnish and Karelian folk poetry and arrange and publish them as the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic. The era saw a rise of poets and novelists who wrote in Finnish, notably Aleksis Kivi (The Seven Brothers), Minna Canth (Anna Liisa), Eino Leino ({{ill|Helkavirsiä|fi}}), Johannes Linnankoski (The Song of the Blood-Red Flower) and Juhani Aho (The Railroad and Juha). Many writers of the national awakening wrote in Swedish, such as the national poet J. L. Runeberg (The Tales of Ensign Stål) and Zachris Topelius (The Tomten in Åbo Castle).

After Finland became independent, there was a rise of modernist writers, most famously the Finnish-speaking Mika Waltari and Swedish-speaking Edith Södergran. Frans Eemil Sillanpää was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1939. World War II prompted a return to more national interests in comparison to a more international line of thought, characterized by Väinö Linna with his The Unknown Soldier and Under the North Star trilogy. Besides Lönnrot's Kalevala and Waltari, the Swedish-speaking Tove Jansson, best known as the creator of The Moomins, is the most translated Finnish writer;<ref>Finnish post honours Moomin creator Jansson - YLE News</ref> her books have been translated into more than 40 languages.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://finland.fi/arts-culture/tove-jansson-and-the-moomin-story/%7Ctitle=Finland's Tove Jansson and the Moomin story|date=11 March 2014|website=thisisFINLAND}}</ref> Popular modern writers include Arto Paasilinna, Veikko Huovinen, Antti Tuuri, Ilkka Remes, Kari Hotakainen, Sofi Oksanen, Tuomas Kyrö, and Jari Tervo, while the best novel is annually awarded the prestigious Finlandia Prize.

Visual arts, design, and architecture

{{See also|Architecture of Finland|Finnish art}}

Akseli Gallen-Kallela, The Defense of the Sampo, 1896, Turku Art Museum

The visual arts in Finland started to form their individual characteristics in the 19th century, when Romantic nationalism was rising in autonomic Finland. The best known of Finnish painters, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, started painting in a naturalist style, but moved to national romanticism. Other notable world-famous Finnish painters include Magnus Enckell, Pekka Halonen, Eero Järnefelt, Helene Schjerfbeck and Hugo Simberg. Finland's best-known sculptor of the 20th century was Wäinö Aaltonen, remembered for his monumental busts and sculptures. Finns have made major contributions to handicrafts and industrial design: among the internationally renowned figures are Timo Sarpaneva, Tapio Wirkkala and Ilmari Tapiovaara. Finnish architecture is famous around the world, and has contributed significantly to several styles internationally, such as Jugendstil (or Art Nouveau), Nordic Classicism and Functionalism. Among the top 20th-century Finnish architects to gain international recognition are Eliel Saarinen and his son Eero Saarinen. Architect Alvar Aalto is regarded as among the most important 20th-century designers in the world;<ref>James Stevens Curl, Dictionary of Architecture, Grange Books, Rochester, 2005, p. 1.</ref> he helped bring functionalist architecture to Finland, but soon was a pioneer in its development towards an organic style.<ref>Sigfried Giedion, Space, Time and Architecture: The Growth of a New Tradition, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2nd edition, 1949.</ref> Aalto is also famous for his work in furniture, lamps, textiles and glassware, which were usually incorporated into his buildings.

Music

{{Main|Music of Finland|Rock music in Finland|Sami music}}

The Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865–1957) was a significant figure in the history of classical music.
Classical

Much of Finland's classical music is influenced by traditional Karelian melodies and lyrics, as comprised in the Kalevala. Karelian culture is perceived as the purest expression of the Finnic myths and beliefs, less influenced by Germanic influence than the Nordic folk dance music that largely replaced the kalevaic tradition. Finnish folk music has undergone a roots revival in recent decades, and has become a part of popular music.

The people of northern Finland, Sweden, and Norway, the Sami, are known primarily for highly spiritual songs called joik. The same word sometimes refers to lavlu or vuelie songs, though this is technically incorrect.

The first Finnish opera was written by the German-born composer Fredrik Pacius in 1852. Pacius also wrote the music to the poem Maamme/Vårt land (Our Country), Finland's national anthem. In the 1890s Finnish nationalism based on the Kalevala spread, and Jean Sibelius became famous for his vocal symphony Kullervo. He soon received a grant to study runo singers in Karelia and continued his rise as the first prominent Finnish musician. In 1899 he composed Finlandia, which played its important role in Finland gaining independence. He remains one of Finland's most popular national figures and is a symbol of the nation. Another one of the most significant and internationally best-known Finnish-born classical composers long before Sibelius was Bernhard Crusell.<ref>See {{cite web|url=http://www.mozartforum.com/Contemporary%20Pages/Crusell_Contemp.htm%7Ctitle=Bernhard Henrik Crusell (1775-1838)|last=Asiado|first=Tel|work=Mozart Forum|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090708192751/http://www.mozartforum.com/Contemporary%20Pages/Crusell_Contemp.htm |archive-date=8 July 2009|access-date=31 January 2010}}</ref>

Modern
Perttu Kivilaakso of Apocalyptica

Iskelmä (coined directly from the German word Schlager, meaning "hit") is a traditional Finnish word for a light popular song.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Suomalainen iskelmä |last=Kaivanto |first=Petri |work=Pomus.net |access-date=18 July 2020 |url= http://pomus.net/kehityslinjat/suomalaineniskelma |language=fi }}</ref> Finnish popular music also includes various kinds of dance music; tango, a style of Argentine music, is also popular.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explaining the Finnish love of tango |author=C.G. |work=The Economist |date=11 October 2017 |access-date=18 July 2020 |url= https://www.economist.com/prospero/2017/10/11/explaining-the-finnish-love-of-tango }}</ref> The light music in Swedish-speaking areas has more influences from Sweden. Modern Finnish popular music includes a number of prominent rock bands, jazz musicians, hip hop performers, dance music acts, etc.<ref>{{Cite web|date=9 September 2014|title=Don't mess with Finnish jazz|url=https://finland.fi/arts-culture/dont-mess-with-finnish-jazz/%7Caccess-date=1 September 2020|website=thisisFINLAND|language=en-US}}</ref>{{Additional citation needed|date=September 2020}} Also, at least a couple of Finnish polkas are known worldwide, such as Säkkijärven polkka<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/how-the-finns-stopped-the-soviets-with-this-polka-song/%7Ctitle=How the Finns stopped the Soviets with this polka song|date=6 August 2020}}</ref> and Ievan polkka.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://musicfinland.com/en/news/finnish-jenkka-song-took-over-japans-department-stores%7Ctitle=Finnish jenkka song took over Japan's department stores|website=Music Finland}}</ref>

During the early 1960s, the first significant wave of Finnish rock groups emerged, playing instrumental rock inspired by groups such as The Shadows. Around 1964, Beatlemania arrived in Finland, resulting in further development of the local rock scene. During the late 1960s and '70s, Finnish rock musicians increasingly wrote their own music instead of translating international hits into Finnish. During the decade, some progressive rock groups such as Tasavallan Presidentti and Wigwam gained respect abroad but failed to make a commercial breakthrough outside Finland. This was also the fate of the rock and roll group Hurriganes. The Finnish punk scene produced some internationally acknowledged names including Terveet Kädet in the 1980s. Hanoi Rocks was a pioneering 1980s glam rock act that inspired the American hard rock group Guns N' Roses, among others.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304587704577333813382925678%7Ctitle=Guns N' Roses Can Agree on at Least One Thing: This Finnish Saxophonist Rocks |last=Shah|first=Neil|date=15 April 2012|work=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=19 November 2012}}</ref>

Many Finnish metal bands have gained international recognition; Finland has been often called the "Promised Land of Heavy Metal", because there are more than 50 metal Bands for every 100,000 inhabitants – more than any other nation in the world.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://finland.fi/arts-culture/finnish-metropolises-vie-to-win-capital-of-metal/%7Ctitle=Finnish metropolises vie to win Capital of Metal|date=8 May 2018|website=thisisFINLAND}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.famouscampaigns.com/2019/07/finlands-stage-worlds-first-heavy-metal-knitting-championship/%7Ctitle=Finland stage world's first heavy metal knitting championship|first=Famous|last=Campaigns}}</ref>

Cinema and television

{{Main|Cinema of Finland|Television in Finland}} {{See also|Lists of Finnish films}}

The Finnish filmmakers Edvin Laine and Matti Kassila in 1955

In the film industry, notable directors include brothers Mika and Aki Kaurismäki, Dome Karukoski, Antti Jokinen, Jalmari Helander, Mauritz Stiller, Edvin Laine, Teuvo Tulio, Spede Pasanen, and Hollywood film director and producer Renny Harlin. Internationally well-known Finnish actors and actresses include Jasper Pääkkönen, Peter Franzén, Laura Birn, Irina Björklund, Samuli Edelmann, Krista Kosonen, Ville Virtanen and Joonas Suotamo. Around twelve feature films are made each year.<ref name="Media moves">{{cite web |url=http://finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=162833&contentlan=2&culture=en-US |title=Media moves |work=ThisisFINLAND (Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501141049/http://finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=162833&contentlan=2&culture=en-US |archive-date=1 May 2011 }}</ref>

One of the most internationally successful Finnish films are The White Reindeer, directed by Erik Blomberg in 1952, which won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film in 1956, five years after its limited release in the United States;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.awardsandshows.com/features/best-foreign-film-506.html |title=List of Winners – Golden Globes Best Foreign Film |access-date=12 December 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Sundholm|first1=John|last2=Thorsen|first2=Isak|last3=Andersson|first3=Lars Gustaf|last4=Hedling|first4=Olof|last5=Iversen|first5=Gunnar|last6=Møller|first6=Birgir Thor|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QktG6a4YnQYC&q=1957+golden+globe+best+foreign+film+white+reindeer&pg=PA390 |title= Historical Dictionary of Scandinavian Cinema (Google eBook) |access-date=12 December 2013|date = 20 September 2012| page=389 et seq|isbn = 978-0-8108-7899-0}}</ref> The Man Without a Past, directed by Aki Kaurismäki in 2002, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2002 and won the Grand Prix at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival;<ref>{{cite web|last=Fauth|first=Jurgen|url=http://worldfilm.about.com/od/scandinavianfilm/fr/manwithoutpast.htm%7Ctitle=The Man Without a Past|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906125603/http://worldfilm.about.com/od/scandinavianfilm/fr/manwithoutpast.htm |archive-date=6 September 2015|work=About.com|access-date=5 February 2008}}</ref> and The Fencer, directed by Klaus Härö in 2015, which was nominated for the 73rd Golden Globe Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category as a Finnish/German/Estonian co-production.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/fencer%7Ctitle=The Fencer|website=www.goldenglobes.com}}</ref>

In Finland, the most significant films include The Unknown Soldier, directed by Edvin Laine in 1955, which is shown on television every Independence Day.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finnish_independence_day_galas_protests_and_war_memories/7671639%7Ctitle=Finnish Independence Day: Galas, protests and war memories|website=Yle Uutiset}}</ref> Here, Beneath the North Star from 1968, also directed by Laine, which includes the Finnish Civil War from the perspective of the Red Guards, is also one of the most significant works in Finnish history.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lfq.salisbury.edu/_issues/48_1/agreeing_on_history_adaptation_as_restorative_truth_in_finnish_reconciliation.html%7Ctitle=Agreeing on History Adaptation as Restorative Truth in Finnish Reconciliation, Mads Larsen, Literature Film Quarterly|website=lfq.salisbury.edu}}</ref> A 1960 crime comedy film Inspector Palmu's Mistake, directed by Matti Kassila, was voted in 2012 the best Finnish film of all time by Finnish film critics and journalists in a poll organized by Yle Uutiset,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://yle.fi/uutiset/kriitikot_valitsivat_kaikkien_aikojen_parhaan_kotimaisen_elokuvan/6372726 | title=Kriitikot valitsivat kaikkien aikojen parhaan kotimaisen elokuvan | publisher=Yle Uutiset | date=12 November 2012 | access-date=9 May 2014 | author=Sundqvist, Janne | language=fi}}</ref> but the 1984 comedy film Uuno Turhapuro in the Army, the ninth film in the Uuno Turhapuro film series, remains Finland's most seen domestic film made since 1968 by Finnish audience.<ref>Uuno armeijan leivissä ja muut Turhapuro elokuvat (in Finnish)</ref>

Although Finland's television offerings are largely known for their domestic dramas, such as the long-running soap opera series Salatut elämät,<ref>Juha Suoranta & Hanna Lehtimäki: Children in the Information Society: The Case of Finland (New Literacies and Digital Epistemologies). Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers, 2004. {{ISBN|978-0-8204-6829-7}}.</ref><ref>Elisabeth Eide & Kaarina Nikunen: Media in Motion: Cultural Complexity and Migration in the Nordic Region (Research in Migration and Ethnic Relations). Routledge, 2010. {{ISBN|978-1-4094-0446-0}}.</ref> there are also internationally known drama series, such as {{ill|Syke (TV series)|fi|Syke (televisiosarja)|lt=Syke}} and Bordertown.<ref>YLE: Syke, Sorjonen ja Suomi Love myyvät maailmalla, mutta Presidentti ei maistunut kriitikoille (in Finnish)</ref> One of Finland's most internationally successful TV shows are the backpacking travel documentary series Madventures and the reality TV show The Dudesons.

Media and communications

{{See also|Telecommunications in Finland|List of newspapers in Finland}}

Linus Torvalds, the Finnish software engineer best known for creating the popular open-source kernel Linux

Thanks to its emphasis on transparency and equal rights, Finland's press has been rated the freest in the world.<ref>2010 Freedom of the Press Survey {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111105114819/http://newseum.org/news/2011/05/world-press-freedom.html |date=5 November 2011}} (retrieved 4 May 2011).</ref>

Today, there are around 200 newspapers, 320 popular magazines, 2,100 professional magazines, 67 commercial radio stations, three digital radio channels and one nationwide and five national public service radio channels.

Each year, around 12,000 book titles are published and 12 million records are sold.<ref name="Media moves" />

Sanoma publishes the newspapers Helsingin Sanomat (its circulation of 412,000<ref>{{cite web |title=Circulation Statistics |url=http://www.levikintarkastus.fi/english/statistics.php |publisher=The Finnish Audit Bureau of Circulations (Levikintarkastus Oy) |access-date=25 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090601160935/http://www.levikintarkastus.fi/english/statistics.php |archive-date=1 June 2009 }}</ref> making it the largest) and Aamulehti, the tabloid Ilta-Sanomat, the commerce-oriented Taloussanomat and the television channel Nelonen. The other major publisher Alma Media publishes over thirty magazines, including the tabloid Iltalehti and commerce-oriented Kauppalehti. Worldwide, Finns, along with other Nordic peoples and the Japanese, spend the most time reading newspapers.<ref>{{cite web |title=World Press Trends: Newspapers Still Reach More Than Internet |url=http://www.wan-ifra.org/press-releases/2011/10/12/world-press-trends-newspapers-still-reach-more-than-internet |publisher=World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers |access-date=19 November 2012 |archive-date=23 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121123093454/http://www.wan-ifra.org/press-releases/2011/10/12/world-press-trends-newspapers-still-reach-more-than-internet |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Yle, the Finnish Broadcasting Company, operates five television channels and thirteen radio channels in both national languages. Yle is funded through a mandatory television license and fees for private broadcasters. All TV channels are broadcast digitally, both terrestrially and on cable. The commercial television channel MTV3 and commercial radio channel Radio Nova are owned by Nordic Broadcasting (Bonnier and Proventus).

In regards to telecommunication infrastructure, Finland is the highest ranked country in the World Economic Forum's Network Readiness Index (NRI) – an indicator for determining the development level of a country's information and communication technologies. Finland ranked 1st overall in the 2014 NRI ranking, unchanged from the year before.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GITR/2014/GITR_OverallRanking_2014.pdf |title=NRI Overall Ranking 2014 |publisher=World Economic Forum |access-date=28 June 2014}}</ref> This is shown in its penetration throughout the country's population. Around 79% of the population use the Internet (2007).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stat.fi/til/sutivi/2007/sutivi_2007_2007-09-28_tie_001_en.html |title=Internet used by 79 per cent of the population at the beginning of 2007|work=Statistics Finland |access-date=22 December 2007}}</ref> Finland had around 1.52 million broadband Internet connections by the end of June 2007 or around 287 per 1,000 inhabitants.<ref name="FICORA">{{cite web |url=http://www.ficora.fi/attachments/englanti/5ruZDB5VP/Files/CurrentFile/Market_review_2_2007.pdf |title=Market Review 2/2007 |work=Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority (FICORA) |date=31 August 2007 |access-date=4 September 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070925220234/http://www.ficora.fi/attachments/englanti/5ruZDB5VP/Files/CurrentFile/Market_review_2_2007.pdf |archive-date=25 September 2007 }}</ref> All Finnish schools and public libraries have Internet connections and computers and most residents have a mobile phone.<ref>Information technology has become part of Finns' everyday life (Statistics Finland).</ref>

Cuisine

{{Main|Finnish cuisine}}

Karelian pasty (karjalanpiirakka) is a traditional Finnish dish made from a thin rye crust with a filling of rice. Butter, often mixed with boiled egg (eggbutter or munavoi), is spread over the hot pastries before eating.

Finnish cuisine is notable for generally combining traditional country fare and haute cuisine with contemporary style cooking. Fish and meat play a prominent role in traditional Finnish dishes from the western part of the country, while the dishes from the eastern part have traditionally included various vegetables and mushrooms. Refugees from Karelia contributed to foods in eastern Finland. Many regions have strongly branded traditional delicacies, such as Tampere has mustamakkara<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/eat-and-drink/4311-the-black-sausage-is-the-pride-of-tampere%7Ctitle=The black sausage is the pride of Tampere|website=www.helsinkitimes.fi}}</ref> and Kuopio has kalakukko.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theculturetrip.com/europe/finland/articles/top-10-finnish-pastries-try/%7Ctitle=Top 10 Finnish Pastries You Have to Try|first=Jessica|last=Wood|website=Culture Trip}}</ref>

Finnish foods often use wholemeal products (rye, barley, oats) and berries (such as bilberries, lingonberries, cloudberries, and sea buckthorn). Milk and its derivatives like buttermilk are commonly used as food, drink, or in various recipes. Various turnips were common in traditional cooking, but were replaced with the potato after its introduction in the 18th century.

According to the statistics, red meat consumption has risen, but still Finns eat less beef than many other nations, and more fish and poultry. This is mainly because of the high cost of meat in Finland.

Finland has the world's highest per capita consumption of coffee.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fusiontables.google.com/DataSource?docid=1C-fn6nSe21acP0xJIO1T1x0wohqfMYCQyJjbqdk#rows:id=1%7Ctitle=Google Fusion Tables|website=fusiontables.google.com}}</ref> Milk consumption is also high, at an average of about {{convert|112|litre}}, per person, per year,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.luke.fi/en/news/what-was-eaten-in-finland-in-2017%7Ctitle=What was eaten in Finland in 2017|website=Luonnonvarakeskus}}</ref> even though 17% of the Finns are lactose intolerant.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.edunation.co/studyinfinland/blog/5-odd-facts-finland/%7Ctitle=Odd Facts about Finland|website=edunation.co|date=19 September 2017|access-date=17 November 2018|archive-date=17 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181117153004/https://www.edunation.co/studyinfinland/blog/5-odd-facts-finland/%7Curl-status=dead}}</ref>

Public holidays

{{Main|Public holidays in Finland|Flag flying days in Finland}} There are several holidays in Finland, of which perhaps the most characteristic of Finnish culture include Christmas (joulu), Midsummer (juhannus), May Day (vappu) and Independence Day (itsenäisyyspäivä). Of these, Christmas and Midsummer are special in Finland because the actual festivities take place on eves, such as Christmas Eve (jouluaatto)<ref>Llewellyn's Sabbats Almanac: Samhain 2010 to Mabon 2011 p.64. Llewellyn Worldwide, 2010</ref><ref>Festivals of Western Europe p.202. Forgotten Books, 1973</ref> and Midsummer's Eve (juhannusaatto),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.finlit.fi/tietopalvelu/juhlat/juhannus/kokko.htm |title=Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura: Juhannuskokko |publisher=Finlit.fi |access-date=25 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121212031052/http://www.finlit.fi/tietopalvelu/juhlat/juhannus/kokko.htm |archive-date=12 December 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.finlit.fi/tietopalvelu/juhlat/juhannus/koriste.htm |title=Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura: Koivunoksia ja maitoruokia |publisher=Finlit.fi |access-date=25 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121212031056/http://www.finlit.fi/tietopalvelu/juhlat/juhannus/koriste.htm |archive-date=12 December 2012 }}</ref> while Christmas Day (joulupäivä) and Midsummer's Day (juhannuspäivä) are more consecrated to rest. Other public holidays in Finland are New Year's Day (uudenvuodenpäivä), Epiphany (loppiainen), Good Friday (pitkäperjantai), Easter Sunday (pääsiäissunnuntai) and Easter Monday (pääsiäismaanantai), Ascension Day (helatorstai), All Saints' Day (pyhäinpäivä) and Saint Stephen's Day (tapaninpäivä). All official holidays in Finland are established by Acts of Parliament. On the other hand, laskiainen that is strongly part of the Finnish tradition is not defined as a public holiday in relation to the above-mentioned holidays.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iltalehti.fi/kotimaa/a/a5ada22b-379b-4b8b-83ca-51bf6f97213c%7Ctitle=Tänään on vietetty laskiaista – mutta tiedätkö, mistä päivässä on oikein kyse?|first=Samppa|last=Rautio|work=Iltalehti|date=5 March 2019|access-date=26 November 2020|language=fi}}</ref>

Sports

{{Main|Sport in Finland}}

Finland's men's national ice hockey team is ranked as one of the best in the world. The team has won three world championship titles (in 1995, 2011 and 2019) and six Olympic medals.
Kankkunen on the Laajavuori stage of the 2010 Rally Finland

Various sporting events are popular in Finland. Pesäpallo, resembling baseball, is the national sport of Finland, although the most popular sport in terms of spectators is ice hockey. The Ice Hockey World Championships 2016 final, Finland-Canada, was watched by 69% of Finnish people on TV.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://mtv.fi/sport/mm2016/uutiset/artikkeli/leijonien-mm-finaalista-kaikkien-aikojen-katsotuin-jaakiekko-ottelu-suomessa/5908282 |title = Leijonien MM-finaalista historian katsotuin jääkiekko-ottelu Suomessa!| work = mtv.fi| date = 23 May 2016| access-date = 23 May 2016}}</ref> Other popular sports include athletics, cross-country skiing, ski jumping, football, volleyball and basketball.<ref>Valta vaihtui urheilussa: Suomalaiset arvostavat nyt enemmän futista kuin jääkiekkoa |Jalkapallo |HS. Hs.fi (27 February 2014). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref> While ice hockey is the most popular sport when it comes to attendance at games, association football is the most played team sport in terms of the number of players in the country and is also the most appreciated sport in Finland.<ref>Jalkapallo nousi arvostetuimmaksi urheilulajiksi |Yle Urheilu. yle.fi. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref><ref>{{in lang|fi}} Jalkapallolla eniten harrastajia – se lyö lätkän, hiihto on alamäessä |Länsiväylä {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826183108/https://www.lansivayla.fi/artikkeli/369185-jalkapallolla-eniten-harrastajia-se-lyo-latkan-hiihto-on-alamaessa |date=26 August 2018 }}. Lansivayla.fi (28 February 2016). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

In terms of medals and gold medals won per capita, Finland is the best performing country in Olympic history.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.medalspercapita.com/#medals-per-capita:all-time%7Ctitle=Olympic Medals per Capita|website=medalspercapita.com}}</ref> Finland first participated as a nation in its own right at the Olympic Games in 1908, while still an autonomous Grand Duchy within the Russian Empire. At the 1912 Summer Olympics, great pride was taken in the three gold medals won by the original "Flying Finn" Hannes Kolehmainen.

Finland was one of the most successful countries at the Olympic Games before World War II. At the 1924 Summer Olympics, Finland, a nation then of only 3.2 million people, came second in the medal count. In the 1920s and '30s, Finnish long-distance runners dominated the Olympics, with Paavo Nurmi winning a total of nine Olympic gold medals between 1920 and 1928 and setting 22 official world records between 1921 and 1931. Nurmi is often considered the greatest Finnish sportsman and one of the greatest athletes of all time.

For over 100 years, Finnish male and female athletes have consistently excelled at the javelin throw. The event has brought Finland nine Olympic gold medals, five world championships, five European championships, and 24 world records.

The 1952 Summer Olympics were held in Helsinki. Other notable sporting events held in Finland include the 1983 and 2005 World Championships in Athletics.

Finland also has a notable history in figure skating. Finnish skaters have won 8 world championships and 13 junior world cups in synchronized skating, and Finland is considered one of the best countries at the sport.

Some of the most popular recreational sports and activities include floorball, Nordic walking, running, cycling, and skiing (alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and ski jumping). Floorball, in terms of registered players, occupies third place after football and ice hockey. According to the Finnish Floorball Federation, floorball is the most popular school, youth, club and workplace sport.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.expat-finland.com/events/finnish_sports.html%7Ctitle=Finnish Sports: Try the sports Finns love!|first=Stuart Allt Web Design, Turku|last=Finland|website=expat-finland.com}}</ref> {{as of|2016}}, the total number of licensed players reaches 57,400.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.floorball.org/pages/EN/Finland%7Ctitle=IFF%7Clast=IFF%7Cwebsite=floorball.org}}</ref>

Especially since the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Finland's national basketball team has received widespread public attention. More than 8,000 Finns travelled to Spain to support their team. Overall, they chartered more than 40 airplanes.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.fiba.com/basketballworldcup/2014/news/Fan-power-Finn-power-The-tournament--begins--on-win |title= Fan power! Finn power! The tournament "begins" on a winning note for Dettman's team |author=FIBA |date=31 August 2014 |publisher=FIBA.com |access-date=2 November 2014}}</ref>

See also

{{Portal |Finland|Arctic}}

{{Clear}}

Notes

{{reflist|group=note}}

References

{{Reflist|30em}}

Further reading

{{refbegin|30em}}

  • Chew, Allen F. The White Death: The Epic of the Soviet-Finnish Winter War ({{ISBN|0-87013-167-2}}).
  • Engle, Eloise and Paananen, Pauri. The Winter War: The Soviet Attack on Finland 1939–1940 ({{ISBN|0-8117-2433-6}}).
  • Insight Guide: Finland ({{ISBN|981-4120-39-1}}).
  • Jakobson, Max. Finland in the New Europe ({{ISBN|0-275-96372-1}}).
  • Jutikkala, Eino; Pirinen, Kauko. A History of Finland ({{ISBN|0-88029-260-1}}).
  • Klinge, Matti. Let Us Be Finns: Essays on History ({{ISBN|951-1-11180-9}}).
  • Lavery, Jason. The History of Finland, Greenwood Histories of the Modern Nations, Greenwood Press, 2006 ({{ISBN|0-313-32837-4}}, {{ISSN|1096-2905}}).
  • Lewis, Richard D. Finland: Cultural Lone Wolf ({{ISBN|1-931930-18-X}}).
  • Lonely Planet: Finland ({{ISBN|1-74059-791-5}})
  • Mann, Chris. Hitler's Arctic War: The German Campaigns in Norway, Finland, and the USSR 1940–1945 ({{ISBN|0-312-31100-1}}).
  • Rusama, Jaakko. Ecumenical Growth in Finland ({{ISBN|951-693-239-8}}).
  • Singleton, Fred. A Short History of Finland ({{ISBN|0-521-64701-0}}).
  • Subrenat, Jean-Jacques. Listen, there's music from the forest; a brief presentation of the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival ({{ISBN|952-92-0564-3}}).
  • Swallow, Deborah. Culture Shock! Finland: A Guide to Customs and Etiquette ({{ISBN|1-55868-592-8}}).
  • Trotter, William R. A Frozen Hell: The Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939–1940 ({{ISBN|1-56512-249-6}}).

{{refend}}

External links

{{Sister project links|Finland|voy=Finland}}

Government

Maps

  • {{osmrelation-inline|54224}}
  • {{wikiatlas|Finland}}

Travel

{{Finland topics}} {{Navboxes |list= {{Sovereign states of Europe}} {{Nordic countries}} {{Nordic Council}} {{Member states of the European Union}} {{European Economic Area (EEA)}} {{Countries bordering the Baltic Sea}} }} {{Authority control}} {{coord|64|N|26|E|region:FI_type:country|display=title}}

Your World of Text during the second soyjak.party raid.

Your World of Text is a website that allows anyone to type whatever they want on an infinitely large canvas. A favourite target for soyjak.party raids due to the ease of editing and lack of jannies or any ban system whatsoever.

Normally you can't paste text on YWOT, type 

Permissions.can_paste = function() {return true;};

into your browser's console to enable pasting, or use Your Hacked World of Text (linked below).

Raids

The first soyjak raid on Your World of Text occured on June 7, 2021. It was fairly minor and was quickly forgotten due to the original thread being lost to the Captain Coal incident. The second raid began on June 10, 2021 and is still ongoing. Massive amounts of ASCIIjaks and Sneed spam could be found across the canvas, invoking the rage of several Brazillians using the site, however these were mostly erased in the early morning of June 13. A rebuilding effort is ongoing, with skirmishes between soyjak.party raiders, a Trollface spammer, and a Ballmerposter being documented.

Gallery

<gallery> File:YWOTJune12.png|The second raid (June 12) File:YWOTSkirmishes.png|Skirmishes during the rebuilding effort of June 13 </gallery>

Related articles

External links

{{subst::You will hang, pedophile}} {{hatnote|This article is about live action drama television programs. Comedy-dramas ("dramedy") are also included in List of comedy television series with LGBT characters. For animated series, see List of animated series with LGBTQ+ characters.}} {{For|live action characters listed by orientation|List of lesbian characters in television|List of gay characters in television|List of bisexual characters in television|List of transgender characters in television}} {{For2|the list of 1960s–2000s series|List of dramatic television series with LGBT characters: 1960s–2000s|the list of 2020s series|List of dramatic television series with LGBT characters: 2020s}} {{Short description|Wikipedia list article}} {{very long|date=March 2021}} {{dynamic list}} {{sp}} This is a list of dramatic television series (including web television and miniseries) that premiered in the 2010s which feature lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender characters. Non-binary, pansexual, asexual, and graysexual characters are also included. The orientation can be portrayed on-screen, described in the dialogue or mentioned.

2010

Year Show Network Character Actor Notes
2010–2013 The|Big C|The Big C (TV series)}} Showtime Lee Hugh Dancy last1=Hartinger |first1=Brent |title=You Should TOTALLY be Watching the Hugh Dancy Storyline on "The Big C" Right Now! |url=http://www.newnownext.com/you-should-totally-be-watching-the-hugh-dancy-storyline-on-the-big-c-right-now/08/2011/ |website=NewNowNext |date=August 8, 2011}}</ref>
2010–2014 Boardwalk Empire HBO Angela Darmody Aleksa Palladino title=Boardwalk Empire |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/boardwalk-empire/}}</ref>
Mary Dittrich Lisa Joyce Mary is bisexual, and a photographer's assistant to her husband.<ref name="Boardwalk EmpireLezWatch"/>
Louise Bryant Kristen Sieh Louise is a lesbian, and a bohemian from San Francisco. She is killed by a mobster.<ref name="Boardwalk EmpireLezWatch"/>
2010–2013 Dance Academy ABC1
ABC3		 Sammy Lieberman Tom Green last1=Besanvalle |first1=James |title=Flash star Keiynan Lonsdale comes out in beautiful Instagram post |url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/flash-star-keiynan-lonsdale-comes-bisexual-beautiful-instagram-post/ |website=Gay Star News |date=13 May 2017}}</ref>
Ollie Lloyd Keiynan Lonsdale last1=Fox |first1=Tiffany |title=Reluctant heart-throb |url=https://thewest.com.au/entertainment/art/reluctant-heart-throb-ng-ya-273222 |website=The West Australian |date=3 July 2013}}</ref>
Christian Reed Jordan Rodrigues last1=Knox |first1=David |title=A kiss is just a kiss, even in teen TV. {{!}} TV Tonight |url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2010/08/a-kiss-is-just-a-kiss-even-in-teen-tv.html |website=TV Tonight |date=August 21, 2010}}</ref>
Rhys O'Leary Richard Brancatisano Rhys dates Ollie, after Sammy dies.<ref name="Flash star Keiynan Lonsdale"/>
2010–2015 Downton Abbey ITV
PBS		 Thomas Barrow Rob James-Collier Thomas is gay. He is a footman in the aristocratic Crawley household and hides his sexuality due to the criminality of the time period. He also appears in the movie adaption.<ref name="Downton Abbey">{{cite web |last1=Ryan |first1=Hugh |title=Downton Abbey's Thomas Barrow and the Future of the Gay Past |url=https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a28984957/downton-abbey-thomas-barrow-gay-sexuality-1920s-history-accuracy/ |website=Town & Country |date=16 September 2019}}</ref>
Duke of Crowborough Charlie Cox The Duke of Crowborough is Lady Mary's suitor and Thomas's lover in the opening of the show.<ref name="Downton Abbey"/>
2010–2011 Gigantic TeenNick Ryan Katins Greg Ellis last1=Hartinger |first1=Brent |title="Gigantic" Brings Gay Diversity to "Tween" Television with a Gay Dad |url=http://www.newnownext.com/gigantic-brings-gay-diversity-to-tween-television-with-a-gay-dad/03/2011/ |website=NewNowNext |date=March 22, 2011}}</ref>
Charlie Maddock Don O. Knowlton Charlie is gay and Ryan's boyfriend.<ref name="gigantic tv show"/>
2010–2011 Hellcats The|CW|The CW Television Network}} Darwin Jeremy Wong last1=Jensen |first1=Michael |title=Best. Gay. Week. Ever! Who Wants to Be a Baby Daddy? |url=http://www.newnownext.com/best-gay-week-ever-who-wants-to-be-a-baby-daddy/01/2011/2/ |website=NewNowNext |date=January 21, 2011}}</ref>
2010–2011 Law & Order: LA NBC Lt. Arleen Gonzales Rachel Ticotin title=Arleen Gonzales, Law & Order: LA |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/arleen-gonzales-law-order-la/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
2010–2012 Lip Service BBC Three Cat McKenzie Laura Fraser title=Lip Service |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/lip-service/}}</ref>
Frankie Alan Ruta Gedmintas Frankie is bisexual.<ref name="Lip Service LezWatch.TV"/>
Tess Roberts Fiona Button Tess is a lesbian. She is Cat's roommate and a struggling actor.<ref name="Lip Service LezWatch.TV"/>
Sgt Sam Murray Heather Peace Sam is a lesbian police officer, and Cat's girlfriend.<ref name="Lip Service LezWatch.TV"/>
Sadie Anderson Natasha O'Keeffe last1=Pitts |first1=Gavin |title=Couch Potato - Lip Service |url=https://www.outinperth.com/couch-potato-lip-service/ |website=OUT In Perth |date=7 September 2011}}</ref>
Lexy Price Anna Skellern Lexy is lesbian, and a Doctor. In season 2 she has a crush on Sam.<ref name="Lip Service LezWatch.TV"/>
Declan Love Adam Sinclair title=Lip Service |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/lipservice/ |website=BBC}}</ref>
Lou Foster Roxanne McKee Lou is a closeted bisexual, who has a secret relationship with Tess.<ref name="Couch Potato Lip Service"/>
Lauren Neve McIntosh Lauren is lesbian, and an editor at a Scottish arts, culture and fashion magazine. Her partner is Jo.<ref name="Lauren played by Neve McIntosh"/>
Jo Valerie Edmond title=Lauren played by Neve McIntosh |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/lipservice/lauren/ |website=BBC}}</ref>
2010–2015 Lost Girl Showcase Bo Dennis Anna Silk Bo is a bisexual succubus, meaning she can and often does drain the life force of others through intimate contact.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Stinson|first1=Scott|title=Stinson: The not-so-bizarre love triangle in Lost Girl|url=http://news.nationalpost.com/arts/television/stinson-the-not-so-bizarre-love-triangle-in-lost-girl%7Cwork=National Post|date=November 7, 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150405045213/http://news.nationalpost.com/arts/television/stinson-the-not-so-bizarre-love-triangle-in-lost-girl%7Carchive-date=5 April 2015}}</ref><ref name="Lost Girl LezWatch.TV">{{cite web |title=Lost Girl |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/lost-girl/}}</ref>
Lauren Lewis Zoie Palmer Lauren is lesbian, and a Doctor to the Fae.<ref name="Lost Girl LezWatch.TV"/>
Evony Fleurette Marquise Emmanuelle Vaugier Evony (aka The Morrigain), is bisexual and queen of the dark Fae. She lost her powers after oral sex with Lauren.<ref name="Lost Girl LezWatch.TV"/><ref name="The Unicorn Scale Lost Girl"/>
Vex Paul Amos Vex is bisexual, and ends up with Mark in the final episodes of the series.<ref name="The Unicorn Scale Lost Girl"/>
Nadia Athena Karkanis Nadia is lesbian, and Lauren's girlfriend.<ref name="Lost Girl LezWatch.TV"/>
Tamsin Rachel Skarsten Tamsin is a bisexual Valkyrie who works as a bounty hunter and mercenary for the Dark Fae.<ref name="Lost Girl LezWatch.TV"/><ref name="The Unicorn Scale Lost Girl"/>
Crystal Ali Liebert Crystal is a lesbian waitress.<ref name="Lost Girl LezWatch.TV"/>
Mark Luke Bilyk last1=Swartz |first1=SB |title=The Unicorn Scale: Lost Girl |url=https://bi.org/en/articles/the-unicorn-scale-lost-girl |website=Bi.org |date=February 12, 2019}}</ref>
Dagny Olivia Scriven Dagny is pansexual and Tamsin's daughter.<ref name="Lost Girl LezWatch.TV"/>
2010–2019 Luther BBC Emma Lane Rose Leslie last1=Hogan|first1=Michael|title=Luther Season 4: What You Need To Know|url=https://uk.askmen.com/top_10/celebrity/luther-season-4-what-you-need-to-know/ |website=Askmen|date=14 December 2015|access-date=13 January 2020}}</ref>
2010 Outlaw NBC Lucinda Pearl Carly Pope title=Lucinda Pearl |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lucinda-pearl/}}</ref>
2010–2015 Parenthood NBC Haddie Braverman Sarah Ramos title=Haddie Braverman |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/haddie-braverman/}}</ref>
Lauren Tavi Gevinson title=Lauren |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lauren/}}</ref>
2010–2017 Pretty Little Liars Freeform Emily Fields Shay Mitchell Emily realizes that she is a lesbian in Season 1 when she begins a romance with Maya and comes out to her father. She later marries Alison.<ref name="Pretty Little Liars Lez"/>
Maya St. Germain Bianca Lawson last1=Rauscher |first1=Melody |title=Queer Representation in Pretty Little Liars |url=https://geeks.media/queer-representation-in-pretty-little-liars-spoilers |website=Geeks |date=October 7, 2017}}</ref>
Paige McCullers Lindsey Shaw Paige is lesbian, and on the high school's swim team. She dates Emily for a while.<ref name="Pretty Little Liars Lez"/>
Samara Cook Claire Holt Samara is a lesbian. She and Emily dated, but Samara did not want to be exclusive.<ref name="Pretty Little Liars Lez"/>
Alison DiLaurentis Sasha Pieterse title=Pretty Little Liars |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/pretty-little-liars/}}</ref>
Shana Fring Aeriél Miranda Shana is a lesbian, and works at a Halloween themed store. She dated Jenna and briefly dated Paige. She died after falling off a stage from being hit in the head with a gun.<ref name="Pretty Little Liars Lez"/>
Talia Sandoval Miranda Rae Mayo Talia is lesbian, and she dated Emily for a while.<ref name="Pretty Little Liars Lez"/>
Jenna Marshall Tammin Sursok Jenna is bisexual. She dated Shana for a while, but also forced herself on her step-brother.<ref name="Pretty Little Liars Lez"/>
Charlotte DiLaurentis Vanessa Ray title = Behind That Controversial "Pretty Little Liars" Transgender Reveal|url = https://www.buzzfeed.com/jarettwieselman/pretty-little-liars-boss-defends-controversial-transgender-r#.bdjDJrWzx%7Cwebsite = BuzzFeed|access-date = 2015-12-09}}</ref>
Sabrina Lulu Brud Sabrina is a lesbian, and manager of a coffee shop, who also had cancer.<ref name="Pretty Little Liars Lez"/>
Sara Harvey Dre Davis Sara is bisexual, and is found dead in a hotel bathtub.<ref name="Pretty Little Liars Lez"/>
Rachel Amelia Leigh Harris Rachel is lesbian, and Sabrina's girlfriend.<ref name="Pretty Little Liars Lez"/>
2010–2015 Rookie Blue Global Gail Peck Charlotte Sullivan last1=Costa|first1=Daniela|title="Rookie Blue" showrunner Tassie Cameron talks Gail Peck, Season 5 storylines and lesbians in the writers' room|url=https://www.afterellen.com/tv/434875-rookie-blue-showrunner-tassie-cameron-talks-gail-peck-season-5-storylines-lesbians-writers-room%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=June 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150607043309/https://www.afterellen.com/tv/434875-rookie-blue-showrunner-tassie-cameron-talks-gail-peck-season-5-storylines-lesbians-writers-room%7Carchive-date=June 7, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Costa|first1=Daniela|title="Rookie Blue" star Charlotte Sullivan talks playing gay cop Gail Peck|url=https://www.afterellen.com/tv/444461-rookie-blue-star-charlotte-sullivan-talks-playing-gay-cop-gail-peck%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=July 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150727061427/https://www.afterellen.com/tv/444461-rookie-blue-star-charlotte-sullivan-talks-playing-gay-cop-gail-peck%7Carchive-date=July 27, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Wilson|first1=Erin Faith|title=Lesbian TV writer Noelle Carbone on writing for gay cop Gail Peck on "Rookie Blue"|url=https://www.afterellen.com/tv/450065-lesbian-tv-writer-noelle-carbon-writing-gay-cop-gail-peck-rookie-blue%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=August 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150829051639/https://www.afterellen.com/tv/450065-lesbian-tv-writer-noelle-carbon-writing-gay-cop-gail-peck-rookie-blue%7Carchive-date=August 29, 2015}}</ref>
Holly Stewart Aliyah O'Brien last1=Staff|title=Rookie Blue's Aliyah O'Brien on Holly and Gail|url=https://www.globaltv.com/rookieblue/latest/rookie-blues-aliyah-obrien-on-holly-and-gail/%7Cwebsite=Global|date=July 9, 2014|access-date=September 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190217030135/https://www.globaltv.com/rookieblue/latest/rookie-blues-aliyah-obrien-on-holly-and-gail/%7Carchive-date=February 17, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Frankie Anderson Katharine Isabelle last1=Anne|first1=Valerie|title="Rookie Blue" recap (6.11): Over and out|url=http://www.afterellen.com/tv/451757-rookie-blue-recap-6-11/2%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=September 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911011636/http://www.afterellen.com/tv/451757-rookie-blue-recap-6-11/2%7Carchive-date=September 11, 2015}}</ref>
Alex Katy Grabstas title=Alex |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/alex-rookie-blue/}}</ref>
Tabby Barnes Tulsi Balram title=Tabby Barnes |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/tabby-barnes/}}</ref>
Jen Luck Alexandra Ordolis title=Jen Luck |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/jen-luck/}}</ref>
Lisa Lara Gilchrist title=Lisa |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lisa-rookie-blue/}}</ref>
2010 Rubicon AMC Kale Ingram Arliss Howard last1=Jensen |first1=Michael |title=Spying a Gay Character on AMC’s "Rubicon" |url=http://www.newnownext.com/spying-a-gay-character-on-amcs-rubicon/08/2010/ |website=NewNowNext |date=August 30, 2010}}</ref>
Walter Carrington Jon Patrick Walker Walter is gay and Kale's partner.<ref name="2011 network responsibility"/><ref name="Spying a Gay Character"/>
Donald Bloom Michael Gaston title=2011 network responsibility index |url=https://www.glaad.org/files/glaad_nri_2011_updated.pdf |website=GLAAD |page=20}}</ref><ref name="Spying a Gay Character"/>
2010–2017 Sherlock BBC One Irene Adler Lara Pulver title=Irene Adler |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/irene-adler/}}</ref>
Jim Moriarty Andrew Scott last1=Simpson |first1=Jayne M. |title=3 Halves of a Whole: Homosexuality and Self-Acceptance in BBC’s Sherlock |journal=Undergraduate Research Journal |date=2016 |volume=10 |issue=1 |page=24 |publisher=University of Colorado Colorado Springs |issn=2693-3918|oclc=1182591537}}</ref>
Eurus Holmes Sian Brooke title=Eurus Holmes |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/eurus-holmes/}}</ref>
2010–2013 Spartacus Starz Barca Antonio Te Maioha last1=Jensen |first1=Michael |title=Exclusive: Meet "Spartacus: Blood and Sand"'s Intriguing New "Gay" Character |url=http://www.newnownext.com/exclusive-meet-spartacus-blood-and-sands-intriguing-new-gay-character/01/2010/ |website=NewNowNext |date=January 4, 2010}}</ref>
Pietros Eka Darville last1=Jensen |first1=Michael |title=Breaking! "Spartacus"'s Gay Gladiator Will Have a Love Interest in "Gods of the Arena" Prequel |url=http://www.newnownext.com/breaking-spartacuss-gay-gladiator-will-have-a-love-interest-in-gods-of-the-arena-prequel/07/2010/2/ |website=NewNowNext |date=July 23, 2010}}</ref>
Auctus Josef Brown Auctus is gay, and Barca' lover after Pietros is killed.<ref name="Gods of the Arena"/>
Agron Daniel Feuerriegel Agron is a gay rebel warrior, in a relationship with Nasir.<ref name="Gay Action Hero on Spartacus"/>
Nasir Pana Hema Taylor last1=Peeples |first1=Jase |title=The Gay Action Hero on Spartacus is Back Tonight |url=https://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/television/2013/01/24/gay-action-hero-spartacus-back-tonight |website=The Advocate |date=24 January 2013}}</ref>
Saxa Ellen Hollman Saxa is bisexual and one of a group of Germanic prisoners rescued from a slave ship.<ref name="Spartacus TV Watch Lez"/>
Belesa Luna Rioumina Belesa is bisexual and a Thracian slave.<ref name="Spartacus TV Watch Lez"/>
Tiberius Christian Antidormi last1=Cornelius |first1=Michael |title="Spartacus: War of the Damned" Episode 4 Recap: "Memo to Sparty: Kill all Romans!" |url=http://www.newnownext.com/spartacus-war-of-the-damned-episode-4-recap-memo-to-sparty-kill-all-romans/02/2013/ |website=NewNowNext |date=February 23, 2013}}</ref>
Castus Blessing Mokgohloa last1=Halterman |first1=Jim |title="Spartacus" Interview: Blessing Mokgohloa |url=http://www.newnownext.com/interview-blessing-mokgohloa-of-spartacus/04/2013/ |website=NewNowNext |date=April 11, 2013}}</ref>
Gaia Jaime Murray title=Gaia, Spartacus |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/gaia-spartacus/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Lucretia Lucy Lawless title=Spartacus |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/spartacus/}}</ref>
2010–2015 Strike Back Sky1
Cinemax		 James Leatherby Dougray Scott Leatherby is gay, and a former SAS officer. He is also insanely jealous.<ref name="The New Big Baddie">{{cite web|url=http://www.newnownext.com/the-new-big-baddie-on-strike-back-is-brutal-unhinged-and-gay/08/2013/%7Ctitle= The New Big Baddie On "Strike Back" Is Brutal, Unhinged, and Gay |website=NewNowNext}}</ref>
Fahran Daniel Ben Zenou Fahran is Leatherby's lover. James shoots Fahran in the hand when he suspects Fahran of cheating on him with a bartender. He shoots the bartender in the back.<ref name="The New Big Baddie"/>
2010 Thorne Sky1 HD Phil Hendricks Aidan Gillen Phil is a gay forensic pathologist. The show is based on the novels of author Mark Billingham.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Pennington |first1=Gail |title=TV review: 'Thorne' |url=https://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/television/gail-pennington/tv-review-thorne/article_d3bab970-b432-11e1-b7b7-0019bb30f31a.html |website=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |date=June 12, 2012}}</ref>
2010–2012 Upstairs Downstairs BBC Blanche Mottershead Alex Kingston title=Blanche Mottershead |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/blanche-mottershead/}}</ref>
Portia Alresford Emilia Fox Porits is lesbian, and Blanche's lover. She is a bohemian novelist.<ref>{{cite web |title=Portia Alresford |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/portia-alresford/}}</ref>
2010 The|Whole Truth|The Whole Truth (TV series)}} ABC Alejo Salazar Anthony Ruivivar last1=Stevenson |first1=Alexander |title="The Whole Truth" Does Justice to its Gay Character |url=http://www.newnownext.com/the-whole-truth-does-justice-to-its-gay-character/09/2010/ |website=NewNowNext |date=September 22, 2010}}</ref>

2011

Year Show Network Character Actor Notes
2011– Black Mirror Netflix Yorkie Mackenzie Davis
(young Yorkie)		 Yorkie is a lesbian and Kelly is her love interest, in episode "San Junipero", which is a simulated reality where the deceased can live and the elderly can visit, all inhabiting their younger selves' bodies in a time of their choice.<ref>{{cite news|last1=O'Hara|first1=Helen|title=The story of San Junipero: why Charlie Brooker's Emmy-winning vision of Heaven will live forever|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/on-demand/2017/09/16/san-junipero-revisited-black-mirrors-heartbreaking-vision-heaven/%7Cnewspaper=The Telegraph|date=18 September 2017}}</ref><ref name="Black Mirror season 3">{{cite web|last1=Mullane|first1=Alex|title=Black Mirror season 3 'San Junipero' review: beautiful rather than biting|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/black-mirror/review/a811882/black-mirror-season-3-san-junipero-review-beautiful-rather-than-biting/%7Cwebsite=Digital Spy|date=23 October 2016}}</ref>
Annabel Davis
(elderly Yorkie)		 title=Black Mirror |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/black-mirror/}}</ref>
Kelly Gugu Mbatha-Raw
(young Kelly)		 Kelly is bisexual and Yorkie's love interest, in episode "San Junipero".<ref name="Black Mirror season 3"/><ref name="Black MirrorLezWatch"/>
Denise Burse
(elderly Kelly)		 Elderly Kelly sought refuge in San Junipero after her daughter died, and her husband killed himself.<ref name="Black MirrorLezWatch"/>
Amy Georgina Campbell Amy is bisexual, and in a dating simulation, trying to find her compatible other.<ref name="Black MirrorLezWatch"/>
2011–2014 Borgia Canal+ Francesc Gacet Art Malik title=I Borgia - la scheda della serie tv |url=https://www.cinemagay.it/serie-tv/borgia-i/ |website=Cinemagay.it |language=it-IT |date=February 7, 2018}}</ref>
Giuliano della Rovere Dejan Čukić Giuliano della Rovere was condemned by the Council of Pisa as a sodomite. The Council said it was because of his fondness for Francesco Alidosi, and other young men.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Monteagudo |first1=Jesse |title=Meet the 11 gay or bisexual Catholic popes from history |url=https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2017/08/meet-11-gay-bisexual-catholic-popes-history/ |website=LGBTQ Nation |date=17 August 2017}}</ref>
Francesco Alidosi Matt Di Angelo
2011–2013 {{sortname|The|Borgias|The Borgias (2011 TV series)}} Showtime Micheletto Corella Sean Harris last1=Hanson |first1=Britta |title=The Homogenized Queerness of Historical Television |url=https://www.flowjournal.org/2017/07/queer-tv-homogenization/ |website=Flow Journal |date=July 5, 2017}}</ref>
Angelino Darwin Shaw Angelino's lover is Micheletto Corella. Micheletto tells him that his impending marriage will be a lie. Angelino replies that he must proceed anyway, given the punishment for their homosexual relationship would be "disemboweled and burnt".<ref name="Homogenized Queerness"/>
Pascal Charlie Carrick last1=Wyatt |first1=David A. |title=Gay / Lesbian / Bisexual Television Characters |url=https://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~wyatt/tv-char2000s.html#test217 |publisher=University of Manitoba |date=September 10, 2016}}</ref>
Pope Alexander VI Jeremy Irons last1=Ogles |first1=Jacob |title=21 Gay Popes, Cardinals, and Assorted Catholic Leaders |url=https://www.advocate.com/religion/2018/2/02/21-gay-popes-cardinals-and-assorted-catholic-leaders |website=The Advocate |date=2 February 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Murphy |first1=Francis Xavier |title=Alexander VI {{!}} Biography, Legacy, & Facts |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexander-VI |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |date=1998 |quote=Alexander VI holds a high place on the list of the so-called bad popes.}}</ref>
2011 Crownies ABC1 Janet King Marta Dusseldorp Janet is a lesbian who lives with her partner Ashleigh Larsson, and she becomes pregnant via IVF.<ref>{{cite web |title=Janet King |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/janet-king/}}</ref> Her character continued in the Janet King spin-off.
Ashleigh Larsson Aimee Pedersen title=Ash Larsson |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/ash-larsson/}}</ref>
2011–2019 Game of Thrones HBO Renly Baratheon Gethin Anthony Renly is the gay brother of King Robert. He is in a secret relationship with Loras Tyrell.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Avery|first1=Dan|title=Renly Baratheon Is Proud He Brought Good Gay Lovin' To Westeros|url=http://www.newnownext.com/renly-baratheon-is-proud-he-brought-good-gay-lovin-to-westeros/09/2016/%7Cwebsite=NewNowNext|publisher=Logo|date=September 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191223133204/http://www.newnownext.com/renly-baratheon-is-proud-he-brought-good-gay-lovin-to-westeros/09/2016/%7Carchive-date=December 23, 2019}}</ref>
Loras Tyrell Finn Jones Loras is gay and the Knight of Flowers. He is in a secret relationship with Renly Baratheon.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Renfro|first1=Kim|title=Fans are up in arms about HBO's treatment of a side character on 'Game of Thrones'|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/game-of-thrones-loras-2015-5%7Cwebsite=Business Insider|date=May 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920011256/https://www.businessinsider.com/game-of-thrones-loras-2015-5%7Carchive-date=September 20, 2018}}</ref>
Oberyn Martell Pedro Pascal last1=Vineyard |first1=Jennifer |title=Game of Thrones Pedro Pascal on Oberyns Bisexuality, Orgies in Westeros, and Boy Candy |url=https://www.vulture.com/2014/04/pedro-pascal-oberyn-red-viper-bisexuality-interview.html |website=Vulture |date=April 7, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Stevenson|first1=Alexander|title="Game Of Thrones" Introduces Badass Bisexual Oberyn Martell In Season 4|url=http://www.newnownext.com/game-of-thrones-introduces-badass-bisexual-oberyn-martell-in-season-4/03/2014/%7Cwebsite=NewNowNext|date=March 2, 2014}}</ref>
Ellaria Sand Indira Varma last1=Mohan|first1=Keerthi|title='Game of Thrones' Actress Indira Varma Talks Nudity on Show; Reveals What's Next for Ellaria Sand|url=http://www.ibtimes.co.in/game-thrones-actress-indira-varma-talks-nudity-show-reveals-whats-next-ellaria-sand-623954%7Cwebsite=International Business Times|date=February 19, 2015}}</ref>
Marei Josephine Gillan title=Marei |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/marei/}}</ref>
Olyvar Will Tudor last1=Sarner |first1=Lauren |title=Loras Tyrell Says His Lover Olyvar Died Offscreen in 'Game of Thrones' |url=https://www.inverse.com/article/24998-loras-olyvar-died-offscreen |website=Inverse |date=December 9, 2016}}</ref>
Varys Conleth Hill last1=Whitney |first1=E. Oliver |title=Tyrion Had A Very Emotional Trial |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/game-of-thrones-recap_n_5307394 |website=Huff Post |date=12 May 2014}}</ref>
Yara Greyjoy Gemma Whelan title=Yara Greyjoy |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/yara-greyjoy/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Vineyard |first1=Jennifer |title=Game of Thrones’ Gemma Whelan on Yara’s Sexuality and Freezing on Set |url=https://www.vulture.com/2016/07/gemma-whelan-yara-sexuality-game-of-thrones.html |website=Vulture |date=July 6, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Trivedi|first1=Sachin|title='Game of Thrones' Season 7 spoilers: Yara is 'pansexual'; Possible romance with Daenerys|url=http://www.ibtimes.com.au/game-thrones-season-7-spoilers-yara-pansexual-possible-romance-daenerys-1521432%7Cwebsite=International Business Times|date=July 11, 2016}}</ref>
Doreah Roxanne McKee title=Doreah |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/doreah/}}</ref>
Hodor Kristian Nairn last1=Sobel |first1=Ariel |title=11 LGBTQ Characters Who Played the 'Game of Thrones' |url=https://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2017/7/17/11-lgbt-characters-who-played-game-thrones#media-gallery-media-1 |website=The Advocate |date=17 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Moylan |first1=Brian |title=Game of Thrones Has a Gay Problem |url=https://www.vulture.com/2016/06/game-of-thrones-has-a-gay-problem.html |website=Vulture |date=June 28, 2016}}</ref>
2011–2015 Hart of Dixie CW Crickett Watts Brandi Burkhardt title=Crickett Watts |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/cricket-watts/}}</ref>
Jaysene Charles Erica Piccininni title=Jaysene Charles |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/jaysene-charles/}}</ref>
2011–2016 Hell on Wheels AMC Louise Ellison Jennifer Ferrin Louise is bisexual and a newspaper reporter sent by the New York Tribune to cover the building of the Union Pacific Railroad; she reveals that the assignment was a punishment for exhibiting attraction toward the newspaper editors daughter.<ref>{{cite web |title=Louise Ellison |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/louise-ellison/}}</ref>
2011–2014 {{sortname|The|Killing|The Killing (U.S. TV series)}} AMC
Netflix		 Regi Darnell Annie Corley title=The Killing |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/the-killing/}}</ref>
Rachel "Bullet" Olmstead Bex Taylor-Klaus last1=Hogan|first1=Heather|title="The Killing" adds a "tough scrappy" lesbian character|url=https://www.afterellen.com/tv/107547-the-killing-adds-a-tough-scrappy-lesbian-character%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=May 20, 2013}}</ref>
Nicole Jackson Claudia Ferri last1=Kine|first1=Starlee|title=An Exhaustive List of All the Things You Missed by Skipping Season Two of The Killing|url=https://www.vulture.com/2012/06/what-you-missed-on-season-two-of-the-killing.html%7Cwebsite=Vulture|date=June 15, 2012}}</ref>
Roberta Drays Patti Kim title=Cast & Crew: Roberta Drays|url=https://www.amc.com/shows/the-killing/cast-crew/roberta-drays%7Cwebsite=AMC}}</ref>
Ellen Hilary Strang Ellen is lesbian, and Regi's girlfriend, and then wife.<ref name="The Killing Lez Watch"/>
2011–2013 Necessary Roughness USA Rex Evans Travis Smith url=http://www.thebacklot.com/travis-smith-on-necessary-roughness-and-his-gay-pro-quarterback-character/02/2013/%7Ctitle=The Backlot - Corner of Hollywood and Gay - NewNowNext|website=LOGO News}}</ref>
2011–2018 Once Upon a Time ABC Mulan Jamie Chung last1=Bricker|first1=Tierney|title=Once Upon a Time's Jamie Chung Speaks Out on Mulan's Gay Reveal: "Her Heart Is With Aurora"|url=http://www.eonline.com/news/501450/once-upon-a-time-s-jamie-chung-speaks-out-on-mulan-s-gay-reveal-her-heart-is-with-aurora%7Cwebsite=E! News|date=January 19, 2014}}</ref>
Ruby Lucas Meghan Ory title=Once Upon a Time |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/once-upon-a-time/}}</ref>
Dorothy Gale Teri Reeves Dorothy is a lesbian, and that girl from Kansas. She is cursed and only True Love's Kiss (from Ruby) can awaken her.<ref name="Once Upon a TimeLezWatch.TV"/>
Alice Rose Reynolds last1=MacDonald|first1=Lindsay|title=Once Upon a Time Star on Alice's New Romance: "Love Is Love"|url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/once-upon-a-times-rose-reynolds-alice-robin-love-story/%7Cwebsite=TV Guide|publisher=CBS Interactive|date=December 15, 2017}}</ref>
Robin Tiera Skovbye Robin is a lesbian. She is the daughter of Robin Hook and Zelena (the Wicked Witch of the West).<ref name="Once Upon a TimeLezWatch.TV"/>
2011–2016 Person of Interest CBS Sameen Shaw Sarah Shahi title=Sameen Shaw |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sameen-shaw/}}</ref>
Root (Samantha Groves) Amy Acker title=Root |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/root/}}</ref>
Amy Enright Erica Leerhsen title=Amy Enright |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/amy-enright/}}</ref>
Madeleine Enright Sharon Leal title=Madeleine Enright |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/madeleine-enright/}}</ref>
2011 {{sortname|The|Playboy Club}} NBC Bunny Alice Leah Renee Alice is a Playboy Bunny and secretly lesbian. She is in a sham marriage with Sean, who is gay.<ref>{{cite web |title=Alice |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/alice/}}</ref>
Sean Beasley Sean Maher Sean is gay. Alice and Sean are in a sham marriage.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.afterelton.com/tv-nbc-sean-maher-smash-playboy-a-manns-world |title=New Music Videos, Reality TV Shows, Celebrity News, Pop Culture | LOGOtv |access-date=2011-05-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110602163756/http://www.afterelton.com/tv-nbc-sean-maher-smash-playboy-a-manns-world |archive-date=2011-06-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.afterelton.com/tv-on-tap-07-12-2011 |title=New Music Videos, Reality TV Shows, Celebrity News, Pop Culture | LOGOtv |access-date=2011-07-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714025955/http://www.afterelton.com/tv-on-tap-07-12-2011 |archive-date=2011-07-14}}</ref>
Frances Dunhill Cassidy Freeman title=Frances Dunhill |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/frances-dunhill/}}</ref>
2011–2015 Revenge ABC Nolan Ross Gabriel Mann Nolan is bisexual dotcom billionaire, and rates himself a 3 on the Kinsey scale.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Avery |first1=Dan |title=Gabriel Mann, Resident Bisexual On "Revenge," Promises "Full-Body Reveal" In Season 3 |url=http://www.newnownext.com/gabriel-mann-resident-bisexual-on-revenge-promises-full-body-reveal-in-season-3/08/2013/ |website=NewNowNext |date=August 12, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Hern |first1=Greg |title=Gabriel Mann's bisexual character on ABC's Revenge expected to swing back to men |url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/gabriel-manns-bisexual-character-abcs-revenge-expected-swing-back-men140813/ |website=Gay Star News |date=14 August 2013}}</ref>
Tyler Barrol Ashton Holmes Tyler is a bisexual hustler, who suffers from bipolar disorder.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Batty |first1=David |title=How Revenge lost the plot |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2013/feb/25/how-revenge-lost-plot-e4-drama |website=The Guardian |date=25 February 2013}}</ref>
Marco Romero E.J. Bonilla last1=Halterman |first1=Jim |title=EJ Bonilla On Soft Lips And More "Revenge" |url=http://www.newnownext.com/ej-bonilla-on-soft-lips-and-more-revenge/11/2012/ |website=NewNowNext |date=November 30, 2012}}</ref>
Patrick Osbourne Justin Hartley Patrick is gay and the illegitimate son of Victoria Greyson (Madeline Stowe). Patrick and Nolan had a relationship in season 3.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wieselman |first1=Jarett |title=Justin Hartley Teases 'Revenge' Romance Fallout |url=http://www.etonline.com/tv/140218_Justin_Hartley_Revenge_Interview/ |website=Entertainment Tonight |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150407023336/http://www.etonline.com/tv/140218_Justin_Hartley_Revenge_Interview/ |archive-date=April 7, 2015 |date=October 31, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
Regina Seychelle Gabriel title=Regina George |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/regina-george/}}</ref>
2011–2012 Ringer {{sortname|The|CW|The CW Television Network}} Olivia Charles Jaime Murray title=Ringer |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/ringer/}}</ref>
Catherine Martin Andrea Roth Catherine is bisexual and in a relationship with Olivia.<ref name="Ringer olivia catherine"/>
2011–2016 Scott & Bailey ITV Helen Bartlett Nicola Walker Helen is a lesbian, and emotionally disturbed. She eventually commits suicide by slashing her wrists.<ref name="Scott Bailey LezWatch"/>
Anna Ran Jing Lusi Anna is a lesbian, and a detective assigned to Syndicate 9.<ref name="Scott Bailey LezWatch"/>
Louise Caroline Harding title=Scott & Bailey |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/scott-bailey/}}</ref>

Shameless (2011–2021)

Shameless on Showtime (Seasons 1 - 11)
Character Actor Notes
Ian Gallagher Cameron Monaghan In the series pilot, Ian is a closeted gay, he comes out after his brother Lip (Jeremy Allen White), discovers his cache of gay pornography. Ian's first gay relationship in the series is with Kash Karib, owner of Kash and Grab, the neighborhood convenience store where Ian works. In season 1, episode 7, Ian has his first sexual encounter with Mickey Milkovich. Their relationship is on-and-off again throughout the series, with the two finally getting married in the series finale of season 10, in episode "Gallavich!". Ian's other sexual partners in the series run include, Lloyd Lishman, Caleb and Trevor.{{Sfn|GLAAD|2007|p=9}}
Monica Gallagher Chloe Webb Monica is bisexual, and the Gallagher clan mother. She ran off to be with a woman, and then came back and hooked up with a drug dealer. She died of a cerebral hemorrhage following a drunken night out.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/>
Debbie Gallagher Emma Kenney last1=Bendix|first1=Trish|url=http://www.afterellen.com/TV/2011/01/shameless-has-lesbians-theyre-just-a-little-under-the-radar%7Ctitle="Shameless" has lesbians, they're just a little under the radar|website=AfterEllen|date=January 27, 2011|access-date=11 September 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110130061915/http://www.afterellen.com/TV/2011/01/shameless-has-lesbians-theyre-just-a-little-under-the-radar%7Carchive-date=30 January 2011}}</ref><ref name="Francis Season 11 Premiere HND">{{cite web |last1=Francis |first1=Sue |title='Shameless' Season 11 Premiere Spoilers: Crazy Relationship Drama & Shocking Hook Up |url=https://www.hollywoodnewsdaily.com/shameless-season-11-spoilers-drama-hook-up |website=Hollywood News Daily |date=6 December 2020}}</ref>
Mickey Milkovich Noel Fisher In the beginning of the series, Mickey is a closeted gay. His first gay encounter is with Ian Gallagher. They maintain a secret relationship until season 3, when Mickey's dad catches them together. Mickey publicly comes out, and reveals his love for Ian in season 4, episode 11. His relationship with Ian is on-and-off again throughout the series, with the two finally getting married in the series finale of season 10, in episode "Gallavich!". Mickey has a brief relationship with Byron Koch, in order to make Ian jealous.<ref name="shameless gays logo">{{cite web |last1=Macavoy |first1=Tim |title=When it Comes to the Gays, Shameless Has Nothing to be Ashamed of |url=http://www.newnownext.com/when-it-comes-to-the-gays-shameless-has-nothing-to-be-ashamed-of/03/2010/2/ |website=NewNowNext |date=March 25, 2010}}</ref>
Molly Milkovich Madison Rothschild Molly is a trans girl. She is the cousin of Mickey and Mandy Milkovich.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/>
Sandy Milkovich Elise Eberle Sandy is a lesbian, and is dating Debbie.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/>
Kash Pej Vahdat last1=DiCarlo |first1=Steve |title=Shameless: 20 Things Wrong With Ian We All Choose To Ignore |url=https://screenrant.com/shameless-things-ian-we-ignore/ |website=ScreenRant |date=26 February 2019}}</ref>
Jess Missy Doty title=Shameless (US) |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/shameless-us/}}</ref>
Lloyd Lishman Harry Hamlin last1=Hodges |first1=Chris |title=10 New Character Additions That Hurt Shameless (And 10 That Saved It) |url=https://screenrant.com/shameless-new-characters-additions-saved-show/ |website=Screen Rant |date=21 September 2018}}</ref>
Svetlana Fisher Isidora Goreshter Svetlana is bisexual and a former sex worker. She was Mickey's wife, and then was in a polyamorous relationship with Veronica and Kev in season 6.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/><ref name="McNutt Shameless AV Club"/><ref name="Bernard Autostraddle Shameless"/>
Veronica Fisher Shanola Hampton last1=McNutt |first1=Myles |title=Shameless has its characters explore modern romance, with mixed results |url=https://tv.avclub.com/shameless-has-its-characters-explore-modern-romance-wi-1798189192 |website=The AV Club |date=October 9, 2016}}</ref>
Angela Dichen Lachman last1=Bernard |first1=Riese |author1-link=Riese Bernard |title="Shameless" Racked Up 15+ Queer Women Characters While You Were Getting High |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/shameless-has-racked-up-15-queer-women-characters-in-nine-years-452571/ |website=Autostraddle |date=14 March 2019}}</ref>
Jasmine Hollander Amy Smart Jasmine is a bisexual friend of Fiona who is interested in her. After Fiona refuses to offer her financial help, Jasmine gets angry and leaves, never speaking to her again.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/>
Caleb Jeff Pierre last1=Escobedo Shepherd |first1=Julianne |title=Shameless Introduces a Trans Character and Teaches Ian a Lesson |url=https://themuse.jezebel.com/shameless-introduces-a-trans-character-and-teaches-ian-1788156572 |website=Jezebel |date=October 24, 2016}}</ref><ref name="McNutt Shameless AV Club"/>
Trevor Elliot Fletcher Trevor is a trans man, and an LGBT+ activist. Trevor and Ian were in a relationship in season 7.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/><ref name="Jezebel Shameless Trans"/>
Abraham Paige Bradley Whitford last1=Bricker |first1=Tierney |title=Shameless First Look: The West Wing's Bradley Whitford Makes His Debut—See the Pic! |url=https://www.eonline.com/news/394177/shameless-first-look-the-west-wing-s-bradley-whitford-makes-his-debut-see-the-pic |website=E! Online |date=March 4, 2013}}</ref>
Nessa Jessica Szohr Nessa is a lesbian, and Mel's girlfriend.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/><ref name="Bernard Autostraddle Shameless"/>
Mel Perry Mattfield Mel is a lesbian, and Nessa's girlfriend.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/><ref name="Bernard Autostraddle Shameless"/>
Alex Ashley Romans Alex is lesbian, and briefly worked with Debbie for a while. She asks Debbie out for a drink.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/><ref name="Bernard Autostraddle Shameless"/>
Amanda Nichole Bloom Amanda is a bisexual college student and in a relationship with Lip. She exposes Lip's affair with a professor.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/><ref name="Bernard Autostraddle Shameless"/>
Claudia Nicolo Constance Zimmer Claudia is a bisexual, and sleeps with Debbie, thinking her to be a prostitute. After Debbie makes it clear she is not a prostitute, Claudia becomes her sugar mama.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/>
Karen Jackson Laura Slade Wiggins Karen is bisexual, and was a real bitch. Her personality radically changed after a car accident almost killed her.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/><ref name="Bernard Autostraddle Shameless"/>
Barb Lea DeLaria Barb is a lesbian, and was Lip' sponsor for Alcoholics Anonymous.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/><ref name="Bernard Autostraddle Shameless"/>
Liz Mia Barron Liz is a lesbian, and was a customer of @DebbieHotLesbianConvict, Debbie's handyman company.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/>
Roberta Carlease Burke Roberta is lesbian, and was Monica's girlfriend for a while.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/><ref name="Bernard Autostraddle Shameless"/>
Calista Paula Andrea Placido Calista is a lesbian, and along with her ex-wife Haley, they are opening up a new queer bar in the Gallagher's neighborhood. She hires Debbie to do a handyperson job.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/>
Haley Mary Alexis Cruz Haley is a lesbian, and she is opening up a new queer bar in the Gallagher's neighborhood, with her ex-wife Calista.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/>
Jill Jenna Elfman Jill is a lesbian, and was Monica's friend at the drug clinic, where they escape from.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/>
Miss June Roxy Wood Miss June is a trans woman, busted by the police for selling loose cigarettes.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/>
Geneva Juliette Angelo Geneva is a lesbian. She was involved in the Gay Jesus movement along with Ian, who portrayed Gay Jesus.<ref name="Bernard Autostraddle Shameless"/>
The Two Lisas Jenica Bergere A lesbian couple, both named Lisa, who were buying up numerous properties in the Gallagher's neighborhood for a gentrification project.<ref name="Bernard Autostraddle Shameless"/>
Lee Stark
Byron Koch Adam Farabee Byron is gay, and has a brief relationship with Mickey, who is trying to make Ian jealous. Ian ends up beating Byron up after hearing him bad mouth Mickey, in season 10, episode 10.<ref name="Lips Big Decision">{{cite web |last1=Darwish |first1=Meaghan |title='Shameless': Lip's Big Decision, Ian's Relationship Status & More From 'Now Leaving Illinois' (RECAP) |url=https://www.tvinsider.com/847925/shameless-season-10-episode-10-recap/ |website=TV Insider |date=January 12, 2020}}</ref>
Cole Chester Lockhart Cole is gay, and has a hook up with Ian; he found Cole on Grindr and invites him along on a date to make Mickey jealous. Cole ends up getting beat up by Mickey in season 10, episode 10.<ref name="Lips Big Decision"/>
Tim Michael Sasaki Tim is gay and his partner is Brendan. Ian and Mickey meet them while shopping, in their quest to make new gay friends, in episode "Two at a Biker Bar, One in the Lake".<ref name="Two at a Biker Bar"/><ref name="Mickey Ians Friends">{{cite web |last1=Darwish |first1=Meaghan |title='Shameless': To Stay or Not to Stay Is the Gallagher Family's Big Question|url=https://www.tvinsider.com/989639/shameless-season-11-episode-7-recap/ |website=TV Insider |date=March 7, 2021}}</ref>
Brendan Brian Dare Brendan is gay and his partner is Tim. Ian and Mickey meet them while shopping, in their quest to make new gay friends, in episode "Two at a Biker Bar, One in the Lake".<ref name="Two at a Biker Bar">{{Cite episode|series=Shameless|title=Two at a Biker Bar, One in the Lake|episode-link=Shameless (season 11)#ep129|series-link=Shameless (American TV series)|network=Showtime|date=March 7, 2021|season=11|number=7|last=Buiser|first=Phillip|minutes=30:09}}</ref><ref name="Mickey Ians Friends"/>
Jon Giancarlo Jon is gay and his partner is Travis. Ian and Mickey meet them at a dinner party, in their quest to make new gay friends, in episode "Two at a Biker Bar, One in the Lake".<ref name="One in the Lake">{{Cite episode|series=Shameless|title=Two at a Biker Bar, One in the Lake|episode-link=Shameless (season 11)#ep129|series-link=Shameless (American TV series)|network=Showtime|date=March 7, 2021|season=11|number=7|last=Buiser|first=Phillip|minutes=38:07}}</ref><ref name="Mickey Ians Friends"/>
Travis Doug Locke Travis is gay and his partner is Jon. Ian and Mickey meet them at a dinner party, in their quest to make new gay friends, in episode "Two at a Biker Bar, One in the Lake".<ref name="One in the Lake"/><ref name="Mickey Ians Friends"/>
Kevin's Hookup Chris Prascus Kevin's Hookup (Don Wessels's kid), is gay. When Kevin starts to question his sexuality, he attempts to give oral sex to his hookup, but discovers that he is not turned on, and realizes he is not gay, not even part gay. In season 8, episode "Icarus Fell And Rusty Ate Him".<ref>{{Cite episode|series=Shameless|title=Icarus Fell And Rusty Ate Him|episode-link=Shameless (season 8)#ep90|series-link=Shameless (American TV series)|network=Showtime|date=December 10, 2017|season=8|number=6|last=Steilen|first=Mark|minutes=38:24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Lawrence |first1=Derek |title='Shameless' recap: Kevin struggles with his sexuality |url=https://ew.com/recap/shameless-season-8-episode-6/ |website=Entertainment Weekly |date=December 10, 2017}}</ref>
Tony Markovich Tyler Jacob Moore last1=DeRosa |first1=Michael |title=Shameless: 10 Duos Who Should Have Dated |url=https://screenrant.com/shameless-characters-should-have-romance-dated/ |website=Screen Rant |date=13 February 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Steiner |first1=Amanda Michelle |title='Shameless' recap: The Gallaghers are homeless, and Ian has a date |url=https://ew.com/recap/shameless-season-6-episode-5/ |website=Entertainment Weekly |date=February 8, 2016}}</ref>
Tommy Michael Patrick McGill Tommy and Kermit are regulars at The Alibi Room, Kev and Veronica's bar. When they start selling marijuana for medicinal purposes, they encourage Tommy and Kermit to try some. The duo each consume a marijuana brownie, and when Kev and Veronica aren't looking, Tommy and Kermit consume all of the brownies and all of the marijuana gummies. Later in the men's bathroom, Tommy and Kermit are sharing a sink, when Kermit makes a reach for Tommy's butt and instead of pulling away, Tommy slowly leads Kermit into the stall for a hookup.<ref name="Francis Season 11 Premiere HND"/><ref name="10 Duos Who Should Have Dated"/>
Kermit Jim Hoffmaster

2011 continued

Year Show Network Character Actor Notes
2011 Skins MTV Tea Marvelli Sofia Black D'Elia url=http://uknewsreporter.co.uk/skins-shameless-and-being-human-which-won-the-ratings-battle-in-the-usa/6711406/ |title=Archived copy |access-date=2011-01-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120716095517/http://uknewsreporter.co.uk/skins-shameless-and-being-human-which-won-the-ratings-battle-in-the-usa/6711406/ |archive-date=2012-07-16}}</ref>
Betty Nardone Blaine Morris title=Betty Nardone |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/betty-nardone/}}</ref>
2011–2017 Switched at Birth Freeform Matthew Daniel Durant last1=Temkin |first1=Deborah |title=The Misguided Bullying Storyline on Switched at Birth |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-misguided-bullying-st_b_5530402 |website=Huff Post |date=25 June 2014}}</ref>
Renzo Alec Mapa last1=Raisler |first1=Carrie |title=Switched At Birth: "Have You Really The Courage?" |url=https://tv.avclub.com/switched-at-birth-have-you-really-the-courage-1798179463 |website=TV Club |date=February 10, 2014}}</ref>
Natalie Pierce Stephanie Nogueras title=Natalie Pierce |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/natalie-pierce/}}</ref>
Hilary Abby Walla title=Hilary |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/hilary/}}</ref>
2011–2015 Waterloo Road BBC One Martin Dunbar Matt Greenwood url=https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/newsmanchester/i-was-once-too-shy-to-ask-for-ketchup-in-mcdonalds-but-i-went-on-to-appear-in-an-oscar-winning-blockbuster/ar-BB13x6xN |title='I was once too shy to ask for ketchup in McDonald's, but I went on to appear in an Oscar- winning blockbuster' |last=Fitzpatrick |first=Katie |date=March 5, 2020 |website=MSN |publisher=Manchester Evening News |access-date=February 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.is/8sFeA |archive-date=February 5, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Martin Dunbar |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/martin-dunbar/}}</ref>
Nate Gurney Scott Haining last1=McLennan |first1=Patrick |title=Nate’s dad is furious his son’s gay {{!}} Episode {{!}} Waterloo Road |url=https://www.whatsontv.co.uk/events/nate-s-dad-is-furious-his-son-s-gay/ |website=What's on TV |date=February 2, 2011}}</ref>
Colin Scott Chris Finch author1=Staff Reporter |title=Actor Chris drops in to help |url=https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/2037031.actor-chris-drops-in-to-help/ |website=The Bolton News |date=February 12, 2008}}</ref>
Josh Stevenson William Rush last1=Welsh |first1=Daniel |title='X Factor': 'Waterloo Road' Actor Will Rush Auditions For The Judges |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/x-factor-waterloo-road-will-rush_uk_57dc1a9de4b0d584f7f12f3f?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAANzTzvUrDHIR5gnr59UEL3iQX6kEqjnRBjHmCK9Zx3HTEBcQqgoNPeQjDBnFJBmT4fMan2ZqgTjO5uIJ2fz306dQ_4NAsYxea1gfPZbnhMDW2Obd9G8B7vOo6T8llM2zQbchVU8eVUxHYlUNwJVoZUcPUfelGpo4nwusd91FbN4K |website=HuffPo UK |date=September 17, 2016}}</ref>
Matt Wilding Chris Geere last1=Rankin |first1=JJ |title=You're The Worst: 10 Things You Never Knew About The Cast |url=https://screenrant.com/youre-the-worst-fx-series-cast-facts/ |website=ScreenRant |date=21 January 2021}}</ref>
Jo Lipsett Sarah-Jane Potts title=Waterloo Road |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/waterloo-road/}}</ref>
Nikki Boston Heather Peace Nikki is lesbian, and a teacher at the school. She and Vix left the show together.<ref name="Waterloo Road LezWatch.TV"/>
Ros McCain Sophie McShera Ros is a lesbian, and falls in love with her teacher, Jo Lipsett.<ref name="Waterloo Road LezWatch.TV"/>
Kacey Barry Brogan Ellis Kacey is a trans boy, and student at the school. After disguising himself as a boy to play in a soccer match, he realizes how much more comfortable he is as a male. Kacey decides to postpone any medical changes until after school.<ref name="Waterloo Road LezWatch.TV"/>
Lorraine Donnegan Daniela Denby-Ashe Lorraine is a lesbian, and philanthropist and businesswoman. She is a former pupil at the school.<ref name="Waterloo Road LezWatch.TV"/>
Vix Spark Kristin Atherton Vix is a lesbian, and has a homemade jewellery business. She and Nikki leave to be together.<ref name="Waterloo Road LezWatch.TV"/>

2012

Year Show Network Character Actor Notes
2012–2020 Arrow {{sortname|The|CW|The CW Television Network}} Sara Lance Caity Lotz
(Jacqueline Wood)		 Sara is bisexual and Nyssa's ex-lover. Jacqueline Wood played Sara in her first appearance on Arrow.<ref name="ArrowLezWatch"/>
Nyssa al Ghul Katrina Law title=Arrow |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/arrow/}}</ref>
Curtis Holt Echo Kellum last1=Prudom |first1=Laura |title=‘Arrow’ Casts Echo Kellum as Mr. Terrific for Season 4 |url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/arrow-mr-terrific-echo-kellum-season-4-1201543026/ |website=Variety |date=17 July 2015}}</ref>
Paul Holt Chenier Hundal last1=Espiritu |first1=Emmanuelle |title='Arrow' season 5 spoilers, plot news 2016: The New Year brings new crises to Team Arrow |url=https://www.christiantimes.com/news/arrow-season-5-episode-10-spoilers-the-new-year-brings-new-crises-to-team-arrow.html |website=The Christian Times |date=December 10, 2016}}</ref>
Nick Anastas Evan Roderick title=Feature: Evan Roderick aka Nick Anastas is Officer-turned-vigilante in Season 7 CW's 'Arrow' |url=https://occhimagazine.com/feature-evan-roderick-aka-nick-anastas-is-officer-turned-vigilante-in-season-7-cws-arrow/ |website=Occhi Magazine |date=17 October 2018}}</ref>
William Ben Lewis In a flash-forward, William is joking about his frequently absent father, and retorts: "And my ex-boyfriend wonders why I have commitment issues". In season 7, episode "The Longbow Hunters".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Duffy|first1=Nick|title=Arrow just revealed a major character is gay|url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/10/24/arrow-gay-character-william-son/%7Cwebsite=Pink News|date=24 October 2018}}</ref>
Kate Kane Ruby Rose
(Wallis Day)		 author=Jesse|title=Batwoman Explained: What to Know About Ruby Rose's Elseworlds Crossover Character|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2018/12/10/batwoman-explained-how-the-batman-love-interest-became-a-lgbtq-icon%7Cwebsite=IGN|date=December 10, 2018}}</ref>
Alex Danvers Chyler Leigh Alex was a closeted lesbian, and then came out to herself and then finally everyone.<ref name="ArrowLezWatch"/>
John Constantine Matt Ryan John is bisexual and was brought in to deal with the fallout of the resurrection of Sara Lance, in episode "Haunted".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dominguez |first1=Noah |title=Matt Ryan Says Constantine Isn't Just Bisexual - He's 'Bi-Specieal' |url=https://www.cbr.com/justice-league-dark-apokolips-war-john-constantine-bisexual-bispecieal-matt-ryan/ |website=Comic Book Resources |date=7 May 2020}}</ref>
2012–2013 Bomb Girls Global Betty McRae Ali Liebert title=Betty McRae |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/betty-mcrae/}}</ref>
Teresa Rachel Wilson Teresa is lesbian and a Canadian Women's Army Corps sergeant. She is in a relationship with Betty.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hogan|first1=Heather|title=10 reasons to watch "Bomb Girls" TONIGHT!|url=https://www.afterellen.com/tv/106703-10-reasons-to-watch-bomb-girls-tonight/2%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=April 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912225559/https://www.afterellen.com/tv/106703-10-reasons-to-watch-bomb-girls-tonight/2%7Carchive-date=September 12, 2015}}</ref>
2012– Call the Midwife BBC One Patience "Patsy" Mount Emerald Fennell Patsy is a closeted lesbian, and a midwife. She is in a relationship with Delia, and they later move to Scotland.<ref>{{cite web |title=Patsy Mount |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/patsy-mount/}}</ref><ref name="Season 4 of Call the Midwife"/>
Delia Bubsy Kate Lamb last1=Drachman|first1=Chen|title=Season 4 of "Call the Midwife" gives us a sweet lesbian romance then dashes our hopes|url=http://www.afterellen.com/tv/419541-season-4-call-midwife-gives-us-sweet-lesbian-romance-dashes-hopes%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=March 10, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=McGrath|first1=Rachel|title='Call The Midwife' Fans Praise Lesbian Kiss As Series Closes On A High|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/call-the-midwlfe-series-finale-lesbian-kiss_uk_58c672bee4b054a0ea6b8b9b%7Cwebsite=HuffPost|date=March 13, 2017}}</ref>
2012– Chicago Fire NBC Leslie Shay Lauren German Leslie is a lesbian, and a paramedic on Ambulance 61.<ref name=":1Chicago Fire"/>
Clarice Carthage Shiri Appleby title=Chicago Fire |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/chicago-fire/}}</ref>
Devon Vedette Lim Devon is a lesbian. In season 2 Leslie briefly dates Devon, who robs her apartment and disappears.<ref name=":1Chicago Fire"/>
Emily Foster Annie Ilonzeh Emily is bisexual, and a paramedic.<ref name=":1Chicago Fire"/>
Darren Ritter Daniel Kyri last1=Moore |first1=Evan F. |title=For Daniel Kyri, it’s ‘an honor’ to represent Black, gay people on ‘Chicago Fire’ |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/movies-and-tv/2021/1/4/22203118/daniel-kyri-chicago-fire-ritter-nbc-lgbt-queer-black-man-art-after-school-matters-theater |website=Chicago Sun-Times |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210104193128/https://chicago.suntimes.com/movies-and-tv/2021/1/4/22203118/daniel-kyri-chicago-fire-ritter-nbc-lgbt-queer-black-man-art-after-school-matters-theater |archive-date=4 January 2021 |date=4 January 2021}}</ref>
2012–2015 Continuum Showcase Jasmine Garza Luvia Petersen last1=Sheppard|first1=Denise|title=Continuum's bisexual Liber8tor|url=https://www.dailyxtra.com/continuums-bisexual-liber8tor-50231 |website=Daily Xtra|publisher=Pink Triangle Press|date=June 27, 2013}}</ref>
2012 Don't Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves SVT1 Rasmus Adam Pålsson Rasmus is 19 and gay. After graduation. he moves from rural Värmland to Stockholm to attend college. As soon as he arrives in Stockholm he begins to seek out the gay community. He begins a relationship with Benjamin. Rasmus is later found to be HIV-positive and eventually dies.<ref name="Dont Ever Wipe Tears">{{cite web |last1=Cohen |first1=Benjamin |title=Don’t Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves: The TV show you must not miss |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2013/12/01/dont-ever-wipe-tears-without-gloves-the-tv-show-you-must-not-miss/ |website=Pink News |date=1 December 2013}}</ref><ref name="Time Out London Wipe Tears"/>
Paul Simon J. Berger last1=Smith |first1=Anna |title=Don’t Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves |url=https://www.timeout.com/london/tv-reviews/dont-ever-wipe-tears-without-gloves |website=Time Out London |date=November 25, 2013}}</ref>
Benjamin Adam Lundgren Benjamin is young and struggling to come to terms with his homosexuality and faith as a Jehovah's Witness. Benjamin begins a relationship with Rasmus, and stays by his side the entire time he is dying. Benjamin is the only one out of the three characters to survive the AIDS crisis, and is seen in the last episode reflecting about that period in his life 20 years later.<ref name="Dont Ever Wipe Tears"/><ref name="Time Out London Wipe Tears"/>
2012–2013 Emily Owens, M.D. {{sortname|The|CW|The CW Television Network}} Tyra Dupre Kelly McCreary title=Tyra Dupre |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/tyra-dupre/}}</ref>
Jake Reeser 3 different babies portray Jake Jake is an intersexual baby who has a penis as well as ovaries. The parents discuss raising the child gender neutral and allowing them to decide when they are older.<ref>{{cite web |title=Jake Reeser |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/jake-reeser/}}</ref>
2012 GCB ABC Blake Reilly Mark Deklin last1=Eramo |first1=Steve |title=A Chat With GCB's Mark Deklin |url=http://www.themortonreport.com/entertainment/television/a-chat-with-gcbs-mark-deklin/ |website=The Morton Report |date=5 April 2012}}</ref>
2012–2017 Girls HBO Elijah Krantz Andrew Rannells Elijah is openly gay, and dates several men throughout the series, never really having a serious boyfriend.<ref name="Rise of Elijah on Girls"/>
George Billy Morrissette last1=Gallagher |first1=Caitlin |title=Elijah's Realistic Gay Sex Scene On HBO's 'Girls' Was A Really Progressive Move For The Show |url=https://www.bustle.com/articles/146350-elijahs-realistic-gay-sex-scene-on-hbos-girls-was-a-really-progressive-move-for-the-show |website=Bustle}}</ref>
Dill Harcourt Corey Stoll last1=Chaney |first1=Jen |title=The Rise of Elijah on Girls |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/03/andrew-rannells-girls-the-rise-of-elijah.html |website=Vulture |date=March 26, 2017}}</ref><ref name="How Elijah Became">{{cite web |last1=Budowski |first1=Jade |title=How Elijah Became The Best Character On ‘Girls’ |url=https://decider.com/2017/03/27/how-elijah-became-the-best-character-on-girls/ |website=Decider |date=27 March 2017}}</ref>
Pal Danny Strong last1=Van Syckle |first1=Katie |title=Danny Strong on Playing Elijah’s Mean Boyfriend on Girls, Pizza Parties With the Cast, and Empire |url=https://www.vulture.com/2014/02/girls-danny-strong-interview.html |website=Vulture |date=February 20, 2014}}</ref>
2012 {{sortname|The|L.A. Complex}} CTV
MuchMusic		 Kaldrick King Andra Fuller last1=Delmacy |first1=Nick |title=The L.A. Complex – "Kaldrick King and Tariq’s First Date" |url=https://cypheravenue.com/gif-rewind-the-l-a-complex-kaldrick-king-and-tariqs-first-date/ |website=Cypher Avenue |date=2015}}</ref>
Tariq Muhammad Benjamin Charles Watson Tariq is gay and an aspiring rapper working at the production company where Kaldrick records. The two start a secret relationship.<ref name="Cypher Avenue King and Tariq"/>
Christopher Taylor Jarod Joseph last1=Johnson |first1=George M. |title=‘The 100’s Queer Heartthrob Is Getting More Storylines In Season 5 |url=https://www.intomore.com/culture/the-100s-queer-heartthrob-is-getting-more-storylines-in-season-5/ |website=Into |date=10 April 2018}}</ref>
2012–2016 Last Tango in Halifax BBC One Caroline Dawson Sarah Lancashire last1=Duffy|first1=Nick|title=Last Tango in Halifax creator: Killing lesbian character was a mistake|url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2016/09/06/last-tango-in-halifax-creator-killing-lesbian-character-was-a-mistake/%7Cwebsite=PinkNews|date=6 September 2016}}</ref>
Kate McKenzie Nina Sosanya Kate is lesbian, and married to Caroline.<ref name="Tango in Halifax"/>
Olga Lorraine Burroughs title=Olga |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/olga/}}</ref>
Judith Ronni Ancona title=Judith |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/judith/}}</ref>
2012– Line of Duty BBC Two
BBC One (2017)		 DCI Joanne Davidson Kelly Macdonald Joanne is lesbian and the SIO of "Operation Lighthouse" (season 6). She was accused by her ex, Farida, of cheating on her with Kate Fleming.
PC/PS Farida Jatri Anneika Rose last1=Wakefield |first1=Lily |title=Line of Duty leaves fans reeling with sapphic twist and ‘s**t storm of lesbian drama’ |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2021/03/22/kate-line-of-duty-fleming-gay-lesbian-joanne-davidson-vicky-mcclure-kelly-macdonald/ |website=PinkNews |date=March 22, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Davies |first1=Nadia |title=Lesbian Twitter is still talking about the new season of Line Of Duty |url=https://divamag.co.uk/2021/03/24/lesbian-twitter-is-still-talking-about-the-new-season-of-line-of-duty/ |work=Diva |date=24 March 2021}}</ref>
2012–2018 Major Crimes TNT Rusty Beck Graham Patrick Martin title=Interview Exclusive: Graham Patrick Martin |url=https://www.candidmagazine.com/graham-patrick-martin-interview/ |website=Candid Magazine |date=27 July 2020}}</ref>
Gustavo Wallace Rene Rosado last1=Cruz |first1=Karen |title=Rene Rosado Talks "Major Crimes" and Opening Doors for Latino Actors |url=https://www.lol-la.com/rene-rosado-talks-major-crimes-opening-doors-latino-actors/ |website=Living Out Loud Los Angeles |date=29 April 2016}}</ref>
TJ Shaw Patrick Stafford title=Major Crimes - la scheda della serie tv |url=https://www.cinemagay.it/serie-tv/major-crimes/ |website=Cinemagay.it |language=it}}</ref>
2012–2015 Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries ABC Dr. Elizabeth 'Mac' MacMillan Tammy MacIntosh last1=Wendell|first1=Sarah|title=All the Reasons Why You Should Be Watching Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries|url=http://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2015/01/all-the-reasons-why-you-should-be-watching-miss-fishers-murder-mysteries/%7Cwebsite=Smart Bitches Trashy Books|date=January 8, 2015|access-date=4 October 2017}}</ref>
Daisy Murphy Maria Coviello title=Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/miss-fishers-murder-mysteries/}}</ref>
Hetty Caroline Brazier Hetty is a lesbian, and a factory worker with Daisy. She is love with Daisy and kills her when rejected for Dr. Mac. She also frames Dr. Mac for another murder.<ref name="Miss Fishers Murder Mysteries"/>
Sarah Norden Eloise Mignon Sarah is a lesbian, and a contortionist, she was in a relationship with Pearl.<ref name="Miss Fishers Murder Mysteries"/>
Pearl Dyson Madeleine Vizard Pearl is a lesbian, and an assistant for a magician. She is accidentally killed by a malfunctioning guillotine.<ref name="Miss Fishers Murder Mysteries"/>
2012–2018 Nashville ABC Will Lexington Chris Carmack GLAAD|2013|p=9}}{{Sfn|GLAAD|2016|pp=8-9}}
Brent McKinney Derek Krantz title=Nashville - la scheda della serie tv |url=https://www.cinemagay.it/serie-tv/nashville/ |website=Cinemagay.it |language=it-IT}}</ref>
Kevin Bicks Kyle Dean Massey url=http://www.out.com/entertainment/television/2013/09/26/nashville-chris-carmack-abc-gay-country-singer%7Ctitle=Nashville's Chris Carmack on Playing Gay Country Singer Will Lexington|date=26 September 2013|website=Out.com|access-date=11 September 2017}}</ref>
Zach Welles Cameron Scoggins last1=Rudolph |first1=Christopher |title=Will Lexington's New Boyfriend Is Sticking Around On "Nashville" |url=http://www.newnownext.com/nashville-will-lexington-cameron-scoggins-season-5-regular/05/2017/ |website=NewNowNext |date=May 16, 2017}}</ref>
Jakob Fine Murray Bartlett last1=Rudolph |first1=Christopher |title=Will Lexington's Boyfriend Has Something To Hide In New "Nashville" Trailer |url=http://www.newnownext.com/nashville-season-5-trailer-will-lexington-gay/05/2017/ |website=NewNowNext |date=May 26, 2017}}</ref>
Allyson Del Lago Jen Richards Allyson is a trans woman, and a physical therapist. Her character is the first transgender to ever appear on a CMT show and the first out transgender actor on the network.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rudolph |first1=Christopher |title=Jen Richards Joins "Nashville" As CMT's First Transgender Character |url=http://www.newnownext.com/nashville-jen-richards-transgender-character/09/2016/ |website=NewNowNext |date=September 13, 2016}}</ref>
Jeff Aaron Cavette last1=Weiss |first1=Max |title=Nashville Recap: Shame of Thrones |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/07/nashville-recap-season-5-episode-17.html |website=Vulture |date=6 July 2017}}</ref>
2012 Political Animals USA T.J. Hammond Sebastian Stan title="Political Animal" Sebastian Stan |url=https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/politcal-animal-sebastian-stan/1922444/ |website=NBC4 Washington |date=July 11, 2012}}</ref>
Diane Nash Vanessa Redgrave title=Diane Nash |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/diane-nash/}}</ref>
Sean Reeves David Monahan last1=Eichel |first1=Molly |title=Political Animals: "Lost Boys" |url=https://tv.avclub.com/political-animals-lost-boys-1798173718 |website=The AV Club |date=August 6, 2012}}</ref>
2012–2017 Saving Hope CTV
NBC		 Shahir Hamza Huse Madhavji last1=Treccia |first1=Mandy |title=Saving Hope Recap: "The Law of Contagion" |url=https://tvsourcemagazine.com/2012/08/2935-saving-hope-recap-the-law-of-contagion/ |website=TV Source Magazine |date=31 August 2012}}</ref>
Victor Reis Salvatore Antonio Victor is gay and an OR nurse. Shahir and Victor are in a long-term relationship.<ref name="Saving Hope Recap"/>
Maggie Lin Julia Taylor Ross Maggie is bisexual. She is an OB/GYN attending at Hope Zion Hospital. At the end of the series, Maggie and Sydney enter into a relationship.<ref name="Saving Hope LezWatch.TV"/>
Sydney Katz Stacey Farber title=Saving Hope |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/saving-hope/}}</ref>
Bree Hannigan Rebecca Liddiard Bree is lesbian, and was admitted to the hospital following a car accident. Scans reveal that Bree has cancer.<ref name="Saving Hope LezWatch.TV"/>
Neshema Hannah Miller Neshema is a lesbian, and married to Ruth. She is pregnant.<ref name="Saving Hope LezWatch.TV"/>
Violet Jackson Bahia Watson Violet is lesbian, and Bree's fiancé.<ref name="Saving Hope LezWatch.TV"/>
Riley Stiles Justin Kelly Riley is intersexual and is transitioning to male. When he comes to the hospital for surgery, he learns he had a gender assignment surgery as a baby.<ref name="Saving Hope LezWatch.TV"/>
Ruth Maggie Castle Ruth is lesbian, and married to Neshema.<ref name="Saving Hope LezWatch.TV"/>
2012–2018 Scandal ABC Cyrus Beene Jeff Perry Cyrus is the White House Chief of Staff. He is openly gay and in a long-term relationship with James.<ref name="cosmo jeff perry"/>
James Novak Dan Bucatinsky last1=Greco |first1=Patti |title=Jeff Perry Remembers "My So-Called Life" 20 Years Later |url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/tv/q-and-a/a30474/jeff-perry-remembers-my-so-called-life/ |website=Cosmopolitan |date=26 August 2014}}</ref>
Michael Ambruso Matthew Del Negro last1=Arceneaux |first1=Michael |title='Scandal': Olivia Wants Us to Forget That Cyrus Is the Worst Husband of All-Time |url=http://www.vh1.com/news/90018/scandal-cyrus-marries-hooker/ |website=VH1 News |date=March 27, 2015}}</ref>
Fenton Glackland Dean Norris last1=Kirkland |first1=Justin |title='Scandal' recap: What happened to Quinn? |url=https://ew.com/recap/scandal-season-7-episode-8/ |website=Entertainment Weekly |date=January 18, 2018}}</ref>
Annalise Keating Viola Davis Annalise is bisexual, and in a guest appearance in episode "Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself", she teams up with Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) to work on a class action lawsuit regarding the mass incarceration of black people in the United States.<ref name="ScandalLezWatch.TV">{{cite web |title=Scandal |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/scandal/}}</ref>
Rose Marla Gibbs Rose is a lesbian, who hires Olivia to help find her ex-lover Lois, but Lois had already been murdered.<ref name="ScandalLezWatch.TV"/>
Lois Moore Fran Bennett Lois is lesbian, and Olivia's neighbor. After Olivia was kidnapped, she was held hostage in Lois' apartment and the hostage takers eventually killed her.<ref name="ScandalLezWatch.TV"/>
Gillian Lauren Gaw Gillian is lesbian, and Yasmeen's girlfriend.<ref name="ScandalLezWatch.TV"/>
Yasmeen Medalion Rahimi Yasmeen is a lesbian, and the niece of the Bashranian president. She is killed when her plane leaving the U.S. explodes on the runway, in episode "Adventures in Babysitting".<ref name="ScandalLezWatch.TV"/>
2012–2013 Smash NBC Tom Levitt Christian Borle last1=Goldberg |first1=Lesley |last2=Godley |first2=Chris |title=NBC's 'Smash' Who's Who: Meet the Show's Characters |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/gallery/nbcs-smash-debra-messing-katharine-mcphee-283702/2-christian-borle-tom |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=20 January 2012}}</ref>
Dennis Phillip Spaeth last1=Jensen 2/24/2011 |first1=Michael |title=How Gay is NBC's "Smash?" It's Potentially Something to Sing About! |url=http://www.newnownext.com/how-gay-is-nbcs-smash-its-potentially-something-to-sing-about/02/2011/ |website=NewNowNext |date=February 24, 2011}}</ref>
Bobby Wesley Taylor last1=Halterman |first1=Jim |title="Smash 2.0" Is Coming...With Andy Mientus As A New Gay Character |url=http://www.newnownext.com/smash-20-is-comingwith-andy-mientus-as-a-new-gay-character/01/2013/ |website=NewNowNext |date=January 8, 2013}}</ref>
Sam Strickland Leslie Odom, Jr. title=Leslie Odom Jr., Krysta Rodriguez Added To 'Smash' Cast |url=https://deadline.com/2012/07/leslie-odom-jr-krysta-rodriguez-added-to-smash-cast-296703/ |website=Deadline |date=6 July 2012}}</ref>
John Goodwin Neal Bledsoe last1=Sheward |first1=David |title='Smash' Recap: Episode 5, 'Let's Be Bad' |url=https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/smash-recap-episode-bad-59195/ |website=Backstage |date=March 6, 2012}}</ref>
Ellis Boyd Jaime Cepero Ellis began as Tom's personal assistant, who he slept with, before becoming assistant to Broadway producer Eileen Rand. He left the series after season one and an ex-girlfriend later outed him as gay.<ref name="how gay is smash"/>
Kyle Bishop Andy Mientus last1=Slezak |first1=Michael |title=Smash's Andy Mientus Talks Kyle's [Spoiler], Hit List's Rent Parallels and Jimmy's Redemption |url=https://tvline.com/2013/05/04/smash-andy-mientus-kyle-dies-dead-interview/ |website=TV Line |date=5 May 2013}}</ref>
Blake Daniel Abeles Blake is the lighting director for Hit List and he and Kyle became involved.<ref name="smash andy mientus"/>
2012–2013 Underemployed MTV Sophia Swanson Michelle Ang Sophia is a lesbian, and an aspiring writer.<ref name="Underemployed MTV cast"/>
Laura Angel M. Wainwright Laura is lesbian, and Sophia's girlfriend for a short while.<ref name="Underemployed MTV cast"/>
Natalie Katherine Cunningham title=Underemployed |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/underemployed/}}</ref>

2013

Year Show Network Character Actor Notes
2013–2018 {{sortname|A|Place to Call Home|A Place to Call Home (TV series)}} Channel 7 James Bligh David Berry last1=Molloy |first1=Shannon |title=Shunned, abused and tortured: David Berry portrays what many gay men endured in 1950s Australia |url=https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/shunned-abused-and-tortured-david-berry-portrays-what-many-gay-men-endured-in-1950s-australia/news-story/fa3398c3c19c56d8edf1769b5dd9c042}}</ref>
Harry Polson Dominic Allburn last1=Langford |first1=Anthony D. |title=Gays of Our Lives: Best and Worst of 2016 |url=https://tvsourcemagazine.com/2016/12/gays-of-our-lives-best-worst-2016/2/}}</ref>
Dr. Henry Fox Tim Draxl Henry is gay, and has a relationship with James Bligh.<ref name="place to call home"/>
Carolyn Bligh Sara Wiseman title=Carolyn Bligh |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/carolyn-duncan/}}</ref>
Delia Craig Maya Stange title=Delia Craig |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/delia-craig/}}</ref>
2013– Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ABC Joey Gutierrez Juan Pablo Raba Joey is a gay Inhuman who can melt metals, he previously had a boyfriend.{{Sfn|GLAAD|2015|p=7}} Joey is the first openly gay character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.<ref name="Screen RantAgents Of SHIELD">{{cite web |last1=Cotter |first1=Padraig |title=Why Agents Of SHIELD Didn't Address The LGBTQ Backstory Of Lucy Lawless' Izzy |url=https://screenrant.com/agents-shield-show-lucy-lawless-lgbtq-backstory/ |date=3 September 2020}}</ref>
Marcus Benson Barry Shabaka Henley Benson is a gay scientist recruited to help with the S.H.I.E.L.D science team in season 6.<ref name="Screen RantAgents Of SHIELD"/>
Victoria Hand Saffron Burrows Victoria is a lesbian, she was eventually shot and killed in the series.<ref name="Screen RantAgents Of SHIELD"/>
Isabelle Hartley Lucy Lawless Isabelle is a lesbian, and was killed when her SUV was flipped over by the Absorbing Man.<ref name="Screen RantAgents Of SHIELD"/>
Olga Pachinko Jolene Andersen title=Olga Pachinko |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/olga-pachinko/}}</ref>
2013- Amar es para siempre
(To Love is Forever)		 Antena 3 Amelia Ledesma Carol Rovira Amelia is a lesbian. During the day she works at a hotel, and then she sings at night. She is in a secret relationship with Luisita Gómez, as the show takes place in the 1970s.<ref name="amar es para siempre"/><ref name="Diez Minutos"/>
Luisita Gómez Paula Usero last1=Díaz |first1=Aroa |title=Luimelia se despide tras tres años de romance y visibilidad |url=https://www.diezminutos.es/telenovela/amar-es-para-siempre/a33505750/luimelia-amar-es-para-siempre-fin/ |website=Diez Minutos |language=es |date=4 August 2020}}</ref>
Isabel Vegas Silvia Maya title=Isabel Vegas, Amar es para siempre|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/isabel-2/}}</ref>
Ana Rivas Marina San José Ana is a lesbian, and married to Teresa García.<ref name="amar es para siempre"/>
Teresa García Carlota Olcina Teresa is a lesbian, and married to Ana. They both die, along with their child in a fire.<ref name="amar es para siempre"/>
Sara Martín Belén González title=Sara Martín, Amar es para siempre|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sara-martin/}}</ref>
Juanma Enrique Gimeno Juanma is gay and Gonzalo is his boyfriend.<ref name="amar es para siempre"/>
Gonzalo Nacho Casalvaque last1=Iniesta |first1=Nuria |title='Luimelia', el romance lésbico de 'Amar es para siempre' que triunfa en redes sociales |url=https://shangay.com/2019/02/19/https-bit-ly-2iwo8ow/ |website=Shangay |language=es |date=19 February 2019}}</ref>
2013–2015 Atlantis BBC One Pythagoras Robert Emms Pythagoras and Icarus are romantically involved in the second series.<ref name="atlantis icarus">{{cite web|last1=Ellis|first1=Sarah Kate|title=GLAAD 2015 Network Responsibility Index|url=https://www.glaad.org/files/GLAAD-2015-NRI.pdf}}</ref>
Icarus Joseph Timms
2013–2016 Banshee Cinemax Job Hoon Lee last1=Nahmod |first1=David-Elijah |title=Cinemax show pushes boundaries with cross-dressing killer |url=https://www.windycitytimes.com/lgbt/Cinemax-show-pushes-boundaries-with-cross-dressing-killer/41062.html}}</ref>
2013–2014 Betrayal ABC Jules Whitman Sofia Black D'Elia title=Jules Whitman |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/jules-whitman/}}</ref>
Valerie McAllister Elizabeth McLaughlin title=Valerie McAllister |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/valerie-mcallister/}}</ref>
2013–2014 {{sortname|The|Bridge|The Bridge (2013 TV series)}} FX Adriana Perez Emily Rios title=Adriana Mendez |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/adriana-mendez/}}</ref>
Lucy Alyssa Diaz title=Lucy |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lucy-bridge/}}</ref>
2013–2017 Broadchurch ITV Maggie Radcliffe Carolyn Pickles title=Maggie Radcliffe |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/maggie-radcliffe/}}</ref><ref name="Broadchurch kiss"/>
Jocelyn Knight Charlotte Rampling Jocelyn is a lesbian, and a semi-retired barrister, in love with Maggie.<ref name="Broadchurch kiss">{{cite web |last1=Payton |first1=Naith |title=Broadchurch kiss between older women surprises viewers |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2015/02/18/broadchurch-kiss-between-older-women-surprises-viewers/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Jocelyn Knight |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/jocelyn-knight/}}</ref>
2013 Camp NBC Todd Adam Garcia Todd and Raffi are an interracial couple raising an adopted child. They get married in season 1, episode 7, "The Wedding".<ref>{{cite web |title=Camp Season 1 Episodes |url=https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/camp/episodes-season-1/1000523953/?ftag=web |website=TV Guide}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Nunn |first1=Jerry |title=Rachel Griffiths: summer 'Camp' - Windy City Times News |url=https://windycitytimes.com/m/APParticle.php?AID=44177&i=14&s=Tv}}</ref>
Raffi Christopher Kirby
2013–2014 {{sortname|The|Carrie Diaries|The Carrie Diaries (TV series)}} {{sortname|The|CW|The CW Television Network}} Walt Reynolds Brendan Dooling last1=Lewis |first1=Casey |title='Carrie Diaries' Star Brendan Dooling on Playing The Iconic Character's Best Bud |url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/brendan-dooling-the-carrie-diaries |website=Teen Vogue |date=March 7, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Rudolph |first1=Christopher |title=Before Stanford: Meet Carrie Bradshaw's First Gay Bestie |url=https://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/television/2013/02/04/stanford-meet-carrie-bradshaws-first-gay-bestie}}</ref>
Bennet Wilcox Jake Robinson author1=Out.com Editors |title=The Carrie Diaries Gets Serious With AIDS Crisis Storyline |url=https://www.out.com/entertainment/television/2014/01/10/carrie-diaries-walt-bennett-aids-crisis-storyline |website=Out Magazine |date=10 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Asay |first1=Paul |title=The Carrie Diaries |url=https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/carrie-diaries/}}</ref>
Larissa Loughlin Freema Agyeman Larissa is bisexual, a style editor at a magazine and party girl. She slept with Samantha.<ref name="The Carrie Diaries"/>
Samantha "Sam" Jones Lindsey Gort Sam is bisexual and slept with Larissa.<ref name="The Carrie Diaries"/>
Jill "Mouse" Chen Ellen Wong Mouse is a bisexual nerd. She slept with Donna.<ref name="The Carrie Diaries"/>
Donna LaDonna Chloe Bridges title=The Carrie Diaries |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/the-carrie-diaries/}}</ref>
Blake Ian Quinlan author1=Snicks |title="The Carrie Diaries" 2.04 Can't Fight This Feeling |url=http://www.newnownext.com/the-carrie-diaries-2-04-cant-fight-this-feeling/11/2013/ |date=November 16, 2013}}</ref>
2013–2015 Da Vinci's Demons Starz Leonardo da Vinci Tom Riley Leonardo da Vinci is bisexual. The shows creator, David S. Goyer, confirmed his bisexuality, along with actor Tom Riley who said: "He is, in my mind, canonically bisexual. He is attracted to men and he is attracted to women on the show."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Nededog |first1=Jethro |title='Da Vinci's Demons' Creator Says 'We're Not Backing Away' From Leonardo's Bisexuality |url=https://www.thewrap.com/da-vincis-demons-creator-says-backing-away-leonardos-bisexuality/ |website=The Wrap |date=12 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=O'Keefe |first1=Meghan |title=‘Da Vinci’s Demons’ Star Tom Riley Addresses Leonardo Da Vinci’s Alleged Homosexuality|url=https://decider.com/2015/10/23/da-vincis-demons-tom-riley-sexuality/}}</ref> Da Vinci's Demons is a fictional account of Leonardo da Vinci's early life.
Jacopo Saltarelli Christopher Elson last1=Halterman |first1=Jim |title="Da Vinci's Demons" Sodomy Trial Post-Mortem: Tom Riley & David S. Goyer |url=http://www.newnownext.com/da-vincis-demons-interview-tom-riley-david-s-goyer/05/2013/ |date=May 13, 2013}}</ref>
Andrea del Verrocchio Allan Corduner In season 2, episode 5, "The Sun and the Moon", it is implied that Andrea has a sexual relationship with a handsome young man (Benedetto), who works as a picture framer in his workshop.<ref>{{Cite episode|series=Da Vinci's Demons|title=The Sun and the Moon|series-link=Da Vinci's Demons|network=Starz|date=April 19, 2014|season=2|number=5|last=Hess|first=Dan|last2=Reed|first2=Corey|minutes=7:14}}</ref>
2013 Dates Channel 4 Erica Gemma Chan title=Erica |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/erica/}}</ref>
Kate Katie McGrath title=Kate |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/kate-dates/}}</ref>
2013–2015 Defiance Syfy Stahma Tarr Jaime Murray Stahma is bisexual, and a wealthy alien.<ref name="DefianceLezWatch"/><ref name="Defiance ArchivesLGBT Fans"/>
Kenya Rosewater Mia Kirschner title=Defiance |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/defiance/}}</ref><ref name="Defiance ArchivesLGBT Fans"/>
Doc Meh Yewll Trenna Keating Meh is a lesbian and is a Doctor in the town of Defiance.<ref name="DefianceLezWatch"/><ref name="Defiance ArchivesLGBT Fans"/>
Lev Hannah Cheeseman title=Defiance Archives |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/show/defiance/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Niles Pottinger James Murray last1=Lavigne |first1=Carlen |title=Post-Apocalyptic Patriarchy: American Television and Gendered Visions of Survival |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-9906-9 |page=87 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YOxzDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA87 |date=2018}}</ref>
2013–2016 Devious Maids Lifetime Alejandro Rubio Matt Cedeño title=Roselyn Sanchez Teases ‘A New Murder Mystery’ On ‘Devious Maids’ |url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/roselyn-sanchez-teases-a-new-murder-mystery-on-devious-maids |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204212847/https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/roselyn-sanchez-teases-a-new-murder-mystery-on-devious-maids |archive-date=December 4, 2020 |date=25 December 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Matt Cedeño, "Days of Our Lives" Actor and Model. (Cuban Descendant) |url=https://www.thecubanhistory.com/2015/03/matt-cedeno-days-of-our-lives-actor-and-model-cuban-descendant-matt-cedeno-actor-en-devious-maids-y-modelo-descendiente-cubano/}}</ref>
2013–2017 East Los High Hulu Camila Barrios Vannessa Vasquez title=East Los High |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/east-los-high/}}</ref>
Jocelyn Reyes Andrea Sixtos Jocelyn is lesbian, and hooked up with Camila after smoking pot together.<ref name="East Los HighLezWatch"/>
Daysi Cantu Ser Anzoategui Daysi is a queer, and a new student at East Los High.<ref name="East Los HighLezWatch"/>
Ms. Alvarez Catherine Lazo Ms. Alvarez is a lesbian, and the school principal.<ref name="East Los HighLezWatch"/>
Veronica Jacqueline Grace Lopez Veronica is a lesbian, and went out with Jocelyn.<ref name="East Los HighLezWatch"/>
2013–2016 {{sortname|The|Fall|The Fall (TV series)}} BBC Two Danielle Ferrington Niamh McGrady title=The Fall |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/the-fall/}}</ref>
Stella Gibson Gillian Anderson Stella is bisexual.<ref name="The FallLezWatch.TV"/>
2013–2018 {{sortname|The|Fosters|The Fosters (2013 TV series)}} Freeform Stef Adams-Foster Teri Polo Stef and Lena are a married lesbian couple. Stef has a son from a previous marriage. Stef and Lena also serve as adoptive and foster parents to additional children.<ref name="LezWatch.TVThe Fosters">{{cite web |title=The Fosters |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/the-fosters/}}</ref>
Lena Adams-Foster Sherri Saum
Jude Adams Foster Hayden Byerly last1=Bergado |first1=Gabe |title=The History-Making Gay Kiss: ‘The Fosters’ Features the Youngest Same-Sex TV Kiss Ever |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-history-making-gay-kiss-the-fosters-features-the-youngest-same-sex-tv-kiss-ever |website=The Daily Beast |date=4 March 2015}}</ref><ref name=Clinton_Fosters>{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywood.com/news/tv/56811911/our-favorite-lgbtq-characters-on-tv%7Ctitle=Our Favorite LGBTQ Characters on TV}}</ref>
Connor Stevens Gavin MacIntosh In season 2, Connor comes out as gay, shares a kiss with Jude and the two begin dating.<ref name="jude and connor"/>
Cole Tom Phelan Cole is a trans boy, and a teen runaway who lives at a group foster home.<ref name="LezWatch.TVThe Fosters"/>
Noah Walker Kalama Epstein last1=Dresden |first1=Hilton |title=Actor Kalama Epstein on Playing a Gay Teen on 'The Fosters' |url=https://www.out.com/interviews/2016/8/18/kalama-epstein-playing-gay-teen-fosters}}</ref>
Monte Porter Annika Marks last1=Hogan |first1=Heather |title=The Fosters Episode 317 Recap: Trust No One |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/the-fosters-episode-317-recap-trust-no-one-330799/}}</ref>
Aaron Baker Elliot Fletcher last1=Bradley|first1=Laura|title=Inside The Fosters' Groundbreaking Callie-Aaron Sex Scene|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/08/the-fosters-aaron-callie-sex-scene-relationship-elliot-fletcher-interview}}</ref>
Ximena Sinfuego Lisseth Chavez Ximena is a lesbian, and captain of the roller-derby team.<ref name="LezWatch.TVThe Fosters"/>
Jack Downey Tanner Buchanan last1=Bernard |first1=Riese |author1-link=Riese Bernard |title=Bury Your Gays: 109 Dead Gay and Bisexual Male TV Characters, And How They Died |url=https://www.queerty.com/bury-your-gays-108-dead-gay-and-bisexual-male-tv-characters-and-how-they-died-20160325}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Geier |first1=Thom |title=#BuryYourGays: 27 LGBT TV Characters Killed Off in 2016 |url=https://www.thewrap.com/buryyourgays-lgbt-tv-characters-gay-lesbian-killed-off-2016-empire-game-of-thrones/}}</ref>
Carmen Cruz Alicia Sixtos Carmen is a lesbian, and been involved with gangs, drugs, and kidnapping.<ref name="LezWatch.TVThe Fosters"/>
Jenna Paul Suzanne Cryer Jenna is a lesbian, and an old friend of Stef and Lena.<ref name="LezWatch.TVThe Fosters"/>
Sally Benton Pepi Sonuga Sally is a lesbian, and accuses the principal of kissing her.<ref name="LezWatch.TVThe Fosters"/>
Tess Bayfield Kristen Ariza Tess is bisexual and Steph's high-school crush.<ref name="LezWatch.TVThe Fosters"/>
Kelly Paul Alice Dodd Kelly is a lesbian, and Jenna's ex-wife.<ref name="LezWatch.TVThe Fosters"/>
Lara Brit Manor Lara is lesbian, and makes a pass at Tess.<ref name="LezWatch.TVThe Fosters"/>
2013–2018 Hit the Floor VH1 Jude Kinkade Brent Antonello Jude is gay and Zero is a closeted bisexual basketball player, Jude is also Zero's agent. Jude and Zero begin having casual sex in season 2. In season 3, Zero comes out by kissing Jude in public, and the two are now in a committed relationship.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rudolph |first1=Christopher |title="Hit the Floor" Heats Up The Court In Sexy New Season Four Preview |url=http://www.newnownext.com/hit-the-floor-season-4-bet/04/2018/ |date=April 25, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Hern |first1=Greg |title=TV pro basketball drama Hit the Floor surprises with gay affair between star player and his agent |url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/tv-pro-basketball-drama-hit-floor-surprises-hot-affair-between-star-player-and-his-agent0108/#sthash.cHFXS4zO.dpuf |website=Gay Star News |date=1 August 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Hinzmann |first1=Dennis |title=First Look at Adam Senn and Brent Antonello in ‘Hit the Floor’ Season 3 |url=https://www.out.com/popnography/2016/1/13/excluisive-first-look-adam-senn-and-brent-antonello-hit-floor-season-3}}</ref>
Zero
(real name Gideon)		 Adam Senn
Lucas Jonathan Bennett last=Avery|first=Dan|title=Jonathan Bennett Becomes "A Complication" For Jude And Zero On "Hit The Floor"|url=http://www.newnownext.com/jonathan-bennett-becomes-a-complication-for-jude-and-zero-on-hit-the-floor/01/2016/%7Cdate=January 25, 2016}}</ref>
Noah Kristian Kordula author1=Farid-ul-Haq |title=New Hit the Floor Season 4 Trailer Is Queer As Heck! |url=https://thegeekiary.com/hit-floor-season-4-trailer-queer/53237 |website=The Geekiary |date=12 June 2018}}</ref>
2013–2018 House of Cards Netflix Frank Underwood Kevin Spacey Frank has been shown to have sexual encounters with both men and women. The series creator, Beau Willimon, said that Frank ignores the label of being bisexual or gay, and is simply attracted to people regardless of their gender.<ref name="frank underwood independent">{{cite web|title = House of Cards creator Beau Willimon clears up Frank Underwood's|url = https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/house-of-cards-creator-clears-up-frank-underwoods-sexuality-10098032.html}}</ref>
Edward Meechum Nathan Darrow Meechum is a Secret Service agent assigned to Frank Underwood, and has a threesome with him and Claire Underwood in season 2, episode "Chapter 24".<ref name="frank underwood independent"/>
Rachel Posner Rachel Brosnahan Rachel is a bisexual prostitute.<ref name="House of Cards Lez"/>
Lisa Williams Kate Lyn Sheil title=House of Cards |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/house-of-cards/}}</ref>
Michael Corrigan Christian Camargo Michael is a gay rights activist, imprisoned by the Russian government. He eventually hangs himself in his cell, refusing a deal to be released if he apologizes to Russia for his unlawful actions, in season 3, episode "Chapter 32".<ref name="bustle house of cards">{{cite web |last1=Gallagher |first1=Caitlin |title=Frank Won't Take A Gay Rights Stance On 'House of Cards' — Which Is Quite Interesting Knowing His Personal Life |url=https://www.bustle.com/articles/66926-frank-wont-take-a-gay-rights-stance-on-house-of-cards-which-is-quite-interesting}}</ref>
John Pasternak Todd Alan Crain John is Michael Corrigan's husband.<ref name="bustle house of cards"/>
2013–2016 Masters of Sex Showtime Betty DeMillo Annaleigh Ashford Betty is a lesbian sex worker and an early research subject in Masters and Johnson's study.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Bendix|first1=Trish|url=http://www.afterellen.com/masters-of-sex-explores-all-kinds-of-sexuality/08/2013/%7Ctitle="Masters of Sex" explores all kinds of sexuality}}</ref>
Helen Sarah Silverman title=Helen Schiff |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/helen-schiff/}}</ref>
Barton Scully Beau Bridges Barton is a closeted gay and the provost at the university where Masters initiates his study.<ref name="john backlot masters"/>
Dale Finn Wittrock Dale is gay and a hustler whom Scully patronizes.<ref name="john backlot masters">{{cite web|author=John |url=http://www.thebacklot.com/masters-of-sex-gay-story/11/2013/ |title=The Compelling Gay Story in "Masters Of Sex" |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131201042321/http://www.thebacklot.com/masters-of-sex-gay-story/11/2013/ |archive-date= December 1, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Carl Bobby Campo Carl is gay and a hustler, and has sex with Dale.<ref name="john backlot masters"/>
Guy Nick Clifford last1=Kearney |first1=Kelly |title=Nick Clifford – Masters of Sex |url=https://starrymag.com/nick-clifford-masters-of-sex/ |website=Starry Constellation Magazine |date=10 October 2016}}</ref>
Sarah unknown baby title=Sarah |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sarah-9/}}</ref>
2013 Murder in Passing YouTube Epicene Alexander Chapman Epicene is a trans woman detective assigned to investigate the murder of Mars Brito, a trans man bike courier. The show was originally broadcast as a series of 30-second episodes on advertising video screens in the Toronto Transit Commission's subway system.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Astle |first1=Randy |title=Murder in Passing: Transmedia on the Toronto Subway |url=https://filmmakermagazine.com/61947-murder-in-passing-transmedia-on-the-toronto-subway/ |website=Filmmaker Magazine |date=January 7, 2013}}</ref>
Mars Brito Chase Joynt last1=Israeli-Nevo |first1=Atalia |title=Taking (My) Time: Temporality in Transition, Queer Delays and Being (in the) Present |journal=Somatechnics |date=March 2017 |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=34–49 |doi=10.3366/soma.2017.0204}}</ref> The noirish black and white series is now on YouTube.<ref>{{cite web |title=Murder In Passing |url=https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1msb5FYoFeHBPyoWcqxbPg/subscribers |via=YouTube |format=video}}</ref>
2013–2015 My Mad Fat Diary E4 Archie Dan Cohen title=My Mad Fat Diary's Sharon Rooney: 'Gay storyline was my favourite' |url=https://attitude.co.uk/article/my-mad-fat-diarys-sharon-rooney-gay-storyline-was-my-favourite/7091/}}</ref>
2013–2019 Orange Is the New Black Netflix Piper Chapman Taylor Schilling last=Walkley|first=A.J|title=Bi-erasure in Orange Is the New Black|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/orange-is-the-new-black-bisexuality_b_3799037}}</ref>
Alex Vause Laura Prepon title=Alex Vause, Orange is the New Black |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/alex-vause-orange-new-black/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title='The First Scene We Shot Is When We Get Naked In The Shower' |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/orange-is-the-new-black-laura-prepon_n_3715942}}</ref>
Sophia Burset Laverne Cox Sophia is a trans woman. (Laverne Cox is transgender in real life. The Advocate suggested that Orange is the New Black is the first women-in-prison series that includes a real transgender woman playing the role of a transgender person.<ref>{{cite web|last=Anderson |first=Diane |url=http://www.advocate.com/print-issue/current-issue/2013/07/10/why-you-should-watch-orange-new-black?page=full |title=Why You Should Watch 'Orange Is the New Black'}}</ref>)
Nicky Nichols Natasha Lyonne last1=Ashenden |first1=Amy |title=Orange Is the New Black’s hottest lesbian relationships |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2019/07/03/orange-is-the-new-black-best-lesbian-relationships/}}</ref>
Crazy Eyes Uzo Aduba Crazy Eyes is a lesbian.<ref name="pink news oitnb ash"/>
Carrie "Big Boo" Black Lea DeLaria url=https://mashable.com/2015/06/12/orange-is-the-new-black-big-boo-backstory/%7Ctitle=We finally learn Big Boo's 'OITNB' backstory, and it's heartbreaking|last=Gonzalez|first=Sandra|date=June 12, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108132204/https://mashable.com/2015/06/12/orange-is-the-new-black-big-boo-backstory/%7Carchive-date=November 8, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>
Tricia Miller Madeline Brewer Tricia is a lesbian.<ref name="pink news oitnb ash"/>
Poussey Washington Samira Wiley Poussey is a lesbian.<ref name="pink news oitnb ash"/>
Lorna Morello Yael Stone title=Lorna, Orange is the New Black |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/lorna-orange-new-black/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Brook Soso Kimiko Glenn last1=Ferguson |first1=McKenna |title=Why 'OITNB' Refuses to Say the Word 'Bisexual' |url=https://www.pride.com/oitnb/2016/6/30/why-oitnb-refuses-say-word-bisexual}}</ref>
Artesian McCullough Emily Tarver last1=Sarrubba |first1=Stefania |title=These two OITNB actresses are girlfriends IRL and congrats, ladies! |url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/these-two-oitnb-actresses-are-girlfriends-irl-and-congrats-ladies/}}</ref>
Maureen Kukudio Emily Althaus title=Maureen Kukudio, Orange is the New Black |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/maureen-kukudio-orange-new-black/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Shani Abboud Marie Lou-Nahhas last1=Peter |first1=Zack |title=Grab Some Tissues and Join Us on Nicky and Shani's Relationship Roller Coaster on OITNB |url=https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/Who-Plays-Shani-Orange-New-Black-46433403 |date=28 July 2019}}</ref>
Stella Carlin Ruby Rose title=Stella Carlin, Orange is the New Black |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/stella-carlin-orange-new-black/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Zelda Alicia Witt last1=Pomarico |first1=Nicole |title=A Guide To The New "OITNB" Season 7 Characters |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/07/238771/who-are-orange-is-the-new-black-season-7-new-characters#slide-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Zelda |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/zelda-2/}}</ref>
Desi Piscatella Brad William Henke last1=Herman |first1=James Patrick |title=OITNB's Brad William Henke Talks Openly Gay 'Papa Bear' Piscatella (Exclusive) |url=https://www.out.com/popnography/2016/7/29/oitnb-brad-william-henke-gay-bear-piscatella-interview}}</ref>
Dayanara "Daya" Diaz Dasha Polanco title=Dayanara "Daya" Diaz |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/dayanara-daya-diaz/}}</ref>
Dominga "Daddy" Duarte Vicci Martinez last1=Prance|first1=Sam|title=Daddy from 'Orange Is the New Black' is dating McCullough irl and the internet can't deal|url=https://www.popbuzz.com/tv-film/news/orange-is-the-new-black-daddy-actress-dating/}}</ref>
2013–2017 Orphan Black Space
BBC America		 Cosima Niehaus Tatiana Maslany title=Cosima Niehaus, Orphan Black |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/cosima-niehaus-orphan-black/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Felix Dawkins Jordan Gavaris title=Jordan Gavaris On Why He Waited to Come Out |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/06/jordan-gavaris-explains-it-all.html}}</ref>
Delphine Cormier Evelyne Brochu title=Delphine Cormier, Orphan Black |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/delphine-cormier-orphan-black/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Tony Sawicki Tatiana Maslany title='Orphan Black' and trans representation: Where they went wrong |url=https://www.hypable.com/orphan-black-trans-representation/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Shay Davydov Ksenia Solo title=Shay Davydov, Orphan Black |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/shay-davydov-orphan-black/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Sarah Manning Tatiana Maslany url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvO8a48t4js%7Ctitle=Orphan Black FULL PANEL - San Diego Comic-Con 2016}}</ref>
Camilla Torres Tatiana Maslany title=Camilla Torres |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/camilla-torres/}}</ref>
2013– Peaky Blinders BBC Two James Josh O'Connor title='Peaky Blinders': Top 5 reasons Thomas Shelby is the most lovable gangster on TV |url=https://meaww.com/peaky-blinders-top-5-reasons-thomas-shelby-is-the-most-lovable-gangster-on-tv}}</ref>
2013–2016 Please Like Me ABC Josh Josh Thomas GLAAD|2013|p=11}}
Geoffrey Wade Briggs title=After ‘Please Like Me,’ Josh Thomas’s New Show Is All Fiction |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/16/arts/television/everythings-gonna-be-okay.html}}</ref>
Patrick Charles Cottier title=15 Things You Need To Know About 'Please Like Me' Star Josh Thomas |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/josh-thomas-please-like-me_n_5976630}}</ref>
Arnold Keegan Joyce last1=McHenry |first1=Jackson |title=Please Like Me Creator Josh Thomas on Season 4, Bad Dates, and Why Cat People Are ‘Psychopaths’ |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/01/please-like-me-season-four-josh-thomas-hulu.html}}</ref>
Hannah Hannah Gadsby title=‘Please Like Me’ Recap — Season 3, Episode 2: ‘Simple Carbohydrates’ |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2015/10/please-like-me-recap-season-3-episode-2-simple-carbohydrates-213623/}}</ref>
Ben David Quirk title=Puff Pastry Pizza |title-link=List of Please Like Me episodes#Season 3 (2015)|last=Thomas|first=Josh |author-link= Josh Thomas (comedian) |series=Please Like Me|network=ABC |date=November 27, 2015 |season=3 |number=7 |time=12:02}}</ref><ref>{{Cite episode |title=Beluga Caviar|title-link=List of Please Like Me episodes#Season 4 (2016)|last1=Thomas|first1=Josh |author-link2= Thomas Ward (actor)|last2=Ward|first2=Thomas|last3=Doran|first3=Liz |series=Please Like Me|network=ABC|date=November 23, 2016|season=4|number=3 |time=05:25}}</ref>
Kyah Freya Stafford title=Kyah |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/kyah/}}</ref>
2013–2020 Ray Donovan Showtime Lena Katherine Moennig title=Lena |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lena/}}</ref>
Tommy Wheeler Austin Nichols title=Is "Ray Donovan" TV’s Most Offensive Show? |url=https://www.queerty.com/is-ray-donovan-tvs-most-offensive-show-20130711}}</ref>
Justine Alexandra Turshen title=Justine |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/justine-2/}}</ref>
Chloe Hunter Alex Saxon title=Chloe Hunter |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/chloe-hunter/}}</ref>
Jeannie Rya Kihlstedt title=Jeannie |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/jeannie/}}</ref>
2013–2018 {{sortname|The|Tunnel|The Tunnel (TV series)}} Sky Atlantic
Canal+		 Elise Wassermann Clémence Poésy title=Élise and Erika make Season 2 of "The Tunnel" worth watching|url=http://www.afterellen.com/tv/514419-elise-erika-make-season-2-tunnel-worth-watching}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Love story between French police detective Elise Wassermann and suspect Eryka Klein|url=https://www.kizztv.com/2017/06/22/love-story-between-french-police-detective-elise-wassermann-and-suspect-eryka-klein/%7Carchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170730113913/https://www.kizztv.com/2017/06/22/love-story-between-french-police-detective-elise-wassermann-and-suspect-eryka-klein/%7Carchive-date=July 30, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Eryka Klein Laura De Boer Eryka (lesbian) falls in love with Elise.<ref name="the tunnel tv show"/>
2013–2015 Under the Dome CBS Carolyn Hill Aisha Hinds url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2013/06/25/cbs-to-rebroadcast-the-series-premiere-of-under-the-dome-this-sunday-june-30-at-900-800c-145012/20130625cbs02/%7Ctitle=Breaking News - CBS to Rebroadcast the Series Premiere of "Under the Dome" This Sunday, June 30 at 9:00/8:00c}}</ref>
Alice Calvert Samantha Mathis Alice is a lesbian.<ref name="under the dome"/>
2013–2020 Vikings History Ragnar Lothbrok Travis Fimmel title=The Unicorn Scale: Vikings |url=https://bi.org/en/articles/the-unicorn-scale-vikings}}</ref>
Lagertha Katheryn Winnick last1=Wagner|first1=Curt |title=Vikings' Sapphic Twist Surfaces a Powerful, Modern Woman|url=https://www.out.com/television/2016/11/23/vikings-sapphic-twist-surfaces-powerful-modern-woman}}</ref>
Astrid Josefin Asplund Astrid is bisexual. In season 5, she forces Lagertha to kill her. The sex scene between Lagertha and Astrid in episode "The Outsider" was edited for U.S. audiences and only showed them kissing.<ref>{{cite web|title=Vikings 4.11 The Outsider|url=https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=433594%7Cwebsite=Movie-Censorship.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title="Vikings" take on queer relationship|url=https://www.bgfalconmedia.com/entertainment/vikings-take-on-queer-relationship/article_eb29c1c0-dc6c-11e6-a0f7-97a6b03ba23d.html}}</ref>
2013– Wentworth SoHo Franky Doyle Nicole da Silva last1=Roberts |first1=Delina |title=Blue is the New Black at Wentworth |url=https://lezflix.com/blue-is-the-new-black-at-wentworth/ |website=Lez Flix |date=November 26, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Lyons |first1=Margaret |title=Australian Prison Series Wentworth Is the Dark Drama You've Been Waiting For |url=https://www.vulture.com/2014/12/tv-review-wentworth-australian-prison-series.html}}</ref>
Erica Davidson Leeanna Walsman title=Erica Davidson, Wentworth |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/erica-davidson-wentworth/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Kim Chang Ra Chapman title=Kim Chang, Wentworth |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/kim-chang-wentworth/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Joan Ferguson Pamela Rabe title=Joan Ferguson, Wentworth |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/joan-ferguson-wentworth/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Maxine Conway Socratis Otto title=Maxine Conway, Wentworth |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/maxine-conway/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Bridget Westfall Libby Tanner title=Bridget Westfall, Wentworth |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/bridget-westfall-wentworth/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Lucy Gambaro Sally-Anne Upton title=Lucy Gambaro, Wentworth |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/lucy-gambaro-wentworth/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Allie Novak Kate Jenkinson title=Allie Novak, Wentworth |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/allie-novak-wentworth/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Bea Smith Danielle Cormack title=Bea Smith, Wentworth |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/bea-smith-wentworth/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Jodie Spiteri Pia Miranda title=Jodie Spiteri, Wentworth |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/jodie-spiteri-wentworth/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Sean Brody Rick Donald title=Jake, you naughty boy – what have you been up to? |url=https://www.foxtel.com.au/whats-on/foxtel-insider/foxtel/jake-you-naughty-boy-what-have-you-been-up-to.html}}</ref>
Jake Stewart Bernard Curry Jake was in a sexual relationship with Sean.<ref name="Jake you naughty boy"/>
Lou Kelly Kate Box title=Lou Kelly, Wentworth |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lou-kelly/}}</ref>
Ruby Mitchell Rarriwuy Hick title=Ruby Mitchell, Wentworth |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/ruby-mitchell/}}</ref>
Marie Winter Susie Porter title=Marie Winter, Wentworth |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/marie-winter/}}</ref>
Maxine Conway Socratis Otto Maxine is a trans woman.<ref name="Maxine Conway, Wentworth"/>
Reb Keane Zoe Terakes title=Reb Keane, Wentworth |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/reb-keane/}}</ref>
Spike Baxter Kate Elliott title=Spike Baxter, Wentworth |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/spike-baxter/}}</ref>
Zara Dragovich Natalia Novikova title=Zara Dragovich, Wentworth |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/zara-dragovich/}}</ref>
Dana Malouf Daniielle Alexis title=Dana Malouf, Wentworth |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/dana-malouf/}}</ref>
Jianna Riley Tasia Zalar title=Jianna Riley, Wentworth |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/jianna-riley/}}</ref>
Shelley Hayes Alinta Chidzey title=Shelley Hayes, Wentworth |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/shelley-hayes/}}</ref>

2014

Year Show Network Character Actor Notes
2014– {{sortname|The|100|The 100 (TV series)}} The CW Commander Lexa Alycia Debnam-Carey title=Lexa, The 100 |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/lexa-the-100/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Clarke Griffin Eliza Taylor title=Clarke Griffin, The 100|url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/clarke-griffin-100/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Niylah Jessica Harmon title=Niylah, The 100 |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/niylah-the-100/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Nathan Miller Jarod Joseph title="The 100": What's In Store For Miller, Clarke And The Show's Other LGBT Characters (SPOILERS) |url=http://www.newnownext.com/the-100-clarke-clexa-miller/01/2016/}}</ref>
Bryan Jonathan Whitesell last1=Lavigne |first1=Carlen |title=Post-Apocalyptic Patriarchy: American Television and Gendered Visions of Survival |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-3445-6 |page=151 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_HZyDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA151}}</ref>
Eric Jackson Sachin Sahel title='The 100' Season 7 Countdown: Sachin Sahel says final season is 'batsh*t crazy' and 'like nothing you've seen' |url=https://meaww.com/the-100-season-7-countdown-sachin-sahel-interview-final-season-batshit-crazy-jackson-miller-429173}}</ref>
2014–2019 The Affair Showtime Trevor Solloway Jadon Sand last1=Bandyopadhyay |first1=Alakananda |title='The Affair' season 5 dissects who Jadon Sand's Trevor Solloway has become in the aftermath of his father's romantic fling |url=https://meaww.com/the-affair-season-5-spoilers-trevor-solloway-gay-coming-out-father-affair-jadon-sand}}</ref>
2014–2017 Black Sails Starz James Flint Toby Stephens title="Black Sails" and Its Big Gay Reveal|url=http://www.newnownext.com/black-sails-and-its-big-gay-reveal/02/2015/%7Cwebsite=NewNowNext|date=February 22, 2015}}</ref>
Eleanor Guthrie Hannah New last1=Bendix|first1=Trish|title="Black Sails" Season 2 has Eleanor and Max at odds|url=https://www.afterellen.com/tv/409889-black-sails-season-2-eleanor-max-odds%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=January 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150124035454/https://www.afterellen.com/tv/409889-black-sails-season-2-eleanor-max-odds%7Carchive-date=January 24, 2015}}</ref>
Max Jessica Parker Kennedy last1=Berlin|first1=Marina|title='Black Sails' Depicts the Untold Story of Queer Pirates|url=https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/yp99gm/black-sails-depicts-the-untold-story-of-queer-pirates%7Cwebsite=Vice|date=April 4, 2017}}</ref>
Anne Bonny Clara Paget last1=Bendix|first1=Trish|title=Clara Paget talks playing bisexual pirate legend Anne Bonny on Season 3 of "Black Sails"|url=https://www.afterellen.com/tv/470671-clara-paget-talks-playing-bisexual-pirate-legend-anne-bonny-season-3-black-sails%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=January 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160124095022/https://www.afterellen.com/tv/470671-clara-paget-talks-playing-bisexual-pirate-legend-anne-bonny-season-3-black-sails%7Carchive-date=January 24, 2016}}</ref>
Thomas Hamilton Rupert Penry-Jones title='Black Sails' Star Toby Stephens Talks Flint's Gay Romance: 'He Became Himself' (Video) |url=https://www.thewrap.com/black-sails-star-toby-stephens-talks-flints-gay-romance-he-became-himself/}}</ref>
2014– Bosch Amazon Prime Video Grace Billets Amy Aquino Grace Billets has a lesbian affair with a Black female colleague in the LAPD, Kizmin Rider.<ref name="danran">{{cite web|last=Dankievitch|first=Randy|url=https://www.tvovermind.com/bosch-season-1-episode-9-review-magic-castle/%7Ctitle=Bosch Season 1 Episode 9 Review: "The Magic Castle"|website=TV Over Mind|date=2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210329193600/https://www.tvovermind.com/bosch-season-1-episode-9-review-magic-castle/%7Carchive-date=March 29, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Sepinwall|first=Alan|url=https://uproxx.com/sepinwall/bosch-amazon-review-season-three-recap/%7Ctitle=Amazon’s ‘Bosch’ Gets Busier — And Better — In Season Three|website=Uproxx|date=April 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028022749/https://uproxx.com/sepinwall/bosch-amazon-review-season-three-recap/%7Carchive-date=October 29, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=|url=https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/home-and-family/thursday-may-4th-2017#slide-4%7Ctitle=Thursday, May 4th 2017|website=The Hallmark Channel|date=April 19, 2017|archive-url=https://archive.is/EwfLx%7Carchive-date=March 29, 2021|url-status=live|quote=This season explores Billets past after she gave birth to her daughter and revealed she was a lesbian}}</ref> She is a lieutenant who is a supervisor of the show's protagonist, Harry Bosch, at Hollywood Station.<ref>{{cite web|last=Connolly|first=Michael|url=https://www.michaelconnelly.com/characters/grace-billets/%7Ctitle=Grace Billets|website=Official website of Michael Connelly|date=April 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210329194615/https://www.michaelconnelly.com/characters/grace-billets/%7Carchive-date=March 29, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Gunderson|first=Alexis|url=https://collider.com/bosch-recap/%7Ctitle='Bosch' Recap: Everything You Need to Know Before the Season 6 Premiere on Amazon|website=Collider|date=April 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806155658/https://collider.com/bosch-recap/%7Carchive-date=August 6, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>
Kizmin Rider Rose Rollins The girlfriend of Grace Billets and detective with the LAPD.<ref name="danran"/><ref>{{cite web|last=Fowler|first=Matt|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/02/20/bosch-season-1-spoiler-discussion%7Ctitle=Bosch: Season 1 Spoiler Discussion|website=IGN|date=February 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801133840/http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/02/20/bosch-season-1-spoiler-discussion%7Carchive-date=August 1, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
2014–2016 Carmilla Vervegirl Carmilla Karnstein Natasha Negovanlis Carmilla Karnstein is a 100+ year old lesbian vampire.<ref name="odyssey"/>
Laura Hollis Elise Bauman Laura Hollis is a lesbian. Carmilla and Laura are in a relationship.<ref name="odyssey"/>
Danny Lawrence Sharon Belle Danny Lawrence is a lesbian.<ref name="odyssey"/>
S. LaFontaine Kaitlyn Alexander last1=Polito |first1=Isabelle |title=What 'Carmilla' Does Get Right About Queer Representation |url=https://www.theodysseyonline.com/carmilla-queer-representation |website=The Odyssey Online |publisher=Odyssey Media Group |access-date=14 October 2018 |date=13 June 2017}}</ref>
2014–2015 Chasing Life Freeform Brenna Carver Haley Ramm title='Chasing Life' Star Discusses Brenna's Bisexuality, Her New "Innocent" Relationship |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/chasing-life-season-2-haley-822975 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=14 September 2015}}</ref>
Greer Danville Gracie Dzienny title=Greer Danvill, Chasing Life |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/greer-danvill-chasing-life/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Margo Aurora Perrineau title=Margo, Chasing Life |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/margo/}}</ref>
Juliet Leisha Hailey title=Juliet, Chasing Life |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/juliet-chasing-life/}}</ref>
2014–2016 Faking It MTV Amy Raudenfeld Rita Volk title=Amy Raudenfeld, Faking It |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/amy-raudenfeld/}}</ref>
Shane Harvey Michael Willett title=Faking It Episode 215 Recap: Raise Your Hand If You've Been Outed By Shane Harvey |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/faking-it-episode-215-recap-raise-your-hand-if-youve-been-outed-by-shane-harvey-309219/ |website=Autostraddle |date=29 September 2015}}</ref><ref name="faking it"/>
Lauren Cooper Bailey De Young title=Lauren Cooper, Faking It |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lauren-cooper/}}</ref>
Reagan Yvette Monreal title=Reagan, Faking It |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/reagan-faking-it/}}</ref>
Noah Elliot Fletcher title=Noah, Faking It |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/noah/}}</ref>
Sabrina Sophia Ali title=Sabrina, Faking It |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sabrina/}}</ref>
2014–2015 Finding Carter MTV Bird Vanessa Morgan title=Bird Castro, Finding Carter |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/bird-castro-finding-carter/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Madison Molly Kunz title=Madison, Finding Carter |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/madison-finding-carter/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
2014– {{sortname|The|Flash|The Flash (2014 TV series)}} The CW David Singh Patrick Sabongui last1=Miller |first1=Liz Shannon |title=Introducing Batwoman: What to Know About Ruby Rose's Lesbian Superhero on The CW |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2018/12/the-cw-batwoman-ruby-rose-elseworlds-1202027068/ |website=IndieWire |date=December 11, 2018}}</ref>
Rob Jeremy Schuetze Rob is gay.<ref name=Batwoman1/>
Hartley Rathaway Andy Mientus last1=Chi |first1=Paul |title=‘The Flash’: Andy Mientus Says Gay Villain Pied Piper is a ‘Huge Step Forward’ |url=https://variety.com/2014/tv/news/flash-andy-mientus-gay-pied-piper-1201375260/ |website=Variety |date=10 December 2014}}</ref>
Nora West-Allen Jessica Parker Kennedy title=Nora West-Allen, The Flash |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/nora-west-allen/}}</ref>
Kate Kane Ruby Rose Kate Kane is lesbian.<ref name=Batwoman1/>
Marlize DeVoe Kim Engelbrecht title=Marlize DeVoe, The Flash |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/marlize-devoe/}}</ref>
Alex Danvers Chyler Leigh title=Alex Danvers, The Flash |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/alex-danvers/}}</ref>
2014 Glue E4 James Warwick Billy Howle James Warwick and Caleb "Cal" Bray were romantically involved.<ref name="gluecultbox"/>
Caleb "Cal" Bray Tommy Lawrence Knight title=‘Glue’ Episode 5 review |url=https://cultbox.co.uk/reviews/episodes/glue-s01e05-episode-5-review |website=CultBox |date=13 October 2014}}</ref>
2014–2019 Gotham Fox Renee Montoya Victoria Cartagena Renee Montoya is lesbian, and is the ex-girlfriend of Barbara Kean.<ref name="gotham lesbi"/>
Barbara Kean Erin Richards title=Gotham Introduces Lesbian & Bisexual Characters |url=https://www.pride.com/women/2014/9/24/gotham-introduces-lesbian-bisexual-characters |date=24 September 2014}}</ref>
Tabitha Galavan Jessica Lucas title=Tabitha Galavan, Gotham |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/tabitha-galavan-gotham/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
The Lady Michelle Gomez title=The Lady, Gotham |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/the-lady/}}</ref>
Oswald Cobblepot Robin Lord Taylor title=Supergirl and Gotham Have Both Coming-Out Storylines for Main Characters |url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/supergirl-gotham-lgbt-coming-out-alex-danvers-the-penguin/ |website=TV Guide}}</ref>
2014– Grantchester ITV Leonard Finch Al Weaver Leonard Finch is gay.<ref name="grantchester gay charct"/>
Daniel Marlowe Oliver Dimsdale title='Grantchester' Season 4 New Arrival Will Davenport Is 'Very Different' From Sidney |url=https://www.tvinsider.com/790622/grantchester-season-4-james-norton-exit-tom-brittney/}}</ref>
Alex Simms Tom Turner last1=Elliott |first1=Megan |title='Grantchester' Season 4, Episode 2 Recap: Secrets Exposed |url=https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/grantchester-season-4-episode-2-recap-secrets-exposed.html/ |date=22 July 2019}}</ref>
2014–2017 Halt and Catch Fire AMC Joe MacMillan Lee Pace title=Lee Pace on Joe MacMillan’s Fate in the Halt and Catch Fire Finale |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/10/halt-and-catch-fire-lee-pace-series-finale-interview.html |date=14 October 2017}}</ref>
Lev August Emerson title=Am I the Only Human on the Internet Who Thinks Cameron and Donna from Halt and Catch Fire Should Be In Love? |url=https://shacksadvocate.com/2016/11/08/am-i-the-only-human-on-the-internet-who-thinks-cameron-and-donna-from-halt-and-catch-fire-should-be-in-love/comment-page-1/ |date=8 November 2016}}</ref>
Haley Clark Susanna Skaggs title=Haley Clark, Halt and Catch Fire |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/haley-clark/}}</ref>
2014–2015 Heartless Kanal 5 Sofie Julie Zangenberg Sofie is a succubus lesbian that feeds on the life force of humans. She falls in love with Emilie.<ref name="heartless sofie"/>
Emilie Julie Christiansen last1=Frost|first1=Karen|title=The Happy Ending Project: Sofie and Emilie in "Heartless"|url=https://www.afterellen.com/tv/544527-happy-ending-project-sofie-emilie-heartless%7Cwebsite=After Ellen|date=September 11, 2017}}</ref>
2014– How to Get Away with Murder ABC Annalise Keating Viola Davis title=How To Get Away With Murder actor applauds character's sexuality |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/08/10/how-to-get-away-with-murder-actor-applauds-characters-sexuality/ |date=10 August 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Cooper|first=Mariah|url=https://www.losangelesblade.com/2017/08/10/viola-davis-applauds-annalise-keatings-pansexuality-htgawm/%7Ctitle=Viola Davis applauds Annalise Keating's pansexuality in 'HTGAWM'|work=Los Angeles Blade|date=August 10, 2017}}</ref>
Eve Rothlo Famke Janssen title=Eve Rothlow, How to Get Away with Murder |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/eve-rothlow-get-away-murder/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Connor Walsh Jack Falahee Connor Walsh is a gay law student. Connor Walsh and Oliver Hampton begin to date on and off throughout the seasons, culminating in their marriage in season 5.<ref name="oliver and connor htgawm"/><ref name="jill hartford"/>
Oliver Hampton Conrad Ricamora last1=smith|first1=s.e.|title="How To Get Away With Murder" Brings an HIV-Positive Character to Primetime|url=https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/how-get-away-murder-brings-hiv-positive-character-primetime%7Cwebsite=Bitch Media|date=September 30, 2015}}</ref><ref name="jill hartford"/>
Bonnie Winterbottom Liza Weil title=Bonnie Winterbottom, How To Get Away With Murder |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/bonnie-winterbottom-get-away-murder/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Aiden Walker Elliot Knight title="HTGAWM" S1 rewind: "Smile or Go to Jail" |url=https://colorwebmag.com/2014/11/02/htgawm-s2-rewind-smile-or-go-to-jail/}}</ref>
Simon Drake Behzad Dabu title=How To Get Away With Murder: The 10 Worst Things Michaela Ever Did |url=https://screenrant.com/how-to-get-away-with-murder-worst-things-michaela-did/ |website=Screen Rant |date=19 April 2020}}</ref>
Tegan Price Amirah Vann title=Tegan Price, How To Get Away With Murder|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/tegan-price/}}</ref>
Jeff Walsh D.W. Moffett Jeff Walsh is gay. He is Connor's dad.<ref name="jeff and ted htgawm"/>
Ted Jim Abele title=How to Get Away With Murder's Jack Falahee Has an Idea About Who Should Play Connor's Mom Now That We've Met His Dad(s) |url=https://www.eonline.com/news/888232/how-to-get-away-with-murder-s-jack-falahee-has-an-idea-about-who-should-play-connor-s-mom-now-that-we-ve-met-his-dad-s |website=E! Online |date=2017}}</ref>
Jill Hartford Alexandra Billings last1=Signorile|first1=Michelangelo|title=Here's How 'How To Get Away With Murder' Became The Queerest Show On Network TV|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-to-get-away-with-murder-queer-tv_us_56eac3c7e4b0b25c91849584%7Cwebsite=HuffPost|date=March 17, 2016}}</ref>
Claire Telesco Melinda Page Hamilton title=Claire Telesco, How To Get Away With Murder|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/claire-telesco/}}</ref>
Cora Mercedes Mason title=Cora, How To Get Away With Murder|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/cora/}}</ref>
Nanda Hashim Ramona DuBarry title=Nanda Hashim, How To Get Away With Murder|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/nanda-hashim/}}</ref>
Dani Alvodar Alyssa Diaz title=Dani Alvodar, How To Get Away With Murder|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/dani-alvodar/}}</ref>
2014–2019 Jane the Virgin The CW Luisa Alver Yara Martinez Luisa Alver is lesbian.<ref name="jane the virgin"/>
Rose Solano Bridget Regan Rose Solano is lesbian.<ref name="jane the virgin"/>
Wesley Masters Brian Jordan Alvarez last1=Vine |first1=Lauren Le |title="Jane The Virgin" Midseason Finale Recap: It's A Christmas Miracle |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2015/12/99039/jane-the-virgin-season-2-episode-8-recap}}</ref>
Krishna Shelly Bhalla title=Krishna Dhawan, Jane the Virgin |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/krishna-dhawan/}}</ref>
Adam Alvaro Tyler Posey title=Jane the Virgin just brought in a bisexual character and fans are excited |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/11/14/jane-the-virgin-just-brought-in-a-bisexual-character-and-fans-are-excited/ |date=14 November 2017}}</ref>
Jane Ramos Rosario Dawson Jane Ramos is openly lesbian and a shady lawyer.<ref name="jane the virgin"/>
Petra Andel Yael Grobglas title=Jane the Virgin's Final Season is Gayer and Wilder and More Romantic Than Ever |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/jane-the-virgins-final-season-is-gayer-and-wilder-and-more-romantic-than-ever/ |website=Autostraddle |date=22 April 2019}}</ref>
Eileen Elisabeth Röhm title=Eileen, Jane the Virgin|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/eileen/}}</ref>
Marlene Donaldson Melanie Mayron title=Marlene Donaldson, Jane the Virgin|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/marlene-donaldson/}}</ref>
Susanna Barnett Megan Ketch title=Susanna Barnett, Jane the Virgin|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/susanna-barnett/}}</ref>
Allison Iyari Limon title=Allison, Jane the Virgin|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/allison-2/}}</ref>
Dana A Leslie Kies title=Dana, Jane the Virgin|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/dana-jtv/}}</ref>
Leona Zelda Williams title=Leona, Jane the Virgin|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/leona/}}</ref>
2014– Janet King ABC1 Janet King Marta Dusseldorp last1=Kayvon |first1=Shervin |title=Meet Janet King: The Lesbian Lead Australians Asked For |url=https://www.intomore.com/culture/meet-janet-king-the-lesbian-lead-australians-asked-for/ |date=11 October 2017}}</ref>
Ash Larsson Aimee Pedersen Ash Larsson is lesbian.<ref name="janet king tv"/>
Bianca Grieve Anita Hegh title=Bianca Grieve |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/bianca-grieve/}}</ref>
2014–2017 Kingdom Audience Network Nate Kulina Nick Jonas last1=Highfill |first1=Samantha |title='Kingdom' Creator, Nick Jonas Talk Tonight's Shocking Ending |url=https://ew.com/tv/2017/07/27/kingdom-nate-kulina-shot-nick-jonas/ |website=Entertainment Weekly |date=July 27, 2017}}</ref>
Will Jonathan Howard title=Nick Jonas's gay kiss in the latest episode of Kingdom was too adorable |url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/nick-jonas-gay-kiss-latest-episode-kingdom-adorable/ |date=6 June 2017}}</ref>
2014–2018 {{sortname|The|Last Ship|The Last Ship (TV series)}} TNT Alisha Granderson Christina Elmore title=Alisha Granderson, The Last Ship |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/alisha-granderson/}}</ref>
Kelsi Baker Caitlin Gerard title=Kelsi Baker, The Last Ship |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/kelsi-baker/}}</ref>
2014–2018 The|Librarians|The Librarians (2014 TV series)}} TNT Cassandra Killian Lindy Booth title=Cassandra Cillian |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/cassandra-cillian/}}</ref>
2014–2015 Looking HBO Patrick Murray Jonathan Groff last=Goldberg|first=Lesley|title='Glee's' Jonathan Groff to Star in HBO Comedy Pilot (Exclusive)|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/glee-jonathan-groff-star-hbo-comedy-gay-friends-419996%7Cwork=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=August 24, 2013|date=February 8, 2013}}</ref><ref name="looking tv show">{{cite web |last1=McNamara |first1=Mary |title=Review: HBO's 'Looking' an authentic glimpse inside lives of gay men |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-looking-hbo-review-story.html |website=Los Angeles Times |date=January 18, 2014}}</ref>
Agustín Lanuez Frankie J. Alvarez last1=Carney |first1=Brian T. |title=‘Looking’ for closure |url=https://www.washingtonblade.com/2016/07/20/looking-movie/ |website=Washington Blade |date=20 July 2016}}</ref>
Dom Basaluzzo Murray Bartlett last1=Stroude |first1=Will |title='Tales of the City' star Murray Bartlett looks back on 'Looking' criticism |url=https://www.attitude.co.uk/article/tales-of-the-city-star-murray-bartlett-looks-back-on-looking-criticism/21040/ |website=Attitude (magazine) |date=24 May 2019}}</ref>
Kevin Matheson Russell Tovey last=Abramovitch|first=Seth|title=Russell Tovey Joins Gay-Themed HBO Dramedy 'Looking'|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/russell-tovey-joins-gay-themed-617683%7Cwork=The Hollywood Reporter|date=August 29, 2013}}</ref>
Ricardo "Richie" Donado Ventura Raúl Castillo last1=Heap |first1=Tim |last2=Stroude |first2=Will |title=Raúl Castillo talks 'Looking' and his new role in gay coming-of-age drama 'We the Animals' |url=https://attitude.co.uk/article/raul-castillo-talks-looking-and-his-new-role-in-gay-coming-of-age-drama-we-the-animals/21050/ |website=Attitude |date=28 May 2019}}</ref>
Frank O. T. Fagbenle Frank is gay.<ref name="looking tv show"/>
Lynn Scott Bakula Lynn is gay.<ref name="looking tv show"/>
Eddie Daniel Franzese last1=Kornhaber |first1=Spencer |title='Looking: The Movie' Tackles the Existential Crisis Around Gay Marriage |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/07/looking-the-movie-gay-marriage/492434/ |website=The Atlantic |date=25 July 2016}}</ref>
2014– Madam Secretary CBS Blake Moran Erich Bergen last=Hernandez|first=Greg|url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/watch-madam-secretary-character-comes-bisexual-boss-touching-scene/%7Ctitle=WATCH: Madam Secretary character comes out as bisexual to his boss in touching scene|work=Gay Star News|date=May 17, 2017}}</ref>
Kat Sandoval Sara Ramirez last1=Phillips|first1=Carmen|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/sara-ramirezs-bisexual-coming-out-on-madam-secretary-was-breathtaking-415241/%7Ctitle=Sara Ramirez's Bisexual Coming Out on "Madam Secretary" Was Breathtaking|website=Autostraddle|date=March 26, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=McDonough|first1=Beth|title=Sara Ramirez on "Madam Secretary" is a Game Changer for Bisexual Representation|url=https://www.afterellen.com/tv/557187-sara-ramirez-madam-secretary-game-changer-bisexual-representation%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=April 3, 2018}}</ref>
Ali Krieger Ali Krieger title=Ali Krieger, Madam Secretary|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/ali-krieger/}}</ref><ref name="equal pay psa">{{cite web |last1=Jacobs |first1=Meredith |title=Look Who's Back for the 'Madam Secretary' Series Finale McCord Wedding |url=https://www.tvinsider.com/gallery/madam-secretary-series-finale-leaving-the-station-photos/#15 |website=TV Insider}}</ref>
Ashlyn Harris Ashlyn Harris Ashlyn Harris is a lesbian. She does a public service announcement for equal pay. She is a member of the World Cup Champion U.S. Women's Soccer team.<ref name="equal pay psa"/>
Maryam Gagulia Amanda M. Rodriguez title=Maryam Gagulia, Madam Secretary|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/maryam-gagulia/}}</ref>
Ana Ivanba Anastasia Baranova title=Ana Ivanba, Madam Secretary|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/ana-ivanba/}}</ref>
2014 Matador El Rey Network Reyna Flores Eve Torres title=Reyna Flores, Matador |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/reyna-flores-matador/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref><ref name="autostraddle.com">{{cite web |title=All 214 Dead Lesbian and Bisexual Characters On TV, And How They Died {{!}} Page 3 of 4 |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/all-65-dead-lesbian-and-bisexual-characters-on-tv-and-how-they-died-312315/3/ |website=Autostraddle |date=11 March 2016}}</ref>
Silda Patel Mouzam Makkar title=Silda Patel, Matador |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/silda-patel/}}</ref>
2014–2016 The|Mysteries of Laura}} NBC Max Carnegie Max Jenkins title=The Mysteries of Laura |url=https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/mysteries-of-laura/}}</ref>
2014– NCIS: New Orleans CBS Tammy Gregorio Vanessa Ferlito title=Tammy Gregorio, NCIS: New Orleans|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/tammy-gregorio/}}</ref>
Eva Azarova Cassidy Freeman title=Eva Azarova, NCIS: New Orleans|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/eva-azarova/}}</ref>
Hannah Lee Meghan Ory title=Hannah Lee, NCIS: New Orleans|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/hannah-lee/}}</ref>
2014–2017 {{sortname|The|Night Shift|The Night Shift (TV series)}} NBC Drew Allister Brendan Fehr Drew Allister is gay.<ref name="the shift at night"/>
Rick Luke Macfarlane last1=Halterman |first1=Jim |title=Interview: Luke Macfarlane on "The Night Shift," Gay Military Couples, "Brothers & Sisters" & More |url=http://www.newnownext.com/interview-luke-macfarlane-on-night-shift-gays-on-tv-more/06/2014/}}</ref>
2014 Nikki & Nora: The N&N Files YouTube Nikki Beaumont Liz Vassey last1=Krauss |first1=Andrea |title=Nikki & Nora: The N&N Files - Lesbian Private Investigators in Love in The Big Easy |url=https://www.pride.com/box-office/2013/08/29/watch-nikki-nora-nn-files-lesbian-private-investigators-love-big-easy |website=Pride |date=29 August 2013}}</ref><ref name="nor and nik">{{cite web |last1=Capuano |first1=Erin P. |title=Nikki and Nora (N&N Files) is back and ready for a Season Two (Includes interview and first-hand account) |url=http://www.digitaljournal.com/a-and-e/entertainment/nikki-and-nora-n-n-files-is-back-and-ready-for-a-season-two/article/428087 |website=Digital Journal |date=11 March 2015}}</ref>
Nora Delaney Christina Cox Nora Delaney is a lesbian, and a private investigator. Her partner is Nikki, who is also her lover.<ref name="nikki and nora"/><ref name="nor and nik"/>
2014– Nord bei Nordwest Das Erste Hannah Wagner Jana Klinge author=Meike|title=Queere Frauenfiguren in deutschen Serien|url=https://www.seriennotizen.de/queere-frauenfiguren-in-deutschen-serien/%7Cwebsite=Seriennotizen%7Cdate=24 January 2021|language=de|trans-title=Queer female characters in German series}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title= Video: Nord bei Nordwest – Der Anschlag|url=https://www.daserste.de/unterhaltung/film/der-donnerstags-krimi/videos/nord-bei-nordwest-der-anschlag-video-100.html%7Cwebsite=Das Erste|date=7 January 2021|language=de|trans-title=Video: North by Northwest - The attack}}</ref>
2014– Outlander Starz Duke of Sandringham Simon Callow title=The Unicorn Scale: Outlander |url=https://bi.org/en/articles/the-unicorn-scale-outlander |website=Bi.org}}</ref>
Jonathan Randall
(aka Black Jack)		 Tobias Menzies title=Outlander: Casting a Queer Man as the Main Villain Is Garbage, Actually |url=https://www.cbr.com/outlander-queer-jack-randall-problematic/ |date=30 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Byrne-Cristiano|first= Laura|url=http://www.hypable.com/outlander-gabaldon-jack-randall-isnt-gay%7Ctitle='Outlander's' Diana Gabaldon clarifies Black Jack Randall's sexual orientation|website=Hypable|date=April 28, 2015|access-date=11 September 2017}}</ref>
Lord John Grey David Berry title=Outlander: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Lord John Grey |url=https://screenrant.com/outlander-things-didnt-know-lord-john-grey/ |website=Screen Rant |date=17 July 2019}}</ref>
2014 Øyevitne NRK Philip Axel Bøyum Philip and Henning are 15-year-old boys secretly in love. After witnessing a murder at a quarry, they vow to never tell anyone in order to keep their relationship a secret.<ref>{{cite web |title=Eyewitness {{!}} Øyevitne |url=https://nordicdrama.com/eyewitness-oyevitne/ |date=15 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Eyewitness Episode 1 Review: Is the complex Norwegian thriller worth watching? |url=https://culturefly.co.uk/eyewitness-episode-1-review-is-the-complex-norwegian-thriller-worth-watching/ |date=30 March 2017}}</ref>
Henning Odin Waage
2014–2015 Red Band Society Fox Sarah Souders Andrea Parker title=Sarah Souders, Red Band Society |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sarah-souders/}}</ref>
Kenji Gomez-Rejon Wilson Cruz title=GLAAD's Wilson Cruz on his role on 'Red Band Society' and advising the young cast members |url=https://www.glaad.org/blog/glaads-wilson-cruz-his-role-red-band-society-and-advising-young-cast-members |date=15 August 2014}}</ref>
Daniella Tricia O’Kelley title=Daniella, Red Band Society |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/daniella/}}</ref>
2014 Star-Crossed The CW Sophia Brina Palencia title=Sophia, Star-Crossed|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sophia/}}</ref>
Nikki Nicola Correia-Damude title=Nikki Taylor, The Strain |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/nikki-taylor-strain/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
2014–2019 Transparent Amazon Prime Video Maura Pfefferman Jeffrey Tambor last1=Keveney |first1=Bill |title='Transparent' creator on post-Tambor musical finale: 'No (other) way to go back' |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2019/02/13/transparent-creator-soloway-discusses-music-finale-after-tambor-firing/2864778002/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=How 'Transparent' Finale Pays Tribute to Transgender Matriarch (Without Jeffrey Tambor) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/how-transparents-finale-pays-tribute-jeffrey-tambor-jeffrey-tambor-1243727 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=28 September 2019}}</ref>
Sarah Pfefferman Amy Landecker title=Sarah Pfefferman, Transparent |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/sarah-pfefferman-transparent/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Tammy Cashman Melora Hardin title=Tammy Cashman, Transparent |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/tammy-cashman-transparent/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Sydney Feldman Carrie Brownstein title=Sydney Feldman, Transparent |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/sydney-feldman-transparent/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Ali Pfefferman Gaby Hoffmann title=Ali Pfefferman, Transparent |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/ali-pfefferman-transparent/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Davina Alexandra Billings title=Alexandra Billings, transgender actor: 'Transparent came up when I had nothing to lose' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2014/oct/10/-sp-alexandra-billings-transgender-actor-transparent |date=10 October 2014}}</ref>
Shea Trace Lysette title='Transparent' Star on Josh and Shea's Groundbreaking Romance: "It’s Just Boy Meets Girl" |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/transparents-josh-shea-trace-lysette-934860 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=4 October 2016}}</ref>
Tanta Gittel Hari Nef last1=Shattuck |first1=Kathryn |title=Hari Nef Adds Another Layer to ‘Transparent’ |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/06/arts/television/hari-nef-adds-another-layer-to-transparent.html |website=The New York Times |date=2 December 2015}}</ref>
Leslie Mackinaw Cherry Jones title=Leslie Mackinaw, Transparent |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/leslie-mackinaw-transparent/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Vicki Anjelica Huston title='Transparent': We Recapped All of Season 3 |url=https://ew.com/recap/transparent-season-3-recaps/}}</ref>
Barb Tig Notaro title=Barb, Transparent |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/barb-transparent/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Lila Alia Shawkat title=The ‘Transparent’ Cast Explains Why Season 4 Made Things VERY Uncomfortable On The ‘Arrested Development’ Set |url=https://decider.com/2017/09/21/transparent-season-4-cast-interviews-amazon/ |website=Decider |date=21 September 2017}}</ref>
Marcy Bradley Whitford title=‘Transparent’ Recap: Season 1, Episode 8 |url=https://decider.com/2014/09/30/transparent-s1-ep8-recap/ |website=Decider |date=30 September 2014}}</ref>
Adriana Hailie Sahar title=Adriana, Transparent |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/adriana/}}</ref>
Carmen Mariana Marroquin title=Carmen, Transparent|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/carmen-2/}}</ref>
Eleanor Zackary Drucker title=Eleanor, Transparent|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/eleanor/}}</ref>
Lorena Harmony Santana title=Lorena, Transparent|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lorena/}}</ref>
Zelda Becky Thyre title=Zelda, Transparent|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/zelda/}}</ref>
Celeste Jill Soloway title=Celeste, Transparent|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/celeste/}}</ref>
Elizah Edwards Alexandra Grey title=Elizah Edwards, Transparent|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/elizah-edwards/}}</ref>
Omar Rocco Kayiatos title=Omar, Transparent|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/omar/}}</ref>
Bella Bobbi Salvör Menuez title=Bella, Transparent|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/bella/}}</ref>
Dale Ian Harvie title=Dale, Transparent|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/dale/}}</ref>
Pony Jiz Lee title=Pony, Transparent|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/pony/}}</ref>
2014– True Detective HBO Paul Woodrugh Taylor Kitsch last=Bugbee|first=Teo|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/true-detectives-big-gay-problem%7Ctitle=True Detective's Big Gay Problem|website=The Daily Beast|date=4 August 2015|access-date=21 March 2019}}</ref>
Tom Purcell Scoot McNairy last1=Rizzo|first1=Carita|url=https://www.purewow.com/news/true-detective-tom-purcell-theory%7Ctitle=What Do Tom's Demons in 'True Detective' Have to Do with Julie's Disappearance?|website=PureWow|date=February 11, 2019|access-date=21 March 2019}}</ref>
2014–2016 Tyrant FX Sammy Al-Fayeed Noah Silver title=Noah Silver on Playing a Gay Middle-Eastern Kid in 'Tyrant' |url=https://www.out.com/entertainment/2016/2/11/noah-silver-playing-gay-middle-eastern-kid-tyrant |date=11 February 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Viruet |first1=Pilot |title=FX’s ‘Tyrant’ Skirts Controversy by Saying Nothing At All |url=https://www.flavorwire.com/463922/fxs-tyrant-skirts-controversy-by-saying-nothing-at-all}}</ref>
Abdul Mehdi Dehbi title=FX's 'Tyrant' Season 2 'First Look' Preview: Reaping What Was Sown |url=https://screenrant.com/tyrant-fx-season-2-preview/ |website=Screen Rant |date=12 June 2015}}</ref>
Haitham El-Amin Raphael Acloque last1=Ellwood-Hughes |first1=Pip |title=Tyrant 3×04 Prayer For Our Daughters preview |url=https://entertainment-focus.com/2016/08/20/tyrant-3x04-prayer-for-our-daughters-preview/}}</ref>

2015

Year Show Network Character Actor Notes
2015–2018 12 Monkeys Syfy Oliver Peters Ramon de Ocampo Oliver Peters is a gay widow. In season 1, episode 10, Oliver makes reference to his dead husband.<ref>{{cite web |title=12 Monkeys S01 E10: Divine Move|url=https://biffbampop.com/2015/03/21/12-monkeys-s01-e10-divine-move/ |date=21 March 2015}}</ref>
2015–2017 American Crime
(season 2)		 ABC Network Eric Tanner Joey Pollari last1=Lawson |first1=Richard |title=American Crime’s Joey Pollari on the Role of a (Young) Lifetime |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/02/joey-pollari-american-crime-interview |website=Vanity Fair |date=February 18, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Licuria |first1=Rob |title=Joey Pollari (‘American Crime’): ‘It was such a transformative experience being on that set’ |url=https://www.goldderby.com/article/2016/joey-pollari-american-crime-season-2-emmy-awards-news-135790864/ |date=June 14, 2016}}</ref>
Taylor Blaine Connor Jessup last1=Birnbaum |first1=Debra |title=John Ridley Reveals Season Two Plot of ‘American Crime’ (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/american-crime-season-2-john-ridley-1201554723/ |website=Variety |date=1 August 2015}}</ref>
Luke Taylor John Smith title=American Crime: Taylor and Luke kiss |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNhB_hi1UcQ |via=YouTube |format=video |date=April 24, 2016}}</ref>
2015–2016 Aquarius NBC Charles Manson Gethin Anthony Charles Manson is bisexual. He had sex with Ken in exchange for giving him money for living. John McNamara, the creator of the show, said the story about Manson is historical fiction.<ref>{{cite web|last=Rorke|first=Robert|title=‘Game of Thones’ vet channels Charles Manson in ‘Aquarius’|url=https://nypost.com/2015/07/03/game-of-thones-vet-channels-charles-manson-in-aquarius/%7Cdate=3 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title='Aquarius' Boss Says NBC's Charles Manson Drama Is "Historical Fiction"|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/aquarius-david-duchovny-spoilers-786235%7Cwebsite=The Hollywood Reporter|date=27 May 2015}}</ref>
Ken Karn Brían F. O'Byrne title=I Watched All of ‘Aquarius’ So You Don’t Have to: A Season 1 Review |url=https://observer.com/2015/06/i-watched-all-of-aquarius-so-you-dont-have-to-a-season-1-review/ |date=5 June 2015}}</ref>
2015 Backstrom Fox Gregory Valentine Thomas Dekker last1=Andreeva |first1=Nellie |title=Thomas Dekker Made ‘Backstrom’ Regular |url=https://deadline.com/2014/01/thomas-dekker-made-backstrom-regular-664621/ |website=Deadline |date=15 January 2014}}</ref>
2015 Banana E4 Freddie Baxter Freddie Fox title=Exclusive Sneak Peek: Freddie's Old Flame Returns in Cucumber Ep 3 |url=https://www.out.com/popnography/2015/4/27/exclusive-clip-cucumber |date=27 April 2015}}</ref><ref name="indiewire.com">{{cite web |last1=Skinner |first1=Oliver |title=Freddie Fox Opens Up: The Cucumber Breakout On Sex, Typecasting and What Happens Next |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2015/04/freddie-fox-opens-up-the-cucumber-breakout-on-sex-typecasting-and-what-happens-next-215432/ |website=Indie Wire |date=22 April 2015}}</ref>
Dean Monroe Fisayo Akinade last1=McDonald |first1=James |title=Gay Series 'Cucumber' & 'Banana' Are Coming To Logo |url=https://www.out.com/television/2015/3/10/cucumber-banana-gay-series-us-tv-logo |website=Out |date=10 March 2015}}</ref>
Henry Best Vincent Franklin last1=Nussbaum |first1=Emily |title=What’s Changed Since "Queer as Folk"? |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/06/08/where-the-boys-are-television-nussbaum |website=The New Yorker |date=June 1, 2015}}</ref>
Lance Sullivan Cyril Nri Lance Sullivan is gay.<ref name="banana tv show"/>
Vivienne "Scotty" Scott Letitia Wright title=Vivienne 'Scotty' Scott|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/vivienne-scotty-scott/}}</ref>
Vanessa Moore Lynn Hunter title=Vanessa Moore|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/vanessa-moore/}}</ref>
Sian Moore Georgia Henshaw title=Sian Moore|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sian-moore/}}</ref>
Violet Hannah John-Kamen title=Violet|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/violet-banana/}}</ref>
Amy Charlie Covell title=Amy|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/amy-banana/}}</ref>
Helen Brears Bethany Black title=Helen Brears|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/helen-brears/}}</ref>
Kay T’Nia Miller title=Kay|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/kay/}}</ref>
2015– Blindspot NBC Bethany Mayfair Marianne Jean-Baptiste title=Bethany Mayfair, Blindspot |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/bethany-mayfair-blindspot/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Sofia Varma Sarita Choudhury title=Sophia Varma, Blindspot |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/sophia-varma-blindspot/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Alexandra Eisa Davis title=Alexandra Harrison, Blindspot |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/alexandra-harrison-blindspot/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Rich Dotcom Ennis Esmer url=https://queerculturechats.org/2018/09/24/7-best-bisexual-characters-on-tv/%7Ctitle=7 Best Bisexual Characters on TV|date=September 24, 2018}}</ref>
2015–2018 Casual Hulu Laura Meyers Tara Lynne Barr last1=Grobar|first1=Matt|title='Casual's Tara Lynne Barr Talks Singing On Set And A Season Driven By Female Directors|url=https://deadline.com/2017/06/casual-tara-lynne-barr-zander-lehmann-hulu-emmys-interview-news-1202113754/%7Cwebsite=Deadline|date=June 21, 2017}}</ref>
Aubrey Dylan Gelula title=Aubrey, Casual |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/aubrey-casual/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Tathiana Lorenza Izzo title=Tathiana, Casual |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/tathiana/ |website=LGBT}}</ref>
Emmy title=Emmy, Casual |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/emmy-casual/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Alyssa Teri Andrez title=Alyssa, Casual |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/alyssa/}}</ref>
2015– Cheetah In August Vimeo August Chandler Andre Myers title=Cheetah in August (Web Series Trailer) |url=https://cypheravenue.com/watch-cheetah-in-august-web-series-trailer/ |website=Cypher Avenue}}</ref>
2015– Club de Cuervos Netflix Aitor Cardoné Alosian Vivancos title=LGBTQ Representation on Spanish-Language Television in the United States |url=https://www.glaad.org/files/SLMR/SPAReport2016.pdf |date=2016}}</ref>
2015–2018 Code Black CBS Malaya Pineda Melanie Chandra last1=Bendix|first1=Trish|title="Code Black" introduces us to a new Indian lesbian MD|url=https://www.afterellen.com/tv/455429-code-black-introduces-us-new-indian-lesbian-md%7Cwork=AfterEllen|date=September 30, 2015|access-date=11 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002005555/https://www.afterellen.com/tv/455429-code-black-introduces-us-new-indian-lesbian-md%7Carchive-date=October 2, 2015}}</ref>
Carla Niven Shiri Appleby title=Carla Niven, Code Black |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/carla-niven-code-black/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Noa Kean Emily Tyra title=Noa Kean, Code Black|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/noa-kean/}}</ref>
2015 Complications USA Network Gretchen Polk Jessica Szohr title=Gretchen Polk, Complications|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/gretchen-polk/}}</ref>
2015–2019 Crazy Ex-Girlfriend The CW White Josh Wilson David Hull url=https://ew.com/article/2016/03/07/crazy-ex-girlfriend-bisexual-darryl-pete-gardner/%7Ctitle=Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Darryl's bisexuality 'isn't the butt of the joke'|first=Shirley|last=Li|website=Entertainment Weekly|date=March 7, 2016}}</ref>
Darryl Whitefeather Pete Gardner title=Darryl Whitefeather |url=https://bi.org/en/bi-characters/darryl-whitefeather |website=Bi.org}}</ref>
Maya Esther Povitsky url=http://www.afterellen.com/tv/477951-crazy-ex-girlfriend-gives-us-two-bisexual-characters-new-bi-anthem/%7Ctitle="Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" Gives us Two Bisexual Characters and a New Bi Anthem|first=Chelsea|last=Steiner|website=AfterEllen|date=March 8, 2016}}</ref>
Valencia Perez Gabrielle Ruiz Valencia Perez becomes aware that she is bisexual when she starts dating a woman named Beth (Emma Willmann) late in Season 3.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/crazy-ex-girlfriend-season-3-time-jump-heather-pregnancy-valencia-girlfriend-female-filmmaker-friday-1202681289/%7Ctitle='Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' Boss on Season 3's Time Jump and Her 'Female Filmmaker Friday' Initiative|first=Danielle|last=Turchiano|work=Variety|date=February 2, 2018}}</ref>
2015 Cucumber Channel 4 Freddie Baxter Freddie Fox Freddie Baxter is bisexual, and is completely "hardwired to fuck", according to actor Freddie Fox.<ref name="out.com"/><ref name="indiewire.com"/>
Dean Monroe Fisayo Akinade Dean Monroe is gay.<ref name="Gay Series 'Cucumber' & 'Banana' Ar"/>
Henry Best Vincent Franklin Henry Best is a gay middle-aged insurance salesman, happily settled with his boyfriend of nine years, Lance Sullivan.<ref name="banana tv show"/>
Lance Sullivan Cyril Nri Lance Sullivan is gay.<ref name="banana tv show"/>
Vivienne "Scotty" Scott Letitia Wright Vivienne "Scotty" Scott is a lesbian.<ref name=":0"/>
Vanessa Moore Lynn Hunter Vanessa Moore is a lesbian.<ref name=":1"/>
Sian Moore Georgia Henshaw Sian Moore is a lesbian.<ref name=":2"/>
Violet Hannah John-Kamen Violet is a lesbian, and likes to party.<ref name=":3"/>
Amy Charlie Covell Amy is a neurotic lesbian.<ref name=":4"/>
Helen Brears Bethany Black Helen Brears is a trans woman.<ref name=":5"/>
Kay T’Nia Miller Kay is a lesbian.<ref name=":6"/>
2015 Cuffs BBC One Jake Vickers Jacob Ifan last1=Tate |first1=Gabriel |title=TV review: Cuffs; The Affair |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/tv-review-cuffs-the-affair-ww2bbdjxd26}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Cuffs - S1 - Episode 1 |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv-programme/e/dtj6sz/cuffs--s1-e1-cuffs/ |website=Radio Times}}</ref>
Simon Reddington Andrew Hawley last1=Peters |first1=Lewis |title=The UK has more regular LGBTI characters on TV than in the US |url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/see-lgbti-characters-british-tv-year/ |website=Gay Star News |date=1 June 2016}}</ref>
Donna Prager Eleanor Matsuura title=Donna Prager, Cuffs (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/donna-prager/}}</ref>
Alice Gove Pippa Nixon title=Alice Gove, Cuffs (TV series) |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/alice-gove/}}</ref>
2015–2017 Dark Matter Syfy Two Melissa O'Neil title=Boob(s On Your) Tube: "Claws" and "Dark Matter" Didn't Quite Live Up to Their Queer Potential This Summer |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/boobs-on-your-tube-claws-and-dark-matter-didnt-quite-live-up-to-their-queer-potential-this-summer-392636/ |website=Autostraddle |date=1 September 2017}}</ref>
Dr. Irena Shaw Zoie Palmer title=Irena Shaw, Dark Matter (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/irena-shaw/}}</ref>
2015 Deutschland 83 RTL Television
SundanceTV		 Alexander Edel Ludwig Trepte last1=Hughes|first1=Sarah|title=Deutschland 83 recap, episode five – Cold Fire|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2016/jan/31/deutschland-83-recap-episode-five-cold-fire%7Cwork=The Guardian|date=31 January 2016|access-date=23 October 2018}}</ref><ref name=Hughes_83ep6>{{cite web|last1=Hughes|first1=Sarah|title=Deutschland 83 recap: episode six – Brandy Station|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/feb/07/deutschland-83-recap-episode-six-brandy-station%7Cwork=The Guardian|date=7 February 2016|access-date=23 October 2018}}</ref><ref name="bold guard deutschland">{{cite web|last1=Hughes|first1=Sarah|title=Deutschland 83, the finale – Bold Guard and Able Archer|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2016/feb/14/deutschland-83-the-finale-bold-guard-and-able-archer%7Cpublisher=theguardian.com%7Cdate=14 February 2016|access-date=23 October 2018}}</ref>
Tobias Tischbier Alexander Beyer Tobias Tischbier is gay and works as a professor at the University of Bonn.<ref name="deutschland guardian"/><ref name="bold guard deutschland"/>
Felix von Schwerin Florian Bartholomäi Felix von Schwerin is gay.<ref name="deutschland guardian"/><ref name="bold guard deutschland"/>
2015 Dig USA Detective Golan Cohen Ori Pfeffer title=Dig Creator Gideon Raff & Actor Ori Pfeffer On the Show's Gay Israeli Character |url=https://www.out.com/popnography/2015/4/02/dig-creator-and-actor-discuss-shows-gay-character |date=2 April 2015}}</ref>
Udi Tsahi Halevi title=The 2015 GLAAD Network Responsibility Index |url=https://www.glaad.org/files/GLAAD-2015-NRI.pdf}}</ref>
2015–2018 È arrivata la felicità Rai 1 Valeria Camilli Giulia Bevilacqua Valeria Camilli and Rita Nardelli are lesbians.<ref>{{cite web |title=E' arrivata la felicità - la scheda della serie tv |url=https://www.cinemagay.it/serie-tv/e-arrivata-la-felicita/ |website=Cinemagay.it |language=it-IT}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=È arrivata la felicità |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/e-arrivata-la-felicita/}}</ref>
Rita Nardelli Federica De Cola
2015– Empire Fox Jamal Lyon Jussie Smollett title='Empire's' Jussie Smollett Breaks Down Jamal's Coming Out |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/empire-jamal-coming-775796 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=25 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Skinner |first1=Oliver |title=The 15 Best LGBT Characters On Television: Jamal Lyon on ‘Empire’ |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2015/04/the-15-best-lgbt-characters-on-television-jamal-lyon-on-empire-215436/ |website=Indie Wire |date=22 April 2015}}</ref>
Michael Sanchez Rafael de la Fuente title=Rafael de la Fuente talks 'Empire,' gay couples on TV, making music |url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/rafael-de-la-fuente-talks-empire-gay-couples-on-tv-making-music |website=Fox News |date=29 November 2016}}</ref>
Tiana Brown Serayah McNeill title=Tiana Brown, Empire |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/tiana-brown-empire/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
India Spring Elizabeth Whitson India Spring is lesbian, and had an affair with Tiana Brown.<ref name="tiana brown"/>
Ryan Morgan Eka Darville title='Empire' Episode 8 Recap: The Lyons, The Snitch, and the Boardroom |url=https://www.etonline.com/tv/160335_empire_episode_8_recap_the_lyons_the_snitch_and_the_boardroom |website=Entertainment Tonight}}</ref>
Mimi Whiteman Marisa Tomei title=Mimi Whiteman, Empire |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/mimi-whiteman-empire/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
D-Major
(aka Derek)		 Tobias Truvillion title=Who Is D-Major On 'Empire'? Tobias Truvillion Is Just Starting To Peel Back His Layers |url=https://www.bustle.com/articles/161518-who-is-d-major-on-empire-tobias-truvillion-is-just-starting-to-peel-back-his-layers |website=Bustle}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Is Empire 'Too Gay'? Here Is How One Cast Member Reacted |url=https://www.bet.com/celebrities/news/2016/05/06/is-empire--too-gay---here-is-how-one-cast-member-reacted.html |website=BET.com}}</ref>
Tory Ash Rumer Willis title=Rumer Willis Is Singing New Life Into ‘Empire’ |url=https://decider.com/2017/05/10/rumer-willis-is-singing-new-life-into-empire/ |website=Decider |date=10 May 2017}}</ref>
Rhonda Lyon Kaitlin Doubleday title=Rhonda Lyon, Empire |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/rhonda-lyon-empire/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Freda Gatz Bre-Z last1=Jones |first1=Layla A. |title=Newest 'Empire' star Bre-Z hails from Philly with superstar confidence |url=https://www.inquirer.com/philly/blogs/entertainment/Newest-Empire-star-Bre-Z-hails-from-Philly-with-superstar-confidence.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Freda Gatz, Empire|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/freda-gatz/}}</ref>
Melody Barnes Alexandra Grey title=‘Empire’s Latest Breakout Is Black, Trans, and Talented AF |url=https://www.out.com/television/2019/12/17/empires-latest-breakout-black-trans-and-talented-af |date=17 December 2019}}</ref>
Camilla Marks-Whiteman Naomi Campbell title=Camilla Marks-Whiteman, Empire |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/camilla-marks-whiteman-empire/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
2015– The Expanse SyFy
Amazon Prime Video		 Anna Volovodov Elizabeth Mitchell last1=Napier|first1=Chris|title=REVIEW: "The Expanse" Series Five Episodes 1-3 Reaction|url=https://www.grimdarkmagazine.com/review-the-expanse-series-five-episodes-1-3-reaction%E2%80%A8/%7Cwebsite=Grimdark Magazine|date=December 18, 2020}}</ref>
Julie Mao Florence Faivre title=Julie Mao, The Expanse |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/julie-mao-expanse/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Camina Drummer Cara Gee title=Camina Drummer, The Expanse |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/camina-drummer/}}</ref>
Oksana Sandrine Holt title=Oksana, The Expanse|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/oksana/}}</ref>
Namono Volovodov Raven Dauda title=Namono Volovodov, The Expanse|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/namono-volovodov/}}</ref>
2015 Eye Candy MTV Connor North John Garet Stoker Connor North is gay and dates Oliver in Season 1.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Halterman |first1=Jim |title="Eye Candy" Actor John Garet Stoker Talks Connor's Perilous First Date |url=http://www.newnownext.com/eye-candy-mtv-john-garet-stoker-interview-connor-first-date/02/2015/}}</ref>
Oliver Parker Pogue
2015– Fear The Walking Dead AMC Studios Victor Strand Colman Domingo Victor Strand and Thomas Abigail are gay and were in a relationship.<ref name="victor strand and thomas">{{cite web|last1=Mason|first1=Charlie|title=Fear the Walking Dead Recap: Al Learns About the Group That Has Rick Grimes|url=https://tvline.com/2019/06/30/fear-the-walking-dead-recap-season-5-episode-5-the-end-of-everything-al-gay-lesbian/%7Cwebsite=TVLine|date=June 30, 2019}}</ref>
Thomas Abigail Dougray Scott
Althea ("Al") Szewczek-Przygocki Maggie Grace title=Al and Isabelle – Fear the Walking Dead Season 5 Episode 5|url=https://blog.lesbianmedia.tv/al-and-isabelle-fear-the-walking-dead-season-5-episode-5/%7Cwebsite=Lesbian Media|date=July 3, 2019}} (Video)</ref>
Isabelle Sydney Lemmon Isabelle is lesbian.<ref name="althea and isabelle"/>
2015 Flesh and Bones Starz Paul Grayson Ben Daniels Paul Grayson is bisexual.<ref name="eduardo and grayson"/>
Trey Karell Williams title=Hey, remember when Flesh And Bone was about ballet? |url=https://tv.avclub.com/hey-remember-when-flesh-and-bone-was-about-ballet-1798185827 |website=TV Club}}</ref>
Eduardo Anthony Lee Medina title=Starz Show Flesh and Bone Features Gay Actor Ben Daniels Sex-Obsessed Ballet Director |url=https://www.out.com/television/2015/11/06/starz-show-flesh-and-bone-features-gay-actor-ben-daniels-sex-obsessed-ballet |date=6 November 2015}}</ref>
2015– Glitch ABC1 Charlie Thompson Sean Keenan last1=Scott |first1=Paul |title=From Contagion to Cogitation: The Evolving Television Zombie |journal=Science Fiction Studies |date=2020 |volume=47 |issue=1 |pages=93–110 |doi=10.5621/sciefictstud.47.1.0093}}</ref>
Gay Man #1 Nick Hedger Gay Man #1, Gay Man #2, Gay Older Man; characters that appeared in season 3, episode "First Times".<ref>{{cite web |title=Australian Television: Glitch: episode guide: series 2 |url=http://www.australiantelevision.net/glitch/series3.html |website=Australian Television.net}}</ref>
Gay Man #2 Ben Nicholson
Gay Older Man Damian Oehme
2015 Home Fires ITV Teresa Fenchurch Leanne Best title=Home Fires Creator Simon Block on the Series' Abrupt Cancellation and Literary Future |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/home-fires/home-fires-creator-simon-block-on-the-series-abrup/ |date=8 May 2017}}</ref>
Connie Ward Rachael Elizabeth Connie Ward is a lesbian and died on a ship sunk by German U-Boats.<ref name="autostraddle.com"/>
2015–2018 Humans
(aka HUM∀NS)		 Channel 4 Niska Emily Berrington last1=Anne |first1=Valerie |title="Humans" Sneaked In One Of The Best Queer Subplots On TV This Season |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/humans-sneaked-in-one-of-the-best-queer-subplots-on-tv-this-season-374840/ |website=Autostraddle |date=3 April 2017}}</ref><ref name="Humans synth show"/>
Astrid Bella Dayne title=Humans |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/humans/}}</ref>
2015–2019 Into the Badlands AMC Tilda Ally Ioannides last1=Anne |first1=Valerie |title="Into the Badlands" Failed its Queer and Female Characters in the End |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/into-the-badlands-failed-its-queer-and-female-characters-in-the-end/ |website=Autostraddle |date=8 May 2019}}</ref>
Odessa Maddison Jaizani title=Odessa, Into The Badlands |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/odessa/}}</ref>
2015–2019 Jessica Jones Netflix Jeri Hogarth Carrie-Anne Moss last1=Oswald|first1=Anjelica|title=We need to talk about that surprise orgy scene on the second season of 'Jessica Jones'|url=https://www.insider.com/jessica-jones-jeri-hogarth-sex-scene-carrie-anne-moss-2018-3%7Cwebsite=Insider|date=March 8, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Gallagher|first1=Caitlin|title=The Jeri Hogarth Sex Scene From 'Jessica Jones' Season 2 Breaks New Ground For Lesbian Characters Of A Certain Age|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/the-jeri-hogarth-sex-scene-from-jessica-jones-season-2-breaks-new-ground-for-lesbian-characters-of-a-certain-age-8427063%7Cwebsite=Bustle|date=March 8, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=McNally|first1=Victoria|title='Jessica Jones': Carrie-Anne Moss Opens Up About Playing Marvel's First Lesbian|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2512104/carrie-anne-moss-jessica-jones/%7Cwebsite=MTV News|date=20 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Avery|first1=Dan|title=Marvel Cinematic Universe Gets Its First Lesbian Character With Carrie Anne Moss|url=http://www.newnownext.com/marvel-cinematic-universe-gets-its-first-lesbian-character-with-carrie-anne-moss/10/2015/%7Cwebsite=NewNowNext.com%7Cdate=October 15, 2015|access-date=8 October 2017}}</ref>
Wendy Ross-Hogarth Robin Weigert last1=Thomas|first1=June|title=Jessica Jones' Lesbian Divorce Storyline Is Fabulous, Frustrating|url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/2015/11/24/jessica_jones_lesbian_divorce_plot_frustrating_netflix.html%7Cwebsite=Slate|date=November 24, 2015}}</ref>
Pam Susie Abromeit last1=Bendix|first1=Trish|title=Susie Abromeit on playing Pam in "Jessica Jones" and if she ships Jessica and Trish|url=https://www.afterellen.com/tv/466815-susie-abromeit-playing-pam-jessica-jones-ships-jessica-trish%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=December 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151221202650/https://www.afterellen.com/tv/466815-susie-abromeit-playing-pam-jessica-jones-ships-jessica-trish%7Carchive-date=December 21, 2015}}</ref>
Kith Lyonne Sarita Choudhury title=Kith Lyonne, Jessica Jones |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/kith-lyonne/}}</ref>
Gillian Aneesh Sheth title=The MCU Now Has a Trans Character Thanks to 'Jessica Jones' |url=https://www.pride.com/geek/2019/6/18/mcu-now-has-trans-character-thanks-jessica-jones |date=18 June 2019}}</ref>
Inez Green Leah Gibson title=Inez Green, Jessica Jones |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/inez-green/}}</ref>
Wendy Ross-Hogarth Robin Weigert title=Wendy Ross-Hogarth, Jessica Jones |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/wendy-ross-hogarth-jessica-jones/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Bundel |first1=Ani |title=Here's Everything To Know About Jeri Hogarth Before 'Jessica Jones' Season 2 Hits Netflix |url=https://www.elitedaily.com/p/what-happened-to-jeri-hogarth-in-jessica-jones-season-1-heres-what-you-should-know-8361391 |website=Elite Daily}}</ref>
Makayla Cece King title=Makayla, Jessica Jones |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/makayla/}}</ref>
Pam Susie Abromeit title=Pam, Jessica Jones |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/pam/}}</ref>
2015–2019 Killjoys Space
SyFy		 Prima "Pree" Dezz Thom Allison last1=Anne |first1=Valerie |title="Killjoys" Gave Its Queer Characters the Happily Ever (and Ever) After We Deserve |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/killjoys-gave-its-queer-characters-the-happily-ever-and-ever-after-we-deserve/ |website=Autostraddle |date=24 September 2019}}</ref>
Kendry Delle Seyah Mayko Nguyen last1=Wilner |first1=Norman |title=Two Canadian shows expand queer representation in sci-fi |url=https://nowtoronto.com/movies/news-features/queer-sci-fi-wynonna-earp-killjoys |website=NOW Magazine |date=19 July 2018}}</ref>
Aneela Kin Ritt Hannah John-Kamen Aneela Kin Ritt is a lesbian.<ref name="killjoys auto"/><ref name="Two Canadian shows killjoys"/>
Dutch Hannah John-Kamen title=Dutch, Killjoys |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/dutch/}}</ref>
2015 London Spy BBC Two Danny Holt Ben Whishaw last1=Hale |first1=Mike |title=Review: London Spy Follows an Unlikely Investigator With Love on His Mind |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/21/arts/television/tv-review-london-spy.html |website=The New York Times |date=20 January 2016}}</ref>
Alex Edward Holcroft last1=Lawson |first1=Richard |title=London Spy Is a Gay Twist on a Well-Worn Genre |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/01/london-spy-bbc-america-ben-whishaw |website=Vanity Fair |date=January 21, 2016}}</ref>
Scottie Jim Broadbent last1=Kornhaber |first1=Spencer |title=The BBC's 'London Spy' Is the Great Gay Espionage Show ... Almost |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/01/london-spy-the-great-gay-espionage-story-almost/425112/ |website=The Atlantic |date=21 January 2016}}</ref>
2015–2020 {{sortname|The|Magicians|The Magicians (U.S. TV series)}} Syfy Eliot Waugh Hale Appleman url=http://www.newnownext.com/the-magicians-gay-spellcaster-theres-sexual-events-that-happen-to-elliot/01/2016/%7Ctitle="The Magicians" Gay Spellcaster: "There's Sexual Events That Happen To Elliot"|website=NewNowNext|date=January 25, 2016}}</ref>
Quentin Coldwater Jason Ralph url=http://io9.gizmodo.com/just-how-much-of-the-magicians-insane-darkness-can-syfy-1736530397%7Ctitle=Just How Much of The Magicians' Insane Darkness Can Syfy Put on TV? Absolutely All of It.|first=Bryan|last=Lufkin|website=Io9.gizmodo.com|date=October 14, 2015}}</ref>
Dark King Sean Maguire title='Garden Variety Homicide' Roots The Magicians In New Troubled Times! |url=https://thegeekiary.com/the-magicians-episode-5x08-review-garden-variety-homicide/79255 |website=The Geekiary |date=27 February 2020}}</ref>
Margo Hanson Summer Bishil Margo Hanson is bisexual.<ref>{{cite web|last= Bocco|first= Federica |url=https://tvserieshub.tv/2018/01/23/interview-with-summer-bishil-margo-in-the-magicians/ |title=Interview with Summer Bishil, Margo in The Magicians|website=tvserieshub.tv|date=January 23, 2018}}</ref>
Marina Andrieski Kacey Rohl last1=Babu |first1=Armaan |title='The Magicians': Marina may be evil but standing up for that side of herself was the right thing to do |url=https://meaww.com/the-magicians-season-5-episode-6-marina-standing-up-for-her-evil-anna-right-thing-to-do-syfy |date=25 March 2020}}</ref>
2015–2017 Master of None Netflix Denise Lena Waithe title=Denise, Master of None |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/denise/}}</ref>
2015–2018 Merlí TV3 Bruno David Solans last1=Castellví |first1=Albert |title=Així va ser el polèmic i inesperat final de 'Merlí' |url=https://www.ara.cat/media/Aixi-polemic-inesperat-final-Merli_0_1943805681.html |website=Ara.cat |date=16 January 2018 |access-date=1 August 2019 |language=ca |trans-title=The polemic and unexpected end of 'Merlí'}}</ref>
Oliver Iñaki Mur Oliver is gay.<ref name="merli tv3"/>
Pol Carlos Cuevas Pol's sexual preference has been questioned In the second season Bruno and Pol have sex.<ref name="merli tv3"/>
Quima Manel Barceló Quima is a trans woman.<ref name="merli tv3"/>
2015–2019 Mr. Robot USA Network Gideon Goddard Michel Gill last=Thomas|first=June|url=https://slate.com/human-interest/2015/06/mr-robot-gay-character-sam-esmail-explains-why-the-show-needed-one.html%7Ctitle=Why the Hacker Drama Mr. Robot Needed a Gay Character|website=Slate|date=June 24, 2015|access-date=10 March 2020}}</ref>
Tyrell Wellick Martin Wallström Tyrell Wellick is bisexual and sleeps with Anwar Raziz.<ref name="mrrobot anwar"/>
Whiterose BD Wong last=Giles|first=Matthew|url=https://www.vulture.com/2015/09/bd-wong-mr-robot-whiterose-playing-transgender.html%7Ctitle=BD Wong on Why Mr. Robot's Portrayal of a Transgender Character Is Radical|website=Vulture|date=September 2, 2015|access-date=10 March 2020}}</ref>
Harry Randy Harrison last=Masaki|first=Lyle|title=Gay Sex Just Adds To The Puzzles Of "Mr. Robot"|url=http://www.newnownext.com/mr-robot-usa-martin-walstrom-gay-sex/07/2015/}}</ref>
Anwar Raziz Mitchell Winter Anwar Raziz is gay.<ref name="mrrobot anwar"/>
Hot Carla Eve Lindley last1=Walker |first1=John |title=Eve Lindley tells us what it's like to play her trans revolutionary icon onscreen |url=https://splinternews.com/eve-lindley-tells-us-what-its-like-to-play-her-trans-re-1793863527 |website=Splinter}}</ref>
Dominique DiPierro Grace Gummer title=Dominique DiPierro, Mr. Robot |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/dominique-dipierro/}}</ref>
Darlene Alderson Carly Chaikin title=Darlene Alderson, Mr. Robot |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/darlene-alderson/}}</ref>
2015–2017 Narcos Netflix Hélmer "Pacho" Herrera Alberto Ammann title=Narcos airs hot, dangerous, barrier-breaking gay scene |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/09/05/netflixs-narcos-airs-hot-dangerous-barrier-breaking-gay-scene/ |website=Pink News |date=5 September 2017}}</ref>
2015 Olympus Syfy Prince Lykos Wade Burns Prince Lykos is gay. Kimon is his lover.<ref name="olympus limon"/>
Kimon Levi Meaden title=Meet The Gay Couple On Syfy's "Olympus" |url=http://www.newnownext.com/meet-the-gay-couple-on-syfys-olympus/04/2015/}}</ref>
Adriadne Sophia Lauchlin Hirt title=Ariadne, Olympus |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/ariadne/}}</ref>
2015–2018 The Path Hulu Hawk Lane Kyle Allen title=The Path |url=https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/the-path/ |website=Plugged In}}</ref>
Caleb Matthews Titus Makin Jr. Caleb Matthews is gay, and has a relationship with Hawk Lane.<ref name="caleb and hawk"/>
Mary Cox Emma Greenwell Mary Cox is bisexual.<ref name="the path"/>
Betsy Whitney Crowder title=The Path |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/the-path/ |website=Lez}}</ref>
2015–2018 Quantico ABC Elias Harper Rick Cosnett url=http://starrymag.com/quantico-kmforget/%7Ctitle=Quantico - KMFORGET|date=6 November 2018|website=Starry Mag|access-date=28 March 2018}}</ref>
Hannah Wyland Eliza Coupe title=Hannah Wyland, Quantico |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/hannah-wyland/}}</ref>
Harry Doyle Russell Tovey Harry Doyle is an openly gay MI6 agent and CIA trainee.<ref name="quantico gay"/>
Will Olsen Jay Armstrong Johnson title=Jay Armstrong Johnson Finds Being Openly Gay Isn’t Career Suicide |url=https://www.out.com/theater-dance/2017/2/16/jay-armstrong-johnson-finds-being-openly-gay-isnt-career-suicide |date=16 February 2017}}</ref>
Sebastian Chen David Lim title=Russell Tovey Says Playing ‘Bold’ Gay Man on 'Quantico' ‘Feels Rewarding’ |url=https://www.out.com/television/2016/12/11/russell-tovey-says-playing-bold-gay-man-quantico-feels-rewarding |date=11 December 2016}}</ref>
2015 {{sortname|The|Returned|The Returned (U.S. TV series)}} A&E
Netflix		 Dr. Julie Han Sandrine Holt Dr. Julie Han is a lesbian.<ref name="usareturned the"/>
Deputy Nikki Banks Agnes Bruckner title=The Returned (US) |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/the-returned-us/}}</ref>
2015–2017 Rosewood FOX Pippy Rosewood Gabrielle Dennis last1=Rosenberg |first1=Alyssa |title=In fall TV, lesbians of color take center stage |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/tv/ct-in-fall-tv-lesbians-of-color-take-center-stage-20150929-story.html}}</ref>
Tara Milly Izikoff Anna Konkle title=Boob(s on Your) Tube: Pippy and TMI Are in Love Again on "Rosewood" |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/boobs-on-your-tube-pippy-and-tmi-are-in-love-again-on-rosewood-369649/ |website=Autostraddle |date=17 February 2017}}</ref>
Cassie Tia Mowry title=Cassie, Rosewood |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/cassie-rosewood/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
2015–2018 {{sortname|The|Royals|The Royals (TV series)}} E! Eleanor Henstridge Alexandra Park last1=Piccoli|first1=Dana|title=Princess Eleanor gets her heart broken by another woman on "The Royals"|url=http://www.afterellen.com/tv/467011-princess-eleanor-gets-heart-broken-another-woman-royals%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=December 21, 2015}}</ref>
Samantha Cook Sarah Dumont title=Samantha Cook, The Royals (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/samantha-cook/}}</ref>
2015–2018 Sense8 Netflix Wolfgang Bogdanow Max Riemelt Wolfgang Bogdanow is bisexual.<ref name="sense8 bisexual66"/>
Sun Bak Doona Bae title=Sun Bak, Sense8 |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sun-bak/}}</ref>
Nomi Marks Jamie Clayton last1=Handlin |first1=Taia |title=Why 'Sense8' Actually Sucks For Representation |url=https://www.btrtoday.com/read/featured/why-sense8-actually-sucks-for-representation/ |website=BTRtoday |date=July 7, 2017}}</ref>
Kala Dandekar Tina Desai title=Kala Dandekar, Sense8 |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/kala-dandekar/}}</ref>
Riley Blue Tuppence Middleton title=Riley Blue, Sense8 |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/riley-blue/}}</ref>
Capheus Onyango Aml Ameen (season 1)
{{Nowrap|Toby Onwumere (season 2)}}		 last1=Fleenor |first1=S. E. |title=66 bisexual+ characters in genre TV |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/66-bisexual-characters-in-genre-tv |website=SyFy Wire |date=24 September 2018}}</ref>
Lito Rodriguez Miguel Angel Silvestre Lito Rodriguez is gay.<ref name="sense8 actually sucks"/>
Will Gorski Brian J. Smith title=Netflix cancels Sense8, leaving fans devastated |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/06/01/netflix-cancels-popular-lgbt-show-sense8-leaving-fans-devastated/ |website=PinkNews |date=1 June 2017}}</ref>
Hernando Alfonso Herrera Hernando is gay and Lito's boyfriend.<ref name="sense8 actually sucks"/>
Amanita Caplan Freema Agyeman title=The 'Sense8' Cast Discusses Their Favorite Moments, LGBT Representation, & Those Racy Sex Scenes |url=https://www.pride.com/sense8/2018/6/11/sense8-cast-discusses-their-favorite-moments-lgbt-representation-those-racy-sex-scenes#media-gallery-media-5 |date=11 June 2018}}</ref>
Raoul Pasquale Erik Hayser title="Polyphony" offers the perfect term to describe Sense8’s unique storytelling|url=https://tv.avclub.com/polyphony-offers-the-perfect-term-to-describe-sense8-1798191257%7Cwebsite=TV Club}}</ref>
Zakia Asalache Mumbi Maina last1=Romero |first1=Ariana |title=Why "Sense8" Continues To Be The Best Show About Sexuality On TV |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2017/05/153219/sense8-sexuality-gender-identity-gay-sex-characters}}</ref>
Angelica Turing Daryl Hannah title=Sense8, List of characters |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/sense8/}}</ref>
Lila Facchini Valeria Bilello Lila Facchini is pansexual.<ref name="8sense characters"/>
Bodhi Sarah Kants Bodhi is pansexual.<ref name="8sense characters"/>
George Arly Jover George is a lesbian.<ref name="8sense characters"/>
Sara Patrell Margot Thorne Sara Patrell is pansexual.<ref name="8sense characters"/>
Carol Cumberland Janet Ulrich Brooks Carol Cumberland is pansexual.<ref name="8sense characters"/>
The Mother Ursula Jones The Mother is pansexual.<ref name="8sense characters"/>
2015–2017 Skam NRK Eskild Tryggvasson Carl Martin Eggesbø Eskild Tryggvasson is gay.<ref name="skam season 3"/>
Isak Valtersen Tarjei Sandvik Moe title='SKAM' Season 3: A Story About Accepting Yourself, Challenging Stereotypes and Living in the Moment |url=http://culture.affinitymagazine.us/skam-season-3-a-story-about-accepting-yourself-challenging-stereotypes-and-living-in-the-moment/ |website=Affinity Magazine |date=18 December 2017}}</ref>
Even Bech Næsheim Henrik Holm Even Bech Næsheim is gay.<ref name="skam season 3"/>
2015–2017 Stitchers Freeform Camille Engelson Allison Scagliotti Camille Engelson is bisexual.<ref name="stitchers characters"/>
Amanda Weston Anna Akana title=Stitchers, List of characters |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/stitchers/}}</ref>
2015– Supergirl The CW Alex Danvers Chyler Leigh last1=Bucksbaum|first1=Sydney|title='Supergirl' Boss on "Thoughtful" Coming Out Story and "Bury Your Gays" Fears|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/supergirl-gay-character-storyline-944838%7Cwork=The Hollywood Reporter|date=November 7, 2016}}</ref>
Maggie Sawyer Floriana Lima last1=Natalie|first1=Abrams|title=Supergirl: 12 Episodes Every Sanvers Fan Should Watch|url=https://ew.com/tv/supergirl-maggie-alex-sanvers/%7Cwebsite=Entertainment Weekly|date=September 7, 2017}}</ref>
Nia Nal(Dreamer) Nicole Maines last1=Gustines|first1=George Gene|title=Nicole Maines on Becoming TV's First Transgender Superhero|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/12/arts/television/nicole-maines-supergirl-transgender-interview.html%7Cwork=The New York Times|date=October 12, 2018}}</ref>
Kelly Olsen Azie Tesfai Kelly Olsen is a lesbian.<ref name="supergirl bucksbaum"/>
2015–2016 This Life CBC Oliver Lawson Kristopher Turner title=This Life’s Kristopher Turner Gives Us The Truth Behind Oliver – The TV Junkies |url=https://thetvjunkies.com/this-life-kristopher-turner-interview/}}</ref>
2015– Unforgotten ITV Eric Slater Tom Courtenay last1=Frost|first1=Caroline|title='Unforgotten' Series 2 Has Been Comissioned, With Nicola Walker, Sanjeev Bhaskar Returning To Crime Drama|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/11/13/unforgotten-series-2_n_8553374.html%7Cwebsite=HuffPost UK|date=13 November 2015}}</ref>
Jimmy Sullivan Harley Alexander-Sule Jimmy Sullivan was Eric's gay lover.<ref name="unforgotten"/>
Colin Osborne Mark Bonnar Colin Osborne is gay.<ref name="colin and simon osborne"/>
Simon Osborne Charlie Condou last1=Doran|first1=Sarah|title=Meet the cast of Unforgotten series two|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2018-04-20/meet-the-cast-of-unforgotten-series-two/%7Cwebsite=Radio Times|date=20 April 2018}}</ref>
2015–2018 UnREAL Lifetime Jay Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman title=Why Jay On 'UnREAL' Is So Important To LGBTQ Representation, According To Star Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman |url=https://www.bustle.com/p/why-jay-on-unreal-is-so-important-to-lgbtq-representation-according-to-star-jeffrey-bowyer-chapman-8314675 |website=Bustle}}</ref>
Faith Breeda Wool title=UnREAL |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/unreal/}}</ref>
Alexi Petrov Alex Sparrow title=Alex Sparrow opens up about gay kiss scenes |url=http://www.frivolette.com/art/acting/alex-sparrow-opens-up-about-gay-kiss-scenes}}</ref>
Xavier Jaime Callica title=Jaime M. Callica – UnREAL |url=https://starrymag.com/jaime-m-callica-unreal/ |website=Starry Constellation Magazine |date=19 March 2018}}</ref>
Fiona Tracie Thoms last1=Nemetz |first1=Dave |title=UnREAL Adds Tracie Thoms as Quinn's Lesbian Friend for Season 3 |url=https://tvline.com/2017/04/12/unreal-casts-tracie-thoms-season-3-lifetime-fiona/ |website=TV Line |date=12 April 2017}}</ref>
2015–2018 Versailles Canal+ Philippe d'Orléans Alexander Vlahos last1=Earle |first1=Toby |last2=Travis |first2=Ben |title=Versailles’ Alexander Vlahos talks fan reactions and gay relationships |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/versailles-alexander-vlahos-talks-fan-reactions-and-gay-relationships-on-tv-a3317516.html |date=11 August 2016}}</ref>
Chevalier de Lorraine Evan Williams title=Evan Williams tells us about playing one half of the gay power couple at the centre of Versailles |url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/versailles/ |date=6 July 2016}}</ref>
2015–2016 Wayward Pines FOX Frank Armstrong Michael Garza title=Wayward Pines - la scheda della serie tv |url=https://www.cinemagay.it/serie-tv/wayward-pines/ |language=it-IT}}</ref>
2015– Westside TV3 Bjelke "Bilkey" van Heeder Todd Emerson last1=McLachlan |first1=Marilynn |title=Westside’s Todd Emerson On What It Was Like Having His Husband Kip Chapman Join the Cast |url=https://www.nowtolove.co.nz/lifestyle/sex-relationships/westside-todd-emerson-and-husband-kip-chapman-41888}}</ref>
2015 You, Me and the Apocalypse Sky 1 Scotty McNeil Kyle Soller Scotty McNeil is gay.<ref name="Me and the Apocalypse"/>
Arnold Gaines Paterson Joseph title=Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Television Characters |url=https://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~wyatt/tv-char2000s.html#test331}}</ref>
2015– Younger TV Land Maggie Debi Mazar Maggie is lesbian.<ref name="tv series younger"/>
Lauren Heller Molly Bernard title=Younger |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/younger/}}</ref>

2016

Year Show Network Character Actor Notes
2016– 3% Netflix Joana Coelho Vaneza Oliveira title=3% TV Series (LGBT characters)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/3/%7Cwebsite=LezWatch.TV%7Cdate=June 29, 2019}}</ref>
Natália Amanda Magalhães Natalia is lesbian and Joana's partner. Joana and Natalia start a revolution against Maralto.<ref name="three percent characters"/>
Ariel Marina Matheus Ariel is a trans woman.<ref name="three percent characters"/>
Láis Fernanda Vasconcellos Láis is bisexual.<ref name="three percent characters"/>
Samira Maria Flor Samira is bisexual.<ref name="three percent characters"/>
2016– The|A Word}} BBC One
SundanceTV		 Tom Clarke Matt Greenwood last1=Stevenson |first1=Amelia |title=Matt Greenwood |url=https://tresamagazine.com/2020/08/17/matt-greenwood/ |website=TresA Magazine |date=17 August 2020}}</ref>
2016 American Gothic CBS Alison Hawthorne-Price Juliet Rylance title=Alison Hawthorne-Price, American Gothic (2016 TV series)|url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/alison-hawthorne-price-american-gothic/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Naomi Flynn Maureen Sebastian title=Naomi Flynn, American Gothic (2016 TV series)|url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/naomi-flynn-american-gothic/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
2016– Animal Kingdom TNT Deran Cody Jake Weary title=TNT’s 'Animal Kingdom' Weaves Gay Storyline in a Macho, Violent World |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/tnt-s-animal-kingdom-weaves-gay-storyline-macho-violent-world-n625311 |website=NBC News}}</ref>
Lila Cole title=Lila Cole, Animal Kingdom (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lila-cole/}}</ref>
Adrian Dolan Spencer Treat Clark title=Actor Jake Weary On Playing a Closeted Character in 'Animal Kingdom' |url=https://www.out.com/television/2016/6/22/actor-jake-weary-playing-closeted-character-animal-kingdom |date=22 June 2016}}</ref><ref name="animal kingdom:1"/>
Janine "Smurf" Cody Ellen Barkin title=Janine "Smurf" Cody, Animal Kingdom (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/janine-smurf-cody/}}</ref>
Mark Liston Andy Favreau title=TNT’s ‘Animal Kingdom’ Left An Interesting Taste In Our Mouth With Its Most Recent Gay Romp Scene. No Bed Needed. |url=https://instinctmagazine.com/tnts-animal-kingdom-left-an-interesting-taste-in-our-mouth-with-its-most-recent-gay-romp-scene-no-bed-needed/ |website=Instinct Magazine |date=28 July 2017}}</ref>
Linc Damon Erik Williams title=‘Animal Kingdom’ actor hails from Haverford |url=https://www.dailylocal.com/arts_and_entertainment/animal-kingdom-actor-hails-from-haverford/article_9897547a-4fc9-5095-9968-24530fb5a1b2.html |website=Daily Local News}}</ref>
2016 Barracuda ABC Danny Kelly Elias Anton last=Richens|first=Tony|title=Gay Swimmer Catalyst For Exciting New Australian Drama - Barracuda|url=https://gaynation.co/gay-swimmer-catalyst-for-exciting-new-australian-drama-barracuda/%7Cwebsite=Gay Nation|date=12 July 2016}}</ref>
Martin Taylor Ben Kindon title=Barracuda review – a valuable Australian story, with a one-for-the-ages finale |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/jul/11/barracuda-review-a-valuableaustralian-story-with-a-one-for-the-ages-finale |date=11 July 2016}}</ref>
Demet Nicole Gulasekharam title=Demet, Barracuda (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/demet/}}</ref>
2016– Berlin Station Epix Hector DeJean Rhys Ifans title=Berlin Station Exclusive Interview Rhys Ifans Assignment X |url=https://www.assignmentx.com/2016/berlin-station-rhys-ifans-on-new-cia-espionage-series-exclusive-interview/}}</ref>
2016– Better Things FX Sil Ser Anzoategui title=Sil, Better Things (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sil/}}</ref>
Tressa Rebecca Merz title=Better Things' Rebecca Metz on Pamela Adlon's Leadership on Set |url=https://www.fxnetworks.com/news/better-things/better-things-rebecca-metz-tressas-evolution-and-pamela-adlons-l/%7Cwebsite=FX Networks}}</ref>
Frankie Fox Hannah Alligood last1=Dry |first1=Jude |title=The 25 Most Influential LGBTQ Characters on TV Right Now |url=https://www.indiewire.com/gallery/best-lesbian-gay-characters-tv-lgbt-transgender/screen-shot-2019-05-09-at-5-22-10-pm/ |website=Indie Wire |date=10 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title="Better Things" Tells an Important Trans Story — By Not Telling a Trans Story |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/better-things-tells-an-important-trans-story-by-not-telling-a-trans-story/ |website=Autostraddle |date=1 May 2020}}</ref>
Mer Kodis Marsha Thomason last1=Ratledge |first1=Ingela |title='Better Things': Pamela Adlon on the 'Shocking' Real-Life Experiences That Inspired Season 3 |url=https://www.tvinsider.com/751321/better-things-season-3-pamela-adlon-details/ |website=TV Insider}}</ref>
2016– Billions Showtime Tara Mohr Annapurna Sriram title=Tara Mohr, Billions |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/tara-mohr-billions/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Donnie Caan David Cromer Donnie Caan and Walter are married.<ref>{{cite web |title=Billions 1×10 Recap: Death Becomes Them |url=https://observer.com/2016/03/billions-1x10-recap-death-becomes-them/ |website=Observer |date=28 March 2016}}</ref>
Walter Matthew Humphreys
Taylor Mason Asia Kate Dillon last1=Soloski |first1=Alexis |title=Asia Kate Dillon: ‘This Is Who I Am’ |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/26/arts/television/asia-kate-dillon-billions.html |website=The New York Times |date=26 May 2019}}</ref>
Lauren Turner Jade Eshete title=Lauren Turner, Billions (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lauren-turner/}}</ref>
Fiona Michaela Sprague title=Fiona, Billions (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/fiona/}}</ref>
2016– Bull CBS Chunk Palmer Chris Jackson last1=Ryan |first1=Maureen |title=Christopher Jackson Talks ‘Bull,’ ‘Hamilton’ and What’s Next |url=https://variety.com/2016/tv/features/christopher-jackson-hamilton-bull-cbs-tv-1201892605/ |website=Variety |date=18 October 2016}}</ref>
2016–2017 {{sortname|The|Catch|The Catch (TV series)}} ABC Margot Bishop Sonya Walger title=Margot Bishop, The Catch |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/margot-bishop/}}</ref>
Felicity Shivani Ghai title=Felicity, The Catch |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/felicity/}}</ref>
Shawn Sullivan Caleb Smith title=The Catch Season Finale: Happily Ever After? |url=https://www.vulture.com/2016/05/catch-recap-season-1-episode-9-10.html |website=Vulture}}</ref>
2016 The Cate Morland Chronicles YouTube Eleanor Monk Erika Ovudoba Eleanor is a lesbian. She is Cate Morland's best friend. Web series that is an adaption of Jane Austen's novel, Northanger Abbey.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kulik |first1=Elise |title=Webseries Discovery: The Cate Morland Chronicles |url=https://www.nerdophiles.com/2016/10/13/webseries-discovery-the-cate-morland-chronicles/ |website=Nerdophiles |date=13 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Eleanor Monk, The Cate Morland Chronicles|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/eleanor-monk/}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Heredia Torres |first1=María |title=Jane Austen and Transmedia Narratives. Analysis of The Cate Morland Chronicles |date=3 October 2018 |doi=10.30827/Digibug.53070 |publisher=Universidad de Granada|doi-access=free |journal=Digibug}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Elsbury |first1=Justin |title=Alumni's hit web series a modern take on Jane Austen novel |url=https://universe.byu.edu/2016/09/28/alumnis-hit-web-series-a-modern-take-on-jane-austin-novel/ |website=The Daily Universe |date=28 September 2016}}</ref>
2016 Class BBC Three Charlie Smith Greg Austin last1=Bryan |first1=Scott |title=The Casual Gay Relationship In "Class" Is Actually Important |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/scottybryan/the-writer-behind-class-explains-why-he-casually-portrayed-g |website=BuzzFeed}}</ref>
Matteusz Andrzejewski Jordan Renzo title=Doctor Who spin off 'Class' actors open up about their relationship onscreen |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2016/11/19/doctor-who-spin-off-class-actors-open-up-about-their-relationship-onscreen/ |website=Pink News |date=19 November 2016}}</ref><ref name="2016 tv class"/>
2016 The|Collection|The Collection (TV series)}} Amazon Prime Video
BBC Worldwide		 Claude Sabine Tom Riley last1=O'Keefe |first1=Meghan |title=Tom Riley Talks Playing Another "Sexually Fluid, Tortured Genius" on ‘The Collection’ |url=https://decider.com/2017/02/10/the-collection-tom-riley-interview/ |website=Decider |date=10 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Interview: Britain's brightest new star, Tom Riley |url=https://www.thegentlemansjournal.com/article/interview-britains-brightest-new-star-tom-riley/ |website=The Gentleman's Journal}}</ref>
2016 Conviction ABC Hayes Morrison Hayley Atwell title=Hayes Morrison, Conviction |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/hayes-morrison-conviction/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Jackson Morrison Daniel Franzese title=Actor Daniel Franzese gets political on ABC's 'Conviction'|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/actor-daniel-franzese-gets-political-abc-s-conviction-n671871%7Cwebsite=NBC News}}</ref>
Franklin "Frankie" Cruz Manny Montana Franklin "Frankie" Cruz is in love with Rey Armas.<ref>{{cite web |title=Conviction – The 1% Solution |url=https://starrymag.com/conviction-the-1-solution/ |website=Starry Constellation Magazine |date=10 November 2016}}</ref>
Rey Armas Ian Paola
Naomi Golden Ilfenesh Hadera title=Naomi Golden, Conviction (2016 TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/naomi-golden/}}</ref>
2016 Crashing Channel 4 Fred Amit Shah last1=Damshenas |first1=Sam |title=52 of the best LGBTQ+ shows you can watch right now on Netflix |url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/the-best-lgbtq-inclusive-shows-you-can-watch-right-now-on-netflix/ |website=Gay Times |date=8 February 2021}}</ref><ref name="uk series crashing">{{cite web |last1=Munzenrieder |first1=Kyle |title=W TV Club: Crashing is Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Twisted Take on 'Friends' |url=https://www.wmagazine.com/story/crashing-netflix-phoebe-waller-bridge |website=W Magazine |date=January 30, 2021}}</ref>
Sam Jonathan Bailey Sam is _____.<ref name="crashing uk tv series"/><ref name="uk series crashing"/>
Will Lachie Chapman title=Crashing Series 1, Episode 3 |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/crashing/episodes/1/3/ |website=British Comedy Guide}}</ref>
2016– The Crown Netflix Antony Armstrong-Jones Matthew Goode title=The Crown portrays a major royal figure as bisexual, and hints the Queen knew |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/12/11/the-crown-lord-snowdon-bisexual/ |website=PinkNews |date=11 December 2017}}</ref>
Patrick Michael Therriault
2016– Degrassi: Next Class Family Channel Miles Hollingsworth III Eric Osborne author=snicks|title=An Encyclopedia Of LGBT Characters On "Degrassi"|url=http://www.newnownext.com/degrassi-lgbt-characters/07/2015/%7Cwebsite=NewNowNext|date=July 20, 2015}}</ref>
Zoe Rivas Ana Golja Zoe is a lesbian.<ref name="degrassi characters"/>
Tristan Milligan Lyle Lettau Tristan is gay.<ref name="degrassi characters"/>
Vijay Maraji Dante Scott Vijay is gay.<ref name="degrassi characters"/>
Yael Baron Jamie Bloch Yael is non-binary/genderqueer and uses they/them pronouns.<ref name="degrassi characters"/>
Rasha Zuabi Dalia Yegavian Rasha is a lesbian.<ref name="degrassi characters"/>
Esme Song Chelsea Clark Esme and Frankie enter a polyamorous relationship with Zig.<ref name="degrassi characters"/>
Francesca "Frankie" Hollingsworth Sara Waisglass
2016 The Deleted Fullscreen Agatha Madeline Brewer title=Agatha, The Deleted|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/agatha/}}</ref>
Sophie Julia Kelly title=Sophie, The Deleted|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sophie/}}</ref>
2016–2019 Designated Survivor ABC Dontae Evans Ben Watson last1=Reynolds |first1=Daniel |title=Benjamin Charles Watson Brings Black and Gay Visibility to Designated Survivor |url=https://www.advocate.com/television/2019/6/09/benjamin-watson-brings-black-gay-visibility-designated-survivor |website=The Advocate |date=June 9, 2019}}</ref>
Sasha Booker Jamie Clayton Sasha is a trans woman.<ref name="designated survivor"/>
2016–2019 The|Durrells}} ITV Sven Ulric von der Esch title=The Durrells: Who plays Sven in the ITV drama? All the details on Ulric von der Esch |url=https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/2020080995016/the-durrells-who-plays-sven-in-itv-drama/ |date=9 August 2020}}</ref>
2016–2019 Easy Netflix Jo Jacqueline Toboni Jo and Chase meet, fall in love, and become a lesbian couple in season 1 episode 2, "Vegan Cinderella".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Keating|first1=Shannon|title=These TV Shows Are Finally Giving Queer Women Happy Endings|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/shannonkeating/black-mirror-easy-queer-happy-endings%7Cwebsite=BuzzFeed|date=October 28, 2016}}</ref>
Chase Kiersey Clemons
2016– El marginal Televisión Pública Argentina Juan Pablo "Diosito" Borges Nicolás Furtado last=Garibaldi|first=Florencia|title=Nicolás Furtado: artista de la transformación|url=http://revistawatt.com/nicolas-furtado/%7Cwork=WATT%7Cdate=2 May 2017|access-date=27 May 2018|language=es}}</ref><ref name="el marginal">{{cite web|title=Netflix: 'El marginal', una serie que no debes perderte|url=https://trome.pe/opinion/el-buho/netflix-marginal-serie-debes-perderte-29268%7Cwebsite=Trome%7Clanguage=es%7Cdate=4 November 2016}}</ref>
Morcilla Carlos Portaluppi Morcilla is bisexual.<ref name="juan pablo bi"/><ref name="el marginal"/>
Fiorella Guido Botto Fiora Fiorella is gay. He is in a relationship with Morcilla.<ref name="juan pablo bi"/><ref name="el marginal"/>
2016 Eyewitness USA Network Philip Shea Tyler Young title=Philip Shea: Eyewitness Character - USANetwork.com |url=https://www.usanetwork.com/eyewitness/credits/character/philip-shea |website=USA Network |quote=Tyler Young stars as Philip Shea, a gay teenager from the projects looking for a fresh start with a new foster family}}</ref>
Lukas Waldenbeck James Paxton title=Lukas Waldenbeck: Eyewitness Character - USANetwork.com |url=https://www.usanetwork.com/eyewitness/credits/character/lukas-waldenbeck |website=USA Network}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Anderson-Minshall |first1=Diane |title=An Illicit Gay Romance Is the Spark That Ignites TV's Best New Show |url=https://www.advocate.com/current-issue/2016/10/14/illicit-gay-romance-spark-ignites-tvs-best-new-show |website=The Advocate |date=14 October 2016}}</ref>
2016–2018 Falling Water USA Network Alexis Simms Sepideh Moafi title=Alex and Christy – Falling Water Season 2 Episode 8|url=https://blog.lesbianmedia.tv/alex-and-christy-falling-water-season-2-episode-8/%7Cwebsite=Lesbian Media|date=March 20, 2018}}</ref>
Christine Parisa Fitz-Henley Christine is lesbian and the girlfriend of Alexis.<ref name="falling water"/>
2016 {{sortname|The|Family|The Family (2016 TV series)}} ABC Willa Warren Alison Pill title=Willa, The Family (2016 TV series)|url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/willa-the-family/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref><ref name="Willa and Bridey">{{cite web |title=Willa and Bridey in The Family |url=http://www.lesbian-interest.eu/willa-bridey-family/ |website=Lesbian interest |date=28 March 2016}}</ref>
Bridey Cruz Floriana Lima title=Bridey Cruz, The Family (2016 TV series)|url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/bridey-cruz-family/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
2016–2017 {{sortname|The|Get Down}} Netflix Marcus 'Dizzee' Kipling Jaden Smith Dizzee and Thor are featured in a gay storyline. They go to an exclusive underground LGBT club and kiss.<ref>{{cite web |title=Let's Revisit Jaden Smith's Beautiful, Frustrating Gay Storyline on 'The Get Down' |url=https://www.out.com/television/2017/4/18/lets-revisit-jaden-smiths-beautiful-frustrating-gay-storyline-get-down |date=18 April 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Jaden Smith's Club Scene On 'The Get Down' Explores An Important Time In The Decade |url=https://www.romper.com/p/jaden-smiths-club-scene-on-the-get-down-explores-important-time-in-the-decade-16314 |website=Romper}}</ref>
Thor Noah Le Gros
2016 Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life Netflix Michel Gerard Yanic Truesdale title=Gilmore Girls: Michel Is Gay, Adopting a Child with His Husband |url=https://people.com/tv/gilmore-girls-michel-gerard-sexuality-gay-adopting-child-partner/}}</ref><ref name="gilmore girls"/>
Donald Sam Pancake last1=Canfield |first1=David |title=Why the Gilmore Girls Revival’s Attempt to Be LGBTQ-Friendly Was So Disingenuous |url=https://slate.com/culture/2016/12/netflix-s-gilmore-girls-revivals-attempt-to-be-lgbtq-friendly-failed.html |website=Slate Magazine |date=16 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Peitzman |first1=Louis |title=The "Gilmore Girls" Revival Is Gayer Than Expected |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzman/oy-with-the-heteronormativity-already |website=BuzzFeed}}</ref>
2016– {{sortname|The|Girlfriend Experience|The Girlfriend Experience (TV series)}} Starz Christine Reade Riley Keough title=Christine Reade, The Girlfriend Experience |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/christine-reade-girlfriend-experience/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Avery Suhr Kate Lyn Sheil title=Avery Suhr, The Girlfriend Experience |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/avery-suhr-girlfriend-experience/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref><ref name="the girlfriend experience:1">{{cite web |last1=Bendix |first1=Trish |title="The Girlfriend Experience" Makes A Power Play With Lesbian Dom-Sub Storyline |url=http://www.newnownext.com/the-girlfriend-experience-makes-a-power-play-with-lesbian-dom-sub-storyline/11/2017/}}</ref>
Darya Esford Narges Rashidi title=Darya Esford, The Girlfriend Experience (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/darya-esford/}}</ref>
Anna Garner Louisa Krause Anna Garner is a lesbian.<ref name="the girlfriend experience:1"/><ref name="girlfriend experience:2"/>
Erica Myles title="The Girlfriend Experience" Season Two: Bad Show, Decent Soft Core Lesbian Porn |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/the-girlfriend-experience-season-two-bad-plot-great-soft-core-lesbian-porn-408933/ |website=Autostraddle |date=15 February 2018}}</ref>
2016– Goliath Amazon Prime Video Michelle McBride Maria Bello title=Michelle McBride, Goliath |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/michelle-mcbride-goliath/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Callie Senate Molly Parker title=Callie Senate, Goliath |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/callie-senate-goliath/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
2016 The Good Wife
(South Korean)		 tvN Kim Dan Nana last1=John |first1=Simi |title=After School's Nana talks about bisexual role in The Good Wife |url=https://www.ibtimes.sg/after-schools-nana-talks-about-bisexual-role-good-wife-2575 |website=International Business Times |date=30 July 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Good Wife (Korean) |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/the-good-wife-korean/}}</ref>
2016–2018 Hap and Leonard SundanceTV Leonard Pine Michael K. Williams title='Hap and Leonard' Canceled at Sundance TV |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/hap-leonard-canceled-at-sundance-tv-1111922 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=14 May 2018}}</ref>
Raoul Enrique Murciano last1=Thomas |first1=June |title=Hap and Leonard’s Creator on Swamp Noir, Casting Gay Characters, and the F and the N Words |url=https://slate.com/human-interest/2016/03/hap-and-leonards-jim-mickle-interviewed.html |website=Slate Magazine |date=2 March 2016}}</ref>
2016 Heartbeat NBC Max Eliott Joshua Leonard title=Casting Report: 68 Gay Characters on TV Right Now |url=https://www.pride.com/gay/2016/4/20/casting-report-68-gay-characters-tv-right-now#slide-22 |date=21 April 2016}}</ref>
2016-2017 I Love Dick Amazon Prime Video Devon Roberta Colindrez last1=Parks-Ramage |first1=Jonathan |title='I Love Dick' Star Roberta Colindrez on Playing a Queer Texas Cowboy |url=https://www.out.com/entertainment/2017/5/17/i-love-dick-star-roberta-colindrez-playing-queer-texas-cowboy |website=Out Magazine |date=17 May 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Voss |first1=Brandon |title="I Love Dick" Star Roberta Colindrez Transcends Gender Again In "Hamlet" |url=http://www.newnownext.com/i-love-dick-star-roberta-colindrez-transcends-gender-again-in-hamlet/07/2017/ |website=NewNowNext |date=July 27, 2017}}</ref>
Toby Bobbi Salvör Menuez title=Toby, I Love Dick |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/toby/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Lesbian, Bi and Queer Year in Television 2017: Love, bravery, and found family |url=https://www.bellamediachannel.com/the-lesbian-bi-and-queer-year-in-television-2017-love-bravery-and-found-family/ |website=Bella Media Channel |date=20 December 2017}}</ref>
2016–2017 Incorporated Syfy Theo Marquez Eddie Ramos Theo Marquez's boyfriend is Anthony.<ref>{{cite web |title=Downsizing, Season 1 Episode 2 |url=https://www.syfy.com/incorporated/episodes/season/1/episode/2/downsizing |website=SyFy |quote=Out in the Red Zone, Theo is becoming quite the up-and-comer in the world of cage fighting, which hopefully means a brighter future for him and his boyfriend, Anthony.}}</ref>
Anthony Matt Landry
2016– Jamie Johnson CBBC Dillon Simmonds Patrick Ward last1=Holmes |first1=Jon |title=Stories can give strength to gay and bi footballers |url=https://sportsmedialgbt.com/stories-can-give-strength-to-gay-and-bi-footballers |website=Sports Media LGBT+ |date=20 June 2020}}</ref>
Elliot Laquarn Lewis people=Kay-Jelski, Daniel; Scheckter, Hugo; Ward, Patrick; Lewis, Laquarn; Duggan, Shaun; Taylor, Cheryl |date=July 9, 2020 |title=Jamie Johnson {{!}} Dillon's Storyline and LGBT Role Models For Kids {{!}} BAFTA Kids |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuujfA1WIgk |format=video |publisher= BAFTA Kids & Teens}}</ref><ref name="johnsontvjamie"/>
Becky Walker-Cotton Mali Tudno Jones title=Dawn Walker-Cotton, Jamie Johnson (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/dawn-walker-cotton/}}</ref>
Dawn Walker-Cotton Tonya Smith title=Becky Walker-Cotton, Jamie Johnson (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/becky-walker-cotton/}}</ref>
2016– Legends of Tomorrow CW Sara Lance Caity Lotz last=Mason|first=Jessica|title=The Cast and Writers Preview Legends of Tomorrow's Trip Into '80s Horror and More|url=https://www.themarysue.com/cast-and-writers-preview-legends-of-tomorrows-trip-into-80s-horror/%7Cwebsite=The Mary Sue|date=February 11, 2020}}</ref>
Todd Rice Lance Henriksen title=Legends of Tomorrow: Lance Henriksen Confirms Obsidian is Green Lantern’s Son |url=https://screenrant.com/obsidian-green-lantern-legends-of-tomorrow-lance-henriksen/ |website=Screen Rant |date=28 September 2016}}</ref>
Ava Sharpe Jes Macallan last=West|first=Amy|title=Legends of Tomorrow: Sara Lance and Ava Sharpe's romance FINALLY became canon and fans love it|url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/03/01/legends-of-tomorrow-sara-lance-and-ava-sharpes-romance-finally-became-canon-and-fans-love-it/%7Cwebsite=PinkNews|date=March 1, 2018}}</ref>
Lindsay Carlisle Ali Liebert title=Lindsay Carlisle, Legends of Tomorrow|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lindsay-carlisle/}}</ref>
Queen Anne Rebecca Eady title=Queen Anne, Legends of Tomorrow|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/queen-anne/}}</ref>
Guinevere Elyse Levesque title=Guinevere, Legends of Tomorrow|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/guinevere/}}</ref>
Alex Danvers Chyler Leigh title=Alex Danvers, Legends of Tomorrow|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/alex-danvers/}}</ref>
Captain Cold Wentworth Miller last1=Avery |first1=Dan |title="DC's Legends Of Tomorrow" Hints At A Romance Between Citizen Cold And John Constantine |url=http://www.newnownext.com/citizen-cold-and-john-constantine-gay-flirt/01/2018/ |website=NewNowNext |date=January 18, 2018}}</ref>
Ray Terrill Russell Tovey Ray is gay.<ref name="citizen cold ray"/>
John Constantine Matt Ryan first=Christopher|last=Rudolph|url=http://www.newnownext.com/constantine-legends-of-tomorrow/10/2017/%7Ctitle=Bisexual John Constantine Coming To "DC's Legends Of Tomorrow"|website=NewNowNext|date=October 17, 2017}}</ref>
Gary Green Adam Tsekhman url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/a-queer-kiss-saves-the-world-on-legends-of-tomorrow%7Ctitle=A queer kiss saves the world on Legends of Tomorrow|last=Fleenor|first=S.E.|date=December 26, 2019|website=Syfy|access-date=January 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107003938/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/a-queer-kiss-saves-the-world-on-legends-of-tomorrow%7Carchive-date=November 7, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>
Desmond Christian Keyes last1=Fleenor |first1=S. E. |title=A queer kiss saves the world on Legends of Tomorrow |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/a-queer-kiss-saves-the-world-on-legends-of-tomorrow |date=27 December 2018}}</ref>
Kate Kane Wallis Day title=Kate Kane, Legends of Tomorrow|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/kate-kane/}}</ref>
Charlie Maisie Richardson-Sellers Charlie is pansexual and genderfluid.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fleenor |first1=S. E. |title=Legends of Tomorrow low-key introduced a non-binary character in Season 4 |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/legends-of-tomorrow-low-key-introduced-a-non-binary-character-in-season-4 |date=25 January 2019}}</ref>
Nyssa al Ghul Katrina Law title=Nyssa al Ghul, Legends of Tomorrow|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/nyssa-al-ghul/}}</ref>
Miss Sinclair Sophia Johnson title=Miss Sinclair, Legends of Tomorrow|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/miss-sinclair/}}</ref>
2016– Lucifer Fox
Netflix		 Lucifer Morningstar Tom Ellis last1=Anne|first1=Valerie|title="Lucifer" Season Four Has a (Tragically) Beautiful Bisexual Storyline|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/lucifer-season-four-has-a-tragically-beautiful-bisexual-storyline/%7Cwebsite=Autostraddle|date=May 23, 2019}}</ref>
Mazikeen (Maze) Lesley-Ann Brandt last1=Opie |first1=David |title=Lucifer season 5 continues to erase bisexuality and conflate queerness with evil |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a33755517/lucifer-season-5-bisexual-queer-lgbtq/ |website=Digital Spy |date=24 August 2020}}</ref>
Eve Inbar Lavi title=Eve, Lucifer (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/eve-2/}}</ref>
2016–2018 Luke Cage Netflix Hernan "Shades" Alvarez Theo Rossi last1=Outlaw|first1=Kofi|title='Luke Cage' Season 2 Adds More LGBTQ Characters to the MCU|url=https://comicbook.com/marvel/2018/06/25/luke-cage-season-2-shades-gay-bisexual-lgbtq/%7Cwebsite=ComicBook.com%7Cpublisher=Pop Culture Media|date=June 25, 2018|access-date=27 June 2018}}</ref><ref name="luke cage season2">{{cite web|last1=Pooley|first1=Jack|title=Luke Cage Season 2: 22 WTF Moments|url=http://whatculture.com/tv/luke-cage-season-2-22-wtf-moments?page=10%7Cwebsite=WhatCulture.com%7Cdate=23 June 2018|access-date=27 June 2018}}</ref>
Comanche Jones Thomas Q. Jones Comanche is gay.<ref name="shades alvares"/><ref name="luke cage season2"/>
2016– Marcella ITV Matthew Neil Ben Cura title=Marcella recap: episode two – the butcher, the baker and the internet dater |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/apr/11/marcella-recap-episode-two-the-butcher-the-baker-and-the-internet-dater |date=11 April 2016}}</ref>
Yann Hall Tobias Santelmann title=Marcella Season 1 Recap |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/marcella-season-1-recap/ |website=Den of Geek |date=19 February 2018}}</ref>
Cara Thomas Florence Pugh title=Cara Thomas, Marcella (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/cara-thomas/}}</ref>
Sascha Kyte Victoria Broom title=TV Show Pick: Marcella |url=https://www.curvemag.com/film-club/film-collection/tv-show/tv-show-pick-marcella/ |date=8 September 2016}}</ref>
Jojo Baines Tamzin Malleson Jojo Baines is lesbian.<ref name="jojo and sascha"/>
2016–2018 The|Night Manager|The Night Manager (miniseries)}} BBC One Major Lance "Corky" Corkoran Tom Hollander last1=Handlen |first1=Zack |title=The Night Manager is elegant, well-chilled spy craft |url=https://tv.avclub.com/the-night-manager-is-elegant-well-chilled-spy-craft-1798187435 |website=TV Club |date=April 19, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Geier |first1=Thom |title=#BuryYourGays: 27 LGBT TV Characters Killed Off in 2016 |url=https://www.thewrap.com/buryyourgays-lgbt-tv-characters-gay-lesbian-killed-off-2016-empire-game-of-thrones/ |website=TheWrap |date=21 December 2016}}</ref>
2016–2017 No Tomorrow The CW Kareema Sarayu Blue title=Kareema, No Tomorrow |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/kareema-no-tomorrow/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Sofia Marta Milans title=Sofia, No Tomorrow |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/sofia-no-tomorrow/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
2016 Notorious ABC Levi Ramon de Ocampo title=Levi Is In Love With Oscar On 'Notorious' & It All Comes To A Tragic End|url=https://www.bustle.com/articles/189603-levi-is-in-love-with-oscar-on-notorious-it-all-comes-to-a-tragic-end |website=Bustle}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title='Notorious' Recap: How About That Ending?|url=https://ew.com/recap/notorious-season-1-episode-4/}}</ref>
2016– {{sortname|The|OA}} Netflix Buck Vu Ian Alexander last1=Walker|first1=Harron|url=https://www.vulture.com/2016/12/the-oa-netflix-ian-alexander-buck.html%7Ctitle=The OA's Ian Alexander on His Big Acting Debut and Trans Representation|website=Vulture|date=December 22, 2016}}</ref>
Alfonso "French" Sosa Brandon Perea Alfonso is gay.<ref name="the oa"/>
2016–2017 Pure Genius CBS Jess Wallace Taylor Rose title=Jess Wallace, Pure Genius|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/jess-wallace/}}</ref>
Ally (Ali) Irene Choi title=Ali, Pure Genius|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/ali/}}</ref>
Gloria Jazzmun title=Gloria, Pure Genius|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/gloria-pure-genius/}}</ref>
2016 Quarry Cinemax Buddy Damon Herriman title=Review: The reluctant hit man: A new antihero arises in Cinemax's '70s-set Southern noir 'Quarry' |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-quarry-review-20160906-snap-story.html |website=Los Angeles Times |date=9 September 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Quarry's Damon Herriman Discusses Playing Criminals & Finding Their Humanity |url=https://screenrant.com/quarry-cinemax-damon-herriman-buddy-justified/ |website=Screen Rant |date=7 October 2016}}</ref>
2016 Recovery Road Freeform Vern Testaverde Daniel Franzese title=BELLO mag #107, The Pride Issue |url=https://issuu.com/outnext/docs/bello107print |pages=6–13}}</ref>
2016–2018 Shades of Blue NBC Lieutenant Matt Wozniak Ray Liotta last1=Murphy |first1=Mary |title='Shades of Blue': Ray Liotta Weighs in on Wozniak's Big Reveal |url=https://www.tvinsider.com/67385/shades-of-blue-ray-liotta-weighs-in-on-wozniaks-big-reveal/ |website=TV Insider}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ray Liotta Says Bisexual Twist In 'Shades Of Blue' Knocked His Socks Off |url=http://www.ontopmag.com/article/22193/Ray_Liotta_Says_Bisexual_Twist_In_Shades_Of_Blue_Knocked_His_Socks_Off |website=On Top Magazine}}</ref>
Donnie Pomp Michael Esper title='Shades of Blue' Ray Liotta Gay Kiss Steams Up Social Media |url=https://www.thewrap.com/shades-of-blue-ray-liotta-gay-kiss-steams-up-social-media-mouth-just-dropped/ |website=TheWrap |date=22 January 2016}}</ref>
Nate Wozniak Cameron Scoggins last1=Heimbrod |first1=Camille |title=‘Shades Of Blue’ Season 2 Spoilers: Did Wozniak’s Son Nate Die In Episode 9 ‘Chaos Is Come Again’? |url=https://www.ibtimes.com/shades-blue-season-2-spoilers-did-wozniaks-son-nate-die-episode-9-chaos-come-again-2532710 |website=International Business Times |date=1 May 2017}}</ref>
2016–2017 {{sortname|The|Shannara Chronicles}} MTV
Spike		 Eretria Ivana Baquero last1=Berkowitz|first1= Alyssa|url=https://www.theworkprint.com/shannara-chronicles-lgbtq-training-interview/123%7Ctitle='The Shannara Chronicles' Season 2 Brings LGBTQ Characters, Intense Training, and Unexpected Connections|website=The Workprint|date=October 18, 2017}}</ref><ref name="shan chronicles:2">{{Cite web|last1=MacDonald|first1=Lindsay|url=http://screenertv.com/television/shannara-chronicles-miles-miller-al-gough-eretria-amberle/%7Ctitle='Shannara Chronicles' bosses talk Eretria & Amberle, cutting scenes from the book and more|website=Screener|date=February 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110165431/http://screenertv.com/television/shannara-chronicles-miles-miller-al-gough-eretria-amberle/%7Carchive-date=November 10, 2016}}</ref>
Princess Lyria Vanessa Morgan Princess Lyria was in a relationship with Eretria in season 2.<ref name="shannara chronicles:1"/><ref name="shan chronicles:2"/>
Zora Zoe Robins title=Zora, Shannara Chronicles|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/zora/}}</ref>
2016–2017 SOTUS: The Series One 31
Line TV		 Kongpob Singto Prachaya Kongpob and Arthrit are gay love interests.<ref>{{cite web|title=SOTUS Trailer|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke3RRiXo7rg%7Cdate=July 27, 2016}}</ref>
Arthrit Krist Perawat
2016–2019 Star FOX Simone Davis Brittany O'Grady Simone Davis is bisexual. She kissed her troubled friend, Karen, in the fifth episode of season 2.<ref name="Star LGBT characters"/>
Cotton Brown Amiyah Scott Cotton Brown is the transgender daughter of Carlota Brown.<ref name="Star LGBT characters"/>
Miss Bruce Miss Lawrence Miss Bruce is a trans woman.<ref name="Star LGBT characters"/>
Karen Williams Imani Lewis Karen Williams is a lesbian.<ref name="Star LGBT characters"/>
Nina Ferrera Camila Banus Nina Ferrera is bisexual.<ref name="Star LGBT characters"/>
Rachel Wallace Paris Jackson title=Star, LGBT characters |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/star/}}</ref>
2016– Stranger Things Netflix Robin Buckley Maya Hawke last1=Bandyopadhyay|first1=Alakananda|title='Stranger Things' season 3 blesses us with Robin, but her sexuality is the biggest surprise gift in the end|url=https://meaww.com/stranger-things-season-3-spoilers-robin-sexuality-lesbian-maya-hawke-steve-harrington-joe-keery%7Cwebsite=Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide|date=July 3, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Framke|first1=Caroline|title='Stranger Things' Finally Does Right by Female Characters With Maya Hawke's Robin (Column)|url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/columns/stranger-things-season-3-robin-steve-spoilers-1203259061/%7Cwork=Variety|date=July 6, 2019}}</ref>
2016– This Is Us NBC William Hill Ron Cephas Jones William Hill is bisexual and had a relationship with Jessie.<ref>{{cite web |title=My Favorite Bi Parent Characters on TV |url=https://bi.org/en/articles/my-favorite-bi-parent-characters-on-tv |website=Bi.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title='This Is Us' Recap: Talks About a Blue Christmas |url=https://ew.com/recap/this-is-us-season-1-episode-10/}}</ref>
Jessie Denis O'Hare
Tess Pearson Eris Baker;
Iantha Richardson		 title=Tess Pearson, This Is Us (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/tess-pearson/}}</ref>
Alex Presley Alexander title=Alex, This Is Us (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/alex-11/}}</ref>
Animal Shelter Clerk Lena Waithe title=Animal Shelter Clerk, This Is Us (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/animal-shelter-clerk/}}</ref>
2016–2018 Timeless NBC Denise Christopher Sakina Jaffrey last1=Gajjar|first1=Saloni|title='Timeless' Just Gave us a Noteworthy Episode for Indian-American LGBT Representation|url=http://www.thetealmango.com/entertainment/timeless-just-gave-us-a-noteworthy-episode-for-indian-american-lgbt-representation/%7Cwebsite=The Teal Mango|date=May 9, 2018}}</ref>
2016–2017 Too Close to Home TLC Dax Nick Ballard Dax and Victor are a gay couple.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Swift |first1=Andy |title=TLC's Too Close to Home Is the Worst Show I Can't Stop Watching |url=https://tvline.com/2017/02/22/too-close-to-home-season-2-review-finale/ |website=TV Line |date=22 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Too Close to Home: Jolene Labels Dax a Pickle-Picker |url=https://www.thewrap.com/too-close-to-home-jolene-dax-anna-valerie-tlc/ |website=The Wrap |date=3 October 2016}}</ref>
Victor Charles Justo
2016–2018 Travelers Showcase
Netflix		 Joanne Yates Kimberley Sustad last1=Clarke |first1=Kinsey |title=Netflix's 'Travelers' Finally Got Some Lesbian Representation And I'm Screaming |url=https://www.intomore.com/culture/netflixs-travelers-finally-got-some-lesbian-representation-and-im-screaming |website=Into |date=January 3, 2019 |access-date=April 13, 2019}}</ref><ref name="travelers netflix"/>
Samantha Burns Karen Holness Samantha Burns is a lesbian.<ref name="travelers lgbt char"/><ref name="travelers netflix"/>
Amanda Myers Enid-Raye Adams title=Travelers, LGBT characters |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/travelers/}}</ref>
2016– Van Helsing Syfy Susan Jackson Hilary Jardine Susan Jackson is a lesbian.<ref name="Van Helsing"/>
Vanessa Helsing Kelly Overton Vanessa Helsing is bisexual.<ref name="Van Helsing"/>
Dracula Tricia Helfer Dracula is bisexual.<ref name="Van Helsing"/>
Jack Nicole Muñoz Jack is a lesbian.<ref name="Van Helsing"/>
Sarah "Doc" Carol Rukiya Bernard Sarah "Doc" Carol is a lesbian.<ref name="Van Helsing"/>
Bathory Jesse Stanley Bathory is a lesbian.<ref name="Van Helsing"/>
Ivory Jennifer Cheon Ivory is a lesbian.<ref name="Van Helsing"/>
Jolene Caroline Cave Jolene is a lesbian.<ref name="Van Helsing"/>
Michaela Heather Doerksen title=Van Helsing, TV series, LGBT characters |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/van-helsing/}}</ref>
2016– Victoria ITV Lord Alfred Paget Jordan Waller Lord Alfred and Lord Edward have a romantic attraction for each other and share a kiss in season 2.<ref>{{cite web |title=Victoria fans are thrilled that Drummond and Alfred have FINALLY kissed |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/victoria-fans-are-thrilled-that-drummond-and-alfred-have-finally-kissed/ |website=Radio Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=ITV drama Victoria braces for backlash over gay kiss |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/10/08/itv-drama-victoria-braces-for-backlash-over-gay-kiss/ |website=PinkNews |date=8 October 2017}}</ref>
Lord Edward Drummond Leo Suter
2016– Westworld HBO Logan Ben Barnes title=Westworld Creator Confirms a Character's Bisexuality—and the Straights Are Shook |url=https://www.pride.com/tv/2018/5/16/westworld-creator-confirms-characters-bisexuality-and-straights-are-shook |date=16 May 2018}}</ref>
Clementine Pennyfeather Angela Sarafyan Clementine Pennyfeather is pansexual.<ref name="westworld tv series characters"/>
Elsie Hughes Shannon Woodward Elsie Hughes is a lesbian.<ref name="westworld tv series characters"/>
Marti Bojana Novakovic title=Westworld, LGBT characters, Marti, Elsie, Clementine |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/westworld/}}</ref>
2016–2021 Wynonna Earp Syfy
CHCH-DT
Space		 Waverly Earp Dominique Provost-Chalkley last1=Logan|first1=Megan|title='Wynonna Earp's #WayHaught Is What LGBT Audiences Deserve From TV|url=https://www.inverse.com/article/16329-wynonna-earp-s-wayhaught-is-what-lgbt-audiences-deserve-from-tv%7Cwebsite=Inverse|date=May 31, 2016}}</ref>
Nicole Haught Katherine Barrell Nicole Haught is a lesbian.<ref name="wynonna earp lgbt"/>
Jeremy Chetri Varun Saranga title=Justin Kelly – Wynonna Earp |url=https://starrymag.com/justin-kelly-wynonna-earp/ |website=Starry Constellation Magazine |date=28 September 2018}}</ref>
Robin Justin Kelly title=Wynonna Earp Episode 306 Recap: Make the Yuletide Gay |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/wynonna-earp-episode-306-recap-make-the-yuletide-gay-430458/ |website=Autostraddle |date=27 August 2018}}</ref>
Rosita Bustillos Tamara Duarte title=Rosita Bustillos, Wynonna Earp (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/rosita-bustillos/}}</ref>
Shae Clark Backo title=Shae, Wynonna Earp (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/shae/}}</ref>
Ambrose "Fish" Tyrell Crews title=Wynonna Earp Recap: Episode 5, "Digging Up Bones"|url=https://www.themarysue.com/wynonna-earp-recap-ep-5/}}</ref>
Levi Christian Goutsis Levi is gay. He was in a relationship with Fish.<ref name="themarysue.com"/>
2016 The Young Pope HBO Cardinal Bernardo Gutierrez Javier Cámara title=The Young Pope has a God problem |url=https://theweek.com/articles/673377/young-pope-god-problem |date=17 January 2017}}</ref>
Cardinal Andrew Dussolier Scott Shepherd last1=Collins |first1=Sean T. |title=The Young Pope Recap: Menage a Trinity |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-recaps/the-young-pope-recap-menage-a-trinity-106050/ |website=Rolling Stone |date=31 January 2017}}</ref><ref name="Young Pope Episode 7"/>
Cardinal Mario Assente Maurizio Lombardi title=The Young Pope Recap: For Whom the Kangaroo Tolls |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/01/young-pope-recap-season-1-episode-2.html |website=Vulture}}</ref>
Ángelo Sanchez Marcos Franz title=The Young Pope Episode 7 Recap: It's a Hard Knock Life |url=https://www.wmagazine.com/story/the-young-pope-hbo-episode-7-recap-its-a-hard-knock-life |website=W Magazine}}</ref>
Freddy Blakestone Alex Esola title=The Young Pope Episode 9 Recap: Jude Law's Golden Globes Moment |url=https://www.wmagazine.com/story/the-young-pope-episode-9-recap-jude-laws-golden-globes-moment |website=W Magazine}}</ref>
Archbishop Kurtwell Guy Boyd Archbishop Kurtwell is gay.<ref name="Young Pope Episode 9"/>
Cardinal Michel Marivaux Sebastian Roché title='The Young Pope' Major Characters, Ranked Worst to Best (Photos)|url=https://www.thewrap.com/young-pope-main-characters-ranked-photos/%7Cwebsite=The Wrap|date=18 January 2017}}</ref>

2017

Year Show Network Character Actor Notes
2017–2020 13 Reasons Why Netflix Courtney Crimsen Michele Selene Ang Courtney is a lesbian. She was closeted until the season 2 finale. episode "Bye", when she came out to her adoptive gay parents.<ref name=brabaw>{{cite web|last1=Brabaw|first1=Kasandra|title=Courtney's 13 Reasons Why Ending Is A Huge Moment For Queer Women On TV|url=https://www.refinery29.com/2018/05/199864/courtney-crimsen-gay-13-reasons-why-season-2-ending%7Cwebsite=Refinery29|date=May 22, 2018}}</ref>
Todd Crimsen Robert Gant Todd and Steve are gay and Courtney's parents.<ref name=brabaw/>
Steve Crimsen Alex Quiojan
Ryan Shaver Tommy Dorfman Ryan told Hannah he was gay in episode "Tape 4, Side B".<ref name="thirteen reasons">{{cite web |title=13 Reasons Why (Season 2) |url=https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/13-reasons-why-season-2/ |website=Plugged In}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Darwish |first1=Meaghan |title=13 Reasons Why Star Christian Navarro Talks Tony's New Relationship & More Season 2 Details |url=https://www.tvinsider.com/689812/13-reasons-why-season-2-tony-christian-navarro/ |website=TV Insider}}</ref>
Tony Padilla Christian Navarro last1=Brammer|first1=John Paul|title='13 Reasons Why' Made Tony a Gay, Latinx, Catholic Teen — Here's Why That Matters|url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/13-reasons-why-tony-latinx-lgbtq-representation-machismo%7Cwebsite=Teen Vogue|date=April 21, 2017}}</ref>
Brad Henry Zaga Brad is gay, and Caleb's boyfriend.<ref name="thirteen reasons"/>
Caleb R.J. Brown last1=Pannell |first1=Ni'Kesia |title=Where every 13 Reasons Why character ended up after season 3 |url=https://www.insider.com/where-everyone-ends-up-13-reasons-why-season-three-2019-8#jessica-davis-ends-the-season-as-an-outspoken-class-president-and-a-murder-witness-3 |website=Insider |access-date=10 April 2021}}</ref>
Tamika Clarke Hollingsworth Tamika is ____ and Courtney's girlfriend.<ref name=brabaw/>
Montgomery "Monty" de la Cruz Timothy Granaderos last1=Morris|first1=Lauren|title=A look back at Monty and Winston's relationship 13 Reasons Why as he attempts to avenge his death|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/on-demand/2020-06-05/monty-winston-13-reasons-why/%7Cwebsite=Radio Times|date=5 June 2020}}</ref><ref name="alexwinston"/>
Winston Williams Deaken Bluman Winston is gay. He tells Alex in the final episode "Graduation", that he loved Monty but that he also loves him.<ref name=morris/><ref name="alexwinston">{{cite web|last1=Sorren|first1=Martha|title=Alex & Winston's Relationship On '13 Reasons Why' Has Many Obstacles|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/alex-winstons-relationship-on-13-reasons-why-has-many-obstacles-22957769%7Cwebsite=Bustle|date=June 5, 2020}}</ref>
Alex Standall Miles Heizer last1=Kickham|first1=Dylan|title=Alex's Sexuality In '13 Reasons Why' Season 4 Tells A Story Of Self-Discovery|url=https://www.elitedaily.com/p/alexs-sexuality-in-13-reasons-why-season-4-tells-a-story-of-self-discovery-22956053%7Cwebsite=Elite Daily|date=5 June 2020}}</ref>
Charlie St. George Tyler Barnhardt Charlie is bisexual. He dates Alex and comes out to his dad in episode "Prom".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Smail|first1=Gretchen|title=Alex & Charlie's Relationship On '13 Reasons Why' Is Worth Rooting For|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/alex-charlies-relationship-on-13-reasons-why-is-worth-rooting-for-22959770%7Cwebsite=Bustle|date=5 June 2020}}</ref>
Hansen Foundry Reed Diamond title=13 Reasons Why season 4 binge recap|url=https://ew.com/tv/recaps/13-reasons-why-season-4-binge-recap/%7Cwebsite=Entertainment Weekly|date=5 June 2020}}</ref>
2017 195 Lewis 195 Lewis
(series website)		 Yuri Rae Leone Allen last1=Pennington|first1=Latonya|title='195 Lewis' Is Black Lesbian Perfection|url=https://wearyourvoicemag.com/culture/195-lewis-black-lesbian-perfection%7Cwebsite=Wear Your Voice|date=November 14, 2017}}</ref>
Camille Sirita Wright Camille is lesbian.<ref name="195 Lewis"/>
2017 24 Legacy Fox Andy Shalowitz Dan Bucatinsky last1=Morgan |first1=Joe |title=24: Legacy reveals first gay characters in the series' 16-year history |url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/24-legacy-reveals-first-gay-characters-series-16-year-history/ |website=Gay Star News |date=14 February 2017}}</ref><ref name="24legacy lgbt">{{cite web |title=Dan Bucatinsky on Playing Openly Gay Andy Shalowitz in 24 |url=https://www.out.com/entertainment/2017/2/20/dan-bucatinsky-playing-openly-gay-andy-shalowitz-24 |date=20 February 2017}}</ref>
Thomas Locke Bailey Chase Thomas Locke is gay. He is a CTU agent and the head of field operations.<ref name="24 legacy"/><ref name="24legacy lgbt"/>
2017–2019 A Series of Unfortunate Events Netflix Charles Rhys Darby last=Gallagher|first=Caitlin|title=Charles & Sir's Relationship In A Series Of Unfortunate Events Is Finally Made Clear In The Netflix Series|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/charles-sirs-relationship-in-a-series-of-unfortunate-events-is-finally-made-clear-in-the-netflix-series-30444%7Cwebsite=Bustle|date=January 20, 2017}}</ref><ref name="lemony snicket"/>
Sir Don Johnson title=Lemony Snicket Has the Gay TV Villains We've Been Waiting For |url=https://www.advocate.com/television/2017/1/17/lemony-snicket-has-gay-tv-villains-weve-been-waiting |date=17 January 2017}}</ref>
Babs Kerri Kenney title=Babs, A Series of Unfortunate Events (TV series) |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/babs/}}</ref>
2017– Ackley Bridge Channel 4 Nasreen Paracha Amy-Leigh Hickman Nasreen comes out to her mother as a lesbian and tells her she's in love with another woman (series 1, episode 5).<ref name="Ackley Bridge"/>
Lila Shariff Anneika Rose title=Lila Shariff, Ackley Bridge|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lila-shariff/}}</ref>
Naveed Haider Gurjeet Singh Naveed is gay.<ref name="Bridge fans"/>
Sam Murgatroyd Megan Parkinson title=Ackley Bridge has now got a lesbian storyline |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/07/17/ackley-bridge-is-set-to-feature-a-lesbian-storyline/ |website=Pink News |date=17 July 2018}}</ref>
Cory Wilson Sam Retford last1=Chase |first1=Stephanie |title=Ackley Bridge fans are heartbroken over Cory and Naveed |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a863405/ackley-bridge-cory-naveed-heartbreak/ |website=Digital Spy |date=7 August 2018}}</ref>
2017– American Gods Starz Bilquis Yetide Badaki last1=Henderson|first1=Taylor|title=The Gay Sex Scene in American Gods Isn't Pornographic, It's Art|url=https://www.pride.com/tv/2017/5/12/gay-sex-scene-american-gods-isnt-pornographic-its-art%7Cwebsite=Pride.com|date=May 12, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Cast of American Gods">{{cite web|last1=Schnelbach|first1=Leah|title=The Cast of American Gods (Plus Neil Gaiman) Hit the New York Comic-Con Stage to Talk Season Two!|url=https://www.tor.com/2018/10/05/american-gods-season-two-new-york-comic-con-2018-panel/%7Cwebsite=Tor.com%7Cdate=October 5, 2018}}</ref>
Jinn Mousa Kraish Jinn is gay. Jinn and Salim become romantically involved.<ref name="american gods"/><ref name="Cast of American Gods"/>
Salim Omid Abtahi Salim is gay. Jinn and Salim become romantically involved.<ref name="american gods"/><ref name="Cast of American Gods"/>
Samantha ("Sam") Black Crow Devery Jacobs Sam is lesbian.<ref name="american gods"/><ref name="Cast of American Gods"/>
2017–2019 Andi Mack Disney Channel Cyrus Goodman Joshua Rush last1=Voss|first1=Brandon|title="Andi Mack" Series Ends With Disney Channel's First Gay Romance|url=http://www.newnownext.com/andi-mack-series-finale-disney-channels-first-gay-romance-couple/07/2019/%7Cwebsite=NewNowNext|date=July 28, 2019}}</ref><ref name="last ever episode">{{cite web |last1=Besanvalle |first1=James |title=Fans react to emotional last ever episode of Andi Mack |url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/andi-mack-we-were-here-episode |website=Gay Star News |date=July 27, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Messer|first=Lesley|title='Andi Mack' stars weigh in on the show's historic coming out episode|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/andi-mack-stars-weigh-shows-historic-coming-episode/story?id=50922766%7Cwebsite=ABC News|date=November 4, 2017}}</ref>
TJ Kippen Luke Mullen TJ is gay, and holds hands with Cyrus in the finale. Andi Mack made history with Disney's first character to say "I'm gay".<ref name="cyrus and tj"/><ref name="last ever episode"/>
2017–2019 Anne with an E CBC
Netflix		 Josephine Barry Deborah Grover last1=Nguyen |first1=Hanh |title='Anne With an E' Boss Answers Burning Questions About the Queer Soirée, Season 3, and More |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2018/07/anne-with-an-e-season-3-queer-soiree-bash-moira-walley-beckett-1201984101/ |website=IndieWire |date=July 15, 2018}}</ref>
Cole Mackenzie Cory Grüter-Andrew Cole is gay.<ref name="anne with an e"/>
2017– Atypical Netflix Casey Brigette Lundy-Paine title=Atypical Isn't The Lesbian Representation You'd Think |url=https://afterellen.com/atypical-isnt-the-lesbian-representation-youd-think/ |website=Afterellen |date=10 December 2020}}</ref>
Izzie Fivel Stewart Izzie is bisexual. Casey and Izzie begin dating.<ref name="atypical tv"/>
2017– The Bastards of Pizzofalcone RAI Alex Di Nardo Simona Tabasco last1=Megna|first1=Rebecca|title=I bastardi di Pizzofalcone, Alex e Rosaria arriva la svolta: parla Simona Tabasco|url=https://www.gossipetv.com/i-bastardi-di-pizzofalcone-alex-e-rosaria-la-svolta-parla-simona-tabasco-377010%7Cwebsite=Gossip e TV|date=16 October 2018|language=it}}</ref><ref name="bastards of pizzo">{{cite magazine|last1=Vivarelli|first1=Nick|title=New Naples-Set Series 'Bastards of Pizzofalcone' Scores Record TV Ratings in Italy|url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/new-naples-set-tv-series-bastards-of-pizzofalcone-scores-stellar-ratings-in-italy-1201980055/%7Cmagazine=Variety|date=February 7, 2017}}</ref>
Rosaria Martone Serena Iansiti Rosaria is lesbian. Alex and Rosaria are in a relationship.<ref name="pizz"/><ref name="bastards of pizzo"/>
2017– Black Spot France 2
Netflix		 Martial "Nounours" Ferrandis Hubert Delattre title=Black Spot: What Makes It Tick? |url=https://www.thecinejournal.com/black-spot-what-makes-it-tick/ |website=The Cinematic Journal |date=12 January 2020}}</ref>
2017 Blood Drive SyFy The Scholar Darren Kent The Scholar is ____.<ref name="Blood Drive Review"/>
The Gentleman Andrew James Hall last1=Foutch |first1=Haleigh |title=Blood Drive Review: A Silly, Pulpy, Grindhouse Romp |url=https://collider.com/blood-drive-review/ |website=Collider |date=13 June 2017}}</ref>
2017– The Bold Type Freeform Adena El-Amin Nikohl Boosheri last1=Yap|first1=Audrey Cleo|title=On 'The Bold Type,' Actress Nikohl Boosheri Plays a 'Confident, Empowered' Lesbian Muslim|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/bold-type-actress-nikohl-boosheri-plays-confident-empowered-lesbian-muslim-n794676%7Cwebsite=NBC News|date=August 22, 2017}}</ref>
Kat Edison Aisha Dee last1=Gaudens|first1=Reed|title='The Bold Type' understands bisexuality better than most shows, and we have the receipts|url=https://hiddenremote.com/2017/07/19/bold-type-understands-bisexuality-better-than-most/%7Cwebsite=Hidden Remote|date=July 19, 2017}}</ref><ref name="better queer future">{{cite magazine|last1=Cuby|first1=Michael|title=Seen: On The Bold Type, Kat Edison Is Fighting for a Better Queer Future|url=https://www.them.us/story/seen-the-bold-type-kat-edison%7Cmagazine=Them.|date=March 24, 2020}}</ref>
Leila Katerina Tannembaum Leila is lesbian and Adena's ex.<ref name="the bold type"/><ref name="better queer future"/>
Tia Clayton Alexis Floyd Tia is lesbian and Kat's love interest.<ref name="the bold type"/><ref name="better queer future"/>
Oliver Grayson Stephen Conrad Moore last1=Gilchrist|first1=Tracy E.|title=The Bold Type's Stephen Conrad Moore Is Nobody's 'Gay Sidekick'|url=https://www.advocate.com/advocate-exclusives/2019/3/15/bold-types-stephen-conrad-moore-sick-being-gay-sidekick%7Cmagazine=The Advocate|date=April 16, 2019}}</ref>
Andrew Adam Capriolo Andrew is gay and a drag queen.<ref name="gay sidekick"/>
Eva Rhodes Alex Paxton-Beesley last1=Jones|first1=Zoe Christen|title=The Bold Type Embraced Its Worst Self This Season|url=https://www.vulture.com/article/the-bold-type-season-4-kat-eva-story-line-finale.html%7Cwebsite=Vulture|date=July 17, 2020}}</ref>
2017 Borderliner Netflix Nikolai Andreassen Tobias Santelmann last=O'Keefe|first=Meghan|title=Netflix's 'Borderliner' Is Going To Be Your New Scandi-Noir Obsession|url=https://decider.com/2018/03/06/borderliner-netflix-scandi-drama/%7Cwebsite=Decider|date=March 6, 2018}}</ref>
Kristoffer Lund Morten Svartveit Kristoffer is gay and Nikolai's boyfriend.<ref name="borderliner"/>
2017– Charité Netflix Sister Therese Klara Deutschmann Therese is lesbian.<ref name="charite"/>
Otto Marquardt Jannik Schümann last1=Dell|first1=SMatthias|title="Charité" Unsere Ärzte, unsere Schwestern|url=https://www.zeit.de/kultur/film/2019-02/charite-staffel-2-klinik-fernsehserie-nationalsozialismus%7Cwebsite=Die Zeit|date=18 February 2019|language=de}}</ref>
Martin Schelling Jacob Matschenz title=Verschüttet|url=https://www.daserste.de/unterhaltung/serie/charite/sendung-staffel-2/charite-folge-4-108.html%7Cwebsite=Dar Este|date=5 March 2019|language=de}}</ref>
2017– Claws TNT Quiet Ann Judy Reyes last1=Ferber |first1=Lawrence |title=TNT's Claws Season Two Is Even Gayer With Twink-Mobster Romance and Quiet Ann Gets Loud |url=http://www.newnownext.com/tnts-claws-season-two-is-even-gayer-with-twink-mobster-romance-and-quiet-ann-gets-loud/06/2018/ |website=NewNowNext |date=June 11, 2018}}</ref>
Uncle Daddy Dean Norris title=Claws Features a Butch Lesbian, a Bisexual Crime Boss and a Chance to Stop Talking About Breaking Bad |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/claws-features-a-butch-lesbian-a-bisexual-crime-boss-and-a-chance-to-stop-talking-about-breaking-bad-385841/ |website=Autostraddle |date=6 July 2017}}</ref><ref name=":2claws"/>
Toby Evan Daigle last1=Reddish |first1=David |title=Out queer actor Evan Daigle talks playing the gayest character on TV in Claws |url=https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2019/06/queer-actor-evan-diagle-talks-playing-gayest-character-tv-claws/ |website=LGBTQ Nation |date=30 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Feature: Actor Evan Daigle of TNT's Claws Chats With Us Again About the Series and Toby |url=https://occhimagazine.com/feature-actor-evan-daigle-of-tnts-claws-chats-with-us-again-about-the-series-and-toby/ |website=Occhi Magazine |date=22 July 2018}}</ref>
2017– Dark Netflix Peter Doppler Stephan Kampwirth last1=Thomas|first1=Kaitlin|title=Here's How Everyone in Netflix's Dark Is Connected|url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/dark-how-everything-connected-netflix/%7Cwebsite=TV Guide|date=December 7, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Fletcher|first1=Rosie|title=Netflix horror series Dark season 1 finale explained – spoilers ahoy!|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/cult/a845451/dark-netflix-explained-ending-season-finale-spoilers/%7Cwebsite=Digital Spy|date=19 December 2017}}</ref>
Agnes Nielsen Antje Traue In 1953, Agnes and Doris were secret lovers.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Matadeen|first1=Renaldo|title=Netflix's Dark: How the Town's Families Tie Into the Time-Travel Drama|url=https://www.cbr.com/netflixs-dark-families-time-travel-connections/%7Cwebsite=Comic Book Resources|date=June 19, 2019}}</ref>
Doris Tiedemann Luise Heyer
Bernadette Wöller Anton Rubtsov last1=Connolly |first1=Thomas |title=Not Where But When: Past and Future in Netflix's 'Dark' |url=https://www.popmatters.com/dark-baran-bo-odar-jantje-friese-2639153548.html |website=PopMatters |date=July 11, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Collins |first1=Sean T. |title='Dark' on Netflix Season 2 Premiere Recap: I'll Follow You Into the Dark |url=https://decider.com/2019/06/21/dark-on-netflix-season-2-episode-1-review/ |website=Decider |date=June 21, 2019}}</ref>
2017 Daytime Divas VH1 Kibby Ainsley Chloe Bridges title=Daytime Divas Inspires Happy Tears With Its 8-Year-Old Trans Character and Also Janet Mock |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/daytime-divas-inspires-happy-tears-with-its-8-year-old-trans-character-and-also-janet-mock-387622/ |website=Autostraddle |date=20 July 2017}}</ref>
Ella Will Buie Jr. Ella is an eight year old trans girl, introduced in the series "Pilot".<ref>{{cite web |title=Daytime Divas Inspires Happy Tears With Its 8-Year-Old Trans Character and Also Janet Mock |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/daytime-divas-inspires-happy-tears-with-its-8-year-old-trans-character-and-also-janet-mock-387622/ |website=Autostraddle |date=20 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Minor |first1=Kelsey |title=Finding Room for a Trans Story in Diva World |url=https://www.advocate.com/television/2017/7/17/finding-room-trans-story-diva-world |website=The Advocate |date=17 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Betancourt |first1=Manuel |title=TV Is Teaching America How to Treat Trans Kids |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/vbmvbd/tv-is-teaching-america-how-to-treat-trans-kids |website=Vice |date=July 5, 2017}}</ref>
2017– Dear White People Netflix Lionel Higgins DeRon Horton last1=Henderson |first1=Taylor |title=Dear White People Breaks New Ground in Black LGBTQ Representation |url=https://www.pride.com/tv/2019/8/08/dear-white-people-breaks-new-ground-black-lgbtq-representation#media-gallery-media-8 |website=Pride |date=8 August 2019}}</ref>
Silvio Romo D.J. Blickenstaff title=With Three LGBTQ Characters And Counting, Here's Why "Dear White People" Is All-Inclusive |url=https://instinctmagazine.com/with-three-lgbtq-characters-and-counting-heres-why-dear-white-people-is-all-inclusive/ |website=Instinct Magazine |date=11 May 2018}}</ref>
Neika Hobbs Nia Long Neika and Monique are a lesbian couple.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dear White People Season 3 Finally Gives Us the Nerdy Black Gay Girls We Deserve |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/dear-white-people-season-three-finally-gives-us-the-nerdy-black-gay-girls-we-deserve/ |website=Autostraddle |date=19 August 2019}}</ref>
Monique Zee James
Connor Luke O'Sullivan last1=Bowen |first1=Sesali |title=R29 Binge Club: Dear White People Recaps |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2017/04/152099/dear-white-people-recap-season-1-episode-summary}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Dear White People's Surprise Full Frontal Scene Brilliantly Captures How Weird College Is |url=https://decider.com/2017/05/15/netflix-dear-white-people-full-frontal/ |website=Decider |date=16 May 2017}}</ref>
Kelsey Phillips Nia Jervier last1=Bowen|first1=Sesali|title=Why This Dear White People Lesbian Narrative Is So Important|url=https://www.refinery29.com/2018/05/198440/dear-white-people-season-2-kelsey-lesbian%7Cwebsite=Refinery29|date=May 8, 2018}}</ref>
Wesley Alvarez Rudy Martinez last1=Yarbrough |first1=Xavier |title=Why White? A Look Into the Pairing of Black Queer Characters in Media |url=https://geeksofcolor.co/2018/05/30/why-white-a-look-into-the-pairing-of-black-queer-characters-in-media/}}</ref>
P. Ninny Lena Waithe P. Ninny is a lesbian.<ref name=bowen29/>
Genifer Quei Tann Genifer is transgender.<ref name="dear white people"/>
2017–2019 The Deuce HBO Paul Chris Coy last1=Coates|first1=Tyler|title=The Deuce Goes Where Most Cable Shows Won't|url=http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a13066232/the-deuce-episode-7-recap-au-reservoir/%7Cwebsite=Esquire|date=October 22, 2017}}</ref>
2017– Dynasty The CW
Netflix		 Steven Carrington James Mackay last1=Etemesi |first1=Philip |title=Dynasty: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Steven |url=https://screenrant.com/dynasty-10-things-you-didnt-know-about-steven/ |website=ScreenRant |date=28 July 2020}}</ref>
Sam Jones Rafael de la Fuente title=Dynasty: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Sammy Jo |url=https://screenrant.com/dynasty-things-didnt-know-about-sammy-jo/ |website=Screen Rant |date=24 August 2020}}</ref>
2017 Emerald City NBC The Witch of the West Ana Ularu West is a lesbian, and a slutty junkie who runs a brothel.<ref>{{cite web |title=Wait, WTF Is Emerald City About? |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/01/emerald-city-wtf-moments.html |website=Vulture}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=West, Emerald City (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/west/}}</ref>
2017– The End of the F***ing World Channel 4
Netflix		 Eunice Noon Gemma Whelan last1=Riese|title=I Demand a Lesbian Cop Show Spinoff of "The End of the F**king World"|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/i-demand-a-lesbian-cop-show-spinoff-of-the-end-of-the-fcking-world-409019/%7Cwebsite=Autostraddle|date=January 24, 2018}}</ref>
Teri Darego Wunmi Mosaku Teri Darego is a lesbian.<ref name="end of the world"/>
2017–2018 Famous in Love Freeform Alexis Glenn Niki Koss title=Alexis Glenn, Famous in Love |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/alexis-glenn-famous-love/}}</ref>
Rachel Davis Katelyn Tarver title=Rachel Davis, Famous in Love |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/rachel-davis-famous-love/}}</ref>
2017– Feud FX Victor Buono Dominic Burgess last1=Gallagher |first1=Caitlin |title='Feud' Explores Victor Buono's Homosexuality & How Difficult Life Was For Gay People In The '60s |url=https://www.bustle.com/p/feud-explores-victor-buonos-homosexuality-how-difficult-life-was-for-gay-people-in-the-60s-45060 |website=Bustle |date=March 2017}}</ref>
2017 The Frozen Dead M6 Irène Ziegler Julia Piaton last1=Didier|first1=Carine|last2=Guerrin|first2=Stéphanie|title=" Glacé " : ce thriller devrait vous glacer|url=http://www.leparisien.fr/culture-loisirs/ce-thriller-devrait-vous-glacer-10-01-2017-6546465.php%7Cwork=Le Parisien|date=10 January 2017|language=fr}}</ref>
Greta Sophie Guillemin Greta is Ziegler's partner and owner of a local inn where they reside together.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Piccoli|first1=Dana|title=Netflix's The Frozen Dead features a dedicated lesbian detective|url=http://blog.bellabooks.com/2018/01/netflixs-the-frozen-dead-features-a-dedicated-lesbian-detective.html%7Cwebsite=Bella Books|date=January 9, 2018}}</ref>
2017 Godless Netflix Marie Agnes MacNue Merritt Weaver last=Herman|first=Alison|title='Godless' Is a Beautiful but Unoriginal Western|url=https://www.theringer.com/tv/2017/11/22/16680570/godless-netflix-review%7Cwebsite=The Ringer|date=November 22, 2017}}</ref>
Callie Dunne Tess Frazer last=Froston|first=Karen|title=Diamonds in the Rough: Lesser-Known Lesbian Finds You Can Watch or Read|url=http://www.afterellen.com/tv/550873-diamonds-rough-lesser-known-lesbian-finds-can-watch-read%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=December 20, 2017}}</ref>
2017– Gone NBC James Andy Mientus last=Petski|first=Denise|title='Gone': Andy Mientus Cast As Series Regular In Drama Series For NBCU, RTL & TF1|url=https://deadline.com/2017/06/gone-andy-mientus-cast-series-regular-drama-series-nbcu-rtl-tf1-1202112403/%7Cwebsite=Deadline Hollywood|date=June 13, 2017}}</ref>
2017– {{sortname|The|Good Fight}} CBS All Access Maia Rindell Rose Leslie Maia is lesbian. Amy is lesbian and Maia's girlfriend.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Rice|first1=Lynette|title=Good Wife spinoff first look: Rose Leslie embraces lesbian lover|url=https://ew.com/article/2016/12/16/good-wife-spinoff-rose-leslie-lesbian/%7Cmagazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=December 16, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Giles|first1=Kayleigh|title=Game of Thrones' Rose Leslie strips off for racy lesbian shower scenes in The Good Fight|url=https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/770167/Game-of-Thrones-Rose-Leslie-nakes-lesbian-shower-The-Good-Fight%7Cwork=Daily Express|date=February 21, 2017}}</ref>
Amy Breslin Heléne Yorke
2017 Gypsy Netflix Jean Holloway Naomi Watts last1=Raeside|first1=Julia|title=Gypsy review – Naomi Watts is a charmless psychotherapist in a 'risk-taking lesbian' disguise|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2017/jun/29/gypsy-review-naomi-watts-lesbian-disguise-risk%7Cwork=The Guardian|date=29 June 2017}}</ref>
Sidney Pierce Sophie Cookson last1=Johns|first1=Merryn|title=Breaking Boundaries|url=http://www.curvemag.com/Culture/Breaking-Boundaries-12227/%7Cwebsite=Curve|date=July 14, 2017}}</ref>
Dolly Holloway Maren Heary last=Romero|first=Ariana|title=This Is The Hidden Lesson In Netflix's New Series Gypsy|url=http://www.refinery29.com/2017/06/161618/%7Cwebsite=Refinery29|date=June 30, 2017}}</ref>
2017 {{sortname|The|Halcyon|The Halcyon (TV series)}} ITV Toby Hamilton Edward Bluemel last1=Cannon |first1=Nick |title=Edward Bluemel on Toby's gay kiss in The Halcyon: 'That was a big no back then!' |url=https://www.whatsontv.co.uk/news/edward-bluemel-gay-kiss-halcyon-448495/ |website=What's on TV |date=30 January 2017}}</ref>
Adil Joshi Akshay Kumar title=The Halcyon - S1 - Episode 7 |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv-programme/e/fjv9vj/the-halcyon--s1-e7-the-halcyon/ |website=Radio Times}}</ref>
2017– {{sortname|The|Handmaid's Tale|The Handmaid's Tale (TV series)}} Hulu Moira Samira Wiley last1=Addice|first1=Danny|title='The Handmaid's Tale' LGBT Storyline Is Its Most Horrifying Narrative|url=https://hornetapp.com/stories/handmaids-tale-lgbt-hulu/%7Cwebsite=hornetapp.com%7Cdate=May 1, 2017}}</ref>
Emily Alexis Bledel Emily and Sylvia were married and had a kid before.<ref>{{cite web |title='The Handmaid's Tale' Season 2 Has LGBTQ Representation, But It Still Fails Its Queer Characters |url=https://www.bustle.com/p/the-handmaids-tale-season-2-has-lgbtq-representation-but-it-still-fails-its-queer-characters-8875406 |website=Bustle}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title='The Handmaid's Tale': Alexis Bledel on Emily's Life as a Refugee |url=https://www.etonline.com/the-handmaids-tale-alexis-bledel-on-emilys-unsteady-future-as-a-refugee-exclusive-127218 |website=Entertainment Tonight}}</ref>
Sylvia Clea DuVall
Peter Ben Lewis title=The Handmaid's Tale Finally Reveals What Happened to Luke |url=https://www.dispatch.com/entertainment/20170524/handmaids-tale-finally-reveals-what-happened-to-luke |website=The Columbus Dispatch}}</ref>
Dan John Carroll Lynch last1=Lawler |first1=Kelly |title='The Handmaid's Tale' Episode 2 recap: Colonial times, and Alexis Bledel |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2018/04/25/handmaids-tale-season-2-episode-2-recap-unwomen-alexis-bledel-marisa-tomei/547626002/}}</ref>
Odette Rebecca Rittenhouse last1=Bundel |first1=Ani |title='The Handmaid's Tale' Fans Learned A Major Detail About Moira's Past & It's Heartbreaking |url=https://www.elitedaily.com/p/who-is-moiras-fiancee-on-the-handmaids-tale-odettes-story-is-heartbreaking-9231907 |website=Elite Daily}}</ref>
Offred Elizabeth Moss Offred is a lesbian.<ref name="handmaids tale"/>
2017– Harlots ITV Encore
Hulu		 Margaret Wells Samantha Morton title=Harlots' Season Two Is Queer, Here, and Transcendent |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/harlots-season-two-is-queer-here-and-transcendent-430076/ |website=Autostraddle |date=6 September 2018}}</ref>
Charlotte Wells Jessica Brown Findlay Charlotte is bisexual.<ref name="Harlots Season Two Is Queer"/>
Nancy Birch Kate Fleetwood Nancy is a lesbian.<ref name="Harlots Season Two Is Queer"/>
Violet Cross Rosalind Eleazar Violet and Amelia are in a romantic relationship.<ref name="Harlots Season Two Is Queer"/><ref>{{cite web|last1=Riese|title=Hulu's "Harlots" Is a Gift to Feminists, Sex Workers, Queers and Herstory Lovers|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/hulus-harlots-is-the-best-ever-show-about-sex-work-also-has-a-lesbian-storyline-385529/%7Cwebsite=Autostraddle|date=October 23, 2017}}</ref>
Amelia Scanwell Jordon Stevens
Prince Rasselas Josef Altin title=5 ferocious reasons why you should be watching 'Harlots' |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/guide/article/2019/10/10/5-ferocious-reasons-why-you-should-be-watching-harlots}}</ref>
Lady Isabella Fitzwilliam Liv Tyler Lady Isabella is Charlotte's love interest in season two.<ref name="Harlots Season Two Is Queer"/>
2017– Las chicas del cable
(Cable Girls)		 Netflix Carlota Rodríguez de Senillosa Ana Fernández García Carlota is bisexual.<ref name="las chicas"/><ref name="line on the line"/>
Oscar Ruiz Ana Polvorosa last1=Martinez|first1=Sam|title=Transexualidad en Las Chicas del Cable|url=http://www.maglesrevista.es/transexualidad-en-las-chicas-del-cable/%7Cwebsite=MagLes Revista|language=es|date=10 January 2018}}</ref>
Carlota and Sara have a polyamorous relationship together with Carlota's husband, Miguel.<ref name="line on the line">{{cite web|last1=Steinberg|first1=Lisa|title=Love On The Line|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/love-on-the-line_us_5a5a712fe4b01ccdd48b5cf0%7Cwebsite=HuffPost|date=January 13, 2018}}</ref>
2017 Man in an Orange Shirt BBC Two Thomas March James McArdle The story of two gay relationships set in different eras: Thomas and Michael during the 1940s, and Adam and Steve in the present.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Mulkern|first1=Patrick|title=Patrick Gale reveals the secrets of Man in an Orange Shirt|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2017-08-07/patrick-gale-reveals-the-secrets-of-man-in-an-orange-shirt/%7Cwebsite=RadioTimes|date=7 August 2017}}</ref>
Michael Berryman Oliver Jackson-Cohen
Adam Berryman Julian Morris
Steve David Gyasi
2017– Mary Kills People Global Jess Abigail Winter last1=Kayvon |first1=Shervin |title=Abigail Winter Is A Lesbian Teen On 'Mary Kills People' |url=https://www.intomore.com/culture/abigail-winter-is-a-lesbian-teen-on-mary-kills-people/ |website=INTO |date=8 February 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Mary Kills People's Abigail Winter Says Jess Won't Stop Until Mary Tells Her the Truth – The TV Junkies |url=https://thetvjunkies.com/mary-kills-people-abigail-winter-interview/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Jess Geller, Mary Kills People |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/jess-geller-mary-kills-people/}}</ref>
Naomi Katie Douglas Naomi is ____.<ref name="Abigail Winter Is A Lesbian Teen"/>
2017– Mindhunter Netflix Wendy Carr Anna Torv last1=Steiner|first1=Chelsea|title=Season 2 of Mindhunter Gives Anna Torv's Closeted Character Her Own Storyline|url=https://www.themarysue.com/season-2-mindhunter-gives-anna-torv-more-to-do/%7Cwebsite=The Mary Sue|date=August 19, 2019}}</ref>
Annaliese Stilman Lena Olin last1=Ardillo|first1=Maddie|title=An Organized Sequence: The Quiet Queerness of "Mindhunter"|url=https://www.bellamediachannel.com/an-organized-sequence-the-quiet-queerness-of-mindhunter/%7Cwebsite=Bella Books|date=October 18, 2017}}</ref>
Kay Manz Lauren Glazier last1=Anne|first1=Valerie|title="Mindhunter" Makes Murder Boring, But Its Lesbian Love Story Is One for the Ages|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/mindhunter-makes-murder-boring-but-its-lesbian-love-story-is-one-for-the-ages/%7Cwebsite=Autostraddle|date=September 17, 2019}}</ref>
2017 The Mist Spike Adrian Garf Russell Posner title=The Mist Season 1 Spoiler Free Review |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-mist-season-1-spoiler-free-review/ |website=Den of Geek |date=19 June 2017}}</ref><ref name="Pansexual Outs Homophobic">{{cite web |title=Pansexual Outs Homophobic Jock with Gay Kiss on Stephen King's 'The Mist' |url=https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/culture/lindsay-kornick/2017/07/21/pansexual-outs-homophobic-jock-gay-kiss-stephen-kings-mist |website=Newsbusters}}</ref>
Tyler Denton Christopher Gray title=THE MIST Recap: (S01E07) Over the River and Through the Woods |url=https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/themist-recap-s01e07-river-woods/ |website=Geek Girl Authority |date=4 August 2017}}</ref>
2017– Money Heist Netflix Helsinki Darko Peric last=Ul-Haq|first=Farid|title='Money Heist' Part 4 Continues to Offer Queer Representation as Chaos Unfolds|url=https://thegeekiary.com/money-heist-part-4-queer-rep-netflix/81003%7Cwebsite=The Geekiary|date=April 6, 2020}}</ref>
Palermo Rodrigo de la Serna Palermo is gay.<ref name="money heist"/>
Tokyo Úrsula Corberó Tokyo is bisexual.<ref name="money heist"/>
Manila Belén Cuesta last=Dalton|first=Stephen|date=2020-04-29|title=Money Heist the Netflix Series Is Going Viral|url=https://medium.com/pop-off/money-heist-the-netflix-series-is-going-viral-dbdb8e92be91%7Caccess-date=2020-09-29%7Cwebsite=Medium}}</ref>
Berlin Pedro Alonso date=2020-04-05|title=Así es Berlín, según los creadores de La Casa de Papel, serie de Netflix|url=https://www.desdelacuna.net/series/berlin-la-casa-de-papel-serie-netflix-caracteristicas-descripcion-personalidad-analisis/%7Caccess-date=2020-09-29%7Cwebsite=Spoilers%7Clanguage=es}}</ref>
2017– Mr. Mercedes Audience Lou Linklatter Breeda Wool last1=Hatton|first1=Leslie|title='Mr. Mercedes' Might Be the Best Genre TV Show You Didn't See in 2017|url=http://www.everythingisscary.com/screen/mr-mercedes-best-genre-tv-show-2017%7Cwebsite=Everything Is Scary|date=December 21, 2017}}</ref>
2017 My Dear Loser GMM 25 In Purim Rattanaruangwattana (Pluem) In and Sun become a gay couple.<ref>{{cite web|author=GMMTV|title=Trailer My Dear Loser รักไม่เอาถ่าน ตอน Edge of 17|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZYUDwkIEc4%7Cwebsite=YouTube|date=June 19, 2017}}</ref>
Sun Wachirawit Ruangwiwat (Chimon)
2017– One Day at a Time Netflix Elena Alvarez Isabella Gomez last1=Nilles|first1=Billy|title=One Day at a Time's Coming Out Storyline Is a Breath of Fresh Air|url=http://www.eonline.com/news/820230/one-day-at-a-time-s-coming-out-storyline-is-a-breath-of-fresh-air%7Cwebsite=E! News|date=January 6, 2017}}</ref><ref name="day at a time">{{Cite web|last=Miller|first=Liz Shannon|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2018/02/one-day-at-a-time-season-3-non-binary-girlfriend-interview-1201924282/%7Ctitle='One Day at a Time' Stars Talk Season 3 and Why a Non-Binary Character Is Called a 'Girlfriend' On The Show|website=IndieWire|date=February 2, 2018}}</ref>
Ramona Judy Reyes Ramona is lesbian.<ref name="day at a time"/>
Syd Sheridan Pierce last1=Miller |first1=Liz Shannon |title='One Day at a Time' Stars Talk Season 3 and Why a Non-Binary Character Is Called a 'Girlfriend' On The Show |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2018/02/one-day-at-a-time-season-3-non-binary-girlfriend-interview-1201924282/ |website=IndieWire |date=2 February 2018}}</ref>
2017– The Orville Fox Bortus Peter Macon Bortus and Klyden are partners and members of an alien race, the Moclans, where homosexuality is the norm among their species.<ref>{{cite web|last=Elderkin|first=Beth|title=The Orville's Latest Episode Shows Seth MacFarlane's Future Is Stuck in the Past|url=https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-orvilles-latest-episode-shows-seth-macfarlanes-futu-1818655458%7Cwebsite=io9|date=September 22, 2017}}</ref>
Klyden Chad L. Coleman
2017– Ozark Netflix Roy Petty Jason Butler Harner last1=Rizi |first1=Michael |title=2 more casualties to add to the "Bury Your Gays" trope in the grim series 'Ozark' |url=https://www.queerty.com/2-casualties-add-bury-gays-trope-grim-series-ozark-20180916 |website=Queerty |date=16 September 2018}}</ref><ref name="10 Worst Episodes"/>
Russ Langmore Marc Menchaca title=The 10 Worst Episodes Of Netflix's Ozark, According To IMDb |url=https://screenrant.com/ozark-netflix-worst-episodes-imdb/ |website=Screen Rant |date=10 April 2020}}</ref>
Trevor Evans McKinley Belcher III Trevor is Roy's ex-boyfriend and his FBI agent partner.<ref name="queerty ozarks"/>
Scotty Dennis Flanagan Scotty is Roy's ex-boyfriend.<ref name="queerty ozarks"/>
2017– Prison Break: Resurrection Fox Sid Kunal Sharma last1=Dela Cruz |first1=Janna |title='Prison Break' season 5 spoilers: Writers tease LGBT character who has an 'important role to play' |url=https://www.christiantoday.com/article/prison-break-season-5-spoilers-writers-tease-lgbt-character-who-has-an-important-role-to-play/102235.htm |date=28 November 2016}}</ref>
Emily Blake Marina Benedict title=Emily Blake, Prison Break |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/emily-blake/}}</ref>
2017–2018 Prison Playbook tvN Yoo Han Yang Lee Kyu Hyung title=5 Korean actors who played LGBT characters |url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3092434/how-girls-generations-seohyun-moon-bin-and-lee-joo-young |website=South China Morning Post |date=9 July 2020}}</ref>
Song Ji Won Kim Joon Han Ji Won is gay and Han Yang's boyfriend.<ref name="Yoo Han Yang"/>
2017–2019 The Punisher Netflix David Schultz Todd Alan Crain title=The Punisher's Infuriating Finale Nearly Derails Season 2 |url=https://www.cbr.com/punisher-tv-season-2-finale-disappointing/ |date=20 January 2019}}</ref>
2017– Riverdale The CW Kevin Keller Casey Cott last1=Megarry |first1=Daniel |title=A definitive list of every LGBTQ character in Riverdale |url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/117052/a-definitive-list-of-every-lesbian-gay-bisexual-character-in-riverdale/ |website=Gay Times |date=January 8, 2019 |access-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Opie |first1=David |title=Why Kevin Keller Deserves A Boyfriend |url=https://www.intomore.com/culture/why-kevin-keller-deserves-a-boyfriend |website=Into |date=May 25, 2019 |access-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref>
Moose Mason Cody Kearsley last1=Bramesco |first1=Charles |title=A bomb vest, a rocket ship, a rotting corpse, an MFA seminar — Riverdale contains multitudes |url=https://tv.avclub.com/a-bomb-vest-a-rocket-ship-a-rotting-corpse-an-mfa-se-1839287285 |website=TV Club |date=23 October 2019 |access-date=31 October 2019}}</ref>
Joaquin DeSantos Rob Raco last1=Barrett |first1=Spencer |title=Rob Raco Talks His Debut as 'Riverdale's Joaquin |url=https://tvsourcemagazine.com/2017/02/rob-raco-talks-debut-riverdales-joaquin/ |website=TV Source Magazine |date=February 17, 2017 |access-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref>
Toni Topaz Vanessa Morgan last1=Anderson|first1=Jenna|title='Riverdale' Star Vanessa Morgan Talks Toni Topaz's Bisexuality|url=https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/2017/12/03/riverdale-season-2-toni-topaz-bisexual-vanessa-morgan/%7Cwebsite=ComicBook.com%7Cpublisher=Pop Culture Media|date=December 3, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Romero |first1=Ariana |title=Riverdale Season 3, Episode 16 Recap: The 6 Wildest Moments Of Musical "Big Fun" |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/03/227577/riverdale-recap-season-3-episode-16-cheryl-toni-back-together |website=Refinery29 |date=March 20, 2019 |access-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref>
Cheryl Blossom Madelaine Petsch last=Belle|first=Elly|title=Madelaine Petsch Said Her "Riverdale" Character Cheryl Blossom Is Bisexual|url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/madelaine-petsch-said-her-riverdale-character-cheryl-blossom-is-bisexual%7Cwork=Teen Vogue|date=March 1, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Idika|first1=Nicky|title='Riverdale' star Madelaine Petsch says Cheryl Blossom is lesbian, not bisexual|url=https://www.popbuzz.com/tv-film/riverdale/cheryl-blossom-lesbian/%7Cwebsite=PopBuzz%7Cdate=15 November 2018}}</ref>
Fangs Fogarty Drew Ray Tanner last1=Kickham |first1=Dylan |title=Is Fangs The Black Hood On 'Riverdale'? The Southside Serpent Is Up To Something |url=https://www.elitedaily.com/p/is-fangs-the-black-hood-on-riverdale-the-southside-serpent-is-up-to-something-8826535 |website=Elite Daily |date=April 18, 2018 |access-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Kickham |first1=Dylan |title=Did Kevin & Fangs Get Married On 'Riverdale'? One Strange Scene Has Fans Confused |url=https://www.elitedaily.com/p/did-kevin-fangs-get-married-on-riverdale-one-strange-scene-has-fans-confused-16971937 |website=Elite Daily |date=March 21, 2019 |access-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Cummins |first1=Chris |title=Riverdale Season 3 Episode 20 Review - Chapter 55: Prom Night |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/us/tv/riverdale/280849/riverdale-season-3-episode-20-review-chapter-55-prom-night |website=Den of Geek |access-date=May 6, 2019 |date=May 1, 2019}}</ref>
Chic Hart Denton last1=Krause|first1=Katie|title='Riverdale' Star Hart Denton Teases Possible Chic and Kevin Romance! (Exclusive)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwIev-tKCrU%7Cwebsite=YouTube%7Cpublisher=Entertainment Tonight|date=March 19, 2018}}</ref>
Charles Smith Wyatt Nash last1=MacLeish |first1=Jessica |title=Riverdale's Favorite Fake Brother Is Back |url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/riverdale-recap-season-4-episode-6 |website=Teen Vogue |access-date=14 November 2019 |date=14 November 2019}}</ref>
Peaches 'N Cream Bernadette Beck last1=Upadhyaya |first1=Kayla Kumari |title="Riverdale" Episode 316 Recap: How Very |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/riverdale-episode-316-recap-how-very/ |website=Autostraddle |date=March 21, 2019 |access-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref>
2017– Runaways Hulu Karolina Dean Virginia Gardner last=Pulliam-Moore|first=Charles|title=Marvel's Runaways Just Proved How Easy It Is To Include Queer Characters|url=https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2017/12/marvels-runaways-just-proved-how-easy-it-is-to-include-queer-characters/%7Cwebsite=Gizmodo|date=December 14, 2017}}</ref>
Nico Minoru Lyrica Okano last1=Jasper|first1=Marykate|title=The Biggest and Most Welcome Surprise on Last Night's Runaways|url=https://www.themarysue.com/runaways-nico-love-triangle/%7Cwebsite=The Mary Sue|date=January 10, 2018}}</ref>
2017–2019 She's Gotta Have It Netflix Nola Darling DeWanda Wise last=Bryant|first=Taylor|title=Spike Lee On Creating A "Sex-Positive, Pansexual" Hero In 'She's Gotta Have It'|url=https://nylon.com/articles/shes-gotta-have-it-spike-lee-interview%7Cwebsite=Nylon%7Cdate=November 22, 2017}}</ref>
Opal Gilstrap Ilfenesh Hadera last=Weekes|first=Princess|title=The Complex Queerness of Nola Darling in Netflix's She's Gotta Have It|url=https://www.themarysue.com/the-complex-queerness-of-nola-darling-in-netflixs-shes-gotta-have-it/%7Cwebsite=The Mary Sue|date=November 30, 2017}}</ref>
2017– The Sinner USA Network Heather Novack Natalie Paul last1=Gallagher|first1=Caitlin|title=Who's Heather Novack In 'The Sinner' Season 2? Natalie Paul's Detective Brings Harry Ambrose Back Home|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/whos-heather-novack-in-the-sinner-season-2-natalie-pauls-detective-brings-harry-ambrose-back-home-9869678%7Cwebsite=Bustle|date=August 1, 2018|access-date=8 August 2018}}</ref>
2017 Slam Dance GMM One Pob Sattabut Laedeke (Drake) Pob and Nick are a gay couple.<ref>{{cite web|author=GMMTV|title=Trailer SLAM DANCE ทุ่มฝันสนั่นฟลอร์|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgnlVFi2DyI%7Cwebsite=YouTube|date=May 5, 2017}}</ref>
Nick Harit Cheewagaroon (Sing)
2017– Star Trek: Discovery Netflix Paul Stamets Anthony Rapp Paul and Hugh are gay men and in a loving relationship.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Tremeer|first1=Eleanor|title='It Would Be Foolish To Ignore It': 'Star Trek: Discovery' Exec Talks LGBT Representation|url=https://moviepilot.com/p/star-trek-discovery-lgbt-representation/4292772%7Cwebsite=Moviepilot|date=June 12, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Kane|first1=Vivian|title=In an Historic Move, Star Trek: Discovery Will Feature an Openly Gay Couple, Played By Gay Actors|url=https://www.themarysue.com/star-trek-discovery-gay-couple/%7Cwebsite=The Mary Sue|date=July 27, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Duffy|first1=Nick|title=Star Trek Discovery star has a perfect response to angry homophobic fans|url=http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/10/21/star-trek-discovery-star-has-a-perfect-response-to-angry-homophobic-fans/%7Cwebsite=PinkNews|date=21 October 2017}}</ref>
Hugh Culber Wilson Cruz
2017– Suburra: Blood on Rome Netflix Alberto "Spadino" Anacleti Giacomo Ferrara last=Collins|first=Sean T.|title='Suburra' Recap, Series Premiere: Italians Do It Better|url=https://decider.com/2017/10/06/suburra-recap-season-1-episode-1/%7Cwebsite=Decider|date=October 6, 2017}}</ref>
2017– S.W.A.T CBS Christina "Chris" Alonso Lina Esco last1=Riese|title=In 2017, Lesbian and Bisexual TV Characters Did Pretty OK, and That's a Pretty Big Deal|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/in-2017-lesbian-and-bisexual-tv-characters-did-pretty-ok-and-thats-a-pretty-big-deal-399797/%7Cwebsite=Autostraddle|date=January 2, 2018}}</ref>
2017– Taboo FX Michael Godfrey Edward Hogg Michael Godfrey is probably gay, and is the secretary at the East India Company and lives in a London Molly House.<ref>{{cite web |title=Taboo Recap: Dirty Deeds |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/01/taboo-recap-season-1-episode-3.html |website=Vulture}}</ref>
2017–2018 Valor The CW Thea Melissa Roxburgh Thea is a closeted bisexual CIA agent. She has two short-term relationships with Zoe Cho, and Leland Gallo.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Marshall|first1=Melissa|title=Valor Season 1 Episode 3 Review: Soldier Ready|url=https://www.tvfanatic.com/2017/10/valor-season-1-episode-3-review-soldier-ready/%7Cwebsite=TV Fanatic|publisher=Mediavine Inc.|date=October 23, 2017}}</ref>
Zoe Cho Chelle Ramos
2017 When We Rise ABC Cleve Jones Guy Pearce Cleve Jones is gay and an AIDS activist. The miniseries is about the growth of the LGBT civil rights movement in San Francisco, from the 1970s until the 2010s, with characters based on actual persons.<ref name=":1when we rise">{{cite web|last1=Anderson|first1=Stephanie Marie|title=A who's who of 'When We Rise'|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/topics/sexuality/fast-lane/article/2017/02/19/whos-who-when-we-rise%7Cwebsite=SBS|date=24 February 2017}}</ref><ref name=":2when we rise">{{cite web|last1=Bendix|first1=Trish|title=Dustin Lance Black on Capturing America's LGBTQ Herstory in "When We Rise"|url=http://gomag.com/article/dustin-lance-black-capturing-americas-lgbtq-herstory-rise/%7Cwork=GO Magazine|date=February 24, 2017}}</ref>
young Cleve Jones Austin P. McKenzie
Roma Guy Mary-Louise Parker Roma Guy is a feminist lesbian and social justice activist.<ref name=":1when we rise"/><ref name=":2when we rise"/>
young Roma Guy Emily Skeggs
Diane Rachel Griffiths Diane is a lesbian nurse.<ref name=":1when we rise"/><ref name=":2when we rise"/>
young Diane Fiona Dourif
Ken Jones Michael K. Williams Ken Jones is a gay activist.<ref name=":1when we rise"/><ref name=":2when we rise"/>
young Ken Jones Jonathan Majors
Matt Tyler Young Matt is gay and has a relationship with young Cleve.<ref name=":1when we rise"/><ref name=":2when we rise"/>
Michael Charlie Carver title=Inside the Carry-On: Charlie Carver |url=https://dujour.com/lifestyle/charlie-carver-when-we-rise/ |website=DuJour |date=21 February 2017}}</ref>
Pat Norman Whoopi Goldberg Pat Norman is a lesbian activist, founder of the Lesbian Mothers Union and first openly gay employee of the San Francisco Health Department.<ref name=":1when we rise"/><ref name=":2when we rise"/>
Del Martin Rosie O'Donnell Del Martin is a feminist lesbian and activist, and co-founder of Daughters of Bilitis.<ref name=":1when we rise"/><ref name=":2when we rise"/>
Phyllis Lyon Maddie Corman last1=Werder|first1=Corinne|title=Meet the Real Women Featured in "When We Rise"|url=http://gomag.com/article/meet-real-women-featured-rise/%7Cwork=GO Magazine|date=February 27, 2017}}</ref>
Jean Caitlin Gerard title=When We Rise Premiere Recap: Outsiders Gather in San Francisco |url=https://ew.com/recap/when-we-rise-series-premiere/ |website=EW.com}}</ref>
Cecilia Chung Ivory Aquino Cecilia Chung is a trans woman and political activist.<ref name=":2when we rise"/>
Scott Nick Eversman Scott is gay, living in a treehouse.<ref name="when we rise premiere"/>
José Sarria Michael DeLorenzo José Sarria is a gay political activist and founder of the Imperial Court System.
Bobbi Jean Baker Jazzmun Bobbi Jean Baker is a transgender activist.<ref name=":4when we rise"/>
Anne Kronenberg Britt Irvin Anne Kronenberg is the campaign manager for Harvey Milk and his aide on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.<ref name=":4when we rise"/>
Sally Gearhart Carrie Preston Sally Gearhart is a feminist lesbian and political activist.<ref name=":1when we rise"/><ref name=":2when we rise"/>
Jim Foster Denis O’Hare Jim Foster is the first openly gay man to ever speak at a Democratic convention.<ref name="when we rise premiere"/>
2017 Will TNT Christopher Marlowe Jamie Campbell Bower title=TNT's Sexy Shakespeare Show Will Is Wild and Delightful |url=https://www.themarysue.com/tnt-will-review/ |website=The Mary Sue |date=7 July 2017}}</ref>
Thomas Walsingham Edward Hayter title=A Fine Mystery - Marlowe - What (little) We Know {{!}} Much Ado About Something {{!}} FRONTLINE {{!}} PBS |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/muchado/fine/bios.html}}</ref>

2018

Year Show Network Character Actor Notes
2018– 9-1-1 FOX Michael Grant Rockmond Dunbar last1=Fremont|first1=Maggie|title=9-1-1 series premiere react: 'Pilot'|url=https://ew.com/recap/9-1-1-series-premiere/%7Cwebsite=Entertainment Weekly|date=January 3, 2018}}</ref>
Henrietta "Hen" Wilson Aisha Hinds last1=Hogan|first1=Heather|title=Boob(s On Your) Tube: "9-1-1" Reveals Its Lesbian Character Just As We Predicted With Our Supreme TV Gaydar|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/boobs-on-your-tube-9-1-1-reveals-its-lesbian-character-as-we-knew-it-eventually-would-409905/%7Cwebsite=Autostraddle|date=February 2, 2018}}</ref>
Karen Wilson Tracie Thoms Karen is lesbian. She and Henrietta are raising the son of Hen's ex-girlfriend.<ref name="karen and henrietta"/>
Josh Russo Bryan Safi last=Jacobs|first=Meredith|title=Will the 118 Need to Help 9-1-1's Own After the Episode 13 Cliffhanger?|url=https://www.tvinsider.com/928821/911-season-3-episode-13-maddie-call-center-hostages/%7Cwebsite=TV Insider}}</ref>
Eva Mathis Abby Brammell Eva is Hen's ex and an incarcerated criminal.<ref name="karen and henrietta"/>
2018– A Discovery of Witches Sky One Sarah Bishop Alex Kingston Sarah and Emily are a lesbian couple.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Sobel|first1=Ariel|title=A New TV Show About Lesbian Witches Brews Excitement|url=https://www.advocate.com/television/2018/9/17/new-tv-show-about-lesbian-witches-stirs-excitement%7Cdate=September 17, 2018|website=The Advocate}}</ref>
Emily Mather Valarie Pettiford
2018– A Million Little Things ABC Daniel Dixon Chance Hurstfield last1=Zapata |first1=Kimberly |title=All About the Season 2 Cast of A Million Little Things |url=https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a28774714/a-million-little-things-cast/ |work=O, The Oprah Magazine |date=August 23, 2019}}</ref>
2018 A Very English Scandal BBC One Jeremy Thorpe Hugh Grant Jeremy Thorpe was the leader of the Liberal Party for nine years. He was a closeted homosexual who had affairs with men and was in a secret relationship with Norman Scott.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Boissoneault|first1=Lorraine|title=The True Story of "A Very English Scandal" and the Trials of a Closeted Gay Politician|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/true-story-very-english-scandal-and-trials-closeted-gay-politician-180969454/%7Cwork=Smithsonian|date=June 27, 2018}}</ref>
Norman Scott Ben Whishaw
2018– After Forever Amazon Prime Video Brian Kevin Spirtas title=After Forever|url=http://afterforevertheseries.com/%7Cdate=2018%7Caccess-date=18 January 2020}}</ref><ref name=":2after forever">{{cite magazine|last1=Reddish|first1=David|title=Micro series 'After Forever' takes an intimate look at older gay men-and death do us part|url=https://www.queerty.com/amazons-forever-takes-intimate-look-older-gay-men-death-us-part-20180425%7Cwebsite=Queerty|date=April 25, 2018}}</ref><ref name=":3after forever">{{cite news|last1=Simon|first1=Ray|title=New series on Amazon Prime takes on love and loss|url=http://www.epgn.com/arts-and-culture/television/13309-amazon-s-new-series-takes-on-love-and-loss%7Cwork=Philadelphia Gay News|date=April 26, 2018}}</ref><ref name=":4after forever">{{cite magazine|last1=Artavia|first1=David|title=A Looking, Queer as Folk for Fifty-something Golden Gays|url=https://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2018/11/29/looking-queer-folk-fifty-something-golden-gays%7Cmagazine=The Advocate|date=November 29, 2018}}</ref>
Jason Mitchell Anderson Jason is gay.<ref name=":1after forever"/><ref name=":2after forever"/><ref name=":3after forever"/><ref name=":4after forever"/>
David Taylor Mike McGowan David is gay and Brian's boyfriend.<ref name=":1after forever"/><ref name=":2after forever"/><ref name=":3after forever"/><ref name=":4after forever"/>
Brenda Erin Cherry Brenda is lesbian.<ref name=":1after forever"/><ref name=":2after forever"/><ref name=":3after forever"/><ref name=":4after forever"/>
2018– All American The CW Tamia "Coop" Cooper Bre-Z last1=Bowen |first1=Sesali |title=Bre-Z Just Told Us Exactly Why All American's Coop Is So Dope |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2018/10/214999/bre-z-all-american-coop-interview |website=Refinery29 |date=October 24, 2018}}</ref>
2018– Altered Carbon Netflix Isaac Bancroft Antonio Marziale Isaac Bancroft has a male lover, Sergei Brevlov.<ref>{{cite web |title=Altered Carbon - Season 1 |url=https://www.mediaversityreviews.com/tv-reviews/2018/11/5/altered-carbon |website=Mediaversity Reviews}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Altered Carbon Episode 6 Review: Man with My Face |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/altered-carbon-episode-6-review-man-with-my-face/ |website=Den of Geek |date=3 February 2018}}</ref>
Sergei Brevlov Chris McNally
2018 American Crime Story
{{Nowrap|The Assassination of Gianni Versace}}
(season 2)		 FX Gianni Versace Édgar Ramírez Gianni Versace was gay, and murdered by spree killer Andrew Cunanan.<ref name=versace/>
Andrew Cunanan Darren Criss last=Miller|first=Julie|title=The Truth About Gianni Versace and Andrew Cunanan's Relationship|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/01/versace-american-crime-story-andrew-cunanan%7Cwebsite=Vanity Fair|date=January 17, 2018}}</ref>
Antonio D'Amico Ricky Martin Antonio D'Amico is gay and Versace's partner at the time of his death.<ref name=versace/>
Lee Miglin Mike Farrell last1=Chan|first1=Sewell|title='The Assassination of Gianni Versace' Episode 3: Death or Disgrace?|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/31/arts/television/the-assassination-of-gianni-versace-american-crime-story-recap-a-random-killing.html%7Cwebsite=The New York Times|date=January 31, 2018}}</ref>
Jeffrey Trail Finn Wittrock last1=Mackelden|first1=Amy|title=Who Were Jeffrey Trail and David Madson? American Crime Story Explores Andrew Cunanan's First Victims|url=http://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/a15922647/jeffrey-trail-david-madson-facts-american-crime-story/%7Cwebsite=Harper's Bazaar|date=January 31, 2018}}</ref>
David Madson Cody Fern David Madson was gay, and witnessed Jeffrey Trail's murder, and was also killed by Andrew Cunanan.<ref name="harpersbazaar.com"/>
2018– Anne+ BNN-VARA
3LAB		 Anne Hanna van Vliet last1=Wisse|first1=Mario|title=Lesbische Webserie Was Hard Nodig'|url=https://www.metronieuws.nl/nieuws/showbizz/2017/11/lesbische-webserie-was-hard-nodig%7Cwork=Metro|date=21 November 2017|language=nl|trans-title=Lesbian Web Series Was Badly Needed}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Bader|first1=Silke|title=Web Series: Anne+|url=https://www.curvemag.com/film-club/film-collection/web-series/web-series-anne/%7Cmagazine=Curve|date=January 11, 2020}}</ref>
2018–2020 Baby Netflix Fabio Fedeli Brando Pacitto last1=Mitchell|first1=Molli|url=https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/1191718/Baby-season-2-cast-who-stars-actor-Netflix-series-Alice-Pagani-Benedetta-Porcaroli%7Ctitle=Baby season 2 cast: Who is in the cast of Baby?|work=Daily Express|date=October 18, 2019|access-date=8 November 2019}}</ref>
Brando De Santis Mirko Trovato Brando is gay and comes out in the final season.<ref name="Fabio and Brando"/>
2018– Black Lightning The CW Anissa Pierce Nafessa Williams last1=Jackman|first1=Josh|title=Meet the black lesbian superhero ready to take over TV on The CW's Black Lightning|url=http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/01/05/meet-the-black-lesbian-superhero-ready-to-take-over-tv-on-the-cws-black-lightning/%7Cwebsite=PinkNews|date=5 January 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Bergado|first1=Gabe|title="Black Lightning" Star Nafessa Williams Talks Why Representation Matters and Bringing Thunder to Life|url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/black-lightning-nafessa-williams-anissa-pierce%7Cwebsite=Teen Vogue|date=January 23, 2018}}</ref>
Grace Choi Chantal Thuy last1=Riese|title=Winter 2017/2018 TV Preview: Some Lesbian and Bisexual Content for Y'all|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/winter-2017-2018-tv-preview-some-lesbian-and-bisexual-content-for-yall-403491/%7Cwebsite=Autostraddle|date=December 5, 2017}}</ref>
Chenoa Shein Mompremier last1=Love|first1=Tirhakah|title=Black Lightning reveals its stakes: superheroes are bad at love|url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/black-lightning-reveals-its-stakes-superheroes-are-bad-at-love%7Cwebsite=Syfy Wire|date=January 24, 2018}}</ref>
2018– Burden of Truth CBC Molly Ross Sara Thompson Molly is lesbian. Luna is lesbian and a First Nation native. Molly and Luna are in a relationship and attend the same high school. In season 1 episode "Witch Hunt" they go to the prom as a couple, holding hands as they enter and afterwards dance together.<ref>{{cite web |title=Boobs on Your Tube: Canada Out-Gays Itself Again With Burden of Truth |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/boobs-on-your-tube-canada-out-gays-itself-again-with-burden-of-truth-430281/ |website=Autostraddle |date=24 August 2018}}</ref>
Luna Spence Star Slade
2018 'Cause You're My Boy GMM One Mork Drake Sattabut Mork and Tee are the main gay couple. Morn and Gord are the supporting gay couple. A Thai romance drama depicting relationships between male characters, known as boys love, it tells the love story of four young boys in a high school setting.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ferrer |first1=Louise |title=7 Thai Boys Love Shows To Watch If You're Obsessed With 2gether: The Series |url=https://www.cosmo.ph/entertainment/thai-boys-love-series-a1213-20200830 |website=Cosmopolitan |date=August 30, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Nugroho |first1=Johannes |title=Why Thailand's erotic Boys Love TV are a hit with both gay and straight |url=https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3104852/thailands-erotic-boys-love-tv-dramas-are-hit |website=South China Morning Post|date=11 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=GMMTV|title=Trailer อาตี๋ของผม|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHa8wMfsIms%7Cwebsite=YouTube|date=June 13, 2018}}</ref>
Tee Frank Thanatsaran
Morn Phuwin Tangsakyuen
Gord Neo Trai Nimtawat
2018– Charmed The CW Melanie "Mel" Vera Melonie Diaz Melanie "Mel" Vera is a lesbian witch. She's a Women's Studies graduate student. Niko Hamada is lesbian and a police detective. Mel and Nico are in a relationship.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Gallagher|first1=Caitlin|title=How Is The New 'Charmed' Connected To The Original Series? The Reboot Is Casting Its Own Spell|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/how-is-the-new-charmed-connected-to-the-original-series-the-reboot-is-casting-its-own-spell-12247468%7Cwebsite=Bustle|date=October 14, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Phillips|first1=Carmen|title="Charmed" Review: Come for the Kickass Lesbian Witch, Stay For the Sisterhood|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/charmed-review-come-for-the-kickass-lesbian-witch-stay-for-the-sisterhood-435785/%7Cwebsite=Autostraddle|date=October 15, 2018}}</ref>
Nico Hamada Ellen Tamaki
2018- Class T1T5 YouTube Melissa Melissa Poh title=Class T1T5 |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/class-t1t5/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
2018 Collateral BBC Two
Netflix		 Jane Oliver Nicola Walker Jane is a vicar in a lesbian relationship with an illegal immigrant, Linh Xuan Huy.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Sweeting|first1=Adam|title=Collateral, BBC Two review - a lecture or a drama?|url=http://www.theartsdesk.com/tv/collateral-bbc-two-review-lecture-or-drama%7Cwebsite=The Arts Desk|date=13 February 2018}}</ref>
Linh Xuan Huy Kae Alexander
2018– Condor Audience Sarah Tan Ellen Wong title=All 214 Dead Lesbian and Bisexual Characters On TV, And How They Died {{!}} Page 4 of 4 |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/all-65-dead-lesbian-and-bisexual-characters-on-tv-and-how-they-died-312315/4/ |website=Autostraddle |date=11 March 2016}}</ref>
Sharla Shepard Christina Moses title=Sharla Shepard, Condor (TV series) |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sharla-shepard/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
2018–2019 Counterpart Starz Nadia/Baldwin Sara Serraiocco last1=Kayvon |first1=Shervin |title=Sara Serraiocco Is A Leather-Wearing, Lesbian Assassin on Starz's Counterpart |url=https://www.intomore.com/culture/sara-serraiocco-is-a-leatherwearing-lesbian-assassin-on-starzs-counterpart/ |website=INTO |date=29 January 2018}}</ref>
Clare Nazanin Boniadi Clare is a lesbian.<ref name="Sara Serraiocco"/>
Greta Liv Lisa Fries title=Counterpart |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/counterpart/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
2018 Deutschland 86 SundanceTV Tim Avery Chris Veres Tim Avery is a closeted gay American G.I.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Fernandez|first1=Matt|title=Chris Veres Lands Series Regular Role on 'Deutschland 86' |url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/chris-veres-deutschland-86-1202610215/%7Cwork=Variety|date=November 10, 2017}}</ref> Rose Seithathi is lesbian and in a relationship with Lenora Rauch. Lenora is openly bisexual, having been seen kissing a man in the previous season. Alex Edel is gay. He slept with Tobias Tischbier in the previous season.<ref name=Hughes_83ep5>{{cite web|last1=Hughes|first1=Sarah|title=Deutschland 83 recap, episode five – Cold Fire |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2016/jan/31/deutschland-83-recap-episode-five-cold-fire%7Cwork=The Guardian|date=31 January 2018|access-date=24 October 2018}}</ref> Tobias Tischbier is gay. He tries to make a move on Alex in the first season, and later becomes sexually involved with him even though he was in a relationship with a man named Felix.<ref name=Hughes_83ep6/>
Rose Seithathi Florence Kasumba
Lenora Rauch Maria Schrader
Alex Edel Ludwig Trepte
Tobias Tischbier Alexander Beyer
2018– Dogs of Berlin Netflix Erol Birkan Fahri Yardim Erol Birkan is gay. Guido Mack is gay and Erol's partner.<ref>{{cite web|last1=ul-Haq|first1=Farid|title=Recommendation: "Dogs of Berlin" On Netflix Offers Crime & Well-Written Queer Representation|url=https://thegeekiary.com/dogs-berlin-netflix-queer/60255%7Cwebsite=The Geekiary|date=February 8, 2019|access-date=4 May 2020}}</ref>
Guido Mack Sebastian Achilles
2018– Druck ZDF Matteo Florenzi Michelangelo Fortuzzi last1=Johnstone |first1=Beth |title=Why Druck is the best version of Skam |url=https://jonosrantsandreviews.com/2021/03/11/why-druck-is-the-best-version-of-skam/ |date=11 March 2021}}</ref>
David Schreibner Lukas von Horbatschewsky last1=Barwenczik |first1=Lucas |title=A little flippant and imperfect |url=https://www.goethe.de/en/kul/flm/21657771.html |website=Goethe Institut |date=September 2019}}</ref>
Mia Winter Milena Tscharntke Mia is bisexual.<ref name="druck tv"/>
Victoria Tijan Marei title=Victoria |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/victoria-4/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
Fatou Jallow Sira-Anna Faal Fatou is lesbian.<ref name="druck tv"/>
Kieu My Vu Nhung Hong Kieu is bisexual.<ref name="druck tv"/>
2018– Élite Netflix Ander Muñoz Arón Piper Ander Muñoz is gay and in a relationship with Omar Shanaa. Omar is gay but has to hide his sexuality from his parents due to their Muslim faith. Polo Benavent is bisexual and polyamorous. He has a relationship with Carla and Christian in season 1 and later has a relationship with Cayetana and Valerio in season 3. He has also hooked up with Ander in season 2. Rebeka "Rebe" de Bormujo is bisexual. She confesses to Ander that she is attracted to girls and guys. She was attracted to Samuel and dated him, but also said she was sexually attracted to Carla. Valerio Montesinos is bisexual and polyamorous. He has a relationship with Cayetana and Polo.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Solari|first1=Bruno|title=Netflix's 'Elite' is a Hidden Queer Gem|url=https://www.out.com/popnography/2018/10/10/netflixs-elite-hidden-queer-gem%7Cwebsite=Out|date=October 10, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Street|first1=Mikelle|title=Polo From Elite Reveals a Much-Needed Conversation About Consent|url=https://www.out.com/television/2019/10/06/polo-elite-reveals-much-needed-conversation-about-consent%7Cwebsite=Out|date=October 6, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Reilly |first1=Kaitlin |title=The Gay Relationship On "Elite" Has Netflix Sharing Rainbows |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2018/10/214264/elite-netflix-homophobia-response |website=refinery29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Watch the official trailer for season 2 of LGBTQ-inclusive Netflix drama Elite |url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/watch-the-official-trailer-for-season-2-of-lgbtq-inclusive-netflix-drama-elite/ |date=20 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Opie |first1=David |title=Élite season 3 continues to celebrate queerness better than any other show |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a31431744/elite-season-3-lgbtq-queer-omander-netflix/ |website=Digital Spy |date=13 March 2020}}</ref> Malick was gay.
Omar Shanaa Omar Ayuso
Polo Benavent Álvaro Rico
Rebeka "Rebe" de Bormujo Claudia Salas
Valerio Montesinos Jorge López
Malick D Leïti Sène
2018 Everything Sucks! Netflix Kate Messner Peyton Kennedy Kate Messner spends the season struggling with her sexual identity, before coming to terms that she's a lesbian. Emaline Addario might be bisexual. She is seen dating a male classmate, but then she and Kate reveal their attraction towards one another and later share a kiss.<ref>{{Cite news|last= Romero|first= Ariana|url=https://www.refinery29.com/2018/02/191052/netflix-everything-sucks-kate-lesbian-teen-coming-out%7Ctitle=Why Everything Sucks' Coming Out Story Matters|website=Refinery29|date=February 16, 2018}}</ref>
Emaline Addario Sydney Sweeney
2018– For the People ABC Kate Littlejohn Susannah Flood Kate Littlejohn is lesbian and a prosecutor. Anya Ooms is lesbian and an ATF agent. Kate and Anya are involved romantically.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Vick |first1=Megan |title=For the People Exclusive: Is Kate Getting Cold Feet With Her ATF Girlfriend? |url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/for-the-people-exclusive-kate-girlfriend/ |website=TV Guide |date=May 15, 2018}}</ref>
Anya Ooms Caitlin Stasey
2018 Here and Now HBO Ramon Bayer-Boatwright Daniel Zovatto Ramon Bayer-Boatwright and Henry are a gay couple.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Goodman|first=Tim|title='Here and Now': TV Review|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/review-1080645%7Cwork=The Hollywood Reporter|date=February 1, 2018}}</ref>
Henry Andy Bean
Navid Shokrani Marwan Salama title=Here and Now - Marwan Salama's Navid Doesn't Need Validation |url=https://www.hbo.com/here-and-now/season-1/3-if-a-deer-shts-in-the-woods/marwan-salamas-navid-doesnt-need-validation |website=HBO}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Morton|first1=Ashley|title=Marwan Salama's Navid Doesn't Need Validation|url=https://www.hbo.com/here-and-now/season-1/3-if-a-deer-shts-in-the-woods/marwan-salamas-navid-doesnt-need-validation%7Cwebsite=HBO|date=February 25, 2018}}</ref>
2018–2020 The House of Flowers Netflix Julián de la Mora Darío Yazbek Bernal Julián de la Mora is bisexual. He was in a relationship with a woman while secretly dating Diego Olvera. Diego is gay. María José (formerly José María Riquelme) is a transgender woman that was married to Paulina de la Mora before transitioning. She remarried Paulina in the final episode of season 3. Paulina is pansexual. She was married to María José before she transitioned. After splitting up, she dated Alejo Salvat before reuniting with, and remarrying, María José. Pato Lascuraín is a gay man and a drag queen. He is murdered for his sexuality. Kim is pansexual. She starts a relationship with María José. Agustín Corcuera is a closeted gay man. He kills Pato after the latter tries to expose their relationship.<ref>{{cite web|title='La casa de las flores': Pareja gay te enseña lo importante que es 'salir del clóset'|url=https://peru21.pe/cheka/casa-flores-escena-gay-permite-hablar-miedo-salir-closet-420271?foto=2%7Cwebsite=Perú21%7Clanguage=es%7Cdate=11 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Ibarra|first1=Marlene Pérez|title=Paco de León conoce su transformación en mujer de la serie La casa de las flores|url=https://www.show.news/series/Paco-de-Leon-conoce-su-transformacion-en-mujer-de-la-serie-La-casa-de-las-flores-20191020-0016.html%7Cwebsite=Show!%7Cdate=20 October 2019|language=es}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=La Casa de las Flores is a Turning Point for Modern-Day Mexican Television |url=https://instinctmagazine.com/la-casa-de-las-flores-is-a-turning-point-for-modern-day-mexican-television/ |website=Instinct Magazine |date=19 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=House of Flowers Creator Shares What to Expect in Final Season |url=https://www.etonline.com/house-of-flowers-creator-manolo-caro-explores-lgbtq-issues-in-final-season-exclusive-145399 |website=Entertainment Tonight}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=La Casa de las Flores |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/la-casa-de-las-flores/}}</ref>
Diego Olvera Juan Pablo Medina
María José Riquelme Paco León
Paulina de la Mora Cecilia Suárez
Pato Lascuraín Christian Chávez
Kim Cristina Umaña
Agustín Corcuera Emilio Cuaik
2018–2019 Impulse YouTube Premium Jenna Faith Hope Sarah Desjardins Jenna comes to term with the realization that she's lesbian, then is outed to her parents by her friend (season 2). Kate is a young woman that Jenna meets at a college party during a poetry performance and Kate kisses Jenna afterwards. Megan Linderman is queer.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Anne|first=Valerie|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/impulse-season-2-makes-good-on-its-gay-promise/%7Ctitle="Impulse" Season 2 Makes Good on its Gay Promise|date=October 25, 2019|website=Autostraddle|access-date=27 March 2020}}</ref>
Kate Sarah Swire
Megan Linderman Lauren Collins
2018 The Innocents Netflix Lil Sabrina Bartlett Lil kisses June. (She may be lesbian or bisexual.) Kam has a boyfriend, but is also involved with women. (She appears to be bisexual.) Sigrid has feelings for a woman back home. (She may be lesbian or bisexual.)<ref>{{cite web|last1=Reilly|first1=Kaitlin|title=The Innocents Binge Club|url=https://www.refinery29.com/2018/08/207974/the-innocents-recap-season-1-episodes-summary-netflix%7Cdate=August 24, 2018|website=Refinery29}}</ref>
Kam Abigail Hardingham
Sigrid Lise Risom Olsen
2018– Insatiable Netflix Bob Barnard Christopher Gorham Bob Barnard claims to enjoy sex with women but self-identifies as gay. He has been in love with Bob Armstrong since they were teenagers.<ref name="insatiable"/>
Bob Armstrong Dallas Roberts title=Netflix's Insatiable sparks outrage by saying bi people 'don't exist' |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/08/16/netflix-insatiable-bisexual-outrage-exist/ |website=PinkNews |date=16 August 2018}}</ref>
Nonnie Thompson Kimmy Shields last1=Bryan |first1=Scott |title=13 Ways "Insatiable" Is Really Fucking Problematic |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/scottybryan/problematic-insatiable-moments |website=BuzzFeed}}</ref>
Deborah "Dee" Marshall Ashley D. Kelley last1=Sarrubba |first1=Stefania |title=Is new Netflix show Insatiable really homophobic, biphobic and fat-shaming? |url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/insatiable-netflix-fat-shaming-homophobia/ |website=Gay Star News |date=13 August 2018}}</ref>
2018– Instinct CBS Dylan Reinhart Alan Cumming Dylan Reinhart is gay. A former CIA operative-turned-university professor and best-selling author now helping the New York Police Department. Andy Wilson is gay. Dylan and Andy are married.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/why-cbs-instinct-history-making-gay-lead-matters-guest-column-1091642%7Ctitle=Why CBS' 'Instinct,' With Its History-Making Gay Lead, Matters|last=Rauch|first= Michael|date=March 14, 2018|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=March 21, 2018}}</ref>
Andy Wilson Daniel Ings
2018– Killing Eve BBC America Villanelle Jodie Comer Villanelle is a bisexual assassin. She has sex with women and men, had a brief relationship with her neighbor Sebastian, married a woman, and is in love with Eve. In episode "You're Mine" (season 2, episode 8), Villanelle asks Eve to run away with her. When Eve rejects her, Villanelle shoots Eve and leaves her for dead. The character of Villanelle was modeled on a real-life terrorist.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Harrison |first1=Ellie |title=Killing Eve: The real-life 'psychopath' who murdered 23 people and inspired Villanelle character |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/killing-eve-villanelle-real-inspiration-jodie-comer-idoia-lopez-riano-la-tigresa-luke-jennings-a9513881.html |work=The Independent |date=14 May 2020}}</ref> Eve Polastri appears to be bisexual. She reveals an attraction towards Villanelle, even though they are bitter rivals and that their cat-and-mouse relationship contains violence and obsession. In episode "Meetings Have Biscuits" (season 3, episode 3), Eve finally kisses Villanelle for the first time, then head-butts her. Bill Pargrave is bisexual. He chose to enter into a heterosexual marriage by arrangement because he wanted to father a child, and occasionally has sex with his wife who knows about his history with men.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Baugher|first1=Lacy|title=Killing Eve: We need to know more about Villanelle's past|url=https://culturess.com/2018/05/03/killing-eve-we-need-to-know-more-about-villanelles-past/%7Cwebsite=Culturess%7Cpublisher=FanSided|date=May 3, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Roberson |first1=Jennie |title=The Unicorn Scale: Killing Eve |url=https://bi.org/en/articles/the-unicorn-scale-killing-eve |website=Bi.org |date=April 17, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Cook |first1=Elisabeth |title=I Think About You, Too: "Killing Eve" & Bisexual Representation |url=https://thespool.net/features/killing-eve/ |website=The Spool |date=June 26, 2019}}</ref>
Bill Pargrave David Haig
Eve Polastri Sandra Oh
2018– Krypton SyFy Adam Strange Shaun Sipos Adam Strange is quite likely bisexual. In season 1, episode "House of Zod", Adam Strange appreciates the view of the bare ass of a tattooed male Sagitari.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Melrose|first1=Kevin|title=Wait, Did Krypton Just Hint That Adam Strange Is Gay?|url=https://www.cbr.com/krypton-adam-strange-gay-bisexual/%7Cwebsite=Comic Book Resources|date=April 18, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Krypton: The Decision to Make Adam Strange Bisexual |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/krypton-the-decision-to-make-adam-strange-bisexual/ |website=Den of Geek |date=28 July 2018}}</ref>
Nyssa-Vex Wallis Day last1=Burlingame|first1=Russ|title='Krypton': Nyssa-Vex Reveals She Is Bisexual|url=https://comicbook.com/dc/2018/05/03/krypton-nyssa-vex-is-bisexual/%7Cwebsite=ComicBook.com%7Cpublisher=Pop Culture Media|date=May 2, 2018}}</ref>
2018– Legacies The CW Josie Saltzman Kaylee Bryant last1=Nouri |first1=Sefket |title=Legacies recap: Series premiere delivers romance, drama, and magic |url=https://hiddenremote.com/2018/10/26/legacies-series-premiere-recap/ |website=Hidden Remote |publisher=FanSided Network |date=October 26, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Zalben|first1=Alex|title=Dear 'Legacies': You Can Keep Your Josie/Landon Romance, Thanks!|url=https://decider.com/2019/10/10/legacies-season-2-premiere-spoilers-landon-josie/%7Cwebsite=Decider|date=October 10, 2019}}</ref>
Penelope Park Lulu Antariksa last=Palmer|first=Catherine|url=https://theseriesregulars.com/legacies-a-revolutionary-approach-to-identity-and-relationships/%7Ctitle='Legacies': A Revolutionary Approach to Identity And Relationships|website=The Series Regulars|date=March 5, 2019|access-date=April 27, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Drum|first1=Nicole|title='Legacies' Creator Teases Fan-Favorites Returning in Season 2|url=https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/legacies-season-2-julie-plec-kai-parker-chris-wood-the-cw/%7Cwebsite=Comicbook.com |date=April 2, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Fleenor |first1=S.E. |title=The queer witches from TV who make us proud |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/queer-witches-tv-make-us-proud |website=Syfy Wire |date=July 15, 2020}}</ref>
Hope Mikaelson Danielle Rose Russell last1=Swift |first1=Andy |title=Legacies' Danielle Rose Russell Reacts to Hope's Romantic Confession About Josie: 'That Didn't Shock Me' |url=https://tvline.com/2019/12/01/legacies-season-2-hope-josie-relationship-new-interview/ |website=TVLine |date=December 1, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Neetha K|title='Legacies' Season 2: Is the show queerbaiting viewers with minor hints about Hope and Josie ship?|url=https://meaww.com/legacies-season-2-queerbaiting-viewers-minor-hints-hosie-hope-josie-penelope-maya%7Cwebsite=MEAWW (Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide)|date=January 30, 2020}}</ref>
Jade Giorgia Whigham last1=MacDonald|first1=Lindsay|title=Legacies Boss Says Josie and Jade's Romance 'Felt Right|url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/legacies-boss-jade-josie-romance-felt-right/%7Cmagazine=TV Guide|date=March 12, 2020}}</ref>
2018 Life Sentence The CW Ida Abbott Gillian Vigman Ida is bisexual. She leaves her husband to be with her friend, Poppy.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Reiher|first1=Andrea|title=Life Sentence' Premiere Recap: Introducing the Abbotts, Your New Fave TV Family|url=https://www.brit.co/life-sentence-premiere-recap-lucy-hale/%7Cwebsite=Brit + Co|date=March 8, 2018}}</ref>
Poppy Claudia Rocafort
2018– Light as a Feather Hulu Alex Portnoy Brianne Tju last1=Nicolaou|first1=Elena|title=A Complete Rundown Of The Death Predictions On Light As A Feather|url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2018/10/213652/light-as-a-feather-violet-death-predictions#slide-3%7Cwebsite=Refinery29|date=October 12, 2018}}</ref>
Peri Adriyan Rae last1=Block|first1=Rosemarie|title="Light as a Feather" Season 2 Lifts Its Lesbian Character Into the Spotlight|url=https://scoopsquare24.com/light-as-a-feather-season-2-lifts-its-lesbian-character-into-the-spotlight/%7Cwebsite=Scoop Square24|date=August 5, 2019}}</ref>
2018– Manifest NBC Bethany Collins Mugga title=Bethany Collins, Manifest (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/bethany-collins/}}</ref>
Georgia Collins Eva Kaminsky title=Georgia Collins, Manifest (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/georgia-collins/}}</ref>
Thomas Sheldon Best last1=Wilson |first1=Samantha |title='Manifest' Recap: A Stowaway On Flight 828 Could Be The Answer To Michaela & Saanvi's Problems |url=https://hollywoodlife.com/2018/10/15/manifest-stowaway-on-flight-828-season-1-episode-4-recap/ |website=Hollywood Life |date=16 October 2018}}</ref>
2018– McMafia BBC One
AMC		 Semiyon Kleiman David Strathairn title=TV review: McMafia Episode 5 |url=https://www.thejc.com/culture/tv/tv-review-mcmafia-episode-5-1.457058}}</ref>
2018– New Amsterdam NBC Iggy Frome Tyler Labine Iggy Frome and Martin McIntyre are married and have adopted three children from Bangladesh.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Blu |first1=Jasmine |title=New Amsterdam Season 2 Episode 10 Review: Code Silver |url=https://www.tvfanatic.com/2020/01/new-amsterdam-season-2-episode-10-review-code-silver/ |website=TV Fanatic |date=14 January 2020}}</ref>
Martin McIntyre Mike Doyle
2018 The Novelist Fuji TV Kazumi Haruhiko Izuka Kenta Kazumi Haruhiko and Kijima Rio are a gay couple.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Novelist|url=https://www.viki.com/tv/36852c-the-novelist%7Cwebsite=Viki|date= February 2020}}</ref>
Kijima Rio Takezai Terunosuke
2018 Origin YouTube Premium Agnes "Lee" Lebachi Adelayo Adedayo Agnes "Lee" Lebachi is a lesbian.<ref name="Origin TV series"/>
Evelyn Rey Nora Arnezeder title=Origin |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/origin/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
2018 Picnic at Hanging Rock Showcase (AU) Michael Fitzhubert Harrison Gilbertson Michael Fitzhubert is in love with Albert Crundall. Irma Leopold kisses Miranda Reid. Greta McGraw is a geography teacher whose father exiled her from home for being a lesbian. Marion Quade is lesbian. Greta and Marion are in a relationship.<ref>{{cite web|first=Holly|last=Byrnes|title=Foxtel's Picnic At Hanging Rock turns up the homoerotic heat in saucy new series|url=https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/foxtels-picnic-at-hanging-rock-turns-up-the-homoerotic-heat-in-saucy-new-series/news-story/151d918b1b755d4b0107219f1e2e4957%7Cdate=5 May 2018|access-date=11 July 2018|website=News.com.au}}</ref>
Irma Leopold Samara Weaving
Miranda Reid Lily Sullivan
Greta McGraw Anna McGahan
Marion Quade Madeleine Madden
2018– Playing for Keeps Network Ten Rusty O'Reilly Ethan Panizza Rusty O'Reilly is gay. He and Jack Davies were having an affair before Jack's death.<ref>{{cite web |title=Playing For Keeps: The Most WTF Moments Of The Season |url=https://10play.com.au/10-play-trending/articles/playing-for-keeps-the-most-wtf-moments-of-the-season/tpa190614wlnzo |website=10 play |date=9 November 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Woolford |first1=Lisa |title=Ethan's AFL 360 |url=https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/entertainment/confidential/playing-for-keeps-ethan-panizzas-afl-360/news-story/0cd0338b14bb79522f80811e5d4f992f |date=14 October 2018}}</ref>
Jack Davies James Mason
Tahlia Woods Olympia Valance title=Tahlia Woods, Playing for Keeps (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/tahlia-woods/}}</ref>
Hayley Fawkner Alexandra Adornetto title=Hayley Fawkner, Playing for Keeps (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/hayley-fawkner/}}</ref>
2018– Pose FX Blanca Rodriguez-Evangelista Mj Rodriguez last1=Upadhyaya |first1=Kayla Kumari |title=Pose presents a stylish, radical celebration of queer joy |url=https://tv.avclub.com/pose-presents-a-stylish-radical-celebration-of-queer-j-1826518546 |website=The A.V. Club |date=June 6, 2018 |access-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref>
Angel Evangelista Indya Moore Angel is a transgender woman.<ref name="AV-Pose-S1E1"/>
Elektra Abundance Dominique Jackson last1=Rude |first1=Mey |title=How 'Pose' Is Changing Media Representation of Gender Confirmation Surgery |url=https://www.them.us/story/pose-gender-confirmation-surgery |website=them. |publisher=Condé Nast |date=June 18, 2018 |access-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref>
Pray Tell Billy Porter Pray is gay.<ref name="them-Pose-blackgaylove"/>
Damon Richards-Evangelista Ryan Jamaal Swain Damon is gay.<ref name="AV-Pose-S1E1"/>
Ricky Evangelista Dyllón Burnside last1=Cuby |first1=Michael |title=Why Pose Is the Best Representation of Black Gay Love Since Moonlight |url=https://www.them.us/story/pose-black-gay-love-representation |website=them. |publisher=Condé Nast |date=July 23, 2018 |access-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref>
Candy Abundance Angelica Ross last1=Cooper |first1=Michael |title=Why Pose Is the Most Groundbreaking LGBTQ TV Show Ever |url=https://www.laweekly.com/arts/why-pose-is-the-most-ground-breaking-lgbtq-tv-show-ever-9673296 |work=LA Weekly |date=July 19, 2018 |access-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref>
Lulu Abundance Hailie Sahar title=The Fever |series=Pose |date=June 24, 2018 |network=FX |season=1 |number=4 |last=Mock |first=Janet}}</ref>
2018 Rise NBC Simon Saunders Ted Sutherland Simon Saunders is a closeted gay student raised by a very conservative religious family. Jeremy is Simon's co-star in the play, and potential love interest. Michael Hallowell is transgender.<ref>{{Cite news|last= Rudolph|first= Christopher|title=Why NBC Changed The Lead Character On "Rise" From Gay To Straight|url=http://www.newnownext.com/rise-nbc-musical-gay-teacher-straight/01/2018/%7Cwebsite=NewNowNext|date=January 11, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Altmann|first1=Alana|title=Who Plays Michael On 'Rise'? Ellie Desautels Plays An Important Role|url=https://www.elitedaily.com/p/who-plays-michael-on-rise-ellie-desautels-plays-important-role-8552262%7Cwebsite=Elite Daily|date=March 20, 2018}}</ref>
Michael Hallowell Ellie Desautels
Jeremy Sean Grandillo
2018– The Rookie ABC Jackson West Titus Makin Jackson West is gay. He's a rookie police officer and the son of a high-ranking police official. Gino Brown is gay. He is a nurse and in a relationship with Jackson West.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gomez |first1=Adrian |title=Timely topic: 'The Rookie' actor honored as series takes on issues of racial injustice |url=https://www.abqjournal.com/2353396/timely-topic.html |website=Albuquerque Journal |date=January 28, 2021 |url-access=subscription|quote=Titus Makin stars as Jackson West in the ABC series The Rookie. He's gay. He's Black. He's a rookie.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Orlando |first1=Christine |title=This Is Us Season Finale Delayed Following State of the Union Switch |url=https://www.tvfanatic.com/2019/01/this-is-us-season-finale-delayed-following-state-of-the-union-sw/ |website=TV Fanatic |date=30 January 2019}}</ref>
Gino Brown Cameron J. Armstrong
2018– Safe Canal 8
Netflix		 Pete Mayfield Marc Warren last1=Michael |title=Safe (saison 1) |url=http://mika03-nouvellesgays.over-blog.com/2018/05/safe-saison-1.html |website=Nouvelles gays |language=fr|date=20 May 2018}}</ref>
2018 Seven Seconds Netflix Kadeuce Porter Corey Champagne Kadeuce Porter and Brenton Butler were in a relationship before Brenton was killed by a white cop who ran over him in a hit and run.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mangum |first1=Trey |title='Seven Seconds' Breakout Star Corey Champagne On How His Character Adds To Diverse Representation On Television |url=https://shadowandact.com/netflix-seven-seconds-corey-champagne |website=Shadow and Act}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Bringing Diverse Representation to "Seven Seconds"– Corey Champagne Interview |url=https://gemmamagazine.com/2018/05/24/diverse-representation-with-corey-champagne-of-seven-seconds/ |website=gemma magazine |date=24 May 2018}}</ref>
Brenton Butler Daykwon Gaines
2018– Siren Freeform Ryn Eline Powell Ryn is a bisexual mermaid. She is attracted to both Maddie and her boyfriend Ben. Maddie Bishop is revealed to be bisexual, as she is receptive to Ryn's attraction for her.<ref>{{cite web|title='Siren' is Serving us Intersectional—and Interspecific—Bisexual Romance|url=https://www.intomore.com/culture/siren-is-serving-us-intersectionaland-interspecificbisexual-romance%7Cwebsite=INTO%7Cdate=20 April 2018}}</ref>
Maddie Bishop Fola Evans-Akingbola
2018– SKAM Austin Facebook Watch Shay Dixon La'Keisha Slade
Shay Dixon is a lesbian. Tyler Nunez is gay and Shay's best friend.<ref>{{cite web |title=Help I've Fallen For SKAM Austin (and its Black Lesbian Character) and Can't Get Up |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/help-ive-fallen-for-skam-austin-and-its-black-lesbian-character-and-cant-get-up-424342/ |website=Autostraddle |date=26 June 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Priya |first1=Kanu |title=Skam Austin Season 3: Release Date, Cast, New Season/Cancelled |url=https://thecinemaholic.com/skam-austin-facebook-watch/ |website=The Cinemaholic |date=14 January 2020}}</ref>
Tyler Nunez Giovanni Niubo
2018– Station 19 ABC Travis Montgomery Jay Hayden last1=Roschke |first1=Ryan |title=Jay Hayden as Travis Montgomery |url=https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/photo-gallery/44531044/image/44531045/Jay-Hayden-Travis-Montgomery |website=Popsugar Entertainment |date=22 March 2018}}</ref>
Maya Bishop Danielle Savre last1=Bastidas|first1=Jose|title='Station 19': Twitter Applauds Bisexual Main Character|url=https://popculture.com/tv-shows/2018/03/30/station-19-maya-bishop-bi-character-abc/%7Cwebsite=Popculture.com%7Cdate=March 29, 2018}}</ref>
2018– Step Up: High Water YouTube Premium Tal Baker Petrice Jones
(Keiynan Lonsdale)		 title=YouTube Red's 'Step Up: High Water' Is Like A More Dramatic 'Glee' But With Dancing |url=https://decider.com/2018/02/02/step-up-high-water-review-youtube-red/ |website=Decider |date=2 February 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Cuby |first1=Michael |title=Keiynan Lonsdale Will Dance His Way Into Your Heart in "Step Up" Spinoff |url=https://www.them.us/story/keiynan-lonsdale-step-up-tv-spinoff |website=them}}</ref>
2018– Sweetbitter Starz Ariel Eden Epstein Ariel is a lesbian and a womanizer.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Dickie|first1=George|title=A small-town girl seeks herself and finds trouble in the big city in Starz's 'Sweetbitter'|url=https://ontvtoday.com/a-small-town-girl-seeks-herself-and-finds-trouble-in-the-big-city-in-starzs-sweetbitter%7Cwebsite=ONTVtoday%7Cpublisher=Gracenote|date=May 1, 2018}}</ref> Sasha is a gay Russian immigrant.<ref>{{cite web|last=Rudolph|first=Christopher|title=Daniyar On Playing A Gay Russian Reveler On Starz's "Sweetbitter"|url=http://www.newnownext.com/sweetbitter-starz-daniyar-sasha/05/2018/%7Cwebsite=NewNowNext|date=May 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180505002635/http://www.newnownext.com/sweetbitter-starz-daniyar-sasha/05/2018/%7Carchive-date=May 5, 2018}}</ref>
Sasha Daniyar
2018– This Close SundanceNow Michael Josh Feldman Michael is a graphic novelist, and Ryan is a real estate agent. The series starts after their engagement to be married is broken.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Friess |first1=Steve |title='This Close' Is the Groundbreaking (And Very Adult) Show About Deafness We NEED |url=https://www.them.us/story/this-close-is-a-groundbreaking-show-about-deafness |website=them}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Wong |first1=Curtis M. |title=With 'This Close,' Josh Feldman Puts Deaf, Gay Lives In The Spotlight |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/josh-feldman-this-close-sundance-now_n_5aac9824e4b0c33361b09882 |website=HuffPost |date=26 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title='This Close' gets even more up close and personal for dramatic and guest star-filled second season |url=https://www.glaad.org/blog/this-close-gets-even-more-close-and-personal-dramatic-guest-star-filled-second-season |website=GLAAD |date=9 September 2019}}</ref>
Ryan Colt Prattes
2018– Vida Starz Emma Hernandez Mishel Prada last1=Villarreal|first1=Vanessa Angélica|title="Vida" Lets Its Latinx Characters Experience Sex And Pleasure|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/olliphant/vida-starz-latinx-queer-sex-and-love%7Cwebsite=BuzzFeed|date=July 18, 2018}}</ref>
Eddy Martínez Ser Anzoategui Eddy is a lesbian.<ref name="vida tv"/>
Cruz Maria-Elena Laas Cruz is lesbian.<ref name="vida tv"/>
Sam Michelle Badillo last1=Fernandez|first1=Maria Elena|title=The Making of Vida's 'Radical' Queer Sex Scene |url=https://www.vulture.com/2018/05/vida-making-of-queer-latina-sex-scene.html%7Cwebsite=Vulture|date=May 21, 2018}}</ref>
2018– You Lifetime Peach Salinger Shay Mitchell

Peach Salinger is a lesbian. Lucy is lesbian and a literary agent in L.A. married to Sunrise. Sunrise, wife of Lucy, is lesbian and a stay at home lifestyle blogger.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hogan|first1=Heather |title=Lifetime's "You" Knows Ezra Fitz and Dan Humphrey Are the Fucking Worst|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/lifetimes-you-knows-ezra-fitz-and-dan-humphrey-are-the-fucking-worst-431861/%7Cwebsite=Autostraddle|date=September 10, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Mallikarjuna |first1=Krutika |title=Every Character on YOU Is Trash, but I Would Still Die for Peach Salinger |url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/you-peach-salinger-queer-appreciation/ |website=TV Guide |date=January 14, 2019 |access-date=April 14, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Joshua|first1=Seth|title=Lifetime Network's, "You," Actually Improves Upon the Source Material|url=https://medium.com/@jschonhaut/lifetime-networks-you-actually-improves-upon-the-source-material-547acee27253%7Cwebsite=Medium|date=October 26, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/03/you-casts-marielle-scott-georgina-reilly-city-on-a-hill-1202568811/%7Ctitle='You' Casts Marielle Scott; Georgina Reilly Joins 'City On A Hill'|work=Deadline Hollywood|first=Denise|last=Petski|date=March 4, 2019|access-date=March 4, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/04/you-melanie-field-magda-apanowicz-to-recur-in-series-second-season-on-netflix-1202588662/%7Ctitle='You': Melanie Field & Magda Apanowicz To Recur In Series' Second Season On Netflix|work=Deadline Hollywood|first=Denise|last=Petski|date=April 4, 2019|access-date=April 4, 2019}}</ref>
Lucy Marielle Scott
Sunrise Melanie Field

2019

Year Show Network Character Actor Notes
2019 3 Will Be Free One 31
Line TV		 Shin Tay Tawan Shin is gay.<ref name="3 Will Be Free"/>
Neo Joss Way-ar Neo is bisexual.<ref name="3 Will Be Free"/>
Mae Jennie Panhan title=3 Will Be Free |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/3-will-be-free/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
2019– All Rise CBS Judge Lisa Benner Marg Helgenberger title=Boobs On Your Tube: Grace Choi Is Back On "Black Lightning," Celebrates With Cute Queer Bed Cuddling |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/boobs-on-your-tube-grace-choi-is-back-on-black-lightning/ |website=Autostraddle |date=25 October 2019}}</ref>
2019– Another Life Netflix Zayne JayR Tinaco title=How Starring in a Netflix Show Helped This Nonbinary Actor Thrive |url=https://www.out.com/television/2019/9/12/how-starring-netflix-show-helped-nonbinary-actor-thrive |date=12 September 2019}}</ref>
2019– Batwoman The CW Kate Kane Ruby Rose Kate Kane is the lesbian cousin of Bruce Wayne / Batman.<ref name=Schager>{{cite web|last1=Schager|first1=Nick|title=Ruby Rose's Kickass, Lesbian Batwoman Shows Plenty of Promise|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/ruby-roses-kickass-lesbian-batwoman-shows-plenty-of-promise%7Cwebsite=The Daily Beast|date=October 6, 2019}}</ref>
Sophie Moore Meagan Tandy last1=Fierra|first1=Ariana|title='Batwoman's' Meagan Tandy talks importance of Sophie Moore, season 2|url=https://www.hypable.com/batwoman-meagan-tandy-interview/%7Cwebsite=Hypable%7Cdate=April 25, 2020}}</ref>
Julia Pennyworth Christina Wolfe last1=Ng|first1=Philiana|title='Batwoman' Sneak Peek: Kate Kane Gets a Pep Talk from Her Ex Julia Pennyworth (Exclusive)|url=https://www.etonline.com/batwoman-sneak-peek-kate-kane-gets-a-pep-talk-from-her-ex-julia-pennyworth-exclusive-145361%7Cwebsite=Entertainment Tonight|date=April 23, 2020}}</ref> Batwoman is the first lesbian superhero to forefront a prime time series.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bentley|first=Jean|title='Batwoman' Star Ruby Rose Hopes Groundbreaking Lesbian Superhero Appeals to Everyone|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/ruby-rose-batwoman-1229120%7Cwork=The Hollywood Reporter|date=August 4, 2019}}</ref>
Ryan Wilder Javicia Leslie title=What The DC Comics Can Tell Us About The CW's New 'Batwoman' Ryan Wilder |url=https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/ryan-wilder-batwoman-comics |website=Bustle}}</ref>
Angelique Martin Bevin Bru last1=Gomez |first1=Emmanuel |title=Cuban Actress Bevin Bru Introduces Us To Angelique Martin Ryan's Ex In The CW's Batwoman [Exclusive Interview] |url=https://lrmonline.com/news/cuban-actress-bevin-bru-introduces-us-to-angelique-martin-ryans-ex-in-the-cws-batwoman-exclusive-interview/ |website=Latino Review Media |date=21 February 2021}}</ref>
Safiyah Sohail Shivani Ghai Safiyah Sohail is a lesbian. She is Queen of the pirate nation of Coryana.<ref name="tatiana and safiyah"/>
Tatiana Leah Gibson title=Batwoman Episode 203 Recap: Bat Girl Magic! |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/batwoman-203-recap-bat-girl-magic/ |website=Autostraddle |date=1 February 2021}}</ref>
Evan Blake Lincoln Clauss title=Batwoman Writer Explains the Importance of the Show's New Nonbinary Character |url=https://www.cbr.com/batwoman-nonbinary-evan-blake-writer-coments/ |website=CBR |date=22 February 2021}}</ref>
Reagan title="Batwoman" Keeps Getting Gayer and Queering Superhero Tropes |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/batwoman-keeps-getting-gayer-and-queering-superhero-tropes/%7Cwebsite=Autostraddle%7Cdate=28 October 2019}}</ref>
Gina Favour Onosemuede title=Gina, Batwoman (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/gina-5/}}</ref>
Parker Torres Malia Pyles title=Parker Torres, Batwoman (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/parker-torres/}}</ref>
Sara Lance Caity Lotz Sara Lance is bisexual. She had a guest appearance in 2019, episode "Crisis on Infinite Earths".<ref>{{cite web|title=Sara Lance, Batwoman (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sara-lance/}}</ref>
2019– Bluff City Law NBC Della Bedford Jayne Atkinson last1=Bandyopadhyay|first1=Alakananda|title='Bluff City Law' star Jayne Atkinson on Della's coming out story and the backlash she faces: 'It's not a deliberate mess'|url=https://meaww.com/bluff-city-law-jayne-atkinson-della-coming-out-lesbian-age-backlash-condemned-lgbtq-hollywood%7Cwebsite=MEAWW (Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide)|date=October 28, 2019}}</ref>
2019– Bonding Netflix Pete Brendan Scannell last1=Bachchan |first1=Vrinda |title=Is Bonding Based on a True Story? Is the Netflix Show Based on Real Life? |url=https://thecinemaholic.com/is-bonding-based-on-a-true-story/ |website=The Cinemaholic |date=27 January 2021}}</ref>
Josh Theo Stockman title=Netflix's Bonding: How Josh's Coming Out Was Ruined by [SPOILER] |url=https://www.cbr.com/netflixs-bonding-josh-coming-out-ruined-pete/ |website=CBR |date=4 February 2021}}</ref>
2019– The Boys Amazon Prime Video Ezekiel Shaun Benson last1=Kuchera |first1=Ben |title=The Boys is a great show at the worst time |url=https://www.polygon.com/2019/8/6/20747593/the-boys-amazon-politics-hard-to-watch |website=Polygon |date=6 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Amazon's The Boys Flips The Comic's Approach To Homophobia |url=https://screenrant.com/boys-amazon-comic-homosexuality-representation-changes/ |website=Screen Rant |date=10 November 2019}}</ref>
Queen Maeve Dominique McElligott last1=Tallerico|first1=Brian|title=The Boys Recap: Dancing With Myself|url=https://www.vulture.com/amp/article/the-boys-season-2-episode-4-recap-nothing-like-it-in-the-world.html%7Cwebsite=Vulture.com|date=September 11, 2020}}</ref>
Elena Nicola Correia-Damude last1=Damshenas|first1=Sam|title=The Boys tackles bi-erasure and lack of LGBTQ+ superheroes in Hollywood|url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/the-boys-tackles-bi-erasure-and-lack-of-lgbtq-superheroes-in-hollywood/amp/%7Cwebsite=gaytimes.co.uk%7Cdate=22 September 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Opie|first1=David|title=The Boys season 2 calls out queer erasure in Marvel and DC movies|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a34359719/the-boys-season-2-lgbtq-queer-maeve-marvel-dc/%7Cwork=digitalspy.com%7Cdate=October 14, 2020}}</ref>
2019– Carnival Row Amazon Prime Video Vignette Stonemoss Cara Delevingne Vignette Stonemoss is bisexual and a fairy. Tourmaline Larou is either bisexual or lesbian, and a fairy. Vignette and Tourmaline were once lovers and are now close friends.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Stevens|first1=Michael|title=Cara Delevingne In "Marie Claire"|url=http://www.sneakpeek.ca/2019/07/cara-delevingne-in-marie-claire.html%7Cwebsite=Sneak Peek|date=July 2, 2019|quote=I play this fairy called 'Vignette Stonemoss' who is a survivor, a really strong female lead. I'm a bisexual fairy – what else would you want to be in life?}}</ref>
Tourmaline Larou Karla Crome
Costin Finch Gregory Gudgeon Costin Finch was a closeted gay and the Headmaster of an orphanage. Dr. Morange was a closeted gay and the coroner for the Constabulary. Costin and Morange were longtime lovers and would meet in secret at the fairy brothel.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Shaw-Williams|first1=Hannah|title=Amazon's Carnival Row Cast & Character Guide|url=https://screenrant.com/carnival-row-amazon-series-cast-characters-guide/%7Cwebsite=Screen Rant|date=August 29, 2019}}</ref>
Dr. Morange John Malafronte
2019– The Club Netflix Santiago Caballero Alejandro Puente Santiago is gay. Max is gay. Santiago and Max are dating.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kramer |first1=Gary |title=Spanish-language series to stream during isolation |url=https://epgn.com/2020/03/23/spanish-language-series-to-stream-during-isolation/ |website=Philadelphia Gay News |date=23 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Quién es Max, novio de Santiago en El Club, serie de Netflix |url=https://www.desdelacuna.net/series/max-el-club-serie-martin-saracho-actor-quien-es/ |language=es |date=2 December 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Gay clip {{!}} El club Netflix: Santiago y Max |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCwJgS482S4}}</ref>
Max Martin Saracho
2019– Coroner CBC Ross Khalighi Ehren Kassam Ross Khalighi is gay and the teenage son of coroner Jenny Cooper. Matteo is gay and Ross's boyfriend. Ross and Matteo are dating.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Mazzeo|first1=Esme|title=Coroner Review: Scattered (Season 1 Episode 3)|url=https://telltaletv.com/2020/08/coroner-review-scattered-season-1-episode-3/%7Cwebsite=Tell-Tale TV|date=August 19, 2020}}</ref>
Matteo Graeme Jokic
Alison Trent Tamara Podemski last1=Wilson|first1=A.R.|title=Coroner: Tamara Podemski on Alison's backstory and why landing the role was a "huge triumph" for her|url=https://www.tv-eh.com/2019/02/08/coroner-tamara-podemski-on-alisons-backstory-and-why-landing-the-role-was-a-huge-triumph-for-her/%7Cwebsite=TV, eh?|date=February 8, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Liszewsk |first1=Bridget|title=Coroner: Noelle Carbone and Sean Reycraft Talk "All's Well" |url=https://thetvjunkies.com/coroner-noelle-carbone-sean-reycraft-talk-alls-well/%7Cwebsite=The TV Junkies|date=February 4, 2019}}</ref>
Sabina Jeananne Goossen title=Coroner: Characters: Alison Trent|url=https://www.cbc.ca/coroner/characters/alison-trent%7Cwebsite=CBC|date=2019}}</ref>
Taylor Kim Alli Chung author=Heather M.|title=Morwyn Brebner and Adrienne Mitchell Talk Coroner's Season 1 Finale|url=https://thetelevixen.com/morwyn-brebner-and-adrienne-mitchell-talk-coroners-season-1-finale/%7Cwebsite=The Televixen|date=February 25, 2019}}</ref>
2019 Dark Blue Kiss GMM 25
Line TV		 Pete Tay Tawan Pete and Kao are boyfriends. Non has a same-sex crush on Kao. Sun and Mork are gay love interests. Thai boys' love series.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Antonio |first1=Josiah |title=Series review: ’Dark Blue Kiss’ teaches people to accept queer family members, friends |url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/10/27/20/bl-series-dark-blue-kiss-review-tay-tawan-new-thitipoon-teaches-people-to-accept-their-queer-family-members-friends |website=ABS-CBN News |date=27 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Tamayo |first1=Olivier |title=What Keeps Me Calm: Watching ‘Dark Blue Kiss’ |url=https://metro.style/culture/spotlight/what-keeps-me-calm-watching-dark-blue-kiss/26271 |website=Metro.Style |date=July 24, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=GMMTV|title=Dark Blue Kiss |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRr2QTHukzo%7Cwebsite=YouTube|date=September 27, 2019}}</ref>
Kao New Thitipoom
Non AJ Chayapol
Sun Podd Suphakorn
Mork Fluke Gawin
2019– David Makes Man OWN Mx. Elijah Travis Coles last1=Cuby |first1=Michael |title=David Makes Man Is the Kind of Show That Can Make Oprah Cry |url=https://www.them.us/story/david-makes-man |website=them |date=August 13, 2019}}</ref>
Femi Trace Lysette Femi is a trans woman.<ref name="david makes man"/>
Star Child Logan Rozos Star Child is a trans man.<ref name="david makes man"/>
2019– Dickinson Apple TV+ Emily Dickinson Hailee Steinfeld Emily Dickinson is lesbian and an aspiring poet. She is in love with Sue Gilbert, her best friend, who is bisexual.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dickinson |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/dickinson/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
Sue Gilbert Ella Hunt
2019– Doom Patrol DC Universe Larry Trainor Matt Bomer last1=Thorne |first1=Will |title=Matt Bomer on Playing a Gay Superhero in DC Universe Show ‘Doom Patrol’ |url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/matt-bomer-playing-gay-superhero-in-dc-universe-doom-patrol-1203150639/ |website=Variety |date=27 February 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Opie |first1=David |title=Doom Patrol's Matt Bomer on season 2 and the "cost" of playing a gay hero |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a32933658/doom-patrol-matt-bomer-larry-trainor-gay-lgbtq/ |website=Digital Spy |date=26 June 2020}}</ref>
John Bowers Kyle Clements title=Doom Patrol's Matt Bomer on Playing a Gay Superhero |url=https://www.themarysue.com/doom-patrol-matt-bomer-gay-superhero/ |date=3 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Matt Bomer on Bringing Queer Representation to Prestige Superhero TV (Exclusive) |url=https://www.kmov.com/matt-bomer-on-bringing-queer-representation-to-prestige-superhero-tv-exclusive/article_57495363-ccf6-53e6-bb21-b2d31a95d846.html |website=KMOV}}</ref>
Maura Lee Karupt Alan Mingo Jr. last1=Hill |first1=Kennedy |title=Doom Patrol Is a Refreshing Ally For the Queer Community, and We Love It |url=https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/how-doom-patrol-represents-queer-community-47627217 |website=Popsugar |date=26 July 2020}}</ref>
Danny the Street N/A}} Danny the Street is a sentient gender-queer street with the power to teleport themselves and their residents to any location in the world. They communicate through street signs, napkins, neon signs, and anything else they can create letters on.<ref name="Doom Patrol Popsugar"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Doom Patrol's Genderqueer Street Episode Is the Queerest Thing on TV |url=https://www.pride.com/geek/2019/4/09/doom-patrols-genderqueer-street-episode-queerest-thing-tv |date=9 April 2019}}</ref>
2019– Euphoria HBO Rue Bennett Zendaya last1=Henderson|first1=Taylor|url=https://www.pride.com/tv/2019/4/11/drakes-new-hbo-teen-drama-euphoria-will-feature-trans-character%7Ctitle=Drake's New HBO Teen Drama Euphoria Will Feature a Trans Character|website=Pride.com|date=April 11, 2019}}</ref>
Jules Hunter Schafer Jules is a transgender young woman.<ref name="euphoria"/>
Cal Jacobs Sean Martini Cal Jacobs is bisexual. He is married but has a secret Grindr profile.<ref name=Pape>{{cite web |last1=Pape |first1=Allie |title=Euphoria Recap: A Very Narrow Window of Cool |url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/06/euphoria-recap-season-1-episode-1-and-2.html |website=Vulture |date=June 23, 2019}}</ref>
TC Bobbi Salvör Menuez TC is non-binary.<ref name="trippy hookup"/>
Anna Quintessa Swindell last1=Romero|first1=Ariana|title=WTF Happened During Jules' Trippy Hookup On Euphoria?|url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/07/239094/jules-anna-nate-sex-scene-euphoria-episode-7%7Cwebsite=Refinery29|date=July 29, 2019}}</ref>
2019– Five Bedrooms Network Ten Harry Roy Joseph title='Five Bedrooms' star Roy Joseph finds his mojo |url=https://www.if.com.au/five-bedrooms-star-roy-joseph-finds-his-mojo/ |website=IF Magazine |date=24 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Five play house in Ten’s new drama |url=https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/entertainment/confidential/five-play-house-in-tens-new-drama/news-story/89f370361aa5b0ecaf0b499ea110668a}}</ref>
Pete Portelli Adam Fiorentino title=In Bed With |url=https://pocketmags.com/dna-magazine/234-july-the-hot-bodies-issue/articles/596924/in-bed-with}}</ref>
2019– For All Mankind Apple TV+ Larry Wilson Nate Corddry last1=Brownworth |first1=Victoria A. |title=Space, grace, erased: The Lavender Tube on Pose, For All Mankind & trans erasure in news |url=https://www.ebar.com/arts_&_culture/television//302663 |website=The Bay Area Reporter |date=March 9, 2021}}</ref>
Ellen Waverly Jodi Balfour last1=Surrey |first1=Miles |title=For All Mankind Continues to Make Giant Leaps in Season 2 |url=https://www.theringer.com/tv/2021/2/18/22288277/for-all-mankind-season-2-apple-tv |website=The Ringer |date=18 February 2021}}</ref>
Pam Horton Meghan Leathers last1=Miller |first1=Liz Shannon |title=For All Mankind Season Finale Recap: Everybody Wants to Rule the Moon |url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/12/for-all-mankind-finale-recap-season-1-episode-10-a-city-upon-a-hill.html |website=Vulture |date=20 December 2019}}</ref>
Elise Mele Ihara title=Elise, For All Mankind (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/elise-2/}}</ref>
2019– Four More Shots Please! Amazon Prime Video Umang Singh Bani J last1=Desai|first1=Ketaki|title=They're putting the B in LGBT|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-times/theyre-putting-the-b-in-lgbt/articleshow/76238210.cms%7Cwork=The Times of India|date=June 7, 2020|access-date=9 September 2020}}</ref>
2019– The Game of Keys Amazon Prime Video Valentín Lombardo Horacio Pancheri date=2021 |title=Where We Are on TV: 2020-2021 |url=https://www.glaad.org/sites/default/files/GLAAD%20-%20202021%20WHERE%20WE%20ARE%20ON%20TV.pdf |website=GLAAD |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115060919/https://www.glaad.org/sites/default/files/GLAAD%20-%20202021%20WHERE%20WE%20ARE%20ON%20TV.pdf |archive-date=2021-01-15 |page=39}}</ref>
Daniel Manuel Vega title=Christian Ramos, rompe esquemas con El juego de las Llaves |url=https://www.bogartmagazine.mx/noticias/christian-ramos-rompe-esquemas-con-el-juego-de-las-llaves/ |language=es |date=September 9, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Horacio Pancheri |url=http://adelantemagazine.com/horacio-pancheri/ |website=Adelante Magazine |language=es}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Daniel & Valentin {{!}} El Juego De Las Ilaves {{!}} Horacio Pancheri {{!}} Manuel Vega |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AN9ZmuRCFEE}}</ref>
2019– Gentleman Jack BBC One Anne Lister Suranne Jones Anne Lister and Ann Walker are a couple. Ann admits that she loves Anne.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Stuever |first1=Hank |title=HBO’s grand ‘Gentleman Jack’ gives a 19th-century lesbian landowner the respect she deserved |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/hbos-grand-gentleman-jack-gives-a-19th-century-lesbian-landowner-the-respect-she-deserved/2019/04/21/d81c5df0-621f-11e9-9412-daf3d2e67c6d_story.html |work=The Washington Post |date=April 21, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Dolinh |first1=Aline |title="Gentleman Jack’s" Warm, Irreverent Take on 19th-Century Lesbian Desire |url=https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/gentleman-jack-lesbian-desire-onscreen |work=Bitch |date=May 29, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Bent |first1=Lloyd |title=Anne Lister: the true story behind Gentleman Jack, based on trailblazing diaries of the ‘first modern lesbian’ |url=https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/anne-lister-gentleman-jack-true-story-diaries-lesbian-shibden-hall-suranne-jones-292550 |work=i |date=July 7, 2019}}</ref>
Ann Walker Sophie Rundle
2019– Girls from Ipanema Netflix Thereza Soares Mel Lisboa Set in the 1950s, Thereza Soares is bisexual and married to Nelson, with whom she has an open relationship. She has an affair with female journalist Helô. Helô is lesbian.<ref>{{cite web |title='Girls from Ipanema' Season 2: Writers did wrong by Ligia say fans but Adélia's developed plotline wins favor |url=https://meaww.com/netflix-girls-from-ipanema-season-2-fan-reactions-writers-did-ligia-death-wrong-adelia-complex-plot}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Coisa Mais Linda |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/coisa-mais-linda/}}</ref>
Helô Thaila Ayala
2019– Good Trouble Freeform Alice Kwan Sherry Cola last1=Gilchrist|first1=Tracy E.|title=Good Trouble's Diversity Includes Groundbreaking Bisexual Character|url=https://www.advocate.com/television/2019/1/08/good-troubles-diversity-includes-groundbreaking-bisexual-character%7Cwebsite=The Advocate|date=January 8, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title='Good Trouble' star Sherry Cola on a mission to break stereotypes, empower Asian queer girls |url=https://abc7chicago.com/freeform-good-trouble-sherry-cola-the-fosters/6311670/ |website=ABC7 Chicago |date=10 July 2020}}</ref>
Gael Tommy Martinez last=Smyth|first=Tom|title="Good Trouble" Shows Bisexual Men in a Way We Rarely See Them|url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/good-trouble-bisexual-men-representation%7Cwebsite=Teen Vogue}}</ref>
Bryan Michael Galante last1=Gelman |first1=Vlada |title=Good Trouble Boss Talks [Spoiler]'s Sexuality — Plus, Grade the Premiere! |url=https://tvline.com/2019/01/08/good-trouble-recap-season-1-premiere-gael-bisexual/ |website=TV Line |date=9 January 2019}}</ref>
Elijah Adrieux Denim Richards last1=Gelman |first1=Vlada |title=Good Trouble Boss Talks [Spoiler]'s Big L-Bomb, Previews Gael's New Guy |url=https://tvline.com/2019/06/18/good-trouble-recap-season-2-premiere-jamie-says-i-love-you-callie/ |website=TV Line |date=19 June 2019}}</ref>
Jazmin Martinez Hailie Sahar title=Good Trouble |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/good-trouble/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
Joey Daisy Eagan title='Good Trouble's' Women Are Bringing So Much Queer Visibility to TV |url=https://www.advocate.com/exclusives/2020/5/14/good-trouble-actors-speak-importance-queer-love-stories |date=14 May 2020}}</ref>
Lena Adams Foster Sherri Saum title=Sherri Saum on Being Back With Her Enduring Fosters/Good Trouble Fam |url=https://www.advocate.com/television/2021/3/10/sherri-saum-being-back-her-enduring-fostersgood-trouble-fam |date=11 March 2021}}</ref>
Lindsay Brady Rhea Butcher title="Good Trouble" Episode 205 Recap: Happy Heckling |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/good-trouble-episode-205-recap-happy-heckling/ |website=Autostraddle |date=17 July 2019}}</ref>
Meera Mattei Briana Venskus title="Good Trouble" Episode 102 Recap: The Coterie |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/good-trouble-episode-102-recap-the-coterie-446023/ |website=Autostraddle |date=16 January 2019}}</ref>
Stef Adams Foster Teri Polo last1=Andreeva |first1=Nellie |title=‘Good Trouble’: ‘The Fosters’ Stars Teri Polo and Sherri Saum To Reprise Roles On Spinoff Series |url=https://deadline.com/2018/07/good-trouble-the-fosters-teri-polo-and-sherri-saum-cast-reprise-roles-spinoff-series-1202430355/ |website=Deadline |date=20 July 2018}}</ref>
Sumi Kara Wang last1=Ferber |first1=Lawrence |title=Sherry Cola on Coming Out and Her Big Queer TV Love Triangle |url=http://www.newnownext.com/sherry-cola-on-good-trouble-big-queer-love-triangle-season-2/08/2019/}}</ref>
Shaun Kye Tamm Shaun is a trans man.<ref name="Good Trouble lgbt"/>
Ruby Shannon Chan-Kent last1=Ramos |first1=Dino-Ray |title=‘Marvel’s Helstrom’ Adds Daniel Cudmore; Shannon Chan-Kent Joins ‘Good Trouble’ |url=https://deadline.com/2019/11/marvel-helstrom-hulu-daniel-cudmore-shannon-chan-kent-good-trouble-freeform-1202779179/ |website=Deadline |date=6 November 2019}}</ref>
Sydney Caitlin Kimball Sydney is a lesbian.<ref name="Good Trouble lgbt"/>
Shai Floraz Anisha Jagannathan Shai Floraz is queer.<ref name="Good Trouble lgbt"/>
2019– Grand Hotel ABC Yolanda ("Yoli") Renna Justina Adorno last1=Lennon|first1=Mads|title=Grand Hotel: 5 shockers from Season 1, Episode 5|url=https://hiddenremote.com/2019/07/16/grand-hotel-s1e5-recap/2/%7Cwebsite=Hidden Remote|date=July 16, 2019}}</ref><ref name="tv series grand hotel">{{cite web|last1=Coombs|first1=Alexa|title=The Grand Hotel--I'm not Gay, I'm Queer|url=https://www.mrctv.org/videos/grand-hotel-im-not-gay-im-queer%7Cwebsite=MRCTV|date=July 30, 2019}}</ref>
Sky Garibaldi Arielle Kebbel Sky Garibaldi is a lesbian and cook at the hotel. She was murdered during a hurricane.<ref name="grand hotel"/><ref name="tv series grand hotel"/>
Marisa Sabrina Texidor Marisa is a lesbian and also works at the hotel.<ref name="grand hotel"/><ref name="tv series grand hotel"/>
2019– The I-Land Netflix Blair Sibylla Deen last1=Brockington |first1=Ariana |title=Everyone Who's Not Kate Bosworth On The I-Land |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/09/8379363/netflix-the-i-land-series-cast-actors}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=‘The I-Land’ Cast Guide: Who’s Who in Netflix’s New Sci-Fi Thriller |url=https://decider.com/2019/09/12/the-i-land-cast-on-netflix/ |website=Decider |date=12 September 2019}}</ref>
2019– In the Dark The CW Jess Damon Brooke Markham Jess is a lesbian veterinarian. She's the roommate and best friend of Murphy Mason. Jess and Vanessa are in a romantic relationship and they admit that they love each other. Vanessa is either lesbian or bisexual. They break up after Jess cheats on Vanessa.<ref name="in the dark">{{cite web|last1=Bark|first1=Ed|title=Blindly Going Forth With CW Network's 'In The Dark'|url=http://www.tvworthwatching.com/post/Blindly-Going-Forth-With-CW-Networks-In-The-Dark.aspx |website=TV Worth Watching|date=April 4, 2019|access-date=19 April 2019}}</ref><ref name="pilot in the dark">{{cite web|last1=Hicks|first1=Aimee|title=In The Dark - Pilot - Advanced Preview: Honest New Series|url=https://www.spoilertv.com/2019/03/in-dark-pilot-advanced-preview-honest.html%7Cwebsite=SpoilerTV%7Cdate=March 30, 2019|access-date=20 April 2019}}</ref>
Vanessa Humberly Gonzalez
Sam Cortni Vaughn Joyner Sam is a butch lesbian henchwoman and liquidator.<ref name="in the dark"/><ref name="pilot in the dark"/>
Sterling Natalie Liconti Sterling is lesbian and Sam's girlfriend. She infiltrates Guiding Hope as a kennel assistant and dates Jess to gain her trust while keeping an eye on everyone.<ref name="in the dark"/><ref name="pilot in the dark"/>
2019– The InBetween NBC Tom Hackett Paul Blackthorne title=The InBetween series premiere recap: Breaking down the episode |url=https://hiddenremote.com/2019/05/30/the-inbetween-series-premiere-recap/ |website=Hidden Remote |date=30 May 2019}}</ref><ref name="tv series inbetween">{{cite web |title=Review: She sees dead people... again. Psychic crime stopping in NBC’s ‘The InBetween’ |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-the-inbetween-nbc-review-20190527-story.html |website=Los Angeles Times |date=27 May 2019}}</ref>
Brian Currie Michael B. Silver Brian Currie is a gay therapist, married to Tom Hackett.<ref name="the inbetween"/><ref name="tv series inbetween"/>
2019– The L Word: Generation Q Showtime Bette Porter Jennifer Beals last1=Vincentelli|first1=Elisabeth|title='The L Word: Generation Q' Review: New Vision, Old Blind Spots|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/05/arts/television/l-word-generation-q-review.html%7Cwork=The New York Times|date=December 5, 2019|access-date=6 December 2019}}</ref><ref name="lword q">{{cite web|last1=Martin|first1=Rachel|title='The L Word' Returns, Rebooted For 'Generation Q'|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/12/06/785262220/the-l-word-returns-rebooted-for-generation-q%7Cwebsite=NPR|date=December 6, 2019|access-date=6 December 2019}}</ref><ref name="The L Word: Generation Q">{{cite web |title=The L Word: Generation Q |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/the-l-word-generation-q/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
Shane McCutcheon Katherine Moennig Shane is lesbian.<ref name="lword q"/>
Alice Pieszecki Leisha Hailey Alice is bisexual.<ref name="lword q"/>
Dani Núñez Arienne Mandi title=The L Word: Generation Q Cast - All Characters & Cast by Season {{!}} SHOWTIME |url=https://www.sho.com/the-l-word-generation-q/cast |website=SHO.com}}</ref>
Sophie Suarez Rosanny Zayas Sophie is lesbian. Dani and Sophie are engaged.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="SHO.com"/>
Gigi Ghorbani Sepideh Moafi Gigi is lesbian.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="SHO.com"/>
Micah Lee Leo Sheng Micah is a trans man.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="November 26, 2019"/>
Sarah Finley Jacqueline Toboni Sarah is lesbian.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="SHO.com"/>
José Freddy Miyares title='The L Word: Generation Q' star Leo Sheng dishes on THAT steamy swimming pool scene |url=https://meaww.com/the-l-word-generation-q-exclusive-interview-leo-sheng-micah-lee-swimming-pool-jose-freddy-miyares-398454}}</ref>
Angelica Porter-Kennard Jordan Hull last1=Prahl |first1=Amanda |title=All the New and Returning Faces in The L Word: Generation Q Cast |url=https://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/l-word-generation-q-cast-46974741?stream_view=1#photo-46974824 |website=Popsugar |date=8 December 2019}}</ref>
Felicity Adams Latarsha Rose title='The L Word: Generation Q' casts Bette and Tina's daughter |url=https://ew.com/tv/2019/07/26/the-l-word-generation-q-bette-tina-daughter-angie/ |website=Entertainment Weekly}}</ref>
Jordi Sophie Giannamore title="The L Word: Generation Q" Casts Trans Actress Jamie Clayton as Tess, Which Is a Gay Name |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/l-word-generation-q-casts-trans-actress-jamie-clayton-as-tess-which-is-a-gay-name/ |website=Autostraddle |date=31 July 2019}}</ref>
Lena Mercedes Mason last1=Esposito |first1=Cameron |title=The L Word: Generation Q Recap: Oh Come, All Ye Faithful |url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/12/the-l-word-generation-q-recap-season-1-episode-3-lost-love.html |website=Vulture |date=22 December 2019}}</ref>
Natalie Bailey Stephanie Allynne Natalie Bailey is a lesbian.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="Popsugar lword"/>
Pierce Williams Brian Michael Smith last1=Bendix |first1=Trish |title=‘The L Word’ got trans men wrong. The sequel plans to make it right |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/tv/ct-ent-the-l-word-generation-q-trans-men-20191126-zlkxmyprzbardpsl4egdrhrvbm-story.html |website=Chicago Tribune |date=November 26, 2019}}</ref>
Quiara Thompson Lex Scott Davis last1=Petski |first1=Denise |title=‘The L Word: Generation Q’ Trailer: Extended Look At Showtime Sequel Series |url=https://deadline.com/video/the-l-word-generation-q-trailer-showtime-sequel-series-jennifer-beals/ |website=Deadline |date=24 October 2019}}</ref>
Rebecca Olivia Thirlby Rebecca is bisexual.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="Deadline the lword"/>
Tess Van De Berg Jamie Clayton Tess Van De Berg is a lesbian.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="Autostraddle lword"/>
Heather Fortune Feimster title=The L Word: Gen Boring |url=https://archermagazine.com.au/2020/02/the-l-word-gen-boring/ |website=Archer Magazine |date=7 February 2020}}</ref><ref name="megan rapinoe">{{cite web |title=Megan Rapinoe set to guest star on new 'The L Word: Generation Q' |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/topics/pride/fast-lane/article/2019/12/20/megan-rapinoe-set-guest-star-new-l-word-generation-q}}</ref>
Roxane Gay Roxane Gay Roxane Gay is bisexual. Guest character.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="Deadline the lword"/><ref name="gen boring"/>
Maya Stevenson Tamara Taylor Maya Stevenson is not straight. Guest character.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="Deadline the lword"/><ref name="gen boring"/>
Tina Kennard Laurel Holloman Tina Kennard is bisexual. Guest character.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="Deadline the lword"/><ref name="gen boring"/>
Megan Rapinoe Megan Rapinoe Megan Rapinoe is a lesbian. Guest character.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="Deadline the lword"/><ref name="megan rapinoe"/>
Zoe Ashley Gallegos Zoe is a lesbian. Guest character.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="Deadline the lword"/><ref name="gen boring"/>
2019– Limetown Facebook Watch Lia Haddock Jessica Biel Lia is a lesbian journalist investigating the disappearance of the population of a small Appalachian town. Lia's girlfriend is lesbian.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Piccoli|first1=Dana|title=A lesbian crime reporter falls deep into a dangerous mystery in "Limetown" series|url=https://www.bellamediachannel.com/a-lesbian-crime-reporter-falls-deep-into-a-dangerous-mystery-in-limetown-series/%7Cwebsite=Bella Media |publisher=Bella Books|date=October 22, 2019}}</ref>
Lia's girlfriend Kandyse McClure
2019– Made In Heaven Amazon Prime Video Karan Mehra Arjun Mathur last1=Ramachandran |first1=Naman |title=International Emmy Nominee Arjun Mathur Talks ‘Made In Heaven’, Freedom (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2020/streaming/news/emmy-actor-nominee-arjun-mathur-made-in-heaven-1234836561/ |website=Variety |date=20 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Arora |first1=Priya |title=An Indian TV Show Points the Way for a New Generation |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/09/arts/television/amazon-india-made-in-heaven.html |website=The New York Times |date=9 April 2019}}</ref>
2019– Merlí: Sapere Aude Movistar+ Pol Rubio Carlos Cuevas Pol Rubio comes out as bisexual. Bruno Bergeron is gay. Pol and Bruno have a complicated romance, extended from the previous TV series, Merlí.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Dios|first=Marisa de|url=https://www.elperiodico.com/es/tele/20191204/merli-sapere-aude-filosofia-bisexualidad-7762415%7Ctitle='Merlí. Sapere aude': de la filosofía a la bisexualidad|work=El Periódico de Catalunya|date=December 4, 2019|access-date=22 December 2019|language=es}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Jiménez|first=Adrián|url=https://www.ecartelera.com/noticias/carlos-cuevas-maria-pujalte-entrevista-merli-sapere-aude-58066/%7Ctitle=Carlos Cuevas ('Merlí: Sapere Aude'): "Es un logro que Pol sea un protagonista bisexual"|website=eCartelera|date=December 4, 2019|access-date=22 December 2019|language=es}}</ref>
Bruno Bergeron David Solans
Otilia Clàudia Vega Otilia is a lesbian. Amy O'Connor is a lesbian. Otilia and Amy hook up at a party.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Maltz|first=Diego|url=http://affinitymagazine.us/2017/04/09/why-is-no-one-talking-about-merli/%7Ctitle=Why Is No One Talking About Merlí?|website=Affinity Magazine|date=April 9, 2017|access-date=22 December 2019}}</ref>
Amy O'Connor Lesley Grant
2019– Nancy Drew The CW Bess Marvin Maddison Jaizani Bess Marvin is a lesbian and a waitress at The Bayside Claw. She develops a romantic interest in Lisbeth.<ref name="nancy drew"/>
Lisbeth Katie Findlay last1=Hay|first1=Carla|title=The "Batwoman" and "Nancy Drew" TV Series Are Getting Even Queerer|url=http://www.newnownext.com/batwoman-nancy-drew-gay-characters-storylines-cw/11/2019/%7Cwebsite=NewNowNext|date=November 19, 2019}}</ref>
2019 No Good Nick Netflix Jeremy Thompson Kalama Epstein last1=Ermac|first1=Raffy|title=Jeremy's Coming Out in No Good Nick Is Emotional AF|url=https://www.pride.com/comingout/2019/8/07/jeremys-coming-out-no-good-nick-emotional-af%7Cwebsite=Pride.com|date=August 7, 2019|access-date=July 31, 2020}}</ref>
Eric Gus Kamp Eric is gay. He tells Jeremy that his family already knew he was gay before coming out to them.<ref name="no good nick"/>
2019 Now Apocalypse Starz Ulysses Zane Avan Jogia title=5 queerest moments in the first episode of Now Apocalypse |url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/5-queerest-moments-in-the-first-episode-of-now-apocalypse/ |website=Gay Times |date=13 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Swift |first1=Andy |title=Now Apocalypse's Avan Jogia Knows His Sex Scenes With Tyler Posey Are 'Going to Be Gif'd to Death' |url=https://tvline.com/2019/03/10/now-apocalypse-sex-scenes-avan-jogia-tyler-posey-interview/ |website=TV Line |date=10 March 2019}}</ref>
Gabriel Tyler Posey last1=Taylor 3/15/2019 |first1=Jeff |title=Tyler Posey Talks "Intense" Gay Hookup Scenes in "Now Apocalypse," Calls Avan Jogia a Good Kisser |url=http://www.newnownext.com/tyler-posey-avan-jogia-sex-scenes-now-apocalypse/03/2019/ |website=NewNowNext |date=March 15, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Tyler Posey & Avan Jogia Loved Playing Gay in 'Now Apocalypse' |url=https://www.pride.com/tv/2019/3/06/tyler-posey-avan-jogia-loved-playing-gay-now-apocalypse |website=Pride |date=6 March 2019}}</ref>
Isaac Jacob Artist last1=Ellwood-Hughes |first1=Pip |title=Now Apocalypse 1×07 Anywhere Out of the World recap |url=https://entertainment-focus.com/2019/04/28/now-apocalypse-1x07-anywhere-out-of-the-world-recap/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Petski |first1=Denise |title=‘Now Apocalypse’: Jacob Artist & Chris Aquilino Set To Recur On Starz Comedy Series |url=https://deadline.com/2018/06/now-apocalypse-jacob-artist-chris-aquilino-recur-starz-comedy-series-1202412596/ |website=Deadline |date=19 June 2018}}</ref>
2019– Osmosis Netflix Lucas Apert Stéphane Pitti last1=Berlatsky |first1=Noah |title=Netflix's Osmosis is Black Mirror without the tech paranoia |url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/26/18281474/netflix-osmosis-review-french-black-mirror-nanotechnology-romance |website=The Verge|date=26 March 2019}}</ref>
Billie Tual Yuming Hey title=The Voice of Reason in 'Osmosis' is Gender Non-conforming: Looking Towards the Future of the Queer Identity |url=https://www.wussymag.com/all/2019/4/18/the-voice-of-reason-in-osmosis-is-gender-non-conforming-looking-towards-the-future-of-the-queer-identity}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Osmosis: Season 1 – Review {{!}} French Netflix Series |url=https://www.heavenofhorror.com/reviews/osmosis-netflix-season-1/ |website=Heaven of Horror |date=29 March 2019}}</ref>
2019– Pandora The CW Jacqueline "Jax" Zhou Priscilla Quintana Jax is bisexual.<ref name="pandora tv series"/>
Cordelia Fried Isabelle Bonfrer title=Pandora (TV series) |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/pandora/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
Atria Nine Raechelle Banno Atria Nine is pansexual.<ref name="pandora tv series"/>
Aleka Elizabeth Hammerton Aleka is pansexual.<ref name="pandora tv series"/>
2019– The Politician Netflix Payton Hobart Ben Platt Payton Hobart is bisexual. Initially identifies as straight and dates his classmate Alice Charles but develops a romantic relationship with his male classmate River Barkley and even has a threesome with River and his girlfriend Astrid Sloan. He and Alice later enter a short lived polyamorous relationship with Astrid before getting married.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Phillips |first1=Carmen |title="The Politician" Is a Stunningly Gay Ryan Murphy Roller Coaster |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/the-politician-is-a-stunningly-gay-ryan-murphy-roller-coaster/ |website=Autostraddle |date=October 1, 2019}}</ref>
River Barkley David Corenswet
Astrid Sloan Lucy Boynton title=Astrid Sloan |url=https://bi.org/en/bi-characters/astrid-sloan |website=Bi.org}}</ref>
Georgina Hobart Gwyneth Paltrow In season 1 Georgina leaves her husband Keaton for her female horse trainer, Brigitte. She later has relationships with Alison and Tino McCutcheon.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gilchrist |first1=Tracy E. |title='The Politician' Pits Ben Platt Against Judith Light and Bette Midler |url=https://www.advocate.com/television/2020/6/16/politician-pits-ben-platt-against-judith-light-and-bette-midler |website=Advocate |date=16 June 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Georgina Hobart |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/georgina-hobart/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
Brigitte Martina Navratilova
McAfee Westbrook Laura Dreyfuss title=McAfee Westbrook |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/mcafee-westbrook/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
Skye Leighton Rahne Jones title=Skye Leighton, The Politician (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/skye-leighton/}}</ref>
James Sullivan Theo Germaine title=James Sullivan, The Politician (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/james-sullivan/}}</ref>
Marcus Standish Joe Morton last1=Nichols |first1=Lynn |title=Anti-Blackness and Biphobia in Netflix’s "The Politician" |url=https://www.thevindi.com/post/anti-blackness-and-biphobia-in-netflix-s-the-politician |website=The Vindicator |date=4 October 2020}}</ref>
William Ward Teddy Sears For over ten years Teddy was engaged in a polyamorous relationship with married couple Marcus and Dede Standish, but eventually leaves them for a woman named Hadassah Gold.<ref name="the vindi"/>
Alice Charles Julia Schlaepfer last=Sorren|first=Martha|url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/09/8488292/who-is-alice-payton-girlfriend-the-politician%7Ctitle=We Need To Talk About Alice, From The Politician|date=September 28, 2019|website=Refinery29|access-date=February 8, 2021|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210208142052/https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/09/8488292/who-is-alice-payton-girlfriend-the-politician%7Carchive-date=February 8, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=VanDerWerff|first=Emily|url=https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/9/27/20886425/the-politician-netflix-review-ryan-murphy-ben-platt%7Ctitle=Netflix’s The Politician is a mess. But it may be a deeply meaningful one.|date=September 28, 2019|website=Vox|access-date=February 8, 2021|archive-date=July 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731053058/https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/9/27/20886425/the-politician-netflix-review-ryan-murphy-ben-platt%7Curl-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Witter|first=Brad|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/how-alice-paytons-politician-relationship-could-change-in-a-potential-season-3-22988822%7Ctitle=How Alice & Payton's Relationship Will Change If 'The Politician' Returns For Season 3|date=June 22, 2020|website=Bustle|access-date=February 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200722080244/https://www.bustle.com/p/how-alice-paytons-politician-relationship-could-change-in-a-potential-season-3-22988822%7Carchive-date=July 22, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>
Andi Mueller Robin Weigert title=Andi Mueller, The Politician (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/andi-mueller/}}</ref>
Susan Liv Mai title=Susan, The Politician (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/susan-2/}}</ref>
2019– Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists Freeform Alison DiLaurentis Sasha Pieterse Alison is bisexual. She was in a relationship with Emily Fields in the first series.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Warner|first1=Sam|title=Pretty Little Liars spin-off reveals what happened to Alison and Emily after the series ended|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a26893855/pretty-little-liars-the-perfectionists-alison-emily-emison/%7Cwebsite=Digital Spy|date=21 March 2019}}</ref>
Dylan Walker Eli Brown title=The ‘Pretty Little Liars’ Spinoff Is Unhinged Queer Camp |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/bjqq9z/pretty-little-liars-the-perfectionist-queer-show}}</ref><ref name="hidden pretty liars">{{cite web |title=PLL: The Perfectionists Season 1 finale recap: Who is the Professor? |url=https://hiddenremote.com/2019/05/22/pll-the-perfectionists-s1-finale-recap/ |website=Hidden Remote |date=22 May 2019}}</ref>
Andrew Villareal Evan Bittencourt title=Dylan Walker is the weakest link on 'The Perfectionists' |url=https://www.hypable.com/dylan-walker-weakest-link-the-perfectionists/ |website=Hypable |date=28 May 2019}}</ref>
Nolan Hotchkiss Chris Mason Nolan is bisexual.<ref name="vice pretty liars"/><ref name="hidden pretty liars"/>
2019 Proven Innocent Fox Madeline Scott Rachelle Lefevre Madeline is bisexual. She was with Wren during her time in prison. Wren is a lesbian.<ref>{{cite web|last=Byrd|first=Chris|title=A legal team takes on cases involving wrongful convictions in Fox's 'Proven Innocent'|url=https://catholiccourier.com/articles/a-legal-team-takes-on-cases-involving-wrongful-convictions-in-foxs-proven-innocent/%7Cwebsite=Catholic Courier|date=February 12, 2019}}</ref>
Wren Candice Coke
2019 The Red Line CBS Dr. Harrison Brennan Corey Reynolds Dr. Harrison Brennan is gay. He is married to Daniel Calder. He is shot, while unarmed, by a White cop.<ref name="the red line"/><ref name="daniel calder"/>
Daniel Calder Noah Wyle last1=Schwartz |first1=Ryan |title=CBS' The Red Line: Grade the Premiere |url=https://tvline.com/2019/04/28/the-red-line-recap-season-1-episode-1-series-premiere-noah-wyle-cbs/ |website=TV Line |date=29 April 2019}}</ref><ref name="daniel calder">{{cite web |last1=Stuever |first1=Hank |title=Review {{!}} Noah Wyle gives a must-see performance in CBS’s occasionally clunky ‘Red Line’ |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/noah-wyle-gives-a-must-see-performance-in-cbss-occasionally-clunky-red-line/2019/04/25/79fc0694-6611-11e9-8985-4cf30147bdca_story.html |website=Washington Post}}</ref>
Liam Bhatt Vinny Chhibber title=‘The Red Line’ Actor Vinny Chhibber: ‘We Still Struggle with Stepping Outside of Stereotypical Architypes Placed Upon Us’ |url=https://www.indiawest.com/entertainment/global/the-red-line-actor-vinny-chhibber-we-still-struggle-with-stepping-outside-of-stereotypical-architypes/article_96a75b66-6c35-11e9-991c-234a0d49369b.html |website=India West}}</ref>
Riley Hooper J.J. Hawkins title=JJ Hawkins Is a Trans Actor Playing a Trans Role on ‘The Red Line’ |url=https://www.out.com/television/2019/5/03/jj-hawkins-trans-actor-playing-trans-role-red-line |date=3 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Ramos |first1=Dino-Ray |title=J.J. Hawkins To Play First Transgender Character On ‘Charmed’ |url=https://deadline.com/2020/11/j-j-hawkins-charmed-the-cw-transgender-actor-lgbtq-diversity-representation-inclusion-1234616731/ |website=Deadline |date=17 November 2020}}</ref>
2019– Roswell, New Mexico The CW Michael Guerin Michael Vlamis

last1=Radish|first1=Christina|title='Roswell, New Mexico' Star Michael Vlamis on Season 2 and Exploring His Character's Bisexuality|url=https://collider.com/roswell-new-mexico-michael-vlamis-interview/%7Cwebsite=Collider|date=April 6, 2020}}</ref>
Alex Manes Tyler Blackburn title=Pilot|series=Roswell, New Mexico|first=Julie|last=Plec|network=The CW|season=1|number=1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Smith |first1=Chloe |title=Roswell, New Mexico is set to improve disability representation in season 3 |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a33364504/roswell-new-mexico-alex-manes-disabled-representation/ |website=Digital Spy |date=20 July 2020}}</ref>
Isobel Evans Lily Cowles title=Isobel Evans-Bracken, Roswell, New Mexico (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/isobel-evans-bracken/}}</ref>
Charlie Cameron Jamie Clayton title=Charlie Cameron, Roswell, New Mexico (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/charlie-cameron/}}</ref>
Blair Sarah Minnich title=Blair, Roswell, New Mexico (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/blair-3/}}</ref>
2019– Sex Education Netflix Eric Effiong Ncuti Gatwa last1=Maidment|first1=Adam|title=Sex Education on Netflix: Viewers praise show's LGBT+ representation|url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2019/01/12/sex-education-netflix-lgbt-representation/%7Cwebsite=PinkNews|date=January 12, 2019}}</ref>
Anwar Chaneil Kular last1=Brathwaite |first1=Lester Fabian |title=The "Sex Education" Douching Episode Is Required Gay Viewing |url=http://www.newnownext.com/sex-education-season-2-douching-lesson-episode-6/01/2020/ |website=NewNowNext |date=January 31, 2020}}</ref>
Adam Groff Connor Swindells last=Allah|first=Amari|url=https://wherever-i-look.com/tv-series/sex-education-season-1-episode-8-season-finale-recap-review-with-spoilers%7Ctitle=Sex Education: Season 1/ Episode 8 [Season Finale] - Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)|website=Wherever I Look|date=January 13, 2019}}</ref>
Ruthie Lily Newmark Ruthie is lesbian.<ref name="Sex Education"/>
Tanya Alice Hewkin Tanya is lesbian.<ref name="Sex Education"/>
Sofia Marchetti Hannah Waddingham Sofia and Roz Marchetti are Jackson's lesbian mothers.<ref name="Sex Education"/>
Roz Marchetti Sharon Duncan-Brewster
Rahim Sami Outalbali last=Clarke|first=Emma|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/stayingin/tvfilm/sex-education-actor-sami-outalbali-eric-boyfriend-rahim-a4335836.html%7Ctitle=Who is the new 'French guy' in Sex Education? Meet the actor who plays Eric's boyfriend Rahim|work=Evening Standard|date=17 January 2020}}</ref>
Florence Mirren Mack last=Dodgson|first=Lindsay|url=https://www.insider.com/best-sex-and-relationship-lessons-from-netflix-sex-education-season-2-2020-1%7Ctitle=The 11 best lessons season 2 of Netflix's 'Sex Education' teaches you about real-life sex and relationships|website=Insider|date=January 18, 2020}}</ref>
Ola Nyman Patricia Allison last=Upadhyaya|first=Kayla Kumari|url=https://tv.avclub.com/every-character-comes-to-life-in-sex-education-s-horny-1840877590%7Ctitle=Every character comes to life in Sex Education's horny and heartfelt 2nd season|website=The A.V. Club|date=January 9, 2020}}</ref>
Lily Iglehart Tanya Reynolds title=Sex Education |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/sex-education/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
2019– The Society Netflix Sam Sean Berdy Sam is gay and hearing impaired. Grizz is gay and learns sign language so he can communicate with Sam. They are romantically and sexually involved with each other.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dominick |first1=Nora |title=27 "The Society" Moments That Prove Grizz Is One Of The Best New Characters Of 2019 |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/noradominick/netflix-the-society-grizz-best-character |website=BuzzFeed}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Grizz and Sam's relationship on The Society already has fans feeling emotional |url=https://www.popbuzz.com/tv-film/the-society/grizz-and-sam-relationship/ |website=Pop Buzz}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sam + Grizz's Love Needs to Be Protected {{!}} The Society {{!}} Netflix |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me7GvzZJSkc |publisher=Netflix|via=YouTube}}</ref>
Grizz Jack Mulhern
2019– Special Netflix Ryan Hayes Ryan O'Connell title=Ryan O'Connell 'levels up' 'Special' for season 2 — and with it, Hollywood |url=https://ew.com/tv/ryan-oconnell-netflix-special-season-2/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ryan O'Connell and Netflix announce that season 2 of Special is back in production |url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/ryan-oconnell-and-netflix-announce-that-season-2-of-special-is-back-in-production/ |date=4 October 2020}}</ref>
Carey Augustus Prew title=Carey |url=https://www.stage13.com/shows/special/talent/carey/ |website=Stage 13}}</ref>
2019 The Stranded Netflix Krit Perth Tanapon Krit and Jack are a gay couple.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wheeler |first1=Greg |title=The Stranded – Season 1 Episode 5 Recap & Review |url=https://www.thereviewgeek.com/thestranded-s1e5review/ |website=The Review Geek |date=15 November 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Stranded (Netflix) Season 1, Episode 5 recap: "The Mutiny" {{!}} RSC |url=https://readysteadycut.com/2019/11/16/the-stranded-season-1-episode-5-recap-netflix/ |website=Ready Steady Cut |date=16 November 2019}}</ref>
Jack Mark Siwat
Arisa Chaleeda Gilbert title=The Stranded |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/the-stranded/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
Ying Ticha Wongtipkanon Ying is bisexual.<ref name="The Stranded"/>
2019– Stumptown ABC Dexadrine "Dex" Parios Cobie Smulders last1=Dorwart|first1=Laura|title=Cobie Smulders Plays A Bisexual Detective With PTSD In ABC's New Fall Series 'Stumptown'|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/lauradorwart/2019/08/26/cobie-smulders-plays-a-bisexual-detective-with-ptsd-in-abcs-new-fall-series-stumptown/#7148e5b7576a%7Cmagazine=Forbes|date=August 26, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Bernardini|first1=Gabrielle|title=Fans Will Get to Meet Dex's Ex-Girlfriend in New 'Stumptown' Episode|url=https://www.distractify.com/p/is-dex-stumptown-bisexual%7Cwebsite=Distractify%7Cdate=November 6, 2019}}</ref>
2019 Tales of the City Netflix Shawna Hawkins Elliot Page title=Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/armistead-maupins-tales-of-the-city/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
Michael 'Mouse' Tolliver Murray Bartlett last1=Barnes |first1=Mike |title=Marcus D'Amico Dead: The Original Mouse From 'Tales of the City,' Was 55 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/marcus-damico-the-original-mouse-from-tales-of-the-city-dies-at-55 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=29 December 2020}}</ref>
Ben Marshall Charlie Barnett last1=Reynolds |first1=Daniel |title=Charlie Barnett Brings Black Gay Representation to 'Tales of the City' |url=https://www.advocate.com/television/2019/5/22/charlie-barnett-brings-black-gay-representation-tales-city |website=The Advocate |date=22 May 2019}}</ref>
Anna Madrigal Olympia Dukakis Anna is a transsexual woman.<ref name="Tales of the City"/><ref>{{cite web|last1=White|first1=Brett|title='Tales of the City' on Netflix: Yes, Compton's Cafeteria Riot Really Happened|url=https://decider.com/2019/06/10/tales-of-the-city-netflix-comptons-cafeteria-riot/%7Cwebsite=Decider|date=June 10, 2019}}</ref>
Jake Rodriguez Garcia Jake is a transgender male.<ref name="Tales of the City"/>
Margot Park May Hong Margot is lesbian.<ref name="Tales of the City"/>
Samuel Garland Victor Garber last1=Barmann |first1=Jay |title=Armistead Maupin's 'Tales Of the City' Premieres On Netflix, With Victor Garber, Molly Ringwald and More Surprises |url=https://sfist.com/2019/06/08/armistead-maupins-tales-of-the-city-premieres-on-netflix-with-victor-garber-and-more-surprises/ |website=SFist |date=8 June 2019}}</ref>
DeDe Halcyon Day Barbara Garrick DeDe is lesbian.<ref name="Tales of the City"/>
Claire Duncan Zosia Mamet Claire is Shawna's love interest.<ref name="Tales of the City"/>
Ida Best Bob the Drag Queen Ida is gay and a drag queen.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sorren |first1=Martha |title=The 'Tales Of The City' 2019 Cast Includes A 'Girls' Fan Favorite & A 'Drag Race' Alum |url=https://www.bustle.com/p/the-tales-of-the-city-2019-cast-includes-a-girls-fan-favorite-a-drag-race-alum-17948582 |website=Bustle |date=June 6, 2019}}</ref>
Harrison Matthew Risch last1=Scott |first1=Darren |title=Netflix announce diverse queer cast and crew for 'Tales of the City' |url=https://www.attitude.co.uk/article/netflix-announce-diverse-queer-cast-and-crew-for-tales-of-the-city/19386/ |website=Attitude |date=16 October 2018}}</ref>
Flaco Ramirez Juan Castano title=Netflix announce diverse queer cast and crew for 'Tales of the City' |url=https://www.attitude.co.uk/article/netflix-announce-diverse-queer-cast-and-crew-for-tales-of-the-city/19386/ |website=Attitude |date=16 October 2018}}</ref>
Mateo Dickie Hearts last1=Lindsay |first1=Richard |title=Netflix Tales of the City Breaks Canon/New Ground |url=https://poptheology.com/netflix-tales-of-the-city-breaks-canon-new-ground/ |website=Pop Theology |date=18 July 2019}}</ref>
Inka Gisladottior Samantha Soule Inka is bisexual.<ref name="Tales of the City"/>
2019– TharnType: The Series One31 Tharn Mew Suppasit Tharn is gay. Tharn and Type are love interests.<ref name="TharnType"/> Thai boys love television series.
Type Gulf Kanawut title=TharnType: The Series |url=https://www.mediaversityreviews.com/tv-reviews/2020/8/23/tharntype-the-series |website=Mediaversity Reviews}}</ref>
Lhong Kaownah Kittipat title=รู้จัก 6 นักแสดง!! TharnType The Series เกลียดนักมาเป็นที่รักกันซะดีๆ |url=https://www.one31.net/news/detail/14780%7Clanguage=th%7Cwebsite=onehd31}}</ref>
Tar Kokliang Parinya Tar is Tharn's ex-boyfriend.<ref name="onehd31"/>
Tum Hiter Natthad Tum is gay.<ref name="onehd31"/>
Khlui Mawin Tanawin Khlui is gay.<ref name="onehd31"/>
2019 Theory of Love GMM 25 Third Gun Atthaphan Third originally has a secret crush on Khai but they eventually become a gay couple.<ref>{{cite web|author=GMMTV|title=ทฤษฎีจีบเธอ Theory of Love [Official Trailer]|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQT1x-4ciI4%7Cwebsite=YouTube|date=May 23, 2019}}</ref>
Khai Off Jumpol
2019– Toy Boy Antena 3
Netflix		 Jairo Carlos Constanzia Jairo is openly gay. Andrea is gay. Jairo and Andrea develop a romantic relationship.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Nicolaou|first1=Elena|title=The Cast of Netflix's Toy Boy Are About to Be Your New Favorite TV Crushes|url=https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/a31401715/toy-boy-netflix-cast/%7Cmagazine=Oprah Magazine|date=March 1, 2020}}</ref>
Andrea Norman Medina Juanjo Almeida
2019– Trinkets Netflix Elodie Davis Brianna Hildebrand Elodie Davis is lesbian and a kleptomaniac. Sabine is a queer singer, she shows interest in Elodie (who is also interested in her) and they kiss.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Phillipson|first1=Daisy|title=LGBTQ+ TV shows to get excited about in 2019 and beyond|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a25946658/lgbtq-tv-shows-to-get-excited-about-in-2019/%7Cwebsite=Digital Spy|date=14 June 2019}}</ref>
Sabine Katrina Cunningham
2019– The Umbrella Academy Netflix Klaus Hargreeves Robert Sheehan last1=Harp|first1=Justin|last2=Scott|first2=Darren|title=Robert Sheehan doesn't want his Umbrella Academy character to be labelled as just "the gay one"|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a26296278/netflix-umbrella-academy-robert-sheehan-gay-character/%7Cwebsite=Digital Spy|date=February 12, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Rocheleau|first1=Kelly|title=How 'The Umbrella Academy' show differs from the comic - and why that's a good thing|url=https://auburnpub.com/blogs/citizen_pop/how-the-umbrella-academy-show-differs-from-the-comic---and-why-thats-a/article_8b584457-e6eb-5381-84b6-098ec74042dc.html%7Cwork=The Citizen|date=March 13, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Gallagher|first1=Katie|title=Robert Sheehan says Klaus in Netflix's Umbrella Academy was rewritten to be gay after he was cast|url=https://www.irishmirror.ie/showbiz/irish-showbiz/robert-sheehan-netflix-umbrella-academy-22522731%7Cwork=Irish Mirror|date=14 August 2020}}</ref>
Vanya Hargreeves Elliot Page title=The Umbrella Academy |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/the-umbrella-academy/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
Dave Cody Ray Thompson Dave is gay. He and Klaus were together during the Vietnam War when Klaus travels back in time.<ref>{{Cite episode|title=The Day that Wasn't|series=The Umbrella Academy|first=Stephen|last=Surjik|network=Netflix|season=1|number=6}}{{subscription required}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Umbrella Academy Theory: Klaus Saved Dave's Life In Season 2 |url=https://screenrant.com/umbrella-academy-theory-klaus-saved-dave-life-vietnam/ |website=Screen Rant |date=10 September 2020}}</ref>
Sissy Cooper Marin Irlande Sissy is bisexual.<ref name="The Umbrella Academy"/>
2019 The Untamed Tencent Video Wei Wuxian Xiao Zhan Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji have a romantic friendship. The original web novel depicted a romantic relationship between the two main male characters, but it was changed for the television adaptation due to media censorship of LGBT portrayals.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Lusky|first=Bridget|date=2019-12-02|title='The Untamed': Chinese boy love drama we can't stop watching|url=https://filmdaily.co/news/the-untamed/%7Caccess-date=2020-09-24%7Cwebsite=Film Daily}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Khor|first=Emily|title='The Untamed' and how it Broke Barriers within Media Censorship|url=https://wolftracksonline.com/3338/opinion/the-untamed-and-how-it-broke-barriers-within-media-censorship/%7Caccess-date=2020-09-24%7Cwebsite=Wolf Tracks}}</ref>
Lan Wangji Wang Yibo
2019–2020 Until We Meet Again Line TV Dean Ohm Thitiwat Dean and Pharm are a gay couple. Thai boys love television series.<ref>{{cite web|author=Studio Wabi Sabi|title=[Official Trailer] Until We Meet Again {{!}} ด้ายแดง #UWMAseries|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlT_e3Eguz8%7Cwebsite=YouTube|date= October 7, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Until We Meet Again">{{cite web |title=Until We Meet Again The Series- ด้ายแดง (2019) |url=https://psycho-milk.com/2020/02/15/until-we-meet-again-uwma/ |website=Psychomilk's Love Without Gender |date=15 February 2020}}</ref><ref name="We Meet Again">{{cite web |title=Until We Meet Again The Series - Is Until We Meet Again The Series on Netflix? - Netflix TV Series |url=https://www.netflixtvseries.com/tv/95279/until-we-meet-again-the-series}}</ref>
Pharm Fluke Natouch
In Earth Katsamonnat In and Korn are a gay couple.<ref name="Until We Meet Again"/><ref name="We Meet Again"/>
Korn Kao Noppakao
Team Prem Warut Team and Win are a couple.<ref name="Until We Meet Again"/><ref name="We Meet Again"/>
Win Boun Noppanut
Alex Mean Phiravich Alex is bisexual. He initially had a crush on Pharm but later dates Del.<ref name="Until We Meet Again"/><ref name="We Meet Again"/>
2019– Watchmen HBO Will Reeves Louis Gossett Jr. Will Reeves is gay or bisexual, and had an affair with Nelson Gardner.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Stefansky|first1=Emma|url=https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/watchmen-episode-6-hooded-justice-actor-jovan-adepo-interview%7Ctitle=Jovan Adepo on That Big 'Watchmen' Scene: 'You're Supposed to Feel Uncomfortable'|website=Thrillist|date=November 24, 2019|access-date=November 25, 2019}}</ref>
Nelson Gardner Jovan Adepo
2019– Weird City YouTube Premium Stu Dylan O'Brien Stu and Burt are in a sexual and romantic relationship. They are assigned to be together after an app determines they are meant for one another.<ref>{{Cite episode |title=The One|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMnq5v8yZp4%7Cseries=Weird City|first=Adam|last=Bernstein|network=YouTube Premium|season=1|number=1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Weird City Episode 1 Review: The One |url=https://www.nerdsandbeyond.com/2019/02/13/weird-city-episode-1-review-the-one/ |website=Nerds and Beyond |date=13 February 2019}}</ref>
Burt Ed O'Neill
Liquia Laverne Cox Liquia and Jathryn are in a committed romantic and sexual relationship.<ref>{{Cite episode |title=Smart House|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54xhRlxODxA%7Cseries=Weird City|first=Charlie|last=Sanders|network=YouTube Premium|season=1|number=4}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Flook |first1=Ray |title=Weird City Preview: Laverne Cox, Sara Gilbert vs. Tech Gone Bad |url=https://bleedingcool.com/tv/weird-city-cox-preview/ |website=Bleeding Cool|date=29 January 2019}}</ref>
Jathryn Sara Gilbert
2019– What/If Netflix Marcos Juan Castano Marcos and Lionel are a couple.<ref name="what if">{{cite web |last1=Travers |first1=Ben |title=What / If: The Ending Isn't All That Matters in Season 1, But Boy Is It Grand |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2019/05/what-if-ending-what-happens-season-1-netflix-1202144741/ |website=Indie Wire |date=26 May 2019}}</ref><ref name="ifwhat"/>
Lionel John Clarence Stewart
Kevin Derek Smith last1=Swift |first1=Andy |title=What/If Creator Breaks Down the Biggest Twists From Part 1, Including the Finale's Ominous Ending |url=https://tvline.com/2019/05/27/what-if-season-1-finale-ending-explained-anne-dead-alive/ |website=TV Line |date=27 May 2019}}</ref>
2019– World on Fire BBC One Webster O'Connor Brian J. Smith Webster O'Connor is a gay American doctor. Albert Fallou is a gay Parisian saxophonist. They are in a romantic relationship.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Prescott|first=Amanda-Rae|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/world-on-fire-queer-history/%7Ctitle=How World On Fire Spotlights Previously Untold Queer History|website=Den of Geek|date=April 26, 2020}}</ref>
Albert Fallou Parker Sawyers
2019– Years and Years BBC One Daniel Lyons Russell Tovey title=Check out Russell Tovey's gay wedding in new drama from Queer as Folk creator |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2019/04/22/years-and-years-trailer-russell-tovey-gay-character-russell-t-davies-drama/ |website=Pink News |date=22 April 2019}}</ref><ref name="gay times years and years">{{cite web |title=Years and Years star Dino Fetscher on the "vital importance" of LGBTQ representation |url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/years-and-years-star-dino-fetscher-on-the-vital-importance-of-lgbtq-representation/ |date=11 June 2019}}</ref><ref name="pride years and years">{{cite web |title=HBO's 'Years and Years' Is the Great Gay Epic of Our Time |url=https://www.pride.com/tv/2019/7/29/hbos-years-and-years-great-gay-epic-our-time |date=29 July 2019}}</ref><ref name="blade years and years">{{cite web |title=Futuristic new Brit drama ‘Years and Years’ inclusive, compelling |url=https://www.washingtonblade.com/2019/06/28/futuristic-new-brit-drama-years-and-years-inclusive-compelling/ |website=Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News |date=28 June 2019}}</ref>
Ralph Cousins Dino Fetscher Ralph is gay. He is Daniel's ex-husband.<ref name="pink news years and years"/><ref name="gay times years and years"/><ref name="pride years and years"/><ref name="blade years and years"/>
Viktor Goraya Maxim Baldry Viktor is gay. He is in a relationship with Daniel.<ref name="pink news years and years"/><ref name="gay times years and years"/><ref name="pride years and years"/><ref name="blade years and years"/>
Edith Lyons Jessica Hynes Edith Lyons is a lesbian. Fran Baxter is a lesbian. They are in a relationship.<ref>{{cite web |title=Years and Years |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/years-and-years/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
Fran Baxter Sharon Duncan-Brewster

See also

{{Portal|LGBT|Television|Lists}}

References

{{Reflist}}

Further reading

{{LGBT fiction}}

Average Bunkerchan user

Bunkerchan.net, also known as leftypol.org, is a datamining website founded in 1998. It was made as an alternative to 4channel's /pol/ board<ref>http://bunkerchan.net/leftypol/res/668788.html</ref>.

Bunkerchan.net DOES NOT tolerate intolerance nor bigotry<ref>http://bunkerchan.net/leftypol/res/668788.html</ref>. Interestingly enough though, they think that Gulags were so funny they named a board after them.


Average bunkerchan user

Citations

/pol/ is often visited by glowniggers
/pol/ takes everything personally
/pol/ users taking a selfie

/pol/ is a board on 4chan for political discussion, created on November 10, 2011. Originally, /pol/ started as a spin-off of /new/ 8 months after it was deleted, this deletion was due to the fact that a large portion of the users on /new/ were "stormfront users" or "nazis" which caused the moderators of 4chan to delete the board entirely before creating /pol/.

The current state of /pol/

It's widely agreed upon that /pol/ is currently a politically themed random board due to extremely low quality content and spam posted regularly (this includes: bait/shill posts, NSFW content, sperging and schizoposting). The large drop in quality can be attributed to the fact of /pol/'s massive rise in popularity during and after the election of Donald Trump when /pol/ was frequently mentioned in the mainstream media, this caused a massive influx of newfags who weren't adapted to the culture, with various conflicting political opinions to flood the board.

A left-wing board before stormfront invasion?

Some people will assert that /pol/ was a centre-left or left-wing board before "stormfront" flooded it, this is untrue, /pol/ always had a right-wing majority. The userbase mostly ranged from Ron Paul libertarians to Nazis, this can be proven by looking at early archives <ref> https://warosu.org/tg/thread/21240328 </ref> <ref> https://warosu.org/tg/thread/S17673437#p17674661 </ref> discussing /pol/ in 2012 (/pol/ itself has little to no archives before 2014).

/pol/ on other imageboards

Soyjak.party - /pol/

8kun (formerly 8chan) - /pnd/ (formerly /pol/)

endchan - /pol/

kohlchan - /pol/, but German

16chan - /pol/

Leftypol (formerly bunkerchan which was formerly /leftypol/ on 8chan) - Tranny leftist political website

See also

Chudjak

Citations

<references /> {{Coal}}

{{about|the Republic of Finland}} {{pp-vandalism|small=yes}} {{pp-pc1|small=yes}} {{pp-move-indef}} {{short description|Country in Northern Europe}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}} {{Infobox country | conventional_long_name = Republic of Finland | common_name = Finland | native_name = {{ubl|{{native name|fi|Suomen tasavalta}}|{{native name|sv|Republiken Finland}}}} | image_flag = Flag of Finland.svg | image_coat = Coat of arms of Finland.svg

| national_anthem =
{{native name|fi|Maamme|nolink=yes}}
{{native name|sv|Vårt land|nolink=yes}}
({{Lang-en|"Our Land"}})

| image_map = {{Switcher||Show globe||Show map of Europe|default=2}} | map_caption = {{map caption|location_color=dark green |region=Europe |region_color=dark grey |subregion=the European Union |subregion_color=green |legend=EU-Finland.svg}} | capital = Helsinki | coordinates = {{Coord|60|10|N|24|56|E|type:city}} | largest_city = capital | official_languages = Finnish • Swedish | national_languages = Viittomakieli • Sámi • Teckenspråk • Karelian • Finnish Kalo language | ethnic_groups = {{unbulleted list |91.33% Finnish |4.90% Other European |2.50% Asian |0.90% African |0.37% Other }} | ethnic_groups_year = 2017 | ethnic_groups_ref = <ref name="auto">{{cite web |url=http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/fi/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__vaerak/statfin_vaerak_pxt_032.px/?rxid=726cd24d-d0f1-416a-8eec-7ce9b82fd5a4 |title=032 -- Syntyperä ja taustamaa sukupuolen mukaan maakunnittain ja kunnittain 1990 - 2017| work = Tilastokeskuksen PX-Web-tietokannat | publisher = Statistics Finland|language=fi |access-date=28 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212214837/http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/fi/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__vaerak/statfin_vaerak_pxt_032.px/?rxid=726cd24d-d0f1-416a-8eec-7ce9b82fd5a4 |archive-date=12 February 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="un">{{cite web|url=http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/data/estimates2/estimates17.shtml%7Ctitle=United Nations Population Division | Department of Economic and Social Affairs|website=un.org|access-date=29 June 2018}}</ref> | religion = {{ublist |item_style=white-space:nowrap; 

 |70.7% Christianity
 |—68.7% Lutheranism
 |—1.1% Orthodoxy
 |—0.9% Other Christian
 |28.5% No religion 
 | 0.8% Other}}

| religion_year = 2019 | religion_ref = <ref name="stnin">{{cite web |title=Belonging to a religious community by age and sex, 2000-2019 |url=http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/en/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__vaerak/statfin_vaerak_pxt_11rx.px/ |website=Tilastokeskuksen PX-Web tietokannat |publisher=Government |access-date=28 March 2020}} Note these are state religious registration numbers, people may be registered yet not practicing/believing and they may be believing/practicing but not registered.</ref> | demonym = {{hlist|Finnish|Finn}} | government_type = Unitary parliamentary republic<ref name="Parliamentary"/> | leader_title1 = President | leader_name1 = Sauli Niinistö | leader_title2 = Prime Minister | leader_name2 = Sanna Marin | legislature = Eduskunta/Riksdagen | sovereignty_type = Independence | sovereignty_note = from Russia | established_event1 = Autonomy | established_date1 = 29 March 1809 | established_event2 = Declared | established_date2 = 6 December 1917 | established_event3 = Civil War | established_date3 = January – May 1918 | established_event4 = Constitution | established_date4 = 17 July 1919 | established_event5 = Winter War | established_date5 = 30 November 1939 – 13 March 1940 | established_event6 = Continuation War | established_date6 = 25 June 1941 – 19 September 1944 | established_event7 = Joined the EU | established_date7 = 1 January 1995 | area_km2 = 338,455 | area_rank = 65th | area_sq_mi = 130,596 | percent_water = 9.71 (as of 2015)<ref>{{cite web|title=Surface water and surface water change|access-date=11 October 2020|publisher=Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)|url=https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=SURFACE_WATER#}}</ref> | population_estimate = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 5,536,146<ref>{{cite web|title=Birth rate showed a slight growth in 2020|url=https://www.stat.fi/til/vamuu/2020/12/vamuu_2020_12_2021-01-21_tie_001_en.html%7Cpublisher=Statistics Finland|access-date=21 January 2021}}</ref> | population_estimate_year = December 2020 | population_estimate_rank = 116th | population_label2 = | population_data2 = | population_density_km2 = 16 | population_density_sq_mi = 41 | population_density_rank = 213th | GDP_PPP = $257 billion<ref name=imf3>{{cite web|url=https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2018/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2018&ey=2018&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&pr1.x=59&pr1.y=9&c=172&s=NGDPD%2CPPPGDP%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPPC&grp=0&a= |date=17 October 2018|title=Report for Selected Countries and Subjects|publisher=IMF}}</ref> | GDP_PPP_year = 2020 | GDP_PPP_rank = 60th | GDP_PPP_per_capita = $49,334<ref name=imf3 /> | GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 19th | GDP_nominal = $277 billion<ref name=imf3 /> | GDP_nominal_year = 2020 | GDP_nominal_rank = 43rd | GDP_nominal_per_capita = $48,461<ref name=imf3 /> | GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 14th | Gini = 26.2 | Gini_year = 2019 | Gini_change = increase | Gini_ref = <ref name=eurogini>{{cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/table.do?tab=table&init=1&language=en&pcode=tessi190&plugin=1 |title=Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income - EU-SILC survey |publisher=Eurostat |website=ec.europa.eu |access-date=27 March 2020}}</ref> | Gini_rank = 6th | HDI = 0.938 | HDI_year = 2019 | HDI_change = increase | HDI_ref = <ref name="UNHDR">{{cite web|url=http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/hdr2020.pdf%7Ctitle=Human Development Report 2020|language=en|publisher=United Nations Development Programme|date=15 December 2020|access-date=15 December 2020}}</ref> | HDI_rank = 11th | currency = Euro (€) | currency_code = EUR | time_zone = EET | utc_offset = +2 | utc_offset_DST = +3 | time_zone_DST = EEST | date_format = d.m.yyyy<ref>Ajanilmaukset {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020033758/http://www.kielikello.fi/index.php?mid=2&pid=11&aid=1709 |date=20 October 2017 }} Kielikello 2/2006. Institute for the Languages of Finland. Retrieved 20 October 2017</ref> | drives_on = right | calling_code = +358 | cctld = .fia | footnote_a = The .eu domain is also used, as it is shared with other European Union member states. | today = }}

Finland ({{lang-fi|Suomi}} {{IPA-fi|ˈsuo̯mi||fi-suomi.ogg}}; {{lang-sv|Finland}} {{IPA-sv|ˈfɪ̌nland||sv-Finland.ogg}}, {{IPA-sv|ˈfinlɑnd|langfi}}), officially the Republic of Finland ({{Lang-fi|Suomen tasavalta}}, {{Lang-sv|Republiken Finland}} {{small|({{audio|Suomi Finland.ogg|listen to all|help=no}})}}),{{refn|group=note|"Republic of Finland", or {{lang|fi|Suomen tasavalta}} in Finnish, {{lang|sv|Republiken Finland}} in Swedish, and {{lang|se|Suoma dásseváldi}} in Sami, is the long protocol name, which is however not defined by law. Legislation recognises only the short name.}} is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the west, Russia to the east, Norway to the north, and is defined by the Gulf of Bothnia to the west, and the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea across Estonia to the south. Finland covers an area of {{convert|338455|km2|mi2}}, with a population of 5.5 million. Helsinki is the country's capital and largest city, but together with the neighboring cities of Espoo, Kauniainen and Vantaa, it forms a larger metropolitan area. Finnish, the native language of the Finns, is among the few Finnic languages in the world. The climate varies relative to latitude, from the southern humid continental climate to the northern boreal climate. The land cover is primarily a boreal forest biome, with more than 180,000 recorded lakes.<ref name="thousand">{{cite web|last=Li|first=Leslie|date=16 April 1989|title=A Land of a Thousand Lakes|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/04/16/travel/a-land-of-a-thousand-lakes.html%7Caccess-date=20 September 2020|work=The New York Times}}</ref>

Finland was inhabited around 9000 BC after the Last Glacial Period.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus|year=2015|isbn=978-952-495-363-4|location=Helsinki|page=23}}</ref> The Stone Age introduced several different ceramic styles and cultures. The Bronze Age and Iron Age were characterised by extensive contacts with other cultures in Fennoscandia and the Baltic region.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus|year=2015|isbn=978-952-495-363-4|location=Helsinki|page=339}}</ref> From the late 13th century, Finland gradually became an integral part of Sweden as a consequence of the Northern Crusades. In 1809, as a result of the Finnish War, Finland was annexed by Russia as the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland, during which Finnish art flourished and the idea of independence began to take hold. In 1906, Finland became the first European state to grant universal suffrage, and the first in the world to give all adult citizens the right to run for public office.<ref name="eduskunta">{{cite web |url=http://web.eduskunta.fi/Resource.phx/parliament/aboutparliament/presentation/history.htx |work=eduskunta.fi |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 December 2015 |author=Parliament of Finland |title=History of the Finnish Parliament |archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20151206184816/http://web.eduskunta.fi/Resource.phx/parliament/aboutparliament/presentation/history.htx }}</ref><ref name="full suffrage">Finland was the first nation in the world to give all (adult) citizens full suffrage, in other words the right to vote and to run for office, in 1906. New Zealand was the first country in the world to grant all (adult) citizens the right to vote, in 1893. But women did not get the right to run for the New Zealand legislature, until 1919.</ref> Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia, tried to russify Finland and terminate its political autonomy, but after the 1917 Russian Revolution, Finland declared independence from Russia. In 1918, the fledgling state was divided by the Finnish Civil War. During World War II, Finland fought the Soviet Union in the Winter War and the Continuation War, and Nazi Germany in the Lapland War. After the wars, Finland lost parts of its territory, but maintained its independence.

Finland largely remained an agrarian country until the 1950s. After World War II, the country rapidly industrialised and developed an advanced economy, while building an extensive welfare state based on the Nordic model, resulting in widespread prosperity and a high per capita income.<ref name="imf2">{{cite web |url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2013/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=65&pr.y=7&sy=2009&ey=2012&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=172&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a= |title=Finland |publisher=International Monetary Fund |access-date=17 April 2013}}</ref> Finland joined the United Nations in 1955 and adopted an official policy of neutrality. Finland joined the OECD in 1969, the NATO Partnership for Peace in 1994,<ref name="nato.int">Relations with Finland. NATO (13 January 2016)</ref> the European Union in 1995, the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council in 1997,<ref name="nato.int" /> and the Eurozone at its inception in 1999. Finland is a top performer in numerous metrics of national performance, including education, economic competitiveness, civil liberties, quality of life and human development.<ref name="World Audit">{{cite web |url=http://www.worldaudit.org/countries/finland.htm |title=Finland: World Audit Democracy Profile |work=WorldAudit.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030113921/http://www.worldaudit.org/countries/finland.htm |archive-date=30 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite document|url=http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/tertiary-education-graduation-rates_20755120-table1 |title=Tertiary education graduation rates—Education: Key Tables from OECD |doi=10.1787/20755120-table1 |publisher=OECD iLibrary |date=14 June 2010 |access-date=6 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430055650/http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/tertiary-education-graduation-rates_20755120-table1 |archive-date=30 April 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://e24.no/makro-og-politikk/article3803493.ece |title=Her er verdens mest konkurransedyktige land—Makro og politikk |publisher=E24.no |date=9 September 2010 |access-date=6 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101014010931/http://e24.no/makro-og-politikk/article3803493.ece |archive-date=14 October 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prosperity.com/country.aspx?id=FI |title=The 2009 Legatum Prosperity Index |publisher=Prosperity.com |access-date=4 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091029140547/http://www.prosperity.com/country.aspx?id=FI |archive-date=29 October 2009 }}</ref> In 2015, Finland was ranked first in the World Human Capital<ref>{{cite web |url=http://reports.weforum.org/human-capital-report-2015/rankings/ |title=Human Capital Report 2015 |website=World Economic Forum |access-date=15 May 2015}}</ref> and the Press Freedom Index and as the most stable country in the world during 2011–2016 in the Fragile States Index,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://fsi.fundforpeace.org/rankings-2016 |title=Fragile States Index 2016 |publisher=Fundforpeace.org |access-date=27 November 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204213240/http://fsi.fundforpeace.org/rankings-2016 |archive-date=4 February 2017 }}</ref> and second in the Global Gender Gap Report.<ref>{{cite book |title = Gender Gap Report |url = http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GenderGap_Report_2012.pdf |publisher = WEF }}</ref> It also ranked first on the World Happiness Report report for 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.<ref>{{cite news |last= Hetter|first=Katia|date=26 March 2019|title=This is the world's happiest country in 2019|url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/worlds-happiest-countries-united-nations-2019/index.html%7Cwork=CNN |access-date=31 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://happiness-report.s3.amazonaws.com/2020/WHR20.pdf%7Ctitle=World Happiness Report 2020|editor-last=Helliwell|editor-first=John F.|editor2-last=Sachs|editor2-first=Jeffrey|editor3-last=De Neve|editor3-first=Jan-Emmanuel|date=2020|publisher=Sustainable Development Solutions Network|location=New York|access-date=30 April 2020}}</ref>

Etymology

Finland

Finland on a medieval map, which is part of the Carta marina (1539)

{{See also|Finns#Etymology}}

The earliest written appearance of the name Finland is thought to be on three runestones. Two were found in the Swedish province of Uppland and have the inscription finlonti (U 582). The third was found in Gotland. It has the inscription finlandi (G 319) and dates back to the 13th century.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.arkisto.fi/ |title=National Archives Service, Finland (in English) |access-date=22 January 2007}}</ref> The name can be assumed to be related to the tribe name Finns, which is mentioned at first known time AD 98 (disputed meaning).

Suomi

The name Suomi ({{Langnf|fi|2=Finnish|3=Finland}}) has uncertain origins, but a common etymology with saame (Sami, a Finno-Ugric people in Lapland) and Häme (a province in the inland) has been suggested (Proto-Finnic *hämä from older *šämä, possibly loaned into Proto-Saami as *sāmē), whose source could be the Proto-Baltic word *źemē, meaning '(low) land'.<ref>kotikielenseura.fi, SUOMI (TTAVIA ETYMOLOGIOITA).</ref> According to the hypothesis, *sāmē – or *šämä directly – was loaned back into Baltic as *sāma- (compare Latvian sāms 'Finn, Öselian'), from which Northern Finnic reborrowed it (perhaps via a Germanic intermediate *sōma-) as *sōma- > *sōme- 'Finland'.<ref name=deSmit>{{cite web |last1=de Smit |first1=Merlijn |title=De Vanitate Etymologiae. On the origins of Suomi, Häme, Sápmi. |url=https://www.academia.edu/36858309 |website=Academia.edu |publisher=Academia, Inc. |access-date=6 September 2020 |language=en}}</ref> In addition to the close relatives of Finnish (the Finnic languages), this name is also used in the Baltic languages Latvian (soms, Somija) and Lithuanian (suomis, Suomija), although these are evidently later borrowings. An alternative hypothesis by Petri Kallio suggests the Proto-Indo-European word *(dʰ)ǵʰm-on- 'human' (cf. Gothic guma, Latin homo), being borrowed into Uralic as *ćoma.<ref name=deSmit />

It has been suggested that the Finnish word Suomi is first attested the Royal Frankish Annals annal for 811, which mentions a person called Suomi among the Danish delegation at a peace treaty with the Franks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/annalesregnifrancorum.html%7Ctitle=Annesl Regni Francorum|website=thelatinlibrary.com|access-date=29 July 2018}}</ref> If so, it is also the earliest evidence for the change from the proto-Finnic monophthong {{IPA|/oː/}} to the Finnish diphthong {{IPA|/uo/}}.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Keskiajan suomen kielen dokumentoitu sanasto ensiesiintymisvuosineen |last=Heikkilä |first=Mikko K. |publisher=Mediapinta |year=2017 |isbn=978-952-236-859-1 |page=44}}</ref><ref>Mikko Heikkilä, 'Varhaissuomen äännehistorian kronologiasta', Sananjalka, 58 (2016), 136–158 (p. 147).</ref> However, some historical linguists view this interpretation of the name as unlikely, supposing another etymology or that the spelling originated as a scribal error (in which case the sound-change {{IPA|/oː/}} > {{IPA|/uo/}} could have happened much later).<ref>Petri Kallio, 'Äännehistoriaa suomen kielen erilliskehityksen alkutaipaleilta', Sananjalka, 59 (2017), 7–24 (p. 12).</ref>

Concept

In the earliest historical sources, from the 12th and 13th centuries, the term Finland refers to the coastal region around Turku from Perniö to Uusikaupunki. This region later became known as Finland Proper in distinction from the country name Finland. Finland became a common name for the whole country in a centuries-long process that started when the Catholic Church established a missionary diocese in Nousiainen in the northern part of the province of Suomi possibly sometime in the 12th century.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |title=Suomen museo 2003: "The Origins of Finland and Häme" |last=Salo |first=Unto |publisher=Suomen muinaismuistoyhdistys |year=2004 |isbn=978-951-9057-55-2 |location=Helsinki |page=55}}</ref>

The devastation of Finland during the Great Northern War (1714–1721) and during the Russo-Swedish War (1741–1743) caused Sweden to begin carrying out major efforts to defend its eastern half from Russia. These 18th-century experiences created a sense of a shared destiny that when put in conjunction with the unique Finnish language, led to the adoption of an expanded concept of Finland.<ref name=UppslagsFi>{{cite web |url=http://www.uppslagsverket.fi/sv/sok/view-103684-FinlandsHistoria1700Talet |title=Finlands historia: 1700-talet |last=Lindberg |first=Johan |date=26 May 2016 |website=Uppslagsverket Finland |access-date=30 November 2017 |language=sv}}</ref>

History

{{Main|History of Finland}} {{see also|Åland Islands}}

Prehistory

{{Main|History of Finland#Prehistory}}

Reconstruction of Stone Age dwelling from Kierikki, Oulu

If the archeological finds from Wolf Cave are the result of Neanderthals' activities, the first people inhabited Finland approximately 120,000–130,000 years ago.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus |year=2015 |isbn=978-952-495-363-4 |location=Helsinki |page=21}}</ref> The area that is now Finland was settled in, at the latest, around 8,500 BC during the Stone Age towards the end of the last glacial period. The artifacts the first settlers left behind present characteristics that are shared with those found in Estonia, Russia, and Norway.<ref name=":1">Herkules.oulu.fi. People, material, culture and environment in the north. Proceedings of the 22nd Nordic Archaeological Conference, University of Oulu, 18–23 August 2004 Edited by Vesa-Pekka Herva Gummerus Kirjapaino</ref> The earliest people were hunter-gatherers, using stone tools.<ref name="VF-Pre">Dr. Pirjo Uino of the National Board of Antiquities, ThisisFinland—"Prehistory: The ice recedes—man arrives". Retrieved 24 June 2008.</ref>

The first pottery appeared in 5200 BC, when the Comb Ceramic culture was introduced.<ref name="Hist-Fin-Geo">History of Finland and the Finnish People from stone age to WWII. Retrieved 24 June 2008.</ref> The arrival of the Corded Ware culture in Southern coastal Finland between 3000 and 2500 BC may have coincided with the start of agriculture.<ref name="Virt-Mino">Professor Frank Horn of the Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law University of Lappland writing for Virtual Finland on National Minorities of Finland. Retrieved 24 June 2008.</ref> Even with the introduction of agriculture, hunting and fishing continued to be important parts of the subsistence economy.

In the Bronze Age permanent all-year-round cultivation and animal husbandry spread, but the cold climate phase slowed the change.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus |year=2015 |location=Helsinki |pages=199, 210–211}}</ref> Cultures in Finland shared common features in pottery and also axes had similarities but local features existed. Seima-Turbino-phenomenon brought first bronze artifacts to the region and possibly also the Finno-Ugric-Languages.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus|year=2015|location=Helsinki|pages=171–178}}</ref> Commercial contacts that had so far mostly been to Estonia started to extend to Scandinavia. Domestic manufacture of bronze artifacts started 1300 BC with {{ill|Maaninka-type bronze axe|fi|Maaningan kirves|lt=Maaninka-type bronze axes}}. Bronze was imported from Volga region and from Southern Scandinavia.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus|year=2015|location=Helsinki|pages=189–190}}</ref>

Northern Europe in 814 AD

In the Iron Age population grew especially in Häme and Savo regions. Finland proper was the most densely populated area. Cultural contacts to the Baltics and Scandinavia became more frequent. Commercial contacts in the Baltic Sea region grew and extended during the 8th and 9th centuries.

Main exports from Finland were furs, slaves, castoreum, and falcons to European courts. Imports included silk and other fabrics, jewelry, Ulfberht swords, and, in lesser extent, glass. Production of iron started approximately in 500 BC.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus |year=2015 |location=Helsinki |pages=332, 364–365}}</ref>

At the end of the 9th century, indigenous artifact culture, especially women's jewelry and weapons, had more common local features than ever before. This has been interpreted to be expressing common Finnish identity which was born from an image of common origin.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus |year=2015 |location=Helsinki |page=269}}</ref>

Late Iron Age swords found in Finland

An early form of Finnic languages spread to the Baltic Sea region approximately 1900 BC with the Seima-Turbino-phenomenon. Common Finnic language was spoken around Gulf of Finland 2000 years ago. The dialects from which the modern-day Finnish language was developed came into existence during the Iron Age.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus|year=2015|location=Helsinki|pages=211–212}}</ref> Although distantly related, the Sami retained the hunter-gatherer lifestyle longer than the Finns. The Sami cultural identity and the Sami language have survived in Lapland, the northernmost province, but the Sami have been displaced or assimilated elsewhere.

The 12th and 13th centuries were a violent time in the northern Baltic Sea. The Livonian Crusade was ongoing and the Finnish tribes such as the Tavastians and Karelians were in frequent conflicts with Novgorod and with each other. Also, during the 12th and 13th centuries several crusades from the Catholic realms of the Baltic Sea area were made against the Finnish tribes. According to historical sources, Danes waged at least three crusades to Finland, in 1187 or slightly earlier,<ref name=":3">{{cite book| author = Kurt Villads Jensen| title = Ristiretket| publisher = Turun Historiallinen Yhdistys| year = 2019| pages = 126–127}}</ref> in 1191 and in 1202,<ref>{{Cite book |title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus |year=2015 |location=Helsinki |page=380}}</ref> and Swedes, possibly the so-called second crusade to Finland, in 1249 against Tavastians and the third crusade to Finland in 1293 against the Karelians. The so-called first crusade to Finland, possibly in 1155, is most likely an unreal event. Also, it is possible that Germans made violent conversion of Finnish pagans in the 13th century.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Ruotsin itämaa |last=Tarkiainen |first=Kari |publisher=Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland |year=2010 |location=Helsinki |page=88}}</ref> According to a papal letter from 1241, the king of Norway was also fighting against "nearby pagans" at that time.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Suomen varhaiskeskiajan lähteitä |last=Compiled by Martti Linna |publisher=Historian aitta |year=1989 |page=69}}</ref>

Swedish era

{{Main|Finland under Swedish rule}} {{See also|Swedish colonisation of Finland}}

The Swedish Empire following the Treaty of Roskilde of 1658.
Dark green: Sweden proper, as represented in the Riksdag of the Estates. Other greens: Swedish dominions and possessions

As a result of the crusades and the colonisation of some Finnish coastal areas with Christian Swedish population during the Middle Ages,<ref>{{Cite book|title=Ruotsin itämaa|last=Tarkiainen|first=Kari|publisher=Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland |year=2010 |isbn=978-951-583-212-2 |location=Helsinki|pages=104–147}}</ref> including the old capital Turku, Finland gradually became part of the kingdom of Sweden and the sphere of influence of the Catholic Church. Due to the Swedish conquest, the Finnish upper class lost its position and lands to the new Swedish and German nobility and to the Catholic Church.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Ruotsin itämaa|last=Tarkiainen|first=Kari|publisher=Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland |year=2010 |isbn=978-951-583-212-2 |location=Porvoo |pages=167–170}}</ref> In Sweden even in the 17th and 18th centuries, it was clear that Finland was a conquered country and its inhabitants could be treated arbitrarily. Swedish kings visited Finland rarely and in Swedish contemporary texts Finns were portrayed to be primitive and their language inferior.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://journal.fi/tt/article/view/57138/19187%7Ctitle=Kansallinen identiteetti Ruotsissa ja Suomessa 1600-1700-luvuilla |last=Kemiläinen |first=Aira|publisher=Tieteessä tapahtuu 8/2004|year=2004|pages=25–26|language=fi}}</ref>

Swedish became the dominant language of the nobility, administration, and education; Finnish was chiefly a language for the peasantry, clergy, and local courts in predominantly Finnish-speaking areas. During the Protestant Reformation, the Finns gradually converted to Lutheranism.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.europe-cities.com/en/657/finland/history/chronology%7Ctitle=History of Finland. Finland chronology |publisher=Europe-cities.com |access-date=26 August 2010 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427060720/http://www.europe-cities.com/en/657/finland/history/chronology |archive-date=27 April 2011}}</ref>

In the 16th century, Mikael Agricola published the first written works in Finnish, and Finland's current capital city, Helsinki, was founded by Gustav I of Sweden.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/409531/ |title=Ruttopuisto – Plague Park |publisher=Tabblo.com |access-date=3 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411112934/http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/409531/ |archive-date=11 April 2008 }}</ref> The first university in Finland, the Royal Academy of Turku, was established in 1640. The Finns reaped a reputation in the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) as a well-trained cavalrymen called "Hakkapeliitta", that division excelled in sudden and savage attacks, raiding and reconnaissance, which King Gustavus Adolphus took advantage of in his significant battles, like in the Battle of Breitenfeld (1631) and the Battle of Rain (1632).<ref>{{cite book|author=Joose Olavi Hannula|year=1939|title=Hakkapeliittoja ja karoliineja – Kuvia Suomen sotahistoriasta|publisher=Otava| location=Helsinki|language=fi}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Matti J. Kankaanpää|year=2016|title=Suomalainen ratsuväki Ruotsin ajalla|publisher=T:mi Toiset aijat| location=Porvoo | page = 790 |isbn = 978-952-99106-9-4|language=fi}}</ref> Finland suffered a severe famine in 1696–1697, during which about one third of the Finnish population died,<ref name="empire"/> and a devastating plague a few years later.

Now lying within Helsinki, Suomenlinna is a UNESCO World Heritage Site consisting of an inhabited 18th-century sea fortress built on six islands. It is one of Finland's most popular tourist attractions.

In the 18th century, wars between Sweden and Russia twice led to the occupation of Finland by Russian forces, times known to the Finns as the Greater Wrath (1714–1721) and the Lesser Wrath (1742–1743).<ref name="empire">"Finland and the Swedish Empire". Federal Research Division, Library of Congress.</ref> It is estimated that almost an entire generation of young men was lost during the Great Wrath, due mainly to the destruction of homes and farms, and to the burning of Helsinki.<ref name="Nordstrom, Scandinavia">{{cite book|last=Nordstrom|first=Byron J.|title=Scandinavia Since 1500|year=2000|publisher=University of Minnesota Press|location=Minneapolis, US|isbn=978-0-8166-2098-2|page=142|url=https://archive.org/details/scandinaviasince0000nord/page/142}}</ref> By this time Finland was the predominant term for the whole area from the Gulf of Bothnia to the Russian border.{{citation needed|date=June 2018}}

Two Russo-Swedish wars in twenty-five years served as reminders to the Finnish people of the precarious position between Sweden and Russia. An increasingly vocal elite in Finland soon determined that Finnish ties with Sweden were becoming too costly, and following Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790), the Finnish elite's desire to break with Sweden only heightened.<ref name="a1">{{cite book |last=Nordstrom |first=Byron J. |title=Scandinavia Since 1500 |year=2000 |publisher=University of Minnesota Press |location=Minneapolis, US |isbn=978-0-8166-2098-2 |page=143 |url=https://archive.org/details/scandinaviasince0000nord/page/143 }}</ref>

Even before the war there were conspiring politicians, among them Col G. M. Sprengtporten, who had supported Gustav III's coup in 1772. Sprengporten fell out with the king and resigned his commission in 1777. In the following decade he tried to secure Russian support for an autonomous Finland, and later became an adviser to Catherine II.<ref name="a1"/> In the spirit of the notion of Adolf Ivar Arwidsson (1791–1858), "we are not Swedes, we do not want to become Russians, let us therefore be Finns", the Finnish national identity started to become established.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lefaivre|first1=Liane|last2=Tzonis|first2=Alexander|title=Architecture of Regionalism in the Age of Globalization: Peaks and Valleys in the Flat World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FkYHEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT144%7Cyear=2020%7Cpublisher=Routledge%7Clocation=New York|isbn=978-1-00-022106-0|page=144}}</ref>

Notwithstanding the efforts of Finland's elite and nobility to break ties with Sweden, there was no genuine independence movement in Finland until the early 20th century. As a matter of fact, at this time the Finnish peasantry was outraged by the actions of their elite and almost exclusively supported Gustav's actions against the conspirators. (The High Court of Turku condemned Sprengtporten as a traitor c. 1793.)<ref name="a1"/> The Swedish era ended in the Finnish War in 1809.

Russian era

{{Main|Grand Duchy of Finland}} {{See also|Diet of Porvoo|Finland's language strife|Russification of Finland}}

website=Google Arts & Culture}}</ref>

On 29 March 1809, having been taken over by the armies of Alexander I of Russia in the Finnish War, Finland became an autonomous Grand Duchy in the Russian Empire with the recognition given at the Diet held in Porvoo. This situation lasted until the end of 1917. In 1811, Alexander I incorporated the Russian Vyborg province into the Grand Duchy of Finland. In 1854, Finland became involved in Russia's involvement in the Crimean War, when the British and French navies bombed the Finnish coast and Åland during the so-called Åland War. During the Russian era, the Finnish language began to gain recognition. From the 1860s onwards, a strong Finnish nationalist movement known as the Fennoman movement grew, and one of its most prominent leading figures of the movement was the philosopher J. V. Snellman, who was strictly inclined to Hegel's idealism, and who pushed for the stabilization of the status of the Finnish language and its own currency, the Finnish markka, in the Grand Duchy of Finland.<ref>{{cite book| author = Olavi Junnila | title = Suomen historia 5 | year = 1986 | chapter = Autonomian rakentaminen ja kansallisen nousun aika | page = 151 | location = Helsinki | publisher = Weilin + Göös | isbn = 951-35-2494-9 | language = fi }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.suomenpankki.fi/fi/media-ja-julkaisut/puheet-ja-haastattelut/2006/pankinjohtaja-sinikka-salon-puhe-snellman-ja-suomen-markka--nayttelyn-avajaisissa-suomen-pankin-rahamuseossa/ | title = Pankinjohtaja Sinikka Salon puhe Snellman ja Suomen markka -näyttelyn avajaisissa Suomen Pankin rahamuseossa | publisher = Bank of Finland | date = 10 January 2006 | access-date = 7 December 2020 | language = fi }}</ref> Milestones included the publication of what would become Finland's national epic – the Kalevala – in 1835, and the Finnish language's achieving equal legal status with Swedish in 1892.

The Finnish famine of 1866–1868 killed approximately 15% of the population, making it one of the worst famines in European history. The famine led the Russian Empire to ease financial regulations, and investment rose in following decades. Economic and political development was rapid.<ref name="equity">{{cite web |url=http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTRANETSOCIALDEVELOPMENT/Resources/finland.pdf |title=Growth and Equity in Finland |publisher=World Bank}}</ref> The gross domestic product (GDP) per capita was still half of that of the United States and a third of that of Britain.<ref name="equity" />

In 1906, universal suffrage was adopted in the Grand Duchy of Finland. However, the relationship between the Grand Duchy and the Russian Empire soured when the Russian government made moves to restrict Finnish autonomy. For example, the universal suffrage was, in practice, virtually meaningless, since the tsar did not have to approve any of the laws adopted by the Finnish parliament. Desire for independence gained ground, first among radical liberals<ref>Mickelsson, Rauli (2007). Suomen puolueet—Historia, muutos ja nykypäivä. Vastapaino.</ref> and socialists. The case is known as the "Russification of Finland", driven by the last tsar of Russian Empire, Nicholas II.<ref>Alenius, Kari. "Russification in Estonia and Finland Before 1917," Faravid, 2004, Vol. 28, pp 181–194</ref>

Civil war and early independence

{{Main|Independence of Finland|Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic|Finnish Civil War}}

White firing squad executing Red soldiers after the Battle of Länkipohja (1918)

After the 1917 February Revolution, the position of Finland as part of the Russian Empire was questioned, mainly by Social Democrats. Since the head of state was the tsar of Russia, it was not clear who the chief executive of Finland was after the revolution. The Parliament, controlled by social democrats, passed the so-called Power Act to give the highest authority to the Parliament. This was rejected by the Russian Provisional Government which decided to dissolve the Parliament.<ref>The Finnish Civil War, Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress. Countrystudies.us. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

New elections were conducted, in which right-wing parties won with a slim majority. Some social democrats refused to accept the result and still claimed that the dissolution of the parliament (and thus the ensuing elections) were extralegal. The two nearly equally powerful political blocs, the right-wing parties and the social democratic party, were highly antagonized.

The October Revolution in Russia changed the geopolitical situation once more. Suddenly, the right-wing parties in Finland started to reconsider their decision to block the transfer of highest executive power from the Russian government to Finland, as the Bolsheviks took power in Russia. Rather than acknowledge the authority of the Power Act of a few months earlier, the right-wing government, led by Prime Minister P. E. Svinhufvud, presented Declaration of Independence on 4 December 1917, which was officially approved two days later, on 6 December, by the Finnish Parliament. The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR), led by Vladimir Lenin, recognized independence on 4 January 1918.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://formin.finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=107215&contentlan=1&culture=fi-FI | title = Uudenvuodenaatto Pietarin Smolnassa – Itsenäisyyden tunnustus 31.12.1917 | publisher = Ulkoministieriö | access-date = 14 September 2020 | language = fi }}</ref>

Finnish military leader and statesman C. G. E. Mannerheim as general officer leading the White Victory Parade at the end of the Finnish Civil War in Helsinki, 1918

On 27 January 1918, the official opening shots of the civil war were fired in two simultaneous events: on the one hand the government's beginning to disarm the Russian forces in Pohjanmaa, and on the other, a coup launched by the Social Democratic Party.{{failed verification |date=December 2010 |reason=No mention of coup in the section The Finnish Civil War, which should cover this. The actions by the reds are not characterized.}} The latter gained control of southern Finland and Helsinki, but the White government continued in exile from Vaasa. This sparked the brief but bitter civil war. The Whites, who were supported by Imperial Germany, prevailed over the Reds,<ref>{{cite web |title=A Country Study: Finland—The Finnish Civil War |url=http://memory.loc.gov/frd/cs/fitoc.html |work=Federal Research Division, Library of Congress |access-date=11 December 2008}}</ref> which were guided by Kullervo Manner's desire to make the newly independent country a Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic (also known as "Red Finland") and part of the RSFSR.<ref>SDP:n puheenjohtaja halusi punadiktaattoriksi, mutta kuoli Stalinin vankileirillä (in Finnish)</ref> After the war, tens of thousands of Reds and suspected sympathizers were interned in camps, where thousands were executed or died from malnutrition and disease. Deep social and political enmity was sown between the Reds and Whites and would last until the Winter War and beyond. Even nowadays, the civil war remains a sensitive topic.<ref>Pääkirjoitus: Kansalaissota on arka muistettava (in Finnish)</ref><ref>Punaisten ja valkoisten perintöä vaalitaan yhä – Suomalaiset lähettivät yli 400 muistoa vuoden 1918 sisällissodasta (in Finnish)</ref> The civil war and the 1918–1920 activist expeditions called "Kinship Wars" into Soviet Russia strained Eastern relations. At that time, the idea of a Greater Finland also emerged for the first time.<ref>{{Cite book | last=Manninen | first=Ohto | title=Suur-Suomen ääriviivat: Kysymys tulevaisuudesta ja turvallisuudesta Suomen Saksan-politiikassa 1941 | location=Helsinki | publisher=Kirjayhtymä | year=1980 | isbn= 951-26-1735-8}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | last=Nygård | first=Toivo | title=Suur-Suomi vai lähiheimolaisten auttaminen: Aatteellinen heimotyö itsenäisessä Suomessa | location=Helsinki | publisher=Otava | year=1978 | isbn=951-1-04963-1}}</ref>

J. K. Paasikivi and P. E. Svinhufvud, both at the time future presidents of the Republic of Finland, discuss the Finnish monarchy project in 1918.

After a brief experimentation with monarchy, when an attempt to make Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse King of Finland proved to be a poor success, Finland became a presidential republic, with K. J. Ståhlberg elected as its first president in 1919. As a liberal nationalist and with a legal background, Ståhlberg anchored the state in liberal democracy, guarded the fragile shoot of the rule of law, and embarked on internal reforms.<ref>{{cite web | first = Juha | last = Mononen | title = War or Peace for Finland? Neoclassical Realist Case Study of Finnish Foreign Policy in the Context of the Anti-Bolshevik Intervention in Russia 1918–1920 | url = https://tampub.uta.fi/handle/10024/80491 | date = 2 February 2009 | publisher = University of Tampere | access-date = 25 August 2020 | archive-date = 7 June 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150607035630/http://tampub.uta.fi/handle/10024/80491 | url-status = dead }}</ref> Finland was also one of the first European countries to strongly aim for equality for women, with Miina Sillanpää serving in Väinö Tanner's cabinet as the first female minister in Finnish history in 1926–1927.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://finland.fi/life-society/real-bridge-builder-became-finlands-first-female-government-minister/%7Ctitle=Real bridge-builder became Finland's first female government minister - thisisFINLAND|date=29 September 2017|work=thisisFINLAND|access-date=7 December 2020|language=en-US}}</ref> The Finnish–Russian border was defined in 1920 by the Treaty of Tartu, largely following the historic border but granting Pechenga ({{lang-fi|Petsamo}}) and its Barents Sea harbour to Finland. Finnish democracy did not experience any Soviet coup attempts and likewise survived the anti-communist Lapua Movement. Nevertheless, the relationship between Finland and the Soviet Union remained tense. Army officers were trained in France, and relations with Western Europe and Sweden were strengthened.

In 1917, the population was three million. Credit-based land reform was enacted after the civil war, increasing the proportion of the capital-owning population.<ref name="equity" /> About 70% of workers were occupied in agriculture and 10% in industry.<ref>{{cite web |author=Finland 1917–2007 |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suomi90/helmikuu_en.html |title=From slash-and-burn fields to post-industrial society—90 years of change in industrial structure |publisher=Stat.fi |date=20 February 2007 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> The largest export markets were the United Kingdom and Germany.

World War II and after

{{Main|Finland during World War II|Finno-Soviet Treaty of 1948|Finlandization|Early 1990s depression in Finland}}

Areas ceded by Finland to the Soviet Union after World War II. The Porkkala land lease was returned to Finland in 1956.

Finland fought the Soviet Union in the Winter War of 1939–1940 after the Soviet Union attacked Finland and in the Continuation War of 1941–1944, following Operation Barbarossa, when Finland aligned with Germany following Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union. For 872 days, the German army, aided indirectly by Finnish forces, besieged Leningrad, the USSR's second-largest city.<ref>Michael Jones (2013). "Leningrad: State of Siege". Basic Books. p. 38. {{ISBN|0-7867-2177-4}}</ref> After Finnish resistance to a major Soviet offensive in June and July 1944 led to a standstill, the two sides reached an armistice. This was followed by the Lapland War of 1944–1945, when Finland fought retreating German forces in northern Finland. Perhaps the most famous war heroes during the aforementioned wars were Simo Häyhä,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R948DQAAQBAJ&q=simo+hayha+219+kills&pg=PT35%7Ctitle=The White Sniper|first=Tapio|last=Saarelainen|date=31 October 2016|publisher=Casemate|isbn=978-1-61200-429-7|access-date=12 March 2019|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rdIgAQAAIAAJ%7Ctitle=Journal of Information Warfare|first1=Edith Cowan University School of Management Information|last1=Systems|first2=Teamlink|last2=Australia|date=12 March 2019|publisher=Teamlink Australia Pty Limited|access-date=12 March 2019|via=Google Books}}</ref> Aarne Juutilainen,<ref>{{Cite book|title=Marokon Kauhu|trans-title=Terror of Morocco|last=Mäkelä|first=Jukka L.|publisher=W. Söderström|location=Porvoo|language=fi|year=1969|oclc=3935082}}</ref> and Lauri Törni.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cleverley|first=J. Michael|title=Born a Soldier: The Times and Life of Larry Thorne|year=2008|publisher=Booksurge|isbn=978-1-4392-1437-4|oclc=299168934}}</ref>

The treaties signed with the Soviet Union in 1947 and 1948 included Finnish obligations, restraints, and reparations, as well as further Finnish territorial concessions in addition to those in the Moscow Peace Treaty of 1940. As a result of the two wars, Finland ceded the Petsamo, along with parts of Finnish Karelia and Salla. This amounted to 10% of Finland's land area and 20% of its industrial capacity, including the ports of Vyborg (Viipuri) and the ice-free Liinakhamari (Liinahamari). Almost the whole Finnish population, some 400,000 people, fled these areas. The former Finnish territory now constitutes part of Russia's Republic of Karelia, Leningrad Oblast, and Murmansk Oblast. Finland was never occupied by Soviet forces and it retained its independence, but at a loss of about 97,000 soldiers. The war reparations demanded by the Soviet Union amounted to $300 million ({{Inflation|US|300|1938|fmt=c}} million in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}).

Finland rejected Marshall aid, in apparent deference to Soviet desires. However, in the hope of preserving Finland's independence, the United States provided secret development aid and helped the Social Democratic Party.<ref>Hidden help from across the Atlantic {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070129165823/http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Hidden+help+from+across+the+Atlantic/1135223633788 |date=29 January 2007 }}, Helsingin Sanomat</ref> Establishing trade with the Western powers, such as the United Kingdom, and paying reparations to the Soviet Union produced a transformation of Finland from a primarily agrarian economy to an industrialised one. Valmet was founded to create materials for war reparations. After the reparations had been paid off, Finland continued to trade with the Soviet Union in the framework of bilateral trade.

Urho Kekkonen, the eighth president of Finland (1956–1982)

In 1950, 46% of Finnish workers worked in agriculture and a third lived in urban areas.<ref name="populationdevelopment">{{cite web |author=Finland 1917–2007 |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suomi90/joulukuu_en.html |title=Population development in independent Finland—greying Baby Boomers |publisher=Stat.fi |date=5 December 2007 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> The new jobs in manufacturing, services, and trade quickly attracted people to the towns. The average number of births per woman declined from a baby boom peak of 3.5 in 1947 to 1.5 in 1973.<ref name="populationdevelopment" /> When baby-boomers entered the workforce, the economy did not generate jobs quickly enough, and hundreds of thousands emigrated to the more industrialized Sweden, with emigration peaking in 1969 and 1970.<ref name="populationdevelopment" /> The 1952 Summer Olympics brought international visitors. Finland took part in trade liberalization in the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

Officially claiming to be neutral, Finland lay in the grey zone between the Western countries and the Soviet bloc. The YYA Treaty (Finno-Soviet Pact of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance) gave the Soviet Union some leverage in Finnish domestic politics. This was extensively exploited by president Urho Kekkonen against his opponents. He maintained an effective monopoly on Soviet relations from 1956 on, which was crucial for his continued popularity. In politics, there was a tendency to avoid any policies and statements that could be interpreted as anti-Soviet. This phenomenon was given the name "Finlandization" by the West German press. During the Cold War, Finland also developed into one of the centers of the East-West espionage, in which both the KGB and the CIA played their parts.<ref>{{Citation|last=Ford|first=Hal|title=ESAU -LVI - FINLANDIZATION IN ACTION: HELSINKI'S EXPERIENCE WITH MOSCOW|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/esau-55.pdf%7Cseries=DIRECTORATE OF INTELLIGENCE|date=August 1972}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.economist.com/eastern-approaches/2011/12/01/secret-history%7Ctitle=Finland and American intelligence - Secret history|work=The Economist|date=1 December 2011|access-date=16 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://intelnews.org/2011/08/19/01-794/%7Ctitle=Former Finnish diplomat reveals she worked for the CIA|first=Joseph|last=Fitsanakis|website=Intelnews.org|date=19 August 2011|access-date=16 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-9692396%7Ctitle=Naisia, autoja ja piilopirttejä – Norjalainen vakoili CIA:n laskuun kylmän sodan Suomessa|first=Satu|last=Helin|publisher=YLE|date=2 July 2017|access-date=16 August 2020|language=fi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2019/10/14/kylman-sodan-suomalaisagentit-kasikirjoitus%7Ctitle=Kylmän sodan suomalaisagentit: käsikirjoitus|first=Kai|last=Byman|work=MOT|publisher=YLE|date=14 October 2019|access-date=16 August 2020|language=fi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000005833479.html%7Ctitle=Näin Neuvostoliitto vakoili Suomessa – Supo seurasi "Jakkea", joka johdatti uusille jäljille|first=Mika|last=Lehto|work=Ilta-Sanomat|date=19 September 2018|access-date=16 August 2020|language=fi}}</ref> The 1949 established Finnish Security Intelligence Service (SUPO, Suojelupoliisi), an operational security authority and a police unit under the Interior Ministry, whose core areas of activity are counter-Intelligence, counter-terrorism and national security,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://supo.fi/en/frontpage?p_p_id=fi_yja_language_version_tool_web_portlet_LanguageVersionToolMissingNotificationPortlet&_fi_yja_language_version_tool_web_portlet_LanguageVersionToolMissingNotificationPortlet_missingLanguageVersion=1%7Ctitle=Frontpage%7Cwebsite=Supo}}</ref> also participated in this activity in some places.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://tuomioja.org/kirjavinkit/2009/09/matti-simola-toimittanut-ratakatu-12-suojelupoliisi-1949-2009-wsoy-319-s-hameenlinna-2009/%7Ctitle=Salaisen palvelun tutkimuksen haasteet|last=Tuomioja|first=Erkki|date=8 September 2009|work=Tuomioja.org|access-date=24 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171024153602/https://tuomioja.org/kirjavinkit/2009/09/matti-simola-toimittanut-ratakatu-12-suojelupoliisi-1949-2009-wsoy-319-s-hameenlinna-2009/%7Carchive-date=24 October 2017|url-status=live|language=fi-FI|trans-title=Challenges in secret service research}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|chapter-url=https://helda.helsinki.fi/handle/10224/4054%7Ctitle=The Cold War and the Politics of History|last=Rentola|first=Kimmo|publisher=Edita Publishing Ltd|year=2008|isbn=978-952-10-4637-7|editor-last=Aunesluoma|editor-first=Juhani|location=Helsinki|pages=269–289|chapter=President Urho Kekkonen of Finland and the KGB|editor-last2=Kettunen|editor-first2=Pauli|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305010917/https://helda.helsinki.fi/handle/10224/4054%7Carchive-date=5 March 2016}}</ref>

Despite close relations with the Soviet Union, Finland maintained a market economy. Various industries benefited from trade privileges with the Soviets, which explains the widespread support that pro-Soviet policies enjoyed among business interests in Finland. Economic growth was rapid in the postwar era, and by 1975 Finland's GDP per capita was the 15th-highest in the world. In the 1970s and 1980s, Finland built one of the most extensive welfare states in the world. Finland negotiated with the European Economic Community (EEC, a predecessor of the European Union) a treaty that mostly abolished customs duties towards the EEC starting from 1977, although Finland did not fully join. In 1981, President Urho Kekkonen's failing health forced him to retire after holding office for 25 years.

Finland joined the European Union in 1995 and signed the Lisbon Treaty in 2007.

Finland reacted cautiously to the collapse of the Soviet Union, but swiftly began increasing integration with the West. On 21 September 1990, Finland unilaterally declared the Paris Peace Treaty obsolete, following the German reunification decision nine days earlier.<ref>formin.finland.fi {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105213131/http://formin.finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=55802&contentlan=1&culture=fi-FI |date=5 January 2016 }}; Suurlähettiläs Jaakko Blomberg: Kylmän sodan päättyminen, Suomi ja Viro – Ulkoasiainministeriö: Ajankohtaista. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

Miscalculated macroeconomic decisions, a banking crisis, the collapse of its largest trading partner (the Soviet Union), and a global economic downturn caused a deep early 1990s recession in Finland. The depression bottomed out in 1993, and Finland saw steady economic growth for more than ten years.<ref>{{Citation|last=Uusitalo|first=Hannu|title=Economic Crisis and Social Policy in Finland in the 1990s|journal=Working Paper Series|url=https://www.sprc.unsw.edu.au/media/SPRCFile/dp070.pdf%7Cseries=SPRC Discussion Paper No. 70|date=October 1996|issn=1037-2741}}</ref> Like other Nordic countries, Finland decentralised its economy since the late 1980s. Financial and product market regulation were loosened. Some state enterprises have been privatized and there have been some modest tax cuts.{{Citation needed |date=August 2017}} Finland joined the European Union in 1995, and the Eurozone in 1999. Much of the late 1990s economic growth was fueled by the success of the mobile phone manufacturer Nokia, which held a unique position of representing 80% of the market capitalization of the Helsinki Stock Exchange.

Geography

{{Main|Geography of Finland}} {{See also|List of cities and towns in Finland|List of lakes of Finland|List of national parks of Finland|Environmental issues in Finland}}

Topographic map of Finland

Lying approximately between latitudes 60° and 70° N, and longitudes 20° and 32° E, Finland is one of the world's northernmost countries. Of world capitals, only Reykjavík lies more to the north than Helsinki. The distance from the southernmost point – Hanko in Uusimaa – to the northernmost – Nuorgam in Lapland – is {{convert|1160|km|mi}}.

Finland has about 168,000 lakes (of area larger than {{convert|500|m2|acre|2|abbr=on|disp=or}}) and 179,000 islands.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_alue_en.html |title=Statistics Finland, Environment and Natural Resources|access-date=4 April 2013}}</ref> Its largest lake, Saimaa, is the fourth largest in Europe. The Finnish Lakeland is the area with the most lakes in the country; many of the major cities in the area, most notably Tampere, Jyväskylä and Kuopio, are located in the immediate vicinity of the large lakes. The greatest concentration of islands is found in the southwest, in the Archipelago Sea between continental Finland and the main island of Åland.

Much of the geography of Finland is a result of the Ice Age. The glaciers were thicker and lasted longer in Fennoscandia compared with the rest of Europe. Their eroding effects have left the Finnish landscape mostly flat with few hills and fewer mountains. Its highest point, the Halti at {{convert|1324|m|ft|0}}, is found in the extreme north of Lapland at the border between Finland and Norway. The highest mountain whose peak is entirely in Finland is Ridnitšohkka at {{convert|1316|m|ft|abbr=on}}, directly adjacent to Halti.

There are some 187,888 lakes in Finland larger than 500 square metres and 75,818 islands of over 0,5 km2 area, leading to the denomination "the land of a thousand lakes".<ref name="thousand"/>

The retreating glaciers have left the land with morainic deposits in formations of eskers. These are ridges of stratified gravel and sand, running northwest to southeast, where the ancient edge of the glacier once lay. Among the biggest of these are the three Salpausselkä ridges that run across southern Finland.

Having been compressed under the enormous weight of the glaciers, terrain in Finland is rising due to the post-glacial rebound. The effect is strongest around the Gulf of Bothnia, where land steadily rises about {{convert|1|cm|1|abbr=on}} a year. As a result, the old sea bottom turns little by little into dry land: the surface area of the country is expanding by about {{convert|7|km2|sqmi}} annually.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fimr.fi/en/tutkimus/fysikaalinen-tutkimus/vedenkorkeuden-vaihteluiden-ajalliset-muutokset.html |title=Trends in sea level variability |work=Finnish Institute of Marine Research |date=24 August 2004 |access-date=22 January 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070227172733/http://www.fimr.fi/en/tutkimus/fysikaalinen-tutkimus/vedenkorkeuden-vaihteluiden-ajalliset-muutokset.html |archive-date=27 February 2007 }}</ref> Relatively speaking, Finland is rising from the sea.<ref name="EB">"Finland." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011.</ref>

The landscape is covered mostly by coniferous taiga forests and fens, with little cultivated land. Of the total area 10% is lakes, rivers and ponds, and 78% forest. The forest consists of pine, spruce, birch, and other species.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metla.fi/suomen-metsat/ |title=Euroopan metsäisin maa |date=2013 |website= Luke |language=fi |access-date=30 April 2016}}</ref> Finland is the largest producer of wood in Europe and among the largest in the world. The most common type of rock is granite. It is a ubiquitous part of the scenery, visible wherever there is no soil cover. Moraine or till is the most common type of soil, covered by a thin layer of humus of biological origin. Podzol profile development is seen in most forest soils except where drainage is poor. Gleysols and peat bogs occupy poorly drained areas.

Biodiversity

{{Main|Fauna of Finland|Wildlife of Finland}} Phytogeographically, Finland is shared between the Arctic, central European, and northern European provinces of the Circumboreal Region within the Boreal Kingdom. According to the WWF, the territory of Finland can be subdivided into three ecoregions: the Scandinavian and Russian taiga, Sarmatic mixed forests, and Scandinavian Montane Birch forest and grasslands.<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|year=2017|pages=534–545|issn=0006-3568|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287}}</ref> Taiga covers most of Finland from northern regions of southern provinces to the north of Lapland. On the southwestern coast, south of the Helsinki-Rauma line, forests are characterized by mixed forests, that are more typical in the Baltic region. In the extreme north of Finland, near the tree line and Arctic Ocean, Montane Birch forests are common. Finland had a 2018 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 5.08/10, ranking it 109th globally out of 172 countries.<ref name="FLII-Supplementary">{{cite journal|last1=Grantham|first1=H. S.|last2=Duncan|first2=A.|last3=Evans|first3=T. D.|last4=Jones|first4=K. R.|last5=Beyer|first5=H. L.|last6=Schuster|first6=R.|last7=Walston|first7=J.|last8=Ray|first8=J. C.|last9=Robinson|first9=J. G.|last10=Callow|first10=M.|last11=Clements|first11=T.|last12=Costa|first12=H. M.|last13=DeGemmis|first13=A.|last14=Elsen|first14=P. R.|last15=Ervin|first15=J.|last16=Franco|first16=P.|last17=Goldman|first17=E.|last18=Goetz|first18=S.|last19=Hansen|first19=A.|last20=Hofsvang|first20=E.|last21=Jantz|first21=P.|last22=Jupiter|first22=S.|last23=Kang|first23=A.|last24=Langhammer|first24=P.|last25=Laurance|first25=W. F.|last26=Lieberman|first26=S.|last27=Linkie|first27=M.|last28=Malhi|first28=Y.|last29=Maxwell|first29=S.|last30=Mendez|first30=M.|last31=Mittermeier|first31=R.|last32=Murray|first32=N. J.|last33=Possingham|first33=H.|last34=Radachowsky|first34=J.|last35=Saatchi|first35=S.|last36=Samper|first36=C.|last37=Silverman|first37=J.|last38=Shapiro|first38=A.|last39=Strassburg|first39=B.|last40=Stevens|first40=T.|last41=Stokes|first41=E.|last42=Taylor|first42=R.|last43=Tear|first43=T.|last44=Tizard|first44=R.|last45=Venter|first45=O.|last46=Visconti|first46=P.|last47=Wang|first47=S.|last48=Watson|first48=J. E. M.|title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity - Supplementary Material|journal=Nature Communications|volume=11|issue=1|year=2020|page=5978|issn=2041-1723|doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3|pmid=33293507|pmc=7723057}}</ref>

The brown bear (Ursus arctos) is Finland's national animal. It is also the largest carnivora in Finland.

Similarly, Finland has a diverse and extensive range of fauna. There are at least sixty native mammalian species, 248 breeding bird species, over 70 fish species, and 11 reptile and frog species present today, many migrating from neighboring countries thousands of years ago. Large and widely recognized wildlife mammals found in Finland are the brown bear, gray wolf, wolverine, and elk. The brown bear, which is also nicknamed as the "king of the forest" by the Finns, is the country's official national animal,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://finland.fi/life-society/iconic-finnish-nature-symbols-stand-out/ | title=Iconic Finnish nature symbols stand out | publisher=This is Finland | access-date=24 December 2020}}</ref> which also occur on the coat of arms of the Satakunta region is a crown-headed black bear carrying a sword,<ref>Iltanen, Jussi: Suomen kuntavaakunat (2013), Karttakeskus, {{ISBN|951-593-915-1}}</ref> possibly referring to the regional capital city of Pori, whose Swedish name Björneborg and the Latin name Arctopolis literally means "bear city" or "bear fortress".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Savoring Heritage: A Memphis writer explores her daughter's Finnish roots |last=Maki |first=Aisling |work=Memphis magazine |date=27 March 2020 |url= https://memphismagazine.com/travel/savoring-heritage/ }}</ref> Three of the more striking birds are the whooper swan, a large European swan and the national bird of Finland; the Western capercaillie, a large, black-plumaged member of the grouse family; and the Eurasian eagle-owl. The latter is considered an indicator of old-growth forest connectivity, and has been declining because of landscape fragmentation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://herkules.oulu.fi/isbn9514259904/html/x288.html |title=Nutritional and genetic adaptation of galliform birds: implications for hand-rearing and restocking |work=Oulu University Library (2000) |access-date=23 May 2008}}</ref> The most common breeding birds are the willow warbler, common chaffinch, and redwing.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.birdlife.fi/lintuharrastus/faq-muut.shtml#pesimalinnut |title=BirdLife Finland |work=BirdLife International (2004) Birds in Europe: population estimates, trends and conservation status. Cambridge, UK. (BirdLife Conservation Series No. 12) |access-date=22 January 2007}}</ref> Of some seventy species of freshwater fish, the northern pike, perch, and others are plentiful. Atlantic salmon remains the favourite of fly rod enthusiasts.

The endangered Saimaa ringed seal (Pusa hispida saimensis), one of only three lake seal species in the world, exists only in the Saimaa lake system of southeastern Finland, down to only 390 seals today.<ref>{{cite web |title= Saimaa Ringed Seal |url= https://wwf.fi/en/saimaaringedseal/ |access-date=22 December 2018}}</ref> Ever since the species was protected in 1955,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nationalparks.fi/saimaa-ringed-seal%7Ctitle=Saimaa Ringed Seal|website=Nationalparks.fi}}</ref> it has become the emblem of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=170517&contentlan=2&culture=en-US |title=SOS: Save our seals |work=this is Finland (Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910195719/http://finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=170517&contentlan=2&culture=en-US |archive-date=10 September 2015 }}</ref> The Saimaa ringed seal lives nowadays mainly in two Finnish national parks, Kolovesi and Linnansaari,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jarvisydan.com/en/Nature-Adventures/National-Parks |title=Welcome to Linnansaari and Kolovesi National Parks |date=2016 |website=Järvisydän |access-date=2016-05-01 |archive-date=26 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160926180335/http://www.jarvisydan.com/en/Nature-Adventures/National-Parks |url-status=dead }}</ref> but strays have been seen in a much larger area, including near Savonlinna's town centre.

Climate

{{Main|Climate of Finland}}

Köppen climate classification types of Finland

The main factor influencing Finland's climate is the country's geographical position between the 60th and 70th northern parallels in the Eurasian continent's coastal zone. In the Köppen climate classification, the whole of Finland lies in the boreal zone, characterized by warm summers and freezing winters. Within the country, the temperateness varies considerably between the southern coastal regions and the extreme north, showing characteristics of both a maritime and a continental climate. Finland is near enough to the Atlantic Ocean to be continuously warmed by the Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream combines with the moderating effects of the Baltic Sea and numerous inland lakes to explain the unusually warm climate compared with other regions that share the same latitude, such as Alaska, Siberia, and southern Greenland.<ref name="Finland's climate">{{cite web |title=Finland's climate |url=http://www.fmi.fi/weather/climate.html |publisher=Finnish Meteorological Institute |access-date=3 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100721105549/http://www.fmi.fi/weather/climate.html |archive-date=21 July 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Winters in southern Finland (when mean daily temperature remains below {{convert|0|°C|disp=or}}) are usually about 100 days long, and in the inland the snow typically covers the land from about late November to April, and on the coastal areas such as Helsinki, snow often covers the land from late December to late March.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://ilmasto-opas.fi/fi/ilmastonmuutos/suomen-muuttuva-ilmasto/-/artikkeli/08848977-fd1a-4e85-8389-7ecf3ca7de7d/uusimaa-merellisen-ilmaston-maakunta.html%7Ctitle = The climate in Finland (finnish)|access-date = 3 January 2015}}</ref> Even in the south, the harshest winter nights can see the temperatures fall to {{convert|-30|°C}} although on coastal areas like Helsinki, temperatures below {{convert|-30|°C|0}} are rare. Climatic summers (when mean daily temperature remains above {{convert|10|°C|disp=or}}) in southern Finland last from about late May to mid-September, and in the inland, the warmest days of July can reach over {{convert|35|°C|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Finland's climate" /> Although most of Finland lies on the taiga belt, the southernmost coastal regions are sometimes classified as hemiboreal.<ref name="Havas">{{cite web|url=http://www.oulu.fi/northnature/finnish/Suomi/luma1.html%7Ctitle=Pohjoiset alueet / yleiskuvaus|last=Havas|first=Paavo|language=fi|access-date=3 December 2012}}</ref>

In northern Finland, particularly in Lapland, the winters are long and cold, while the summers are relatively warm but short. The most severe winter days in Lapland can see the temperature fall down to {{convert|-45|°C}}. The winter of the north lasts for about 200 days with permanent snow cover from about mid-October to early May. Summers in the north are quite short, only two to three months, but can still see maximum daily temperatures above {{convert|25|°C}} during heat waves.<ref name="Finland's climate" /> No part of Finland has Arctic tundra, but Alpine tundra can be found at the fells Lapland.<ref name="Havas" />

The Finnish climate is suitable for cereal farming only in the southernmost regions, while the northern regions are suitable for animal husbandry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mmm.fi/attachments/mmm/julkaisut/esitteet/5HIspFLpC/45920_LFA_esite.pdf%7Ctitle=Finland's Northern Conditions: Challenges and Opportunities for Agriculture|publisher=Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Finland|pages=1–4|access-date=3 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407022547/http://www.mmm.fi/attachments/mmm/julkaisut/esitteet/5HIspFLpC/45920_LFA_esite.pdf%7Carchive-date=7 April 2012 }}</ref>

A quarter of Finland's territory lies within the Arctic Circle and the midnight sun can be experienced for more days the farther north one travels. At Finland's northernmost point, the sun does not set for 73 consecutive days during summer, and does not rise at all for 51 days during winter.<ref name="Finland's climate" />

Regions

{{Main|Regions of Finland}}

Finland consists of 19 regions, called {{lang|fi|maakunta}} in Finnish and {{lang|sv|landskap}} in Swedish. The regions are governed by regional councils which serve as forums of cooperation for the municipalities of a region. The main tasks of the regions are regional planning and development of enterprise and education. In addition, the public health services are usually organized on the basis of regions. Currently, the only region where a popular election is held for the council is Kainuu. Other regional councils are elected by municipal councils, each municipality sending representatives in proportion to its population.

In addition to inter-municipal cooperation, which is the responsibility of regional councils, each region has a state Employment and Economic Development Centre which is responsible for the local administration of labour, agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and entrepreneurial affairs. The Finnish Defence Forces regional offices are responsible for the regional defence preparations and for the administration of conscription within the region.

Regions represent dialectal, cultural, and economic variations better than the former provinces, which were purely administrative divisions of the central government. Historically, regions are divisions of historical provinces of Finland, areas which represent dialects and culture more accurately.

Six Regional State Administrative Agencies were created by the state of Finland in 2010, each of them responsible for one of the regions called {{lang|fi|alue}} in Finnish and {{lang|sv|region}} in Swedish; in addition, Åland was designated a seventh region. These take over some of the tasks of the earlier Provinces of Finland (lääni/län), which were abolished.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.avi.fi/fi/Sivut/etusivu.aspx |title=Tervetuloa aluehallintoviraston verkkosivuille! |publisher=State Provincial Office |language=fi |access-date=9 June 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315151138/http://www.avi.fi/fi/Sivut/etusivu.aspx |archive-date=15 March 2012 }}</ref>

{{Finnish Regions|options=float:top}}
Name url=https://vnk.fi/documents/10616/3457861/Suomen+hallintorakenteeseen+ja+maakuntauudistukseen+liittyviä+termejä+sekä+maakuntien+ja+kuntien+nimet+fi-sv-en-%28ru%29/974f7fc5-1466-c667-9787-381c5bd57603/Suomen+hallintorakenteeseen+ja+maakuntauudistukseen+liittyviä+termejä+sekä+maakuntien+ja+kuntien+nimet+fi-sv-en-%28ru%29.pdf%7Ctitle=Suomen hallintorakenteeseen ja maakuntauudistukseen liittyviä termejä sekä maakuntien ja kuntien nimet fi-sv-en-(ru)|website=vnk.fi|pages=8–9|access-date=23 August 2019}}</ref> Finnish name Swedish name Capital Regional state administrative agency
Lapland Lapland fi|Lappi}} sv|Lappland}} Rovaniemi Lapland
North Ostrobothnia North Ostrobothnia fi|Pohjois-Pohjanmaa}} sv|Norra Österbotten}} Oulu Northern Finland
Kainuu Kainuu fi|Kainuu}} sv|Kajanaland}} Kajaani Northern Finland
North Karelia North Karelia fi|Pohjois-Karjala}} sv|Norra Karelen}} Joensuu Eastern Finland
Northern Savonia North Savo fi|Pohjois-Savo}} {{lang|sv|Norra Savolax}} Kuopio Eastern Finland
Southern Savonia South Savo fi|Etelä-Savo}} sv|Södra Savolax}} Mikkeli Eastern Finland
South Ostrobothnia South Ostrobothnia fi|Etelä-Pohjanmaa}} sv|Södra Österbotten}} Seinäjoki Western and Central Finland
Central Ostrobothnia Central Ostrobothnia fi|Keski-Pohjanmaa}} sv|Mellersta Österbotten}} Kokkola Western and Central Finland
Ostrobothnia Ostrobothnia fi|Pohjanmaa}} sv|Österbotten}} Vaasa Western and Central Finland
Pirkanmaa Pirkanmaa fi|Pirkanmaa}} sv|Birkaland}} Tampere Western and Central Finland
Central Finland Central Finland fi|Keski-Suomi}} sv|Mellersta Finland}} Jyväskylä Western and Central Finland
Satakunta Satakunta fi|Satakunta}} sv|Satakunta}} Pori South-Western Finland
Southwest Finland Southwest Finland fi|Varsinais-Suomi}} sv|Egentliga Finland}} Turku South-Western Finland
South Karelia South Karelia fi|Etelä-Karjala}} sv|Södra Karelen}} Lappeenranta Southern Finland
Päijänne Tavastia Päijät-Häme fi|Päijät-Häme}} sv|Päijänne-Tavastland}} Lahti Southern Finland
Tavastia Proper Kanta-Häme fi|Kanta-Häme}} sv|Egentliga Tavastland}} Hämeenlinna Southern Finland
Uusimaa Uusimaa fi|Uusimaa}} sv|Nyland}} Helsinki Southern Finland
Kymenlaakso Kymenlaakso fi|Kymenlaakso}} sv|Kymmenedalen}} Kotka and Kouvola Southern Finland
Åland Islands<ref name="åland_note">The role that the regional councils serve on Mainland Finland are on the Åland Islands handled by the autonomous Government of Åland.</ref> Åland fi|Ahvenanmaa}} sv|Åland}} Mariehamn Åland

The region of Eastern Uusimaa (Itä-Uusimaa) was consolidated with Uusimaa on 1 January 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.valtioneuvosto.fi/ajankohtaista/tiedotteet/tiedote/fi.jsp?oid=274585 |title=Valtioneuvosto päätti Uudenmaan ja Itä-Uudenmaan maakuntien yhdistämisestä |date=22 October 2009 |publisher=Ministry of Finance |language=fi |access-date=30 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807084712/http://www.valtioneuvosto.fi/ajankohtaista/tiedotteet/tiedote/fi.jsp?oid=274585 |archive-date=7 August 2011 }}</ref>

Administrative divisions

{{Main|Administrative divisions of Finland|Regions of Finland|Sub-regions of Finland|Municipalities of Finland|Historical provinces of Finland}}

The fundamental administrative divisions of the country are the municipalities, which may also call themselves towns or cities. They account for half of public spending. Spending is financed by municipal income tax, state subsidies, and other revenue. {{As of|2021}}, there are 309 municipalities,<ref name="Suomen Kuntaliitto">{{cite web|title=Kaupunkien ja kuntien lukumäärät ja väestötiedot|url=https://www.kuntaliitto.fi/tilastot-ja-julkaisut/kaupunkien-ja-kuntien-lukumaarat-ja-vaestotiedot%7Caccess-date=7 March 2021|publisher=Suomen Kuntaliitto – Association of Finnish Municipalities|language=fi}}</ref> and most have fewer than 6,000 residents.

In addition to municipalities, two intermediate levels are defined. Municipalities co-operate in seventy sub-regions and nineteen regions. These are governed by the member municipalities and have only limited powers. The autonomous province of Åland has a permanent democratically elected regional council. Sami people have a semi-autonomous Sami native region in Lapland for issues on language and culture.

In the following chart, the number of inhabitants includes those living in the entire municipality (kunta/kommun), not just in the built-up area. The land area is given in km2, and the density in inhabitants per km2 (land area). The figures are as of {{#time:d F Y |{{Data Finland municipality/population count|sourcedate}}}}. The capital region – comprising Helsinki, Vantaa, Espoo and Kauniainen – forms a continuous conurbation of over 1.1 million people. However, common administration is limited to voluntary cooperation of all municipalities, e.g. in Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council.

City Population{{Data Finland municipality/population count}} Land area{{Data Finland municipality/total area}} Density Regional map Population density map
Helsinki Helsinki }} }} Helsinki }} }} Helsinki }} round 2}} }}
Municipalities (thin borders) and regions (thick borders) of Finland (2021)
The population densities of Finnish municipalities (2010)
Espoo Espoo }} }} Espoo }} }} Espoo }} round 2}} }}
Tampere Tampere }} }} Tampere }} }} Tampere }} round 2}} }}
Vantaa Vantaa }} }} Vantaa }} }} Vantaa }} round 2}} }}
Oulu Oulu }} }} Oulu }} }} Oulu }} round 2}} }}
Turku Turku }} }} Turku }} }} Turku }} round 2}}

}}

Jyväskylä Jyväskylä }} }} Jyväskylä }} }} Jyväskylä }} round 2}} }}
Kuopio Kuopio }} }} Kuopio }} }} Kuopio }} round 2}} }}
Lahti Lahti }} }} Lahti }} }} Lahti }} round 2}} }}
Pori Pori }} }} Pori }} }} Pori }} round 2}} }}
Kouvola Kouvola }} }} Kouvola }} }} Kouvola }} round 2}} }}
Joensuu Joensuu }} }} Joensuu }} }} Joensuu }} round 2}} }}
Lappeenranta Lappeenranta }} }} Lappeenranta }} }} Lappeenranta }} round 2}} }}
Hämeenlinna Hämeenlinna }} }} Hämeenlinna }} }} Hämeenlinna }} round 2}} }}
Vaasa Vaasa }} }} Vaasa }} }} Vaasa}} round 2}} }}

Politics

{{multiple image 

| align = right
| direction = horizontal
| caption_align = center
| image1 = President Trump Meets with the President of the Republic of Finland (48834234637) (cropped).jpg
| width1 = 115
| caption1 = Sauli Niinistö
12th President
since 1 March 2012
| image2 = Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin 2019 (cropped).jpg
| width2 = 113
| caption2 = Sanna Marin
46th Prime Minister
since 10 December 2019

}} {{Main|Politics of Finland}} {{See also|List of political parties in Finland|Human rights in Finland}}

the European Union}}

Constitution

The Constitution of Finland defines the political system; Finland is a parliamentary republic within the framework of a representative democracy. The Prime Minister is the country's most powerful person. The current version of the constitution was enacted on 1 March 2000, and was amended on 1 March 2012. Citizens can run and vote in parliamentary, municipal, presidential and European Union elections.

President

{{Main|President of Finland}} The head of state of Finland is President of the Republic of Finland (in Finnish: Suomen tasavallan presidentti; in Swedish: Republiken Finlands president). Finland has had for most of its independence a semi-presidential system, but in the last few decades the powers of the President have been diminished. Constitutional amendments, which came into effect in 1991 and 1992, as well as a new drafted constitution of 2000 (amended in 2012), have made the presidency a primarily ceremonial office. However, the President still leads the nation's foreign politics together with the Council of State and is the commander-in-chief of the Defence Forces.<ref name="Parliamentary">Formerly a semi-presidential republic, it is now a parliamentary republic according to David Arter, First Chair of Politics at Aberdeen University. In his "Scandinavian Politics Today" (Manchester University Press, revised 2008 {{ISBN|978-0-7190-7853-8}}), he quotes {{Cite journal |last=Nousiainen |first=Jaakko |date=June 2001 |title=From semi-presidentialism to parliamentary government: political and constitutional developments in Finland |journal=Scandinavian Political Studies |volume=24 |issue=2 |pages=95–109 |doi=10.1111/1467-9477.00048 }} as follows: "There are hardly any grounds for the epithet 'semi-presidential'." Arter's own conclusions are only slightly more nuanced: "The adoption of a new constitution on 1 March 2000 meant that Finland was no longer a case of semi-presidential government other than in the minimalist sense of a situation where a popularly elected fixed-term president exists alongside a prime minister and cabinet who are responsible to parliament (Elgie 2004: 317)". According to the Finnish Constitution, the president has no possibility to rule the government without the ministerial approval, and does not have the power to dissolve the parliament under his or her own desire. Finland is actually represented by its prime minister, and not by its president, in the Council of the Heads of State and Government of the European Union. The 2012 constitutional amendments reduced the powers of the president even further.</ref> The position still does entail some powers, including responsibility for foreign policy (excluding affairs related to the European Union) in cooperation with the cabinet, being the head of the armed forces, some decree and pardoning powers, and some appointive powers. Direct, one- or two-stage elections are used to elect the president for a term of six years and for a maximum of two consecutive 6-year terms. The current president is Sauli Niinistö; he took office on 1 March 2012. Former presidents were K. J. Ståhlberg (1919–1925), L. K. Relander (1925–1931), P. E. Svinhufvud (1931–1937), Kyösti Kallio (1937–1940), Risto Ryti (1940–1944), C. G. E. Mannerheim (1944–1946), J. K. Paasikivi (1946–1956), Urho Kekkonen (1956–1982), Mauno Koivisto (1982–1994), Martti Ahtisaari (1994–2000), and Tarja Halonen (2000–2012).

The current president was elected from the ranks of the National Coalition Party for the first time since 1946. The presidency between 1946 and the present was instead held by a member of the Social Democratic Party or the Centre Party.

Parliament

{{Main|Parliament of Finland}}

The Parliament of Finland's main building along Mannerheimintie in Töölö, Helsinki
The Session Hall of the Parliament of Finland

The 200-member unicameral Parliament of Finland ({{Lang-fi|Eduskunta}}, {{Lang-sv|Riksdag}}) exercises supreme legislative authority in the country. It may alter the constitution and ordinary laws, dismiss the cabinet, and override presidential vetoes. Its acts are not subject to judicial review; the constitutionality of new laws is assessed by the parliament's constitutional law committee. The parliament is elected for a term of four years using the proportional D'Hondt method within a number of multi-seat constituencies through the most open list multi-member districts. Various parliament committees listen to experts and prepare legislation.

Since universal suffrage was introduced in 1906, the parliament has been dominated by the Centre Party (former Agrarian Union), the National Coalition Party, and the Social Democrats. These parties have enjoyed approximately equal support, and their combined vote has totalled about 65–80% of all votes. Their lowest common total of MPs, 121, was reached in the 2011 elections. For a few decades after 1944, the Communists were a strong fourth party. Due to the electoral system of proportional representation, and the relative reluctance of voters to switch their support between parties, the relative strengths of the parties have commonly varied only slightly from one election to another. However, there have been some long-term trends, such as the rise and fall of the Communists during the Cold War; the steady decline into insignificance of the Liberals and their predecessors from 1906 to 1980; and the rise of the Green League since 1983.

The Marin Cabinet is the incumbent 76th government of Finland. It was formed following the collapse of the Rinne Cabinet and officially took office on 10 December 2019.<ref name=NYT1>{{Cite news| last1 = Lemola | first1 = Johanna | last2 = Specia | first2 = Megan | date=10 December 2019| title=Who Is Sanna Marin, Finland's 34-Year-Old Prime Minister? | work=The New York Times|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/10/world/europe/finland-sanna-marin.html | access-date=4 February 2020 | language = en | issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=NYT2>{{Cite news| last=Specia |first=Megan | date=10 December 2019| title=Sanna Marin of Finland to Become World's Youngest Prime Minister|work=The New York Times|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/09/world/europe/finland-prime-minister-sanna-marin.html | access-date=4 February 2020 | language = en | issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The cabinet consists of a coalition formed by the Social Democratic Party, the Centre Party, the Green League, the Left Alliance, and the Swedish People's Party.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kaatuneen hallituksen kaikki puolueet halukkaita jatkoon samalla hallitusohjelmalla – vanhan opposition puolueet eivät hyväksy ohjelmaa |url=https://www.savonsanomat.fi/kotimaa/Kaatuneen-hallituksen-kaikki-puolueet-halukkaita-jatkoon-samalla-hallitusohjelmalla-%E2%80%93-vanhan-opposition-puolueet-eiv%C3%A4t-hyv%C3%A4ksy-ohjelmaa/1479764 |work=Savon Sanomat |language= fi |access-date=10 December 2019 |date=7 December 2019}}</ref>

Cabinet

{{See also|List of female cabinet ministers of Finland}} After parliamentary elections, the parties negotiate among themselves on forming a new cabinet (the Finnish Government), which then has to be approved by a simple majority vote in the parliament. The cabinet can be dismissed by a parliamentary vote of no confidence, although this rarely happens (the last time in 1957), as the parties represented in the cabinet usually make up a majority in the parliament.<ref>The Finnish Wikipedia's article on Motion of no confidence</ref>{{circular reference|date=December 2020}}

The cabinet exercises most executive powers, and originates most of the bills that the parliament then debates and votes on. It is headed by the Prime Minister of Finland, and consists of him or her, of other ministers, and of the Chancellor of Justice. The current prime minister is Sanna Marin (Social Democratic Party). Each minister heads his or her ministry, or, in some cases, has responsibility for a subset of a ministry's policy. After the prime minister, the most powerful minister is the minister of finance. The incumbent Minister of Finance is Matti Vanhanen.

As no one party ever dominates the parliament, Finnish cabinets are multi-party coalitions. As a rule, the post of prime minister goes to the leader of the biggest party and that of the minister of finance to the leader of the second biggest.

Law

{{Main|Law of Finland|Judicial system of Finland}}

The Court House of the Supreme Court

The judicial system of Finland is a civil law system divided between courts with regular civil and criminal jurisdiction and administrative courts with jurisdiction over litigation between individuals and the public administration. Finnish law is codified and based on Swedish law and in a wider sense, civil law or Roman law. The court system for civil and criminal jurisdiction consists of local courts (käräjäoikeus, tingsrätt), regional appellate courts (hovioikeus, hovrätt), and the Supreme Court (korkein oikeus, högsta domstolen). The administrative branch of justice consists of administrative courts (hallinto-oikeus, förvaltningsdomstol) and the Supreme Administrative Court (korkein hallinto-oikeus, högsta förvaltningsdomstolen). In addition to the regular courts, there are a few special courts in certain branches of administration. There is also a High Court of Impeachment for criminal charges against certain high-ranking officeholders.

Around 92% of residents have confidence in Finland's security institutions.<ref name="corruptionpolicing">Policing corruption, International Perspectives.</ref> The overall crime rate of Finland is not high in the EU context. Some crime types are above average, notably the high homicide rate for Western Europe.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/images/3/3e/Intentional_homicides%2C_2016_%28police-recorded_offences_per_100_000_inhabitants%29.png |title=File:Intentional homicides, 2016 (police-recorded offences per 100 000 inhabitants).png |access-date=10 December 2010}}</ref> A day fine system is in effect and also applied to offenses such as speeding.

Finland has successfully fought against government corruption, which was more common in the 1970s and 1980s.<ref name="corruption">The History of Corruption in Central Government By Seppo Tiihonen, International Institute of Administrative Sciences</ref>{{verify source|date=March 2011|reason=Surprising, not clear what part of the work is used.}} For instance, economic reforms and EU membership introduced stricter requirements for open bidding and many public monopolies were abolished.<ref name="corruption" /> Today, Finland has a very low number of corruption charges; Transparency International ranks Finland as one of the least corrupt countries in Europe.

In 2008, Transparency International criticized the lack of transparency of the system of Finnish political finance.<ref>Vaalijohtaja: Vaalirahoituslain rikkominen melko yleistä YLE 15 May 2008</ref> According to GRECO in 2007, corruption should be taken into account in the Finnish system of election funds better.<ref>Evaluation Report on Finland on Incriminations, Theme I, s. 21, GRECO 3–7.12.2007</ref> A scandal revolving around campaign finance of the 2007 parliamentary elections broke out in spring 2008. Nine cabinet ministers submitted incomplete funding reports and even more of the members of parliament. The law includes no punishment of false funds reports of the elected politicians.

Foreign relations

{{Main|Foreign relations of Finland}}

Martti Ahtisaari receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008

According to the 2012 constitution, the president (currently Sauli Niinistö) leads foreign policy in cooperation with the government, except that the president has no role in EU affairs.<ref name="Finnish constitution.">Finnish constitution, Section 93.</ref>

In 2008, president Martti Ahtisaari was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.<ref name="Nobelprize">{{cite web |url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2008/%7Ctitle=The Nobel Peace Prize 2008|work=The Nobel Foundation|publisher=Nobelprize.org|access-date=10 May 2009}}</ref> Finland was considered a cooperative model state, and Finland did not oppose proposals for a common EU defence policy.<ref name="foreignpolicyidea" /> This was reversed in the 2000s, when Tarja Halonen and Erkki Tuomioja made Finland's official policy to resist other EU members' plans for common defence.<ref name="foreignpolicyidea">"Finland's foreign policy idea" ("Suomen ulkopolitiikan idea"), Risto E. J. Penttilä, 2008.</ref>

Military

{{Main|Finnish Defence Forces|Military history of Finland}} {{See also|List of wars involving Finland}}

Finnish Leopard 2A4 tank Ps 273–106 in a combat demonstration at Comprehensive security exhibition 2015 in Tampere.

The Finnish Defence Forces consist of a cadre of professional soldiers (mainly officers and technical personnel), currently serving conscripts, and a large reserve. The standard readiness strength is 34,700 people in uniform, of which 25% are professional soldiers. A universal male conscription is in place, under which all male Finnish nationals above 18 years of age serve for 6 to 12 months of armed service or 12 months of civilian (non-armed) service. Voluntary post-conscription overseas peacekeeping service is popular, and troops serve around the world in UN, NATO, and EU missions. Approximately 500 women choose voluntary military service every year.<ref>Women's voluntary service {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409182820/http://www.mil.fi/varusmies/naisten_vapaaehtoinen_asepalvelus.dsp |date=9 April 2008 }} (in Finnish)</ref> Women are allowed to serve in all combat arms including front-line infantry and special forces. The army consists of a highly mobile field army backed up by local defence units. The army defends the national territory and its military strategy employs the use of the heavily forested terrain and numerous lakes to wear down an aggressor, instead of attempting to hold the attacking army on the frontier.

Sisu Nasu NA-110 tracked transport vehicle of the Finnish Army. Most conscripts receive training for warfare in winter, and transport vehicles such as this give mobility in heavy snow.

Finnish defence expenditure per capita is one of the highest in the European Union.<ref>Työvoimakustannukset puuttuvat puolustusmenoista, Statistics Finland (in Finnish): Eurostat ranking is sixth, but the third when conscription is accounted.</ref> The Finnish military doctrine is based on the concept of total defence. The term total means that all sectors of the government and economy are involved in the defence planning. The armed forces are under the command of the Chief of Defence (currently General Jarmo Lindberg), who is directly subordinate to the president in matters related to military command. The branches of the military are the army, the navy, and the air force. The border guard is under the Ministry of the Interior but can be incorporated into the Defence Forces when required for defence readiness.

Even while Finland hasn't joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the country has joined the NATO Response Force, the EU Battlegroup,<ref>{{cite web|title=European Union battlegroups|url=http://puolustusvoimat.fi/en/international-crisis-management/eu-battle-group%7Cpublisher=Finnish Defence Forces|access-date=27 May 2018}}</ref> the NATO Partnership for Peace and in 2014 signed a NATO memorandum of understanding,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://natowatch.org/sites/default/files/briefing_paper_no.51_finland_and_nato.pdf |title=Is Finland taking a step closer to NATO membership |first=Nigel |last=Chamberlain |publisher=NATO Watch |date=19 May 2014 |access-date=27 May 2018}}</erf></ref><ref name="eduskunta.fi">MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU) BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF FINLAND AND HEADQUARTERS, SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER TRANSFORMATION. NATO</ref> thus forming a practical coalition.<ref name="nato.int" /> In 2015, the Finland-NATO ties were strengthened with a host nation support agreement allowing assistance from NATO troops in emergency situations.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://www.wsj.com/articles/sweden-and-finland-forge-closer-ties-with-nato-1409237354 |title = Sweden and Finland Forge Closer Ties With NATO |newspaper = Wall Street Journal }}</ref> Finland has been an active participant in the Afghanistan and Kosovo.<ref>Finnish soldiers involved in 20-minute gunfight in Afghanistan |Yle Uutiset. yle.fi. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref><ref>Finland's participation in NATO-led crisis management operations. Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland</ref>

Social security

{{Main|Social security in Finland}}

Finland has one of the world's most extensive welfare systems, one that guarantees decent living conditions for all residents: Finns, and non-citizens. Since the 1980s the social security has been cut back, but still the system is one of the most comprehensive in the world. Created almost entirely during the first three decades after World War II, the social security system was an outgrowth of the traditional Nordic belief that the state was not inherently hostile to the well-being of its citizens, but could intervene benevolently on their behalf. According to some social historians, the basis of this belief was a relatively benign history that had allowed the gradual emergence of a free and independent peasantry in the Nordic countries and had curtailed the dominance of the nobility and the subsequent formation of a powerful right wing. Finland's history has been harsher than the histories of the other Nordic countries, but not harsh enough to bar the country from following their path of social development.<ref name="LOC">Text from PD source: US Library of Congress: A Country Study: Finland, Library of Congress Call Number DL1012 .A74 1990.</ref>

Human rights

{{Main|Human rights in Finland|Women's suffrage in Finland|LGBT rights in Finland}}

People gathering at the Senate Square, Helsinki, right before the 2011 Helsinki Pride parade started.

§ 6 in two sentences of the Finnish Constitution states: "No one shall be placed in a different position on situation of sex, age, origin, language, religion, belief, opinion, state of health, disability or any other personal reason without an acceptable reason."<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/1999/19990731 | title = Perustuslaki: 2. luku Perusoikeudet, 6 § Yhdenvertaisuus 2 momentti | date = 1999 | publisher = Finlex | access-date = 27 August 2020 | language = fi }}</ref>

Finland has been ranked above average among the world's countries in democracy,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.democracyranking.org/downloads/2012/Scores_of_the_Democracy-Ranking-2012.htm |title=Scores of the Democracy Ranking 2012 |publisher= Global Democracy Ranking |year=2012 |access-date=27 September 2013}}</ref> press freedom,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2013/finland |title=Freedom of the Press: Finland |publisher= Freedom House |year=2013 |access-date=27 September 2013}}</ref> and human development.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/FIN.html |title=Statistics of the Human Development Report |publisher=United Nations Development Programme |year=2013 |access-date=27 September 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131128081803/http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/FIN.html |archive-date=28 November 2013 }}</ref>

Amnesty International has expressed concern regarding some issues in Finland, such as alleged permitting of stopovers of CIA rendition flights, the imprisonment of conscientious objectors, and societal discrimination against Romani people and members of other ethnic and linguistic minorities.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/region/finland/report-2013 |title=Annual Report 2013: Finland |publisher= Amnesty International |year=2013 |access-date=27 September 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm#wrapper |title=Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012: Finland |publisher= U.S. State of Department Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor |year=2012 |access-date=27 September 2013}}</ref>

Economy

{{Main|Economy of Finland}} {{See also|List of companies of Finland|List of largest companies in Finland|Helsinki Stock Exchange}}

Angry Birds Land, a theme park in the Särkänniemi amusement park, in Tampere, Pirkanmaa; the mobile phone game Angry Birds, developed in Finland, has become a commercial hit both domestically and internationally.

The economy of Finland has a per capita output equal to that of other European economies such as those of France, Germany, Belgium, or the UK. The largest sector of the economy is the service sector at 66% of GDP, followed by manufacturing and refining at 31%. Primary production represents 2.9%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_kansantalous_en.html |title=Finland in Figures—National Accounts |work=Statistics Finland |access-date=26 April 2007}}</ref> With respect to foreign trade, the key economic sector is manufacturing. The largest industries in 2007<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_teollisuus_en.html |title=Finland in Figures—Manufacturing |work=Statistics Finland |access-date=26 April 2007}}</ref> were electronics (22%); machinery, vehicles, and other engineered metal products (21.1%); forest industry (13%); and chemicals (11%). The gross domestic product peaked in 2008. {{As of|2015}}, the country's economy is at the 2006 level.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://yle.fi/uutiset/finlands_lost_decade_continueseconomy_same_size_as_in_2006/8044629 |title = Finland's 'lost decade' continues—economy same size as in 2006 |work = yle.fi |date = 4 June 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/35c8560c-c62f-11e4-add0-00144feab7de.html |title = Finland's economy: In search of the sunny side |work=Financial Times |location=London |date = 11 March 2015 }}</ref>

Finland has significant timber, mineral (iron, chromium, copper, nickel, and gold), and freshwater resources. Forestry, paper factories, and the agricultural sector (on which taxpayers spend{{clarify|subsidize?|date=June 2017}} around €3 billion annually) are important for rural residents so any policy changes affecting these sectors are politically sensitive for politicians dependent on rural votes. The Greater Helsinki area generates around one third of Finland's GDP. In a 2004 OECD comparison, high-technology manufacturing in Finland ranked second largest after Ireland. Knowledge-intensive services have also resulted in the smallest and slow-growth sectors – especially agriculture and low-technology manufacturing – being ranked the second largest after Ireland.<ref name="oecd2004">Finland Economy 2004, OECD</ref>

Finland's climate and soils make growing crops a particular challenge. The country lies between the latitudes 60°N and 70°N, and it has severe winters and relatively short growing seasons that are sometimes interrupted by frost. However, because the Gulf Stream and the North Atlantic Drift Current moderate the climate, Finland contains half of the world's arable land north of 60° north latitude. Annual precipitation is usually sufficient, but it occurs almost exclusively during the winter months, making summer droughts a constant threat. In response to the climate, farmers have relied on quick-ripening and frost-resistant varieties of crops, and they have cultivated south-facing slopes as well as richer bottomlands to ensure production even in years with summer frosts. Most farmland was originally either forest or swamp, and the soil has usually required treatment with lime and years of cultivation to neutralize excess acid and to improve fertility. Irrigation has generally not been necessary, but drainage systems are often needed to remove excess water. Finland's agriculture has been efficient and productive—at least when compared with farming in other European countries.<ref name="LOC" />

A treemap representing the exports of Finland in 2017

Forests play a key role in the country's economy, making it one of the world's leading wood producers and providing raw materials at competitive prices for the crucial wood-processing industries. As in agriculture, the government has long played a leading role in forestry, regulating tree cutting, sponsoring technical improvements, and establishing long-term plans to ensure that the country's forests continue to supply the wood-processing industries. To maintain the country's comparative advantage in forest products, Finnish authorities moved to raise lumber output toward the country's ecological limits. In 1984, the government published the Forest 2000 plan, drawn up by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The plan aimed at increasing forest harvests by about 3% per year, while conserving forestland for recreation and other uses.<ref name="LOC" />

Private sector employees amount to 1.8 million, out of which around a third with tertiary education. The average cost of a private sector employee per hour was €25.10 in 2004.<ref>Tehdyn työtunnin hinta 23–27 euroa, Statistics Finland</ref> {{As of|2008}}, average purchasing power-adjusted income levels are similar to those of Italy, Sweden, Germany, and France.<ref name="incomecomparison">{{cite web |url=http://www.tilastokeskus.fi/artikkelit/2008/art_2008-06-09_001.html |title=Suomalaisten tulot Euroopan keskitasoa. Hyvinvointipalvelut eivät paranna sijoitusta |publisher=Tilastokeskus.fi |date=9 June 2008 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> In 2006, 62% of the workforce worked for enterprises with less than 250 employees and they accounted for 49% of total business turnover and had the strongest rate of growth.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/htimes/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=895:small-enterprises-grow-faster-than-the-big-ones&catid=33:general&Itemid=201 |title=Small enterprises grow faster than the big ones |publisher=Helsinkitimes.fi |date=11 April 2008 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> The female employment rate is high. Gender segregation between male-dominated professions and female-dominated professions is higher than in the US.<ref name="niels">The Nordic Model of Welfare: A Historical Reappraisal, by Niels Finn Christiansen</ref> The proportion of part-time workers was one of the lowest in OECD in 1999.<ref name="niels" /> In 2013, the 10 largest private sector employers in Finland were Itella, Nokia, OP-Pohjola, ISS, VR, Kesko, UPM-Kymmene, YIT, Metso, and Nordea.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.talouselama.fi/uutiset/sata-suurinta-tyonantajaa-nokia-jai-kakkoseksi/72619deb-427d-3852-8a82-edfa4a7e818e%7Ctitle=Sata suurinta työnantajaa: Nokia jäi kakkoseksi|first=Antti|last=Mikkonen|website=Talouselämä}}</ref>

The unemployment rate was 9.4% in 2015, having risen from 8.7% in 2014.<ref>{{cite web |author=Finland in Figures |url=http://www.tilastokeskus.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_tyoelama_en.html |title=Statistics Finland: Labour Market |publisher=Tilastokeskus.fi |date=22 January 2015 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> Youth unemployment rate rose from 16.5% in 2007 to 20.5% in 2014.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Towards employment |work=SixDegrees |date=2016-01-16 |access-date=2016-07-21 |url= https://www.6d.fi/index.php/society/945-towards-employment |language=en }}</ref> A fifth of residents are outside the job market at the age of 50 and less than a third are working at the age of 61.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oecd.org/document/9/0,3343,en_2649_34747_28023113_1_1_1_1,00.html |title=OECD recommends Finland to do more to help older people stay in work |publisher=Oecd.org |date=1 January 1970 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> In 2014, nearly one million people were living with minimal wages or unemployed not enough to cover their costs of living.<ref>yle.fi; Suomessa on liki miljoona köyhää –"Heikoimmassa asemassa olevista on tullut muukalaisia" |Yle Uutiset. (28 August 2014). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

access-date=11 January 2021}}</ref>

{{As of|2006}}, 2.4 million households reside in Finland. The average size is 2.1 persons; 40% of households consist of a single person, 32% two persons and 28% three or more persons. Residential buildings total 1.2 million, and the average residential space is {{convert|38|m2}} per person. The average residential property without land costs €1,187 per sq metre and residential land €8.60 per sq metre. 74% of households had a car. There are 2.5 million cars and 0.4 million other vehicles.<ref>{{cite web|author=Finland in Figures |url=http://www.tilastokeskus.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_liikenne_en.html |title=Statistics Finland: Transport and Tourism|publisher=Tilastokeskus.fi|access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref>

Around 92% have a mobile phone and 83.5% (2009) Internet connection at home. The average total household consumption was €20,000, out of which housing consisted of about €5,500, transport about €3,000, food and beverages (excluding alcoholic beverages) at around €2,500, and recreation and culture at around €2,000.<ref>{{cite web |author=Households' consumption |url=http://www.tilastokeskus.fi/til/ktutk/2006/ktutk_2006_2007-12-19_tie_001_en.html |title=Own-account worker households' consumption has grown most in 2001–2006 |publisher=Tilastokeskus.fi |date=19 December 2007 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> According to Invest in Finland, private consumption grew by 3% in 2006 and consumer trends included durables, high-quality products, and spending on well-being.<ref>"Retail growth best in Finland for five years". For updates, see the Invest in Finland website.</ref>

In 2017, Finland's GDP reached €224 billion. However, second quarter of 2018 saw a slow economic growth. Unemployment rate fell to a near one-decade low in June, marking private consumption growth much higher.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.focus-economics.com/countries/finland%7Ctitle=Finland Economic Outlook|access-date=25 September 2018}}</ref>

Finland has the highest concentration of cooperatives relative to its population.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://maine.coop/Finland.php |title=Finland: Globalization Insurance: Finland's Leap of Caution |website=Cooperatives Build a Better Maine|publisher=Cooperative Maine Business Alliance & Cooperative Development Institute |access-date=1 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202042001/http://maine.coop/Finland.php |archive-date=2 February 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The largest retailer, which is also the largest private employer, S-Group, and the largest bank, OP-Group, in the country are both cooperatives.

Energy

{{See also|Nordic energy market|Peat energy in Finland|Nuclear power in Finland}}

access-date=7 November 2013}}</ref>

The free and largely privately owned financial and physical Nordic energy markets traded in NASDAQ OMX Commodities Europe and Nord Pool Spot exchanges, have provided competitive prices compared with other EU countries. {{As of|2007}}, Finland has roughly the lowest industrial electricity prices in the EU-15 (equal to France).<ref>Electricity prices—industrial users. Web.archive.org. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

In 2006, the energy market was around 90 terawatt hours and the peak demand around 15 gigawatts in winter. This means that the energy consumption per capita is around 7.2 tons of oil equivalent per year. Industry and construction consumed 51% of total consumption, a relatively high figure reflecting Finland's industries.<ref>{{cite web |author=Energy consumption |url=http://www.stat.fi/til/ekul/2006/ekul_2006_2007-12-12_kuv_009_en.html |title=Statistics Finland |publisher=Stat.fi |date= 12 December 2007|access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Energy consumption |url=http://www.stat.fi/til/ekul/2006/ekul_2006_2007-12-12_tie_001_en.html |title=Total energy consumption |publisher=Stat.fi |date=12 December 2007 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> Finland's hydrocarbon resources are limited to peat and wood. About 10–15% of the electricity is produced by hydropower,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metsavastaa.net/vattenkraft |title=Metsävastaa: Vattenkraft |language=sv |publisher=Metsavastaa.net |access-date=6 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090303204918/http://www.metsavastaa.net/vattenkraft |archive-date=3 March 2009 }}</ref> which is low compared with more mountainous Sweden or Norway. In 2008, renewable energy (mainly hydropower and various forms of wood energy) was high at 31% compared with the EU average of 10.3% in final energy consumption.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.energy.eu/#renewable |title=Europe's Energy Portal |publisher=energy.eu |access-date=17 February 2011}}</ref> Russia supplies more than 75% of Finland's oil imports and 100% of total gas imports.<ref> {{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/pdfscache/46126.pdf%7Ctitle=EU imports of energy products - recent developments|date=4 July 2018|publisher=Eurostat|pages=3–4}} </ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Europe helps fund non-Russia gas line for Finland |url=https://www.upi.com/Energy-News/2016/08/10/Europe-helps-fund-non-Russia-gas-line-for-Finland/6271470828765/ |work=United Press International |date=10 August 2016}}</ref>

File:Statistics of the energy supply in Finland.jpg
access-date=28 February 2015}}</ref>

Finland has four privately owned nuclear reactors producing 18% of the country's energy<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tilastokeskus.fi/tk/yr/yeenergiakuviot_en.pdf |title=Energy Consumption in 2001 |work=Statistics Finland |access-date=22 January 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061108043546/http://tilastokeskus.fi/tk/yr/yeenergiakuviot_en.pdf |archive-date=8 November 2006 }}</ref> and one research reactor (decommissioned 2018 <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.vtt.fi/palvelut/v%C3%A4h%C3%A4hiilinen-energia/ydinvoima/tutkimusreaktorin-purku |title = FiR 1 -ydinreaktorin käytöstä poisto}}</ref>) at the Otaniemi campus. The fifth AREVA-Siemens-built reactor – the world's largest at 1600 MWe and a focal point of Europe's nuclear industry – has faced many delays and is currently scheduled to be operational by 2018–2020, a decade after the original planned opening.<ref name="kauppalehti-02-2014">{{cite news |title = Areva ajaa Olkiluodon työmaata alas |author = Paula Nikula |url = http://www.kauppalehti.fi/etusivu/areva+ajaa+olkiluodon+tyomaata+alas/201402652139 |language = fi |publisher = Kauppalehti |date = 28 February 2014 |access-date = 28 February 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140304095114/http://www.kauppalehti.fi/etusivu/areva+ajaa+olkiluodon+tyomaata+alas/201402652139 |archive-date = 4 March 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> A varying amount (5–17%) of electricity has been imported from Russia (at around 3 gigawatt power line capacity), Sweden and Norway.

The Onkalo spent nuclear fuel repository is currently under construction at the Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant in the municipality of Eurajoki, on the west coast of Finland, by the company Posiva.<ref>{{cite news |title=Journey deep into the Finnish caverns where nuclear waste will be buried for millenia |url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/olkiluoto-island-finland-nuclear-waste-onkalo |work=Wired |date=24 April 2017}}</ref> Energy companies are about to increase nuclear power production, as in July 2010 the Finnish parliament granted permits for additional two new reactors.

Transport

{{Main|Transport in Finland}} {{multiple image 

| direction = vertical
| alignment = left
| width = 180
| footer = The state-owned VR operates a railway network serving all major cities in Finland.
| image3 = VR Sr1 3089.jpg
| caption3 = Soviet-made electric locomotive VR Class Sr1 model from 1981
| image2 = Vr sr3 3304 3307 3306.jpg
| caption2 = Three VR Class Sr3 locomotives
| image1 = VR Sr2 3202 Tampere 2012-06-22.JPG
| caption1 = A VR Class Sr2 locomotive

}}

Finland's road system is utilized by most internal cargo and passenger traffic. The annual state operated road network expenditure of around €1 billion is paid for with vehicle and fuel taxes which amount to around €1.5 billion and €1 billion, respectively. Among the Finnish highways, the most significant and busiest main roads include the Turku Highway (E18), the Tampere Highway (E12), the Lahti Highway (E75), and the ring roads (Ring I and Ring III) of the Helsinki metropolitan area and the Tampere Ring Road of the Tampere urban area.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://newsnowfinland.fi/domestic/top-gear-finlands-busiest-roads-revealed%7Ctitle=Top Gear: Finland's Busiest Roads Revealed | News Now Finland|first=News Now|last=Staff|date=19 March 2018}}</ref>

The main international passenger gateway is Helsinki Airport, which handled about 17 million passengers in 2016. Oulu Airport is the second largest, whilst another 25 airports have scheduled passenger services.<ref name="finavia_pass_stats">{{cite web |url=http://www.finavia.fi/files/finavia/vuosikertomukset_pdf/Finavia_vsk_2008_GB_LR.pdf |title=Airport operations |work=Annual report 2008 |date=17 March 2009 |access-date=28 July 2009 |location=Vantaa |publisher=Finavia |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807205454/http://www.finavia.fi/files/finavia/vuosikertomukset_pdf/Finavia_vsk_2008_GB_LR.pdf |archive-date=7 August 2011 }}</ref> The Helsinki Airport-based Finnair, Blue1, and Nordic Regional Airlines, Norwegian Air Shuttle sell air services both domestically and internationally. Helsinki has an optimal location for great circle (i.e. the shortest and most efficient) routes between Western Europe and the Far East.

Despite having a low population density, the Government annually spends around €350 million to maintain the {{convert|5865|km|mi|adj=mid|-long}} network of railway tracks. Rail transport is handled by the state owned VR Group, which has a 5% passenger market share (out of which 80% are from urban trips in Greater Helsinki) and 25% cargo market share.<ref name="ljvr">Transport and communications ministry—Rail. For year 2009 update: Finnish Railway Statistics 2010. For subsequent years when available: Finnish Railway Statistics. liikennevirasto.fi</ref> Since 12 December 2010, Karelian Trains, a joint venture between Russian Railways and VR Group, has been running Alstom Pendolino operated high-speed services between Saint Petersburg's Finlyandsky and Helsinki's Central railway stations. These services are branded as "Allegro" trains. The journey from Helsinki to Saint Petersburg takes only three and a half hours. A high-speed rail line is planned between Helsinki and Turku, with a line from the capital to Tampere also proposed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/16167-finland-earmarks-funds-for-new-rail-links-between-helsinki-turku-and-tampere.html%7Ctitle=Finland earmarks funds for new rail links between Helsinki, Turku and Tampere|website=Helsinki Times|date=4 February 2019}}</ref> Helsinki opened the world's northernmost metro system in 1982, which also serves the neighbouring city of Espoo since 2017.

The majority of international cargo shipments are handled at ports. Vuosaari Harbour in Helsinki is the largest container port in Finland; others include Kotka, Hamina, Hanko, Pori, Rauma, and Oulu. There is passenger traffic from Helsinki and Turku, which have ferry connections to Tallinn, Mariehamn, Stockholm and Travemünde. The Helsinki-Tallinn route – one of the busiest passenger sea routes in the world – has also been served by a helicopter line, and the Helsinki-Tallinn Tunnel has been proposed to provide railway services between the two cities.<ref name="busiest">{{Cite web |title=The Busiest Crossing |work=Discover the Baltic |date=2009-04-24 |url= http://discoverthebaltic.com/travel/bblog.htm#280409 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100326210756/http://www.discoverthebaltic.com/travel/bblog.htm |archive-date=2010-03-26 |language=en }}</ref> Largely following the example of the Øresund Bridge between Sweden and Denmark, the Kvarken Bridge connecting Umeå in Sweden and Vaasa in Finland to cross the Gulf of Bothnia has also been planned for decades.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tellerreport.com/news/2020-07-19-politicians-disagree-on-bridge-over-kvarken.rkOCYVt-ew.html%7Ctitle=Politicians disagree on bridge over Kvarken | tellerreport.com|website=www.tellerreport.com}}</ref>

Industry

{{Main|Economy of Finland}}

The Oasis of the Seas was built at the Perno shipyard in Turku.

Finland rapidly industrialized after World War II, achieving GDP per capita levels comparable to that of Japan or the UK in the beginning of the 1970s. Initially, most of the economic development was based on two broad groups of export-led industries, the "metal industry" (metalliteollisuus) and "forest industry" (metsäteollisuus). The "metal industry" includes shipbuilding, metalworking, the automotive industry, engineered products such as motors and electronics, and production of metals and alloys including steel, copper and chromium. Many of the world's biggest cruise ships, including MS Freedom of the Seas and the Oasis of the Seas have been built in Finnish shipyards.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oasisoftheseas.com/presskit/Oasis_of_the_Seas.pdf |title=Oasis of the Seas: Fast Facts |work=OasisoftheSeas.com |date=10 September 2009 |access-date=24 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220080037/http://www.oasisoftheseas.com/presskit/Oasis_of_the_Seas.pdf |archive-date=20 February 2012}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web|title=Freedom of the Seas Fact Sheet - Royal Caribbean Press Center|url=https://www.royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com/fact-sheet/5/freedom-of-the-seas/%7Caccess-date=16 June 2020|website=royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com}}</ref> The "forest industry" includes forestry, timber, pulp and paper, and is often considered a logical development based on Finland's extensive forest resources, as 73% of the area is covered by forest. In the pulp and paper industry, many major companies are based in Finland; Ahlstrom-Munksjö, Metsä Board, and UPM are all Finnish forest-based companies with revenues exceeding €1 billion. However, in recent decades, the Finnish economy has diversified, with companies expanding into fields such as electronics (Nokia), metrology (Vaisala), petroleum (Neste), and video games (Rovio Entertainment), and is no longer dominated by the two sectors of metal and forest industry. Likewise, the structure has changed, with the service sector growing, with manufacturing declining in importance; agriculture remains a minor part. Despite this, production for export is still more prominent than in Western Europe, thus making Finland possibly more vulnerable to global economic trends.

In 2017, the Finnish economy was estimated to consist of approximately 2.7% agriculture, 28.2% manufacturing and 69.1% services.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Europe :: Finland — The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/finland/%7Caccess-date=16 June 2020|website=cia.gov}}</ref> In 2019, the per-capita income of Finland was estimated to be $48,869. In 2020, Finland was ranked 20th on the ease of doing business index, among 190 jurisdictions.

Public policy

{{See also|Nordic model}}

Flags of the Nordic countries from left to right: Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark

Finnish politicians have often emulated the Nordic model.<ref name="nordicmodel">The Nordic Model {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120905212132/http://www.etla.fi/files/1892_the_nordic_model_complete.pdf |date=5 September 2012 }} by Torben M. Andersen, Bengt Holmström, Seppo Honkapohja, Sixten Korkman, Hans Tson Söderström, Juhana Vartiainen</ref> Nordics have been free-trading and relatively welcoming to skilled migrants for over a century, though in Finland immigration is relatively new. The level of protection in commodity trade has been low, except for agricultural products.<ref name="nordicmodel" />

Finland has top levels of economic freedom in many areas.{{clarify|date=April 2011|I have the impression that the Finnish labour market is quite flexible compared with other European countries—is this meant to be in relation to USA?}} Finland is ranked 16th in the 2008 global Index of Economic Freedom and 9th in Europe.<ref name="freedom" /> While the manufacturing sector is thriving, the OECD points out that the service sector would benefit substantially from policy improvements.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kilpailuvirasto.fi/cgi-bin/suomi.cgi?sivu=uut/u-2005-3-1 |title=Kilpailuvirasto.fi |publisher=Kilpailuvirasto.fi |date=17 October 2005 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref>

The 2007 IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook ranked Finland 17th most competitive.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imd.ch/research/publications/wcy/announcing.cfm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612031526/http://www.imd.ch/research/publications/wcy/announcing.cfm |archive-date=12 June 2007 |title=World Competitiveness Yearbook 2007 |publisher=Imd.ch |access-date=26 August 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> The World Economic Forum 2008 index ranked Finland the 6th most competitive.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.weforum.org/en/initiatives/gcp/Global%20Competitiveness%20Report/index.htm |title=The Global Competitiveness Report 2007–2008 |publisher=World Economic Forum |access-date=8 October 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080619083349/http://www.weforum.org/en/initiatives/gcp/Global%2BCompetitiveness%2BReport/index.htm |archive-date=19 June 2008 }}</ref> In both indicators, Finland's performance was next to Germany, and significantly higher than most European countries. In the Business competitiveness index 2007–2008 Finland ranked third in the world.

Economists attribute much growth to reforms in the product markets. According to the OECD, only four EU-15 countries have less regulated product markets (UK, Ireland, Denmark and Sweden) and only one has less regulated financial markets (Denmark). Nordic countries were pioneers in liberalizing energy, postal, and other markets in Europe.<ref name="nordicmodel" /> The legal system is clear and business bureaucracy less than most countries.<ref name="freedom">{{cite web|url=http://www.heritage.org/index/country/Finland |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629041208/http://www.heritage.org/index/country/Finland |archive-date=29 June 2011 |title=Finland economy |publisher=The Heritage Foundation |access-date=26 August 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> Property rights are well protected and contractual agreements are strictly honoured.<ref name="freedom" /> Finland is rated the least corrupt country in the world in the Corruption Perceptions Index<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2012/results/ |title=Corruption Perceptions Index 2012 – Results |publisher=Transparency.org |access-date=12 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131129013918/http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2012/results/ |archive-date=29 November 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and 13th in the Ease of doing business index. This indicates exceptional ease in cross-border trading (5th), contract enforcement (7th), business closure (5th), tax payment (83rd), and low worker hardship (127th).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.doingbusiness.org/economyrankings/%7Ctitle=Ranking of economies – Doing Business – World Bank Group|work=doingbusiness.org}}</ref>

Finnish law forces all workers to obey the national contracts that are drafted every few years for each profession and seniority level. The agreement becomes universally enforceable provided that more than 50% of the employees support it, in practice by being a member of a relevant trade union. The unionization rate is high (70%), especially in the middle class (AKAVA—80%). A lack of a national agreement in an industry is considered an exception.<ref name="oecd2004" /><ref name="nordicmodel" />

Tourism

{{Main|Tourism in Finland}}

website=www.travelofinland.com/}}</ref>
website=Visit Häme}}</ref>

In 2017, tourism in Finland grossed approximately €15.0 billion with a 7% increase from the previous year. Of this, €4.6 billion (30%) came from foreign tourism.<ref name="Matkailutilinpito">{{cite report|author=Business Finland|year=2019|title=Matkailutilinpito: Matkailun talous- ja työllisyysvaikutukset 2016–2017|url= https://www.businessfinland.fi/499c03/contentassets/4b07e15186484a69b62e991ed85a6c45/matkailutilinpito_2016-2017.pdf%7Cpublisher=Business Finland, Visit Finland|access-date=2 April 2020|language = fi}}</ref> In 2017, there were 15.2 million overnight stays of domestic tourists and 6.7 million overnight stays of foreign tourists.<ref name="TEM"/> Much of the sudden growth can be attributed to the globalisation of the country as well as a rise in positive publicity and awareness. While Russia remains the largest market for foreign tourists, the biggest growth came from Chinese markets (35%).<ref name="TEM">{{cite web|url=https://tem.fi/en/finnish-tourism-in-numbers%7Ctitle=Finnish tourism in numbers|author=Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (Finland)|access-date=2 April 2020}}</ref> Tourism contributes roughly 2.7% to Finland's GDP, making it comparable to agriculture and forestry.<ref name="Tourism_infographic"/>

Commercial cruises between major coastal and port cities in the Baltic region, including Helsinki, Turku, Mariehamn, Tallinn, Stockholm, and Travemünde, play a significant role in the local tourism industry. There are also separate ferry connections dedicated to tourism in the vicinity of Helsinki and its region, such as the connection to the fortress island of Suomenlinna<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hel.fi/helsinki/en/maps-and-transport/transport/ferry/%7Ctitle=Ferries%7Cwebsite=Helsingin kaupunki}}</ref> or the connection to the old town of Porvoo.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.msjlruneberg.fi/cruises/helsinki-porvoo/%7Ctitle=Helsinki - Porvoo|website=m/s J.L. Runeberg}}</ref> By passenger counts, the Port of Helsinki is the busiest port in the world after the Port of Dover in the United Kingdom and the Port of Tallinn in Estonia.<ref name="POH">{{cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/pdfscache/6652.pdf%7Ctitle=Maritime ports freight and passenger statistics|publisher=Eurostat|access-date=2 February 2020}}</ref> The Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport is the fourth busiest airport in the Nordic countries in terms of passenger numbers,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.helsinki-airport.com/%7Ctitle=Helsinki Airport (HEL)|publisher=Helsinki Airport|access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref> and about 90% of Finland's international air traffic passes through the airport.<ref>{{cite web|title=Helsinki Airport is designed for smooth travelling|url=https://www.finavia.fi/en/helsinki-airport/in-brief/%7Cpublisher=Finavia%7Caccess-date=25 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161004015600/http://www.finavia.fi/en/helsinki-airport/in-brief/%7Carchive-date=4 October 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Lapland has the highest tourism consumption of any Finnish region.<ref name="Tourism_infographic">{{cite report|author=Business Finland|year=2019|title=Tourism as Export Infographic 2019|url=https://www.businessfinland.fi/494339/globalassets/julkaisut/visit-finland/tutkimukset/2020/2019-tourism-as-export-infographic.pdf%7Cpublisher=Business Finland, Visit Finland|access-date=2 April 2020}}</ref> Above the Arctic Circle, in midwinter, there is a polar night, a period when the sun does not rise for days or weeks, or even months, and correspondingly, midnight sun in the summer, with no sunset even at midnight (for up to 73 consecutive days, at the northernmost point). Lapland is so far north that the aurora borealis, fluorescence in the high atmosphere due to solar wind, is seen regularly in the fall, winter, and spring. Finnish Lapland is also locally regarded as the home of Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus, with several theme parks, such as Santa Claus Village and Santa Park in Rovaniemi.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Real Home of Santa Claus in Finland |url=http://www.lifeinlapland.com/articles/lapland-travel-tips/real-home-santa-korvatunturi.html%7Caccess-date=20 November 2017}}</ref> Other significant tourist destinations in Lapland also include ski resorts (such as Ylläs, Levi and Ruka)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theculturetrip.com/europe/finland/articles/top-12-ski-resorts-in-finland/%7Ctitle=The Top 12 Ski Resorts in Finland|first=Jessica|last=Wood|website=Culture Trip}}</ref> and sleigh rides led by either reindeer or huskies.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://santaclausvillage.info/services/activity-services/santa-claus-reindeer-rides-safaris-rovaniemi/%7Ctitle=Santa Claus Reindeer rides & excursions in Rovaniemi Lapland Finland|website=Santa Claus Village Rovaniemi Finland}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.yllas.fi/en/activities/husky-safaris-and-reindeers.html%7Ctitle=Discover the winter magic with Huskies and Reindeers|website=www.yllas.fi}}</ref>

Tourist attractions in Finland include the natural landscape found throughout the country as well as urban attractions. Finland is covered with thick pine forests, rolling hills, and lakes. Finland contains 40 national parks (such as the Koli National Park in North Karelia), from the Southern shores of the Gulf of Finland to the high fells of Lapland. Outdoor activities range from Nordic skiing, golf, fishing, yachting, lake cruises, hiking, and kayaking, among many others. Bird-watching is popular for those fond of avifauna, however hunting is also popular. Elk and hare are common game in Finland.

Finland also has urbanised regions with many cultural events and activities. The most famous tourist attractions in Helsinki include the Helsinki Cathedral and the Suomenlinna sea fortress. The most well-known Finnish amusement parks include Linnanmäki in Helsinki, Särkänniemi in Tampere, PowerPark in Kauhava, Tykkimäki in Kouvola and Nokkakivi in Laukaa.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://trip101.com/article/theme-parks-in-finland%7Ctitle=Top 6 Theme Parks And Amusement Parks In Finland|date=30 December 2019|website=Trip101}}</ref> St. Olaf's Castle (Olavinlinna) in Savonlinna hosts the annual Savonlinna Opera Festival,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://operafestival.fi/en/%7Ctitle=Home - Savonlinna Opera Festival|access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref> and the medieval milieus of the cities of Turku, Rauma and Porvoo also attract curious spectators.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foreigner.fi/articulo/tourism/five-finnish-cities-worth-touristic-visit/20190623190002002246.html%7Ctitle=5 Finnish cities that deserve a tourist visit|website=Foreigner.fi|access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref>

Demographics

{{Main|Demographics of Finland}} {{Pie chart |thumb = left |caption = Population by ethnic background in 2017<ref name="auto"/><ref name="un"/> |label1 = Finnish |value1 = 91.33 |color1 = #003399 |label2 = Other European |value2 = 4.90 |color2 = #4080bf |label3 = Asian |value3 = 2.50 |color3 = #ff471a |label4 = African |value4 = 0.90 |color4 = #ffff00 |label5 = Other |value5 = 0.37 }}

The population of Finland is currently about 5.5 million. The current birth rate is 10.42 per 1,000 residents, for a fertility rate of 1.49 children born per woman,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/en/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__kuol/?tablelist=true%7Ctitle=PxWeb - Select table|website=pxnet2.stat.fi}}</ref> one of the lowest in the world, significantly below the replacement rate of 2.1. In 1887 Finland recorded its highest rate, 5.17 children born per woman.<ref>{{citation|url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?year=1800&country=FIN%7Ctitle=Total Fertility Rate around the world over the last centuries|author=Max Roser|date=2014|work=Our World In Data, Gapminder Foundation|access-date=7 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190205121631/https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?year=1800&country=FIN%7Carchive-date=5 February 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> Finland has one of the oldest populations in the world, with a median age of 42.6 years.<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/finland/%7Ctitle=World Factbook EUROPE : FINLAND|work=The World Factbook|date=12 July 2018}}</ref> Approximately half of voters are estimated to be over 50 years old.<ref>Tilastokeskus – Population. Stat.fi. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref><ref name="populationdevelopment" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.globalhealthfacts.org/data/topic/map.aspx?ind=81 |title=Median Age (Years) |publisher=GlobalHealthFacts.org |access-date=22 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130403123202/http://www.globalhealthfacts.org/data/topic/map.aspx?ind=81 |archive-date=3 April 2013 }}</ref><ref name="pop_stat">{{cite web|date=4 June 2020|title=Finland in Figures > Population|url=https://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_vaesto_en.html%7Caccess-date=12 August 2020|website=stat.fi|publisher=Statistics Finland}}</ref> Finland has an average population density of 18 inhabitants per square kilometre. This is the third-lowest population density of any European country, behind those of Norway and Iceland, and the lowest population density of any European Union member country. Finland's population has always been concentrated in the southern parts of the country, a phenomenon that became even more pronounced during 20th-century urbanisation. Two of the three largest cities in Finland are situated in the Greater Helsinki metropolitan area—Helsinki and Espoo, and some municipalities in the metropolitan area have also shown clear growth of population year after year, the most notable being Järvenpää, Nurmijärvi, Kirkkonummi, Kerava and Sipoo.<ref>Kirkkonummen Sanomat: Nurmijärvi - ilmiö voimistui heinäkuussa - Kirkkonummella väkiluvun kasvu 1,2 % (in Finnish)</ref> In the largest cities of Finland, Tampere holds the third place after Helsinki and Espoo while also Helsinki-neighbouring Vantaa is the fourth. Other cities with population over 100,000 are Turku, Oulu, Jyväskylä, Kuopio, and Lahti. On the other hand, Sottunga of the Åland Islands is the smallest municipality in Finland in terms of population (Luhanka in mainland Finland),<ref>Kaupunkien ja kuntien lukumäärät ja väestötiedot – Kuntaliitto (in Finnish)</ref> and Savukoski of Lapland is sparsely populated in terms of population density.<ref>Kuntien pinta-alat ja asukastiheydet – Kuntaliitto (in Finnish)</ref>

{{As of|2019}}, there were 423,494 people with a foreign background living in Finland (7.7% of the population), most of whom are from the former Soviet Union, Estonia, Somalia, Iraq and former Yugoslavia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ulkomaalaistaustaiset |publisher=Tilastokeskus |access-date= 2021-04-25 |url= https://www.stat.fi/tup/maahanmuutto/maahanmuuttajat-vaestossa/ulkomaalaistaustaiset.html |language=fi }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Population |publisher=Statistics Finland |date=2021-04-23 |access-date=2021-04-25 |url= https://www.tilastokeskus.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_vaesto_en.html |language=en }}</ref> The children of foreigners are not automatically given Finnish citizenship, as Finnish nationality law practices and maintain jus sanguinis policy where only children born to at least one Finnish parent are granted citizenship. If they are born in Finland and cannot get citizenship of any other country, they become citizens.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Child born in Finland |publisher=Finnish Immigration Service |access-date=2021-04-25 |url= https://migri.fi/en/child-born-in-finland |language=en }}</ref> Additionally, certain persons of Finnish descent who reside in countries that were once part of Soviet Union, retain the right of return, a right to establish permanent residency in the country, which would eventually entitle them to qualify for citizenship.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.migri.fi/netcomm/content.asp?path=8,2475 |title=Finnish Directorate of Immigration |date=10 November 2011 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111110122502/http://www.migri.fi/netcomm/content.asp?path=8,2475 |archive-date=10 November 2011 }}</ref> 387,215 people in Finland in 2018 were born in another country, representing 7% of the population. The 10 largest foreign born groups are (in order) from Russia, Estonia, Sweden, Iraq, Somalia, China, Thailand, Serbia, Vietnam and Turkey.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/en/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__vaerak/?tablelist%7Ctitle=PxWeb - Select table|website=pxnet2.stat.fi}}</ref>

Finland's immigrant population is growing. By 2035, the three largest cites in Finland are projected to have over a quarter of residents of a foreign-speaking background: in Helsinki, they are projected to form 26% of the population; in Espoo, 30%; and in Vantaa, 34%. The Helsinki region is projected to have 437,000 people of a foreign linguistic background, compared to 201,000 in 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hel.fi/uutiset/fi/kaupunginkanslia/helsingin-seudun-vieraskielinen-vaesto-yli-kaksinkertaistuu-vuoteen-2035-mennessa%7Ctitle=Helsingin seudun vieraskielinen väestö yli kaksinkertaistuu vuoteen 2035 mennessä|website=Helsingin kaupunki}}</ref>

Language

{{Main|Finnish language|Finland Swedish|Languages of Finland}} {{See also|List of municipalities of Finland in which Finnish is not the sole official language}}

bilingual with Finnish as majority language, Sami as minority language}}

Finnish and Swedish are the official languages of Finland. Finnish predominates nationwide while Swedish is spoken in some coastal areas in the west and south (such as Raseborg,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theculturetrip.com/europe/finland/articles/the-10-most-beautiful-towns-in-finland/%7Ctitle=The 10 Most Beautiful Towns In Finland|first=Lani|last=Seelinger|website=Culture Trip}}</ref> Pargas,<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/18417-twice-a-minority-foreign-immigration-to-swedish-speaking-communities-in-finland.html%7Ctitle=Twice a minority: foreign immigration to Swedish-speaking communities in Finland|website=www.helsinkitimes.fi}}</ref> Närpes,<ref name="auto1"/> Kristinestad,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/themes/themes/travel/12675-discovering-swedish-speaking-municipalities-kristinestad.html%7Ctitle=Discovering Swedish-speaking municipalities: Kristinestad|website=www.helsinkitimes.fi}}</ref> Jakobstad<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/themes/themes/travel/13124-discovering-swedish-speaking-municipalities-jakobstad.html%7Ctitle=Discovering Swedish-speaking municipalities: Jakobstad|website=www.helsinkitimes.fi}}</ref> and Nykarleby.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/themes/themes/travel/12953-discovering-swedish-speaking-municipalities-nykarleby.html%7Ctitle=Discovering Swedish-speaking municipalities: Nykarleby|website=www.helsinkitimes.fi}}</ref>) and in the autonomous region of Åland, which is the only monolingual Swedish-speaking region in Finland.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.norden.org/en/info-norden/swedish-language-courses-foreigners-aland%7Ctitle=Swedish language courses for foreigners in Åland | Nordic cooperation|website=www.norden.org}}</ref> The native language of 87.3% of the population is Finnish,<ref name="Population according to language">{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.fi/til/vaerak/2015/vaerak_2015_2016-04-01_tau_002_en.html |title=Appendix table 2. Population according to language 1980–2015 |work=Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Population structure |access-date=27 November 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stat.fi/tup/julkaisut/tiedostot/julkaisuluettelo/yyti_fif_201900_2019_21461_net.pdf |title=Finland in Figures 2019 |work=Statistics Finland |date=June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190711184650/https://www.stat.fi/tup/julkaisut/tiedostot/julkaisuluettelo/yyti_fif_201900_2019_21461_net.pdf |archive-date=11 July 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> which is part of the Finnic subgroup of the Uralic languages. The language is one of only four official EU languages not of Indo-European origin, and has no relation to the other national languages of the Nordics. Conversely, Finnish is closely related to Estonian and Karelian, and more distantly to Hungarian and the Sami languages.

Swedish is the native language of 5.2% of the population (Swedish-speaking Finns).<ref name="population-2016">Statistics Finland, Population Retrieved on 18 October 2017.</ref> Finnish is dominant in all the country's larger cities; though Helsinki, Turku and Vaasa were once predominantly Swedish-speaking, they have undergone a language shift since the 19th century to become largely Finnish-speaking.

Swedish is a compulsory school subject and general knowledge of the language is good among non-native speakers. In 2005, a total of 47% of Finnish citizens reported the ability to speak Swedish, either as primary or a secondary language.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_243_en.pdf%7Ctitle=Europeans and their languages, situation in 2005|publisher=European Commission|access-date=5 January 2021}}</ref> Likewise, a majority of mainland Sweden Finns are able to speak Finnish. However, most Sweden Finnish youth reported seldom using Finnish: 71% reported always or mostly speaking Swedish in social settings outside of their households.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hbl.fi/artikel/finlandssvenska-ungdomar-talar-sallan-finska-sarskilt-pa-natet-ar-finskan-ovanlig/%7C title=Finlandssvenska ungdomar talar sällan finska - särskilt på nätet är finskan ovanlig|publisher=Hufvudstadsbladet|last=Piippo|first=Mikael|date=12 December 2018|access-date=5 January 2021}}</ref> The Finnish side of the land border with Sweden is unilingually Finnish-speaking, with a stark language divide over the Torne River: on the Swedish side, a Northern Swedish accent can be heard that is distinct from the Swedish spoken in other parts of Finland. There is a sizeable pronunciation difference between the varieties of Swedish spoken in the two countries, although their mutual intelligibility is nearly universal.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.infofinland.fi/sv/livet-i-finland/finska-och-svenska-spraket/det-svenska-spraket-i-finland%7Ctitle=Det svenska språket i Finland|publisher=InfoFinland|language=sv|access-date=5 January 2021}}</ref>

The Nordic languages and Karelian are also specially recognized in parts of Finland.

Finnish Romani is spoken by some 5,000–6,000 people; Romani and Finnish Sign Language are also recognized in the constitution. There are two sign languages: Finnish Sign Language, spoken natively by 4,000–5,000 people,<ref>{{cite web |title=Forskningscentralen för de inhemska språken—Teckenspråken i Finland |language=sv |url=http://www.kotus.fi/index.phtml?l=sv&s=206 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318084839/http://www.kotus.fi/index.phtml?l=sv&s=206 |archive-date=18 March 2015 }}</ref> and Finland-Swedish Sign Language, spoken natively by about 150 people. Tatar is spoken by a Finnish Tatar minority of about 800 people whose ancestors moved to Finland mainly during Russian rule from the 1870s to the 1920s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://forum.hunturk.net/national-minorities-of-finland-the-tatars-2491.html |title=National Minorities of Finland, The Tatars |publisher=Forum.hunturk.net |access-date=6 December 2011}}</ref>

The Sami language has an official status in Lapland where the Sami people predominate, numbering around 7,000<ref>According to the Finnish Population Registry Centre and the Finnish Sami parliament, the Sami population living in Finland was 7,371 in 2003. See Regional division of Sami people in Finland by age in 2003 (in Finnish).</ref> and recognized as an indigenous people. About a quarter of them speak a Sami language as their mother tongue.<ref name="Population 2006-12-31">{{cite web |url=http://tilastokeskus.fi/til/vaerak/2006/vaerak_2006_2007-03-23_tie_001_en.html |title=The population of Finland in 2006 |work=Statistics Finland |date=31 December 2006 |access-date=4 September 2007}}</ref> The Sami languages that are spoken in Finland are Northern Sami, Inari Sami, and Skolt Sami.{{refn|group=note|The names for Finland in its Sami languages are: {{lang|se|Suopma}} (Northern Sami), {{lang|smn|Suomâ}} (Inari Sami) and {{lang|sms|Lää'ddjânnam}} (Skolt Sami). See Geonames.de.}}

The rights of minority groups (in particular Sami, Swedish speakers, and Romani people) are protected by the constitution.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/kaannokset/1999/en19990731.pdf |title=The Constitution of Finland, 17 § and 121 § |work=FINLEX Data Bank |access-date=4 September 2007}}</ref>

The largest immigrant languages are Russian (1.5%), Estonian (0.9%), Arabic (0.6%), Somali (0.4%) and English (0.4%).<ref name="population-2016" /> English is studied by most pupils as a compulsory subject from the first grade (at seven years of age) in the comprehensive school (in some schools other languages can be chosen instead),<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/15462-finland-s-first-graders-to-start-learning-foreign-language-in-spring-2020.html%7Ctitle=Finland's first-graders to start learning foreign language in spring 2020|last=Teivainen|first=Aleksi|date=13 April 2019|work=Helsinki Times|access-date=1 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite thesis|last=Yang|first=Junyi|title=Teachers' Role in Developing Healthy Self-esteem in Young Learners: A study of English language teachers in Finland|date=Spring 2018|degree=Master’s Degree Program in Early Language Education for Intercultural Communication|publisher=University of Eastern Finland|url=http://epublications.uef.fi/pub/urn_nbn_fi_uef-20180513/urn_nbn_fi_uef-20180513.pdf}}</ref> as a result of which Finns' English language skills have been significantly strengthened over several decades.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://finlandtoday.fi/finland-places-among-the-top-four-english-speaking-countries-in-the-world/%7Ctitle=Finland Places Among the Top Four English-Speaking Countries in the World|first=Tony|last=Öhberg}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finland_ranks_sixth_in_english_skills_early_instruction_crucial/10071036%7Ctitle=Finland ranks sixth in English skills, early instruction crucial|website=Yle Uutiset}}</ref> German, French, Spanish and Russian can be studied as second foreign languages from the fourth grade (at 10 years of age; some schools may offer other options).<ref>{{Cite conference|last=Nuolijärvi|first=Pirkko|date=Fall 2011|title=Language education policy and practice in Finland|url=http://www.efnil.org/documents/conference-publications/london-2011/the-role-of-language-education-in-creating-a/15-Pirkko-Nuolijarvi.pdf%7Cconference=European Federation of National Institutions for Language}}</ref>

About 93% of Finns can speak a second language.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/more_than_90_percent_of_finnish_residents_are_at_least_bilingual/10550664 |title=More than 90 percent of Finnish residents are at least bilingual |publisher=YLE |access-date=12 December 2018}}</ref> The figures in this section should be treated with caution, as they come from the official Finnish population register. People can only register one language and so bilingual or multilingual language users' language competencies are not properly included. A citizen of Finland that speaks bilingually Finnish and Swedish will often be registered as a Finnish only speaker in this system. Similarly "old domestic language" is a category applied to some languages and not others for political not linguistic reasons, for example Russian.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ling.helsinki.fi/~fkarlsso/Languages%20of%20Finland_1917-2017.pdf |title=THE LANGUAGES OF FINLAND 1917–2017 |work=Lingsoft Language Library publications |access-date=15 December 2018}}</ref>

Largest cities

{{Largest cities of Finland}}

Religion

{{Main|Religion in Finland}} {{Pie chart |thumb = right |caption = Religions in Finland (2019)<ref name="stnin"/> |label1 = Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland |value1 = 68.72 |color1 = DodgerBlue |label2 = Orthodox Church |value2 = 1.10 |color2 = Orchid |label3 = Other Christian |value3 = 0.93 |color3 = DarkOrchid |label4 = Other religions |value4 = 0.76 |color4 = Chartreuse |label5 = Unaffiliated |value5 = 28.49 |color5 = Honeydew }}

With 3.9 million members,<ref>Seurakuntien jäsentilasto 2018 Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland</ref> the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland is one of the largest Lutheran churches in the world and is also by far Finland's largest religious body; at the end of 2019, 68.7% of Finns were members of the church.<ref name="relig_stat">Population structure Statistics Finland</ref> The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland has seen its share of the country's population declining by roughly one percent annually in recent years.<ref name="relig_stat" /> The decline has been due to both church membership resignations and falling baptism rates.<ref>Eroakirkosta.fi – Kirkosta eronnut tänä vuonna 40 000 ihmistä (in Finnish)</ref><ref>Karjalainen – Kastettujen määrä romahtanut – kirkollisista ristiäisistä luopuu yhä useampi 13 June 2016 (in Finnish)</ref> The second largest group, accounting for 26.3% of the population<ref name="relig_stat" /> in 2017, has no religious affiliation. The irreligious group rose quickly from just below 13% in the year 2000. A small minority belongs to the Finnish Orthodox Church (1.1%). Other Protestant denominations and the Roman Catholic Church are significantly smaller, as are the Jewish and other non-Christian communities (totalling 1.6%); for example, in the Protestant trend, there are about 1,500 Baptists concentrated in the region of Central Finland,<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.uskonnot.fi/uskonnot/view.php?religionId=26%7C title= Baptismi| work= Uskonnot Suomessa | access-date=6 January 2021 | language=fi}}</ref> and there are only about 2,000 Methodists who are scattered around the country.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.uskonnot.fi/uskonnot/view.php?religionId=24%7C title= Metodismi| work= Uskonnot Suomessa| access-date= 6 January 2021| language= fi| archive-date= 8 January 2021| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210108084048/http://www.uskonnot.fi/uskonnot/view.php?religionId=24%7C url-status= dead}}</ref> The Pew Research Center estimated the Muslim population at 2.7% in 2016.<ref>{{cite web|title=Muslim Population Growth in Europe|url=http://www.pewforum.org/2017/11/29/europes-growing-muslim-population/%7Cwebsite=pewforum.org}}</ref> The main Lutheran and Orthodox churches are national churches of Finland with special roles such as in state ceremonies and schools.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://finland.fi/Public/default.aspx?contentid=160099&nodeid=41800&culture=en-US |title=The Church in Finland today |author=Salla Korpela |date=May 2005 |access-date=11 January 2011 |publisher=Finland Promotion Board; Produced by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Department for Communications and Culture}}</ref>

In 1869, Finland was the first Nordic country to disestablish its Evangelical Lutheran church by introducing the Church Act, followed by the Church of Sweden in 2000. Although the church still maintains a special relationship with the state, it is not described as a state religion in the Finnish Constitution or other laws passed by the Finnish Parliament.<ref name=FinlandConstitution>{{cite web|url=https://servat.unibe.ch/icl/fi00000_.html |title=Finland > Constitution: Chapter 1 Fundamental provisions (Section 76 The Church Act) |last=Tschentscher |first=Axel |date=27 June 2020}}</ref> Finland's state church was the Church of Sweden until 1809. As an autonomous Grand Duchy under Russia 1809–1917, Finland retained the Lutheran State Church system, and a state church separate from Sweden, later named the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, was established. It was detached from the state as a separate judicial entity when the new church law came to force in 1869. After Finland had gained independence in 1917, religious freedom was declared in the constitution of 1919 and a separate law on religious freedom in 1922. Through this arrangement, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland lost its position as a state church but gained a constitutional status as a national church alongside the Finnish Orthodox Church, whose position however is not codified in the constitution.

The Evangelical Lutheran Helsinki Cathedral

In 2016, 69.3% of Finnish children were baptized<ref>Lutheran church member statistics (2016) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215122035/http://sakasti.evl.fi/sakasti.nsf/0/FFEDB75916EB394AC22576CC003D875E/$FILE/Vaestonmuutokset_koko%20kirkko_2016.xlsx |date=15 December 2018 }} evl.fi</ref> and 82.3% were confirmed in 2012 at the age of 15,<ref>Church statistical yesrbook 2012 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140320170001/http://sakasti.evl.fi/sakasti.nsf/0/8A75CE045AD09FE4C22577AE00256611/$FILE/KKH_Tilastollinen_vuosikirja2012_toiminta_lopullinen%20versio.pdf |date=20 March 2014 }} The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland</ref> and over 90% of the funerals are Christian. However, the majority of Lutherans attend church only for special occasions like Christmas ceremonies, weddings, and funerals. The Lutheran Church estimates that approximately 1.8% of its members attend church services weekly.<ref>Church Attendance Falls; Religion Seen as Private 3 June 2012 YLE</ref> The average number of church visits per year by church members is approximately two.<ref name="state2004">{{cite web |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2004/35453.htm |title=International Religious Freedom Report 2004 |work=U.S. Department of State |date=15 September 2004 |access-date=22 January 2007}}</ref>

According to a 2010 Eurobarometer poll, 33% of Finnish citizens responded that they "believe there is a God"; 42% answered that they "believe there is some sort of spirit or life force"; and 22% that they "do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God, or life force".<ref name="EUROBAROMETER">{{cite web |url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_341_en.pdf |title=Special Eurobarometer Biotechnology |page=204 |edition=Fieldwork: January–February 2010 |date=October 2010 |access-date=16 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101215001129/http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_341_en.pdf |archive-date=15 December 2010 }}</ref> According to ISSP survey data (2008), 8% consider themselves "highly religious", and 31% "moderately religious". In the same survey, 28% reported themselves as "agnostic" and 29% as "non-religious".<ref>Kimmo, Ketola et al. (2011). Uskonto suomalaisten elämässä {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916015652/http://tampub.uta.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/65683/uskonto_suomalaisten_elamassa_2011.pdf?sequence=1 |date=16 September 2018 }}. Tampereen yliopistopaino Oy . {{ISBN|978-951-44-8483-4}}</ref>

Health

{{Main|Healthcare in Finland}}

The Meilahti Tower Hospital, part of the Helsinki University Central Hospital (HUCH) in Töölö, Helsinki

Life expectancy has increased from 71 years for men and 79 years for women in 1990 to 79 years for men and 84 years for women in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/julkaisut/tiedostot/julkaisuluettelo/yyti_fif_201800_2018_19693_net.pdf |title=Finland in Figures 2018 |publisher=Finnish Population Centre|access-date=10 December 2018}}</ref> The under-five mortality rate has decreased from 51 per 1,000 live births in 1950 to 2.3 per 1,000 live births in 2017, ranking Finland's rate among the lowest in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://data.unicef.org/country/fin/%7Ctitle=Trends in Under five Mortality Rate |publisher=UNICEF|access-date=10 December 2018}}</ref> The fertility rate in 2014 stood at 1.71 children born/per woman and has been below the replacement rate of 2.1 since 1969.<ref name="stat.fi">Statistics Finland – Births 2014. Stat.fi (14 April 2015). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref> With a low birth rate women also become mothers at a later age, the mean age at first live birth being 28.6 in 2014.<ref name="stat.fi" /> A 2011 study published in The Lancet medical journal found that Finland had the lowest stillbirth rate out of 193 countries, including the UK, France and New Zealand.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)62187-3/fulltext#article_upsell |title=Stillbirths: Where? When? Why? How to make the data count? |journal=The Lancet |access-date=6 December 2011 |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(10)62187-3 |pmid=21496911 |volume=377 |issue=9775 |pages=1448–1463|year=2011 |last1=Lawn |first1=Joy E. |last2=Blencowe |first2=Hannah |last3=Pattinson |first3=Robert |last4=Cousens |first4=Simon |last5=Kumar |first5=Rajesh |last6=Ibiebele |first6=Ibinabo |last7=Gardosi |first7=Jason |last8=Day |first8=Louise T. |last9=Stanton |first9=Cynthia |hdl=2263/16343 |s2cid=14278260 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

There has been a slight increase or no change in welfare and health inequalities between population groups in the 21st century. Lifestyle-related diseases are on the rise. More than half a million Finns suffer from diabetes, type 1 diabetes being globally the most common in Finland. Many children are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The number of musculoskeletal diseases and cancers are increasing, although the cancer prognosis has improved. Allergies and dementia are also growing health problems in Finland. One of the most common reasons for work disability are due to mental disorders, in particular depression.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stm.fi/c/document_library/get_file?folderId=6511570&name=DLFE-26813.pdf |title=Health care in Finland |publisher=STM |access-date=6 September 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317183526/http://www.stm.fi/c/document_library/get_file?folderId=6511570&name=DLFE-26813.pdf |archive-date=17 March 2015 }}</ref> Treatment for depression has improved and as a result the historically high suicide rates have declined to 13 per 100 000 in 2017, closer to the North European average.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/eurostat_falling_suicide_rate_in_finland_nears_european_average/10324113%7Ctitle=Eurostat: Falling suicide rate in Finland nears European average |publisher=YLE|access-date=18 December 2018}}</ref> Suicide rates are still among the highest among developed countries in the OECD.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.MHSUICIDEASDR?lang=en%7Ctitle=GHO {{!}} By category {{!}} Suicide rate estimates, age-standardized - Estimates by country|website=WHO|access-date=17 March 2020}}</ref>

There are 307 residents for each doctor.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_terveys_en.html |title=Health (2004) |work=Statistics Finland |access-date=22 January 2007}}</ref> About 19% of health care is funded directly by households and 77% by taxation.

In April 2012, Finland was ranked 2nd in Gross National Happiness in a report published by The Earth Institute.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pakblog.net/2012/04/pakistan-ranked-85th-happiest-nation-in.html |title=World Happiness report |year=2012 |access-date=7 April 2012}}</ref> Since 2012, Finland has every time ranked at least in the top 5 of world's happiest countries in the annual World Happiness Report by the United Nations,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://worldhappiness.report/ed/2017/%7Ctitle=World Happiness Report 2017|access-date=22 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/happiness-report/2016/HR-V1_web.pdf%7Ctitle=World Happiness Report 2016 {{pipe}} Volume I (page 22)|access-date=22 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/happiness-report/2012/World_Happiness_Report_2012.pdf%7Ctitle=World Happiness Report 2012 (page 30) |access-date=22 May 2018}}</ref> as well as ranking as the happiest country in 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://worldhappiness.report/ed/2018/%7Ctitle=World Happiness Report 2018|access-date=21 May 2018|date=14 March 2018}}</ref>

Education and science

{{Main|Education in Finland}} {{See also|List of universities in Finland|List of schools in Finland}}

access-date=11 October 2020}}</ref>
Auditorium in Aalto University's main building, designed by Alvar Aalto
The library of the University of Eastern Finland in Snellmania, the Kuopio campus of the university
Pupils at the school of Torvinen in Sodankylä, Finland, in the 1920s

Most pre-tertiary education is arranged at municipal level. Even though many or most schools were started as private schools, today only around 3 percent of students are enrolled in private schools (mostly specialist language and international schools), much less than in Sweden and most other developed countries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eurydice.org/ressources/Eurydice/pdf/047DN/047_NL_EN.pdf |title=Summary sheets on education systems in Europe |publisher=Eurydice.org |access-date=26 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080910005807/http://www.eurydice.org/ressources/Eurydice/pdf/047DN/047_NL_EN.pdf |archive-date=10 September 2008 }}</ref> Pre-school education is rare compared with other EU countries and formal education is usually started at the age of 7. Primary school takes normally six years and lower secondary school three years. Most schools are managed by municipal officials.

The flexible curriculum is set by the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Education Board. Education is compulsory between the ages of 7 and 16. After lower secondary school, graduates may either enter the workforce directly, or apply to trade schools or gymnasiums (upper secondary schools). Trade schools offer a vocational education: approximately 40% of an age group choose this path after the lower secondary school.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unevoc.unesco.org/worldtvetdatabase1.php?ct=FIN |title=Vocational Education in Finland |date=18 November 2013 |access-date=9 May 2014 |author=UNESCO-UNEVOC}}</ref> Academically oriented gymnasiums have higher entrance requirements and specifically prepare for Abitur and tertiary education. Graduation from either formally qualifies for tertiary education.

In tertiary education, two mostly separate and non-interoperating sectors are found: the profession-oriented polytechnics and the research-oriented universities. Education is free and living expenses are to a large extent financed by the government through student benefits. There are 15 universities and 24 Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) in the country.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.scholarshipsineurope.com/list-of-university-in-finland/ |title=List of University in Finland |website=scholarshipsineurope.com |access-date=4 August 2018|date=July 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.studyinfinland.fi/where_to_study/universities_of_applied_sciences |title=Universities of Applied Sciences in Finland |website=studyinfinland.fi |access-date=4 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808092603/http://studyinfinland.fi/where_to_study/universities_of_applied_sciences |archive-date=8 August 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The University of Helsinki is ranked 75th in the Top University Ranking of 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.topuniversities.com/university/258/university-of-helsinki |title=Top University Ranking of 2010: University of Helsinki |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102111112/http://topuniversities.com/university/258/university-of-helsinki |archive-date=2 January 2010 }}</ref> The World Economic Forum ranks Finland's tertiary education No. 1 in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GlobalCompetitivenessReport_2013-14.pdf |title=The Global Competitiveness Report 2013–2014 |access-date=9 May 2014 |author=World Economic Forum |page=36|author-link=World Economic Forum }}</ref> Around 33% of residents have a tertiary degree, similar to Nordics and more than in most other OECD countries except Canada (44%), United States (38%) and Japan (37%).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tilastokeskus.fi/artikkelit/2006/art_2006-07-06_001.html |title=Tilastokeskus.fi |publisher=Tilastokeskus.fi |access-date=6 March 2011}}</ref> The proportion of foreign students is 3% of all tertiary enrollments, one of the lowest in OECD, while in advanced programs it is 7.3%, still below OECD average 16.5%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/24/52/39315711.pdf%7Ctitle=Education at Glance 2007: Finland|publisher=OECD}}</ref> Other reputable universities of Finland include Aalto University in Espoo, both University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University in Turku, University of Jyväskylä, University of Oulu, LUT University in Lappeenranta and Lahti, University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio and Joensuu, and Tampere University.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.study.eu/best-universities/finland%7Ctitle=The top 9 best universities in Finland: 2021 rankings|website=www.study.eu}}</ref>

More than 30% of tertiary graduates are in science-related fields. Forest improvement, materials research, environmental sciences, neural networks, low-temperature physics, brain research, biotechnology, genetic technology, and communications showcase fields of study where Finnish researchers have had a significant impact.<ref name="innovation">{{cite web|author=Kari Sipilä |title=A country that innovates |url=http://www.finland.cn/Public/default.aspx?contentid=99637 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707031053/http://www.finland.cn/Public/default.aspx?contentid=99637 |archive-date=7 July 2011 |work=Virtual Finland |publisher=Ministry for Foreign Affairs / Department for Communication and Culture / Unit for Promotion and Publications / Embassy and Consulates General of Finland in China |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Finland has a long tradition of adult education, and by the 1980s nearly one million Finns were receiving some kind of instruction each year. Forty percent of them did so for professional reasons. Adult education appeared in a number of forms, such as secondary evening schools, civic and workers' institutes, study centres, vocational course centres, and folk high schools. Study centres allowed groups to follow study plans of their own making, with educational and financial assistance provided by the state. Folk high schools are a distinctly Nordic institution. Originating in Denmark in the 19th century, folk high schools became common throughout the region. Adults of all ages could stay at them for several weeks and take courses in subjects that ranged from handicrafts to economics.<ref name="LOC" />

Finland is highly productive in scientific research. In 2005, Finland had the fourth most scientific publications per capita of the OECD countries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.research.fi/en/performance/scientific_publication.html |title=Scientific publication—Finnish science and technology Information Service |language=fi |publisher=Research.fi |date=15 November 2007 |access-date=3 August 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113085004/http://www.research.fi/en/performance/scientific_publication.html |archive-date=13 November 2013 }}</ref> In 2007, 1,801 patents were filed in Finland.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.research.fi/en/performance/patents/patents_with%20numbers |title=Patents with numbers—Finnish science and technology Information Service |language=fi |publisher=Research.fi |date=8 December 2009 |access-date=4 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091011194752/http://www.research.fi/en/performance/patents/patents_with%20numbers |archive-date=11 October 2009 }}</ref>

In addition, 38 percent of Finland's population has a university or college degree, which is among the highest percentages in the world.<ref>Sauter, Michael B. (24 September 2012) The Most Educated Countries in the World {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820025707/http://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-most-educated-countries-in-the-world.html;_ylt=AlaWy8IcyeBaviKi7_.WJyhE6odG;_ylu=X3oDMTJrY2d2NGZyBG1pdANDeFMgRmluYW5jaWFsbHkgRml0IEFydGljbGUgQXJ0aWNsZSBCb2R5IFByb2QEcG9zAzMEc2VjA01lZGlhQXJ0aWNsZUJvZHlBc3NlbWJseQ--;_ylg=X3oDMTNjdGVoaXJqBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDY2IyOTRhMGEtYmY2OS0zYTdlLThlYTUtZWFlNTU3YWI1ZTc3BHBzdGNhdANleGNsdXNpdmVzfGZpbmFuY2lhbGx5Zml0BHB0A3N0b3J5cGFnZQ--;_ylv=3?page=1 |date=20 August 2016 }}. Finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref><ref>And the World's Most Educated Country Is.... Newsfeed.time.com (27 September 2012). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

In 2010 a new law was enacted considering the universities, which defined that there are 16 of them as they were excluded from the public sector to be autonomous legal and financial entities, however enjoying special status in the legislation.<ref>. finlex.fi; Yliopistolaki 558/2009 – Säädökset alkuperäisinä – FINLEX. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref> As result many former state institutions were driven to collect funding from private sector contributions and partnerships. The change caused deep rooted discussions among the academic circles.<ref>Educational Schizophrenia in Finland |Teivo Teivainen. Teivo.net (8 August 2013). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

English language is important in Finnish education. There are a number of degree programs that are taught in English, which attracts thousands of degree and exchange students every year.

In December 2017 the OECD reported that Finnish fathers spend an average of eight minutes a day more with their school-aged children than mothers do.<ref>{{cite news |first=Charles |last=Bremner |title=Finland is the first country where fathers do most of the childcare |work=The Times |date=9 December 2017 |page=51}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/dec/04/finland-only-country-world-dad-more-time-kids-moms |title=Finland: the only country where fathers spend more time with kids than mothers |access-date=23 December 2017 |date=4 October 2017 |newspaper= The Guardian}}</ref>

Culture

{{Main|Culture of Finland}}

Sauna

{{Main|Finnish sauna}}

A smoke sauna in Ruka, Kuusamo

The Finns' love for saunas is generally associated with Finnish cultural tradition in the world. Sauna is a type of dry steam bath practiced widely in Finland, which is especially evident in the strong tradition around Midsummer and Christmas. In Finland, the sauna has been a traditional cure or part of the treatment for many different diseases, thanks to the heat, which why the sauna has been a very hygienic place. There is an old Finnish saying: "Jos sauna, terva ja viina ei auta, on tauti kuolemaksi." ("If sauna, tar and booze doesn't help you, then a disease is deadly").<ref>Sauna, viina ja terva – Potilaan Lääkärilehti (in Finnish)</ref> The word is of Proto-Finnish origin (found in Finnic and Sámi languages) dating back 7,000 years.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sauna – A Finnish national institution |last1=Helamaa |first1=Erkki |last2=Pentikäinen |first2=Juha |work=Virtual Finland |date=November 2001 |url= http://virtual.finland.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=26074 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080209130410/http://virtual.finland.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=26074 |archive-date=2008-02-09 |language=en }}</ref> Steam baths have been part of European tradition elsewhere as well, but the sauna has survived best in Finland, in addition to Sweden, the Baltic States, Russia, Norway, and parts of the United States and Canada. Moreover, nearly all Finnish houses have either their own sauna or in multistory apartment houses, a timeshare sauna. Public saunas were previously common, but the tradition has declined when saunas have been built nearly everywhere (private homes, municipal swimming halls, hotels, corporate headquarters, gyms, etc.). At one time, the World Sauna Championships were held in Heinola, Finland, but the death of a Russian competitor in 2010 finally stopped organizing the competitions as too dangerous.<ref>Sauna contest leaves Russian dead and champion Finn in hospital - The Guardian</ref>

The Finnish sauna culture was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists at the 17 December 2020 meeting of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. As authorized by the state, the Finnish Heritage Agency commits, together with Finnish sauna communities and promoters of the sauna culture, to safeguard the vitality of the sauna tradition and to highlight its importance as part of customs and wellbeing.<ref>{{cite web| title= Sauna culture in Finland |url= https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/sauna-culture-in-finland-01596 |publisher=UNESCO |access-date=18 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title= Finnish sauna culture steams up UNESCO Heritage List |url= https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finnish_sauna_culture_steams_up_unesco_heritage_list/11703917 |publisher=YLE |date=17 December 2020|access-date=18 December 2020}}</ref>

Literature

{{Main|Finnish literature}}

Mikael Agricola (1510–1557), Bishop of Turku, a prominent Lutheran Protestant reformer and the father of the Finnish written language

Written Finnish could be said to have existed since Mikael Agricola translated the New Testament into Finnish during the Protestant Reformation, but few notable works of literature were written until the 19th century and the beginning of a Finnish national Romantic Movement. This prompted Elias Lönnrot to collect Finnish and Karelian folk poetry and arrange and publish them as the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic. The era saw a rise of poets and novelists who wrote in Finnish, notably Aleksis Kivi (The Seven Brothers), Minna Canth (Anna Liisa), Eino Leino ({{ill|Helkavirsiä|fi}}), Johannes Linnankoski (The Song of the Blood-Red Flower) and Juhani Aho (The Railroad and Juha). Many writers of the national awakening wrote in Swedish, such as the national poet J. L. Runeberg (The Tales of Ensign Stål) and Zachris Topelius (The Tomten in Åbo Castle).

After Finland became independent, there was a rise of modernist writers, most famously the Finnish-speaking Mika Waltari and Swedish-speaking Edith Södergran. Frans Eemil Sillanpää was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1939. World War II prompted a return to more national interests in comparison to a more international line of thought, characterized by Väinö Linna with his The Unknown Soldier and Under the North Star trilogy. Besides Lönnrot's Kalevala and Waltari, the Swedish-speaking Tove Jansson, best known as the creator of The Moomins, is the most translated Finnish writer;<ref>Finnish post honours Moomin creator Jansson - YLE News</ref> her books have been translated into more than 40 languages.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://finland.fi/arts-culture/tove-jansson-and-the-moomin-story/%7Ctitle=Finland's Tove Jansson and the Moomin story|date=11 March 2014|website=thisisFINLAND}}</ref> Popular modern writers include Arto Paasilinna, Veikko Huovinen, Antti Tuuri, Ilkka Remes, Kari Hotakainen, Sofi Oksanen, Tuomas Kyrö, and Jari Tervo, while the best novel is annually awarded the prestigious Finlandia Prize.

Visual arts, design, and architecture

{{See also|Architecture of Finland|Finnish art}}

Akseli Gallen-Kallela, The Defense of the Sampo, 1896, Turku Art Museum

The visual arts in Finland started to form their individual characteristics in the 19th century, when Romantic nationalism was rising in autonomic Finland. The best known of Finnish painters, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, started painting in a naturalist style, but moved to national romanticism. Other notable world-famous Finnish painters include Magnus Enckell, Pekka Halonen, Eero Järnefelt, Helene Schjerfbeck and Hugo Simberg. Finland's best-known sculptor of the 20th century was Wäinö Aaltonen, remembered for his monumental busts and sculptures. Finns have made major contributions to handicrafts and industrial design: among the internationally renowned figures are Timo Sarpaneva, Tapio Wirkkala and Ilmari Tapiovaara. Finnish architecture is famous around the world, and has contributed significantly to several styles internationally, such as Jugendstil (or Art Nouveau), Nordic Classicism and Functionalism. Among the top 20th-century Finnish architects to gain international recognition are Eliel Saarinen and his son Eero Saarinen. Architect Alvar Aalto is regarded as among the most important 20th-century designers in the world;<ref>James Stevens Curl, Dictionary of Architecture, Grange Books, Rochester, 2005, p. 1.</ref> he helped bring functionalist architecture to Finland, but soon was a pioneer in its development towards an organic style.<ref>Sigfried Giedion, Space, Time and Architecture: The Growth of a New Tradition, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2nd edition, 1949.</ref> Aalto is also famous for his work in furniture, lamps, textiles and glassware, which were usually incorporated into his buildings.

Music

{{Main|Music of Finland|Rock music in Finland|Sami music}}

The Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865–1957) was a significant figure in the history of classical music.
Classical

Much of Finland's classical music is influenced by traditional Karelian melodies and lyrics, as comprised in the Kalevala. Karelian culture is perceived as the purest expression of the Finnic myths and beliefs, less influenced by Germanic influence than the Nordic folk dance music that largely replaced the kalevaic tradition. Finnish folk music has undergone a roots revival in recent decades, and has become a part of popular music.

The people of northern Finland, Sweden, and Norway, the Sami, are known primarily for highly spiritual songs called joik. The same word sometimes refers to lavlu or vuelie songs, though this is technically incorrect.

The first Finnish opera was written by the German-born composer Fredrik Pacius in 1852. Pacius also wrote the music to the poem Maamme/Vårt land (Our Country), Finland's national anthem. In the 1890s Finnish nationalism based on the Kalevala spread, and Jean Sibelius became famous for his vocal symphony Kullervo. He soon received a grant to study runo singers in Karelia and continued his rise as the first prominent Finnish musician. In 1899 he composed Finlandia, which played its important role in Finland gaining independence. He remains one of Finland's most popular national figures and is a symbol of the nation. Another one of the most significant and internationally best-known Finnish-born classical composers long before Sibelius was Bernhard Crusell.<ref>See {{cite web|url=http://www.mozartforum.com/Contemporary%20Pages/Crusell_Contemp.htm%7Ctitle=Bernhard Henrik Crusell (1775-1838)|last=Asiado|first=Tel|work=Mozart Forum|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090708192751/http://www.mozartforum.com/Contemporary%20Pages/Crusell_Contemp.htm |archive-date=8 July 2009|access-date=31 January 2010}}</ref>

Modern
Perttu Kivilaakso of Apocalyptica

Iskelmä (coined directly from the German word Schlager, meaning "hit") is a traditional Finnish word for a light popular song.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Suomalainen iskelmä |last=Kaivanto |first=Petri |work=Pomus.net |access-date=18 July 2020 |url= http://pomus.net/kehityslinjat/suomalaineniskelma |language=fi }}</ref> Finnish popular music also includes various kinds of dance music; tango, a style of Argentine music, is also popular.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explaining the Finnish love of tango |author=C.G. |work=The Economist |date=11 October 2017 |access-date=18 July 2020 |url= https://www.economist.com/prospero/2017/10/11/explaining-the-finnish-love-of-tango }}</ref> The light music in Swedish-speaking areas has more influences from Sweden. Modern Finnish popular music includes a number of prominent rock bands, jazz musicians, hip hop performers, dance music acts, etc.<ref>{{Cite web|date=9 September 2014|title=Don't mess with Finnish jazz|url=https://finland.fi/arts-culture/dont-mess-with-finnish-jazz/%7Caccess-date=1 September 2020|website=thisisFINLAND|language=en-US}}</ref>{{Additional citation needed|date=September 2020}} Also, at least a couple of Finnish polkas are known worldwide, such as Säkkijärven polkka<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/how-the-finns-stopped-the-soviets-with-this-polka-song/%7Ctitle=How the Finns stopped the Soviets with this polka song|date=6 August 2020}}</ref> and Ievan polkka.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://musicfinland.com/en/news/finnish-jenkka-song-took-over-japans-department-stores%7Ctitle=Finnish jenkka song took over Japan's department stores|website=Music Finland}}</ref>

During the early 1960s, the first significant wave of Finnish rock groups emerged, playing instrumental rock inspired by groups such as The Shadows. Around 1964, Beatlemania arrived in Finland, resulting in further development of the local rock scene. During the late 1960s and '70s, Finnish rock musicians increasingly wrote their own music instead of translating international hits into Finnish. During the decade, some progressive rock groups such as Tasavallan Presidentti and Wigwam gained respect abroad but failed to make a commercial breakthrough outside Finland. This was also the fate of the rock and roll group Hurriganes. The Finnish punk scene produced some internationally acknowledged names including Terveet Kädet in the 1980s. Hanoi Rocks was a pioneering 1980s glam rock act that inspired the American hard rock group Guns N' Roses, among others.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304587704577333813382925678%7Ctitle=Guns N' Roses Can Agree on at Least One Thing: This Finnish Saxophonist Rocks |last=Shah|first=Neil|date=15 April 2012|work=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=19 November 2012}}</ref>

Many Finnish metal bands have gained international recognition; Finland has been often called the "Promised Land of Heavy Metal", because there are more than 50 metal Bands for every 100,000 inhabitants – more than any other nation in the world.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://finland.fi/arts-culture/finnish-metropolises-vie-to-win-capital-of-metal/%7Ctitle=Finnish metropolises vie to win Capital of Metal|date=8 May 2018|website=thisisFINLAND}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.famouscampaigns.com/2019/07/finlands-stage-worlds-first-heavy-metal-knitting-championship/%7Ctitle=Finland stage world's first heavy metal knitting championship|first=Famous|last=Campaigns}}</ref>

Cinema and television

{{Main|Cinema of Finland|Television in Finland}} {{See also|Lists of Finnish films}}

The Finnish filmmakers Edvin Laine and Matti Kassila in 1955

In the film industry, notable directors include brothers Mika and Aki Kaurismäki, Dome Karukoski, Antti Jokinen, Jalmari Helander, Mauritz Stiller, Edvin Laine, Teuvo Tulio, Spede Pasanen, and Hollywood film director and producer Renny Harlin. Internationally well-known Finnish actors and actresses include Jasper Pääkkönen, Peter Franzén, Laura Birn, Irina Björklund, Samuli Edelmann, Krista Kosonen, Ville Virtanen and Joonas Suotamo. Around twelve feature films are made each year.<ref name="Media moves">{{cite web |url=http://finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=162833&contentlan=2&culture=en-US |title=Media moves |work=ThisisFINLAND (Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501141049/http://finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=162833&contentlan=2&culture=en-US |archive-date=1 May 2011 }}</ref>

One of the most internationally successful Finnish films are The White Reindeer, directed by Erik Blomberg in 1952, which won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film in 1956, five years after its limited release in the United States;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.awardsandshows.com/features/best-foreign-film-506.html |title=List of Winners – Golden Globes Best Foreign Film |access-date=12 December 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Sundholm|first1=John|last2=Thorsen|first2=Isak|last3=Andersson|first3=Lars Gustaf|last4=Hedling|first4=Olof|last5=Iversen|first5=Gunnar|last6=Møller|first6=Birgir Thor|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QktG6a4YnQYC&q=1957+golden+globe+best+foreign+film+white+reindeer&pg=PA390 |title= Historical Dictionary of Scandinavian Cinema (Google eBook) |access-date=12 December 2013|date = 20 September 2012| page=389 et seq|isbn = 978-0-8108-7899-0}}</ref> The Man Without a Past, directed by Aki Kaurismäki in 2002, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2002 and won the Grand Prix at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival;<ref>{{cite web|last=Fauth|first=Jurgen|url=http://worldfilm.about.com/od/scandinavianfilm/fr/manwithoutpast.htm%7Ctitle=The Man Without a Past|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906125603/http://worldfilm.about.com/od/scandinavianfilm/fr/manwithoutpast.htm |archive-date=6 September 2015|work=About.com|access-date=5 February 2008}}</ref> and The Fencer, directed by Klaus Härö in 2015, which was nominated for the 73rd Golden Globe Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category as a Finnish/German/Estonian co-production.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/fencer%7Ctitle=The Fencer|website=www.goldenglobes.com}}</ref>

In Finland, the most significant films include The Unknown Soldier, directed by Edvin Laine in 1955, which is shown on television every Independence Day.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finnish_independence_day_galas_protests_and_war_memories/7671639%7Ctitle=Finnish Independence Day: Galas, protests and war memories|website=Yle Uutiset}}</ref> Here, Beneath the North Star from 1968, also directed by Laine, which includes the Finnish Civil War from the perspective of the Red Guards, is also one of the most significant works in Finnish history.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lfq.salisbury.edu/_issues/48_1/agreeing_on_history_adaptation_as_restorative_truth_in_finnish_reconciliation.html%7Ctitle=Agreeing on History Adaptation as Restorative Truth in Finnish Reconciliation, Mads Larsen, Literature Film Quarterly|website=lfq.salisbury.edu}}</ref> A 1960 crime comedy film Inspector Palmu's Mistake, directed by Matti Kassila, was voted in 2012 the best Finnish film of all time by Finnish film critics and journalists in a poll organized by Yle Uutiset,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://yle.fi/uutiset/kriitikot_valitsivat_kaikkien_aikojen_parhaan_kotimaisen_elokuvan/6372726 | title=Kriitikot valitsivat kaikkien aikojen parhaan kotimaisen elokuvan | publisher=Yle Uutiset | date=12 November 2012 | access-date=9 May 2014 | author=Sundqvist, Janne | language=fi}}</ref> but the 1984 comedy film Uuno Turhapuro in the Army, the ninth film in the Uuno Turhapuro film series, remains Finland's most seen domestic film made since 1968 by Finnish audience.<ref>Uuno armeijan leivissä ja muut Turhapuro elokuvat (in Finnish)</ref>

Although Finland's television offerings are largely known for their domestic dramas, such as the long-running soap opera series Salatut elämät,<ref>Juha Suoranta & Hanna Lehtimäki: Children in the Information Society: The Case of Finland (New Literacies and Digital Epistemologies). Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers, 2004. {{ISBN|978-0-8204-6829-7}}.</ref><ref>Elisabeth Eide & Kaarina Nikunen: Media in Motion: Cultural Complexity and Migration in the Nordic Region (Research in Migration and Ethnic Relations). Routledge, 2010. {{ISBN|978-1-4094-0446-0}}.</ref> there are also internationally known drama series, such as {{ill|Syke (TV series)|fi|Syke (televisiosarja)|lt=Syke}} and Bordertown.<ref>YLE: Syke, Sorjonen ja Suomi Love myyvät maailmalla, mutta Presidentti ei maistunut kriitikoille (in Finnish)</ref> One of Finland's most internationally successful TV shows are the backpacking travel documentary series Madventures and the reality TV show The Dudesons.

Media and communications

{{See also|Telecommunications in Finland|List of newspapers in Finland}}

Linus Torvalds, the Finnish software engineer best known for creating the popular open-source kernel Linux

Thanks to its emphasis on transparency and equal rights, Finland's press has been rated the freest in the world.<ref>2010 Freedom of the Press Survey {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111105114819/http://newseum.org/news/2011/05/world-press-freedom.html |date=5 November 2011}} (retrieved 4 May 2011).</ref>

Today, there are around 200 newspapers, 320 popular magazines, 2,100 professional magazines, 67 commercial radio stations, three digital radio channels and one nationwide and five national public service radio channels.

Each year, around 12,000 book titles are published and 12 million records are sold.<ref name="Media moves" />

Sanoma publishes the newspapers Helsingin Sanomat (its circulation of 412,000<ref>{{cite web |title=Circulation Statistics |url=http://www.levikintarkastus.fi/english/statistics.php |publisher=The Finnish Audit Bureau of Circulations (Levikintarkastus Oy) |access-date=25 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090601160935/http://www.levikintarkastus.fi/english/statistics.php |archive-date=1 June 2009 }}</ref> making it the largest) and Aamulehti, the tabloid Ilta-Sanomat, the commerce-oriented Taloussanomat and the television channel Nelonen. The other major publisher Alma Media publishes over thirty magazines, including the tabloid Iltalehti and commerce-oriented Kauppalehti. Worldwide, Finns, along with other Nordic peoples and the Japanese, spend the most time reading newspapers.<ref>{{cite web |title=World Press Trends: Newspapers Still Reach More Than Internet |url=http://www.wan-ifra.org/press-releases/2011/10/12/world-press-trends-newspapers-still-reach-more-than-internet |publisher=World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers |access-date=19 November 2012 |archive-date=23 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121123093454/http://www.wan-ifra.org/press-releases/2011/10/12/world-press-trends-newspapers-still-reach-more-than-internet |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Yle, the Finnish Broadcasting Company, operates five television channels and thirteen radio channels in both national languages. Yle is funded through a mandatory television license and fees for private broadcasters. All TV channels are broadcast digitally, both terrestrially and on cable. The commercial television channel MTV3 and commercial radio channel Radio Nova are owned by Nordic Broadcasting (Bonnier and Proventus).

In regards to telecommunication infrastructure, Finland is the highest ranked country in the World Economic Forum's Network Readiness Index (NRI) – an indicator for determining the development level of a country's information and communication technologies. Finland ranked 1st overall in the 2014 NRI ranking, unchanged from the year before.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GITR/2014/GITR_OverallRanking_2014.pdf |title=NRI Overall Ranking 2014 |publisher=World Economic Forum |access-date=28 June 2014}}</ref> This is shown in its penetration throughout the country's population. Around 79% of the population use the Internet (2007).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stat.fi/til/sutivi/2007/sutivi_2007_2007-09-28_tie_001_en.html |title=Internet used by 79 per cent of the population at the beginning of 2007|work=Statistics Finland |access-date=22 December 2007}}</ref> Finland had around 1.52 million broadband Internet connections by the end of June 2007 or around 287 per 1,000 inhabitants.<ref name="FICORA">{{cite web |url=http://www.ficora.fi/attachments/englanti/5ruZDB5VP/Files/CurrentFile/Market_review_2_2007.pdf |title=Market Review 2/2007 |work=Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority (FICORA) |date=31 August 2007 |access-date=4 September 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070925220234/http://www.ficora.fi/attachments/englanti/5ruZDB5VP/Files/CurrentFile/Market_review_2_2007.pdf |archive-date=25 September 2007 }}</ref> All Finnish schools and public libraries have Internet connections and computers and most residents have a mobile phone.<ref>Information technology has become part of Finns' everyday life (Statistics Finland).</ref>

Cuisine

{{Main|Finnish cuisine}}

Karelian pasty (karjalanpiirakka) is a traditional Finnish dish made from a thin rye crust with a filling of rice. Butter, often mixed with boiled egg (eggbutter or munavoi), is spread over the hot pastries before eating.

Finnish cuisine is notable for generally combining traditional country fare and haute cuisine with contemporary style cooking. Fish and meat play a prominent role in traditional Finnish dishes from the western part of the country, while the dishes from the eastern part have traditionally included various vegetables and mushrooms. Refugees from Karelia contributed to foods in eastern Finland. Many regions have strongly branded traditional delicacies, such as Tampere has mustamakkara<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/eat-and-drink/4311-the-black-sausage-is-the-pride-of-tampere%7Ctitle=The black sausage is the pride of Tampere|website=www.helsinkitimes.fi}}</ref> and Kuopio has kalakukko.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theculturetrip.com/europe/finland/articles/top-10-finnish-pastries-try/%7Ctitle=Top 10 Finnish Pastries You Have to Try|first=Jessica|last=Wood|website=Culture Trip}}</ref>

Finnish foods often use wholemeal products (rye, barley, oats) and berries (such as bilberries, lingonberries, cloudberries, and sea buckthorn). Milk and its derivatives like buttermilk are commonly used as food, drink, or in various recipes. Various turnips were common in traditional cooking, but were replaced with the potato after its introduction in the 18th century.

According to the statistics, red meat consumption has risen, but still Finns eat less beef than many other nations, and more fish and poultry. This is mainly because of the high cost of meat in Finland.

Finland has the world's highest per capita consumption of coffee.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fusiontables.google.com/DataSource?docid=1C-fn6nSe21acP0xJIO1T1x0wohqfMYCQyJjbqdk#rows:id=1%7Ctitle=Google Fusion Tables|website=fusiontables.google.com}}</ref> Milk consumption is also high, at an average of about {{convert|112|litre}}, per person, per year,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.luke.fi/en/news/what-was-eaten-in-finland-in-2017%7Ctitle=What was eaten in Finland in 2017|website=Luonnonvarakeskus}}</ref> even though 17% of the Finns are lactose intolerant.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.edunation.co/studyinfinland/blog/5-odd-facts-finland/%7Ctitle=Odd Facts about Finland|website=edunation.co|date=19 September 2017|access-date=17 November 2018|archive-date=17 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181117153004/https://www.edunation.co/studyinfinland/blog/5-odd-facts-finland/%7Curl-status=dead}}</ref>

Public holidays

{{Main|Public holidays in Finland|Flag flying days in Finland}} There are several holidays in Finland, of which perhaps the most characteristic of Finnish culture include Christmas (joulu), Midsummer (juhannus), May Day (vappu) and Independence Day (itsenäisyyspäivä). Of these, Christmas and Midsummer are special in Finland because the actual festivities take place on eves, such as Christmas Eve (jouluaatto)<ref>Llewellyn's Sabbats Almanac: Samhain 2010 to Mabon 2011 p.64. Llewellyn Worldwide, 2010</ref><ref>Festivals of Western Europe p.202. Forgotten Books, 1973</ref> and Midsummer's Eve (juhannusaatto),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.finlit.fi/tietopalvelu/juhlat/juhannus/kokko.htm |title=Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura: Juhannuskokko |publisher=Finlit.fi |access-date=25 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121212031052/http://www.finlit.fi/tietopalvelu/juhlat/juhannus/kokko.htm |archive-date=12 December 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.finlit.fi/tietopalvelu/juhlat/juhannus/koriste.htm |title=Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura: Koivunoksia ja maitoruokia |publisher=Finlit.fi |access-date=25 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121212031056/http://www.finlit.fi/tietopalvelu/juhlat/juhannus/koriste.htm |archive-date=12 December 2012 }}</ref> while Christmas Day (joulupäivä) and Midsummer's Day (juhannuspäivä) are more consecrated to rest. Other public holidays in Finland are New Year's Day (uudenvuodenpäivä), Epiphany (loppiainen), Good Friday (pitkäperjantai), Easter Sunday (pääsiäissunnuntai) and Easter Monday (pääsiäismaanantai), Ascension Day (helatorstai), All Saints' Day (pyhäinpäivä) and Saint Stephen's Day (tapaninpäivä). All official holidays in Finland are established by Acts of Parliament. On the other hand, laskiainen that is strongly part of the Finnish tradition is not defined as a public holiday in relation to the above-mentioned holidays.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iltalehti.fi/kotimaa/a/a5ada22b-379b-4b8b-83ca-51bf6f97213c%7Ctitle=Tänään on vietetty laskiaista – mutta tiedätkö, mistä päivässä on oikein kyse?|first=Samppa|last=Rautio|work=Iltalehti|date=5 March 2019|access-date=26 November 2020|language=fi}}</ref>

Sports

{{Main|Sport in Finland}}

Finland's men's national ice hockey team is ranked as one of the best in the world. The team has won three world championship titles (in 1995, 2011 and 2019) and six Olympic medals.
Kankkunen on the Laajavuori stage of the 2010 Rally Finland

Various sporting events are popular in Finland. Pesäpallo, resembling baseball, is the national sport of Finland, although the most popular sport in terms of spectators is ice hockey. The Ice Hockey World Championships 2016 final, Finland-Canada, was watched by 69% of Finnish people on TV.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://mtv.fi/sport/mm2016/uutiset/artikkeli/leijonien-mm-finaalista-kaikkien-aikojen-katsotuin-jaakiekko-ottelu-suomessa/5908282 |title = Leijonien MM-finaalista historian katsotuin jääkiekko-ottelu Suomessa!| work = mtv.fi| date = 23 May 2016| access-date = 23 May 2016}}</ref> Other popular sports include athletics, cross-country skiing, ski jumping, football, volleyball and basketball.<ref>Valta vaihtui urheilussa: Suomalaiset arvostavat nyt enemmän futista kuin jääkiekkoa |Jalkapallo |HS. Hs.fi (27 February 2014). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref> While ice hockey is the most popular sport when it comes to attendance at games, association football is the most played team sport in terms of the number of players in the country and is also the most appreciated sport in Finland.<ref>Jalkapallo nousi arvostetuimmaksi urheilulajiksi |Yle Urheilu. yle.fi. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref><ref>{{in lang|fi}} Jalkapallolla eniten harrastajia – se lyö lätkän, hiihto on alamäessä |Länsiväylä {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826183108/https://www.lansivayla.fi/artikkeli/369185-jalkapallolla-eniten-harrastajia-se-lyo-latkan-hiihto-on-alamaessa |date=26 August 2018 }}. Lansivayla.fi (28 February 2016). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

In terms of medals and gold medals won per capita, Finland is the best performing country in Olympic history.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.medalspercapita.com/#medals-per-capita:all-time%7Ctitle=Olympic Medals per Capita|website=medalspercapita.com}}</ref> Finland first participated as a nation in its own right at the Olympic Games in 1908, while still an autonomous Grand Duchy within the Russian Empire. At the 1912 Summer Olympics, great pride was taken in the three gold medals won by the original "Flying Finn" Hannes Kolehmainen.

Finland was one of the most successful countries at the Olympic Games before World War II. At the 1924 Summer Olympics, Finland, a nation then of only 3.2 million people, came second in the medal count. In the 1920s and '30s, Finnish long-distance runners dominated the Olympics, with Paavo Nurmi winning a total of nine Olympic gold medals between 1920 and 1928 and setting 22 official world records between 1921 and 1931. Nurmi is often considered the greatest Finnish sportsman and one of the greatest athletes of all time.

For over 100 years, Finnish male and female athletes have consistently excelled at the javelin throw. The event has brought Finland nine Olympic gold medals, five world championships, five European championships, and 24 world records.

The 1952 Summer Olympics were held in Helsinki. Other notable sporting events held in Finland include the 1983 and 2005 World Championships in Athletics.

Finland also has a notable history in figure skating. Finnish skaters have won 8 world championships and 13 junior world cups in synchronized skating, and Finland is considered one of the best countries at the sport.

Some of the most popular recreational sports and activities include floorball, Nordic walking, running, cycling, and skiing (alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and ski jumping). Floorball, in terms of registered players, occupies third place after football and ice hockey. According to the Finnish Floorball Federation, floorball is the most popular school, youth, club and workplace sport.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.expat-finland.com/events/finnish_sports.html%7Ctitle=Finnish Sports: Try the sports Finns love!|first=Stuart Allt Web Design, Turku|last=Finland|website=expat-finland.com}}</ref> {{as of|2016}}, the total number of licensed players reaches 57,400.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.floorball.org/pages/EN/Finland%7Ctitle=IFF%7Clast=IFF%7Cwebsite=floorball.org}}</ref>

Especially since the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Finland's national basketball team has received widespread public attention. More than 8,000 Finns travelled to Spain to support their team. Overall, they chartered more than 40 airplanes.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.fiba.com/basketballworldcup/2014/news/Fan-power-Finn-power-The-tournament--begins--on-win |title= Fan power! Finn power! The tournament "begins" on a winning note for Dettman's team |author=FIBA |date=31 August 2014 |publisher=FIBA.com |access-date=2 November 2014}}</ref>

See also

{{Portal |Finland|Arctic}}

{{Clear}}

Notes

{{reflist|group=note}}

References

{{Reflist|30em}}

Further reading

{{refbegin|30em}}

  • Chew, Allen F. The White Death: The Epic of the Soviet-Finnish Winter War ({{ISBN|0-87013-167-2}}).
  • Engle, Eloise and Paananen, Pauri. The Winter War: The Soviet Attack on Finland 1939–1940 ({{ISBN|0-8117-2433-6}}).
  • Insight Guide: Finland ({{ISBN|981-4120-39-1}}).
  • Jakobson, Max. Finland in the New Europe ({{ISBN|0-275-96372-1}}).
  • Jutikkala, Eino; Pirinen, Kauko. A History of Finland ({{ISBN|0-88029-260-1}}).
  • Klinge, Matti. Let Us Be Finns: Essays on History ({{ISBN|951-1-11180-9}}).
  • Lavery, Jason. The History of Finland, Greenwood Histories of the Modern Nations, Greenwood Press, 2006 ({{ISBN|0-313-32837-4}}, {{ISSN|1096-2905}}).
  • Lewis, Richard D. Finland: Cultural Lone Wolf ({{ISBN|1-931930-18-X}}).
  • Lonely Planet: Finland ({{ISBN|1-74059-791-5}})
  • Mann, Chris. Hitler's Arctic War: The German Campaigns in Norway, Finland, and the USSR 1940–1945 ({{ISBN|0-312-31100-1}}).
  • Rusama, Jaakko. Ecumenical Growth in Finland ({{ISBN|951-693-239-8}}).
  • Singleton, Fred. A Short History of Finland ({{ISBN|0-521-64701-0}}).
  • Subrenat, Jean-Jacques. Listen, there's music from the forest; a brief presentation of the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival ({{ISBN|952-92-0564-3}}).
  • Swallow, Deborah. Culture Shock! Finland: A Guide to Customs and Etiquette ({{ISBN|1-55868-592-8}}).
  • Trotter, William R. A Frozen Hell: The Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939–1940 ({{ISBN|1-56512-249-6}}).

{{refend}}

External links

{{Sister project links|Finland|voy=Finland}}

Government

Maps

  • {{osmrelation-inline|54224}}
  • {{wikiatlas|Finland}}

Travel

{{Finland topics}} {{Navboxes |list= {{Sovereign states of Europe}} {{Nordic countries}} {{Nordic Council}} {{Member states of the European Union}} {{European Economic Area (EEA)}} {{Countries bordering the Baltic Sea}} }} {{Authority control}} {{coord|64|N|26|E|region:FI_type:country|display=title}} {{about|the Republic of Finland}} {{pp-vandalism|small=yes}} {{pp-pc1|small=yes}} {{pp-move-indef}} {{short description|Country in Northern Europe}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}} {{Infobox country | conventional_long_name = Republic of Finland | common_name = Finland | native_name = {{ubl|{{native name|fi|Suomen tasavalta}}|{{native name|sv|Republiken Finland}}}} | image_flag = Flag of Finland.svg | image_coat = Coat of arms of Finland.svg

| national_anthem =
{{native name|fi|Maamme|nolink=yes}}
{{native name|sv|Vårt land|nolink=yes}}
({{Lang-en|"Our Land"}})

| image_map = {{Switcher||Show globe||Show map of Europe|default=2}} | map_caption = {{map caption|location_color=dark green |region=Europe |region_color=dark grey |subregion=the European Union |subregion_color=green |legend=EU-Finland.svg}} | capital = Helsinki | coordinates = {{Coord|60|10|N|24|56|E|type:city}} | largest_city = capital | official_languages = Finnish • Swedish | national_languages = Viittomakieli • Sámi • Teckenspråk • Karelian • Finnish Kalo language | ethnic_groups = {{unbulleted list |91.33% Finnish |4.90% Other European |2.50% Asian |0.90% African |0.37% Other }} | ethnic_groups_year = 2017 | ethnic_groups_ref = <ref name="auto">{{cite web |url=http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/fi/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__vaerak/statfin_vaerak_pxt_032.px/?rxid=726cd24d-d0f1-416a-8eec-7ce9b82fd5a4 |title=032 -- Syntyperä ja taustamaa sukupuolen mukaan maakunnittain ja kunnittain 1990 - 2017| work = Tilastokeskuksen PX-Web-tietokannat | publisher = Statistics Finland|language=fi |access-date=28 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212214837/http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/fi/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__vaerak/statfin_vaerak_pxt_032.px/?rxid=726cd24d-d0f1-416a-8eec-7ce9b82fd5a4 |archive-date=12 February 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="un">{{cite web|url=http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/data/estimates2/estimates17.shtml%7Ctitle=United Nations Population Division | Department of Economic and Social Affairs|website=un.org|access-date=29 June 2018}}</ref> | religion = {{ublist |item_style=white-space:nowrap; 

 |70.7% Christianity
 |—68.7% Lutheranism
 |—1.1% Orthodoxy
 |—0.9% Other Christian
 |28.5% No religion 
 | 0.8% Other}}

| religion_year = 2019 | religion_ref = <ref name="stnin">{{cite web |title=Belonging to a religious community by age and sex, 2000-2019 |url=http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/en/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__vaerak/statfin_vaerak_pxt_11rx.px/ |website=Tilastokeskuksen PX-Web tietokannat |publisher=Government |access-date=28 March 2020}} Note these are state religious registration numbers, people may be registered yet not practicing/believing and they may be believing/practicing but not registered.</ref> | demonym = {{hlist|Finnish|Finn}} | government_type = Unitary parliamentary republic<ref name="Parliamentary"/> | leader_title1 = President | leader_name1 = Sauli Niinistö | leader_title2 = Prime Minister | leader_name2 = Sanna Marin | legislature = Eduskunta/Riksdagen | sovereignty_type = Independence | sovereignty_note = from Russia | established_event1 = Autonomy | established_date1 = 29 March 1809 | established_event2 = Declared | established_date2 = 6 December 1917 | established_event3 = Civil War | established_date3 = January – May 1918 | established_event4 = Constitution | established_date4 = 17 July 1919 | established_event5 = Winter War | established_date5 = 30 November 1939 – 13 March 1940 | established_event6 = Continuation War | established_date6 = 25 June 1941 – 19 September 1944 | established_event7 = Joined the EU | established_date7 = 1 January 1995 | area_km2 = 338,455 | area_rank = 65th | area_sq_mi = 130,596 | percent_water = 9.71 (as of 2015)<ref>{{cite web|title=Surface water and surface water change|access-date=11 October 2020|publisher=Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)|url=https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=SURFACE_WATER#}}</ref> | population_estimate = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 5,536,146<ref>{{cite web|title=Birth rate showed a slight growth in 2020|url=https://www.stat.fi/til/vamuu/2020/12/vamuu_2020_12_2021-01-21_tie_001_en.html%7Cpublisher=Statistics Finland|access-date=21 January 2021}}</ref> | population_estimate_year = December 2020 | population_estimate_rank = 116th | population_label2 = | population_data2 = | population_density_km2 = 16 | population_density_sq_mi = 41 | population_density_rank = 213th | GDP_PPP = $257 billion<ref name=imf3>{{cite web|url=https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2018/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2018&ey=2018&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&pr1.x=59&pr1.y=9&c=172&s=NGDPD%2CPPPGDP%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPPC&grp=0&a= |date=17 October 2018|title=Report for Selected Countries and Subjects|publisher=IMF}}</ref> | GDP_PPP_year = 2020 | GDP_PPP_rank = 60th | GDP_PPP_per_capita = $49,334<ref name=imf3 /> | GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 19th | GDP_nominal = $277 billion<ref name=imf3 /> | GDP_nominal_year = 2020 | GDP_nominal_rank = 43rd | GDP_nominal_per_capita = $48,461<ref name=imf3 /> | GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 14th | Gini = 26.2 | Gini_year = 2019 | Gini_change = increase | Gini_ref = <ref name=eurogini>{{cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/table.do?tab=table&init=1&language=en&pcode=tessi190&plugin=1 |title=Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income - EU-SILC survey |publisher=Eurostat |website=ec.europa.eu |access-date=27 March 2020}}</ref> | Gini_rank = 6th | HDI = 0.938 | HDI_year = 2019 | HDI_change = increase | HDI_ref = <ref name="UNHDR">{{cite web|url=http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/hdr2020.pdf%7Ctitle=Human Development Report 2020|language=en|publisher=United Nations Development Programme|date=15 December 2020|access-date=15 December 2020}}</ref> | HDI_rank = 11th | currency = Euro (€) | currency_code = EUR | time_zone = EET | utc_offset = +2 | utc_offset_DST = +3 | time_zone_DST = EEST | date_format = d.m.yyyy<ref>Ajanilmaukset {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020033758/http://www.kielikello.fi/index.php?mid=2&pid=11&aid=1709 |date=20 October 2017 }} Kielikello 2/2006. Institute for the Languages of Finland. Retrieved 20 October 2017</ref> | drives_on = right | calling_code = +358 | cctld = .fia | footnote_a = The .eu domain is also used, as it is shared with other European Union member states. | today = }}

Finland ({{lang-fi|Suomi}} {{IPA-fi|ˈsuo̯mi||fi-suomi.ogg}}; {{lang-sv|Finland}} {{IPA-sv|ˈfɪ̌nland||sv-Finland.ogg}}, {{IPA-sv|ˈfinlɑnd|langfi}}), officially the Republic of Finland ({{Lang-fi|Suomen tasavalta}}, {{Lang-sv|Republiken Finland}} {{small|({{audio|Suomi Finland.ogg|listen to all|help=no}})}}),{{refn|group=note|"Republic of Finland", or {{lang|fi|Suomen tasavalta}} in Finnish, {{lang|sv|Republiken Finland}} in Swedish, and {{lang|se|Suoma dásseváldi}} in Sami, is the long protocol name, which is however not defined by law. Legislation recognises only the short name.}} is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the west, Russia to the east, Norway to the north, and is defined by the Gulf of Bothnia to the west, and the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea across Estonia to the south. Finland covers an area of {{convert|338455|km2|mi2}}, with a population of 5.5 million. Helsinki is the country's capital and largest city, but together with the neighboring cities of Espoo, Kauniainen and Vantaa, it forms a larger metropolitan area. Finnish, the native language of the Finns, is among the few Finnic languages in the world. The climate varies relative to latitude, from the southern humid continental climate to the northern boreal climate. The land cover is primarily a boreal forest biome, with more than 180,000 recorded lakes.<ref name="thousand">{{cite web|last=Li|first=Leslie|date=16 April 1989|title=A Land of a Thousand Lakes|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/04/16/travel/a-land-of-a-thousand-lakes.html%7Caccess-date=20 September 2020|work=The New York Times}}</ref>

Finland was inhabited around 9000 BC after the Last Glacial Period.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus|year=2015|isbn=978-952-495-363-4|location=Helsinki|page=23}}</ref> The Stone Age introduced several different ceramic styles and cultures. The Bronze Age and Iron Age were characterised by extensive contacts with other cultures in Fennoscandia and the Baltic region.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus|year=2015|isbn=978-952-495-363-4|location=Helsinki|page=339}}</ref> From the late 13th century, Finland gradually became an integral part of Sweden as a consequence of the Northern Crusades. In 1809, as a result of the Finnish War, Finland was annexed by Russia as the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland, during which Finnish art flourished and the idea of independence began to take hold. In 1906, Finland became the first European state to grant universal suffrage, and the first in the world to give all adult citizens the right to run for public office.<ref name="eduskunta">{{cite web |url=http://web.eduskunta.fi/Resource.phx/parliament/aboutparliament/presentation/history.htx |work=eduskunta.fi |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 December 2015 |author=Parliament of Finland |title=History of the Finnish Parliament |archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20151206184816/http://web.eduskunta.fi/Resource.phx/parliament/aboutparliament/presentation/history.htx }}</ref><ref name="full suffrage">Finland was the first nation in the world to give all (adult) citizens full suffrage, in other words the right to vote and to run for office, in 1906. New Zealand was the first country in the world to grant all (adult) citizens the right to vote, in 1893. But women did not get the right to run for the New Zealand legislature, until 1919.</ref> Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia, tried to russify Finland and terminate its political autonomy, but after the 1917 Russian Revolution, Finland declared independence from Russia. In 1918, the fledgling state was divided by the Finnish Civil War. During World War II, Finland fought the Soviet Union in the Winter War and the Continuation War, and Nazi Germany in the Lapland War. After the wars, Finland lost parts of its territory, but maintained its independence.

Finland largely remained an agrarian country until the 1950s. After World War II, the country rapidly industrialised and developed an advanced economy, while building an extensive welfare state based on the Nordic model, resulting in widespread prosperity and a high per capita income.<ref name="imf2">{{cite web |url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2013/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=65&pr.y=7&sy=2009&ey=2012&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=172&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a= |title=Finland |publisher=International Monetary Fund |access-date=17 April 2013}}</ref> Finland joined the United Nations in 1955 and adopted an official policy of neutrality. Finland joined the OECD in 1969, the NATO Partnership for Peace in 1994,<ref name="nato.int">Relations with Finland. NATO (13 January 2016)</ref> the European Union in 1995, the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council in 1997,<ref name="nato.int" /> and the Eurozone at its inception in 1999. Finland is a top performer in numerous metrics of national performance, including education, economic competitiveness, civil liberties, quality of life and human development.<ref name="World Audit">{{cite web |url=http://www.worldaudit.org/countries/finland.htm |title=Finland: World Audit Democracy Profile |work=WorldAudit.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030113921/http://www.worldaudit.org/countries/finland.htm |archive-date=30 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite document|url=http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/tertiary-education-graduation-rates_20755120-table1 |title=Tertiary education graduation rates—Education: Key Tables from OECD |doi=10.1787/20755120-table1 |publisher=OECD iLibrary |date=14 June 2010 |access-date=6 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430055650/http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/tertiary-education-graduation-rates_20755120-table1 |archive-date=30 April 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://e24.no/makro-og-politikk/article3803493.ece |title=Her er verdens mest konkurransedyktige land—Makro og politikk |publisher=E24.no |date=9 September 2010 |access-date=6 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101014010931/http://e24.no/makro-og-politikk/article3803493.ece |archive-date=14 October 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prosperity.com/country.aspx?id=FI |title=The 2009 Legatum Prosperity Index |publisher=Prosperity.com |access-date=4 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091029140547/http://www.prosperity.com/country.aspx?id=FI |archive-date=29 October 2009 }}</ref> In 2015, Finland was ranked first in the World Human Capital<ref>{{cite web |url=http://reports.weforum.org/human-capital-report-2015/rankings/ |title=Human Capital Report 2015 |website=World Economic Forum |access-date=15 May 2015}}</ref> and the Press Freedom Index and as the most stable country in the world during 2011–2016 in the Fragile States Index,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://fsi.fundforpeace.org/rankings-2016 |title=Fragile States Index 2016 |publisher=Fundforpeace.org |access-date=27 November 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204213240/http://fsi.fundforpeace.org/rankings-2016 |archive-date=4 February 2017 }}</ref> and second in the Global Gender Gap Report.<ref>{{cite book |title = Gender Gap Report |url = http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GenderGap_Report_2012.pdf |publisher = WEF }}</ref> It also ranked first on the World Happiness Report report for 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.<ref>{{cite news |last= Hetter|first=Katia|date=26 March 2019|title=This is the world's happiest country in 2019|url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/worlds-happiest-countries-united-nations-2019/index.html%7Cwork=CNN |access-date=31 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://happiness-report.s3.amazonaws.com/2020/WHR20.pdf%7Ctitle=World Happiness Report 2020|editor-last=Helliwell|editor-first=John F.|editor2-last=Sachs|editor2-first=Jeffrey|editor3-last=De Neve|editor3-first=Jan-Emmanuel|date=2020|publisher=Sustainable Development Solutions Network|location=New York|access-date=30 April 2020}}</ref>

Etymology

Finland

Finland on a medieval map, which is part of the Carta marina (1539)

{{See also|Finns#Etymology}}

The earliest written appearance of the name Finland is thought to be on three runestones. Two were found in the Swedish province of Uppland and have the inscription finlonti (U 582). The third was found in Gotland. It has the inscription finlandi (G 319) and dates back to the 13th century.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.arkisto.fi/ |title=National Archives Service, Finland (in English) |access-date=22 January 2007}}</ref> The name can be assumed to be related to the tribe name Finns, which is mentioned at first known time AD 98 (disputed meaning).

Suomi

The name Suomi ({{Langnf|fi|2=Finnish|3=Finland}}) has uncertain origins, but a common etymology with saame (Sami, a Finno-Ugric people in Lapland) and Häme (a province in the inland) has been suggested (Proto-Finnic *hämä from older *šämä, possibly loaned into Proto-Saami as *sāmē), whose source could be the Proto-Baltic word *źemē, meaning '(low) land'.<ref>kotikielenseura.fi, SUOMI (TTAVIA ETYMOLOGIOITA).</ref> According to the hypothesis, *sāmē – or *šämä directly – was loaned back into Baltic as *sāma- (compare Latvian sāms 'Finn, Öselian'), from which Northern Finnic reborrowed it (perhaps via a Germanic intermediate *sōma-) as *sōma- > *sōme- 'Finland'.<ref name=deSmit>{{cite web |last1=de Smit |first1=Merlijn |title=De Vanitate Etymologiae. On the origins of Suomi, Häme, Sápmi. |url=https://www.academia.edu/36858309 |website=Academia.edu |publisher=Academia, Inc. |access-date=6 September 2020 |language=en}}</ref> In addition to the close relatives of Finnish (the Finnic languages), this name is also used in the Baltic languages Latvian (soms, Somija) and Lithuanian (suomis, Suomija), although these are evidently later borrowings. An alternative hypothesis by Petri Kallio suggests the Proto-Indo-European word *(dʰ)ǵʰm-on- 'human' (cf. Gothic guma, Latin homo), being borrowed into Uralic as *ćoma.<ref name=deSmit />

It has been suggested that the Finnish word Suomi is first attested the Royal Frankish Annals annal for 811, which mentions a person called Suomi among the Danish delegation at a peace treaty with the Franks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/annalesregnifrancorum.html%7Ctitle=Annesl Regni Francorum|website=thelatinlibrary.com|access-date=29 July 2018}}</ref> If so, it is also the earliest evidence for the change from the proto-Finnic monophthong {{IPA|/oː/}} to the Finnish diphthong {{IPA|/uo/}}.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Keskiajan suomen kielen dokumentoitu sanasto ensiesiintymisvuosineen |last=Heikkilä |first=Mikko K. |publisher=Mediapinta |year=2017 |isbn=978-952-236-859-1 |page=44}}</ref><ref>Mikko Heikkilä, 'Varhaissuomen äännehistorian kronologiasta', Sananjalka, 58 (2016), 136–158 (p. 147).</ref> However, some historical linguists view this interpretation of the name as unlikely, supposing another etymology or that the spelling originated as a scribal error (in which case the sound-change {{IPA|/oː/}} > {{IPA|/uo/}} could have happened much later).<ref>Petri Kallio, 'Äännehistoriaa suomen kielen erilliskehityksen alkutaipaleilta', Sananjalka, 59 (2017), 7–24 (p. 12).</ref>

Concept

In the earliest historical sources, from the 12th and 13th centuries, the term Finland refers to the coastal region around Turku from Perniö to Uusikaupunki. This region later became known as Finland Proper in distinction from the country name Finland. Finland became a common name for the whole country in a centuries-long process that started when the Catholic Church established a missionary diocese in Nousiainen in the northern part of the province of Suomi possibly sometime in the 12th century.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |title=Suomen museo 2003: "The Origins of Finland and Häme" |last=Salo |first=Unto |publisher=Suomen muinaismuistoyhdistys |year=2004 |isbn=978-951-9057-55-2 |location=Helsinki |page=55}}</ref>

The devastation of Finland during the Great Northern War (1714–1721) and during the Russo-Swedish War (1741–1743) caused Sweden to begin carrying out major efforts to defend its eastern half from Russia. These 18th-century experiences created a sense of a shared destiny that when put in conjunction with the unique Finnish language, led to the adoption of an expanded concept of Finland.<ref name=UppslagsFi>{{cite web |url=http://www.uppslagsverket.fi/sv/sok/view-103684-FinlandsHistoria1700Talet |title=Finlands historia: 1700-talet |last=Lindberg |first=Johan |date=26 May 2016 |website=Uppslagsverket Finland |access-date=30 November 2017 |language=sv}}</ref>

History

{{Main|History of Finland}} {{see also|Åland Islands}}

Prehistory

{{Main|History of Finland#Prehistory}}

Reconstruction of Stone Age dwelling from Kierikki, Oulu

If the archeological finds from Wolf Cave are the result of Neanderthals' activities, the first people inhabited Finland approximately 120,000–130,000 years ago.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus |year=2015 |isbn=978-952-495-363-4 |location=Helsinki |page=21}}</ref> The area that is now Finland was settled in, at the latest, around 8,500 BC during the Stone Age towards the end of the last glacial period. The artifacts the first settlers left behind present characteristics that are shared with those found in Estonia, Russia, and Norway.<ref name=":1">Herkules.oulu.fi. People, material, culture and environment in the north. Proceedings of the 22nd Nordic Archaeological Conference, University of Oulu, 18–23 August 2004 Edited by Vesa-Pekka Herva Gummerus Kirjapaino</ref> The earliest people were hunter-gatherers, using stone tools.<ref name="VF-Pre">Dr. Pirjo Uino of the National Board of Antiquities, ThisisFinland—"Prehistory: The ice recedes—man arrives". Retrieved 24 June 2008.</ref>

The first pottery appeared in 5200 BC, when the Comb Ceramic culture was introduced.<ref name="Hist-Fin-Geo">History of Finland and the Finnish People from stone age to WWII. Retrieved 24 June 2008.</ref> The arrival of the Corded Ware culture in Southern coastal Finland between 3000 and 2500 BC may have coincided with the start of agriculture.<ref name="Virt-Mino">Professor Frank Horn of the Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law University of Lappland writing for Virtual Finland on National Minorities of Finland. Retrieved 24 June 2008.</ref> Even with the introduction of agriculture, hunting and fishing continued to be important parts of the subsistence economy.

In the Bronze Age permanent all-year-round cultivation and animal husbandry spread, but the cold climate phase slowed the change.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus |year=2015 |location=Helsinki |pages=199, 210–211}}</ref> Cultures in Finland shared common features in pottery and also axes had similarities but local features existed. Seima-Turbino-phenomenon brought first bronze artifacts to the region and possibly also the Finno-Ugric-Languages.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus|year=2015|location=Helsinki|pages=171–178}}</ref> Commercial contacts that had so far mostly been to Estonia started to extend to Scandinavia. Domestic manufacture of bronze artifacts started 1300 BC with {{ill|Maaninka-type bronze axe|fi|Maaningan kirves|lt=Maaninka-type bronze axes}}. Bronze was imported from Volga region and from Southern Scandinavia.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus|year=2015|location=Helsinki|pages=189–190}}</ref>

Northern Europe in 814 AD

In the Iron Age population grew especially in Häme and Savo regions. Finland proper was the most densely populated area. Cultural contacts to the Baltics and Scandinavia became more frequent. Commercial contacts in the Baltic Sea region grew and extended during the 8th and 9th centuries.

Main exports from Finland were furs, slaves, castoreum, and falcons to European courts. Imports included silk and other fabrics, jewelry, Ulfberht swords, and, in lesser extent, glass. Production of iron started approximately in 500 BC.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus |year=2015 |location=Helsinki |pages=332, 364–365}}</ref>

At the end of the 9th century, indigenous artifact culture, especially women's jewelry and weapons, had more common local features than ever before. This has been interpreted to be expressing common Finnish identity which was born from an image of common origin.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus |year=2015 |location=Helsinki |page=269}}</ref>

Late Iron Age swords found in Finland

An early form of Finnic languages spread to the Baltic Sea region approximately 1900 BC with the Seima-Turbino-phenomenon. Common Finnic language was spoken around Gulf of Finland 2000 years ago. The dialects from which the modern-day Finnish language was developed came into existence during the Iron Age.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus|year=2015|location=Helsinki|pages=211–212}}</ref> Although distantly related, the Sami retained the hunter-gatherer lifestyle longer than the Finns. The Sami cultural identity and the Sami language have survived in Lapland, the northernmost province, but the Sami have been displaced or assimilated elsewhere.

The 12th and 13th centuries were a violent time in the northern Baltic Sea. The Livonian Crusade was ongoing and the Finnish tribes such as the Tavastians and Karelians were in frequent conflicts with Novgorod and with each other. Also, during the 12th and 13th centuries several crusades from the Catholic realms of the Baltic Sea area were made against the Finnish tribes. According to historical sources, Danes waged at least three crusades to Finland, in 1187 or slightly earlier,<ref name=":3">{{cite book| author = Kurt Villads Jensen| title = Ristiretket| publisher = Turun Historiallinen Yhdistys| year = 2019| pages = 126–127}}</ref> in 1191 and in 1202,<ref>{{Cite book |title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus |year=2015 |location=Helsinki |page=380}}</ref> and Swedes, possibly the so-called second crusade to Finland, in 1249 against Tavastians and the third crusade to Finland in 1293 against the Karelians. The so-called first crusade to Finland, possibly in 1155, is most likely an unreal event. Also, it is possible that Germans made violent conversion of Finnish pagans in the 13th century.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Ruotsin itämaa |last=Tarkiainen |first=Kari |publisher=Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland |year=2010 |location=Helsinki |page=88}}</ref> According to a papal letter from 1241, the king of Norway was also fighting against "nearby pagans" at that time.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Suomen varhaiskeskiajan lähteitä |last=Compiled by Martti Linna |publisher=Historian aitta |year=1989 |page=69}}</ref>

Swedish era

{{Main|Finland under Swedish rule}} {{See also|Swedish colonisation of Finland}}

The Swedish Empire following the Treaty of Roskilde of 1658.
Dark green: Sweden proper, as represented in the Riksdag of the Estates. Other greens: Swedish dominions and possessions

As a result of the crusades and the colonisation of some Finnish coastal areas with Christian Swedish population during the Middle Ages,<ref>{{Cite book|title=Ruotsin itämaa|last=Tarkiainen|first=Kari|publisher=Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland |year=2010 |isbn=978-951-583-212-2 |location=Helsinki|pages=104–147}}</ref> including the old capital Turku, Finland gradually became part of the kingdom of Sweden and the sphere of influence of the Catholic Church. Due to the Swedish conquest, the Finnish upper class lost its position and lands to the new Swedish and German nobility and to the Catholic Church.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Ruotsin itämaa|last=Tarkiainen|first=Kari|publisher=Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland |year=2010 |isbn=978-951-583-212-2 |location=Porvoo |pages=167–170}}</ref> In Sweden even in the 17th and 18th centuries, it was clear that Finland was a conquered country and its inhabitants could be treated arbitrarily. Swedish kings visited Finland rarely and in Swedish contemporary texts Finns were portrayed to be primitive and their language inferior.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://journal.fi/tt/article/view/57138/19187%7Ctitle=Kansallinen identiteetti Ruotsissa ja Suomessa 1600-1700-luvuilla |last=Kemiläinen |first=Aira|publisher=Tieteessä tapahtuu 8/2004|year=2004|pages=25–26|language=fi}}</ref>

Swedish became the dominant language of the nobility, administration, and education; Finnish was chiefly a language for the peasantry, clergy, and local courts in predominantly Finnish-speaking areas. During the Protestant Reformation, the Finns gradually converted to Lutheranism.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.europe-cities.com/en/657/finland/history/chronology%7Ctitle=History of Finland. Finland chronology |publisher=Europe-cities.com |access-date=26 August 2010 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427060720/http://www.europe-cities.com/en/657/finland/history/chronology |archive-date=27 April 2011}}</ref>

In the 16th century, Mikael Agricola published the first written works in Finnish, and Finland's current capital city, Helsinki, was founded by Gustav I of Sweden.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/409531/ |title=Ruttopuisto – Plague Park |publisher=Tabblo.com |access-date=3 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411112934/http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/409531/ |archive-date=11 April 2008 }}</ref> The first university in Finland, the Royal Academy of Turku, was established in 1640. The Finns reaped a reputation in the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) as a well-trained cavalrymen called "Hakkapeliitta", that division excelled in sudden and savage attacks, raiding and reconnaissance, which King Gustavus Adolphus took advantage of in his significant battles, like in the Battle of Breitenfeld (1631) and the Battle of Rain (1632).<ref>{{cite book|author=Joose Olavi Hannula|year=1939|title=Hakkapeliittoja ja karoliineja – Kuvia Suomen sotahistoriasta|publisher=Otava| location=Helsinki|language=fi}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Matti J. Kankaanpää|year=2016|title=Suomalainen ratsuväki Ruotsin ajalla|publisher=T:mi Toiset aijat| location=Porvoo | page = 790 |isbn = 978-952-99106-9-4|language=fi}}</ref> Finland suffered a severe famine in 1696–1697, during which about one third of the Finnish population died,<ref name="empire"/> and a devastating plague a few years later.

Now lying within Helsinki, Suomenlinna is a UNESCO World Heritage Site consisting of an inhabited 18th-century sea fortress built on six islands. It is one of Finland's most popular tourist attractions.

In the 18th century, wars between Sweden and Russia twice led to the occupation of Finland by Russian forces, times known to the Finns as the Greater Wrath (1714–1721) and the Lesser Wrath (1742–1743).<ref name="empire">"Finland and the Swedish Empire". Federal Research Division, Library of Congress.</ref> It is estimated that almost an entire generation of young men was lost during the Great Wrath, due mainly to the destruction of homes and farms, and to the burning of Helsinki.<ref name="Nordstrom, Scandinavia">{{cite book|last=Nordstrom|first=Byron J.|title=Scandinavia Since 1500|year=2000|publisher=University of Minnesota Press|location=Minneapolis, US|isbn=978-0-8166-2098-2|page=142|url=https://archive.org/details/scandinaviasince0000nord/page/142}}</ref> By this time Finland was the predominant term for the whole area from the Gulf of Bothnia to the Russian border.{{citation needed|date=June 2018}}

Two Russo-Swedish wars in twenty-five years served as reminders to the Finnish people of the precarious position between Sweden and Russia. An increasingly vocal elite in Finland soon determined that Finnish ties with Sweden were becoming too costly, and following Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790), the Finnish elite's desire to break with Sweden only heightened.<ref name="a1">{{cite book |last=Nordstrom |first=Byron J. |title=Scandinavia Since 1500 |year=2000 |publisher=University of Minnesota Press |location=Minneapolis, US |isbn=978-0-8166-2098-2 |page=143 |url=https://archive.org/details/scandinaviasince0000nord/page/143 }}</ref>

Even before the war there were conspiring politicians, among them Col G. M. Sprengtporten, who had supported Gustav III's coup in 1772. Sprengporten fell out with the king and resigned his commission in 1777. In the following decade he tried to secure Russian support for an autonomous Finland, and later became an adviser to Catherine II.<ref name="a1"/> In the spirit of the notion of Adolf Ivar Arwidsson (1791–1858), "we are not Swedes, we do not want to become Russians, let us therefore be Finns", the Finnish national identity started to become established.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lefaivre|first1=Liane|last2=Tzonis|first2=Alexander|title=Architecture of Regionalism in the Age of Globalization: Peaks and Valleys in the Flat World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FkYHEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT144%7Cyear=2020%7Cpublisher=Routledge%7Clocation=New York|isbn=978-1-00-022106-0|page=144}}</ref>

Notwithstanding the efforts of Finland's elite and nobility to break ties with Sweden, there was no genuine independence movement in Finland until the early 20th century. As a matter of fact, at this time the Finnish peasantry was outraged by the actions of their elite and almost exclusively supported Gustav's actions against the conspirators. (The High Court of Turku condemned Sprengtporten as a traitor c. 1793.)<ref name="a1"/> The Swedish era ended in the Finnish War in 1809.

Russian era

{{Main|Grand Duchy of Finland}} {{See also|Diet of Porvoo|Finland's language strife|Russification of Finland}}

website=Google Arts & Culture}}</ref>

On 29 March 1809, having been taken over by the armies of Alexander I of Russia in the Finnish War, Finland became an autonomous Grand Duchy in the Russian Empire with the recognition given at the Diet held in Porvoo. This situation lasted until the end of 1917. In 1811, Alexander I incorporated the Russian Vyborg province into the Grand Duchy of Finland. In 1854, Finland became involved in Russia's involvement in the Crimean War, when the British and French navies bombed the Finnish coast and Åland during the so-called Åland War. During the Russian era, the Finnish language began to gain recognition. From the 1860s onwards, a strong Finnish nationalist movement known as the Fennoman movement grew, and one of its most prominent leading figures of the movement was the philosopher J. V. Snellman, who was strictly inclined to Hegel's idealism, and who pushed for the stabilization of the status of the Finnish language and its own currency, the Finnish markka, in the Grand Duchy of Finland.<ref>{{cite book| author = Olavi Junnila | title = Suomen historia 5 | year = 1986 | chapter = Autonomian rakentaminen ja kansallisen nousun aika | page = 151 | location = Helsinki | publisher = Weilin + Göös | isbn = 951-35-2494-9 | language = fi }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.suomenpankki.fi/fi/media-ja-julkaisut/puheet-ja-haastattelut/2006/pankinjohtaja-sinikka-salon-puhe-snellman-ja-suomen-markka--nayttelyn-avajaisissa-suomen-pankin-rahamuseossa/ | title = Pankinjohtaja Sinikka Salon puhe Snellman ja Suomen markka -näyttelyn avajaisissa Suomen Pankin rahamuseossa | publisher = Bank of Finland | date = 10 January 2006 | access-date = 7 December 2020 | language = fi }}</ref> Milestones included the publication of what would become Finland's national epic – the Kalevala – in 1835, and the Finnish language's achieving equal legal status with Swedish in 1892.

The Finnish famine of 1866–1868 killed approximately 15% of the population, making it one of the worst famines in European history. The famine led the Russian Empire to ease financial regulations, and investment rose in following decades. Economic and political development was rapid.<ref name="equity">{{cite web |url=http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTRANETSOCIALDEVELOPMENT/Resources/finland.pdf |title=Growth and Equity in Finland |publisher=World Bank}}</ref> The gross domestic product (GDP) per capita was still half of that of the United States and a third of that of Britain.<ref name="equity" />

In 1906, universal suffrage was adopted in the Grand Duchy of Finland. However, the relationship between the Grand Duchy and the Russian Empire soured when the Russian government made moves to restrict Finnish autonomy. For example, the universal suffrage was, in practice, virtually meaningless, since the tsar did not have to approve any of the laws adopted by the Finnish parliament. Desire for independence gained ground, first among radical liberals<ref>Mickelsson, Rauli (2007). Suomen puolueet—Historia, muutos ja nykypäivä. Vastapaino.</ref> and socialists. The case is known as the "Russification of Finland", driven by the last tsar of Russian Empire, Nicholas II.<ref>Alenius, Kari. "Russification in Estonia and Finland Before 1917," Faravid, 2004, Vol. 28, pp 181–194</ref>

Civil war and early independence

{{Main|Independence of Finland|Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic|Finnish Civil War}}

White firing squad executing Red soldiers after the Battle of Länkipohja (1918)

After the 1917 February Revolution, the position of Finland as part of the Russian Empire was questioned, mainly by Social Democrats. Since the head of state was the tsar of Russia, it was not clear who the chief executive of Finland was after the revolution. The Parliament, controlled by social democrats, passed the so-called Power Act to give the highest authority to the Parliament. This was rejected by the Russian Provisional Government which decided to dissolve the Parliament.<ref>The Finnish Civil War, Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress. Countrystudies.us. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

New elections were conducted, in which right-wing parties won with a slim majority. Some social democrats refused to accept the result and still claimed that the dissolution of the parliament (and thus the ensuing elections) were extralegal. The two nearly equally powerful political blocs, the right-wing parties and the social democratic party, were highly antagonized.

The October Revolution in Russia changed the geopolitical situation once more. Suddenly, the right-wing parties in Finland started to reconsider their decision to block the transfer of highest executive power from the Russian government to Finland, as the Bolsheviks took power in Russia. Rather than acknowledge the authority of the Power Act of a few months earlier, the right-wing government, led by Prime Minister P. E. Svinhufvud, presented Declaration of Independence on 4 December 1917, which was officially approved two days later, on 6 December, by the Finnish Parliament. The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR), led by Vladimir Lenin, recognized independence on 4 January 1918.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://formin.finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=107215&contentlan=1&culture=fi-FI | title = Uudenvuodenaatto Pietarin Smolnassa – Itsenäisyyden tunnustus 31.12.1917 | publisher = Ulkoministieriö | access-date = 14 September 2020 | language = fi }}</ref>

Finnish military leader and statesman C. G. E. Mannerheim as general officer leading the White Victory Parade at the end of the Finnish Civil War in Helsinki, 1918

On 27 January 1918, the official opening shots of the civil war were fired in two simultaneous events: on the one hand the government's beginning to disarm the Russian forces in Pohjanmaa, and on the other, a coup launched by the Social Democratic Party.{{failed verification |date=December 2010 |reason=No mention of coup in the section The Finnish Civil War, which should cover this. The actions by the reds are not characterized.}} The latter gained control of southern Finland and Helsinki, but the White government continued in exile from Vaasa. This sparked the brief but bitter civil war. The Whites, who were supported by Imperial Germany, prevailed over the Reds,<ref>{{cite web |title=A Country Study: Finland—The Finnish Civil War |url=http://memory.loc.gov/frd/cs/fitoc.html |work=Federal Research Division, Library of Congress |access-date=11 December 2008}}</ref> which were guided by Kullervo Manner's desire to make the newly independent country a Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic (also known as "Red Finland") and part of the RSFSR.<ref>SDP:n puheenjohtaja halusi punadiktaattoriksi, mutta kuoli Stalinin vankileirillä (in Finnish)</ref> After the war, tens of thousands of Reds and suspected sympathizers were interned in camps, where thousands were executed or died from malnutrition and disease. Deep social and political enmity was sown between the Reds and Whites and would last until the Winter War and beyond. Even nowadays, the civil war remains a sensitive topic.<ref>Pääkirjoitus: Kansalaissota on arka muistettava (in Finnish)</ref><ref>Punaisten ja valkoisten perintöä vaalitaan yhä – Suomalaiset lähettivät yli 400 muistoa vuoden 1918 sisällissodasta (in Finnish)</ref> The civil war and the 1918–1920 activist expeditions called "Kinship Wars" into Soviet Russia strained Eastern relations. At that time, the idea of a Greater Finland also emerged for the first time.<ref>{{Cite book | last=Manninen | first=Ohto | title=Suur-Suomen ääriviivat: Kysymys tulevaisuudesta ja turvallisuudesta Suomen Saksan-politiikassa 1941 | location=Helsinki | publisher=Kirjayhtymä | year=1980 | isbn= 951-26-1735-8}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | last=Nygård | first=Toivo | title=Suur-Suomi vai lähiheimolaisten auttaminen: Aatteellinen heimotyö itsenäisessä Suomessa | location=Helsinki | publisher=Otava | year=1978 | isbn=951-1-04963-1}}</ref>

J. K. Paasikivi and P. E. Svinhufvud, both at the time future presidents of the Republic of Finland, discuss the Finnish monarchy project in 1918.

After a brief experimentation with monarchy, when an attempt to make Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse King of Finland proved to be a poor success, Finland became a presidential republic, with K. J. Ståhlberg elected as its first president in 1919. As a liberal nationalist and with a legal background, Ståhlberg anchored the state in liberal democracy, guarded the fragile shoot of the rule of law, and embarked on internal reforms.<ref>{{cite web | first = Juha | last = Mononen | title = War or Peace for Finland? Neoclassical Realist Case Study of Finnish Foreign Policy in the Context of the Anti-Bolshevik Intervention in Russia 1918–1920 | url = https://tampub.uta.fi/handle/10024/80491 | date = 2 February 2009 | publisher = University of Tampere | access-date = 25 August 2020 | archive-date = 7 June 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150607035630/http://tampub.uta.fi/handle/10024/80491 | url-status = dead }}</ref> Finland was also one of the first European countries to strongly aim for equality for women, with Miina Sillanpää serving in Väinö Tanner's cabinet as the first female minister in Finnish history in 1926–1927.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://finland.fi/life-society/real-bridge-builder-became-finlands-first-female-government-minister/%7Ctitle=Real bridge-builder became Finland's first female government minister - thisisFINLAND|date=29 September 2017|work=thisisFINLAND|access-date=7 December 2020|language=en-US}}</ref> The Finnish–Russian border was defined in 1920 by the Treaty of Tartu, largely following the historic border but granting Pechenga ({{lang-fi|Petsamo}}) and its Barents Sea harbour to Finland. Finnish democracy did not experience any Soviet coup attempts and likewise survived the anti-communist Lapua Movement. Nevertheless, the relationship between Finland and the Soviet Union remained tense. Army officers were trained in France, and relations with Western Europe and Sweden were strengthened.

In 1917, the population was three million. Credit-based land reform was enacted after the civil war, increasing the proportion of the capital-owning population.<ref name="equity" /> About 70% of workers were occupied in agriculture and 10% in industry.<ref>{{cite web |author=Finland 1917–2007 |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suomi90/helmikuu_en.html |title=From slash-and-burn fields to post-industrial society—90 years of change in industrial structure |publisher=Stat.fi |date=20 February 2007 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> The largest export markets were the United Kingdom and Germany.

World War II and after

{{Main|Finland during World War II|Finno-Soviet Treaty of 1948|Finlandization|Early 1990s depression in Finland}}

Areas ceded by Finland to the Soviet Union after World War II. The Porkkala land lease was returned to Finland in 1956.

Finland fought the Soviet Union in the Winter War of 1939–1940 after the Soviet Union attacked Finland and in the Continuation War of 1941–1944, following Operation Barbarossa, when Finland aligned with Germany following Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union. For 872 days, the German army, aided indirectly by Finnish forces, besieged Leningrad, the USSR's second-largest city.<ref>Michael Jones (2013). "Leningrad: State of Siege". Basic Books. p. 38. {{ISBN|0-7867-2177-4}}</ref> After Finnish resistance to a major Soviet offensive in June and July 1944 led to a standstill, the two sides reached an armistice. This was followed by the Lapland War of 1944–1945, when Finland fought retreating German forces in northern Finland. Perhaps the most famous war heroes during the aforementioned wars were Simo Häyhä,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R948DQAAQBAJ&q=simo+hayha+219+kills&pg=PT35%7Ctitle=The White Sniper|first=Tapio|last=Saarelainen|date=31 October 2016|publisher=Casemate|isbn=978-1-61200-429-7|access-date=12 March 2019|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rdIgAQAAIAAJ%7Ctitle=Journal of Information Warfare|first1=Edith Cowan University School of Management Information|last1=Systems|first2=Teamlink|last2=Australia|date=12 March 2019|publisher=Teamlink Australia Pty Limited|access-date=12 March 2019|via=Google Books}}</ref> Aarne Juutilainen,<ref>{{Cite book|title=Marokon Kauhu|trans-title=Terror of Morocco|last=Mäkelä|first=Jukka L.|publisher=W. Söderström|location=Porvoo|language=fi|year=1969|oclc=3935082}}</ref> and Lauri Törni.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cleverley|first=J. Michael|title=Born a Soldier: The Times and Life of Larry Thorne|year=2008|publisher=Booksurge|isbn=978-1-4392-1437-4|oclc=299168934}}</ref>

The treaties signed with the Soviet Union in 1947 and 1948 included Finnish obligations, restraints, and reparations, as well as further Finnish territorial concessions in addition to those in the Moscow Peace Treaty of 1940. As a result of the two wars, Finland ceded the Petsamo, along with parts of Finnish Karelia and Salla. This amounted to 10% of Finland's land area and 20% of its industrial capacity, including the ports of Vyborg (Viipuri) and the ice-free Liinakhamari (Liinahamari). Almost the whole Finnish population, some 400,000 people, fled these areas. The former Finnish territory now constitutes part of Russia's Republic of Karelia, Leningrad Oblast, and Murmansk Oblast. Finland was never occupied by Soviet forces and it retained its independence, but at a loss of about 97,000 soldiers. The war reparations demanded by the Soviet Union amounted to $300 million ({{Inflation|US|300|1938|fmt=c}} million in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}).

Finland rejected Marshall aid, in apparent deference to Soviet desires. However, in the hope of preserving Finland's independence, the United States provided secret development aid and helped the Social Democratic Party.<ref>Hidden help from across the Atlantic {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070129165823/http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Hidden+help+from+across+the+Atlantic/1135223633788 |date=29 January 2007 }}, Helsingin Sanomat</ref> Establishing trade with the Western powers, such as the United Kingdom, and paying reparations to the Soviet Union produced a transformation of Finland from a primarily agrarian economy to an industrialised one. Valmet was founded to create materials for war reparations. After the reparations had been paid off, Finland continued to trade with the Soviet Union in the framework of bilateral trade.

Urho Kekkonen, the eighth president of Finland (1956–1982)

In 1950, 46% of Finnish workers worked in agriculture and a third lived in urban areas.<ref name="populationdevelopment">{{cite web |author=Finland 1917–2007 |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suomi90/joulukuu_en.html |title=Population development in independent Finland—greying Baby Boomers |publisher=Stat.fi |date=5 December 2007 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> The new jobs in manufacturing, services, and trade quickly attracted people to the towns. The average number of births per woman declined from a baby boom peak of 3.5 in 1947 to 1.5 in 1973.<ref name="populationdevelopment" /> When baby-boomers entered the workforce, the economy did not generate jobs quickly enough, and hundreds of thousands emigrated to the more industrialized Sweden, with emigration peaking in 1969 and 1970.<ref name="populationdevelopment" /> The 1952 Summer Olympics brought international visitors. Finland took part in trade liberalization in the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

Officially claiming to be neutral, Finland lay in the grey zone between the Western countries and the Soviet bloc. The YYA Treaty (Finno-Soviet Pact of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance) gave the Soviet Union some leverage in Finnish domestic politics. This was extensively exploited by president Urho Kekkonen against his opponents. He maintained an effective monopoly on Soviet relations from 1956 on, which was crucial for his continued popularity. In politics, there was a tendency to avoid any policies and statements that could be interpreted as anti-Soviet. This phenomenon was given the name "Finlandization" by the West German press. During the Cold War, Finland also developed into one of the centers of the East-West espionage, in which both the KGB and the CIA played their parts.<ref>{{Citation|last=Ford|first=Hal|title=ESAU -LVI - FINLANDIZATION IN ACTION: HELSINKI'S EXPERIENCE WITH MOSCOW|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/esau-55.pdf%7Cseries=DIRECTORATE OF INTELLIGENCE|date=August 1972}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.economist.com/eastern-approaches/2011/12/01/secret-history%7Ctitle=Finland and American intelligence - Secret history|work=The Economist|date=1 December 2011|access-date=16 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://intelnews.org/2011/08/19/01-794/%7Ctitle=Former Finnish diplomat reveals she worked for the CIA|first=Joseph|last=Fitsanakis|website=Intelnews.org|date=19 August 2011|access-date=16 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-9692396%7Ctitle=Naisia, autoja ja piilopirttejä – Norjalainen vakoili CIA:n laskuun kylmän sodan Suomessa|first=Satu|last=Helin|publisher=YLE|date=2 July 2017|access-date=16 August 2020|language=fi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2019/10/14/kylman-sodan-suomalaisagentit-kasikirjoitus%7Ctitle=Kylmän sodan suomalaisagentit: käsikirjoitus|first=Kai|last=Byman|work=MOT|publisher=YLE|date=14 October 2019|access-date=16 August 2020|language=fi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000005833479.html%7Ctitle=Näin Neuvostoliitto vakoili Suomessa – Supo seurasi "Jakkea", joka johdatti uusille jäljille|first=Mika|last=Lehto|work=Ilta-Sanomat|date=19 September 2018|access-date=16 August 2020|language=fi}}</ref> The 1949 established Finnish Security Intelligence Service (SUPO, Suojelupoliisi), an operational security authority and a police unit under the Interior Ministry, whose core areas of activity are counter-Intelligence, counter-terrorism and national security,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://supo.fi/en/frontpage?p_p_id=fi_yja_language_version_tool_web_portlet_LanguageVersionToolMissingNotificationPortlet&_fi_yja_language_version_tool_web_portlet_LanguageVersionToolMissingNotificationPortlet_missingLanguageVersion=1%7Ctitle=Frontpage%7Cwebsite=Supo}}</ref> also participated in this activity in some places.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://tuomioja.org/kirjavinkit/2009/09/matti-simola-toimittanut-ratakatu-12-suojelupoliisi-1949-2009-wsoy-319-s-hameenlinna-2009/%7Ctitle=Salaisen palvelun tutkimuksen haasteet|last=Tuomioja|first=Erkki|date=8 September 2009|work=Tuomioja.org|access-date=24 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171024153602/https://tuomioja.org/kirjavinkit/2009/09/matti-simola-toimittanut-ratakatu-12-suojelupoliisi-1949-2009-wsoy-319-s-hameenlinna-2009/%7Carchive-date=24 October 2017|url-status=live|language=fi-FI|trans-title=Challenges in secret service research}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|chapter-url=https://helda.helsinki.fi/handle/10224/4054%7Ctitle=The Cold War and the Politics of History|last=Rentola|first=Kimmo|publisher=Edita Publishing Ltd|year=2008|isbn=978-952-10-4637-7|editor-last=Aunesluoma|editor-first=Juhani|location=Helsinki|pages=269–289|chapter=President Urho Kekkonen of Finland and the KGB|editor-last2=Kettunen|editor-first2=Pauli|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305010917/https://helda.helsinki.fi/handle/10224/4054%7Carchive-date=5 March 2016}}</ref>

Despite close relations with the Soviet Union, Finland maintained a market economy. Various industries benefited from trade privileges with the Soviets, which explains the widespread support that pro-Soviet policies enjoyed among business interests in Finland. Economic growth was rapid in the postwar era, and by 1975 Finland's GDP per capita was the 15th-highest in the world. In the 1970s and 1980s, Finland built one of the most extensive welfare states in the world. Finland negotiated with the European Economic Community (EEC, a predecessor of the European Union) a treaty that mostly abolished customs duties towards the EEC starting from 1977, although Finland did not fully join. In 1981, President Urho Kekkonen's failing health forced him to retire after holding office for 25 years.

Finland joined the European Union in 1995 and signed the Lisbon Treaty in 2007.

Finland reacted cautiously to the collapse of the Soviet Union, but swiftly began increasing integration with the West. On 21 September 1990, Finland unilaterally declared the Paris Peace Treaty obsolete, following the German reunification decision nine days earlier.<ref>formin.finland.fi {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105213131/http://formin.finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=55802&contentlan=1&culture=fi-FI |date=5 January 2016 }}; Suurlähettiläs Jaakko Blomberg: Kylmän sodan päättyminen, Suomi ja Viro – Ulkoasiainministeriö: Ajankohtaista. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

Miscalculated macroeconomic decisions, a banking crisis, the collapse of its largest trading partner (the Soviet Union), and a global economic downturn caused a deep early 1990s recession in Finland. The depression bottomed out in 1993, and Finland saw steady economic growth for more than ten years.<ref>{{Citation|last=Uusitalo|first=Hannu|title=Economic Crisis and Social Policy in Finland in the 1990s|journal=Working Paper Series|url=https://www.sprc.unsw.edu.au/media/SPRCFile/dp070.pdf%7Cseries=SPRC Discussion Paper No. 70|date=October 1996|issn=1037-2741}}</ref> Like other Nordic countries, Finland decentralised its economy since the late 1980s. Financial and product market regulation were loosened. Some state enterprises have been privatized and there have been some modest tax cuts.{{Citation needed |date=August 2017}} Finland joined the European Union in 1995, and the Eurozone in 1999. Much of the late 1990s economic growth was fueled by the success of the mobile phone manufacturer Nokia, which held a unique position of representing 80% of the market capitalization of the Helsinki Stock Exchange.

Geography

{{Main|Geography of Finland}} {{See also|List of cities and towns in Finland|List of lakes of Finland|List of national parks of Finland|Environmental issues in Finland}}

Topographic map of Finland

Lying approximately between latitudes 60° and 70° N, and longitudes 20° and 32° E, Finland is one of the world's northernmost countries. Of world capitals, only Reykjavík lies more to the north than Helsinki. The distance from the southernmost point – Hanko in Uusimaa – to the northernmost – Nuorgam in Lapland – is {{convert|1160|km|mi}}.

Finland has about 168,000 lakes (of area larger than {{convert|500|m2|acre|2|abbr=on|disp=or}}) and 179,000 islands.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_alue_en.html |title=Statistics Finland, Environment and Natural Resources|access-date=4 April 2013}}</ref> Its largest lake, Saimaa, is the fourth largest in Europe. The Finnish Lakeland is the area with the most lakes in the country; many of the major cities in the area, most notably Tampere, Jyväskylä and Kuopio, are located in the immediate vicinity of the large lakes. The greatest concentration of islands is found in the southwest, in the Archipelago Sea between continental Finland and the main island of Åland.

Much of the geography of Finland is a result of the Ice Age. The glaciers were thicker and lasted longer in Fennoscandia compared with the rest of Europe. Their eroding effects have left the Finnish landscape mostly flat with few hills and fewer mountains. Its highest point, the Halti at {{convert|1324|m|ft|0}}, is found in the extreme north of Lapland at the border between Finland and Norway. The highest mountain whose peak is entirely in Finland is Ridnitšohkka at {{convert|1316|m|ft|abbr=on}}, directly adjacent to Halti.

There are some 187,888 lakes in Finland larger than 500 square metres and 75,818 islands of over 0,5 km2 area, leading to the denomination "the land of a thousand lakes".<ref name="thousand"/>

The retreating glaciers have left the land with morainic deposits in formations of eskers. These are ridges of stratified gravel and sand, running northwest to southeast, where the ancient edge of the glacier once lay. Among the biggest of these are the three Salpausselkä ridges that run across southern Finland.

Having been compressed under the enormous weight of the glaciers, terrain in Finland is rising due to the post-glacial rebound. The effect is strongest around the Gulf of Bothnia, where land steadily rises about {{convert|1|cm|1|abbr=on}} a year. As a result, the old sea bottom turns little by little into dry land: the surface area of the country is expanding by about {{convert|7|km2|sqmi}} annually.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fimr.fi/en/tutkimus/fysikaalinen-tutkimus/vedenkorkeuden-vaihteluiden-ajalliset-muutokset.html |title=Trends in sea level variability |work=Finnish Institute of Marine Research |date=24 August 2004 |access-date=22 January 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070227172733/http://www.fimr.fi/en/tutkimus/fysikaalinen-tutkimus/vedenkorkeuden-vaihteluiden-ajalliset-muutokset.html |archive-date=27 February 2007 }}</ref> Relatively speaking, Finland is rising from the sea.<ref name="EB">"Finland." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011.</ref>

The landscape is covered mostly by coniferous taiga forests and fens, with little cultivated land. Of the total area 10% is lakes, rivers and ponds, and 78% forest. The forest consists of pine, spruce, birch, and other species.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metla.fi/suomen-metsat/ |title=Euroopan metsäisin maa |date=2013 |website= Luke |language=fi |access-date=30 April 2016}}</ref> Finland is the largest producer of wood in Europe and among the largest in the world. The most common type of rock is granite. It is a ubiquitous part of the scenery, visible wherever there is no soil cover. Moraine or till is the most common type of soil, covered by a thin layer of humus of biological origin. Podzol profile development is seen in most forest soils except where drainage is poor. Gleysols and peat bogs occupy poorly drained areas.

Biodiversity

{{Main|Fauna of Finland|Wildlife of Finland}} Phytogeographically, Finland is shared between the Arctic, central European, and northern European provinces of the Circumboreal Region within the Boreal Kingdom. According to the WWF, the territory of Finland can be subdivided into three ecoregions: the Scandinavian and Russian taiga, Sarmatic mixed forests, and Scandinavian Montane Birch forest and grasslands.<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|year=2017|pages=534–545|issn=0006-3568|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287}}</ref> Taiga covers most of Finland from northern regions of southern provinces to the north of Lapland. On the southwestern coast, south of the Helsinki-Rauma line, forests are characterized by mixed forests, that are more typical in the Baltic region. In the extreme north of Finland, near the tree line and Arctic Ocean, Montane Birch forests are common. Finland had a 2018 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 5.08/10, ranking it 109th globally out of 172 countries.<ref name="FLII-Supplementary">{{cite journal|last1=Grantham|first1=H. S.|last2=Duncan|first2=A.|last3=Evans|first3=T. D.|last4=Jones|first4=K. R.|last5=Beyer|first5=H. L.|last6=Schuster|first6=R.|last7=Walston|first7=J.|last8=Ray|first8=J. C.|last9=Robinson|first9=J. G.|last10=Callow|first10=M.|last11=Clements|first11=T.|last12=Costa|first12=H. M.|last13=DeGemmis|first13=A.|last14=Elsen|first14=P. R.|last15=Ervin|first15=J.|last16=Franco|first16=P.|last17=Goldman|first17=E.|last18=Goetz|first18=S.|last19=Hansen|first19=A.|last20=Hofsvang|first20=E.|last21=Jantz|first21=P.|last22=Jupiter|first22=S.|last23=Kang|first23=A.|last24=Langhammer|first24=P.|last25=Laurance|first25=W. F.|last26=Lieberman|first26=S.|last27=Linkie|first27=M.|last28=Malhi|first28=Y.|last29=Maxwell|first29=S.|last30=Mendez|first30=M.|last31=Mittermeier|first31=R.|last32=Murray|first32=N. J.|last33=Possingham|first33=H.|last34=Radachowsky|first34=J.|last35=Saatchi|first35=S.|last36=Samper|first36=C.|last37=Silverman|first37=J.|last38=Shapiro|first38=A.|last39=Strassburg|first39=B.|last40=Stevens|first40=T.|last41=Stokes|first41=E.|last42=Taylor|first42=R.|last43=Tear|first43=T.|last44=Tizard|first44=R.|last45=Venter|first45=O.|last46=Visconti|first46=P.|last47=Wang|first47=S.|last48=Watson|first48=J. E. M.|title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity - Supplementary Material|journal=Nature Communications|volume=11|issue=1|year=2020|page=5978|issn=2041-1723|doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3|pmid=33293507|pmc=7723057}}</ref>

The brown bear (Ursus arctos) is Finland's national animal. It is also the largest carnivora in Finland.

Similarly, Finland has a diverse and extensive range of fauna. There are at least sixty native mammalian species, 248 breeding bird species, over 70 fish species, and 11 reptile and frog species present today, many migrating from neighboring countries thousands of years ago. Large and widely recognized wildlife mammals found in Finland are the brown bear, gray wolf, wolverine, and elk. The brown bear, which is also nicknamed as the "king of the forest" by the Finns, is the country's official national animal,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://finland.fi/life-society/iconic-finnish-nature-symbols-stand-out/ | title=Iconic Finnish nature symbols stand out | publisher=This is Finland | access-date=24 December 2020}}</ref> which also occur on the coat of arms of the Satakunta region is a crown-headed black bear carrying a sword,<ref>Iltanen, Jussi: Suomen kuntavaakunat (2013), Karttakeskus, {{ISBN|951-593-915-1}}</ref> possibly referring to the regional capital city of Pori, whose Swedish name Björneborg and the Latin name Arctopolis literally means "bear city" or "bear fortress".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Savoring Heritage: A Memphis writer explores her daughter's Finnish roots |last=Maki |first=Aisling |work=Memphis magazine |date=27 March 2020 |url= https://memphismagazine.com/travel/savoring-heritage/ }}</ref> Three of the more striking birds are the whooper swan, a large European swan and the national bird of Finland; the Western capercaillie, a large, black-plumaged member of the grouse family; and the Eurasian eagle-owl. The latter is considered an indicator of old-growth forest connectivity, and has been declining because of landscape fragmentation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://herkules.oulu.fi/isbn9514259904/html/x288.html |title=Nutritional and genetic adaptation of galliform birds: implications for hand-rearing and restocking |work=Oulu University Library (2000) |access-date=23 May 2008}}</ref> The most common breeding birds are the willow warbler, common chaffinch, and redwing.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.birdlife.fi/lintuharrastus/faq-muut.shtml#pesimalinnut |title=BirdLife Finland |work=BirdLife International (2004) Birds in Europe: population estimates, trends and conservation status. Cambridge, UK. (BirdLife Conservation Series No. 12) |access-date=22 January 2007}}</ref> Of some seventy species of freshwater fish, the northern pike, perch, and others are plentiful. Atlantic salmon remains the favourite of fly rod enthusiasts.

The endangered Saimaa ringed seal (Pusa hispida saimensis), one of only three lake seal species in the world, exists only in the Saimaa lake system of southeastern Finland, down to only 390 seals today.<ref>{{cite web |title= Saimaa Ringed Seal |url= https://wwf.fi/en/saimaaringedseal/ |access-date=22 December 2018}}</ref> Ever since the species was protected in 1955,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nationalparks.fi/saimaa-ringed-seal%7Ctitle=Saimaa Ringed Seal|website=Nationalparks.fi}}</ref> it has become the emblem of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=170517&contentlan=2&culture=en-US |title=SOS: Save our seals |work=this is Finland (Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910195719/http://finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=170517&contentlan=2&culture=en-US |archive-date=10 September 2015 }}</ref> The Saimaa ringed seal lives nowadays mainly in two Finnish national parks, Kolovesi and Linnansaari,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jarvisydan.com/en/Nature-Adventures/National-Parks |title=Welcome to Linnansaari and Kolovesi National Parks |date=2016 |website=Järvisydän |access-date=2016-05-01 |archive-date=26 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160926180335/http://www.jarvisydan.com/en/Nature-Adventures/National-Parks |url-status=dead }}</ref> but strays have been seen in a much larger area, including near Savonlinna's town centre.

Climate

{{Main|Climate of Finland}}

Köppen climate classification types of Finland

The main factor influencing Finland's climate is the country's geographical position between the 60th and 70th northern parallels in the Eurasian continent's coastal zone. In the Köppen climate classification, the whole of Finland lies in the boreal zone, characterized by warm summers and freezing winters. Within the country, the temperateness varies considerably between the southern coastal regions and the extreme north, showing characteristics of both a maritime and a continental climate. Finland is near enough to the Atlantic Ocean to be continuously warmed by the Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream combines with the moderating effects of the Baltic Sea and numerous inland lakes to explain the unusually warm climate compared with other regions that share the same latitude, such as Alaska, Siberia, and southern Greenland.<ref name="Finland's climate">{{cite web |title=Finland's climate |url=http://www.fmi.fi/weather/climate.html |publisher=Finnish Meteorological Institute |access-date=3 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100721105549/http://www.fmi.fi/weather/climate.html |archive-date=21 July 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Winters in southern Finland (when mean daily temperature remains below {{convert|0|°C|disp=or}}) are usually about 100 days long, and in the inland the snow typically covers the land from about late November to April, and on the coastal areas such as Helsinki, snow often covers the land from late December to late March.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://ilmasto-opas.fi/fi/ilmastonmuutos/suomen-muuttuva-ilmasto/-/artikkeli/08848977-fd1a-4e85-8389-7ecf3ca7de7d/uusimaa-merellisen-ilmaston-maakunta.html%7Ctitle = The climate in Finland (finnish)|access-date = 3 January 2015}}</ref> Even in the south, the harshest winter nights can see the temperatures fall to {{convert|-30|°C}} although on coastal areas like Helsinki, temperatures below {{convert|-30|°C|0}} are rare. Climatic summers (when mean daily temperature remains above {{convert|10|°C|disp=or}}) in southern Finland last from about late May to mid-September, and in the inland, the warmest days of July can reach over {{convert|35|°C|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Finland's climate" /> Although most of Finland lies on the taiga belt, the southernmost coastal regions are sometimes classified as hemiboreal.<ref name="Havas">{{cite web|url=http://www.oulu.fi/northnature/finnish/Suomi/luma1.html%7Ctitle=Pohjoiset alueet / yleiskuvaus|last=Havas|first=Paavo|language=fi|access-date=3 December 2012}}</ref>

In northern Finland, particularly in Lapland, the winters are long and cold, while the summers are relatively warm but short. The most severe winter days in Lapland can see the temperature fall down to {{convert|-45|°C}}. The winter of the north lasts for about 200 days with permanent snow cover from about mid-October to early May. Summers in the north are quite short, only two to three months, but can still see maximum daily temperatures above {{convert|25|°C}} during heat waves.<ref name="Finland's climate" /> No part of Finland has Arctic tundra, but Alpine tundra can be found at the fells Lapland.<ref name="Havas" />

The Finnish climate is suitable for cereal farming only in the southernmost regions, while the northern regions are suitable for animal husbandry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mmm.fi/attachments/mmm/julkaisut/esitteet/5HIspFLpC/45920_LFA_esite.pdf%7Ctitle=Finland's Northern Conditions: Challenges and Opportunities for Agriculture|publisher=Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Finland|pages=1–4|access-date=3 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407022547/http://www.mmm.fi/attachments/mmm/julkaisut/esitteet/5HIspFLpC/45920_LFA_esite.pdf%7Carchive-date=7 April 2012 }}</ref>

A quarter of Finland's territory lies within the Arctic Circle and the midnight sun can be experienced for more days the farther north one travels. At Finland's northernmost point, the sun does not set for 73 consecutive days during summer, and does not rise at all for 51 days during winter.<ref name="Finland's climate" />

Regions

{{Main|Regions of Finland}}

Finland consists of 19 regions, called {{lang|fi|maakunta}} in Finnish and {{lang|sv|landskap}} in Swedish. The regions are governed by regional councils which serve as forums of cooperation for the municipalities of a region. The main tasks of the regions are regional planning and development of enterprise and education. In addition, the public health services are usually organized on the basis of regions. Currently, the only region where a popular election is held for the council is Kainuu. Other regional councils are elected by municipal councils, each municipality sending representatives in proportion to its population.

In addition to inter-municipal cooperation, which is the responsibility of regional councils, each region has a state Employment and Economic Development Centre which is responsible for the local administration of labour, agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and entrepreneurial affairs. The Finnish Defence Forces regional offices are responsible for the regional defence preparations and for the administration of conscription within the region.

Regions represent dialectal, cultural, and economic variations better than the former provinces, which were purely administrative divisions of the central government. Historically, regions are divisions of historical provinces of Finland, areas which represent dialects and culture more accurately.

Six Regional State Administrative Agencies were created by the state of Finland in 2010, each of them responsible for one of the regions called {{lang|fi|alue}} in Finnish and {{lang|sv|region}} in Swedish; in addition, Åland was designated a seventh region. These take over some of the tasks of the earlier Provinces of Finland (lääni/län), which were abolished.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.avi.fi/fi/Sivut/etusivu.aspx |title=Tervetuloa aluehallintoviraston verkkosivuille! |publisher=State Provincial Office |language=fi |access-date=9 June 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315151138/http://www.avi.fi/fi/Sivut/etusivu.aspx |archive-date=15 March 2012 }}</ref>

{{Finnish Regions|options=float:top}}
Name url=https://vnk.fi/documents/10616/3457861/Suomen+hallintorakenteeseen+ja+maakuntauudistukseen+liittyviä+termejä+sekä+maakuntien+ja+kuntien+nimet+fi-sv-en-%28ru%29/974f7fc5-1466-c667-9787-381c5bd57603/Suomen+hallintorakenteeseen+ja+maakuntauudistukseen+liittyviä+termejä+sekä+maakuntien+ja+kuntien+nimet+fi-sv-en-%28ru%29.pdf%7Ctitle=Suomen hallintorakenteeseen ja maakuntauudistukseen liittyviä termejä sekä maakuntien ja kuntien nimet fi-sv-en-(ru)|website=vnk.fi|pages=8–9|access-date=23 August 2019}}</ref> Finnish name Swedish name Capital Regional state administrative agency
Lapland Lapland fi|Lappi}} sv|Lappland}} Rovaniemi Lapland
North Ostrobothnia North Ostrobothnia fi|Pohjois-Pohjanmaa}} sv|Norra Österbotten}} Oulu Northern Finland
Kainuu Kainuu fi|Kainuu}} sv|Kajanaland}} Kajaani Northern Finland
North Karelia North Karelia fi|Pohjois-Karjala}} sv|Norra Karelen}} Joensuu Eastern Finland
Northern Savonia North Savo fi|Pohjois-Savo}} {{lang|sv|Norra Savolax}} Kuopio Eastern Finland
Southern Savonia South Savo fi|Etelä-Savo}} sv|Södra Savolax}} Mikkeli Eastern Finland
South Ostrobothnia South Ostrobothnia fi|Etelä-Pohjanmaa}} sv|Södra Österbotten}} Seinäjoki Western and Central Finland
Central Ostrobothnia Central Ostrobothnia fi|Keski-Pohjanmaa}} sv|Mellersta Österbotten}} Kokkola Western and Central Finland
Ostrobothnia Ostrobothnia fi|Pohjanmaa}} sv|Österbotten}} Vaasa Western and Central Finland
Pirkanmaa Pirkanmaa fi|Pirkanmaa}} sv|Birkaland}} Tampere Western and Central Finland
Central Finland Central Finland fi|Keski-Suomi}} sv|Mellersta Finland}} Jyväskylä Western and Central Finland
Satakunta Satakunta fi|Satakunta}} sv|Satakunta}} Pori South-Western Finland
Southwest Finland Southwest Finland fi|Varsinais-Suomi}} sv|Egentliga Finland}} Turku South-Western Finland
South Karelia South Karelia fi|Etelä-Karjala}} sv|Södra Karelen}} Lappeenranta Southern Finland
Päijänne Tavastia Päijät-Häme fi|Päijät-Häme}} sv|Päijänne-Tavastland}} Lahti Southern Finland
Tavastia Proper Kanta-Häme fi|Kanta-Häme}} sv|Egentliga Tavastland}} Hämeenlinna Southern Finland
Uusimaa Uusimaa fi|Uusimaa}} sv|Nyland}} Helsinki Southern Finland
Kymenlaakso Kymenlaakso fi|Kymenlaakso}} sv|Kymmenedalen}} Kotka and Kouvola Southern Finland
Åland Islands<ref name="åland_note">The role that the regional councils serve on Mainland Finland are on the Åland Islands handled by the autonomous Government of Åland.</ref> Åland fi|Ahvenanmaa}} sv|Åland}} Mariehamn Åland

The region of Eastern Uusimaa (Itä-Uusimaa) was consolidated with Uusimaa on 1 January 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.valtioneuvosto.fi/ajankohtaista/tiedotteet/tiedote/fi.jsp?oid=274585 |title=Valtioneuvosto päätti Uudenmaan ja Itä-Uudenmaan maakuntien yhdistämisestä |date=22 October 2009 |publisher=Ministry of Finance |language=fi |access-date=30 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807084712/http://www.valtioneuvosto.fi/ajankohtaista/tiedotteet/tiedote/fi.jsp?oid=274585 |archive-date=7 August 2011 }}</ref>

Administrative divisions

{{Main|Administrative divisions of Finland|Regions of Finland|Sub-regions of Finland|Municipalities of Finland|Historical provinces of Finland}}

The fundamental administrative divisions of the country are the municipalities, which may also call themselves towns or cities. They account for half of public spending. Spending is financed by municipal income tax, state subsidies, and other revenue. {{As of|2021}}, there are 309 municipalities,<ref name="Suomen Kuntaliitto">{{cite web|title=Kaupunkien ja kuntien lukumäärät ja väestötiedot|url=https://www.kuntaliitto.fi/tilastot-ja-julkaisut/kaupunkien-ja-kuntien-lukumaarat-ja-vaestotiedot%7Caccess-date=7 March 2021|publisher=Suomen Kuntaliitto – Association of Finnish Municipalities|language=fi}}</ref> and most have fewer than 6,000 residents.

In addition to municipalities, two intermediate levels are defined. Municipalities co-operate in seventy sub-regions and nineteen regions. These are governed by the member municipalities and have only limited powers. The autonomous province of Åland has a permanent democratically elected regional council. Sami people have a semi-autonomous Sami native region in Lapland for issues on language and culture.

In the following chart, the number of inhabitants includes those living in the entire municipality (kunta/kommun), not just in the built-up area. The land area is given in km2, and the density in inhabitants per km2 (land area). The figures are as of {{#time:d F Y |{{Data Finland municipality/population count|sourcedate}}}}. The capital region – comprising Helsinki, Vantaa, Espoo and Kauniainen – forms a continuous conurbation of over 1.1 million people. However, common administration is limited to voluntary cooperation of all municipalities, e.g. in Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council.

City Population{{Data Finland municipality/population count}} Land area{{Data Finland municipality/total area}} Density Regional map Population density map
Helsinki Helsinki }} }} Helsinki }} }} Helsinki }} round 2}} }}
Municipalities (thin borders) and regions (thick borders) of Finland (2021)
The population densities of Finnish municipalities (2010)
Espoo Espoo }} }} Espoo }} }} Espoo }} round 2}} }}
Tampere Tampere }} }} Tampere }} }} Tampere }} round 2}} }}
Vantaa Vantaa }} }} Vantaa }} }} Vantaa }} round 2}} }}
Oulu Oulu }} }} Oulu }} }} Oulu }} round 2}} }}
Turku Turku }} }} Turku }} }} Turku }} round 2}}

}}

Jyväskylä Jyväskylä }} }} Jyväskylä }} }} Jyväskylä }} round 2}} }}
Kuopio Kuopio }} }} Kuopio }} }} Kuopio }} round 2}} }}
Lahti Lahti }} }} Lahti }} }} Lahti }} round 2}} }}
Pori Pori }} }} Pori }} }} Pori }} round 2}} }}
Kouvola Kouvola }} }} Kouvola }} }} Kouvola }} round 2}} }}
Joensuu Joensuu }} }} Joensuu }} }} Joensuu }} round 2}} }}
Lappeenranta Lappeenranta }} }} Lappeenranta }} }} Lappeenranta }} round 2}} }}
Hämeenlinna Hämeenlinna }} }} Hämeenlinna }} }} Hämeenlinna }} round 2}} }}
Vaasa Vaasa }} }} Vaasa }} }} Vaasa}} round 2}} }}

Politics

{{multiple image 

| align = right
| direction = horizontal
| caption_align = center
| image1 = President Trump Meets with the President of the Republic of Finland (48834234637) (cropped).jpg
| width1 = 115
| caption1 = Sauli Niinistö
12th President
since 1 March 2012
| image2 = Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin 2019 (cropped).jpg
| width2 = 113
| caption2 = Sanna Marin
46th Prime Minister
since 10 December 2019

}} {{Main|Politics of Finland}} {{See also|List of political parties in Finland|Human rights in Finland}}

the European Union}}

Constitution

The Constitution of Finland defines the political system; Finland is a parliamentary republic within the framework of a representative democracy. The Prime Minister is the country's most powerful person. The current version of the constitution was enacted on 1 March 2000, and was amended on 1 March 2012. Citizens can run and vote in parliamentary, municipal, presidential and European Union elections.

President

{{Main|President of Finland}} The head of state of Finland is President of the Republic of Finland (in Finnish: Suomen tasavallan presidentti; in Swedish: Republiken Finlands president). Finland has had for most of its independence a semi-presidential system, but in the last few decades the powers of the President have been diminished. Constitutional amendments, which came into effect in 1991 and 1992, as well as a new drafted constitution of 2000 (amended in 2012), have made the presidency a primarily ceremonial office. However, the President still leads the nation's foreign politics together with the Council of State and is the commander-in-chief of the Defence Forces.<ref name="Parliamentary">Formerly a semi-presidential republic, it is now a parliamentary republic according to David Arter, First Chair of Politics at Aberdeen University. In his "Scandinavian Politics Today" (Manchester University Press, revised 2008 {{ISBN|978-0-7190-7853-8}}), he quotes {{Cite journal |last=Nousiainen |first=Jaakko |date=June 2001 |title=From semi-presidentialism to parliamentary government: political and constitutional developments in Finland |journal=Scandinavian Political Studies |volume=24 |issue=2 |pages=95–109 |doi=10.1111/1467-9477.00048 }} as follows: "There are hardly any grounds for the epithet 'semi-presidential'." Arter's own conclusions are only slightly more nuanced: "The adoption of a new constitution on 1 March 2000 meant that Finland was no longer a case of semi-presidential government other than in the minimalist sense of a situation where a popularly elected fixed-term president exists alongside a prime minister and cabinet who are responsible to parliament (Elgie 2004: 317)". According to the Finnish Constitution, the president has no possibility to rule the government without the ministerial approval, and does not have the power to dissolve the parliament under his or her own desire. Finland is actually represented by its prime minister, and not by its president, in the Council of the Heads of State and Government of the European Union. The 2012 constitutional amendments reduced the powers of the president even further.</ref> The position still does entail some powers, including responsibility for foreign policy (excluding affairs related to the European Union) in cooperation with the cabinet, being the head of the armed forces, some decree and pardoning powers, and some appointive powers. Direct, one- or two-stage elections are used to elect the president for a term of six years and for a maximum of two consecutive 6-year terms. The current president is Sauli Niinistö; he took office on 1 March 2012. Former presidents were K. J. Ståhlberg (1919–1925), L. K. Relander (1925–1931), P. E. Svinhufvud (1931–1937), Kyösti Kallio (1937–1940), Risto Ryti (1940–1944), C. G. E. Mannerheim (1944–1946), J. K. Paasikivi (1946–1956), Urho Kekkonen (1956–1982), Mauno Koivisto (1982–1994), Martti Ahtisaari (1994–2000), and Tarja Halonen (2000–2012).

The current president was elected from the ranks of the National Coalition Party for the first time since 1946. The presidency between 1946 and the present was instead held by a member of the Social Democratic Party or the Centre Party.

Parliament

{{Main|Parliament of Finland}}

The Parliament of Finland's main building along Mannerheimintie in Töölö, Helsinki
The Session Hall of the Parliament of Finland

The 200-member unicameral Parliament of Finland ({{Lang-fi|Eduskunta}}, {{Lang-sv|Riksdag}}) exercises supreme legislative authority in the country. It may alter the constitution and ordinary laws, dismiss the cabinet, and override presidential vetoes. Its acts are not subject to judicial review; the constitutionality of new laws is assessed by the parliament's constitutional law committee. The parliament is elected for a term of four years using the proportional D'Hondt method within a number of multi-seat constituencies through the most open list multi-member districts. Various parliament committees listen to experts and prepare legislation.

Since universal suffrage was introduced in 1906, the parliament has been dominated by the Centre Party (former Agrarian Union), the National Coalition Party, and the Social Democrats. These parties have enjoyed approximately equal support, and their combined vote has totalled about 65–80% of all votes. Their lowest common total of MPs, 121, was reached in the 2011 elections. For a few decades after 1944, the Communists were a strong fourth party. Due to the electoral system of proportional representation, and the relative reluctance of voters to switch their support between parties, the relative strengths of the parties have commonly varied only slightly from one election to another. However, there have been some long-term trends, such as the rise and fall of the Communists during the Cold War; the steady decline into insignificance of the Liberals and their predecessors from 1906 to 1980; and the rise of the Green League since 1983.

The Marin Cabinet is the incumbent 76th government of Finland. It was formed following the collapse of the Rinne Cabinet and officially took office on 10 December 2019.<ref name=NYT1>{{Cite news| last1 = Lemola | first1 = Johanna | last2 = Specia | first2 = Megan | date=10 December 2019| title=Who Is Sanna Marin, Finland's 34-Year-Old Prime Minister? | work=The New York Times|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/10/world/europe/finland-sanna-marin.html | access-date=4 February 2020 | language = en | issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=NYT2>{{Cite news| last=Specia |first=Megan | date=10 December 2019| title=Sanna Marin of Finland to Become World's Youngest Prime Minister|work=The New York Times|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/09/world/europe/finland-prime-minister-sanna-marin.html | access-date=4 February 2020 | language = en | issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The cabinet consists of a coalition formed by the Social Democratic Party, the Centre Party, the Green League, the Left Alliance, and the Swedish People's Party.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kaatuneen hallituksen kaikki puolueet halukkaita jatkoon samalla hallitusohjelmalla – vanhan opposition puolueet eivät hyväksy ohjelmaa |url=https://www.savonsanomat.fi/kotimaa/Kaatuneen-hallituksen-kaikki-puolueet-halukkaita-jatkoon-samalla-hallitusohjelmalla-%E2%80%93-vanhan-opposition-puolueet-eiv%C3%A4t-hyv%C3%A4ksy-ohjelmaa/1479764 |work=Savon Sanomat |language= fi |access-date=10 December 2019 |date=7 December 2019}}</ref>

Cabinet

{{See also|List of female cabinet ministers of Finland}} After parliamentary elections, the parties negotiate among themselves on forming a new cabinet (the Finnish Government), which then has to be approved by a simple majority vote in the parliament. The cabinet can be dismissed by a parliamentary vote of no confidence, although this rarely happens (the last time in 1957), as the parties represented in the cabinet usually make up a majority in the parliament.<ref>The Finnish Wikipedia's article on Motion of no confidence</ref>{{circular reference|date=December 2020}}

The cabinet exercises most executive powers, and originates most of the bills that the parliament then debates and votes on. It is headed by the Prime Minister of Finland, and consists of him or her, of other ministers, and of the Chancellor of Justice. The current prime minister is Sanna Marin (Social Democratic Party). Each minister heads his or her ministry, or, in some cases, has responsibility for a subset of a ministry's policy. After the prime minister, the most powerful minister is the minister of finance. The incumbent Minister of Finance is Matti Vanhanen.

As no one party ever dominates the parliament, Finnish cabinets are multi-party coalitions. As a rule, the post of prime minister goes to the leader of the biggest party and that of the minister of finance to the leader of the second biggest.

Law

{{Main|Law of Finland|Judicial system of Finland}}

The Court House of the Supreme Court

The judicial system of Finland is a civil law system divided between courts with regular civil and criminal jurisdiction and administrative courts with jurisdiction over litigation between individuals and the public administration. Finnish law is codified and based on Swedish law and in a wider sense, civil law or Roman law. The court system for civil and criminal jurisdiction consists of local courts (käräjäoikeus, tingsrätt), regional appellate courts (hovioikeus, hovrätt), and the Supreme Court (korkein oikeus, högsta domstolen). The administrative branch of justice consists of administrative courts (hallinto-oikeus, förvaltningsdomstol) and the Supreme Administrative Court (korkein hallinto-oikeus, högsta förvaltningsdomstolen). In addition to the regular courts, there are a few special courts in certain branches of administration. There is also a High Court of Impeachment for criminal charges against certain high-ranking officeholders.

Around 92% of residents have confidence in Finland's security institutions.<ref name="corruptionpolicing">Policing corruption, International Perspectives.</ref> The overall crime rate of Finland is not high in the EU context. Some crime types are above average, notably the high homicide rate for Western Europe.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/images/3/3e/Intentional_homicides%2C_2016_%28police-recorded_offences_per_100_000_inhabitants%29.png |title=File:Intentional homicides, 2016 (police-recorded offences per 100 000 inhabitants).png |access-date=10 December 2010}}</ref> A day fine system is in effect and also applied to offenses such as speeding.

Finland has successfully fought against government corruption, which was more common in the 1970s and 1980s.<ref name="corruption">The History of Corruption in Central Government By Seppo Tiihonen, International Institute of Administrative Sciences</ref>{{verify source|date=March 2011|reason=Surprising, not clear what part of the work is used.}} For instance, economic reforms and EU membership introduced stricter requirements for open bidding and many public monopolies were abolished.<ref name="corruption" /> Today, Finland has a very low number of corruption charges; Transparency International ranks Finland as one of the least corrupt countries in Europe.

In 2008, Transparency International criticized the lack of transparency of the system of Finnish political finance.<ref>Vaalijohtaja: Vaalirahoituslain rikkominen melko yleistä YLE 15 May 2008</ref> According to GRECO in 2007, corruption should be taken into account in the Finnish system of election funds better.<ref>Evaluation Report on Finland on Incriminations, Theme I, s. 21, GRECO 3–7.12.2007</ref> A scandal revolving around campaign finance of the 2007 parliamentary elections broke out in spring 2008. Nine cabinet ministers submitted incomplete funding reports and even more of the members of parliament. The law includes no punishment of false funds reports of the elected politicians.

Foreign relations

{{Main|Foreign relations of Finland}}

Martti Ahtisaari receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008

According to the 2012 constitution, the president (currently Sauli Niinistö) leads foreign policy in cooperation with the government, except that the president has no role in EU affairs.<ref name="Finnish constitution.">Finnish constitution, Section 93.</ref>

In 2008, president Martti Ahtisaari was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.<ref name="Nobelprize">{{cite web |url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2008/%7Ctitle=The Nobel Peace Prize 2008|work=The Nobel Foundation|publisher=Nobelprize.org|access-date=10 May 2009}}</ref> Finland was considered a cooperative model state, and Finland did not oppose proposals for a common EU defence policy.<ref name="foreignpolicyidea" /> This was reversed in the 2000s, when Tarja Halonen and Erkki Tuomioja made Finland's official policy to resist other EU members' plans for common defence.<ref name="foreignpolicyidea">"Finland's foreign policy idea" ("Suomen ulkopolitiikan idea"), Risto E. J. Penttilä, 2008.</ref>

Military

{{Main|Finnish Defence Forces|Military history of Finland}} {{See also|List of wars involving Finland}}

Finnish Leopard 2A4 tank Ps 273–106 in a combat demonstration at Comprehensive security exhibition 2015 in Tampere.

The Finnish Defence Forces consist of a cadre of professional soldiers (mainly officers and technical personnel), currently serving conscripts, and a large reserve. The standard readiness strength is 34,700 people in uniform, of which 25% are professional soldiers. A universal male conscription is in place, under which all male Finnish nationals above 18 years of age serve for 6 to 12 months of armed service or 12 months of civilian (non-armed) service. Voluntary post-conscription overseas peacekeeping service is popular, and troops serve around the world in UN, NATO, and EU missions. Approximately 500 women choose voluntary military service every year.<ref>Women's voluntary service {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409182820/http://www.mil.fi/varusmies/naisten_vapaaehtoinen_asepalvelus.dsp |date=9 April 2008 }} (in Finnish)</ref> Women are allowed to serve in all combat arms including front-line infantry and special forces. The army consists of a highly mobile field army backed up by local defence units. The army defends the national territory and its military strategy employs the use of the heavily forested terrain and numerous lakes to wear down an aggressor, instead of attempting to hold the attacking army on the frontier.

Sisu Nasu NA-110 tracked transport vehicle of the Finnish Army. Most conscripts receive training for warfare in winter, and transport vehicles such as this give mobility in heavy snow.

Finnish defence expenditure per capita is one of the highest in the European Union.<ref>Työvoimakustannukset puuttuvat puolustusmenoista, Statistics Finland (in Finnish): Eurostat ranking is sixth, but the third when conscription is accounted.</ref> The Finnish military doctrine is based on the concept of total defence. The term total means that all sectors of the government and economy are involved in the defence planning. The armed forces are under the command of the Chief of Defence (currently General Jarmo Lindberg), who is directly subordinate to the president in matters related to military command. The branches of the military are the army, the navy, and the air force. The border guard is under the Ministry of the Interior but can be incorporated into the Defence Forces when required for defence readiness.

Even while Finland hasn't joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the country has joined the NATO Response Force, the EU Battlegroup,<ref>{{cite web|title=European Union battlegroups|url=http://puolustusvoimat.fi/en/international-crisis-management/eu-battle-group%7Cpublisher=Finnish Defence Forces|access-date=27 May 2018}}</ref> the NATO Partnership for Peace and in 2014 signed a NATO memorandum of understanding,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://natowatch.org/sites/default/files/briefing_paper_no.51_finland_and_nato.pdf |title=Is Finland taking a step closer to NATO membership |first=Nigel |last=Chamberlain |publisher=NATO Watch |date=19 May 2014 |access-date=27 May 2018}}</erf></ref><ref name="eduskunta.fi">MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU) BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF FINLAND AND HEADQUARTERS, SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER TRANSFORMATION. NATO</ref> thus forming a practical coalition.<ref name="nato.int" /> In 2015, the Finland-NATO ties were strengthened with a host nation support agreement allowing assistance from NATO troops in emergency situations.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://www.wsj.com/articles/sweden-and-finland-forge-closer-ties-with-nato-1409237354 |title = Sweden and Finland Forge Closer Ties With NATO |newspaper = Wall Street Journal }}</ref> Finland has been an active participant in the Afghanistan and Kosovo.<ref>Finnish soldiers involved in 20-minute gunfight in Afghanistan |Yle Uutiset. yle.fi. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref><ref>Finland's participation in NATO-led crisis management operations. Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland</ref>

Social security

{{Main|Social security in Finland}}

Finland has one of the world's most extensive welfare systems, one that guarantees decent living conditions for all residents: Finns, and non-citizens. Since the 1980s the social security has been cut back, but still the system is one of the most comprehensive in the world. Created almost entirely during the first three decades after World War II, the social security system was an outgrowth of the traditional Nordic belief that the state was not inherently hostile to the well-being of its citizens, but could intervene benevolently on their behalf. According to some social historians, the basis of this belief was a relatively benign history that had allowed the gradual emergence of a free and independent peasantry in the Nordic countries and had curtailed the dominance of the nobility and the subsequent formation of a powerful right wing. Finland's history has been harsher than the histories of the other Nordic countries, but not harsh enough to bar the country from following their path of social development.<ref name="LOC">Text from PD source: US Library of Congress: A Country Study: Finland, Library of Congress Call Number DL1012 .A74 1990.</ref>

Human rights

{{Main|Human rights in Finland|Women's suffrage in Finland|LGBT rights in Finland}}

People gathering at the Senate Square, Helsinki, right before the 2011 Helsinki Pride parade started.

§ 6 in two sentences of the Finnish Constitution states: "No one shall be placed in a different position on situation of sex, age, origin, language, religion, belief, opinion, state of health, disability or any other personal reason without an acceptable reason."<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/1999/19990731 | title = Perustuslaki: 2. luku Perusoikeudet, 6 § Yhdenvertaisuus 2 momentti | date = 1999 | publisher = Finlex | access-date = 27 August 2020 | language = fi }}</ref>

Finland has been ranked above average among the world's countries in democracy,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.democracyranking.org/downloads/2012/Scores_of_the_Democracy-Ranking-2012.htm |title=Scores of the Democracy Ranking 2012 |publisher= Global Democracy Ranking |year=2012 |access-date=27 September 2013}}</ref> press freedom,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2013/finland |title=Freedom of the Press: Finland |publisher= Freedom House |year=2013 |access-date=27 September 2013}}</ref> and human development.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/FIN.html |title=Statistics of the Human Development Report |publisher=United Nations Development Programme |year=2013 |access-date=27 September 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131128081803/http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/FIN.html |archive-date=28 November 2013 }}</ref>

Amnesty International has expressed concern regarding some issues in Finland, such as alleged permitting of stopovers of CIA rendition flights, the imprisonment of conscientious objectors, and societal discrimination against Romani people and members of other ethnic and linguistic minorities.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/region/finland/report-2013 |title=Annual Report 2013: Finland |publisher= Amnesty International |year=2013 |access-date=27 September 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm#wrapper |title=Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012: Finland |publisher= U.S. State of Department Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor |year=2012 |access-date=27 September 2013}}</ref>

Economy

{{Main|Economy of Finland}} {{See also|List of companies of Finland|List of largest companies in Finland|Helsinki Stock Exchange}}

Angry Birds Land, a theme park in the Särkänniemi amusement park, in Tampere, Pirkanmaa; the mobile phone game Angry Birds, developed in Finland, has become a commercial hit both domestically and internationally.

The economy of Finland has a per capita output equal to that of other European economies such as those of France, Germany, Belgium, or the UK. The largest sector of the economy is the service sector at 66% of GDP, followed by manufacturing and refining at 31%. Primary production represents 2.9%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_kansantalous_en.html |title=Finland in Figures—National Accounts |work=Statistics Finland |access-date=26 April 2007}}</ref> With respect to foreign trade, the key economic sector is manufacturing. The largest industries in 2007<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_teollisuus_en.html |title=Finland in Figures—Manufacturing |work=Statistics Finland |access-date=26 April 2007}}</ref> were electronics (22%); machinery, vehicles, and other engineered metal products (21.1%); forest industry (13%); and chemicals (11%). The gross domestic product peaked in 2008. {{As of|2015}}, the country's economy is at the 2006 level.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://yle.fi/uutiset/finlands_lost_decade_continueseconomy_same_size_as_in_2006/8044629 |title = Finland's 'lost decade' continues—economy same size as in 2006 |work = yle.fi |date = 4 June 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/35c8560c-c62f-11e4-add0-00144feab7de.html |title = Finland's economy: In search of the sunny side |work=Financial Times |location=London |date = 11 March 2015 }}</ref>

Finland has significant timber, mineral (iron, chromium, copper, nickel, and gold), and freshwater resources. Forestry, paper factories, and the agricultural sector (on which taxpayers spend{{clarify|subsidize?|date=June 2017}} around €3 billion annually) are important for rural residents so any policy changes affecting these sectors are politically sensitive for politicians dependent on rural votes. The Greater Helsinki area generates around one third of Finland's GDP. In a 2004 OECD comparison, high-technology manufacturing in Finland ranked second largest after Ireland. Knowledge-intensive services have also resulted in the smallest and slow-growth sectors – especially agriculture and low-technology manufacturing – being ranked the second largest after Ireland.<ref name="oecd2004">Finland Economy 2004, OECD</ref>

Finland's climate and soils make growing crops a particular challenge. The country lies between the latitudes 60°N and 70°N, and it has severe winters and relatively short growing seasons that are sometimes interrupted by frost. However, because the Gulf Stream and the North Atlantic Drift Current moderate the climate, Finland contains half of the world's arable land north of 60° north latitude. Annual precipitation is usually sufficient, but it occurs almost exclusively during the winter months, making summer droughts a constant threat. In response to the climate, farmers have relied on quick-ripening and frost-resistant varieties of crops, and they have cultivated south-facing slopes as well as richer bottomlands to ensure production even in years with summer frosts. Most farmland was originally either forest or swamp, and the soil has usually required treatment with lime and years of cultivation to neutralize excess acid and to improve fertility. Irrigation has generally not been necessary, but drainage systems are often needed to remove excess water. Finland's agriculture has been efficient and productive—at least when compared with farming in other European countries.<ref name="LOC" />

A treemap representing the exports of Finland in 2017

Forests play a key role in the country's economy, making it one of the world's leading wood producers and providing raw materials at competitive prices for the crucial wood-processing industries. As in agriculture, the government has long played a leading role in forestry, regulating tree cutting, sponsoring technical improvements, and establishing long-term plans to ensure that the country's forests continue to supply the wood-processing industries. To maintain the country's comparative advantage in forest products, Finnish authorities moved to raise lumber output toward the country's ecological limits. In 1984, the government published the Forest 2000 plan, drawn up by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The plan aimed at increasing forest harvests by about 3% per year, while conserving forestland for recreation and other uses.<ref name="LOC" />

Private sector employees amount to 1.8 million, out of which around a third with tertiary education. The average cost of a private sector employee per hour was €25.10 in 2004.<ref>Tehdyn työtunnin hinta 23–27 euroa, Statistics Finland</ref> {{As of|2008}}, average purchasing power-adjusted income levels are similar to those of Italy, Sweden, Germany, and France.<ref name="incomecomparison">{{cite web |url=http://www.tilastokeskus.fi/artikkelit/2008/art_2008-06-09_001.html |title=Suomalaisten tulot Euroopan keskitasoa. Hyvinvointipalvelut eivät paranna sijoitusta |publisher=Tilastokeskus.fi |date=9 June 2008 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> In 2006, 62% of the workforce worked for enterprises with less than 250 employees and they accounted for 49% of total business turnover and had the strongest rate of growth.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/htimes/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=895:small-enterprises-grow-faster-than-the-big-ones&catid=33:general&Itemid=201 |title=Small enterprises grow faster than the big ones |publisher=Helsinkitimes.fi |date=11 April 2008 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> The female employment rate is high. Gender segregation between male-dominated professions and female-dominated professions is higher than in the US.<ref name="niels">The Nordic Model of Welfare: A Historical Reappraisal, by Niels Finn Christiansen</ref> The proportion of part-time workers was one of the lowest in OECD in 1999.<ref name="niels" /> In 2013, the 10 largest private sector employers in Finland were Itella, Nokia, OP-Pohjola, ISS, VR, Kesko, UPM-Kymmene, YIT, Metso, and Nordea.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.talouselama.fi/uutiset/sata-suurinta-tyonantajaa-nokia-jai-kakkoseksi/72619deb-427d-3852-8a82-edfa4a7e818e%7Ctitle=Sata suurinta työnantajaa: Nokia jäi kakkoseksi|first=Antti|last=Mikkonen|website=Talouselämä}}</ref>

The unemployment rate was 9.4% in 2015, having risen from 8.7% in 2014.<ref>{{cite web |author=Finland in Figures |url=http://www.tilastokeskus.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_tyoelama_en.html |title=Statistics Finland: Labour Market |publisher=Tilastokeskus.fi |date=22 January 2015 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> Youth unemployment rate rose from 16.5% in 2007 to 20.5% in 2014.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Towards employment |work=SixDegrees |date=2016-01-16 |access-date=2016-07-21 |url= https://www.6d.fi/index.php/society/945-towards-employment |language=en }}</ref> A fifth of residents are outside the job market at the age of 50 and less than a third are working at the age of 61.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oecd.org/document/9/0,3343,en_2649_34747_28023113_1_1_1_1,00.html |title=OECD recommends Finland to do more to help older people stay in work |publisher=Oecd.org |date=1 January 1970 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> In 2014, nearly one million people were living with minimal wages or unemployed not enough to cover their costs of living.<ref>yle.fi; Suomessa on liki miljoona köyhää –"Heikoimmassa asemassa olevista on tullut muukalaisia" |Yle Uutiset. (28 August 2014). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

access-date=11 January 2021}}</ref>

{{As of|2006}}, 2.4 million households reside in Finland. The average size is 2.1 persons; 40% of households consist of a single person, 32% two persons and 28% three or more persons. Residential buildings total 1.2 million, and the average residential space is {{convert|38|m2}} per person. The average residential property without land costs €1,187 per sq metre and residential land €8.60 per sq metre. 74% of households had a car. There are 2.5 million cars and 0.4 million other vehicles.<ref>{{cite web|author=Finland in Figures |url=http://www.tilastokeskus.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_liikenne_en.html |title=Statistics Finland: Transport and Tourism|publisher=Tilastokeskus.fi|access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref>

Around 92% have a mobile phone and 83.5% (2009) Internet connection at home. The average total household consumption was €20,000, out of which housing consisted of about €5,500, transport about €3,000, food and beverages (excluding alcoholic beverages) at around €2,500, and recreation and culture at around €2,000.<ref>{{cite web |author=Households' consumption |url=http://www.tilastokeskus.fi/til/ktutk/2006/ktutk_2006_2007-12-19_tie_001_en.html |title=Own-account worker households' consumption has grown most in 2001–2006 |publisher=Tilastokeskus.fi |date=19 December 2007 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> According to Invest in Finland, private consumption grew by 3% in 2006 and consumer trends included durables, high-quality products, and spending on well-being.<ref>"Retail growth best in Finland for five years". For updates, see the Invest in Finland website.</ref>

In 2017, Finland's GDP reached €224 billion. However, second quarter of 2018 saw a slow economic growth. Unemployment rate fell to a near one-decade low in June, marking private consumption growth much higher.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.focus-economics.com/countries/finland%7Ctitle=Finland Economic Outlook|access-date=25 September 2018}}</ref>

Finland has the highest concentration of cooperatives relative to its population.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://maine.coop/Finland.php |title=Finland: Globalization Insurance: Finland's Leap of Caution |website=Cooperatives Build a Better Maine|publisher=Cooperative Maine Business Alliance & Cooperative Development Institute |access-date=1 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202042001/http://maine.coop/Finland.php |archive-date=2 February 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The largest retailer, which is also the largest private employer, S-Group, and the largest bank, OP-Group, in the country are both cooperatives.

Energy

{{See also|Nordic energy market|Peat energy in Finland|Nuclear power in Finland}}

access-date=7 November 2013}}</ref>

The free and largely privately owned financial and physical Nordic energy markets traded in NASDAQ OMX Commodities Europe and Nord Pool Spot exchanges, have provided competitive prices compared with other EU countries. {{As of|2007}}, Finland has roughly the lowest industrial electricity prices in the EU-15 (equal to France).<ref>Electricity prices—industrial users. Web.archive.org. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

In 2006, the energy market was around 90 terawatt hours and the peak demand around 15 gigawatts in winter. This means that the energy consumption per capita is around 7.2 tons of oil equivalent per year. Industry and construction consumed 51% of total consumption, a relatively high figure reflecting Finland's industries.<ref>{{cite web |author=Energy consumption |url=http://www.stat.fi/til/ekul/2006/ekul_2006_2007-12-12_kuv_009_en.html |title=Statistics Finland |publisher=Stat.fi |date= 12 December 2007|access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Energy consumption |url=http://www.stat.fi/til/ekul/2006/ekul_2006_2007-12-12_tie_001_en.html |title=Total energy consumption |publisher=Stat.fi |date=12 December 2007 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> Finland's hydrocarbon resources are limited to peat and wood. About 10–15% of the electricity is produced by hydropower,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metsavastaa.net/vattenkraft |title=Metsävastaa: Vattenkraft |language=sv |publisher=Metsavastaa.net |access-date=6 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090303204918/http://www.metsavastaa.net/vattenkraft |archive-date=3 March 2009 }}</ref> which is low compared with more mountainous Sweden or Norway. In 2008, renewable energy (mainly hydropower and various forms of wood energy) was high at 31% compared with the EU average of 10.3% in final energy consumption.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.energy.eu/#renewable |title=Europe's Energy Portal |publisher=energy.eu |access-date=17 February 2011}}</ref> Russia supplies more than 75% of Finland's oil imports and 100% of total gas imports.<ref> {{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/pdfscache/46126.pdf%7Ctitle=EU imports of energy products - recent developments|date=4 July 2018|publisher=Eurostat|pages=3–4}} </ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Europe helps fund non-Russia gas line for Finland |url=https://www.upi.com/Energy-News/2016/08/10/Europe-helps-fund-non-Russia-gas-line-for-Finland/6271470828765/ |work=United Press International |date=10 August 2016}}</ref>

File:Statistics of the energy supply in Finland.jpg
access-date=28 February 2015}}</ref>

Finland has four privately owned nuclear reactors producing 18% of the country's energy<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tilastokeskus.fi/tk/yr/yeenergiakuviot_en.pdf |title=Energy Consumption in 2001 |work=Statistics Finland |access-date=22 January 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061108043546/http://tilastokeskus.fi/tk/yr/yeenergiakuviot_en.pdf |archive-date=8 November 2006 }}</ref> and one research reactor (decommissioned 2018 <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.vtt.fi/palvelut/v%C3%A4h%C3%A4hiilinen-energia/ydinvoima/tutkimusreaktorin-purku |title = FiR 1 -ydinreaktorin käytöstä poisto}}</ref>) at the Otaniemi campus. The fifth AREVA-Siemens-built reactor – the world's largest at 1600 MWe and a focal point of Europe's nuclear industry – has faced many delays and is currently scheduled to be operational by 2018–2020, a decade after the original planned opening.<ref name="kauppalehti-02-2014">{{cite news |title = Areva ajaa Olkiluodon työmaata alas |author = Paula Nikula |url = http://www.kauppalehti.fi/etusivu/areva+ajaa+olkiluodon+tyomaata+alas/201402652139 |language = fi |publisher = Kauppalehti |date = 28 February 2014 |access-date = 28 February 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140304095114/http://www.kauppalehti.fi/etusivu/areva+ajaa+olkiluodon+tyomaata+alas/201402652139 |archive-date = 4 March 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> A varying amount (5–17%) of electricity has been imported from Russia (at around 3 gigawatt power line capacity), Sweden and Norway.

The Onkalo spent nuclear fuel repository is currently under construction at the Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant in the municipality of Eurajoki, on the west coast of Finland, by the company Posiva.<ref>{{cite news |title=Journey deep into the Finnish caverns where nuclear waste will be buried for millenia |url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/olkiluoto-island-finland-nuclear-waste-onkalo |work=Wired |date=24 April 2017}}</ref> Energy companies are about to increase nuclear power production, as in July 2010 the Finnish parliament granted permits for additional two new reactors.

Transport

{{Main|Transport in Finland}} {{multiple image 

| direction = vertical
| alignment = left
| width = 180
| footer = The state-owned VR operates a railway network serving all major cities in Finland.
| image3 = VR Sr1 3089.jpg
| caption3 = Soviet-made electric locomotive VR Class Sr1 model from 1981
| image2 = Vr sr3 3304 3307 3306.jpg
| caption2 = Three VR Class Sr3 locomotives
| image1 = VR Sr2 3202 Tampere 2012-06-22.JPG
| caption1 = A VR Class Sr2 locomotive

}}

Finland's road system is utilized by most internal cargo and passenger traffic. The annual state operated road network expenditure of around €1 billion is paid for with vehicle and fuel taxes which amount to around €1.5 billion and €1 billion, respectively. Among the Finnish highways, the most significant and busiest main roads include the Turku Highway (E18), the Tampere Highway (E12), the Lahti Highway (E75), and the ring roads (Ring I and Ring III) of the Helsinki metropolitan area and the Tampere Ring Road of the Tampere urban area.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://newsnowfinland.fi/domestic/top-gear-finlands-busiest-roads-revealed%7Ctitle=Top Gear: Finland's Busiest Roads Revealed | News Now Finland|first=News Now|last=Staff|date=19 March 2018}}</ref>

The main international passenger gateway is Helsinki Airport, which handled about 17 million passengers in 2016. Oulu Airport is the second largest, whilst another 25 airports have scheduled passenger services.<ref name="finavia_pass_stats">{{cite web |url=http://www.finavia.fi/files/finavia/vuosikertomukset_pdf/Finavia_vsk_2008_GB_LR.pdf |title=Airport operations |work=Annual report 2008 |date=17 March 2009 |access-date=28 July 2009 |location=Vantaa |publisher=Finavia |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807205454/http://www.finavia.fi/files/finavia/vuosikertomukset_pdf/Finavia_vsk_2008_GB_LR.pdf |archive-date=7 August 2011 }}</ref> The Helsinki Airport-based Finnair, Blue1, and Nordic Regional Airlines, Norwegian Air Shuttle sell air services both domestically and internationally. Helsinki has an optimal location for great circle (i.e. the shortest and most efficient) routes between Western Europe and the Far East.

Despite having a low population density, the Government annually spends around €350 million to maintain the {{convert|5865|km|mi|adj=mid|-long}} network of railway tracks. Rail transport is handled by the state owned VR Group, which has a 5% passenger market share (out of which 80% are from urban trips in Greater Helsinki) and 25% cargo market share.<ref name="ljvr">Transport and communications ministry—Rail. For year 2009 update: Finnish Railway Statistics 2010. For subsequent years when available: Finnish Railway Statistics. liikennevirasto.fi</ref> Since 12 December 2010, Karelian Trains, a joint venture between Russian Railways and VR Group, has been running Alstom Pendolino operated high-speed services between Saint Petersburg's Finlyandsky and Helsinki's Central railway stations. These services are branded as "Allegro" trains. The journey from Helsinki to Saint Petersburg takes only three and a half hours. A high-speed rail line is planned between Helsinki and Turku, with a line from the capital to Tampere also proposed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/16167-finland-earmarks-funds-for-new-rail-links-between-helsinki-turku-and-tampere.html%7Ctitle=Finland earmarks funds for new rail links between Helsinki, Turku and Tampere|website=Helsinki Times|date=4 February 2019}}</ref> Helsinki opened the world's northernmost metro system in 1982, which also serves the neighbouring city of Espoo since 2017.

The majority of international cargo shipments are handled at ports. Vuosaari Harbour in Helsinki is the largest container port in Finland; others include Kotka, Hamina, Hanko, Pori, Rauma, and Oulu. There is passenger traffic from Helsinki and Turku, which have ferry connections to Tallinn, Mariehamn, Stockholm and Travemünde. The Helsinki-Tallinn route – one of the busiest passenger sea routes in the world – has also been served by a helicopter line, and the Helsinki-Tallinn Tunnel has been proposed to provide railway services between the two cities.<ref name="busiest">{{Cite web |title=The Busiest Crossing |work=Discover the Baltic |date=2009-04-24 |url= http://discoverthebaltic.com/travel/bblog.htm#280409 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100326210756/http://www.discoverthebaltic.com/travel/bblog.htm |archive-date=2010-03-26 |language=en }}</ref> Largely following the example of the Øresund Bridge between Sweden and Denmark, the Kvarken Bridge connecting Umeå in Sweden and Vaasa in Finland to cross the Gulf of Bothnia has also been planned for decades.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tellerreport.com/news/2020-07-19-politicians-disagree-on-bridge-over-kvarken.rkOCYVt-ew.html%7Ctitle=Politicians disagree on bridge over Kvarken | tellerreport.com|website=www.tellerreport.com}}</ref>

Industry

{{Main|Economy of Finland}}

The Oasis of the Seas was built at the Perno shipyard in Turku.

Finland rapidly industrialized after World War II, achieving GDP per capita levels comparable to that of Japan or the UK in the beginning of the 1970s. Initially, most of the economic development was based on two broad groups of export-led industries, the "metal industry" (metalliteollisuus) and "forest industry" (metsäteollisuus). The "metal industry" includes shipbuilding, metalworking, the automotive industry, engineered products such as motors and electronics, and production of metals and alloys including steel, copper and chromium. Many of the world's biggest cruise ships, including MS Freedom of the Seas and the Oasis of the Seas have been built in Finnish shipyards.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oasisoftheseas.com/presskit/Oasis_of_the_Seas.pdf |title=Oasis of the Seas: Fast Facts |work=OasisoftheSeas.com |date=10 September 2009 |access-date=24 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220080037/http://www.oasisoftheseas.com/presskit/Oasis_of_the_Seas.pdf |archive-date=20 February 2012}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web|title=Freedom of the Seas Fact Sheet - Royal Caribbean Press Center|url=https://www.royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com/fact-sheet/5/freedom-of-the-seas/%7Caccess-date=16 June 2020|website=royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com}}</ref> The "forest industry" includes forestry, timber, pulp and paper, and is often considered a logical development based on Finland's extensive forest resources, as 73% of the area is covered by forest. In the pulp and paper industry, many major companies are based in Finland; Ahlstrom-Munksjö, Metsä Board, and UPM are all Finnish forest-based companies with revenues exceeding €1 billion. However, in recent decades, the Finnish economy has diversified, with companies expanding into fields such as electronics (Nokia), metrology (Vaisala), petroleum (Neste), and video games (Rovio Entertainment), and is no longer dominated by the two sectors of metal and forest industry. Likewise, the structure has changed, with the service sector growing, with manufacturing declining in importance; agriculture remains a minor part. Despite this, production for export is still more prominent than in Western Europe, thus making Finland possibly more vulnerable to global economic trends.

In 2017, the Finnish economy was estimated to consist of approximately 2.7% agriculture, 28.2% manufacturing and 69.1% services.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Europe :: Finland — The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/finland/%7Caccess-date=16 June 2020|website=cia.gov}}</ref> In 2019, the per-capita income of Finland was estimated to be $48,869. In 2020, Finland was ranked 20th on the ease of doing business index, among 190 jurisdictions.

Public policy

{{See also|Nordic model}}

Flags of the Nordic countries from left to right: Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark

Finnish politicians have often emulated the Nordic model.<ref name="nordicmodel">The Nordic Model {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120905212132/http://www.etla.fi/files/1892_the_nordic_model_complete.pdf |date=5 September 2012 }} by Torben M. Andersen, Bengt Holmström, Seppo Honkapohja, Sixten Korkman, Hans Tson Söderström, Juhana Vartiainen</ref> Nordics have been free-trading and relatively welcoming to skilled migrants for over a century, though in Finland immigration is relatively new. The level of protection in commodity trade has been low, except for agricultural products.<ref name="nordicmodel" />

Finland has top levels of economic freedom in many areas.{{clarify|date=April 2011|I have the impression that the Finnish labour market is quite flexible compared with other European countries—is this meant to be in relation to USA?}} Finland is ranked 16th in the 2008 global Index of Economic Freedom and 9th in Europe.<ref name="freedom" /> While the manufacturing sector is thriving, the OECD points out that the service sector would benefit substantially from policy improvements.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kilpailuvirasto.fi/cgi-bin/suomi.cgi?sivu=uut/u-2005-3-1 |title=Kilpailuvirasto.fi |publisher=Kilpailuvirasto.fi |date=17 October 2005 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref>

The 2007 IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook ranked Finland 17th most competitive.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imd.ch/research/publications/wcy/announcing.cfm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612031526/http://www.imd.ch/research/publications/wcy/announcing.cfm |archive-date=12 June 2007 |title=World Competitiveness Yearbook 2007 |publisher=Imd.ch |access-date=26 August 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> The World Economic Forum 2008 index ranked Finland the 6th most competitive.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.weforum.org/en/initiatives/gcp/Global%20Competitiveness%20Report/index.htm |title=The Global Competitiveness Report 2007–2008 |publisher=World Economic Forum |access-date=8 October 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080619083349/http://www.weforum.org/en/initiatives/gcp/Global%2BCompetitiveness%2BReport/index.htm |archive-date=19 June 2008 }}</ref> In both indicators, Finland's performance was next to Germany, and significantly higher than most European countries. In the Business competitiveness index 2007–2008 Finland ranked third in the world.

Economists attribute much growth to reforms in the product markets. According to the OECD, only four EU-15 countries have less regulated product markets (UK, Ireland, Denmark and Sweden) and only one has less regulated financial markets (Denmark). Nordic countries were pioneers in liberalizing energy, postal, and other markets in Europe.<ref name="nordicmodel" /> The legal system is clear and business bureaucracy less than most countries.<ref name="freedom">{{cite web|url=http://www.heritage.org/index/country/Finland |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629041208/http://www.heritage.org/index/country/Finland |archive-date=29 June 2011 |title=Finland economy |publisher=The Heritage Foundation |access-date=26 August 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> Property rights are well protected and contractual agreements are strictly honoured.<ref name="freedom" /> Finland is rated the least corrupt country in the world in the Corruption Perceptions Index<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2012/results/ |title=Corruption Perceptions Index 2012 – Results |publisher=Transparency.org |access-date=12 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131129013918/http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2012/results/ |archive-date=29 November 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and 13th in the Ease of doing business index. This indicates exceptional ease in cross-border trading (5th), contract enforcement (7th), business closure (5th), tax payment (83rd), and low worker hardship (127th).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.doingbusiness.org/economyrankings/%7Ctitle=Ranking of economies – Doing Business – World Bank Group|work=doingbusiness.org}}</ref>

Finnish law forces all workers to obey the national contracts that are drafted every few years for each profession and seniority level. The agreement becomes universally enforceable provided that more than 50% of the employees support it, in practice by being a member of a relevant trade union. The unionization rate is high (70%), especially in the middle class (AKAVA—80%). A lack of a national agreement in an industry is considered an exception.<ref name="oecd2004" /><ref name="nordicmodel" />

Tourism

{{Main|Tourism in Finland}}

website=www.travelofinland.com/}}</ref>
website=Visit Häme}}</ref>

In 2017, tourism in Finland grossed approximately €15.0 billion with a 7% increase from the previous year. Of this, €4.6 billion (30%) came from foreign tourism.<ref name="Matkailutilinpito">{{cite report|author=Business Finland|year=2019|title=Matkailutilinpito: Matkailun talous- ja työllisyysvaikutukset 2016–2017|url= https://www.businessfinland.fi/499c03/contentassets/4b07e15186484a69b62e991ed85a6c45/matkailutilinpito_2016-2017.pdf%7Cpublisher=Business Finland, Visit Finland|access-date=2 April 2020|language = fi}}</ref> In 2017, there were 15.2 million overnight stays of domestic tourists and 6.7 million overnight stays of foreign tourists.<ref name="TEM"/> Much of the sudden growth can be attributed to the globalisation of the country as well as a rise in positive publicity and awareness. While Russia remains the largest market for foreign tourists, the biggest growth came from Chinese markets (35%).<ref name="TEM">{{cite web|url=https://tem.fi/en/finnish-tourism-in-numbers%7Ctitle=Finnish tourism in numbers|author=Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (Finland)|access-date=2 April 2020}}</ref> Tourism contributes roughly 2.7% to Finland's GDP, making it comparable to agriculture and forestry.<ref name="Tourism_infographic"/>

Commercial cruises between major coastal and port cities in the Baltic region, including Helsinki, Turku, Mariehamn, Tallinn, Stockholm, and Travemünde, play a significant role in the local tourism industry. There are also separate ferry connections dedicated to tourism in the vicinity of Helsinki and its region, such as the connection to the fortress island of Suomenlinna<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hel.fi/helsinki/en/maps-and-transport/transport/ferry/%7Ctitle=Ferries%7Cwebsite=Helsingin kaupunki}}</ref> or the connection to the old town of Porvoo.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.msjlruneberg.fi/cruises/helsinki-porvoo/%7Ctitle=Helsinki - Porvoo|website=m/s J.L. Runeberg}}</ref> By passenger counts, the Port of Helsinki is the busiest port in the world after the Port of Dover in the United Kingdom and the Port of Tallinn in Estonia.<ref name="POH">{{cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/pdfscache/6652.pdf%7Ctitle=Maritime ports freight and passenger statistics|publisher=Eurostat|access-date=2 February 2020}}</ref> The Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport is the fourth busiest airport in the Nordic countries in terms of passenger numbers,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.helsinki-airport.com/%7Ctitle=Helsinki Airport (HEL)|publisher=Helsinki Airport|access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref> and about 90% of Finland's international air traffic passes through the airport.<ref>{{cite web|title=Helsinki Airport is designed for smooth travelling|url=https://www.finavia.fi/en/helsinki-airport/in-brief/%7Cpublisher=Finavia%7Caccess-date=25 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161004015600/http://www.finavia.fi/en/helsinki-airport/in-brief/%7Carchive-date=4 October 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Lapland has the highest tourism consumption of any Finnish region.<ref name="Tourism_infographic">{{cite report|author=Business Finland|year=2019|title=Tourism as Export Infographic 2019|url=https://www.businessfinland.fi/494339/globalassets/julkaisut/visit-finland/tutkimukset/2020/2019-tourism-as-export-infographic.pdf%7Cpublisher=Business Finland, Visit Finland|access-date=2 April 2020}}</ref> Above the Arctic Circle, in midwinter, there is a polar night, a period when the sun does not rise for days or weeks, or even months, and correspondingly, midnight sun in the summer, with no sunset even at midnight (for up to 73 consecutive days, at the northernmost point). Lapland is so far north that the aurora borealis, fluorescence in the high atmosphere due to solar wind, is seen regularly in the fall, winter, and spring. Finnish Lapland is also locally regarded as the home of Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus, with several theme parks, such as Santa Claus Village and Santa Park in Rovaniemi.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Real Home of Santa Claus in Finland |url=http://www.lifeinlapland.com/articles/lapland-travel-tips/real-home-santa-korvatunturi.html%7Caccess-date=20 November 2017}}</ref> Other significant tourist destinations in Lapland also include ski resorts (such as Ylläs, Levi and Ruka)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theculturetrip.com/europe/finland/articles/top-12-ski-resorts-in-finland/%7Ctitle=The Top 12 Ski Resorts in Finland|first=Jessica|last=Wood|website=Culture Trip}}</ref> and sleigh rides led by either reindeer or huskies.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://santaclausvillage.info/services/activity-services/santa-claus-reindeer-rides-safaris-rovaniemi/%7Ctitle=Santa Claus Reindeer rides & excursions in Rovaniemi Lapland Finland|website=Santa Claus Village Rovaniemi Finland}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.yllas.fi/en/activities/husky-safaris-and-reindeers.html%7Ctitle=Discover the winter magic with Huskies and Reindeers|website=www.yllas.fi}}</ref>

Tourist attractions in Finland include the natural landscape found throughout the country as well as urban attractions. Finland is covered with thick pine forests, rolling hills, and lakes. Finland contains 40 national parks (such as the Koli National Park in North Karelia), from the Southern shores of the Gulf of Finland to the high fells of Lapland. Outdoor activities range from Nordic skiing, golf, fishing, yachting, lake cruises, hiking, and kayaking, among many others. Bird-watching is popular for those fond of avifauna, however hunting is also popular. Elk and hare are common game in Finland.

Finland also has urbanised regions with many cultural events and activities. The most famous tourist attractions in Helsinki include the Helsinki Cathedral and the Suomenlinna sea fortress. The most well-known Finnish amusement parks include Linnanmäki in Helsinki, Särkänniemi in Tampere, PowerPark in Kauhava, Tykkimäki in Kouvola and Nokkakivi in Laukaa.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://trip101.com/article/theme-parks-in-finland%7Ctitle=Top 6 Theme Parks And Amusement Parks In Finland|date=30 December 2019|website=Trip101}}</ref> St. Olaf's Castle (Olavinlinna) in Savonlinna hosts the annual Savonlinna Opera Festival,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://operafestival.fi/en/%7Ctitle=Home - Savonlinna Opera Festival|access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref> and the medieval milieus of the cities of Turku, Rauma and Porvoo also attract curious spectators.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foreigner.fi/articulo/tourism/five-finnish-cities-worth-touristic-visit/20190623190002002246.html%7Ctitle=5 Finnish cities that deserve a tourist visit|website=Foreigner.fi|access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref>

Demographics

{{Main|Demographics of Finland}} {{Pie chart |thumb = left |caption = Population by ethnic background in 2017<ref name="auto"/><ref name="un"/> |label1 = Finnish |value1 = 91.33 |color1 = #003399 |label2 = Other European |value2 = 4.90 |color2 = #4080bf |label3 = Asian |value3 = 2.50 |color3 = #ff471a |label4 = African |value4 = 0.90 |color4 = #ffff00 |label5 = Other |value5 = 0.37 }}

The population of Finland is currently about 5.5 million. The current birth rate is 10.42 per 1,000 residents, for a fertility rate of 1.49 children born per woman,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/en/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__kuol/?tablelist=true%7Ctitle=PxWeb - Select table|website=pxnet2.stat.fi}}</ref> one of the lowest in the world, significantly below the replacement rate of 2.1. In 1887 Finland recorded its highest rate, 5.17 children born per woman.<ref>{{citation|url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?year=1800&country=FIN%7Ctitle=Total Fertility Rate around the world over the last centuries|author=Max Roser|date=2014|work=Our World In Data, Gapminder Foundation|access-date=7 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190205121631/https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?year=1800&country=FIN%7Carchive-date=5 February 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> Finland has one of the oldest populations in the world, with a median age of 42.6 years.<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/finland/%7Ctitle=World Factbook EUROPE : FINLAND|work=The World Factbook|date=12 July 2018}}</ref> Approximately half of voters are estimated to be over 50 years old.<ref>Tilastokeskus – Population. Stat.fi. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref><ref name="populationdevelopment" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.globalhealthfacts.org/data/topic/map.aspx?ind=81 |title=Median Age (Years) |publisher=GlobalHealthFacts.org |access-date=22 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130403123202/http://www.globalhealthfacts.org/data/topic/map.aspx?ind=81 |archive-date=3 April 2013 }}</ref><ref name="pop_stat">{{cite web|date=4 June 2020|title=Finland in Figures > Population|url=https://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_vaesto_en.html%7Caccess-date=12 August 2020|website=stat.fi|publisher=Statistics Finland}}</ref> Finland has an average population density of 18 inhabitants per square kilometre. This is the third-lowest population density of any European country, behind those of Norway and Iceland, and the lowest population density of any European Union member country. Finland's population has always been concentrated in the southern parts of the country, a phenomenon that became even more pronounced during 20th-century urbanisation. Two of the three largest cities in Finland are situated in the Greater Helsinki metropolitan area—Helsinki and Espoo, and some municipalities in the metropolitan area have also shown clear growth of population year after year, the most notable being Järvenpää, Nurmijärvi, Kirkkonummi, Kerava and Sipoo.<ref>Kirkkonummen Sanomat: Nurmijärvi - ilmiö voimistui heinäkuussa - Kirkkonummella väkiluvun kasvu 1,2 % (in Finnish)</ref> In the largest cities of Finland, Tampere holds the third place after Helsinki and Espoo while also Helsinki-neighbouring Vantaa is the fourth. Other cities with population over 100,000 are Turku, Oulu, Jyväskylä, Kuopio, and Lahti. On the other hand, Sottunga of the Åland Islands is the smallest municipality in Finland in terms of population (Luhanka in mainland Finland),<ref>Kaupunkien ja kuntien lukumäärät ja väestötiedot – Kuntaliitto (in Finnish)</ref> and Savukoski of Lapland is sparsely populated in terms of population density.<ref>Kuntien pinta-alat ja asukastiheydet – Kuntaliitto (in Finnish)</ref>

{{As of|2019}}, there were 423,494 people with a foreign background living in Finland (7.7% of the population), most of whom are from the former Soviet Union, Estonia, Somalia, Iraq and former Yugoslavia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ulkomaalaistaustaiset |publisher=Tilastokeskus |access-date= 2021-04-25 |url= https://www.stat.fi/tup/maahanmuutto/maahanmuuttajat-vaestossa/ulkomaalaistaustaiset.html |language=fi }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Population |publisher=Statistics Finland |date=2021-04-23 |access-date=2021-04-25 |url= https://www.tilastokeskus.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_vaesto_en.html |language=en }}</ref> The children of foreigners are not automatically given Finnish citizenship, as Finnish nationality law practices and maintain jus sanguinis policy where only children born to at least one Finnish parent are granted citizenship. If they are born in Finland and cannot get citizenship of any other country, they become citizens.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Child born in Finland |publisher=Finnish Immigration Service |access-date=2021-04-25 |url= https://migri.fi/en/child-born-in-finland |language=en }}</ref> Additionally, certain persons of Finnish descent who reside in countries that were once part of Soviet Union, retain the right of return, a right to establish permanent residency in the country, which would eventually entitle them to qualify for citizenship.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.migri.fi/netcomm/content.asp?path=8,2475 |title=Finnish Directorate of Immigration |date=10 November 2011 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111110122502/http://www.migri.fi/netcomm/content.asp?path=8,2475 |archive-date=10 November 2011 }}</ref> 387,215 people in Finland in 2018 were born in another country, representing 7% of the population. The 10 largest foreign born groups are (in order) from Russia, Estonia, Sweden, Iraq, Somalia, China, Thailand, Serbia, Vietnam and Turkey.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/en/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__vaerak/?tablelist%7Ctitle=PxWeb - Select table|website=pxnet2.stat.fi}}</ref>

Finland's immigrant population is growing. By 2035, the three largest cites in Finland are projected to have over a quarter of residents of a foreign-speaking background: in Helsinki, they are projected to form 26% of the population; in Espoo, 30%; and in Vantaa, 34%. The Helsinki region is projected to have 437,000 people of a foreign linguistic background, compared to 201,000 in 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hel.fi/uutiset/fi/kaupunginkanslia/helsingin-seudun-vieraskielinen-vaesto-yli-kaksinkertaistuu-vuoteen-2035-mennessa%7Ctitle=Helsingin seudun vieraskielinen väestö yli kaksinkertaistuu vuoteen 2035 mennessä|website=Helsingin kaupunki}}</ref>

Language

{{Main|Finnish language|Finland Swedish|Languages of Finland}} {{See also|List of municipalities of Finland in which Finnish is not the sole official language}}

bilingual with Finnish as majority language, Sami as minority language}}

Finnish and Swedish are the official languages of Finland. Finnish predominates nationwide while Swedish is spoken in some coastal areas in the west and south (such as Raseborg,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theculturetrip.com/europe/finland/articles/the-10-most-beautiful-towns-in-finland/%7Ctitle=The 10 Most Beautiful Towns In Finland|first=Lani|last=Seelinger|website=Culture Trip}}</ref> Pargas,<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/18417-twice-a-minority-foreign-immigration-to-swedish-speaking-communities-in-finland.html%7Ctitle=Twice a minority: foreign immigration to Swedish-speaking communities in Finland|website=www.helsinkitimes.fi}}</ref> Närpes,<ref name="auto1"/> Kristinestad,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/themes/themes/travel/12675-discovering-swedish-speaking-municipalities-kristinestad.html%7Ctitle=Discovering Swedish-speaking municipalities: Kristinestad|website=www.helsinkitimes.fi}}</ref> Jakobstad<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/themes/themes/travel/13124-discovering-swedish-speaking-municipalities-jakobstad.html%7Ctitle=Discovering Swedish-speaking municipalities: Jakobstad|website=www.helsinkitimes.fi}}</ref> and Nykarleby.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/themes/themes/travel/12953-discovering-swedish-speaking-municipalities-nykarleby.html%7Ctitle=Discovering Swedish-speaking municipalities: Nykarleby|website=www.helsinkitimes.fi}}</ref>) and in the autonomous region of Åland, which is the only monolingual Swedish-speaking region in Finland.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.norden.org/en/info-norden/swedish-language-courses-foreigners-aland%7Ctitle=Swedish language courses for foreigners in Åland | Nordic cooperation|website=www.norden.org}}</ref> The native language of 87.3% of the population is Finnish,<ref name="Population according to language">{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.fi/til/vaerak/2015/vaerak_2015_2016-04-01_tau_002_en.html |title=Appendix table 2. Population according to language 1980–2015 |work=Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Population structure |access-date=27 November 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stat.fi/tup/julkaisut/tiedostot/julkaisuluettelo/yyti_fif_201900_2019_21461_net.pdf |title=Finland in Figures 2019 |work=Statistics Finland |date=June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190711184650/https://www.stat.fi/tup/julkaisut/tiedostot/julkaisuluettelo/yyti_fif_201900_2019_21461_net.pdf |archive-date=11 July 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> which is part of the Finnic subgroup of the Uralic languages. The language is one of only four official EU languages not of Indo-European origin, and has no relation to the other national languages of the Nordics. Conversely, Finnish is closely related to Estonian and Karelian, and more distantly to Hungarian and the Sami languages.

Swedish is the native language of 5.2% of the population (Swedish-speaking Finns).<ref name="population-2016">Statistics Finland, Population Retrieved on 18 October 2017.</ref> Finnish is dominant in all the country's larger cities; though Helsinki, Turku and Vaasa were once predominantly Swedish-speaking, they have undergone a language shift since the 19th century to become largely Finnish-speaking.

Swedish is a compulsory school subject and general knowledge of the language is good among non-native speakers. In 2005, a total of 47% of Finnish citizens reported the ability to speak Swedish, either as primary or a secondary language.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_243_en.pdf%7Ctitle=Europeans and their languages, situation in 2005|publisher=European Commission|access-date=5 January 2021}}</ref> Likewise, a majority of mainland Sweden Finns are able to speak Finnish. However, most Sweden Finnish youth reported seldom using Finnish: 71% reported always or mostly speaking Swedish in social settings outside of their households.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hbl.fi/artikel/finlandssvenska-ungdomar-talar-sallan-finska-sarskilt-pa-natet-ar-finskan-ovanlig/%7C title=Finlandssvenska ungdomar talar sällan finska - särskilt på nätet är finskan ovanlig|publisher=Hufvudstadsbladet|last=Piippo|first=Mikael|date=12 December 2018|access-date=5 January 2021}}</ref> The Finnish side of the land border with Sweden is unilingually Finnish-speaking, with a stark language divide over the Torne River: on the Swedish side, a Northern Swedish accent can be heard that is distinct from the Swedish spoken in other parts of Finland. There is a sizeable pronunciation difference between the varieties of Swedish spoken in the two countries, although their mutual intelligibility is nearly universal.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.infofinland.fi/sv/livet-i-finland/finska-och-svenska-spraket/det-svenska-spraket-i-finland%7Ctitle=Det svenska språket i Finland|publisher=InfoFinland|language=sv|access-date=5 January 2021}}</ref>

The Nordic languages and Karelian are also specially recognized in parts of Finland.

Finnish Romani is spoken by some 5,000–6,000 people; Romani and Finnish Sign Language are also recognized in the constitution. There are two sign languages: Finnish Sign Language, spoken natively by 4,000–5,000 people,<ref>{{cite web |title=Forskningscentralen för de inhemska språken—Teckenspråken i Finland |language=sv |url=http://www.kotus.fi/index.phtml?l=sv&s=206 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318084839/http://www.kotus.fi/index.phtml?l=sv&s=206 |archive-date=18 March 2015 }}</ref> and Finland-Swedish Sign Language, spoken natively by about 150 people. Tatar is spoken by a Finnish Tatar minority of about 800 people whose ancestors moved to Finland mainly during Russian rule from the 1870s to the 1920s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://forum.hunturk.net/national-minorities-of-finland-the-tatars-2491.html |title=National Minorities of Finland, The Tatars |publisher=Forum.hunturk.net |access-date=6 December 2011}}</ref>

The Sami language has an official status in Lapland where the Sami people predominate, numbering around 7,000<ref>According to the Finnish Population Registry Centre and the Finnish Sami parliament, the Sami population living in Finland was 7,371 in 2003. See Regional division of Sami people in Finland by age in 2003 (in Finnish).</ref> and recognized as an indigenous people. About a quarter of them speak a Sami language as their mother tongue.<ref name="Population 2006-12-31">{{cite web |url=http://tilastokeskus.fi/til/vaerak/2006/vaerak_2006_2007-03-23_tie_001_en.html |title=The population of Finland in 2006 |work=Statistics Finland |date=31 December 2006 |access-date=4 September 2007}}</ref> The Sami languages that are spoken in Finland are Northern Sami, Inari Sami, and Skolt Sami.{{refn|group=note|The names for Finland in its Sami languages are: {{lang|se|Suopma}} (Northern Sami), {{lang|smn|Suomâ}} (Inari Sami) and {{lang|sms|Lää'ddjânnam}} (Skolt Sami). See Geonames.de.}}

The rights of minority groups (in particular Sami, Swedish speakers, and Romani people) are protected by the constitution.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/kaannokset/1999/en19990731.pdf |title=The Constitution of Finland, 17 § and 121 § |work=FINLEX Data Bank |access-date=4 September 2007}}</ref>

The largest immigrant languages are Russian (1.5%), Estonian (0.9%), Arabic (0.6%), Somali (0.4%) and English (0.4%).<ref name="population-2016" /> English is studied by most pupils as a compulsory subject from the first grade (at seven years of age) in the comprehensive school (in some schools other languages can be chosen instead),<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/15462-finland-s-first-graders-to-start-learning-foreign-language-in-spring-2020.html%7Ctitle=Finland's first-graders to start learning foreign language in spring 2020|last=Teivainen|first=Aleksi|date=13 April 2019|work=Helsinki Times|access-date=1 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite thesis|last=Yang|first=Junyi|title=Teachers' Role in Developing Healthy Self-esteem in Young Learners: A study of English language teachers in Finland|date=Spring 2018|degree=Master’s Degree Program in Early Language Education for Intercultural Communication|publisher=University of Eastern Finland|url=http://epublications.uef.fi/pub/urn_nbn_fi_uef-20180513/urn_nbn_fi_uef-20180513.pdf}}</ref> as a result of which Finns' English language skills have been significantly strengthened over several decades.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://finlandtoday.fi/finland-places-among-the-top-four-english-speaking-countries-in-the-world/%7Ctitle=Finland Places Among the Top Four English-Speaking Countries in the World|first=Tony|last=Öhberg}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finland_ranks_sixth_in_english_skills_early_instruction_crucial/10071036%7Ctitle=Finland ranks sixth in English skills, early instruction crucial|website=Yle Uutiset}}</ref> German, French, Spanish and Russian can be studied as second foreign languages from the fourth grade (at 10 years of age; some schools may offer other options).<ref>{{Cite conference|last=Nuolijärvi|first=Pirkko|date=Fall 2011|title=Language education policy and practice in Finland|url=http://www.efnil.org/documents/conference-publications/london-2011/the-role-of-language-education-in-creating-a/15-Pirkko-Nuolijarvi.pdf%7Cconference=European Federation of National Institutions for Language}}</ref>

About 93% of Finns can speak a second language.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/more_than_90_percent_of_finnish_residents_are_at_least_bilingual/10550664 |title=More than 90 percent of Finnish residents are at least bilingual |publisher=YLE |access-date=12 December 2018}}</ref> The figures in this section should be treated with caution, as they come from the official Finnish population register. People can only register one language and so bilingual or multilingual language users' language competencies are not properly included. A citizen of Finland that speaks bilingually Finnish and Swedish will often be registered as a Finnish only speaker in this system. Similarly "old domestic language" is a category applied to some languages and not others for political not linguistic reasons, for example Russian.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ling.helsinki.fi/~fkarlsso/Languages%20of%20Finland_1917-2017.pdf |title=THE LANGUAGES OF FINLAND 1917–2017 |work=Lingsoft Language Library publications |access-date=15 December 2018}}</ref>

Largest cities

{{Largest cities of Finland}}

Religion

{{Main|Religion in Finland}} {{Pie chart |thumb = right |caption = Religions in Finland (2019)<ref name="stnin"/> |label1 = Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland |value1 = 68.72 |color1 = DodgerBlue |label2 = Orthodox Church |value2 = 1.10 |color2 = Orchid |label3 = Other Christian |value3 = 0.93 |color3 = DarkOrchid |label4 = Other religions |value4 = 0.76 |color4 = Chartreuse |label5 = Unaffiliated |value5 = 28.49 |color5 = Honeydew }}

With 3.9 million members,<ref>Seurakuntien jäsentilasto 2018 Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland</ref> the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland is one of the largest Lutheran churches in the world and is also by far Finland's largest religious body; at the end of 2019, 68.7% of Finns were members of the church.<ref name="relig_stat">Population structure Statistics Finland</ref> The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland has seen its share of the country's population declining by roughly one percent annually in recent years.<ref name="relig_stat" /> The decline has been due to both church membership resignations and falling baptism rates.<ref>Eroakirkosta.fi – Kirkosta eronnut tänä vuonna 40 000 ihmistä (in Finnish)</ref><ref>Karjalainen – Kastettujen määrä romahtanut – kirkollisista ristiäisistä luopuu yhä useampi 13 June 2016 (in Finnish)</ref> The second largest group, accounting for 26.3% of the population<ref name="relig_stat" /> in 2017, has no religious affiliation. The irreligious group rose quickly from just below 13% in the year 2000. A small minority belongs to the Finnish Orthodox Church (1.1%). Other Protestant denominations and the Roman Catholic Church are significantly smaller, as are the Jewish and other non-Christian communities (totalling 1.6%); for example, in the Protestant trend, there are about 1,500 Baptists concentrated in the region of Central Finland,<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.uskonnot.fi/uskonnot/view.php?religionId=26%7C title= Baptismi| work= Uskonnot Suomessa | access-date=6 January 2021 | language=fi}}</ref> and there are only about 2,000 Methodists who are scattered around the country.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.uskonnot.fi/uskonnot/view.php?religionId=24%7C title= Metodismi| work= Uskonnot Suomessa| access-date= 6 January 2021| language= fi| archive-date= 8 January 2021| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210108084048/http://www.uskonnot.fi/uskonnot/view.php?religionId=24%7C url-status= dead}}</ref> The Pew Research Center estimated the Muslim population at 2.7% in 2016.<ref>{{cite web|title=Muslim Population Growth in Europe|url=http://www.pewforum.org/2017/11/29/europes-growing-muslim-population/%7Cwebsite=pewforum.org}}</ref> The main Lutheran and Orthodox churches are national churches of Finland with special roles such as in state ceremonies and schools.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://finland.fi/Public/default.aspx?contentid=160099&nodeid=41800&culture=en-US |title=The Church in Finland today |author=Salla Korpela |date=May 2005 |access-date=11 January 2011 |publisher=Finland Promotion Board; Produced by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Department for Communications and Culture}}</ref>

In 1869, Finland was the first Nordic country to disestablish its Evangelical Lutheran church by introducing the Church Act, followed by the Church of Sweden in 2000. Although the church still maintains a special relationship with the state, it is not described as a state religion in the Finnish Constitution or other laws passed by the Finnish Parliament.<ref name=FinlandConstitution>{{cite web|url=https://servat.unibe.ch/icl/fi00000_.html |title=Finland > Constitution: Chapter 1 Fundamental provisions (Section 76 The Church Act) |last=Tschentscher |first=Axel |date=27 June 2020}}</ref> Finland's state church was the Church of Sweden until 1809. As an autonomous Grand Duchy under Russia 1809–1917, Finland retained the Lutheran State Church system, and a state church separate from Sweden, later named the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, was established. It was detached from the state as a separate judicial entity when the new church law came to force in 1869. After Finland had gained independence in 1917, religious freedom was declared in the constitution of 1919 and a separate law on religious freedom in 1922. Through this arrangement, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland lost its position as a state church but gained a constitutional status as a national church alongside the Finnish Orthodox Church, whose position however is not codified in the constitution.

The Evangelical Lutheran Helsinki Cathedral

In 2016, 69.3% of Finnish children were baptized<ref>Lutheran church member statistics (2016) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215122035/http://sakasti.evl.fi/sakasti.nsf/0/FFEDB75916EB394AC22576CC003D875E/$FILE/Vaestonmuutokset_koko%20kirkko_2016.xlsx |date=15 December 2018 }} evl.fi</ref> and 82.3% were confirmed in 2012 at the age of 15,<ref>Church statistical yesrbook 2012 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140320170001/http://sakasti.evl.fi/sakasti.nsf/0/8A75CE045AD09FE4C22577AE00256611/$FILE/KKH_Tilastollinen_vuosikirja2012_toiminta_lopullinen%20versio.pdf |date=20 March 2014 }} The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland</ref> and over 90% of the funerals are Christian. However, the majority of Lutherans attend church only for special occasions like Christmas ceremonies, weddings, and funerals. The Lutheran Church estimates that approximately 1.8% of its members attend church services weekly.<ref>Church Attendance Falls; Religion Seen as Private 3 June 2012 YLE</ref> The average number of church visits per year by church members is approximately two.<ref name="state2004">{{cite web |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2004/35453.htm |title=International Religious Freedom Report 2004 |work=U.S. Department of State |date=15 September 2004 |access-date=22 January 2007}}</ref>

According to a 2010 Eurobarometer poll, 33% of Finnish citizens responded that they "believe there is a God"; 42% answered that they "believe there is some sort of spirit or life force"; and 22% that they "do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God, or life force".<ref name="EUROBAROMETER">{{cite web |url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_341_en.pdf |title=Special Eurobarometer Biotechnology |page=204 |edition=Fieldwork: January–February 2010 |date=October 2010 |access-date=16 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101215001129/http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_341_en.pdf |archive-date=15 December 2010 }}</ref> According to ISSP survey data (2008), 8% consider themselves "highly religious", and 31% "moderately religious". In the same survey, 28% reported themselves as "agnostic" and 29% as "non-religious".<ref>Kimmo, Ketola et al. (2011). Uskonto suomalaisten elämässä {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916015652/http://tampub.uta.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/65683/uskonto_suomalaisten_elamassa_2011.pdf?sequence=1 |date=16 September 2018 }}. Tampereen yliopistopaino Oy . {{ISBN|978-951-44-8483-4}}</ref>

Health

{{Main|Healthcare in Finland}}

The Meilahti Tower Hospital, part of the Helsinki University Central Hospital (HUCH) in Töölö, Helsinki

Life expectancy has increased from 71 years for men and 79 years for women in 1990 to 79 years for men and 84 years for women in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/julkaisut/tiedostot/julkaisuluettelo/yyti_fif_201800_2018_19693_net.pdf |title=Finland in Figures 2018 |publisher=Finnish Population Centre|access-date=10 December 2018}}</ref> The under-five mortality rate has decreased from 51 per 1,000 live births in 1950 to 2.3 per 1,000 live births in 2017, ranking Finland's rate among the lowest in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://data.unicef.org/country/fin/%7Ctitle=Trends in Under five Mortality Rate |publisher=UNICEF|access-date=10 December 2018}}</ref> The fertility rate in 2014 stood at 1.71 children born/per woman and has been below the replacement rate of 2.1 since 1969.<ref name="stat.fi">Statistics Finland – Births 2014. Stat.fi (14 April 2015). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref> With a low birth rate women also become mothers at a later age, the mean age at first live birth being 28.6 in 2014.<ref name="stat.fi" /> A 2011 study published in The Lancet medical journal found that Finland had the lowest stillbirth rate out of 193 countries, including the UK, France and New Zealand.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)62187-3/fulltext#article_upsell |title=Stillbirths: Where? When? Why? How to make the data count? |journal=The Lancet |access-date=6 December 2011 |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(10)62187-3 |pmid=21496911 |volume=377 |issue=9775 |pages=1448–1463|year=2011 |last1=Lawn |first1=Joy E. |last2=Blencowe |first2=Hannah |last3=Pattinson |first3=Robert |last4=Cousens |first4=Simon |last5=Kumar |first5=Rajesh |last6=Ibiebele |first6=Ibinabo |last7=Gardosi |first7=Jason |last8=Day |first8=Louise T. |last9=Stanton |first9=Cynthia |hdl=2263/16343 |s2cid=14278260 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

There has been a slight increase or no change in welfare and health inequalities between population groups in the 21st century. Lifestyle-related diseases are on the rise. More than half a million Finns suffer from diabetes, type 1 diabetes being globally the most common in Finland. Many children are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The number of musculoskeletal diseases and cancers are increasing, although the cancer prognosis has improved. Allergies and dementia are also growing health problems in Finland. One of the most common reasons for work disability are due to mental disorders, in particular depression.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stm.fi/c/document_library/get_file?folderId=6511570&name=DLFE-26813.pdf |title=Health care in Finland |publisher=STM |access-date=6 September 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317183526/http://www.stm.fi/c/document_library/get_file?folderId=6511570&name=DLFE-26813.pdf |archive-date=17 March 2015 }}</ref> Treatment for depression has improved and as a result the historically high suicide rates have declined to 13 per 100 000 in 2017, closer to the North European average.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/eurostat_falling_suicide_rate_in_finland_nears_european_average/10324113%7Ctitle=Eurostat: Falling suicide rate in Finland nears European average |publisher=YLE|access-date=18 December 2018}}</ref> Suicide rates are still among the highest among developed countries in the OECD.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.MHSUICIDEASDR?lang=en%7Ctitle=GHO {{!}} By category {{!}} Suicide rate estimates, age-standardized - Estimates by country|website=WHO|access-date=17 March 2020}}</ref>

There are 307 residents for each doctor.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_terveys_en.html |title=Health (2004) |work=Statistics Finland |access-date=22 January 2007}}</ref> About 19% of health care is funded directly by households and 77% by taxation.

In April 2012, Finland was ranked 2nd in Gross National Happiness in a report published by The Earth Institute.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pakblog.net/2012/04/pakistan-ranked-85th-happiest-nation-in.html |title=World Happiness report |year=2012 |access-date=7 April 2012}}</ref> Since 2012, Finland has every time ranked at least in the top 5 of world's happiest countries in the annual World Happiness Report by the United Nations,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://worldhappiness.report/ed/2017/%7Ctitle=World Happiness Report 2017|access-date=22 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/happiness-report/2016/HR-V1_web.pdf%7Ctitle=World Happiness Report 2016 {{pipe}} Volume I (page 22)|access-date=22 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/happiness-report/2012/World_Happiness_Report_2012.pdf%7Ctitle=World Happiness Report 2012 (page 30) |access-date=22 May 2018}}</ref> as well as ranking as the happiest country in 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://worldhappiness.report/ed/2018/%7Ctitle=World Happiness Report 2018|access-date=21 May 2018|date=14 March 2018}}</ref>

Education and science

{{Main|Education in Finland}} {{See also|List of universities in Finland|List of schools in Finland}}

access-date=11 October 2020}}</ref>
Auditorium in Aalto University's main building, designed by Alvar Aalto
The library of the University of Eastern Finland in Snellmania, the Kuopio campus of the university
Pupils at the school of Torvinen in Sodankylä, Finland, in the 1920s

Most pre-tertiary education is arranged at municipal level. Even though many or most schools were started as private schools, today only around 3 percent of students are enrolled in private schools (mostly specialist language and international schools), much less than in Sweden and most other developed countries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eurydice.org/ressources/Eurydice/pdf/047DN/047_NL_EN.pdf |title=Summary sheets on education systems in Europe |publisher=Eurydice.org |access-date=26 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080910005807/http://www.eurydice.org/ressources/Eurydice/pdf/047DN/047_NL_EN.pdf |archive-date=10 September 2008 }}</ref> Pre-school education is rare compared with other EU countries and formal education is usually started at the age of 7. Primary school takes normally six years and lower secondary school three years. Most schools are managed by municipal officials.

The flexible curriculum is set by the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Education Board. Education is compulsory between the ages of 7 and 16. After lower secondary school, graduates may either enter the workforce directly, or apply to trade schools or gymnasiums (upper secondary schools). Trade schools offer a vocational education: approximately 40% of an age group choose this path after the lower secondary school.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unevoc.unesco.org/worldtvetdatabase1.php?ct=FIN |title=Vocational Education in Finland |date=18 November 2013 |access-date=9 May 2014 |author=UNESCO-UNEVOC}}</ref> Academically oriented gymnasiums have higher entrance requirements and specifically prepare for Abitur and tertiary education. Graduation from either formally qualifies for tertiary education.

In tertiary education, two mostly separate and non-interoperating sectors are found: the profession-oriented polytechnics and the research-oriented universities. Education is free and living expenses are to a large extent financed by the government through student benefits. There are 15 universities and 24 Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) in the country.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.scholarshipsineurope.com/list-of-university-in-finland/ |title=List of University in Finland |website=scholarshipsineurope.com |access-date=4 August 2018|date=July 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.studyinfinland.fi/where_to_study/universities_of_applied_sciences |title=Universities of Applied Sciences in Finland |website=studyinfinland.fi |access-date=4 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808092603/http://studyinfinland.fi/where_to_study/universities_of_applied_sciences |archive-date=8 August 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The University of Helsinki is ranked 75th in the Top University Ranking of 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.topuniversities.com/university/258/university-of-helsinki |title=Top University Ranking of 2010: University of Helsinki |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102111112/http://topuniversities.com/university/258/university-of-helsinki |archive-date=2 January 2010 }}</ref> The World Economic Forum ranks Finland's tertiary education No. 1 in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GlobalCompetitivenessReport_2013-14.pdf |title=The Global Competitiveness Report 2013–2014 |access-date=9 May 2014 |author=World Economic Forum |page=36|author-link=World Economic Forum }}</ref> Around 33% of residents have a tertiary degree, similar to Nordics and more than in most other OECD countries except Canada (44%), United States (38%) and Japan (37%).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tilastokeskus.fi/artikkelit/2006/art_2006-07-06_001.html |title=Tilastokeskus.fi |publisher=Tilastokeskus.fi |access-date=6 March 2011}}</ref> The proportion of foreign students is 3% of all tertiary enrollments, one of the lowest in OECD, while in advanced programs it is 7.3%, still below OECD average 16.5%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/24/52/39315711.pdf%7Ctitle=Education at Glance 2007: Finland|publisher=OECD}}</ref> Other reputable universities of Finland include Aalto University in Espoo, both University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University in Turku, University of Jyväskylä, University of Oulu, LUT University in Lappeenranta and Lahti, University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio and Joensuu, and Tampere University.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.study.eu/best-universities/finland%7Ctitle=The top 9 best universities in Finland: 2021 rankings|website=www.study.eu}}</ref>

More than 30% of tertiary graduates are in science-related fields. Forest improvement, materials research, environmental sciences, neural networks, low-temperature physics, brain research, biotechnology, genetic technology, and communications showcase fields of study where Finnish researchers have had a significant impact.<ref name="innovation">{{cite web|author=Kari Sipilä |title=A country that innovates |url=http://www.finland.cn/Public/default.aspx?contentid=99637 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707031053/http://www.finland.cn/Public/default.aspx?contentid=99637 |archive-date=7 July 2011 |work=Virtual Finland |publisher=Ministry for Foreign Affairs / Department for Communication and Culture / Unit for Promotion and Publications / Embassy and Consulates General of Finland in China |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Finland has a long tradition of adult education, and by the 1980s nearly one million Finns were receiving some kind of instruction each year. Forty percent of them did so for professional reasons. Adult education appeared in a number of forms, such as secondary evening schools, civic and workers' institutes, study centres, vocational course centres, and folk high schools. Study centres allowed groups to follow study plans of their own making, with educational and financial assistance provided by the state. Folk high schools are a distinctly Nordic institution. Originating in Denmark in the 19th century, folk high schools became common throughout the region. Adults of all ages could stay at them for several weeks and take courses in subjects that ranged from handicrafts to economics.<ref name="LOC" />

Finland is highly productive in scientific research. In 2005, Finland had the fourth most scientific publications per capita of the OECD countries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.research.fi/en/performance/scientific_publication.html |title=Scientific publication—Finnish science and technology Information Service |language=fi |publisher=Research.fi |date=15 November 2007 |access-date=3 August 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113085004/http://www.research.fi/en/performance/scientific_publication.html |archive-date=13 November 2013 }}</ref> In 2007, 1,801 patents were filed in Finland.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.research.fi/en/performance/patents/patents_with%20numbers |title=Patents with numbers—Finnish science and technology Information Service |language=fi |publisher=Research.fi |date=8 December 2009 |access-date=4 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091011194752/http://www.research.fi/en/performance/patents/patents_with%20numbers |archive-date=11 October 2009 }}</ref>

In addition, 38 percent of Finland's population has a university or college degree, which is among the highest percentages in the world.<ref>Sauter, Michael B. (24 September 2012) The Most Educated Countries in the World {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820025707/http://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-most-educated-countries-in-the-world.html;_ylt=AlaWy8IcyeBaviKi7_.WJyhE6odG;_ylu=X3oDMTJrY2d2NGZyBG1pdANDeFMgRmluYW5jaWFsbHkgRml0IEFydGljbGUgQXJ0aWNsZSBCb2R5IFByb2QEcG9zAzMEc2VjA01lZGlhQXJ0aWNsZUJvZHlBc3NlbWJseQ--;_ylg=X3oDMTNjdGVoaXJqBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDY2IyOTRhMGEtYmY2OS0zYTdlLThlYTUtZWFlNTU3YWI1ZTc3BHBzdGNhdANleGNsdXNpdmVzfGZpbmFuY2lhbGx5Zml0BHB0A3N0b3J5cGFnZQ--;_ylv=3?page=1 |date=20 August 2016 }}. Finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref><ref>And the World's Most Educated Country Is.... Newsfeed.time.com (27 September 2012). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

In 2010 a new law was enacted considering the universities, which defined that there are 16 of them as they were excluded from the public sector to be autonomous legal and financial entities, however enjoying special status in the legislation.<ref>. finlex.fi; Yliopistolaki 558/2009 – Säädökset alkuperäisinä – FINLEX. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref> As result many former state institutions were driven to collect funding from private sector contributions and partnerships. The change caused deep rooted discussions among the academic circles.<ref>Educational Schizophrenia in Finland |Teivo Teivainen. Teivo.net (8 August 2013). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

English language is important in Finnish education. There are a number of degree programs that are taught in English, which attracts thousands of degree and exchange students every year.

In December 2017 the OECD reported that Finnish fathers spend an average of eight minutes a day more with their school-aged children than mothers do.<ref>{{cite news |first=Charles |last=Bremner |title=Finland is the first country where fathers do most of the childcare |work=The Times |date=9 December 2017 |page=51}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/dec/04/finland-only-country-world-dad-more-time-kids-moms |title=Finland: the only country where fathers spend more time with kids than mothers |access-date=23 December 2017 |date=4 October 2017 |newspaper= The Guardian}}</ref>

Culture

{{Main|Culture of Finland}}

Sauna

{{Main|Finnish sauna}}

A smoke sauna in Ruka, Kuusamo

The Finns' love for saunas is generally associated with Finnish cultural tradition in the world. Sauna is a type of dry steam bath practiced widely in Finland, which is especially evident in the strong tradition around Midsummer and Christmas. In Finland, the sauna has been a traditional cure or part of the treatment for many different diseases, thanks to the heat, which why the sauna has been a very hygienic place. There is an old Finnish saying: "Jos sauna, terva ja viina ei auta, on tauti kuolemaksi." ("If sauna, tar and booze doesn't help you, then a disease is deadly").<ref>Sauna, viina ja terva – Potilaan Lääkärilehti (in Finnish)</ref> The word is of Proto-Finnish origin (found in Finnic and Sámi languages) dating back 7,000 years.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sauna – A Finnish national institution |last1=Helamaa |first1=Erkki |last2=Pentikäinen |first2=Juha |work=Virtual Finland |date=November 2001 |url= http://virtual.finland.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=26074 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080209130410/http://virtual.finland.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=26074 |archive-date=2008-02-09 |language=en }}</ref> Steam baths have been part of European tradition elsewhere as well, but the sauna has survived best in Finland, in addition to Sweden, the Baltic States, Russia, Norway, and parts of the United States and Canada. Moreover, nearly all Finnish houses have either their own sauna or in multistory apartment houses, a timeshare sauna. Public saunas were previously common, but the tradition has declined when saunas have been built nearly everywhere (private homes, municipal swimming halls, hotels, corporate headquarters, gyms, etc.). At one time, the World Sauna Championships were held in Heinola, Finland, but the death of a Russian competitor in 2010 finally stopped organizing the competitions as too dangerous.<ref>Sauna contest leaves Russian dead and champion Finn in hospital - The Guardian</ref>

The Finnish sauna culture was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists at the 17 December 2020 meeting of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. As authorized by the state, the Finnish Heritage Agency commits, together with Finnish sauna communities and promoters of the sauna culture, to safeguard the vitality of the sauna tradition and to highlight its importance as part of customs and wellbeing.<ref>{{cite web| title= Sauna culture in Finland |url= https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/sauna-culture-in-finland-01596 |publisher=UNESCO |access-date=18 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title= Finnish sauna culture steams up UNESCO Heritage List |url= https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finnish_sauna_culture_steams_up_unesco_heritage_list/11703917 |publisher=YLE |date=17 December 2020|access-date=18 December 2020}}</ref>

Literature

{{Main|Finnish literature}}

Mikael Agricola (1510–1557), Bishop of Turku, a prominent Lutheran Protestant reformer and the father of the Finnish written language

Written Finnish could be said to have existed since Mikael Agricola translated the New Testament into Finnish during the Protestant Reformation, but few notable works of literature were written until the 19th century and the beginning of a Finnish national Romantic Movement. This prompted Elias Lönnrot to collect Finnish and Karelian folk poetry and arrange and publish them as the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic. The era saw a rise of poets and novelists who wrote in Finnish, notably Aleksis Kivi (The Seven Brothers), Minna Canth (Anna Liisa), Eino Leino ({{ill|Helkavirsiä|fi}}), Johannes Linnankoski (The Song of the Blood-Red Flower) and Juhani Aho (The Railroad and Juha). Many writers of the national awakening wrote in Swedish, such as the national poet J. L. Runeberg (The Tales of Ensign Stål) and Zachris Topelius (The Tomten in Åbo Castle).

After Finland became independent, there was a rise of modernist writers, most famously the Finnish-speaking Mika Waltari and Swedish-speaking Edith Södergran. Frans Eemil Sillanpää was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1939. World War II prompted a return to more national interests in comparison to a more international line of thought, characterized by Väinö Linna with his The Unknown Soldier and Under the North Star trilogy. Besides Lönnrot's Kalevala and Waltari, the Swedish-speaking Tove Jansson, best known as the creator of The Moomins, is the most translated Finnish writer;<ref>Finnish post honours Moomin creator Jansson - YLE News</ref> her books have been translated into more than 40 languages.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://finland.fi/arts-culture/tove-jansson-and-the-moomin-story/%7Ctitle=Finland's Tove Jansson and the Moomin story|date=11 March 2014|website=thisisFINLAND}}</ref> Popular modern writers include Arto Paasilinna, Veikko Huovinen, Antti Tuuri, Ilkka Remes, Kari Hotakainen, Sofi Oksanen, Tuomas Kyrö, and Jari Tervo, while the best novel is annually awarded the prestigious Finlandia Prize.

Visual arts, design, and architecture

{{See also|Architecture of Finland|Finnish art}}

Akseli Gallen-Kallela, The Defense of the Sampo, 1896, Turku Art Museum

The visual arts in Finland started to form their individual characteristics in the 19th century, when Romantic nationalism was rising in autonomic Finland. The best known of Finnish painters, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, started painting in a naturalist style, but moved to national romanticism. Other notable world-famous Finnish painters include Magnus Enckell, Pekka Halonen, Eero Järnefelt, Helene Schjerfbeck and Hugo Simberg. Finland's best-known sculptor of the 20th century was Wäinö Aaltonen, remembered for his monumental busts and sculptures. Finns have made major contributions to handicrafts and industrial design: among the internationally renowned figures are Timo Sarpaneva, Tapio Wirkkala and Ilmari Tapiovaara. Finnish architecture is famous around the world, and has contributed significantly to several styles internationally, such as Jugendstil (or Art Nouveau), Nordic Classicism and Functionalism. Among the top 20th-century Finnish architects to gain international recognition are Eliel Saarinen and his son Eero Saarinen. Architect Alvar Aalto is regarded as among the most important 20th-century designers in the world;<ref>James Stevens Curl, Dictionary of Architecture, Grange Books, Rochester, 2005, p. 1.</ref> he helped bring functionalist architecture to Finland, but soon was a pioneer in its development towards an organic style.<ref>Sigfried Giedion, Space, Time and Architecture: The Growth of a New Tradition, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2nd edition, 1949.</ref> Aalto is also famous for his work in furniture, lamps, textiles and glassware, which were usually incorporated into his buildings.

Music

{{Main|Music of Finland|Rock music in Finland|Sami music}}

The Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865–1957) was a significant figure in the history of classical music.
Classical

Much of Finland's classical music is influenced by traditional Karelian melodies and lyrics, as comprised in the Kalevala. Karelian culture is perceived as the purest expression of the Finnic myths and beliefs, less influenced by Germanic influence than the Nordic folk dance music that largely replaced the kalevaic tradition. Finnish folk music has undergone a roots revival in recent decades, and has become a part of popular music.

The people of northern Finland, Sweden, and Norway, the Sami, are known primarily for highly spiritual songs called joik. The same word sometimes refers to lavlu or vuelie songs, though this is technically incorrect.

The first Finnish opera was written by the German-born composer Fredrik Pacius in 1852. Pacius also wrote the music to the poem Maamme/Vårt land (Our Country), Finland's national anthem. In the 1890s Finnish nationalism based on the Kalevala spread, and Jean Sibelius became famous for his vocal symphony Kullervo. He soon received a grant to study runo singers in Karelia and continued his rise as the first prominent Finnish musician. In 1899 he composed Finlandia, which played its important role in Finland gaining independence. He remains one of Finland's most popular national figures and is a symbol of the nation. Another one of the most significant and internationally best-known Finnish-born classical composers long before Sibelius was Bernhard Crusell.<ref>See {{cite web|url=http://www.mozartforum.com/Contemporary%20Pages/Crusell_Contemp.htm%7Ctitle=Bernhard Henrik Crusell (1775-1838)|last=Asiado|first=Tel|work=Mozart Forum|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090708192751/http://www.mozartforum.com/Contemporary%20Pages/Crusell_Contemp.htm |archive-date=8 July 2009|access-date=31 January 2010}}</ref>

Modern
Perttu Kivilaakso of Apocalyptica

Iskelmä (coined directly from the German word Schlager, meaning "hit") is a traditional Finnish word for a light popular song.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Suomalainen iskelmä |last=Kaivanto |first=Petri |work=Pomus.net |access-date=18 July 2020 |url= http://pomus.net/kehityslinjat/suomalaineniskelma |language=fi }}</ref> Finnish popular music also includes various kinds of dance music; tango, a style of Argentine music, is also popular.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explaining the Finnish love of tango |author=C.G. |work=The Economist |date=11 October 2017 |access-date=18 July 2020 |url= https://www.economist.com/prospero/2017/10/11/explaining-the-finnish-love-of-tango }}</ref> The light music in Swedish-speaking areas has more influences from Sweden. Modern Finnish popular music includes a number of prominent rock bands, jazz musicians, hip hop performers, dance music acts, etc.<ref>{{Cite web|date=9 September 2014|title=Don't mess with Finnish jazz|url=https://finland.fi/arts-culture/dont-mess-with-finnish-jazz/%7Caccess-date=1 September 2020|website=thisisFINLAND|language=en-US}}</ref>{{Additional citation needed|date=September 2020}} Also, at least a couple of Finnish polkas are known worldwide, such as Säkkijärven polkka<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/how-the-finns-stopped-the-soviets-with-this-polka-song/%7Ctitle=How the Finns stopped the Soviets with this polka song|date=6 August 2020}}</ref> and Ievan polkka.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://musicfinland.com/en/news/finnish-jenkka-song-took-over-japans-department-stores%7Ctitle=Finnish jenkka song took over Japan's department stores|website=Music Finland}}</ref>

During the early 1960s, the first significant wave of Finnish rock groups emerged, playing instrumental rock inspired by groups such as The Shadows. Around 1964, Beatlemania arrived in Finland, resulting in further development of the local rock scene. During the late 1960s and '70s, Finnish rock musicians increasingly wrote their own music instead of translating international hits into Finnish. During the decade, some progressive rock groups such as Tasavallan Presidentti and Wigwam gained respect abroad but failed to make a commercial breakthrough outside Finland. This was also the fate of the rock and roll group Hurriganes. The Finnish punk scene produced some internationally acknowledged names including Terveet Kädet in the 1980s. Hanoi Rocks was a pioneering 1980s glam rock act that inspired the American hard rock group Guns N' Roses, among others.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304587704577333813382925678%7Ctitle=Guns N' Roses Can Agree on at Least One Thing: This Finnish Saxophonist Rocks |last=Shah|first=Neil|date=15 April 2012|work=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=19 November 2012}}</ref>

Many Finnish metal bands have gained international recognition; Finland has been often called the "Promised Land of Heavy Metal", because there are more than 50 metal Bands for every 100,000 inhabitants – more than any other nation in the world.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://finland.fi/arts-culture/finnish-metropolises-vie-to-win-capital-of-metal/%7Ctitle=Finnish metropolises vie to win Capital of Metal|date=8 May 2018|website=thisisFINLAND}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.famouscampaigns.com/2019/07/finlands-stage-worlds-first-heavy-metal-knitting-championship/%7Ctitle=Finland stage world's first heavy metal knitting championship|first=Famous|last=Campaigns}}</ref>

Cinema and television

{{Main|Cinema of Finland|Television in Finland}} {{See also|Lists of Finnish films}}

The Finnish filmmakers Edvin Laine and Matti Kassila in 1955

In the film industry, notable directors include brothers Mika and Aki Kaurismäki, Dome Karukoski, Antti Jokinen, Jalmari Helander, Mauritz Stiller, Edvin Laine, Teuvo Tulio, Spede Pasanen, and Hollywood film director and producer Renny Harlin. Internationally well-known Finnish actors and actresses include Jasper Pääkkönen, Peter Franzén, Laura Birn, Irina Björklund, Samuli Edelmann, Krista Kosonen, Ville Virtanen and Joonas Suotamo. Around twelve feature films are made each year.<ref name="Media moves">{{cite web |url=http://finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=162833&contentlan=2&culture=en-US |title=Media moves |work=ThisisFINLAND (Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501141049/http://finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=162833&contentlan=2&culture=en-US |archive-date=1 May 2011 }}</ref>

One of the most internationally successful Finnish films are The White Reindeer, directed by Erik Blomberg in 1952, which won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film in 1956, five years after its limited release in the United States;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.awardsandshows.com/features/best-foreign-film-506.html |title=List of Winners – Golden Globes Best Foreign Film |access-date=12 December 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Sundholm|first1=John|last2=Thorsen|first2=Isak|last3=Andersson|first3=Lars Gustaf|last4=Hedling|first4=Olof|last5=Iversen|first5=Gunnar|last6=Møller|first6=Birgir Thor|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QktG6a4YnQYC&q=1957+golden+globe+best+foreign+film+white+reindeer&pg=PA390 |title= Historical Dictionary of Scandinavian Cinema (Google eBook) |access-date=12 December 2013|date = 20 September 2012| page=389 et seq|isbn = 978-0-8108-7899-0}}</ref> The Man Without a Past, directed by Aki Kaurismäki in 2002, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2002 and won the Grand Prix at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival;<ref>{{cite web|last=Fauth|first=Jurgen|url=http://worldfilm.about.com/od/scandinavianfilm/fr/manwithoutpast.htm%7Ctitle=The Man Without a Past|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906125603/http://worldfilm.about.com/od/scandinavianfilm/fr/manwithoutpast.htm |archive-date=6 September 2015|work=About.com|access-date=5 February 2008}}</ref> and The Fencer, directed by Klaus Härö in 2015, which was nominated for the 73rd Golden Globe Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category as a Finnish/German/Estonian co-production.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/fencer%7Ctitle=The Fencer|website=www.goldenglobes.com}}</ref>

In Finland, the most significant films include The Unknown Soldier, directed by Edvin Laine in 1955, which is shown on television every Independence Day.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finnish_independence_day_galas_protests_and_war_memories/7671639%7Ctitle=Finnish Independence Day: Galas, protests and war memories|website=Yle Uutiset}}</ref> Here, Beneath the North Star from 1968, also directed by Laine, which includes the Finnish Civil War from the perspective of the Red Guards, is also one of the most significant works in Finnish history.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lfq.salisbury.edu/_issues/48_1/agreeing_on_history_adaptation_as_restorative_truth_in_finnish_reconciliation.html%7Ctitle=Agreeing on History Adaptation as Restorative Truth in Finnish Reconciliation, Mads Larsen, Literature Film Quarterly|website=lfq.salisbury.edu}}</ref> A 1960 crime comedy film Inspector Palmu's Mistake, directed by Matti Kassila, was voted in 2012 the best Finnish film of all time by Finnish film critics and journalists in a poll organized by Yle Uutiset,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://yle.fi/uutiset/kriitikot_valitsivat_kaikkien_aikojen_parhaan_kotimaisen_elokuvan/6372726 | title=Kriitikot valitsivat kaikkien aikojen parhaan kotimaisen elokuvan | publisher=Yle Uutiset | date=12 November 2012 | access-date=9 May 2014 | author=Sundqvist, Janne | language=fi}}</ref> but the 1984 comedy film Uuno Turhapuro in the Army, the ninth film in the Uuno Turhapuro film series, remains Finland's most seen domestic film made since 1968 by Finnish audience.<ref>Uuno armeijan leivissä ja muut Turhapuro elokuvat (in Finnish)</ref>

Although Finland's television offerings are largely known for their domestic dramas, such as the long-running soap opera series Salatut elämät,<ref>Juha Suoranta & Hanna Lehtimäki: Children in the Information Society: The Case of Finland (New Literacies and Digital Epistemologies). Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers, 2004. {{ISBN|978-0-8204-6829-7}}.</ref><ref>Elisabeth Eide & Kaarina Nikunen: Media in Motion: Cultural Complexity and Migration in the Nordic Region (Research in Migration and Ethnic Relations). Routledge, 2010. {{ISBN|978-1-4094-0446-0}}.</ref> there are also internationally known drama series, such as {{ill|Syke (TV series)|fi|Syke (televisiosarja)|lt=Syke}} and Bordertown.<ref>YLE: Syke, Sorjonen ja Suomi Love myyvät maailmalla, mutta Presidentti ei maistunut kriitikoille (in Finnish)</ref> One of Finland's most internationally successful TV shows are the backpacking travel documentary series Madventures and the reality TV show The Dudesons.

Media and communications

{{See also|Telecommunications in Finland|List of newspapers in Finland}}

Linus Torvalds, the Finnish software engineer best known for creating the popular open-source kernel Linux

Thanks to its emphasis on transparency and equal rights, Finland's press has been rated the freest in the world.<ref>2010 Freedom of the Press Survey {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111105114819/http://newseum.org/news/2011/05/world-press-freedom.html |date=5 November 2011}} (retrieved 4 May 2011).</ref>

Today, there are around 200 newspapers, 320 popular magazines, 2,100 professional magazines, 67 commercial radio stations, three digital radio channels and one nationwide and five national public service radio channels.

Each year, around 12,000 book titles are published and 12 million records are sold.<ref name="Media moves" />

Sanoma publishes the newspapers Helsingin Sanomat (its circulation of 412,000<ref>{{cite web |title=Circulation Statistics |url=http://www.levikintarkastus.fi/english/statistics.php |publisher=The Finnish Audit Bureau of Circulations (Levikintarkastus Oy) |access-date=25 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090601160935/http://www.levikintarkastus.fi/english/statistics.php |archive-date=1 June 2009 }}</ref> making it the largest) and Aamulehti, the tabloid Ilta-Sanomat, the commerce-oriented Taloussanomat and the television channel Nelonen. The other major publisher Alma Media publishes over thirty magazines, including the tabloid Iltalehti and commerce-oriented Kauppalehti. Worldwide, Finns, along with other Nordic peoples and the Japanese, spend the most time reading newspapers.<ref>{{cite web |title=World Press Trends: Newspapers Still Reach More Than Internet |url=http://www.wan-ifra.org/press-releases/2011/10/12/world-press-trends-newspapers-still-reach-more-than-internet |publisher=World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers |access-date=19 November 2012 |archive-date=23 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121123093454/http://www.wan-ifra.org/press-releases/2011/10/12/world-press-trends-newspapers-still-reach-more-than-internet |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Yle, the Finnish Broadcasting Company, operates five television channels and thirteen radio channels in both national languages. Yle is funded through a mandatory television license and fees for private broadcasters. All TV channels are broadcast digitally, both terrestrially and on cable. The commercial television channel MTV3 and commercial radio channel Radio Nova are owned by Nordic Broadcasting (Bonnier and Proventus).

In regards to telecommunication infrastructure, Finland is the highest ranked country in the World Economic Forum's Network Readiness Index (NRI) – an indicator for determining the development level of a country's information and communication technologies. Finland ranked 1st overall in the 2014 NRI ranking, unchanged from the year before.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GITR/2014/GITR_OverallRanking_2014.pdf |title=NRI Overall Ranking 2014 |publisher=World Economic Forum |access-date=28 June 2014}}</ref> This is shown in its penetration throughout the country's population. Around 79% of the population use the Internet (2007).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stat.fi/til/sutivi/2007/sutivi_2007_2007-09-28_tie_001_en.html |title=Internet used by 79 per cent of the population at the beginning of 2007|work=Statistics Finland |access-date=22 December 2007}}</ref> Finland had around 1.52 million broadband Internet connections by the end of June 2007 or around 287 per 1,000 inhabitants.<ref name="FICORA">{{cite web |url=http://www.ficora.fi/attachments/englanti/5ruZDB5VP/Files/CurrentFile/Market_review_2_2007.pdf |title=Market Review 2/2007 |work=Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority (FICORA) |date=31 August 2007 |access-date=4 September 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070925220234/http://www.ficora.fi/attachments/englanti/5ruZDB5VP/Files/CurrentFile/Market_review_2_2007.pdf |archive-date=25 September 2007 }}</ref> All Finnish schools and public libraries have Internet connections and computers and most residents have a mobile phone.<ref>Information technology has become part of Finns' everyday life (Statistics Finland).</ref>

Cuisine

{{Main|Finnish cuisine}}

Karelian pasty (karjalanpiirakka) is a traditional Finnish dish made from a thin rye crust with a filling of rice. Butter, often mixed with boiled egg (eggbutter or munavoi), is spread over the hot pastries before eating.

Finnish cuisine is notable for generally combining traditional country fare and haute cuisine with contemporary style cooking. Fish and meat play a prominent role in traditional Finnish dishes from the western part of the country, while the dishes from the eastern part have traditionally included various vegetables and mushrooms. Refugees from Karelia contributed to foods in eastern Finland. Many regions have strongly branded traditional delicacies, such as Tampere has mustamakkara<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/eat-and-drink/4311-the-black-sausage-is-the-pride-of-tampere%7Ctitle=The black sausage is the pride of Tampere|website=www.helsinkitimes.fi}}</ref> and Kuopio has kalakukko.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theculturetrip.com/europe/finland/articles/top-10-finnish-pastries-try/%7Ctitle=Top 10 Finnish Pastries You Have to Try|first=Jessica|last=Wood|website=Culture Trip}}</ref>

Finnish foods often use wholemeal products (rye, barley, oats) and berries (such as bilberries, lingonberries, cloudberries, and sea buckthorn). Milk and its derivatives like buttermilk are commonly used as food, drink, or in various recipes. Various turnips were common in traditional cooking, but were replaced with the potato after its introduction in the 18th century.

According to the statistics, red meat consumption has risen, but still Finns eat less beef than many other nations, and more fish and poultry. This is mainly because of the high cost of meat in Finland.

Finland has the world's highest per capita consumption of coffee.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fusiontables.google.com/DataSource?docid=1C-fn6nSe21acP0xJIO1T1x0wohqfMYCQyJjbqdk#rows:id=1%7Ctitle=Google Fusion Tables|website=fusiontables.google.com}}</ref> Milk consumption is also high, at an average of about {{convert|112|litre}}, per person, per year,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.luke.fi/en/news/what-was-eaten-in-finland-in-2017%7Ctitle=What was eaten in Finland in 2017|website=Luonnonvarakeskus}}</ref> even though 17% of the Finns are lactose intolerant.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.edunation.co/studyinfinland/blog/5-odd-facts-finland/%7Ctitle=Odd Facts about Finland|website=edunation.co|date=19 September 2017|access-date=17 November 2018|archive-date=17 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181117153004/https://www.edunation.co/studyinfinland/blog/5-odd-facts-finland/%7Curl-status=dead}}</ref>

Public holidays

{{Main|Public holidays in Finland|Flag flying days in Finland}} There are several holidays in Finland, of which perhaps the most characteristic of Finnish culture include Christmas (joulu), Midsummer (juhannus), May Day (vappu) and Independence Day (itsenäisyyspäivä). Of these, Christmas and Midsummer are special in Finland because the actual festivities take place on eves, such as Christmas Eve (jouluaatto)<ref>Llewellyn's Sabbats Almanac: Samhain 2010 to Mabon 2011 p.64. Llewellyn Worldwide, 2010</ref><ref>Festivals of Western Europe p.202. Forgotten Books, 1973</ref> and Midsummer's Eve (juhannusaatto),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.finlit.fi/tietopalvelu/juhlat/juhannus/kokko.htm |title=Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura: Juhannuskokko |publisher=Finlit.fi |access-date=25 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121212031052/http://www.finlit.fi/tietopalvelu/juhlat/juhannus/kokko.htm |archive-date=12 December 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.finlit.fi/tietopalvelu/juhlat/juhannus/koriste.htm |title=Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura: Koivunoksia ja maitoruokia |publisher=Finlit.fi |access-date=25 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121212031056/http://www.finlit.fi/tietopalvelu/juhlat/juhannus/koriste.htm |archive-date=12 December 2012 }}</ref> while Christmas Day (joulupäivä) and Midsummer's Day (juhannuspäivä) are more consecrated to rest. Other public holidays in Finland are New Year's Day (uudenvuodenpäivä), Epiphany (loppiainen), Good Friday (pitkäperjantai), Easter Sunday (pääsiäissunnuntai) and Easter Monday (pääsiäismaanantai), Ascension Day (helatorstai), All Saints' Day (pyhäinpäivä) and Saint Stephen's Day (tapaninpäivä). All official holidays in Finland are established by Acts of Parliament. On the other hand, laskiainen that is strongly part of the Finnish tradition is not defined as a public holiday in relation to the above-mentioned holidays.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iltalehti.fi/kotimaa/a/a5ada22b-379b-4b8b-83ca-51bf6f97213c%7Ctitle=Tänään on vietetty laskiaista – mutta tiedätkö, mistä päivässä on oikein kyse?|first=Samppa|last=Rautio|work=Iltalehti|date=5 March 2019|access-date=26 November 2020|language=fi}}</ref>

Sports

{{Main|Sport in Finland}}

Finland's men's national ice hockey team is ranked as one of the best in the world. The team has won three world championship titles (in 1995, 2011 and 2019) and six Olympic medals.
Kankkunen on the Laajavuori stage of the 2010 Rally Finland

Various sporting events are popular in Finland. Pesäpallo, resembling baseball, is the national sport of Finland, although the most popular sport in terms of spectators is ice hockey. The Ice Hockey World Championships 2016 final, Finland-Canada, was watched by 69% of Finnish people on TV.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://mtv.fi/sport/mm2016/uutiset/artikkeli/leijonien-mm-finaalista-kaikkien-aikojen-katsotuin-jaakiekko-ottelu-suomessa/5908282 |title = Leijonien MM-finaalista historian katsotuin jääkiekko-ottelu Suomessa!| work = mtv.fi| date = 23 May 2016| access-date = 23 May 2016}}</ref> Other popular sports include athletics, cross-country skiing, ski jumping, football, volleyball and basketball.<ref>Valta vaihtui urheilussa: Suomalaiset arvostavat nyt enemmän futista kuin jääkiekkoa |Jalkapallo |HS. Hs.fi (27 February 2014). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref> While ice hockey is the most popular sport when it comes to attendance at games, association football is the most played team sport in terms of the number of players in the country and is also the most appreciated sport in Finland.<ref>Jalkapallo nousi arvostetuimmaksi urheilulajiksi |Yle Urheilu. yle.fi. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref><ref>{{in lang|fi}} Jalkapallolla eniten harrastajia – se lyö lätkän, hiihto on alamäessä |Länsiväylä {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826183108/https://www.lansivayla.fi/artikkeli/369185-jalkapallolla-eniten-harrastajia-se-lyo-latkan-hiihto-on-alamaessa |date=26 August 2018 }}. Lansivayla.fi (28 February 2016). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

In terms of medals and gold medals won per capita, Finland is the best performing country in Olympic history.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.medalspercapita.com/#medals-per-capita:all-time%7Ctitle=Olympic Medals per Capita|website=medalspercapita.com}}</ref> Finland first participated as a nation in its own right at the Olympic Games in 1908, while still an autonomous Grand Duchy within the Russian Empire. At the 1912 Summer Olympics, great pride was taken in the three gold medals won by the original "Flying Finn" Hannes Kolehmainen.

Finland was one of the most successful countries at the Olympic Games before World War II. At the 1924 Summer Olympics, Finland, a nation then of only 3.2 million people, came second in the medal count. In the 1920s and '30s, Finnish long-distance runners dominated the Olympics, with Paavo Nurmi winning a total of nine Olympic gold medals between 1920 and 1928 and setting 22 official world records between 1921 and 1931. Nurmi is often considered the greatest Finnish sportsman and one of the greatest athletes of all time.

For over 100 years, Finnish male and female athletes have consistently excelled at the javelin throw. The event has brought Finland nine Olympic gold medals, five world championships, five European championships, and 24 world records.

The 1952 Summer Olympics were held in Helsinki. Other notable sporting events held in Finland include the 1983 and 2005 World Championships in Athletics.

Finland also has a notable history in figure skating. Finnish skaters have won 8 world championships and 13 junior world cups in synchronized skating, and Finland is considered one of the best countries at the sport.

Some of the most popular recreational sports and activities include floorball, Nordic walking, running, cycling, and skiing (alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and ski jumping). Floorball, in terms of registered players, occupies third place after football and ice hockey. According to the Finnish Floorball Federation, floorball is the most popular school, youth, club and workplace sport.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.expat-finland.com/events/finnish_sports.html%7Ctitle=Finnish Sports: Try the sports Finns love!|first=Stuart Allt Web Design, Turku|last=Finland|website=expat-finland.com}}</ref> {{as of|2016}}, the total number of licensed players reaches 57,400.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.floorball.org/pages/EN/Finland%7Ctitle=IFF%7Clast=IFF%7Cwebsite=floorball.org}}</ref>

Especially since the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Finland's national basketball team has received widespread public attention. More than 8,000 Finns travelled to Spain to support their team. Overall, they chartered more than 40 airplanes.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.fiba.com/basketballworldcup/2014/news/Fan-power-Finn-power-The-tournament--begins--on-win |title= Fan power! Finn power! The tournament "begins" on a winning note for Dettman's team |author=FIBA |date=31 August 2014 |publisher=FIBA.com |access-date=2 November 2014}}</ref>

See also

{{Portal |Finland|Arctic}}

{{Clear}}

Notes

{{reflist|group=note}}

References

{{Reflist|30em}}

Further reading

{{refbegin|30em}}

  • Chew, Allen F. The White Death: The Epic of the Soviet-Finnish Winter War ({{ISBN|0-87013-167-2}}).
  • Engle, Eloise and Paananen, Pauri. The Winter War: The Soviet Attack on Finland 1939–1940 ({{ISBN|0-8117-2433-6}}).
  • Insight Guide: Finland ({{ISBN|981-4120-39-1}}).
  • Jakobson, Max. Finland in the New Europe ({{ISBN|0-275-96372-1}}).
  • Jutikkala, Eino; Pirinen, Kauko. A History of Finland ({{ISBN|0-88029-260-1}}).
  • Klinge, Matti. Let Us Be Finns: Essays on History ({{ISBN|951-1-11180-9}}).
  • Lavery, Jason. The History of Finland, Greenwood Histories of the Modern Nations, Greenwood Press, 2006 ({{ISBN|0-313-32837-4}}, {{ISSN|1096-2905}}).
  • Lewis, Richard D. Finland: Cultural Lone Wolf ({{ISBN|1-931930-18-X}}).
  • Lonely Planet: Finland ({{ISBN|1-74059-791-5}})
  • Mann, Chris. Hitler's Arctic War: The German Campaigns in Norway, Finland, and the USSR 1940–1945 ({{ISBN|0-312-31100-1}}).
  • Rusama, Jaakko. Ecumenical Growth in Finland ({{ISBN|951-693-239-8}}).
  • Singleton, Fred. A Short History of Finland ({{ISBN|0-521-64701-0}}).
  • Subrenat, Jean-Jacques. Listen, there's music from the forest; a brief presentation of the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival ({{ISBN|952-92-0564-3}}).
  • Swallow, Deborah. Culture Shock! Finland: A Guide to Customs and Etiquette ({{ISBN|1-55868-592-8}}).
  • Trotter, William R. A Frozen Hell: The Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939–1940 ({{ISBN|1-56512-249-6}}).

{{refend}}

External links

{{Sister project links|Finland|voy=Finland}}

Government

Maps

  • {{osmrelation-inline|54224}}
  • {{wikiatlas|Finland}}

Travel

{{Finland topics}} {{Navboxes |list= {{Sovereign states of Europe}} {{Nordic countries}} {{Nordic Council}} {{Member states of the European Union}} {{European Economic Area (EEA)}} {{Countries bordering the Baltic Sea}} }} {{Authority control}} {{coord|64|N|26|E|region:FI_type:country|display=title}}

Your World of Text during the second soyjak.party raid.

Your World of Text is a website that allows anyone to type whatever they want on an infinitely large canvas. A favourite target for soyjak.party raids due to the ease of editing and lack of jannies or any ban system whatsoever.

Normally you can't paste text on YWOT, type 

Permissions.can_paste = function() {return true;};

into your browser's console to enable pasting, or use Your Hacked World of Text (linked below).

Raids

The first soyjak raid on Your World of Text occured on June 7, 2021. It was fairly minor and was quickly forgotten due to the original thread being lost to the Captain Coal incident. The second raid began on June 10, 2021 and is still ongoing. Massive amounts of ASCIIjaks and Sneed spam could be found across the canvas, invoking the rage of several Brazillians using the site, however these were mostly erased in the early morning of June 13. A rebuilding effort is ongoing, with skirmishes between soyjak.party raiders, a Trollface spammer, and a Ballmerposter being documented.

Gallery

<gallery> File:YWOTJune12.png|The second raid (June 12) File:YWOTSkirmishes.png|Skirmishes during the rebuilding effort of June 13 </gallery>

Related articles

External links

{{subst::You will hang, pedophile}} {{hatnote|This article is about live action drama television programs. Comedy-dramas ("dramedy") are also included in List of comedy television series with LGBT characters. For animated series, see List of animated series with LGBTQ+ characters.}} {{For|live action characters listed by orientation|List of lesbian characters in television|List of gay characters in television|List of bisexual characters in television|List of transgender characters in television}} {{For2|the list of 1960s–2000s series|List of dramatic television series with LGBT characters: 1960s–2000s|the list of 2020s series|List of dramatic television series with LGBT characters: 2020s}} {{Short description|Wikipedia list article}} {{very long|date=March 2021}} {{dynamic list}} {{sp}} This is a list of dramatic television series (including web television and miniseries) that premiered in the 2010s which feature lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender characters. Non-binary, pansexual, asexual, and graysexual characters are also included. The orientation can be portrayed on-screen, described in the dialogue or mentioned.

2010

Year Show Network Character Actor Notes
2010–2013 The|Big C|The Big C (TV series)}} Showtime Lee Hugh Dancy last1=Hartinger |first1=Brent |title=You Should TOTALLY be Watching the Hugh Dancy Storyline on "The Big C" Right Now! |url=http://www.newnownext.com/you-should-totally-be-watching-the-hugh-dancy-storyline-on-the-big-c-right-now/08/2011/ |website=NewNowNext |date=August 8, 2011}}</ref>
2010–2014 Boardwalk Empire HBO Angela Darmody Aleksa Palladino title=Boardwalk Empire |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/boardwalk-empire/}}</ref>
Mary Dittrich Lisa Joyce Mary is bisexual, and a photographer's assistant to her husband.<ref name="Boardwalk EmpireLezWatch"/>
Louise Bryant Kristen Sieh Louise is a lesbian, and a bohemian from San Francisco. She is killed by a mobster.<ref name="Boardwalk EmpireLezWatch"/>
2010–2013 Dance Academy ABC1
ABC3		 Sammy Lieberman Tom Green last1=Besanvalle |first1=James |title=Flash star Keiynan Lonsdale comes out in beautiful Instagram post |url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/flash-star-keiynan-lonsdale-comes-bisexual-beautiful-instagram-post/ |website=Gay Star News |date=13 May 2017}}</ref>
Ollie Lloyd Keiynan Lonsdale last1=Fox |first1=Tiffany |title=Reluctant heart-throb |url=https://thewest.com.au/entertainment/art/reluctant-heart-throb-ng-ya-273222 |website=The West Australian |date=3 July 2013}}</ref>
Christian Reed Jordan Rodrigues last1=Knox |first1=David |title=A kiss is just a kiss, even in teen TV. {{!}} TV Tonight |url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2010/08/a-kiss-is-just-a-kiss-even-in-teen-tv.html |website=TV Tonight |date=August 21, 2010}}</ref>
Rhys O'Leary Richard Brancatisano Rhys dates Ollie, after Sammy dies.<ref name="Flash star Keiynan Lonsdale"/>
2010–2015 Downton Abbey ITV
PBS		 Thomas Barrow Rob James-Collier Thomas is gay. He is a footman in the aristocratic Crawley household and hides his sexuality due to the criminality of the time period. He also appears in the movie adaption.<ref name="Downton Abbey">{{cite web |last1=Ryan |first1=Hugh |title=Downton Abbey's Thomas Barrow and the Future of the Gay Past |url=https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a28984957/downton-abbey-thomas-barrow-gay-sexuality-1920s-history-accuracy/ |website=Town & Country |date=16 September 2019}}</ref>
Duke of Crowborough Charlie Cox The Duke of Crowborough is Lady Mary's suitor and Thomas's lover in the opening of the show.<ref name="Downton Abbey"/>
2010–2011 Gigantic TeenNick Ryan Katins Greg Ellis last1=Hartinger |first1=Brent |title="Gigantic" Brings Gay Diversity to "Tween" Television with a Gay Dad |url=http://www.newnownext.com/gigantic-brings-gay-diversity-to-tween-television-with-a-gay-dad/03/2011/ |website=NewNowNext |date=March 22, 2011}}</ref>
Charlie Maddock Don O. Knowlton Charlie is gay and Ryan's boyfriend.<ref name="gigantic tv show"/>
2010–2011 Hellcats The|CW|The CW Television Network}} Darwin Jeremy Wong last1=Jensen |first1=Michael |title=Best. Gay. Week. Ever! Who Wants to Be a Baby Daddy? |url=http://www.newnownext.com/best-gay-week-ever-who-wants-to-be-a-baby-daddy/01/2011/2/ |website=NewNowNext |date=January 21, 2011}}</ref>
2010–2011 Law & Order: LA NBC Lt. Arleen Gonzales Rachel Ticotin title=Arleen Gonzales, Law & Order: LA |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/arleen-gonzales-law-order-la/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
2010–2012 Lip Service BBC Three Cat McKenzie Laura Fraser title=Lip Service |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/lip-service/}}</ref>
Frankie Alan Ruta Gedmintas Frankie is bisexual.<ref name="Lip Service LezWatch.TV"/>
Tess Roberts Fiona Button Tess is a lesbian. She is Cat's roommate and a struggling actor.<ref name="Lip Service LezWatch.TV"/>
Sgt Sam Murray Heather Peace Sam is a lesbian police officer, and Cat's girlfriend.<ref name="Lip Service LezWatch.TV"/>
Sadie Anderson Natasha O'Keeffe last1=Pitts |first1=Gavin |title=Couch Potato - Lip Service |url=https://www.outinperth.com/couch-potato-lip-service/ |website=OUT In Perth |date=7 September 2011}}</ref>
Lexy Price Anna Skellern Lexy is lesbian, and a Doctor. In season 2 she has a crush on Sam.<ref name="Lip Service LezWatch.TV"/>
Declan Love Adam Sinclair title=Lip Service |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/lipservice/ |website=BBC}}</ref>
Lou Foster Roxanne McKee Lou is a closeted bisexual, who has a secret relationship with Tess.<ref name="Couch Potato Lip Service"/>
Lauren Neve McIntosh Lauren is lesbian, and an editor at a Scottish arts, culture and fashion magazine. Her partner is Jo.<ref name="Lauren played by Neve McIntosh"/>
Jo Valerie Edmond title=Lauren played by Neve McIntosh |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/lipservice/lauren/ |website=BBC}}</ref>
2010–2015 Lost Girl Showcase Bo Dennis Anna Silk Bo is a bisexual succubus, meaning she can and often does drain the life force of others through intimate contact.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Stinson|first1=Scott|title=Stinson: The not-so-bizarre love triangle in Lost Girl|url=http://news.nationalpost.com/arts/television/stinson-the-not-so-bizarre-love-triangle-in-lost-girl%7Cwork=National Post|date=November 7, 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150405045213/http://news.nationalpost.com/arts/television/stinson-the-not-so-bizarre-love-triangle-in-lost-girl%7Carchive-date=5 April 2015}}</ref><ref name="Lost Girl LezWatch.TV">{{cite web |title=Lost Girl |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/lost-girl/}}</ref>
Lauren Lewis Zoie Palmer Lauren is lesbian, and a Doctor to the Fae.<ref name="Lost Girl LezWatch.TV"/>
Evony Fleurette Marquise Emmanuelle Vaugier Evony (aka The Morrigain), is bisexual and queen of the dark Fae. She lost her powers after oral sex with Lauren.<ref name="Lost Girl LezWatch.TV"/><ref name="The Unicorn Scale Lost Girl"/>
Vex Paul Amos Vex is bisexual, and ends up with Mark in the final episodes of the series.<ref name="The Unicorn Scale Lost Girl"/>
Nadia Athena Karkanis Nadia is lesbian, and Lauren's girlfriend.<ref name="Lost Girl LezWatch.TV"/>
Tamsin Rachel Skarsten Tamsin is a bisexual Valkyrie who works as a bounty hunter and mercenary for the Dark Fae.<ref name="Lost Girl LezWatch.TV"/><ref name="The Unicorn Scale Lost Girl"/>
Crystal Ali Liebert Crystal is a lesbian waitress.<ref name="Lost Girl LezWatch.TV"/>
Mark Luke Bilyk last1=Swartz |first1=SB |title=The Unicorn Scale: Lost Girl |url=https://bi.org/en/articles/the-unicorn-scale-lost-girl |website=Bi.org |date=February 12, 2019}}</ref>
Dagny Olivia Scriven Dagny is pansexual and Tamsin's daughter.<ref name="Lost Girl LezWatch.TV"/>
2010–2019 Luther BBC Emma Lane Rose Leslie last1=Hogan|first1=Michael|title=Luther Season 4: What You Need To Know|url=https://uk.askmen.com/top_10/celebrity/luther-season-4-what-you-need-to-know/ |website=Askmen|date=14 December 2015|access-date=13 January 2020}}</ref>
2010 Outlaw NBC Lucinda Pearl Carly Pope title=Lucinda Pearl |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lucinda-pearl/}}</ref>
2010–2015 Parenthood NBC Haddie Braverman Sarah Ramos title=Haddie Braverman |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/haddie-braverman/}}</ref>
Lauren Tavi Gevinson title=Lauren |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lauren/}}</ref>
2010–2017 Pretty Little Liars Freeform Emily Fields Shay Mitchell Emily realizes that she is a lesbian in Season 1 when she begins a romance with Maya and comes out to her father. She later marries Alison.<ref name="Pretty Little Liars Lez"/>
Maya St. Germain Bianca Lawson last1=Rauscher |first1=Melody |title=Queer Representation in Pretty Little Liars |url=https://geeks.media/queer-representation-in-pretty-little-liars-spoilers |website=Geeks |date=October 7, 2017}}</ref>
Paige McCullers Lindsey Shaw Paige is lesbian, and on the high school's swim team. She dates Emily for a while.<ref name="Pretty Little Liars Lez"/>
Samara Cook Claire Holt Samara is a lesbian. She and Emily dated, but Samara did not want to be exclusive.<ref name="Pretty Little Liars Lez"/>
Alison DiLaurentis Sasha Pieterse title=Pretty Little Liars |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/pretty-little-liars/}}</ref>
Shana Fring Aeriél Miranda Shana is a lesbian, and works at a Halloween themed store. She dated Jenna and briefly dated Paige. She died after falling off a stage from being hit in the head with a gun.<ref name="Pretty Little Liars Lez"/>
Talia Sandoval Miranda Rae Mayo Talia is lesbian, and she dated Emily for a while.<ref name="Pretty Little Liars Lez"/>
Jenna Marshall Tammin Sursok Jenna is bisexual. She dated Shana for a while, but also forced herself on her step-brother.<ref name="Pretty Little Liars Lez"/>
Charlotte DiLaurentis Vanessa Ray title = Behind That Controversial "Pretty Little Liars" Transgender Reveal|url = https://www.buzzfeed.com/jarettwieselman/pretty-little-liars-boss-defends-controversial-transgender-r#.bdjDJrWzx%7Cwebsite = BuzzFeed|access-date = 2015-12-09}}</ref>
Sabrina Lulu Brud Sabrina is a lesbian, and manager of a coffee shop, who also had cancer.<ref name="Pretty Little Liars Lez"/>
Sara Harvey Dre Davis Sara is bisexual, and is found dead in a hotel bathtub.<ref name="Pretty Little Liars Lez"/>
Rachel Amelia Leigh Harris Rachel is lesbian, and Sabrina's girlfriend.<ref name="Pretty Little Liars Lez"/>
2010–2015 Rookie Blue Global Gail Peck Charlotte Sullivan last1=Costa|first1=Daniela|title="Rookie Blue" showrunner Tassie Cameron talks Gail Peck, Season 5 storylines and lesbians in the writers' room|url=https://www.afterellen.com/tv/434875-rookie-blue-showrunner-tassie-cameron-talks-gail-peck-season-5-storylines-lesbians-writers-room%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=June 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150607043309/https://www.afterellen.com/tv/434875-rookie-blue-showrunner-tassie-cameron-talks-gail-peck-season-5-storylines-lesbians-writers-room%7Carchive-date=June 7, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Costa|first1=Daniela|title="Rookie Blue" star Charlotte Sullivan talks playing gay cop Gail Peck|url=https://www.afterellen.com/tv/444461-rookie-blue-star-charlotte-sullivan-talks-playing-gay-cop-gail-peck%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=July 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150727061427/https://www.afterellen.com/tv/444461-rookie-blue-star-charlotte-sullivan-talks-playing-gay-cop-gail-peck%7Carchive-date=July 27, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Wilson|first1=Erin Faith|title=Lesbian TV writer Noelle Carbone on writing for gay cop Gail Peck on "Rookie Blue"|url=https://www.afterellen.com/tv/450065-lesbian-tv-writer-noelle-carbon-writing-gay-cop-gail-peck-rookie-blue%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=August 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150829051639/https://www.afterellen.com/tv/450065-lesbian-tv-writer-noelle-carbon-writing-gay-cop-gail-peck-rookie-blue%7Carchive-date=August 29, 2015}}</ref>
Holly Stewart Aliyah O'Brien last1=Staff|title=Rookie Blue's Aliyah O'Brien on Holly and Gail|url=https://www.globaltv.com/rookieblue/latest/rookie-blues-aliyah-obrien-on-holly-and-gail/%7Cwebsite=Global|date=July 9, 2014|access-date=September 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190217030135/https://www.globaltv.com/rookieblue/latest/rookie-blues-aliyah-obrien-on-holly-and-gail/%7Carchive-date=February 17, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Frankie Anderson Katharine Isabelle last1=Anne|first1=Valerie|title="Rookie Blue" recap (6.11): Over and out|url=http://www.afterellen.com/tv/451757-rookie-blue-recap-6-11/2%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=September 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911011636/http://www.afterellen.com/tv/451757-rookie-blue-recap-6-11/2%7Carchive-date=September 11, 2015}}</ref>
Alex Katy Grabstas title=Alex |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/alex-rookie-blue/}}</ref>
Tabby Barnes Tulsi Balram title=Tabby Barnes |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/tabby-barnes/}}</ref>
Jen Luck Alexandra Ordolis title=Jen Luck |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/jen-luck/}}</ref>
Lisa Lara Gilchrist title=Lisa |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lisa-rookie-blue/}}</ref>
2010 Rubicon AMC Kale Ingram Arliss Howard last1=Jensen |first1=Michael |title=Spying a Gay Character on AMC’s "Rubicon" |url=http://www.newnownext.com/spying-a-gay-character-on-amcs-rubicon/08/2010/ |website=NewNowNext |date=August 30, 2010}}</ref>
Walter Carrington Jon Patrick Walker Walter is gay and Kale's partner.<ref name="2011 network responsibility"/><ref name="Spying a Gay Character"/>
Donald Bloom Michael Gaston title=2011 network responsibility index |url=https://www.glaad.org/files/glaad_nri_2011_updated.pdf |website=GLAAD |page=20}}</ref><ref name="Spying a Gay Character"/>
2010–2017 Sherlock BBC One Irene Adler Lara Pulver title=Irene Adler |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/irene-adler/}}</ref>
Jim Moriarty Andrew Scott last1=Simpson |first1=Jayne M. |title=3 Halves of a Whole: Homosexuality and Self-Acceptance in BBC’s Sherlock |journal=Undergraduate Research Journal |date=2016 |volume=10 |issue=1 |page=24 |publisher=University of Colorado Colorado Springs |issn=2693-3918|oclc=1182591537}}</ref>
Eurus Holmes Sian Brooke title=Eurus Holmes |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/eurus-holmes/}}</ref>
2010–2013 Spartacus Starz Barca Antonio Te Maioha last1=Jensen |first1=Michael |title=Exclusive: Meet "Spartacus: Blood and Sand"'s Intriguing New "Gay" Character |url=http://www.newnownext.com/exclusive-meet-spartacus-blood-and-sands-intriguing-new-gay-character/01/2010/ |website=NewNowNext |date=January 4, 2010}}</ref>
Pietros Eka Darville last1=Jensen |first1=Michael |title=Breaking! "Spartacus"'s Gay Gladiator Will Have a Love Interest in "Gods of the Arena" Prequel |url=http://www.newnownext.com/breaking-spartacuss-gay-gladiator-will-have-a-love-interest-in-gods-of-the-arena-prequel/07/2010/2/ |website=NewNowNext |date=July 23, 2010}}</ref>
Auctus Josef Brown Auctus is gay, and Barca' lover after Pietros is killed.<ref name="Gods of the Arena"/>
Agron Daniel Feuerriegel Agron is a gay rebel warrior, in a relationship with Nasir.<ref name="Gay Action Hero on Spartacus"/>
Nasir Pana Hema Taylor last1=Peeples |first1=Jase |title=The Gay Action Hero on Spartacus is Back Tonight |url=https://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/television/2013/01/24/gay-action-hero-spartacus-back-tonight |website=The Advocate |date=24 January 2013}}</ref>
Saxa Ellen Hollman Saxa is bisexual and one of a group of Germanic prisoners rescued from a slave ship.<ref name="Spartacus TV Watch Lez"/>
Belesa Luna Rioumina Belesa is bisexual and a Thracian slave.<ref name="Spartacus TV Watch Lez"/>
Tiberius Christian Antidormi last1=Cornelius |first1=Michael |title="Spartacus: War of the Damned" Episode 4 Recap: "Memo to Sparty: Kill all Romans!" |url=http://www.newnownext.com/spartacus-war-of-the-damned-episode-4-recap-memo-to-sparty-kill-all-romans/02/2013/ |website=NewNowNext |date=February 23, 2013}}</ref>
Castus Blessing Mokgohloa last1=Halterman |first1=Jim |title="Spartacus" Interview: Blessing Mokgohloa |url=http://www.newnownext.com/interview-blessing-mokgohloa-of-spartacus/04/2013/ |website=NewNowNext |date=April 11, 2013}}</ref>
Gaia Jaime Murray title=Gaia, Spartacus |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/gaia-spartacus/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Lucretia Lucy Lawless title=Spartacus |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/spartacus/}}</ref>
2010–2015 Strike Back Sky1
Cinemax		 James Leatherby Dougray Scott Leatherby is gay, and a former SAS officer. He is also insanely jealous.<ref name="The New Big Baddie">{{cite web|url=http://www.newnownext.com/the-new-big-baddie-on-strike-back-is-brutal-unhinged-and-gay/08/2013/%7Ctitle= The New Big Baddie On "Strike Back" Is Brutal, Unhinged, and Gay |website=NewNowNext}}</ref>
Fahran Daniel Ben Zenou Fahran is Leatherby's lover. James shoots Fahran in the hand when he suspects Fahran of cheating on him with a bartender. He shoots the bartender in the back.<ref name="The New Big Baddie"/>
2010 Thorne Sky1 HD Phil Hendricks Aidan Gillen Phil is a gay forensic pathologist. The show is based on the novels of author Mark Billingham.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Pennington |first1=Gail |title=TV review: 'Thorne' |url=https://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/television/gail-pennington/tv-review-thorne/article_d3bab970-b432-11e1-b7b7-0019bb30f31a.html |website=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |date=June 12, 2012}}</ref>
2010–2012 Upstairs Downstairs BBC Blanche Mottershead Alex Kingston title=Blanche Mottershead |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/blanche-mottershead/}}</ref>
Portia Alresford Emilia Fox Porits is lesbian, and Blanche's lover. She is a bohemian novelist.<ref>{{cite web |title=Portia Alresford |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/portia-alresford/}}</ref>
2010 The|Whole Truth|The Whole Truth (TV series)}} ABC Alejo Salazar Anthony Ruivivar last1=Stevenson |first1=Alexander |title="The Whole Truth" Does Justice to its Gay Character |url=http://www.newnownext.com/the-whole-truth-does-justice-to-its-gay-character/09/2010/ |website=NewNowNext |date=September 22, 2010}}</ref>

2011

Year Show Network Character Actor Notes
2011– Black Mirror Netflix Yorkie Mackenzie Davis
(young Yorkie)		 Yorkie is a lesbian and Kelly is her love interest, in episode "San Junipero", which is a simulated reality where the deceased can live and the elderly can visit, all inhabiting their younger selves' bodies in a time of their choice.<ref>{{cite news|last1=O'Hara|first1=Helen|title=The story of San Junipero: why Charlie Brooker's Emmy-winning vision of Heaven will live forever|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/on-demand/2017/09/16/san-junipero-revisited-black-mirrors-heartbreaking-vision-heaven/%7Cnewspaper=The Telegraph|date=18 September 2017}}</ref><ref name="Black Mirror season 3">{{cite web|last1=Mullane|first1=Alex|title=Black Mirror season 3 'San Junipero' review: beautiful rather than biting|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/black-mirror/review/a811882/black-mirror-season-3-san-junipero-review-beautiful-rather-than-biting/%7Cwebsite=Digital Spy|date=23 October 2016}}</ref>
Annabel Davis
(elderly Yorkie)		 title=Black Mirror |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/black-mirror/}}</ref>
Kelly Gugu Mbatha-Raw
(young Kelly)		 Kelly is bisexual and Yorkie's love interest, in episode "San Junipero".<ref name="Black Mirror season 3"/><ref name="Black MirrorLezWatch"/>
Denise Burse
(elderly Kelly)		 Elderly Kelly sought refuge in San Junipero after her daughter died, and her husband killed himself.<ref name="Black MirrorLezWatch"/>
Amy Georgina Campbell Amy is bisexual, and in a dating simulation, trying to find her compatible other.<ref name="Black MirrorLezWatch"/>
2011–2014 Borgia Canal+ Francesc Gacet Art Malik title=I Borgia - la scheda della serie tv |url=https://www.cinemagay.it/serie-tv/borgia-i/ |website=Cinemagay.it |language=it-IT |date=February 7, 2018}}</ref>
Giuliano della Rovere Dejan Čukić Giuliano della Rovere was condemned by the Council of Pisa as a sodomite. The Council said it was because of his fondness for Francesco Alidosi, and other young men.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Monteagudo |first1=Jesse |title=Meet the 11 gay or bisexual Catholic popes from history |url=https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2017/08/meet-11-gay-bisexual-catholic-popes-history/ |website=LGBTQ Nation |date=17 August 2017}}</ref>
Francesco Alidosi Matt Di Angelo
2011–2013 {{sortname|The|Borgias|The Borgias (2011 TV series)}} Showtime Micheletto Corella Sean Harris last1=Hanson |first1=Britta |title=The Homogenized Queerness of Historical Television |url=https://www.flowjournal.org/2017/07/queer-tv-homogenization/ |website=Flow Journal |date=July 5, 2017}}</ref>
Angelino Darwin Shaw Angelino's lover is Micheletto Corella. Micheletto tells him that his impending marriage will be a lie. Angelino replies that he must proceed anyway, given the punishment for their homosexual relationship would be "disemboweled and burnt".<ref name="Homogenized Queerness"/>
Pascal Charlie Carrick last1=Wyatt |first1=David A. |title=Gay / Lesbian / Bisexual Television Characters |url=https://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~wyatt/tv-char2000s.html#test217 |publisher=University of Manitoba |date=September 10, 2016}}</ref>
Pope Alexander VI Jeremy Irons last1=Ogles |first1=Jacob |title=21 Gay Popes, Cardinals, and Assorted Catholic Leaders |url=https://www.advocate.com/religion/2018/2/02/21-gay-popes-cardinals-and-assorted-catholic-leaders |website=The Advocate |date=2 February 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Murphy |first1=Francis Xavier |title=Alexander VI {{!}} Biography, Legacy, & Facts |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexander-VI |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |date=1998 |quote=Alexander VI holds a high place on the list of the so-called bad popes.}}</ref>
2011 Crownies ABC1 Janet King Marta Dusseldorp Janet is a lesbian who lives with her partner Ashleigh Larsson, and she becomes pregnant via IVF.<ref>{{cite web |title=Janet King |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/janet-king/}}</ref> Her character continued in the Janet King spin-off.
Ashleigh Larsson Aimee Pedersen title=Ash Larsson |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/ash-larsson/}}</ref>
2011–2019 Game of Thrones HBO Renly Baratheon Gethin Anthony Renly is the gay brother of King Robert. He is in a secret relationship with Loras Tyrell.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Avery|first1=Dan|title=Renly Baratheon Is Proud He Brought Good Gay Lovin' To Westeros|url=http://www.newnownext.com/renly-baratheon-is-proud-he-brought-good-gay-lovin-to-westeros/09/2016/%7Cwebsite=NewNowNext|publisher=Logo|date=September 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191223133204/http://www.newnownext.com/renly-baratheon-is-proud-he-brought-good-gay-lovin-to-westeros/09/2016/%7Carchive-date=December 23, 2019}}</ref>
Loras Tyrell Finn Jones Loras is gay and the Knight of Flowers. He is in a secret relationship with Renly Baratheon.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Renfro|first1=Kim|title=Fans are up in arms about HBO's treatment of a side character on 'Game of Thrones'|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/game-of-thrones-loras-2015-5%7Cwebsite=Business Insider|date=May 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920011256/https://www.businessinsider.com/game-of-thrones-loras-2015-5%7Carchive-date=September 20, 2018}}</ref>
Oberyn Martell Pedro Pascal last1=Vineyard |first1=Jennifer |title=Game of Thrones Pedro Pascal on Oberyns Bisexuality, Orgies in Westeros, and Boy Candy |url=https://www.vulture.com/2014/04/pedro-pascal-oberyn-red-viper-bisexuality-interview.html |website=Vulture |date=April 7, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Stevenson|first1=Alexander|title="Game Of Thrones" Introduces Badass Bisexual Oberyn Martell In Season 4|url=http://www.newnownext.com/game-of-thrones-introduces-badass-bisexual-oberyn-martell-in-season-4/03/2014/%7Cwebsite=NewNowNext|date=March 2, 2014}}</ref>
Ellaria Sand Indira Varma last1=Mohan|first1=Keerthi|title='Game of Thrones' Actress Indira Varma Talks Nudity on Show; Reveals What's Next for Ellaria Sand|url=http://www.ibtimes.co.in/game-thrones-actress-indira-varma-talks-nudity-show-reveals-whats-next-ellaria-sand-623954%7Cwebsite=International Business Times|date=February 19, 2015}}</ref>
Marei Josephine Gillan title=Marei |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/marei/}}</ref>
Olyvar Will Tudor last1=Sarner |first1=Lauren |title=Loras Tyrell Says His Lover Olyvar Died Offscreen in 'Game of Thrones' |url=https://www.inverse.com/article/24998-loras-olyvar-died-offscreen |website=Inverse |date=December 9, 2016}}</ref>
Varys Conleth Hill last1=Whitney |first1=E. Oliver |title=Tyrion Had A Very Emotional Trial |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/game-of-thrones-recap_n_5307394 |website=Huff Post |date=12 May 2014}}</ref>
Yara Greyjoy Gemma Whelan title=Yara Greyjoy |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/yara-greyjoy/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Vineyard |first1=Jennifer |title=Game of Thrones’ Gemma Whelan on Yara’s Sexuality and Freezing on Set |url=https://www.vulture.com/2016/07/gemma-whelan-yara-sexuality-game-of-thrones.html |website=Vulture |date=July 6, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Trivedi|first1=Sachin|title='Game of Thrones' Season 7 spoilers: Yara is 'pansexual'; Possible romance with Daenerys|url=http://www.ibtimes.com.au/game-thrones-season-7-spoilers-yara-pansexual-possible-romance-daenerys-1521432%7Cwebsite=International Business Times|date=July 11, 2016}}</ref>
Doreah Roxanne McKee title=Doreah |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/doreah/}}</ref>
Hodor Kristian Nairn last1=Sobel |first1=Ariel |title=11 LGBTQ Characters Who Played the 'Game of Thrones' |url=https://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2017/7/17/11-lgbt-characters-who-played-game-thrones#media-gallery-media-1 |website=The Advocate |date=17 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Moylan |first1=Brian |title=Game of Thrones Has a Gay Problem |url=https://www.vulture.com/2016/06/game-of-thrones-has-a-gay-problem.html |website=Vulture |date=June 28, 2016}}</ref>
2011–2015 Hart of Dixie CW Crickett Watts Brandi Burkhardt title=Crickett Watts |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/cricket-watts/}}</ref>
Jaysene Charles Erica Piccininni title=Jaysene Charles |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/jaysene-charles/}}</ref>
2011–2016 Hell on Wheels AMC Louise Ellison Jennifer Ferrin Louise is bisexual and a newspaper reporter sent by the New York Tribune to cover the building of the Union Pacific Railroad; she reveals that the assignment was a punishment for exhibiting attraction toward the newspaper editors daughter.<ref>{{cite web |title=Louise Ellison |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/louise-ellison/}}</ref>
2011–2014 {{sortname|The|Killing|The Killing (U.S. TV series)}} AMC
Netflix		 Regi Darnell Annie Corley title=The Killing |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/the-killing/}}</ref>
Rachel "Bullet" Olmstead Bex Taylor-Klaus last1=Hogan|first1=Heather|title="The Killing" adds a "tough scrappy" lesbian character|url=https://www.afterellen.com/tv/107547-the-killing-adds-a-tough-scrappy-lesbian-character%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=May 20, 2013}}</ref>
Nicole Jackson Claudia Ferri last1=Kine|first1=Starlee|title=An Exhaustive List of All the Things You Missed by Skipping Season Two of The Killing|url=https://www.vulture.com/2012/06/what-you-missed-on-season-two-of-the-killing.html%7Cwebsite=Vulture|date=June 15, 2012}}</ref>
Roberta Drays Patti Kim title=Cast & Crew: Roberta Drays|url=https://www.amc.com/shows/the-killing/cast-crew/roberta-drays%7Cwebsite=AMC}}</ref>
Ellen Hilary Strang Ellen is lesbian, and Regi's girlfriend, and then wife.<ref name="The Killing Lez Watch"/>
2011–2013 Necessary Roughness USA Rex Evans Travis Smith url=http://www.thebacklot.com/travis-smith-on-necessary-roughness-and-his-gay-pro-quarterback-character/02/2013/%7Ctitle=The Backlot - Corner of Hollywood and Gay - NewNowNext|website=LOGO News}}</ref>
2011–2018 Once Upon a Time ABC Mulan Jamie Chung last1=Bricker|first1=Tierney|title=Once Upon a Time's Jamie Chung Speaks Out on Mulan's Gay Reveal: "Her Heart Is With Aurora"|url=http://www.eonline.com/news/501450/once-upon-a-time-s-jamie-chung-speaks-out-on-mulan-s-gay-reveal-her-heart-is-with-aurora%7Cwebsite=E! News|date=January 19, 2014}}</ref>
Ruby Lucas Meghan Ory title=Once Upon a Time |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/once-upon-a-time/}}</ref>
Dorothy Gale Teri Reeves Dorothy is a lesbian, and that girl from Kansas. She is cursed and only True Love's Kiss (from Ruby) can awaken her.<ref name="Once Upon a TimeLezWatch.TV"/>
Alice Rose Reynolds last1=MacDonald|first1=Lindsay|title=Once Upon a Time Star on Alice's New Romance: "Love Is Love"|url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/once-upon-a-times-rose-reynolds-alice-robin-love-story/%7Cwebsite=TV Guide|publisher=CBS Interactive|date=December 15, 2017}}</ref>
Robin Tiera Skovbye Robin is a lesbian. She is the daughter of Robin Hook and Zelena (the Wicked Witch of the West).<ref name="Once Upon a TimeLezWatch.TV"/>
2011–2016 Person of Interest CBS Sameen Shaw Sarah Shahi title=Sameen Shaw |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sameen-shaw/}}</ref>
Root (Samantha Groves) Amy Acker title=Root |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/root/}}</ref>
Amy Enright Erica Leerhsen title=Amy Enright |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/amy-enright/}}</ref>
Madeleine Enright Sharon Leal title=Madeleine Enright |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/madeleine-enright/}}</ref>
2011 {{sortname|The|Playboy Club}} NBC Bunny Alice Leah Renee Alice is a Playboy Bunny and secretly lesbian. She is in a sham marriage with Sean, who is gay.<ref>{{cite web |title=Alice |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/alice/}}</ref>
Sean Beasley Sean Maher Sean is gay. Alice and Sean are in a sham marriage.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.afterelton.com/tv-nbc-sean-maher-smash-playboy-a-manns-world |title=New Music Videos, Reality TV Shows, Celebrity News, Pop Culture | LOGOtv |access-date=2011-05-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110602163756/http://www.afterelton.com/tv-nbc-sean-maher-smash-playboy-a-manns-world |archive-date=2011-06-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.afterelton.com/tv-on-tap-07-12-2011 |title=New Music Videos, Reality TV Shows, Celebrity News, Pop Culture | LOGOtv |access-date=2011-07-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714025955/http://www.afterelton.com/tv-on-tap-07-12-2011 |archive-date=2011-07-14}}</ref>
Frances Dunhill Cassidy Freeman title=Frances Dunhill |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/frances-dunhill/}}</ref>
2011–2015 Revenge ABC Nolan Ross Gabriel Mann Nolan is bisexual dotcom billionaire, and rates himself a 3 on the Kinsey scale.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Avery |first1=Dan |title=Gabriel Mann, Resident Bisexual On "Revenge," Promises "Full-Body Reveal" In Season 3 |url=http://www.newnownext.com/gabriel-mann-resident-bisexual-on-revenge-promises-full-body-reveal-in-season-3/08/2013/ |website=NewNowNext |date=August 12, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Hern |first1=Greg |title=Gabriel Mann's bisexual character on ABC's Revenge expected to swing back to men |url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/gabriel-manns-bisexual-character-abcs-revenge-expected-swing-back-men140813/ |website=Gay Star News |date=14 August 2013}}</ref>
Tyler Barrol Ashton Holmes Tyler is a bisexual hustler, who suffers from bipolar disorder.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Batty |first1=David |title=How Revenge lost the plot |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2013/feb/25/how-revenge-lost-plot-e4-drama |website=The Guardian |date=25 February 2013}}</ref>
Marco Romero E.J. Bonilla last1=Halterman |first1=Jim |title=EJ Bonilla On Soft Lips And More "Revenge" |url=http://www.newnownext.com/ej-bonilla-on-soft-lips-and-more-revenge/11/2012/ |website=NewNowNext |date=November 30, 2012}}</ref>
Patrick Osbourne Justin Hartley Patrick is gay and the illegitimate son of Victoria Greyson (Madeline Stowe). Patrick and Nolan had a relationship in season 3.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wieselman |first1=Jarett |title=Justin Hartley Teases 'Revenge' Romance Fallout |url=http://www.etonline.com/tv/140218_Justin_Hartley_Revenge_Interview/ |website=Entertainment Tonight |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150407023336/http://www.etonline.com/tv/140218_Justin_Hartley_Revenge_Interview/ |archive-date=April 7, 2015 |date=October 31, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
Regina Seychelle Gabriel title=Regina George |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/regina-george/}}</ref>
2011–2012 Ringer {{sortname|The|CW|The CW Television Network}} Olivia Charles Jaime Murray title=Ringer |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/ringer/}}</ref>
Catherine Martin Andrea Roth Catherine is bisexual and in a relationship with Olivia.<ref name="Ringer olivia catherine"/>
2011–2016 Scott & Bailey ITV Helen Bartlett Nicola Walker Helen is a lesbian, and emotionally disturbed. She eventually commits suicide by slashing her wrists.<ref name="Scott Bailey LezWatch"/>
Anna Ran Jing Lusi Anna is a lesbian, and a detective assigned to Syndicate 9.<ref name="Scott Bailey LezWatch"/>
Louise Caroline Harding title=Scott & Bailey |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/scott-bailey/}}</ref>

Shameless (2011–2021)

Shameless on Showtime (Seasons 1 - 11)
Character Actor Notes
Ian Gallagher Cameron Monaghan In the series pilot, Ian is a closeted gay, he comes out after his brother Lip (Jeremy Allen White), discovers his cache of gay pornography. Ian's first gay relationship in the series is with Kash Karib, owner of Kash and Grab, the neighborhood convenience store where Ian works. In season 1, episode 7, Ian has his first sexual encounter with Mickey Milkovich. Their relationship is on-and-off again throughout the series, with the two finally getting married in the series finale of season 10, in episode "Gallavich!". Ian's other sexual partners in the series run include, Lloyd Lishman, Caleb and Trevor.{{Sfn|GLAAD|2007|p=9}}
Monica Gallagher Chloe Webb Monica is bisexual, and the Gallagher clan mother. She ran off to be with a woman, and then came back and hooked up with a drug dealer. She died of a cerebral hemorrhage following a drunken night out.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/>
Debbie Gallagher Emma Kenney last1=Bendix|first1=Trish|url=http://www.afterellen.com/TV/2011/01/shameless-has-lesbians-theyre-just-a-little-under-the-radar%7Ctitle="Shameless" has lesbians, they're just a little under the radar|website=AfterEllen|date=January 27, 2011|access-date=11 September 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110130061915/http://www.afterellen.com/TV/2011/01/shameless-has-lesbians-theyre-just-a-little-under-the-radar%7Carchive-date=30 January 2011}}</ref><ref name="Francis Season 11 Premiere HND">{{cite web |last1=Francis |first1=Sue |title='Shameless' Season 11 Premiere Spoilers: Crazy Relationship Drama & Shocking Hook Up |url=https://www.hollywoodnewsdaily.com/shameless-season-11-spoilers-drama-hook-up |website=Hollywood News Daily |date=6 December 2020}}</ref>
Mickey Milkovich Noel Fisher In the beginning of the series, Mickey is a closeted gay. His first gay encounter is with Ian Gallagher. They maintain a secret relationship until season 3, when Mickey's dad catches them together. Mickey publicly comes out, and reveals his love for Ian in season 4, episode 11. His relationship with Ian is on-and-off again throughout the series, with the two finally getting married in the series finale of season 10, in episode "Gallavich!". Mickey has a brief relationship with Byron Koch, in order to make Ian jealous.<ref name="shameless gays logo">{{cite web |last1=Macavoy |first1=Tim |title=When it Comes to the Gays, Shameless Has Nothing to be Ashamed of |url=http://www.newnownext.com/when-it-comes-to-the-gays-shameless-has-nothing-to-be-ashamed-of/03/2010/2/ |website=NewNowNext |date=March 25, 2010}}</ref>
Molly Milkovich Madison Rothschild Molly is a trans girl. She is the cousin of Mickey and Mandy Milkovich.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/>
Sandy Milkovich Elise Eberle Sandy is a lesbian, and is dating Debbie.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/>
Kash Pej Vahdat last1=DiCarlo |first1=Steve |title=Shameless: 20 Things Wrong With Ian We All Choose To Ignore |url=https://screenrant.com/shameless-things-ian-we-ignore/ |website=ScreenRant |date=26 February 2019}}</ref>
Jess Missy Doty title=Shameless (US) |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/shameless-us/}}</ref>
Lloyd Lishman Harry Hamlin last1=Hodges |first1=Chris |title=10 New Character Additions That Hurt Shameless (And 10 That Saved It) |url=https://screenrant.com/shameless-new-characters-additions-saved-show/ |website=Screen Rant |date=21 September 2018}}</ref>
Svetlana Fisher Isidora Goreshter Svetlana is bisexual and a former sex worker. She was Mickey's wife, and then was in a polyamorous relationship with Veronica and Kev in season 6.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/><ref name="McNutt Shameless AV Club"/><ref name="Bernard Autostraddle Shameless"/>
Veronica Fisher Shanola Hampton last1=McNutt |first1=Myles |title=Shameless has its characters explore modern romance, with mixed results |url=https://tv.avclub.com/shameless-has-its-characters-explore-modern-romance-wi-1798189192 |website=The AV Club |date=October 9, 2016}}</ref>
Angela Dichen Lachman last1=Bernard |first1=Riese |author1-link=Riese Bernard |title="Shameless" Racked Up 15+ Queer Women Characters While You Were Getting High |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/shameless-has-racked-up-15-queer-women-characters-in-nine-years-452571/ |website=Autostraddle |date=14 March 2019}}</ref>
Jasmine Hollander Amy Smart Jasmine is a bisexual friend of Fiona who is interested in her. After Fiona refuses to offer her financial help, Jasmine gets angry and leaves, never speaking to her again.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/>
Caleb Jeff Pierre last1=Escobedo Shepherd |first1=Julianne |title=Shameless Introduces a Trans Character and Teaches Ian a Lesson |url=https://themuse.jezebel.com/shameless-introduces-a-trans-character-and-teaches-ian-1788156572 |website=Jezebel |date=October 24, 2016}}</ref><ref name="McNutt Shameless AV Club"/>
Trevor Elliot Fletcher Trevor is a trans man, and an LGBT+ activist. Trevor and Ian were in a relationship in season 7.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/><ref name="Jezebel Shameless Trans"/>
Abraham Paige Bradley Whitford last1=Bricker |first1=Tierney |title=Shameless First Look: The West Wing's Bradley Whitford Makes His Debut—See the Pic! |url=https://www.eonline.com/news/394177/shameless-first-look-the-west-wing-s-bradley-whitford-makes-his-debut-see-the-pic |website=E! Online |date=March 4, 2013}}</ref>
Nessa Jessica Szohr Nessa is a lesbian, and Mel's girlfriend.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/><ref name="Bernard Autostraddle Shameless"/>
Mel Perry Mattfield Mel is a lesbian, and Nessa's girlfriend.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/><ref name="Bernard Autostraddle Shameless"/>
Alex Ashley Romans Alex is lesbian, and briefly worked with Debbie for a while. She asks Debbie out for a drink.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/><ref name="Bernard Autostraddle Shameless"/>
Amanda Nichole Bloom Amanda is a bisexual college student and in a relationship with Lip. She exposes Lip's affair with a professor.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/><ref name="Bernard Autostraddle Shameless"/>
Claudia Nicolo Constance Zimmer Claudia is a bisexual, and sleeps with Debbie, thinking her to be a prostitute. After Debbie makes it clear she is not a prostitute, Claudia becomes her sugar mama.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/>
Karen Jackson Laura Slade Wiggins Karen is bisexual, and was a real bitch. Her personality radically changed after a car accident almost killed her.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/><ref name="Bernard Autostraddle Shameless"/>
Barb Lea DeLaria Barb is a lesbian, and was Lip' sponsor for Alcoholics Anonymous.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/><ref name="Bernard Autostraddle Shameless"/>
Liz Mia Barron Liz is a lesbian, and was a customer of @DebbieHotLesbianConvict, Debbie's handyman company.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/>
Roberta Carlease Burke Roberta is lesbian, and was Monica's girlfriend for a while.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/><ref name="Bernard Autostraddle Shameless"/>
Calista Paula Andrea Placido Calista is a lesbian, and along with her ex-wife Haley, they are opening up a new queer bar in the Gallagher's neighborhood. She hires Debbie to do a handyperson job.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/>
Haley Mary Alexis Cruz Haley is a lesbian, and she is opening up a new queer bar in the Gallagher's neighborhood, with her ex-wife Calista.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/>
Jill Jenna Elfman Jill is a lesbian, and was Monica's friend at the drug clinic, where they escape from.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/>
Miss June Roxy Wood Miss June is a trans woman, busted by the police for selling loose cigarettes.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/>
Geneva Juliette Angelo Geneva is a lesbian. She was involved in the Gay Jesus movement along with Ian, who portrayed Gay Jesus.<ref name="Bernard Autostraddle Shameless"/>
The Two Lisas Jenica Bergere A lesbian couple, both named Lisa, who were buying up numerous properties in the Gallagher's neighborhood for a gentrification project.<ref name="Bernard Autostraddle Shameless"/>
Lee Stark
Byron Koch Adam Farabee Byron is gay, and has a brief relationship with Mickey, who is trying to make Ian jealous. Ian ends up beating Byron up after hearing him bad mouth Mickey, in season 10, episode 10.<ref name="Lips Big Decision">{{cite web |last1=Darwish |first1=Meaghan |title='Shameless': Lip's Big Decision, Ian's Relationship Status & More From 'Now Leaving Illinois' (RECAP) |url=https://www.tvinsider.com/847925/shameless-season-10-episode-10-recap/ |website=TV Insider |date=January 12, 2020}}</ref>
Cole Chester Lockhart Cole is gay, and has a hook up with Ian; he found Cole on Grindr and invites him along on a date to make Mickey jealous. Cole ends up getting beat up by Mickey in season 10, episode 10.<ref name="Lips Big Decision"/>
Tim Michael Sasaki Tim is gay and his partner is Brendan. Ian and Mickey meet them while shopping, in their quest to make new gay friends, in episode "Two at a Biker Bar, One in the Lake".<ref name="Two at a Biker Bar"/><ref name="Mickey Ians Friends">{{cite web |last1=Darwish |first1=Meaghan |title='Shameless': To Stay or Not to Stay Is the Gallagher Family's Big Question|url=https://www.tvinsider.com/989639/shameless-season-11-episode-7-recap/ |website=TV Insider |date=March 7, 2021}}</ref>
Brendan Brian Dare Brendan is gay and his partner is Tim. Ian and Mickey meet them while shopping, in their quest to make new gay friends, in episode "Two at a Biker Bar, One in the Lake".<ref name="Two at a Biker Bar">{{Cite episode|series=Shameless|title=Two at a Biker Bar, One in the Lake|episode-link=Shameless (season 11)#ep129|series-link=Shameless (American TV series)|network=Showtime|date=March 7, 2021|season=11|number=7|last=Buiser|first=Phillip|minutes=30:09}}</ref><ref name="Mickey Ians Friends"/>
Jon Giancarlo Jon is gay and his partner is Travis. Ian and Mickey meet them at a dinner party, in their quest to make new gay friends, in episode "Two at a Biker Bar, One in the Lake".<ref name="One in the Lake">{{Cite episode|series=Shameless|title=Two at a Biker Bar, One in the Lake|episode-link=Shameless (season 11)#ep129|series-link=Shameless (American TV series)|network=Showtime|date=March 7, 2021|season=11|number=7|last=Buiser|first=Phillip|minutes=38:07}}</ref><ref name="Mickey Ians Friends"/>
Travis Doug Locke Travis is gay and his partner is Jon. Ian and Mickey meet them at a dinner party, in their quest to make new gay friends, in episode "Two at a Biker Bar, One in the Lake".<ref name="One in the Lake"/><ref name="Mickey Ians Friends"/>
Kevin's Hookup Chris Prascus Kevin's Hookup (Don Wessels's kid), is gay. When Kevin starts to question his sexuality, he attempts to give oral sex to his hookup, but discovers that he is not turned on, and realizes he is not gay, not even part gay. In season 8, episode "Icarus Fell And Rusty Ate Him".<ref>{{Cite episode|series=Shameless|title=Icarus Fell And Rusty Ate Him|episode-link=Shameless (season 8)#ep90|series-link=Shameless (American TV series)|network=Showtime|date=December 10, 2017|season=8|number=6|last=Steilen|first=Mark|minutes=38:24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Lawrence |first1=Derek |title='Shameless' recap: Kevin struggles with his sexuality |url=https://ew.com/recap/shameless-season-8-episode-6/ |website=Entertainment Weekly |date=December 10, 2017}}</ref>
Tony Markovich Tyler Jacob Moore last1=DeRosa |first1=Michael |title=Shameless: 10 Duos Who Should Have Dated |url=https://screenrant.com/shameless-characters-should-have-romance-dated/ |website=Screen Rant |date=13 February 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Steiner |first1=Amanda Michelle |title='Shameless' recap: The Gallaghers are homeless, and Ian has a date |url=https://ew.com/recap/shameless-season-6-episode-5/ |website=Entertainment Weekly |date=February 8, 2016}}</ref>
Tommy Michael Patrick McGill Tommy and Kermit are regulars at The Alibi Room, Kev and Veronica's bar. When they start selling marijuana for medicinal purposes, they encourage Tommy and Kermit to try some. The duo each consume a marijuana brownie, and when Kev and Veronica aren't looking, Tommy and Kermit consume all of the brownies and all of the marijuana gummies. Later in the men's bathroom, Tommy and Kermit are sharing a sink, when Kermit makes a reach for Tommy's butt and instead of pulling away, Tommy slowly leads Kermit into the stall for a hookup.<ref name="Francis Season 11 Premiere HND"/><ref name="10 Duos Who Should Have Dated"/>
Kermit Jim Hoffmaster

2011 continued

Year Show Network Character Actor Notes
2011 Skins MTV Tea Marvelli Sofia Black D'Elia url=http://uknewsreporter.co.uk/skins-shameless-and-being-human-which-won-the-ratings-battle-in-the-usa/6711406/ |title=Archived copy |access-date=2011-01-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120716095517/http://uknewsreporter.co.uk/skins-shameless-and-being-human-which-won-the-ratings-battle-in-the-usa/6711406/ |archive-date=2012-07-16}}</ref>
Betty Nardone Blaine Morris title=Betty Nardone |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/betty-nardone/}}</ref>
2011–2017 Switched at Birth Freeform Matthew Daniel Durant last1=Temkin |first1=Deborah |title=The Misguided Bullying Storyline on Switched at Birth |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-misguided-bullying-st_b_5530402 |website=Huff Post |date=25 June 2014}}</ref>
Renzo Alec Mapa last1=Raisler |first1=Carrie |title=Switched At Birth: "Have You Really The Courage?" |url=https://tv.avclub.com/switched-at-birth-have-you-really-the-courage-1798179463 |website=TV Club |date=February 10, 2014}}</ref>
Natalie Pierce Stephanie Nogueras title=Natalie Pierce |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/natalie-pierce/}}</ref>
Hilary Abby Walla title=Hilary |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/hilary/}}</ref>
2011–2015 Waterloo Road BBC One Martin Dunbar Matt Greenwood url=https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/newsmanchester/i-was-once-too-shy-to-ask-for-ketchup-in-mcdonalds-but-i-went-on-to-appear-in-an-oscar-winning-blockbuster/ar-BB13x6xN |title='I was once too shy to ask for ketchup in McDonald's, but I went on to appear in an Oscar- winning blockbuster' |last=Fitzpatrick |first=Katie |date=March 5, 2020 |website=MSN |publisher=Manchester Evening News |access-date=February 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.is/8sFeA |archive-date=February 5, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Martin Dunbar |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/martin-dunbar/}}</ref>
Nate Gurney Scott Haining last1=McLennan |first1=Patrick |title=Nate’s dad is furious his son’s gay {{!}} Episode {{!}} Waterloo Road |url=https://www.whatsontv.co.uk/events/nate-s-dad-is-furious-his-son-s-gay/ |website=What's on TV |date=February 2, 2011}}</ref>
Colin Scott Chris Finch author1=Staff Reporter |title=Actor Chris drops in to help |url=https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/2037031.actor-chris-drops-in-to-help/ |website=The Bolton News |date=February 12, 2008}}</ref>
Josh Stevenson William Rush last1=Welsh |first1=Daniel |title='X Factor': 'Waterloo Road' Actor Will Rush Auditions For The Judges |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/x-factor-waterloo-road-will-rush_uk_57dc1a9de4b0d584f7f12f3f?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAANzTzvUrDHIR5gnr59UEL3iQX6kEqjnRBjHmCK9Zx3HTEBcQqgoNPeQjDBnFJBmT4fMan2ZqgTjO5uIJ2fz306dQ_4NAsYxea1gfPZbnhMDW2Obd9G8B7vOo6T8llM2zQbchVU8eVUxHYlUNwJVoZUcPUfelGpo4nwusd91FbN4K |website=HuffPo UK |date=September 17, 2016}}</ref>
Matt Wilding Chris Geere last1=Rankin |first1=JJ |title=You're The Worst: 10 Things You Never Knew About The Cast |url=https://screenrant.com/youre-the-worst-fx-series-cast-facts/ |website=ScreenRant |date=21 January 2021}}</ref>
Jo Lipsett Sarah-Jane Potts title=Waterloo Road |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/waterloo-road/}}</ref>
Nikki Boston Heather Peace Nikki is lesbian, and a teacher at the school. She and Vix left the show together.<ref name="Waterloo Road LezWatch.TV"/>
Ros McCain Sophie McShera Ros is a lesbian, and falls in love with her teacher, Jo Lipsett.<ref name="Waterloo Road LezWatch.TV"/>
Kacey Barry Brogan Ellis Kacey is a trans boy, and student at the school. After disguising himself as a boy to play in a soccer match, he realizes how much more comfortable he is as a male. Kacey decides to postpone any medical changes until after school.<ref name="Waterloo Road LezWatch.TV"/>
Lorraine Donnegan Daniela Denby-Ashe Lorraine is a lesbian, and philanthropist and businesswoman. She is a former pupil at the school.<ref name="Waterloo Road LezWatch.TV"/>
Vix Spark Kristin Atherton Vix is a lesbian, and has a homemade jewellery business. She and Nikki leave to be together.<ref name="Waterloo Road LezWatch.TV"/>

2012

Year Show Network Character Actor Notes
2012–2020 Arrow {{sortname|The|CW|The CW Television Network}} Sara Lance Caity Lotz
(Jacqueline Wood)		 Sara is bisexual and Nyssa's ex-lover. Jacqueline Wood played Sara in her first appearance on Arrow.<ref name="ArrowLezWatch"/>
Nyssa al Ghul Katrina Law title=Arrow |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/arrow/}}</ref>
Curtis Holt Echo Kellum last1=Prudom |first1=Laura |title=‘Arrow’ Casts Echo Kellum as Mr. Terrific for Season 4 |url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/arrow-mr-terrific-echo-kellum-season-4-1201543026/ |website=Variety |date=17 July 2015}}</ref>
Paul Holt Chenier Hundal last1=Espiritu |first1=Emmanuelle |title='Arrow' season 5 spoilers, plot news 2016: The New Year brings new crises to Team Arrow |url=https://www.christiantimes.com/news/arrow-season-5-episode-10-spoilers-the-new-year-brings-new-crises-to-team-arrow.html |website=The Christian Times |date=December 10, 2016}}</ref>
Nick Anastas Evan Roderick title=Feature: Evan Roderick aka Nick Anastas is Officer-turned-vigilante in Season 7 CW's 'Arrow' |url=https://occhimagazine.com/feature-evan-roderick-aka-nick-anastas-is-officer-turned-vigilante-in-season-7-cws-arrow/ |website=Occhi Magazine |date=17 October 2018}}</ref>
William Ben Lewis In a flash-forward, William is joking about his frequently absent father, and retorts: "And my ex-boyfriend wonders why I have commitment issues". In season 7, episode "The Longbow Hunters".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Duffy|first1=Nick|title=Arrow just revealed a major character is gay|url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/10/24/arrow-gay-character-william-son/%7Cwebsite=Pink News|date=24 October 2018}}</ref>
Kate Kane Ruby Rose
(Wallis Day)		 author=Jesse|title=Batwoman Explained: What to Know About Ruby Rose's Elseworlds Crossover Character|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2018/12/10/batwoman-explained-how-the-batman-love-interest-became-a-lgbtq-icon%7Cwebsite=IGN|date=December 10, 2018}}</ref>
Alex Danvers Chyler Leigh Alex was a closeted lesbian, and then came out to herself and then finally everyone.<ref name="ArrowLezWatch"/>
John Constantine Matt Ryan John is bisexual and was brought in to deal with the fallout of the resurrection of Sara Lance, in episode "Haunted".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dominguez |first1=Noah |title=Matt Ryan Says Constantine Isn't Just Bisexual - He's 'Bi-Specieal' |url=https://www.cbr.com/justice-league-dark-apokolips-war-john-constantine-bisexual-bispecieal-matt-ryan/ |website=Comic Book Resources |date=7 May 2020}}</ref>
2012–2013 Bomb Girls Global Betty McRae Ali Liebert title=Betty McRae |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/betty-mcrae/}}</ref>
Teresa Rachel Wilson Teresa is lesbian and a Canadian Women's Army Corps sergeant. She is in a relationship with Betty.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hogan|first1=Heather|title=10 reasons to watch "Bomb Girls" TONIGHT!|url=https://www.afterellen.com/tv/106703-10-reasons-to-watch-bomb-girls-tonight/2%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=April 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912225559/https://www.afterellen.com/tv/106703-10-reasons-to-watch-bomb-girls-tonight/2%7Carchive-date=September 12, 2015}}</ref>
2012– Call the Midwife BBC One Patience "Patsy" Mount Emerald Fennell Patsy is a closeted lesbian, and a midwife. She is in a relationship with Delia, and they later move to Scotland.<ref>{{cite web |title=Patsy Mount |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/patsy-mount/}}</ref><ref name="Season 4 of Call the Midwife"/>
Delia Bubsy Kate Lamb last1=Drachman|first1=Chen|title=Season 4 of "Call the Midwife" gives us a sweet lesbian romance then dashes our hopes|url=http://www.afterellen.com/tv/419541-season-4-call-midwife-gives-us-sweet-lesbian-romance-dashes-hopes%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=March 10, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=McGrath|first1=Rachel|title='Call The Midwife' Fans Praise Lesbian Kiss As Series Closes On A High|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/call-the-midwlfe-series-finale-lesbian-kiss_uk_58c672bee4b054a0ea6b8b9b%7Cwebsite=HuffPost|date=March 13, 2017}}</ref>
2012– Chicago Fire NBC Leslie Shay Lauren German Leslie is a lesbian, and a paramedic on Ambulance 61.<ref name=":1Chicago Fire"/>
Clarice Carthage Shiri Appleby title=Chicago Fire |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/chicago-fire/}}</ref>
Devon Vedette Lim Devon is a lesbian. In season 2 Leslie briefly dates Devon, who robs her apartment and disappears.<ref name=":1Chicago Fire"/>
Emily Foster Annie Ilonzeh Emily is bisexual, and a paramedic.<ref name=":1Chicago Fire"/>
Darren Ritter Daniel Kyri last1=Moore |first1=Evan F. |title=For Daniel Kyri, it’s ‘an honor’ to represent Black, gay people on ‘Chicago Fire’ |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/movies-and-tv/2021/1/4/22203118/daniel-kyri-chicago-fire-ritter-nbc-lgbt-queer-black-man-art-after-school-matters-theater |website=Chicago Sun-Times |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210104193128/https://chicago.suntimes.com/movies-and-tv/2021/1/4/22203118/daniel-kyri-chicago-fire-ritter-nbc-lgbt-queer-black-man-art-after-school-matters-theater |archive-date=4 January 2021 |date=4 January 2021}}</ref>
2012–2015 Continuum Showcase Jasmine Garza Luvia Petersen last1=Sheppard|first1=Denise|title=Continuum's bisexual Liber8tor|url=https://www.dailyxtra.com/continuums-bisexual-liber8tor-50231 |website=Daily Xtra|publisher=Pink Triangle Press|date=June 27, 2013}}</ref>
2012 Don't Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves SVT1 Rasmus Adam Pålsson Rasmus is 19 and gay. After graduation. he moves from rural Värmland to Stockholm to attend college. As soon as he arrives in Stockholm he begins to seek out the gay community. He begins a relationship with Benjamin. Rasmus is later found to be HIV-positive and eventually dies.<ref name="Dont Ever Wipe Tears">{{cite web |last1=Cohen |first1=Benjamin |title=Don’t Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves: The TV show you must not miss |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2013/12/01/dont-ever-wipe-tears-without-gloves-the-tv-show-you-must-not-miss/ |website=Pink News |date=1 December 2013}}</ref><ref name="Time Out London Wipe Tears"/>
Paul Simon J. Berger last1=Smith |first1=Anna |title=Don’t Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves |url=https://www.timeout.com/london/tv-reviews/dont-ever-wipe-tears-without-gloves |website=Time Out London |date=November 25, 2013}}</ref>
Benjamin Adam Lundgren Benjamin is young and struggling to come to terms with his homosexuality and faith as a Jehovah's Witness. Benjamin begins a relationship with Rasmus, and stays by his side the entire time he is dying. Benjamin is the only one out of the three characters to survive the AIDS crisis, and is seen in the last episode reflecting about that period in his life 20 years later.<ref name="Dont Ever Wipe Tears"/><ref name="Time Out London Wipe Tears"/>
2012–2013 Emily Owens, M.D. {{sortname|The|CW|The CW Television Network}} Tyra Dupre Kelly McCreary title=Tyra Dupre |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/tyra-dupre/}}</ref>
Jake Reeser 3 different babies portray Jake Jake is an intersexual baby who has a penis as well as ovaries. The parents discuss raising the child gender neutral and allowing them to decide when they are older.<ref>{{cite web |title=Jake Reeser |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/jake-reeser/}}</ref>
2012 GCB ABC Blake Reilly Mark Deklin last1=Eramo |first1=Steve |title=A Chat With GCB's Mark Deklin |url=http://www.themortonreport.com/entertainment/television/a-chat-with-gcbs-mark-deklin/ |website=The Morton Report |date=5 April 2012}}</ref>
2012–2017 Girls HBO Elijah Krantz Andrew Rannells Elijah is openly gay, and dates several men throughout the series, never really having a serious boyfriend.<ref name="Rise of Elijah on Girls"/>
George Billy Morrissette last1=Gallagher |first1=Caitlin |title=Elijah's Realistic Gay Sex Scene On HBO's 'Girls' Was A Really Progressive Move For The Show |url=https://www.bustle.com/articles/146350-elijahs-realistic-gay-sex-scene-on-hbos-girls-was-a-really-progressive-move-for-the-show |website=Bustle}}</ref>
Dill Harcourt Corey Stoll last1=Chaney |first1=Jen |title=The Rise of Elijah on Girls |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/03/andrew-rannells-girls-the-rise-of-elijah.html |website=Vulture |date=March 26, 2017}}</ref><ref name="How Elijah Became">{{cite web |last1=Budowski |first1=Jade |title=How Elijah Became The Best Character On ‘Girls’ |url=https://decider.com/2017/03/27/how-elijah-became-the-best-character-on-girls/ |website=Decider |date=27 March 2017}}</ref>
Pal Danny Strong last1=Van Syckle |first1=Katie |title=Danny Strong on Playing Elijah’s Mean Boyfriend on Girls, Pizza Parties With the Cast, and Empire |url=https://www.vulture.com/2014/02/girls-danny-strong-interview.html |website=Vulture |date=February 20, 2014}}</ref>
2012 {{sortname|The|L.A. Complex}} CTV
MuchMusic		 Kaldrick King Andra Fuller last1=Delmacy |first1=Nick |title=The L.A. Complex – "Kaldrick King and Tariq’s First Date" |url=https://cypheravenue.com/gif-rewind-the-l-a-complex-kaldrick-king-and-tariqs-first-date/ |website=Cypher Avenue |date=2015}}</ref>
Tariq Muhammad Benjamin Charles Watson Tariq is gay and an aspiring rapper working at the production company where Kaldrick records. The two start a secret relationship.<ref name="Cypher Avenue King and Tariq"/>
Christopher Taylor Jarod Joseph last1=Johnson |first1=George M. |title=‘The 100’s Queer Heartthrob Is Getting More Storylines In Season 5 |url=https://www.intomore.com/culture/the-100s-queer-heartthrob-is-getting-more-storylines-in-season-5/ |website=Into |date=10 April 2018}}</ref>
2012–2016 Last Tango in Halifax BBC One Caroline Dawson Sarah Lancashire last1=Duffy|first1=Nick|title=Last Tango in Halifax creator: Killing lesbian character was a mistake|url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2016/09/06/last-tango-in-halifax-creator-killing-lesbian-character-was-a-mistake/%7Cwebsite=PinkNews|date=6 September 2016}}</ref>
Kate McKenzie Nina Sosanya Kate is lesbian, and married to Caroline.<ref name="Tango in Halifax"/>
Olga Lorraine Burroughs title=Olga |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/olga/}}</ref>
Judith Ronni Ancona title=Judith |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/judith/}}</ref>
2012– Line of Duty BBC Two
BBC One (2017)		 DCI Joanne Davidson Kelly Macdonald Joanne is lesbian and the SIO of "Operation Lighthouse" (season 6). She was accused by her ex, Farida, of cheating on her with Kate Fleming.
PC/PS Farida Jatri Anneika Rose last1=Wakefield |first1=Lily |title=Line of Duty leaves fans reeling with sapphic twist and ‘s**t storm of lesbian drama’ |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2021/03/22/kate-line-of-duty-fleming-gay-lesbian-joanne-davidson-vicky-mcclure-kelly-macdonald/ |website=PinkNews |date=March 22, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Davies |first1=Nadia |title=Lesbian Twitter is still talking about the new season of Line Of Duty |url=https://divamag.co.uk/2021/03/24/lesbian-twitter-is-still-talking-about-the-new-season-of-line-of-duty/ |work=Diva |date=24 March 2021}}</ref>
2012–2018 Major Crimes TNT Rusty Beck Graham Patrick Martin title=Interview Exclusive: Graham Patrick Martin |url=https://www.candidmagazine.com/graham-patrick-martin-interview/ |website=Candid Magazine |date=27 July 2020}}</ref>
Gustavo Wallace Rene Rosado last1=Cruz |first1=Karen |title=Rene Rosado Talks "Major Crimes" and Opening Doors for Latino Actors |url=https://www.lol-la.com/rene-rosado-talks-major-crimes-opening-doors-latino-actors/ |website=Living Out Loud Los Angeles |date=29 April 2016}}</ref>
TJ Shaw Patrick Stafford title=Major Crimes - la scheda della serie tv |url=https://www.cinemagay.it/serie-tv/major-crimes/ |website=Cinemagay.it |language=it}}</ref>
2012–2015 Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries ABC Dr. Elizabeth 'Mac' MacMillan Tammy MacIntosh last1=Wendell|first1=Sarah|title=All the Reasons Why You Should Be Watching Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries|url=http://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2015/01/all-the-reasons-why-you-should-be-watching-miss-fishers-murder-mysteries/%7Cwebsite=Smart Bitches Trashy Books|date=January 8, 2015|access-date=4 October 2017}}</ref>
Daisy Murphy Maria Coviello title=Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/miss-fishers-murder-mysteries/}}</ref>
Hetty Caroline Brazier Hetty is a lesbian, and a factory worker with Daisy. She is love with Daisy and kills her when rejected for Dr. Mac. She also frames Dr. Mac for another murder.<ref name="Miss Fishers Murder Mysteries"/>
Sarah Norden Eloise Mignon Sarah is a lesbian, and a contortionist, she was in a relationship with Pearl.<ref name="Miss Fishers Murder Mysteries"/>
Pearl Dyson Madeleine Vizard Pearl is a lesbian, and an assistant for a magician. She is accidentally killed by a malfunctioning guillotine.<ref name="Miss Fishers Murder Mysteries"/>
2012–2018 Nashville ABC Will Lexington Chris Carmack GLAAD|2013|p=9}}{{Sfn|GLAAD|2016|pp=8-9}}
Brent McKinney Derek Krantz title=Nashville - la scheda della serie tv |url=https://www.cinemagay.it/serie-tv/nashville/ |website=Cinemagay.it |language=it-IT}}</ref>
Kevin Bicks Kyle Dean Massey url=http://www.out.com/entertainment/television/2013/09/26/nashville-chris-carmack-abc-gay-country-singer%7Ctitle=Nashville's Chris Carmack on Playing Gay Country Singer Will Lexington|date=26 September 2013|website=Out.com|access-date=11 September 2017}}</ref>
Zach Welles Cameron Scoggins last1=Rudolph |first1=Christopher |title=Will Lexington's New Boyfriend Is Sticking Around On "Nashville" |url=http://www.newnownext.com/nashville-will-lexington-cameron-scoggins-season-5-regular/05/2017/ |website=NewNowNext |date=May 16, 2017}}</ref>
Jakob Fine Murray Bartlett last1=Rudolph |first1=Christopher |title=Will Lexington's Boyfriend Has Something To Hide In New "Nashville" Trailer |url=http://www.newnownext.com/nashville-season-5-trailer-will-lexington-gay/05/2017/ |website=NewNowNext |date=May 26, 2017}}</ref>
Allyson Del Lago Jen Richards Allyson is a trans woman, and a physical therapist. Her character is the first transgender to ever appear on a CMT show and the first out transgender actor on the network.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rudolph |first1=Christopher |title=Jen Richards Joins "Nashville" As CMT's First Transgender Character |url=http://www.newnownext.com/nashville-jen-richards-transgender-character/09/2016/ |website=NewNowNext |date=September 13, 2016}}</ref>
Jeff Aaron Cavette last1=Weiss |first1=Max |title=Nashville Recap: Shame of Thrones |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/07/nashville-recap-season-5-episode-17.html |website=Vulture |date=6 July 2017}}</ref>
2012 Political Animals USA T.J. Hammond Sebastian Stan title="Political Animal" Sebastian Stan |url=https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/politcal-animal-sebastian-stan/1922444/ |website=NBC4 Washington |date=July 11, 2012}}</ref>
Diane Nash Vanessa Redgrave title=Diane Nash |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/diane-nash/}}</ref>
Sean Reeves David Monahan last1=Eichel |first1=Molly |title=Political Animals: "Lost Boys" |url=https://tv.avclub.com/political-animals-lost-boys-1798173718 |website=The AV Club |date=August 6, 2012}}</ref>
2012–2017 Saving Hope CTV
NBC		 Shahir Hamza Huse Madhavji last1=Treccia |first1=Mandy |title=Saving Hope Recap: "The Law of Contagion" |url=https://tvsourcemagazine.com/2012/08/2935-saving-hope-recap-the-law-of-contagion/ |website=TV Source Magazine |date=31 August 2012}}</ref>
Victor Reis Salvatore Antonio Victor is gay and an OR nurse. Shahir and Victor are in a long-term relationship.<ref name="Saving Hope Recap"/>
Maggie Lin Julia Taylor Ross Maggie is bisexual. She is an OB/GYN attending at Hope Zion Hospital. At the end of the series, Maggie and Sydney enter into a relationship.<ref name="Saving Hope LezWatch.TV"/>
Sydney Katz Stacey Farber title=Saving Hope |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/saving-hope/}}</ref>
Bree Hannigan Rebecca Liddiard Bree is lesbian, and was admitted to the hospital following a car accident. Scans reveal that Bree has cancer.<ref name="Saving Hope LezWatch.TV"/>
Neshema Hannah Miller Neshema is a lesbian, and married to Ruth. She is pregnant.<ref name="Saving Hope LezWatch.TV"/>
Violet Jackson Bahia Watson Violet is lesbian, and Bree's fiancé.<ref name="Saving Hope LezWatch.TV"/>
Riley Stiles Justin Kelly Riley is intersexual and is transitioning to male. When he comes to the hospital for surgery, he learns he had a gender assignment surgery as a baby.<ref name="Saving Hope LezWatch.TV"/>
Ruth Maggie Castle Ruth is lesbian, and married to Neshema.<ref name="Saving Hope LezWatch.TV"/>
2012–2018 Scandal ABC Cyrus Beene Jeff Perry Cyrus is the White House Chief of Staff. He is openly gay and in a long-term relationship with James.<ref name="cosmo jeff perry"/>
James Novak Dan Bucatinsky last1=Greco |first1=Patti |title=Jeff Perry Remembers "My So-Called Life" 20 Years Later |url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/tv/q-and-a/a30474/jeff-perry-remembers-my-so-called-life/ |website=Cosmopolitan |date=26 August 2014}}</ref>
Michael Ambruso Matthew Del Negro last1=Arceneaux |first1=Michael |title='Scandal': Olivia Wants Us to Forget That Cyrus Is the Worst Husband of All-Time |url=http://www.vh1.com/news/90018/scandal-cyrus-marries-hooker/ |website=VH1 News |date=March 27, 2015}}</ref>
Fenton Glackland Dean Norris last1=Kirkland |first1=Justin |title='Scandal' recap: What happened to Quinn? |url=https://ew.com/recap/scandal-season-7-episode-8/ |website=Entertainment Weekly |date=January 18, 2018}}</ref>
Annalise Keating Viola Davis Annalise is bisexual, and in a guest appearance in episode "Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself", she teams up with Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) to work on a class action lawsuit regarding the mass incarceration of black people in the United States.<ref name="ScandalLezWatch.TV">{{cite web |title=Scandal |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/scandal/}}</ref>
Rose Marla Gibbs Rose is a lesbian, who hires Olivia to help find her ex-lover Lois, but Lois had already been murdered.<ref name="ScandalLezWatch.TV"/>
Lois Moore Fran Bennett Lois is lesbian, and Olivia's neighbor. After Olivia was kidnapped, she was held hostage in Lois' apartment and the hostage takers eventually killed her.<ref name="ScandalLezWatch.TV"/>
Gillian Lauren Gaw Gillian is lesbian, and Yasmeen's girlfriend.<ref name="ScandalLezWatch.TV"/>
Yasmeen Medalion Rahimi Yasmeen is a lesbian, and the niece of the Bashranian president. She is killed when her plane leaving the U.S. explodes on the runway, in episode "Adventures in Babysitting".<ref name="ScandalLezWatch.TV"/>
2012–2013 Smash NBC Tom Levitt Christian Borle last1=Goldberg |first1=Lesley |last2=Godley |first2=Chris |title=NBC's 'Smash' Who's Who: Meet the Show's Characters |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/gallery/nbcs-smash-debra-messing-katharine-mcphee-283702/2-christian-borle-tom |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=20 January 2012}}</ref>
Dennis Phillip Spaeth last1=Jensen 2/24/2011 |first1=Michael |title=How Gay is NBC's "Smash?" It's Potentially Something to Sing About! |url=http://www.newnownext.com/how-gay-is-nbcs-smash-its-potentially-something-to-sing-about/02/2011/ |website=NewNowNext |date=February 24, 2011}}</ref>
Bobby Wesley Taylor last1=Halterman |first1=Jim |title="Smash 2.0" Is Coming...With Andy Mientus As A New Gay Character |url=http://www.newnownext.com/smash-20-is-comingwith-andy-mientus-as-a-new-gay-character/01/2013/ |website=NewNowNext |date=January 8, 2013}}</ref>
Sam Strickland Leslie Odom, Jr. title=Leslie Odom Jr., Krysta Rodriguez Added To 'Smash' Cast |url=https://deadline.com/2012/07/leslie-odom-jr-krysta-rodriguez-added-to-smash-cast-296703/ |website=Deadline |date=6 July 2012}}</ref>
John Goodwin Neal Bledsoe last1=Sheward |first1=David |title='Smash' Recap: Episode 5, 'Let's Be Bad' |url=https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/smash-recap-episode-bad-59195/ |website=Backstage |date=March 6, 2012}}</ref>
Ellis Boyd Jaime Cepero Ellis began as Tom's personal assistant, who he slept with, before becoming assistant to Broadway producer Eileen Rand. He left the series after season one and an ex-girlfriend later outed him as gay.<ref name="how gay is smash"/>
Kyle Bishop Andy Mientus last1=Slezak |first1=Michael |title=Smash's Andy Mientus Talks Kyle's [Spoiler], Hit List's Rent Parallels and Jimmy's Redemption |url=https://tvline.com/2013/05/04/smash-andy-mientus-kyle-dies-dead-interview/ |website=TV Line |date=5 May 2013}}</ref>
Blake Daniel Abeles Blake is the lighting director for Hit List and he and Kyle became involved.<ref name="smash andy mientus"/>
2012–2013 Underemployed MTV Sophia Swanson Michelle Ang Sophia is a lesbian, and an aspiring writer.<ref name="Underemployed MTV cast"/>
Laura Angel M. Wainwright Laura is lesbian, and Sophia's girlfriend for a short while.<ref name="Underemployed MTV cast"/>
Natalie Katherine Cunningham title=Underemployed |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/underemployed/}}</ref>

2013

Year Show Network Character Actor Notes
2013–2018 {{sortname|A|Place to Call Home|A Place to Call Home (TV series)}} Channel 7 James Bligh David Berry last1=Molloy |first1=Shannon |title=Shunned, abused and tortured: David Berry portrays what many gay men endured in 1950s Australia |url=https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/shunned-abused-and-tortured-david-berry-portrays-what-many-gay-men-endured-in-1950s-australia/news-story/fa3398c3c19c56d8edf1769b5dd9c042}}</ref>
Harry Polson Dominic Allburn last1=Langford |first1=Anthony D. |title=Gays of Our Lives: Best and Worst of 2016 |url=https://tvsourcemagazine.com/2016/12/gays-of-our-lives-best-worst-2016/2/}}</ref>
Dr. Henry Fox Tim Draxl Henry is gay, and has a relationship with James Bligh.<ref name="place to call home"/>
Carolyn Bligh Sara Wiseman title=Carolyn Bligh |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/carolyn-duncan/}}</ref>
Delia Craig Maya Stange title=Delia Craig |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/delia-craig/}}</ref>
2013– Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ABC Joey Gutierrez Juan Pablo Raba Joey is a gay Inhuman who can melt metals, he previously had a boyfriend.{{Sfn|GLAAD|2015|p=7}} Joey is the first openly gay character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.<ref name="Screen RantAgents Of SHIELD">{{cite web |last1=Cotter |first1=Padraig |title=Why Agents Of SHIELD Didn't Address The LGBTQ Backstory Of Lucy Lawless' Izzy |url=https://screenrant.com/agents-shield-show-lucy-lawless-lgbtq-backstory/ |date=3 September 2020}}</ref>
Marcus Benson Barry Shabaka Henley Benson is a gay scientist recruited to help with the S.H.I.E.L.D science team in season 6.<ref name="Screen RantAgents Of SHIELD"/>
Victoria Hand Saffron Burrows Victoria is a lesbian, she was eventually shot and killed in the series.<ref name="Screen RantAgents Of SHIELD"/>
Isabelle Hartley Lucy Lawless Isabelle is a lesbian, and was killed when her SUV was flipped over by the Absorbing Man.<ref name="Screen RantAgents Of SHIELD"/>
Olga Pachinko Jolene Andersen title=Olga Pachinko |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/olga-pachinko/}}</ref>
2013- Amar es para siempre
(To Love is Forever)		 Antena 3 Amelia Ledesma Carol Rovira Amelia is a lesbian. During the day she works at a hotel, and then she sings at night. She is in a secret relationship with Luisita Gómez, as the show takes place in the 1970s.<ref name="amar es para siempre"/><ref name="Diez Minutos"/>
Luisita Gómez Paula Usero last1=Díaz |first1=Aroa |title=Luimelia se despide tras tres años de romance y visibilidad |url=https://www.diezminutos.es/telenovela/amar-es-para-siempre/a33505750/luimelia-amar-es-para-siempre-fin/ |website=Diez Minutos |language=es |date=4 August 2020}}</ref>
Isabel Vegas Silvia Maya title=Isabel Vegas, Amar es para siempre|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/isabel-2/}}</ref>
Ana Rivas Marina San José Ana is a lesbian, and married to Teresa García.<ref name="amar es para siempre"/>
Teresa García Carlota Olcina Teresa is a lesbian, and married to Ana. They both die, along with their child in a fire.<ref name="amar es para siempre"/>
Sara Martín Belén González title=Sara Martín, Amar es para siempre|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sara-martin/}}</ref>
Juanma Enrique Gimeno Juanma is gay and Gonzalo is his boyfriend.<ref name="amar es para siempre"/>
Gonzalo Nacho Casalvaque last1=Iniesta |first1=Nuria |title='Luimelia', el romance lésbico de 'Amar es para siempre' que triunfa en redes sociales |url=https://shangay.com/2019/02/19/https-bit-ly-2iwo8ow/ |website=Shangay |language=es |date=19 February 2019}}</ref>
2013–2015 Atlantis BBC One Pythagoras Robert Emms Pythagoras and Icarus are romantically involved in the second series.<ref name="atlantis icarus">{{cite web|last1=Ellis|first1=Sarah Kate|title=GLAAD 2015 Network Responsibility Index|url=https://www.glaad.org/files/GLAAD-2015-NRI.pdf}}</ref>
Icarus Joseph Timms
2013–2016 Banshee Cinemax Job Hoon Lee last1=Nahmod |first1=David-Elijah |title=Cinemax show pushes boundaries with cross-dressing killer |url=https://www.windycitytimes.com/lgbt/Cinemax-show-pushes-boundaries-with-cross-dressing-killer/41062.html}}</ref>
2013–2014 Betrayal ABC Jules Whitman Sofia Black D'Elia title=Jules Whitman |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/jules-whitman/}}</ref>
Valerie McAllister Elizabeth McLaughlin title=Valerie McAllister |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/valerie-mcallister/}}</ref>
2013–2014 {{sortname|The|Bridge|The Bridge (2013 TV series)}} FX Adriana Perez Emily Rios title=Adriana Mendez |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/adriana-mendez/}}</ref>
Lucy Alyssa Diaz title=Lucy |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lucy-bridge/}}</ref>
2013–2017 Broadchurch ITV Maggie Radcliffe Carolyn Pickles title=Maggie Radcliffe |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/maggie-radcliffe/}}</ref><ref name="Broadchurch kiss"/>
Jocelyn Knight Charlotte Rampling Jocelyn is a lesbian, and a semi-retired barrister, in love with Maggie.<ref name="Broadchurch kiss">{{cite web |last1=Payton |first1=Naith |title=Broadchurch kiss between older women surprises viewers |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2015/02/18/broadchurch-kiss-between-older-women-surprises-viewers/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Jocelyn Knight |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/jocelyn-knight/}}</ref>
2013 Camp NBC Todd Adam Garcia Todd and Raffi are an interracial couple raising an adopted child. They get married in season 1, episode 7, "The Wedding".<ref>{{cite web |title=Camp Season 1 Episodes |url=https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/camp/episodes-season-1/1000523953/?ftag=web |website=TV Guide}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Nunn |first1=Jerry |title=Rachel Griffiths: summer 'Camp' - Windy City Times News |url=https://windycitytimes.com/m/APParticle.php?AID=44177&i=14&s=Tv}}</ref>
Raffi Christopher Kirby
2013–2014 {{sortname|The|Carrie Diaries|The Carrie Diaries (TV series)}} {{sortname|The|CW|The CW Television Network}} Walt Reynolds Brendan Dooling last1=Lewis |first1=Casey |title='Carrie Diaries' Star Brendan Dooling on Playing The Iconic Character's Best Bud |url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/brendan-dooling-the-carrie-diaries |website=Teen Vogue |date=March 7, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Rudolph |first1=Christopher |title=Before Stanford: Meet Carrie Bradshaw's First Gay Bestie |url=https://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/television/2013/02/04/stanford-meet-carrie-bradshaws-first-gay-bestie}}</ref>
Bennet Wilcox Jake Robinson author1=Out.com Editors |title=The Carrie Diaries Gets Serious With AIDS Crisis Storyline |url=https://www.out.com/entertainment/television/2014/01/10/carrie-diaries-walt-bennett-aids-crisis-storyline |website=Out Magazine |date=10 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Asay |first1=Paul |title=The Carrie Diaries |url=https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/carrie-diaries/}}</ref>
Larissa Loughlin Freema Agyeman Larissa is bisexual, a style editor at a magazine and party girl. She slept with Samantha.<ref name="The Carrie Diaries"/>
Samantha "Sam" Jones Lindsey Gort Sam is bisexual and slept with Larissa.<ref name="The Carrie Diaries"/>
Jill "Mouse" Chen Ellen Wong Mouse is a bisexual nerd. She slept with Donna.<ref name="The Carrie Diaries"/>
Donna LaDonna Chloe Bridges title=The Carrie Diaries |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/the-carrie-diaries/}}</ref>
Blake Ian Quinlan author1=Snicks |title="The Carrie Diaries" 2.04 Can't Fight This Feeling |url=http://www.newnownext.com/the-carrie-diaries-2-04-cant-fight-this-feeling/11/2013/ |date=November 16, 2013}}</ref>
2013–2015 Da Vinci's Demons Starz Leonardo da Vinci Tom Riley Leonardo da Vinci is bisexual. The shows creator, David S. Goyer, confirmed his bisexuality, along with actor Tom Riley who said: "He is, in my mind, canonically bisexual. He is attracted to men and he is attracted to women on the show."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Nededog |first1=Jethro |title='Da Vinci's Demons' Creator Says 'We're Not Backing Away' From Leonardo's Bisexuality |url=https://www.thewrap.com/da-vincis-demons-creator-says-backing-away-leonardos-bisexuality/ |website=The Wrap |date=12 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=O'Keefe |first1=Meghan |title=‘Da Vinci’s Demons’ Star Tom Riley Addresses Leonardo Da Vinci’s Alleged Homosexuality|url=https://decider.com/2015/10/23/da-vincis-demons-tom-riley-sexuality/}}</ref> Da Vinci's Demons is a fictional account of Leonardo da Vinci's early life.
Jacopo Saltarelli Christopher Elson last1=Halterman |first1=Jim |title="Da Vinci's Demons" Sodomy Trial Post-Mortem: Tom Riley & David S. Goyer |url=http://www.newnownext.com/da-vincis-demons-interview-tom-riley-david-s-goyer/05/2013/ |date=May 13, 2013}}</ref>
Andrea del Verrocchio Allan Corduner In season 2, episode 5, "The Sun and the Moon", it is implied that Andrea has a sexual relationship with a handsome young man (Benedetto), who works as a picture framer in his workshop.<ref>{{Cite episode|series=Da Vinci's Demons|title=The Sun and the Moon|series-link=Da Vinci's Demons|network=Starz|date=April 19, 2014|season=2|number=5|last=Hess|first=Dan|last2=Reed|first2=Corey|minutes=7:14}}</ref>
2013 Dates Channel 4 Erica Gemma Chan title=Erica |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/erica/}}</ref>
Kate Katie McGrath title=Kate |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/kate-dates/}}</ref>
2013–2015 Defiance Syfy Stahma Tarr Jaime Murray Stahma is bisexual, and a wealthy alien.<ref name="DefianceLezWatch"/><ref name="Defiance ArchivesLGBT Fans"/>
Kenya Rosewater Mia Kirschner title=Defiance |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/defiance/}}</ref><ref name="Defiance ArchivesLGBT Fans"/>
Doc Meh Yewll Trenna Keating Meh is a lesbian and is a Doctor in the town of Defiance.<ref name="DefianceLezWatch"/><ref name="Defiance ArchivesLGBT Fans"/>
Lev Hannah Cheeseman title=Defiance Archives |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/show/defiance/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Niles Pottinger James Murray last1=Lavigne |first1=Carlen |title=Post-Apocalyptic Patriarchy: American Television and Gendered Visions of Survival |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-9906-9 |page=87 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YOxzDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA87 |date=2018}}</ref>
2013–2016 Devious Maids Lifetime Alejandro Rubio Matt Cedeño title=Roselyn Sanchez Teases ‘A New Murder Mystery’ On ‘Devious Maids’ |url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/roselyn-sanchez-teases-a-new-murder-mystery-on-devious-maids |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204212847/https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/roselyn-sanchez-teases-a-new-murder-mystery-on-devious-maids |archive-date=December 4, 2020 |date=25 December 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Matt Cedeño, "Days of Our Lives" Actor and Model. (Cuban Descendant) |url=https://www.thecubanhistory.com/2015/03/matt-cedeno-days-of-our-lives-actor-and-model-cuban-descendant-matt-cedeno-actor-en-devious-maids-y-modelo-descendiente-cubano/}}</ref>
2013–2017 East Los High Hulu Camila Barrios Vannessa Vasquez title=East Los High |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/east-los-high/}}</ref>
Jocelyn Reyes Andrea Sixtos Jocelyn is lesbian, and hooked up with Camila after smoking pot together.<ref name="East Los HighLezWatch"/>
Daysi Cantu Ser Anzoategui Daysi is a queer, and a new student at East Los High.<ref name="East Los HighLezWatch"/>
Ms. Alvarez Catherine Lazo Ms. Alvarez is a lesbian, and the school principal.<ref name="East Los HighLezWatch"/>
Veronica Jacqueline Grace Lopez Veronica is a lesbian, and went out with Jocelyn.<ref name="East Los HighLezWatch"/>
2013–2016 {{sortname|The|Fall|The Fall (TV series)}} BBC Two Danielle Ferrington Niamh McGrady title=The Fall |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/the-fall/}}</ref>
Stella Gibson Gillian Anderson Stella is bisexual.<ref name="The FallLezWatch.TV"/>
2013–2018 {{sortname|The|Fosters|The Fosters (2013 TV series)}} Freeform Stef Adams-Foster Teri Polo Stef and Lena are a married lesbian couple. Stef has a son from a previous marriage. Stef and Lena also serve as adoptive and foster parents to additional children.<ref name="LezWatch.TVThe Fosters">{{cite web |title=The Fosters |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/the-fosters/}}</ref>
Lena Adams-Foster Sherri Saum
Jude Adams Foster Hayden Byerly last1=Bergado |first1=Gabe |title=The History-Making Gay Kiss: ‘The Fosters’ Features the Youngest Same-Sex TV Kiss Ever |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-history-making-gay-kiss-the-fosters-features-the-youngest-same-sex-tv-kiss-ever |website=The Daily Beast |date=4 March 2015}}</ref><ref name=Clinton_Fosters>{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywood.com/news/tv/56811911/our-favorite-lgbtq-characters-on-tv%7Ctitle=Our Favorite LGBTQ Characters on TV}}</ref>
Connor Stevens Gavin MacIntosh In season 2, Connor comes out as gay, shares a kiss with Jude and the two begin dating.<ref name="jude and connor"/>
Cole Tom Phelan Cole is a trans boy, and a teen runaway who lives at a group foster home.<ref name="LezWatch.TVThe Fosters"/>
Noah Walker Kalama Epstein last1=Dresden |first1=Hilton |title=Actor Kalama Epstein on Playing a Gay Teen on 'The Fosters' |url=https://www.out.com/interviews/2016/8/18/kalama-epstein-playing-gay-teen-fosters}}</ref>
Monte Porter Annika Marks last1=Hogan |first1=Heather |title=The Fosters Episode 317 Recap: Trust No One |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/the-fosters-episode-317-recap-trust-no-one-330799/}}</ref>
Aaron Baker Elliot Fletcher last1=Bradley|first1=Laura|title=Inside The Fosters' Groundbreaking Callie-Aaron Sex Scene|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/08/the-fosters-aaron-callie-sex-scene-relationship-elliot-fletcher-interview}}</ref>
Ximena Sinfuego Lisseth Chavez Ximena is a lesbian, and captain of the roller-derby team.<ref name="LezWatch.TVThe Fosters"/>
Jack Downey Tanner Buchanan last1=Bernard |first1=Riese |author1-link=Riese Bernard |title=Bury Your Gays: 109 Dead Gay and Bisexual Male TV Characters, And How They Died |url=https://www.queerty.com/bury-your-gays-108-dead-gay-and-bisexual-male-tv-characters-and-how-they-died-20160325}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Geier |first1=Thom |title=#BuryYourGays: 27 LGBT TV Characters Killed Off in 2016 |url=https://www.thewrap.com/buryyourgays-lgbt-tv-characters-gay-lesbian-killed-off-2016-empire-game-of-thrones/}}</ref>
Carmen Cruz Alicia Sixtos Carmen is a lesbian, and been involved with gangs, drugs, and kidnapping.<ref name="LezWatch.TVThe Fosters"/>
Jenna Paul Suzanne Cryer Jenna is a lesbian, and an old friend of Stef and Lena.<ref name="LezWatch.TVThe Fosters"/>
Sally Benton Pepi Sonuga Sally is a lesbian, and accuses the principal of kissing her.<ref name="LezWatch.TVThe Fosters"/>
Tess Bayfield Kristen Ariza Tess is bisexual and Steph's high-school crush.<ref name="LezWatch.TVThe Fosters"/>
Kelly Paul Alice Dodd Kelly is a lesbian, and Jenna's ex-wife.<ref name="LezWatch.TVThe Fosters"/>
Lara Brit Manor Lara is lesbian, and makes a pass at Tess.<ref name="LezWatch.TVThe Fosters"/>
2013–2018 Hit the Floor VH1 Jude Kinkade Brent Antonello Jude is gay and Zero is a closeted bisexual basketball player, Jude is also Zero's agent. Jude and Zero begin having casual sex in season 2. In season 3, Zero comes out by kissing Jude in public, and the two are now in a committed relationship.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rudolph |first1=Christopher |title="Hit the Floor" Heats Up The Court In Sexy New Season Four Preview |url=http://www.newnownext.com/hit-the-floor-season-4-bet/04/2018/ |date=April 25, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Hern |first1=Greg |title=TV pro basketball drama Hit the Floor surprises with gay affair between star player and his agent |url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/tv-pro-basketball-drama-hit-floor-surprises-hot-affair-between-star-player-and-his-agent0108/#sthash.cHFXS4zO.dpuf |website=Gay Star News |date=1 August 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Hinzmann |first1=Dennis |title=First Look at Adam Senn and Brent Antonello in ‘Hit the Floor’ Season 3 |url=https://www.out.com/popnography/2016/1/13/excluisive-first-look-adam-senn-and-brent-antonello-hit-floor-season-3}}</ref>
Zero
(real name Gideon)		 Adam Senn
Lucas Jonathan Bennett last=Avery|first=Dan|title=Jonathan Bennett Becomes "A Complication" For Jude And Zero On "Hit The Floor"|url=http://www.newnownext.com/jonathan-bennett-becomes-a-complication-for-jude-and-zero-on-hit-the-floor/01/2016/%7Cdate=January 25, 2016}}</ref>
Noah Kristian Kordula author1=Farid-ul-Haq |title=New Hit the Floor Season 4 Trailer Is Queer As Heck! |url=https://thegeekiary.com/hit-floor-season-4-trailer-queer/53237 |website=The Geekiary |date=12 June 2018}}</ref>
2013–2018 House of Cards Netflix Frank Underwood Kevin Spacey Frank has been shown to have sexual encounters with both men and women. The series creator, Beau Willimon, said that Frank ignores the label of being bisexual or gay, and is simply attracted to people regardless of their gender.<ref name="frank underwood independent">{{cite web|title = House of Cards creator Beau Willimon clears up Frank Underwood's|url = https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/house-of-cards-creator-clears-up-frank-underwoods-sexuality-10098032.html}}</ref>
Edward Meechum Nathan Darrow Meechum is a Secret Service agent assigned to Frank Underwood, and has a threesome with him and Claire Underwood in season 2, episode "Chapter 24".<ref name="frank underwood independent"/>
Rachel Posner Rachel Brosnahan Rachel is a bisexual prostitute.<ref name="House of Cards Lez"/>
Lisa Williams Kate Lyn Sheil title=House of Cards |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/house-of-cards/}}</ref>
Michael Corrigan Christian Camargo Michael is a gay rights activist, imprisoned by the Russian government. He eventually hangs himself in his cell, refusing a deal to be released if he apologizes to Russia for his unlawful actions, in season 3, episode "Chapter 32".<ref name="bustle house of cards">{{cite web |last1=Gallagher |first1=Caitlin |title=Frank Won't Take A Gay Rights Stance On 'House of Cards' — Which Is Quite Interesting Knowing His Personal Life |url=https://www.bustle.com/articles/66926-frank-wont-take-a-gay-rights-stance-on-house-of-cards-which-is-quite-interesting}}</ref>
John Pasternak Todd Alan Crain John is Michael Corrigan's husband.<ref name="bustle house of cards"/>
2013–2016 Masters of Sex Showtime Betty DeMillo Annaleigh Ashford Betty is a lesbian sex worker and an early research subject in Masters and Johnson's study.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Bendix|first1=Trish|url=http://www.afterellen.com/masters-of-sex-explores-all-kinds-of-sexuality/08/2013/%7Ctitle="Masters of Sex" explores all kinds of sexuality}}</ref>
Helen Sarah Silverman title=Helen Schiff |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/helen-schiff/}}</ref>
Barton Scully Beau Bridges Barton is a closeted gay and the provost at the university where Masters initiates his study.<ref name="john backlot masters"/>
Dale Finn Wittrock Dale is gay and a hustler whom Scully patronizes.<ref name="john backlot masters">{{cite web|author=John |url=http://www.thebacklot.com/masters-of-sex-gay-story/11/2013/ |title=The Compelling Gay Story in "Masters Of Sex" |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131201042321/http://www.thebacklot.com/masters-of-sex-gay-story/11/2013/ |archive-date= December 1, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Carl Bobby Campo Carl is gay and a hustler, and has sex with Dale.<ref name="john backlot masters"/>
Guy Nick Clifford last1=Kearney |first1=Kelly |title=Nick Clifford – Masters of Sex |url=https://starrymag.com/nick-clifford-masters-of-sex/ |website=Starry Constellation Magazine |date=10 October 2016}}</ref>
Sarah unknown baby title=Sarah |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sarah-9/}}</ref>
2013 Murder in Passing YouTube Epicene Alexander Chapman Epicene is a trans woman detective assigned to investigate the murder of Mars Brito, a trans man bike courier. The show was originally broadcast as a series of 30-second episodes on advertising video screens in the Toronto Transit Commission's subway system.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Astle |first1=Randy |title=Murder in Passing: Transmedia on the Toronto Subway |url=https://filmmakermagazine.com/61947-murder-in-passing-transmedia-on-the-toronto-subway/ |website=Filmmaker Magazine |date=January 7, 2013}}</ref>
Mars Brito Chase Joynt last1=Israeli-Nevo |first1=Atalia |title=Taking (My) Time: Temporality in Transition, Queer Delays and Being (in the) Present |journal=Somatechnics |date=March 2017 |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=34–49 |doi=10.3366/soma.2017.0204}}</ref> The noirish black and white series is now on YouTube.<ref>{{cite web |title=Murder In Passing |url=https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1msb5FYoFeHBPyoWcqxbPg/subscribers |via=YouTube |format=video}}</ref>
2013–2015 My Mad Fat Diary E4 Archie Dan Cohen title=My Mad Fat Diary's Sharon Rooney: 'Gay storyline was my favourite' |url=https://attitude.co.uk/article/my-mad-fat-diarys-sharon-rooney-gay-storyline-was-my-favourite/7091/}}</ref>
2013–2019 Orange Is the New Black Netflix Piper Chapman Taylor Schilling last=Walkley|first=A.J|title=Bi-erasure in Orange Is the New Black|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/orange-is-the-new-black-bisexuality_b_3799037}}</ref>
Alex Vause Laura Prepon title=Alex Vause, Orange is the New Black |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/alex-vause-orange-new-black/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title='The First Scene We Shot Is When We Get Naked In The Shower' |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/orange-is-the-new-black-laura-prepon_n_3715942}}</ref>
Sophia Burset Laverne Cox Sophia is a trans woman. (Laverne Cox is transgender in real life. The Advocate suggested that Orange is the New Black is the first women-in-prison series that includes a real transgender woman playing the role of a transgender person.<ref>{{cite web|last=Anderson |first=Diane |url=http://www.advocate.com/print-issue/current-issue/2013/07/10/why-you-should-watch-orange-new-black?page=full |title=Why You Should Watch 'Orange Is the New Black'}}</ref>)
Nicky Nichols Natasha Lyonne last1=Ashenden |first1=Amy |title=Orange Is the New Black’s hottest lesbian relationships |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2019/07/03/orange-is-the-new-black-best-lesbian-relationships/}}</ref>
Crazy Eyes Uzo Aduba Crazy Eyes is a lesbian.<ref name="pink news oitnb ash"/>
Carrie "Big Boo" Black Lea DeLaria url=https://mashable.com/2015/06/12/orange-is-the-new-black-big-boo-backstory/%7Ctitle=We finally learn Big Boo's 'OITNB' backstory, and it's heartbreaking|last=Gonzalez|first=Sandra|date=June 12, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108132204/https://mashable.com/2015/06/12/orange-is-the-new-black-big-boo-backstory/%7Carchive-date=November 8, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>
Tricia Miller Madeline Brewer Tricia is a lesbian.<ref name="pink news oitnb ash"/>
Poussey Washington Samira Wiley Poussey is a lesbian.<ref name="pink news oitnb ash"/>
Lorna Morello Yael Stone title=Lorna, Orange is the New Black |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/lorna-orange-new-black/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Brook Soso Kimiko Glenn last1=Ferguson |first1=McKenna |title=Why 'OITNB' Refuses to Say the Word 'Bisexual' |url=https://www.pride.com/oitnb/2016/6/30/why-oitnb-refuses-say-word-bisexual}}</ref>
Artesian McCullough Emily Tarver last1=Sarrubba |first1=Stefania |title=These two OITNB actresses are girlfriends IRL and congrats, ladies! |url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/these-two-oitnb-actresses-are-girlfriends-irl-and-congrats-ladies/}}</ref>
Maureen Kukudio Emily Althaus title=Maureen Kukudio, Orange is the New Black |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/maureen-kukudio-orange-new-black/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Shani Abboud Marie Lou-Nahhas last1=Peter |first1=Zack |title=Grab Some Tissues and Join Us on Nicky and Shani's Relationship Roller Coaster on OITNB |url=https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/Who-Plays-Shani-Orange-New-Black-46433403 |date=28 July 2019}}</ref>
Stella Carlin Ruby Rose title=Stella Carlin, Orange is the New Black |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/stella-carlin-orange-new-black/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Zelda Alicia Witt last1=Pomarico |first1=Nicole |title=A Guide To The New "OITNB" Season 7 Characters |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/07/238771/who-are-orange-is-the-new-black-season-7-new-characters#slide-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Zelda |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/zelda-2/}}</ref>
Desi Piscatella Brad William Henke last1=Herman |first1=James Patrick |title=OITNB's Brad William Henke Talks Openly Gay 'Papa Bear' Piscatella (Exclusive) |url=https://www.out.com/popnography/2016/7/29/oitnb-brad-william-henke-gay-bear-piscatella-interview}}</ref>
Dayanara "Daya" Diaz Dasha Polanco title=Dayanara "Daya" Diaz |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/dayanara-daya-diaz/}}</ref>
Dominga "Daddy" Duarte Vicci Martinez last1=Prance|first1=Sam|title=Daddy from 'Orange Is the New Black' is dating McCullough irl and the internet can't deal|url=https://www.popbuzz.com/tv-film/news/orange-is-the-new-black-daddy-actress-dating/}}</ref>
2013–2017 Orphan Black Space
BBC America		 Cosima Niehaus Tatiana Maslany title=Cosima Niehaus, Orphan Black |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/cosima-niehaus-orphan-black/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Felix Dawkins Jordan Gavaris title=Jordan Gavaris On Why He Waited to Come Out |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/06/jordan-gavaris-explains-it-all.html}}</ref>
Delphine Cormier Evelyne Brochu title=Delphine Cormier, Orphan Black |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/delphine-cormier-orphan-black/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Tony Sawicki Tatiana Maslany title='Orphan Black' and trans representation: Where they went wrong |url=https://www.hypable.com/orphan-black-trans-representation/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Shay Davydov Ksenia Solo title=Shay Davydov, Orphan Black |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/shay-davydov-orphan-black/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Sarah Manning Tatiana Maslany url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvO8a48t4js%7Ctitle=Orphan Black FULL PANEL - San Diego Comic-Con 2016}}</ref>
Camilla Torres Tatiana Maslany title=Camilla Torres |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/camilla-torres/}}</ref>
2013– Peaky Blinders BBC Two James Josh O'Connor title='Peaky Blinders': Top 5 reasons Thomas Shelby is the most lovable gangster on TV |url=https://meaww.com/peaky-blinders-top-5-reasons-thomas-shelby-is-the-most-lovable-gangster-on-tv}}</ref>
2013–2016 Please Like Me ABC Josh Josh Thomas GLAAD|2013|p=11}}
Geoffrey Wade Briggs title=After ‘Please Like Me,’ Josh Thomas’s New Show Is All Fiction |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/16/arts/television/everythings-gonna-be-okay.html}}</ref>
Patrick Charles Cottier title=15 Things You Need To Know About 'Please Like Me' Star Josh Thomas |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/josh-thomas-please-like-me_n_5976630}}</ref>
Arnold Keegan Joyce last1=McHenry |first1=Jackson |title=Please Like Me Creator Josh Thomas on Season 4, Bad Dates, and Why Cat People Are ‘Psychopaths’ |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/01/please-like-me-season-four-josh-thomas-hulu.html}}</ref>
Hannah Hannah Gadsby title=‘Please Like Me’ Recap — Season 3, Episode 2: ‘Simple Carbohydrates’ |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2015/10/please-like-me-recap-season-3-episode-2-simple-carbohydrates-213623/}}</ref>
Ben David Quirk title=Puff Pastry Pizza |title-link=List of Please Like Me episodes#Season 3 (2015)|last=Thomas|first=Josh |author-link= Josh Thomas (comedian) |series=Please Like Me|network=ABC |date=November 27, 2015 |season=3 |number=7 |time=12:02}}</ref><ref>{{Cite episode |title=Beluga Caviar|title-link=List of Please Like Me episodes#Season 4 (2016)|last1=Thomas|first1=Josh |author-link2= Thomas Ward (actor)|last2=Ward|first2=Thomas|last3=Doran|first3=Liz |series=Please Like Me|network=ABC|date=November 23, 2016|season=4|number=3 |time=05:25}}</ref>
Kyah Freya Stafford title=Kyah |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/kyah/}}</ref>
2013–2020 Ray Donovan Showtime Lena Katherine Moennig title=Lena |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lena/}}</ref>
Tommy Wheeler Austin Nichols title=Is "Ray Donovan" TV’s Most Offensive Show? |url=https://www.queerty.com/is-ray-donovan-tvs-most-offensive-show-20130711}}</ref>
Justine Alexandra Turshen title=Justine |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/justine-2/}}</ref>
Chloe Hunter Alex Saxon title=Chloe Hunter |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/chloe-hunter/}}</ref>
Jeannie Rya Kihlstedt title=Jeannie |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/jeannie/}}</ref>
2013–2018 {{sortname|The|Tunnel|The Tunnel (TV series)}} Sky Atlantic
Canal+		 Elise Wassermann Clémence Poésy title=Élise and Erika make Season 2 of "The Tunnel" worth watching|url=http://www.afterellen.com/tv/514419-elise-erika-make-season-2-tunnel-worth-watching}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Love story between French police detective Elise Wassermann and suspect Eryka Klein|url=https://www.kizztv.com/2017/06/22/love-story-between-french-police-detective-elise-wassermann-and-suspect-eryka-klein/%7Carchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170730113913/https://www.kizztv.com/2017/06/22/love-story-between-french-police-detective-elise-wassermann-and-suspect-eryka-klein/%7Carchive-date=July 30, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Eryka Klein Laura De Boer Eryka (lesbian) falls in love with Elise.<ref name="the tunnel tv show"/>
2013–2015 Under the Dome CBS Carolyn Hill Aisha Hinds url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2013/06/25/cbs-to-rebroadcast-the-series-premiere-of-under-the-dome-this-sunday-june-30-at-900-800c-145012/20130625cbs02/%7Ctitle=Breaking News - CBS to Rebroadcast the Series Premiere of "Under the Dome" This Sunday, June 30 at 9:00/8:00c}}</ref>
Alice Calvert Samantha Mathis Alice is a lesbian.<ref name="under the dome"/>
2013–2020 Vikings History Ragnar Lothbrok Travis Fimmel title=The Unicorn Scale: Vikings |url=https://bi.org/en/articles/the-unicorn-scale-vikings}}</ref>
Lagertha Katheryn Winnick last1=Wagner|first1=Curt |title=Vikings' Sapphic Twist Surfaces a Powerful, Modern Woman|url=https://www.out.com/television/2016/11/23/vikings-sapphic-twist-surfaces-powerful-modern-woman}}</ref>
Astrid Josefin Asplund Astrid is bisexual. In season 5, she forces Lagertha to kill her. The sex scene between Lagertha and Astrid in episode "The Outsider" was edited for U.S. audiences and only showed them kissing.<ref>{{cite web|title=Vikings 4.11 The Outsider|url=https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=433594%7Cwebsite=Movie-Censorship.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title="Vikings" take on queer relationship|url=https://www.bgfalconmedia.com/entertainment/vikings-take-on-queer-relationship/article_eb29c1c0-dc6c-11e6-a0f7-97a6b03ba23d.html}}</ref>
2013– Wentworth SoHo Franky Doyle Nicole da Silva last1=Roberts |first1=Delina |title=Blue is the New Black at Wentworth |url=https://lezflix.com/blue-is-the-new-black-at-wentworth/ |website=Lez Flix |date=November 26, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Lyons |first1=Margaret |title=Australian Prison Series Wentworth Is the Dark Drama You've Been Waiting For |url=https://www.vulture.com/2014/12/tv-review-wentworth-australian-prison-series.html}}</ref>
Erica Davidson Leeanna Walsman title=Erica Davidson, Wentworth |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/erica-davidson-wentworth/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Kim Chang Ra Chapman title=Kim Chang, Wentworth |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/kim-chang-wentworth/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Joan Ferguson Pamela Rabe title=Joan Ferguson, Wentworth |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/joan-ferguson-wentworth/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Maxine Conway Socratis Otto title=Maxine Conway, Wentworth |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/maxine-conway/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Bridget Westfall Libby Tanner title=Bridget Westfall, Wentworth |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/bridget-westfall-wentworth/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Lucy Gambaro Sally-Anne Upton title=Lucy Gambaro, Wentworth |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/lucy-gambaro-wentworth/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Allie Novak Kate Jenkinson title=Allie Novak, Wentworth |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/allie-novak-wentworth/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Bea Smith Danielle Cormack title=Bea Smith, Wentworth |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/bea-smith-wentworth/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Jodie Spiteri Pia Miranda title=Jodie Spiteri, Wentworth |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/jodie-spiteri-wentworth/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Sean Brody Rick Donald title=Jake, you naughty boy – what have you been up to? |url=https://www.foxtel.com.au/whats-on/foxtel-insider/foxtel/jake-you-naughty-boy-what-have-you-been-up-to.html}}</ref>
Jake Stewart Bernard Curry Jake was in a sexual relationship with Sean.<ref name="Jake you naughty boy"/>
Lou Kelly Kate Box title=Lou Kelly, Wentworth |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lou-kelly/}}</ref>
Ruby Mitchell Rarriwuy Hick title=Ruby Mitchell, Wentworth |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/ruby-mitchell/}}</ref>
Marie Winter Susie Porter title=Marie Winter, Wentworth |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/marie-winter/}}</ref>
Maxine Conway Socratis Otto Maxine is a trans woman.<ref name="Maxine Conway, Wentworth"/>
Reb Keane Zoe Terakes title=Reb Keane, Wentworth |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/reb-keane/}}</ref>
Spike Baxter Kate Elliott title=Spike Baxter, Wentworth |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/spike-baxter/}}</ref>
Zara Dragovich Natalia Novikova title=Zara Dragovich, Wentworth |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/zara-dragovich/}}</ref>
Dana Malouf Daniielle Alexis title=Dana Malouf, Wentworth |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/dana-malouf/}}</ref>
Jianna Riley Tasia Zalar title=Jianna Riley, Wentworth |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/jianna-riley/}}</ref>
Shelley Hayes Alinta Chidzey title=Shelley Hayes, Wentworth |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/shelley-hayes/}}</ref>

2014

Year Show Network Character Actor Notes
2014– {{sortname|The|100|The 100 (TV series)}} The CW Commander Lexa Alycia Debnam-Carey title=Lexa, The 100 |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/lexa-the-100/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Clarke Griffin Eliza Taylor title=Clarke Griffin, The 100|url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/clarke-griffin-100/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Niylah Jessica Harmon title=Niylah, The 100 |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/niylah-the-100/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Nathan Miller Jarod Joseph title="The 100": What's In Store For Miller, Clarke And The Show's Other LGBT Characters (SPOILERS) |url=http://www.newnownext.com/the-100-clarke-clexa-miller/01/2016/}}</ref>
Bryan Jonathan Whitesell last1=Lavigne |first1=Carlen |title=Post-Apocalyptic Patriarchy: American Television and Gendered Visions of Survival |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-3445-6 |page=151 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_HZyDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA151}}</ref>
Eric Jackson Sachin Sahel title='The 100' Season 7 Countdown: Sachin Sahel says final season is 'batsh*t crazy' and 'like nothing you've seen' |url=https://meaww.com/the-100-season-7-countdown-sachin-sahel-interview-final-season-batshit-crazy-jackson-miller-429173}}</ref>
2014–2019 The Affair Showtime Trevor Solloway Jadon Sand last1=Bandyopadhyay |first1=Alakananda |title='The Affair' season 5 dissects who Jadon Sand's Trevor Solloway has become in the aftermath of his father's romantic fling |url=https://meaww.com/the-affair-season-5-spoilers-trevor-solloway-gay-coming-out-father-affair-jadon-sand}}</ref>
2014–2017 Black Sails Starz James Flint Toby Stephens title="Black Sails" and Its Big Gay Reveal|url=http://www.newnownext.com/black-sails-and-its-big-gay-reveal/02/2015/%7Cwebsite=NewNowNext|date=February 22, 2015}}</ref>
Eleanor Guthrie Hannah New last1=Bendix|first1=Trish|title="Black Sails" Season 2 has Eleanor and Max at odds|url=https://www.afterellen.com/tv/409889-black-sails-season-2-eleanor-max-odds%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=January 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150124035454/https://www.afterellen.com/tv/409889-black-sails-season-2-eleanor-max-odds%7Carchive-date=January 24, 2015}}</ref>
Max Jessica Parker Kennedy last1=Berlin|first1=Marina|title='Black Sails' Depicts the Untold Story of Queer Pirates|url=https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/yp99gm/black-sails-depicts-the-untold-story-of-queer-pirates%7Cwebsite=Vice|date=April 4, 2017}}</ref>
Anne Bonny Clara Paget last1=Bendix|first1=Trish|title=Clara Paget talks playing bisexual pirate legend Anne Bonny on Season 3 of "Black Sails"|url=https://www.afterellen.com/tv/470671-clara-paget-talks-playing-bisexual-pirate-legend-anne-bonny-season-3-black-sails%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=January 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160124095022/https://www.afterellen.com/tv/470671-clara-paget-talks-playing-bisexual-pirate-legend-anne-bonny-season-3-black-sails%7Carchive-date=January 24, 2016}}</ref>
Thomas Hamilton Rupert Penry-Jones title='Black Sails' Star Toby Stephens Talks Flint's Gay Romance: 'He Became Himself' (Video) |url=https://www.thewrap.com/black-sails-star-toby-stephens-talks-flints-gay-romance-he-became-himself/}}</ref>
2014– Bosch Amazon Prime Video Grace Billets Amy Aquino Grace Billets has a lesbian affair with a Black female colleague in the LAPD, Kizmin Rider.<ref name="danran">{{cite web|last=Dankievitch|first=Randy|url=https://www.tvovermind.com/bosch-season-1-episode-9-review-magic-castle/%7Ctitle=Bosch Season 1 Episode 9 Review: "The Magic Castle"|website=TV Over Mind|date=2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210329193600/https://www.tvovermind.com/bosch-season-1-episode-9-review-magic-castle/%7Carchive-date=March 29, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Sepinwall|first=Alan|url=https://uproxx.com/sepinwall/bosch-amazon-review-season-three-recap/%7Ctitle=Amazon’s ‘Bosch’ Gets Busier — And Better — In Season Three|website=Uproxx|date=April 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028022749/https://uproxx.com/sepinwall/bosch-amazon-review-season-three-recap/%7Carchive-date=October 29, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=|url=https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/home-and-family/thursday-may-4th-2017#slide-4%7Ctitle=Thursday, May 4th 2017|website=The Hallmark Channel|date=April 19, 2017|archive-url=https://archive.is/EwfLx%7Carchive-date=March 29, 2021|url-status=live|quote=This season explores Billets past after she gave birth to her daughter and revealed she was a lesbian}}</ref> She is a lieutenant who is a supervisor of the show's protagonist, Harry Bosch, at Hollywood Station.<ref>{{cite web|last=Connolly|first=Michael|url=https://www.michaelconnelly.com/characters/grace-billets/%7Ctitle=Grace Billets|website=Official website of Michael Connelly|date=April 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210329194615/https://www.michaelconnelly.com/characters/grace-billets/%7Carchive-date=March 29, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Gunderson|first=Alexis|url=https://collider.com/bosch-recap/%7Ctitle='Bosch' Recap: Everything You Need to Know Before the Season 6 Premiere on Amazon|website=Collider|date=April 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806155658/https://collider.com/bosch-recap/%7Carchive-date=August 6, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>
Kizmin Rider Rose Rollins The girlfriend of Grace Billets and detective with the LAPD.<ref name="danran"/><ref>{{cite web|last=Fowler|first=Matt|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/02/20/bosch-season-1-spoiler-discussion%7Ctitle=Bosch: Season 1 Spoiler Discussion|website=IGN|date=February 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801133840/http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/02/20/bosch-season-1-spoiler-discussion%7Carchive-date=August 1, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
2014–2016 Carmilla Vervegirl Carmilla Karnstein Natasha Negovanlis Carmilla Karnstein is a 100+ year old lesbian vampire.<ref name="odyssey"/>
Laura Hollis Elise Bauman Laura Hollis is a lesbian. Carmilla and Laura are in a relationship.<ref name="odyssey"/>
Danny Lawrence Sharon Belle Danny Lawrence is a lesbian.<ref name="odyssey"/>
S. LaFontaine Kaitlyn Alexander last1=Polito |first1=Isabelle |title=What 'Carmilla' Does Get Right About Queer Representation |url=https://www.theodysseyonline.com/carmilla-queer-representation |website=The Odyssey Online |publisher=Odyssey Media Group |access-date=14 October 2018 |date=13 June 2017}}</ref>
2014–2015 Chasing Life Freeform Brenna Carver Haley Ramm title='Chasing Life' Star Discusses Brenna's Bisexuality, Her New "Innocent" Relationship |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/chasing-life-season-2-haley-822975 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=14 September 2015}}</ref>
Greer Danville Gracie Dzienny title=Greer Danvill, Chasing Life |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/greer-danvill-chasing-life/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Margo Aurora Perrineau title=Margo, Chasing Life |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/margo/}}</ref>
Juliet Leisha Hailey title=Juliet, Chasing Life |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/juliet-chasing-life/}}</ref>
2014–2016 Faking It MTV Amy Raudenfeld Rita Volk title=Amy Raudenfeld, Faking It |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/amy-raudenfeld/}}</ref>
Shane Harvey Michael Willett title=Faking It Episode 215 Recap: Raise Your Hand If You've Been Outed By Shane Harvey |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/faking-it-episode-215-recap-raise-your-hand-if-youve-been-outed-by-shane-harvey-309219/ |website=Autostraddle |date=29 September 2015}}</ref><ref name="faking it"/>
Lauren Cooper Bailey De Young title=Lauren Cooper, Faking It |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lauren-cooper/}}</ref>
Reagan Yvette Monreal title=Reagan, Faking It |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/reagan-faking-it/}}</ref>
Noah Elliot Fletcher title=Noah, Faking It |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/noah/}}</ref>
Sabrina Sophia Ali title=Sabrina, Faking It |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sabrina/}}</ref>
2014–2015 Finding Carter MTV Bird Vanessa Morgan title=Bird Castro, Finding Carter |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/bird-castro-finding-carter/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Madison Molly Kunz title=Madison, Finding Carter |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/madison-finding-carter/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
2014– {{sortname|The|Flash|The Flash (2014 TV series)}} The CW David Singh Patrick Sabongui last1=Miller |first1=Liz Shannon |title=Introducing Batwoman: What to Know About Ruby Rose's Lesbian Superhero on The CW |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2018/12/the-cw-batwoman-ruby-rose-elseworlds-1202027068/ |website=IndieWire |date=December 11, 2018}}</ref>
Rob Jeremy Schuetze Rob is gay.<ref name=Batwoman1/>
Hartley Rathaway Andy Mientus last1=Chi |first1=Paul |title=‘The Flash’: Andy Mientus Says Gay Villain Pied Piper is a ‘Huge Step Forward’ |url=https://variety.com/2014/tv/news/flash-andy-mientus-gay-pied-piper-1201375260/ |website=Variety |date=10 December 2014}}</ref>
Nora West-Allen Jessica Parker Kennedy title=Nora West-Allen, The Flash |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/nora-west-allen/}}</ref>
Kate Kane Ruby Rose Kate Kane is lesbian.<ref name=Batwoman1/>
Marlize DeVoe Kim Engelbrecht title=Marlize DeVoe, The Flash |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/marlize-devoe/}}</ref>
Alex Danvers Chyler Leigh title=Alex Danvers, The Flash |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/alex-danvers/}}</ref>
2014 Glue E4 James Warwick Billy Howle James Warwick and Caleb "Cal" Bray were romantically involved.<ref name="gluecultbox"/>
Caleb "Cal" Bray Tommy Lawrence Knight title=‘Glue’ Episode 5 review |url=https://cultbox.co.uk/reviews/episodes/glue-s01e05-episode-5-review |website=CultBox |date=13 October 2014}}</ref>
2014–2019 Gotham Fox Renee Montoya Victoria Cartagena Renee Montoya is lesbian, and is the ex-girlfriend of Barbara Kean.<ref name="gotham lesbi"/>
Barbara Kean Erin Richards title=Gotham Introduces Lesbian & Bisexual Characters |url=https://www.pride.com/women/2014/9/24/gotham-introduces-lesbian-bisexual-characters |date=24 September 2014}}</ref>
Tabitha Galavan Jessica Lucas title=Tabitha Galavan, Gotham |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/tabitha-galavan-gotham/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
The Lady Michelle Gomez title=The Lady, Gotham |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/the-lady/}}</ref>
Oswald Cobblepot Robin Lord Taylor title=Supergirl and Gotham Have Both Coming-Out Storylines for Main Characters |url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/supergirl-gotham-lgbt-coming-out-alex-danvers-the-penguin/ |website=TV Guide}}</ref>
2014– Grantchester ITV Leonard Finch Al Weaver Leonard Finch is gay.<ref name="grantchester gay charct"/>
Daniel Marlowe Oliver Dimsdale title='Grantchester' Season 4 New Arrival Will Davenport Is 'Very Different' From Sidney |url=https://www.tvinsider.com/790622/grantchester-season-4-james-norton-exit-tom-brittney/}}</ref>
Alex Simms Tom Turner last1=Elliott |first1=Megan |title='Grantchester' Season 4, Episode 2 Recap: Secrets Exposed |url=https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/grantchester-season-4-episode-2-recap-secrets-exposed.html/ |date=22 July 2019}}</ref>
2014–2017 Halt and Catch Fire AMC Joe MacMillan Lee Pace title=Lee Pace on Joe MacMillan’s Fate in the Halt and Catch Fire Finale |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/10/halt-and-catch-fire-lee-pace-series-finale-interview.html |date=14 October 2017}}</ref>
Lev August Emerson title=Am I the Only Human on the Internet Who Thinks Cameron and Donna from Halt and Catch Fire Should Be In Love? |url=https://shacksadvocate.com/2016/11/08/am-i-the-only-human-on-the-internet-who-thinks-cameron-and-donna-from-halt-and-catch-fire-should-be-in-love/comment-page-1/ |date=8 November 2016}}</ref>
Haley Clark Susanna Skaggs title=Haley Clark, Halt and Catch Fire |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/haley-clark/}}</ref>
2014–2015 Heartless Kanal 5 Sofie Julie Zangenberg Sofie is a succubus lesbian that feeds on the life force of humans. She falls in love with Emilie.<ref name="heartless sofie"/>
Emilie Julie Christiansen last1=Frost|first1=Karen|title=The Happy Ending Project: Sofie and Emilie in "Heartless"|url=https://www.afterellen.com/tv/544527-happy-ending-project-sofie-emilie-heartless%7Cwebsite=After Ellen|date=September 11, 2017}}</ref>
2014– How to Get Away with Murder ABC Annalise Keating Viola Davis title=How To Get Away With Murder actor applauds character's sexuality |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/08/10/how-to-get-away-with-murder-actor-applauds-characters-sexuality/ |date=10 August 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Cooper|first=Mariah|url=https://www.losangelesblade.com/2017/08/10/viola-davis-applauds-annalise-keatings-pansexuality-htgawm/%7Ctitle=Viola Davis applauds Annalise Keating's pansexuality in 'HTGAWM'|work=Los Angeles Blade|date=August 10, 2017}}</ref>
Eve Rothlo Famke Janssen title=Eve Rothlow, How to Get Away with Murder |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/eve-rothlow-get-away-murder/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Connor Walsh Jack Falahee Connor Walsh is a gay law student. Connor Walsh and Oliver Hampton begin to date on and off throughout the seasons, culminating in their marriage in season 5.<ref name="oliver and connor htgawm"/><ref name="jill hartford"/>
Oliver Hampton Conrad Ricamora last1=smith|first1=s.e.|title="How To Get Away With Murder" Brings an HIV-Positive Character to Primetime|url=https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/how-get-away-murder-brings-hiv-positive-character-primetime%7Cwebsite=Bitch Media|date=September 30, 2015}}</ref><ref name="jill hartford"/>
Bonnie Winterbottom Liza Weil title=Bonnie Winterbottom, How To Get Away With Murder |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/bonnie-winterbottom-get-away-murder/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Aiden Walker Elliot Knight title="HTGAWM" S1 rewind: "Smile or Go to Jail" |url=https://colorwebmag.com/2014/11/02/htgawm-s2-rewind-smile-or-go-to-jail/}}</ref>
Simon Drake Behzad Dabu title=How To Get Away With Murder: The 10 Worst Things Michaela Ever Did |url=https://screenrant.com/how-to-get-away-with-murder-worst-things-michaela-did/ |website=Screen Rant |date=19 April 2020}}</ref>
Tegan Price Amirah Vann title=Tegan Price, How To Get Away With Murder|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/tegan-price/}}</ref>
Jeff Walsh D.W. Moffett Jeff Walsh is gay. He is Connor's dad.<ref name="jeff and ted htgawm"/>
Ted Jim Abele title=How to Get Away With Murder's Jack Falahee Has an Idea About Who Should Play Connor's Mom Now That We've Met His Dad(s) |url=https://www.eonline.com/news/888232/how-to-get-away-with-murder-s-jack-falahee-has-an-idea-about-who-should-play-connor-s-mom-now-that-we-ve-met-his-dad-s |website=E! Online |date=2017}}</ref>
Jill Hartford Alexandra Billings last1=Signorile|first1=Michelangelo|title=Here's How 'How To Get Away With Murder' Became The Queerest Show On Network TV|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-to-get-away-with-murder-queer-tv_us_56eac3c7e4b0b25c91849584%7Cwebsite=HuffPost|date=March 17, 2016}}</ref>
Claire Telesco Melinda Page Hamilton title=Claire Telesco, How To Get Away With Murder|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/claire-telesco/}}</ref>
Cora Mercedes Mason title=Cora, How To Get Away With Murder|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/cora/}}</ref>
Nanda Hashim Ramona DuBarry title=Nanda Hashim, How To Get Away With Murder|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/nanda-hashim/}}</ref>
Dani Alvodar Alyssa Diaz title=Dani Alvodar, How To Get Away With Murder|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/dani-alvodar/}}</ref>
2014–2019 Jane the Virgin The CW Luisa Alver Yara Martinez Luisa Alver is lesbian.<ref name="jane the virgin"/>
Rose Solano Bridget Regan Rose Solano is lesbian.<ref name="jane the virgin"/>
Wesley Masters Brian Jordan Alvarez last1=Vine |first1=Lauren Le |title="Jane The Virgin" Midseason Finale Recap: It's A Christmas Miracle |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2015/12/99039/jane-the-virgin-season-2-episode-8-recap}}</ref>
Krishna Shelly Bhalla title=Krishna Dhawan, Jane the Virgin |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/krishna-dhawan/}}</ref>
Adam Alvaro Tyler Posey title=Jane the Virgin just brought in a bisexual character and fans are excited |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/11/14/jane-the-virgin-just-brought-in-a-bisexual-character-and-fans-are-excited/ |date=14 November 2017}}</ref>
Jane Ramos Rosario Dawson Jane Ramos is openly lesbian and a shady lawyer.<ref name="jane the virgin"/>
Petra Andel Yael Grobglas title=Jane the Virgin's Final Season is Gayer and Wilder and More Romantic Than Ever |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/jane-the-virgins-final-season-is-gayer-and-wilder-and-more-romantic-than-ever/ |website=Autostraddle |date=22 April 2019}}</ref>
Eileen Elisabeth Röhm title=Eileen, Jane the Virgin|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/eileen/}}</ref>
Marlene Donaldson Melanie Mayron title=Marlene Donaldson, Jane the Virgin|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/marlene-donaldson/}}</ref>
Susanna Barnett Megan Ketch title=Susanna Barnett, Jane the Virgin|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/susanna-barnett/}}</ref>
Allison Iyari Limon title=Allison, Jane the Virgin|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/allison-2/}}</ref>
Dana A Leslie Kies title=Dana, Jane the Virgin|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/dana-jtv/}}</ref>
Leona Zelda Williams title=Leona, Jane the Virgin|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/leona/}}</ref>
2014– Janet King ABC1 Janet King Marta Dusseldorp last1=Kayvon |first1=Shervin |title=Meet Janet King: The Lesbian Lead Australians Asked For |url=https://www.intomore.com/culture/meet-janet-king-the-lesbian-lead-australians-asked-for/ |date=11 October 2017}}</ref>
Ash Larsson Aimee Pedersen Ash Larsson is lesbian.<ref name="janet king tv"/>
Bianca Grieve Anita Hegh title=Bianca Grieve |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/bianca-grieve/}}</ref>
2014–2017 Kingdom Audience Network Nate Kulina Nick Jonas last1=Highfill |first1=Samantha |title='Kingdom' Creator, Nick Jonas Talk Tonight's Shocking Ending |url=https://ew.com/tv/2017/07/27/kingdom-nate-kulina-shot-nick-jonas/ |website=Entertainment Weekly |date=July 27, 2017}}</ref>
Will Jonathan Howard title=Nick Jonas's gay kiss in the latest episode of Kingdom was too adorable |url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/nick-jonas-gay-kiss-latest-episode-kingdom-adorable/ |date=6 June 2017}}</ref>
2014–2018 {{sortname|The|Last Ship|The Last Ship (TV series)}} TNT Alisha Granderson Christina Elmore title=Alisha Granderson, The Last Ship |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/alisha-granderson/}}</ref>
Kelsi Baker Caitlin Gerard title=Kelsi Baker, The Last Ship |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/kelsi-baker/}}</ref>
2014–2018 The|Librarians|The Librarians (2014 TV series)}} TNT Cassandra Killian Lindy Booth title=Cassandra Cillian |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/cassandra-cillian/}}</ref>
2014–2015 Looking HBO Patrick Murray Jonathan Groff last=Goldberg|first=Lesley|title='Glee's' Jonathan Groff to Star in HBO Comedy Pilot (Exclusive)|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/glee-jonathan-groff-star-hbo-comedy-gay-friends-419996%7Cwork=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=August 24, 2013|date=February 8, 2013}}</ref><ref name="looking tv show">{{cite web |last1=McNamara |first1=Mary |title=Review: HBO's 'Looking' an authentic glimpse inside lives of gay men |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-looking-hbo-review-story.html |website=Los Angeles Times |date=January 18, 2014}}</ref>
Agustín Lanuez Frankie J. Alvarez last1=Carney |first1=Brian T. |title=‘Looking’ for closure |url=https://www.washingtonblade.com/2016/07/20/looking-movie/ |website=Washington Blade |date=20 July 2016}}</ref>
Dom Basaluzzo Murray Bartlett last1=Stroude |first1=Will |title='Tales of the City' star Murray Bartlett looks back on 'Looking' criticism |url=https://www.attitude.co.uk/article/tales-of-the-city-star-murray-bartlett-looks-back-on-looking-criticism/21040/ |website=Attitude (magazine) |date=24 May 2019}}</ref>
Kevin Matheson Russell Tovey last=Abramovitch|first=Seth|title=Russell Tovey Joins Gay-Themed HBO Dramedy 'Looking'|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/russell-tovey-joins-gay-themed-617683%7Cwork=The Hollywood Reporter|date=August 29, 2013}}</ref>
Ricardo "Richie" Donado Ventura Raúl Castillo last1=Heap |first1=Tim |last2=Stroude |first2=Will |title=Raúl Castillo talks 'Looking' and his new role in gay coming-of-age drama 'We the Animals' |url=https://attitude.co.uk/article/raul-castillo-talks-looking-and-his-new-role-in-gay-coming-of-age-drama-we-the-animals/21050/ |website=Attitude |date=28 May 2019}}</ref>
Frank O. T. Fagbenle Frank is gay.<ref name="looking tv show"/>
Lynn Scott Bakula Lynn is gay.<ref name="looking tv show"/>
Eddie Daniel Franzese last1=Kornhaber |first1=Spencer |title='Looking: The Movie' Tackles the Existential Crisis Around Gay Marriage |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/07/looking-the-movie-gay-marriage/492434/ |website=The Atlantic |date=25 July 2016}}</ref>
2014– Madam Secretary CBS Blake Moran Erich Bergen last=Hernandez|first=Greg|url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/watch-madam-secretary-character-comes-bisexual-boss-touching-scene/%7Ctitle=WATCH: Madam Secretary character comes out as bisexual to his boss in touching scene|work=Gay Star News|date=May 17, 2017}}</ref>
Kat Sandoval Sara Ramirez last1=Phillips|first1=Carmen|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/sara-ramirezs-bisexual-coming-out-on-madam-secretary-was-breathtaking-415241/%7Ctitle=Sara Ramirez's Bisexual Coming Out on "Madam Secretary" Was Breathtaking|website=Autostraddle|date=March 26, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=McDonough|first1=Beth|title=Sara Ramirez on "Madam Secretary" is a Game Changer for Bisexual Representation|url=https://www.afterellen.com/tv/557187-sara-ramirez-madam-secretary-game-changer-bisexual-representation%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=April 3, 2018}}</ref>
Ali Krieger Ali Krieger title=Ali Krieger, Madam Secretary|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/ali-krieger/}}</ref><ref name="equal pay psa">{{cite web |last1=Jacobs |first1=Meredith |title=Look Who's Back for the 'Madam Secretary' Series Finale McCord Wedding |url=https://www.tvinsider.com/gallery/madam-secretary-series-finale-leaving-the-station-photos/#15 |website=TV Insider}}</ref>
Ashlyn Harris Ashlyn Harris Ashlyn Harris is a lesbian. She does a public service announcement for equal pay. She is a member of the World Cup Champion U.S. Women's Soccer team.<ref name="equal pay psa"/>
Maryam Gagulia Amanda M. Rodriguez title=Maryam Gagulia, Madam Secretary|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/maryam-gagulia/}}</ref>
Ana Ivanba Anastasia Baranova title=Ana Ivanba, Madam Secretary|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/ana-ivanba/}}</ref>
2014 Matador El Rey Network Reyna Flores Eve Torres title=Reyna Flores, Matador |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/reyna-flores-matador/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref><ref name="autostraddle.com">{{cite web |title=All 214 Dead Lesbian and Bisexual Characters On TV, And How They Died {{!}} Page 3 of 4 |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/all-65-dead-lesbian-and-bisexual-characters-on-tv-and-how-they-died-312315/3/ |website=Autostraddle |date=11 March 2016}}</ref>
Silda Patel Mouzam Makkar title=Silda Patel, Matador |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/silda-patel/}}</ref>
2014–2016 The|Mysteries of Laura}} NBC Max Carnegie Max Jenkins title=The Mysteries of Laura |url=https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/mysteries-of-laura/}}</ref>
2014– NCIS: New Orleans CBS Tammy Gregorio Vanessa Ferlito title=Tammy Gregorio, NCIS: New Orleans|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/tammy-gregorio/}}</ref>
Eva Azarova Cassidy Freeman title=Eva Azarova, NCIS: New Orleans|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/eva-azarova/}}</ref>
Hannah Lee Meghan Ory title=Hannah Lee, NCIS: New Orleans|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/hannah-lee/}}</ref>
2014–2017 {{sortname|The|Night Shift|The Night Shift (TV series)}} NBC Drew Allister Brendan Fehr Drew Allister is gay.<ref name="the shift at night"/>
Rick Luke Macfarlane last1=Halterman |first1=Jim |title=Interview: Luke Macfarlane on "The Night Shift," Gay Military Couples, "Brothers & Sisters" & More |url=http://www.newnownext.com/interview-luke-macfarlane-on-night-shift-gays-on-tv-more/06/2014/}}</ref>
2014 Nikki & Nora: The N&N Files YouTube Nikki Beaumont Liz Vassey last1=Krauss |first1=Andrea |title=Nikki & Nora: The N&N Files - Lesbian Private Investigators in Love in The Big Easy |url=https://www.pride.com/box-office/2013/08/29/watch-nikki-nora-nn-files-lesbian-private-investigators-love-big-easy |website=Pride |date=29 August 2013}}</ref><ref name="nor and nik">{{cite web |last1=Capuano |first1=Erin P. |title=Nikki and Nora (N&N Files) is back and ready for a Season Two (Includes interview and first-hand account) |url=http://www.digitaljournal.com/a-and-e/entertainment/nikki-and-nora-n-n-files-is-back-and-ready-for-a-season-two/article/428087 |website=Digital Journal |date=11 March 2015}}</ref>
Nora Delaney Christina Cox Nora Delaney is a lesbian, and a private investigator. Her partner is Nikki, who is also her lover.<ref name="nikki and nora"/><ref name="nor and nik"/>
2014– Nord bei Nordwest Das Erste Hannah Wagner Jana Klinge author=Meike|title=Queere Frauenfiguren in deutschen Serien|url=https://www.seriennotizen.de/queere-frauenfiguren-in-deutschen-serien/%7Cwebsite=Seriennotizen%7Cdate=24 January 2021|language=de|trans-title=Queer female characters in German series}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title= Video: Nord bei Nordwest – Der Anschlag|url=https://www.daserste.de/unterhaltung/film/der-donnerstags-krimi/videos/nord-bei-nordwest-der-anschlag-video-100.html%7Cwebsite=Das Erste|date=7 January 2021|language=de|trans-title=Video: North by Northwest - The attack}}</ref>
2014– Outlander Starz Duke of Sandringham Simon Callow title=The Unicorn Scale: Outlander |url=https://bi.org/en/articles/the-unicorn-scale-outlander |website=Bi.org}}</ref>
Jonathan Randall
(aka Black Jack)		 Tobias Menzies title=Outlander: Casting a Queer Man as the Main Villain Is Garbage, Actually |url=https://www.cbr.com/outlander-queer-jack-randall-problematic/ |date=30 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Byrne-Cristiano|first= Laura|url=http://www.hypable.com/outlander-gabaldon-jack-randall-isnt-gay%7Ctitle='Outlander's' Diana Gabaldon clarifies Black Jack Randall's sexual orientation|website=Hypable|date=April 28, 2015|access-date=11 September 2017}}</ref>
Lord John Grey David Berry title=Outlander: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Lord John Grey |url=https://screenrant.com/outlander-things-didnt-know-lord-john-grey/ |website=Screen Rant |date=17 July 2019}}</ref>
2014 Øyevitne NRK Philip Axel Bøyum Philip and Henning are 15-year-old boys secretly in love. After witnessing a murder at a quarry, they vow to never tell anyone in order to keep their relationship a secret.<ref>{{cite web |title=Eyewitness {{!}} Øyevitne |url=https://nordicdrama.com/eyewitness-oyevitne/ |date=15 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Eyewitness Episode 1 Review: Is the complex Norwegian thriller worth watching? |url=https://culturefly.co.uk/eyewitness-episode-1-review-is-the-complex-norwegian-thriller-worth-watching/ |date=30 March 2017}}</ref>
Henning Odin Waage
2014–2015 Red Band Society Fox Sarah Souders Andrea Parker title=Sarah Souders, Red Band Society |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sarah-souders/}}</ref>
Kenji Gomez-Rejon Wilson Cruz title=GLAAD's Wilson Cruz on his role on 'Red Band Society' and advising the young cast members |url=https://www.glaad.org/blog/glaads-wilson-cruz-his-role-red-band-society-and-advising-young-cast-members |date=15 August 2014}}</ref>
Daniella Tricia O’Kelley title=Daniella, Red Band Society |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/daniella/}}</ref>
2014 Star-Crossed The CW Sophia Brina Palencia title=Sophia, Star-Crossed|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sophia/}}</ref>
Nikki Nicola Correia-Damude title=Nikki Taylor, The Strain |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/nikki-taylor-strain/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
2014–2019 Transparent Amazon Prime Video Maura Pfefferman Jeffrey Tambor last1=Keveney |first1=Bill |title='Transparent' creator on post-Tambor musical finale: 'No (other) way to go back' |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2019/02/13/transparent-creator-soloway-discusses-music-finale-after-tambor-firing/2864778002/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=How 'Transparent' Finale Pays Tribute to Transgender Matriarch (Without Jeffrey Tambor) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/how-transparents-finale-pays-tribute-jeffrey-tambor-jeffrey-tambor-1243727 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=28 September 2019}}</ref>
Sarah Pfefferman Amy Landecker title=Sarah Pfefferman, Transparent |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/sarah-pfefferman-transparent/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Tammy Cashman Melora Hardin title=Tammy Cashman, Transparent |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/tammy-cashman-transparent/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Sydney Feldman Carrie Brownstein title=Sydney Feldman, Transparent |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/sydney-feldman-transparent/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Ali Pfefferman Gaby Hoffmann title=Ali Pfefferman, Transparent |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/ali-pfefferman-transparent/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Davina Alexandra Billings title=Alexandra Billings, transgender actor: 'Transparent came up when I had nothing to lose' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2014/oct/10/-sp-alexandra-billings-transgender-actor-transparent |date=10 October 2014}}</ref>
Shea Trace Lysette title='Transparent' Star on Josh and Shea's Groundbreaking Romance: "It’s Just Boy Meets Girl" |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/transparents-josh-shea-trace-lysette-934860 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=4 October 2016}}</ref>
Tanta Gittel Hari Nef last1=Shattuck |first1=Kathryn |title=Hari Nef Adds Another Layer to ‘Transparent’ |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/06/arts/television/hari-nef-adds-another-layer-to-transparent.html |website=The New York Times |date=2 December 2015}}</ref>
Leslie Mackinaw Cherry Jones title=Leslie Mackinaw, Transparent |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/leslie-mackinaw-transparent/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Vicki Anjelica Huston title='Transparent': We Recapped All of Season 3 |url=https://ew.com/recap/transparent-season-3-recaps/}}</ref>
Barb Tig Notaro title=Barb, Transparent |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/barb-transparent/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Lila Alia Shawkat title=The ‘Transparent’ Cast Explains Why Season 4 Made Things VERY Uncomfortable On The ‘Arrested Development’ Set |url=https://decider.com/2017/09/21/transparent-season-4-cast-interviews-amazon/ |website=Decider |date=21 September 2017}}</ref>
Marcy Bradley Whitford title=‘Transparent’ Recap: Season 1, Episode 8 |url=https://decider.com/2014/09/30/transparent-s1-ep8-recap/ |website=Decider |date=30 September 2014}}</ref>
Adriana Hailie Sahar title=Adriana, Transparent |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/adriana/}}</ref>
Carmen Mariana Marroquin title=Carmen, Transparent|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/carmen-2/}}</ref>
Eleanor Zackary Drucker title=Eleanor, Transparent|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/eleanor/}}</ref>
Lorena Harmony Santana title=Lorena, Transparent|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lorena/}}</ref>
Zelda Becky Thyre title=Zelda, Transparent|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/zelda/}}</ref>
Celeste Jill Soloway title=Celeste, Transparent|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/celeste/}}</ref>
Elizah Edwards Alexandra Grey title=Elizah Edwards, Transparent|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/elizah-edwards/}}</ref>
Omar Rocco Kayiatos title=Omar, Transparent|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/omar/}}</ref>
Bella Bobbi Salvör Menuez title=Bella, Transparent|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/bella/}}</ref>
Dale Ian Harvie title=Dale, Transparent|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/dale/}}</ref>
Pony Jiz Lee title=Pony, Transparent|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/pony/}}</ref>
2014– True Detective HBO Paul Woodrugh Taylor Kitsch last=Bugbee|first=Teo|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/true-detectives-big-gay-problem%7Ctitle=True Detective's Big Gay Problem|website=The Daily Beast|date=4 August 2015|access-date=21 March 2019}}</ref>
Tom Purcell Scoot McNairy last1=Rizzo|first1=Carita|url=https://www.purewow.com/news/true-detective-tom-purcell-theory%7Ctitle=What Do Tom's Demons in 'True Detective' Have to Do with Julie's Disappearance?|website=PureWow|date=February 11, 2019|access-date=21 March 2019}}</ref>
2014–2016 Tyrant FX Sammy Al-Fayeed Noah Silver title=Noah Silver on Playing a Gay Middle-Eastern Kid in 'Tyrant' |url=https://www.out.com/entertainment/2016/2/11/noah-silver-playing-gay-middle-eastern-kid-tyrant |date=11 February 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Viruet |first1=Pilot |title=FX’s ‘Tyrant’ Skirts Controversy by Saying Nothing At All |url=https://www.flavorwire.com/463922/fxs-tyrant-skirts-controversy-by-saying-nothing-at-all}}</ref>
Abdul Mehdi Dehbi title=FX's 'Tyrant' Season 2 'First Look' Preview: Reaping What Was Sown |url=https://screenrant.com/tyrant-fx-season-2-preview/ |website=Screen Rant |date=12 June 2015}}</ref>
Haitham El-Amin Raphael Acloque last1=Ellwood-Hughes |first1=Pip |title=Tyrant 3×04 Prayer For Our Daughters preview |url=https://entertainment-focus.com/2016/08/20/tyrant-3x04-prayer-for-our-daughters-preview/}}</ref>

2015

Year Show Network Character Actor Notes
2015–2018 12 Monkeys Syfy Oliver Peters Ramon de Ocampo Oliver Peters is a gay widow. In season 1, episode 10, Oliver makes reference to his dead husband.<ref>{{cite web |title=12 Monkeys S01 E10: Divine Move|url=https://biffbampop.com/2015/03/21/12-monkeys-s01-e10-divine-move/ |date=21 March 2015}}</ref>
2015–2017 American Crime
(season 2)		 ABC Network Eric Tanner Joey Pollari last1=Lawson |first1=Richard |title=American Crime’s Joey Pollari on the Role of a (Young) Lifetime |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/02/joey-pollari-american-crime-interview |website=Vanity Fair |date=February 18, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Licuria |first1=Rob |title=Joey Pollari (‘American Crime’): ‘It was such a transformative experience being on that set’ |url=https://www.goldderby.com/article/2016/joey-pollari-american-crime-season-2-emmy-awards-news-135790864/ |date=June 14, 2016}}</ref>
Taylor Blaine Connor Jessup last1=Birnbaum |first1=Debra |title=John Ridley Reveals Season Two Plot of ‘American Crime’ (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/american-crime-season-2-john-ridley-1201554723/ |website=Variety |date=1 August 2015}}</ref>
Luke Taylor John Smith title=American Crime: Taylor and Luke kiss |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNhB_hi1UcQ |via=YouTube |format=video |date=April 24, 2016}}</ref>
2015–2016 Aquarius NBC Charles Manson Gethin Anthony Charles Manson is bisexual. He had sex with Ken in exchange for giving him money for living. John McNamara, the creator of the show, said the story about Manson is historical fiction.<ref>{{cite web|last=Rorke|first=Robert|title=‘Game of Thones’ vet channels Charles Manson in ‘Aquarius’|url=https://nypost.com/2015/07/03/game-of-thones-vet-channels-charles-manson-in-aquarius/%7Cdate=3 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title='Aquarius' Boss Says NBC's Charles Manson Drama Is "Historical Fiction"|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/aquarius-david-duchovny-spoilers-786235%7Cwebsite=The Hollywood Reporter|date=27 May 2015}}</ref>
Ken Karn Brían F. O'Byrne title=I Watched All of ‘Aquarius’ So You Don’t Have to: A Season 1 Review |url=https://observer.com/2015/06/i-watched-all-of-aquarius-so-you-dont-have-to-a-season-1-review/ |date=5 June 2015}}</ref>
2015 Backstrom Fox Gregory Valentine Thomas Dekker last1=Andreeva |first1=Nellie |title=Thomas Dekker Made ‘Backstrom’ Regular |url=https://deadline.com/2014/01/thomas-dekker-made-backstrom-regular-664621/ |website=Deadline |date=15 January 2014}}</ref>
2015 Banana E4 Freddie Baxter Freddie Fox title=Exclusive Sneak Peek: Freddie's Old Flame Returns in Cucumber Ep 3 |url=https://www.out.com/popnography/2015/4/27/exclusive-clip-cucumber |date=27 April 2015}}</ref><ref name="indiewire.com">{{cite web |last1=Skinner |first1=Oliver |title=Freddie Fox Opens Up: The Cucumber Breakout On Sex, Typecasting and What Happens Next |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2015/04/freddie-fox-opens-up-the-cucumber-breakout-on-sex-typecasting-and-what-happens-next-215432/ |website=Indie Wire |date=22 April 2015}}</ref>
Dean Monroe Fisayo Akinade last1=McDonald |first1=James |title=Gay Series 'Cucumber' & 'Banana' Are Coming To Logo |url=https://www.out.com/television/2015/3/10/cucumber-banana-gay-series-us-tv-logo |website=Out |date=10 March 2015}}</ref>
Henry Best Vincent Franklin last1=Nussbaum |first1=Emily |title=What’s Changed Since "Queer as Folk"? |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/06/08/where-the-boys-are-television-nussbaum |website=The New Yorker |date=June 1, 2015}}</ref>
Lance Sullivan Cyril Nri Lance Sullivan is gay.<ref name="banana tv show"/>
Vivienne "Scotty" Scott Letitia Wright title=Vivienne 'Scotty' Scott|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/vivienne-scotty-scott/}}</ref>
Vanessa Moore Lynn Hunter title=Vanessa Moore|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/vanessa-moore/}}</ref>
Sian Moore Georgia Henshaw title=Sian Moore|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sian-moore/}}</ref>
Violet Hannah John-Kamen title=Violet|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/violet-banana/}}</ref>
Amy Charlie Covell title=Amy|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/amy-banana/}}</ref>
Helen Brears Bethany Black title=Helen Brears|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/helen-brears/}}</ref>
Kay T’Nia Miller title=Kay|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/kay/}}</ref>
2015– Blindspot NBC Bethany Mayfair Marianne Jean-Baptiste title=Bethany Mayfair, Blindspot |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/bethany-mayfair-blindspot/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Sofia Varma Sarita Choudhury title=Sophia Varma, Blindspot |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/sophia-varma-blindspot/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Alexandra Eisa Davis title=Alexandra Harrison, Blindspot |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/alexandra-harrison-blindspot/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Rich Dotcom Ennis Esmer url=https://queerculturechats.org/2018/09/24/7-best-bisexual-characters-on-tv/%7Ctitle=7 Best Bisexual Characters on TV|date=September 24, 2018}}</ref>
2015–2018 Casual Hulu Laura Meyers Tara Lynne Barr last1=Grobar|first1=Matt|title='Casual's Tara Lynne Barr Talks Singing On Set And A Season Driven By Female Directors|url=https://deadline.com/2017/06/casual-tara-lynne-barr-zander-lehmann-hulu-emmys-interview-news-1202113754/%7Cwebsite=Deadline|date=June 21, 2017}}</ref>
Aubrey Dylan Gelula title=Aubrey, Casual |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/aubrey-casual/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Tathiana Lorenza Izzo title=Tathiana, Casual |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/tathiana/ |website=LGBT}}</ref>
Emmy title=Emmy, Casual |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/emmy-casual/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Alyssa Teri Andrez title=Alyssa, Casual |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/alyssa/}}</ref>
2015– Cheetah In August Vimeo August Chandler Andre Myers title=Cheetah in August (Web Series Trailer) |url=https://cypheravenue.com/watch-cheetah-in-august-web-series-trailer/ |website=Cypher Avenue}}</ref>
2015– Club de Cuervos Netflix Aitor Cardoné Alosian Vivancos title=LGBTQ Representation on Spanish-Language Television in the United States |url=https://www.glaad.org/files/SLMR/SPAReport2016.pdf |date=2016}}</ref>
2015–2018 Code Black CBS Malaya Pineda Melanie Chandra last1=Bendix|first1=Trish|title="Code Black" introduces us to a new Indian lesbian MD|url=https://www.afterellen.com/tv/455429-code-black-introduces-us-new-indian-lesbian-md%7Cwork=AfterEllen|date=September 30, 2015|access-date=11 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002005555/https://www.afterellen.com/tv/455429-code-black-introduces-us-new-indian-lesbian-md%7Carchive-date=October 2, 2015}}</ref>
Carla Niven Shiri Appleby title=Carla Niven, Code Black |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/carla-niven-code-black/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Noa Kean Emily Tyra title=Noa Kean, Code Black|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/noa-kean/}}</ref>
2015 Complications USA Network Gretchen Polk Jessica Szohr title=Gretchen Polk, Complications|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/gretchen-polk/}}</ref>
2015–2019 Crazy Ex-Girlfriend The CW White Josh Wilson David Hull url=https://ew.com/article/2016/03/07/crazy-ex-girlfriend-bisexual-darryl-pete-gardner/%7Ctitle=Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Darryl's bisexuality 'isn't the butt of the joke'|first=Shirley|last=Li|website=Entertainment Weekly|date=March 7, 2016}}</ref>
Darryl Whitefeather Pete Gardner title=Darryl Whitefeather |url=https://bi.org/en/bi-characters/darryl-whitefeather |website=Bi.org}}</ref>
Maya Esther Povitsky url=http://www.afterellen.com/tv/477951-crazy-ex-girlfriend-gives-us-two-bisexual-characters-new-bi-anthem/%7Ctitle="Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" Gives us Two Bisexual Characters and a New Bi Anthem|first=Chelsea|last=Steiner|website=AfterEllen|date=March 8, 2016}}</ref>
Valencia Perez Gabrielle Ruiz Valencia Perez becomes aware that she is bisexual when she starts dating a woman named Beth (Emma Willmann) late in Season 3.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/crazy-ex-girlfriend-season-3-time-jump-heather-pregnancy-valencia-girlfriend-female-filmmaker-friday-1202681289/%7Ctitle='Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' Boss on Season 3's Time Jump and Her 'Female Filmmaker Friday' Initiative|first=Danielle|last=Turchiano|work=Variety|date=February 2, 2018}}</ref>
2015 Cucumber Channel 4 Freddie Baxter Freddie Fox Freddie Baxter is bisexual, and is completely "hardwired to fuck", according to actor Freddie Fox.<ref name="out.com"/><ref name="indiewire.com"/>
Dean Monroe Fisayo Akinade Dean Monroe is gay.<ref name="Gay Series 'Cucumber' & 'Banana' Ar"/>
Henry Best Vincent Franklin Henry Best is a gay middle-aged insurance salesman, happily settled with his boyfriend of nine years, Lance Sullivan.<ref name="banana tv show"/>
Lance Sullivan Cyril Nri Lance Sullivan is gay.<ref name="banana tv show"/>
Vivienne "Scotty" Scott Letitia Wright Vivienne "Scotty" Scott is a lesbian.<ref name=":0"/>
Vanessa Moore Lynn Hunter Vanessa Moore is a lesbian.<ref name=":1"/>
Sian Moore Georgia Henshaw Sian Moore is a lesbian.<ref name=":2"/>
Violet Hannah John-Kamen Violet is a lesbian, and likes to party.<ref name=":3"/>
Amy Charlie Covell Amy is a neurotic lesbian.<ref name=":4"/>
Helen Brears Bethany Black Helen Brears is a trans woman.<ref name=":5"/>
Kay T’Nia Miller Kay is a lesbian.<ref name=":6"/>
2015 Cuffs BBC One Jake Vickers Jacob Ifan last1=Tate |first1=Gabriel |title=TV review: Cuffs; The Affair |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/tv-review-cuffs-the-affair-ww2bbdjxd26}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Cuffs - S1 - Episode 1 |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv-programme/e/dtj6sz/cuffs--s1-e1-cuffs/ |website=Radio Times}}</ref>
Simon Reddington Andrew Hawley last1=Peters |first1=Lewis |title=The UK has more regular LGBTI characters on TV than in the US |url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/see-lgbti-characters-british-tv-year/ |website=Gay Star News |date=1 June 2016}}</ref>
Donna Prager Eleanor Matsuura title=Donna Prager, Cuffs (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/donna-prager/}}</ref>
Alice Gove Pippa Nixon title=Alice Gove, Cuffs (TV series) |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/alice-gove/}}</ref>
2015–2017 Dark Matter Syfy Two Melissa O'Neil title=Boob(s On Your) Tube: "Claws" and "Dark Matter" Didn't Quite Live Up to Their Queer Potential This Summer |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/boobs-on-your-tube-claws-and-dark-matter-didnt-quite-live-up-to-their-queer-potential-this-summer-392636/ |website=Autostraddle |date=1 September 2017}}</ref>
Dr. Irena Shaw Zoie Palmer title=Irena Shaw, Dark Matter (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/irena-shaw/}}</ref>
2015 Deutschland 83 RTL Television
SundanceTV		 Alexander Edel Ludwig Trepte last1=Hughes|first1=Sarah|title=Deutschland 83 recap, episode five – Cold Fire|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2016/jan/31/deutschland-83-recap-episode-five-cold-fire%7Cwork=The Guardian|date=31 January 2016|access-date=23 October 2018}}</ref><ref name=Hughes_83ep6>{{cite web|last1=Hughes|first1=Sarah|title=Deutschland 83 recap: episode six – Brandy Station|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/feb/07/deutschland-83-recap-episode-six-brandy-station%7Cwork=The Guardian|date=7 February 2016|access-date=23 October 2018}}</ref><ref name="bold guard deutschland">{{cite web|last1=Hughes|first1=Sarah|title=Deutschland 83, the finale – Bold Guard and Able Archer|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2016/feb/14/deutschland-83-the-finale-bold-guard-and-able-archer%7Cpublisher=theguardian.com%7Cdate=14 February 2016|access-date=23 October 2018}}</ref>
Tobias Tischbier Alexander Beyer Tobias Tischbier is gay and works as a professor at the University of Bonn.<ref name="deutschland guardian"/><ref name="bold guard deutschland"/>
Felix von Schwerin Florian Bartholomäi Felix von Schwerin is gay.<ref name="deutschland guardian"/><ref name="bold guard deutschland"/>
2015 Dig USA Detective Golan Cohen Ori Pfeffer title=Dig Creator Gideon Raff & Actor Ori Pfeffer On the Show's Gay Israeli Character |url=https://www.out.com/popnography/2015/4/02/dig-creator-and-actor-discuss-shows-gay-character |date=2 April 2015}}</ref>
Udi Tsahi Halevi title=The 2015 GLAAD Network Responsibility Index |url=https://www.glaad.org/files/GLAAD-2015-NRI.pdf}}</ref>
2015–2018 È arrivata la felicità Rai 1 Valeria Camilli Giulia Bevilacqua Valeria Camilli and Rita Nardelli are lesbians.<ref>{{cite web |title=E' arrivata la felicità - la scheda della serie tv |url=https://www.cinemagay.it/serie-tv/e-arrivata-la-felicita/ |website=Cinemagay.it |language=it-IT}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=È arrivata la felicità |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/e-arrivata-la-felicita/}}</ref>
Rita Nardelli Federica De Cola
2015– Empire Fox Jamal Lyon Jussie Smollett title='Empire's' Jussie Smollett Breaks Down Jamal's Coming Out |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/empire-jamal-coming-775796 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=25 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Skinner |first1=Oliver |title=The 15 Best LGBT Characters On Television: Jamal Lyon on ‘Empire’ |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2015/04/the-15-best-lgbt-characters-on-television-jamal-lyon-on-empire-215436/ |website=Indie Wire |date=22 April 2015}}</ref>
Michael Sanchez Rafael de la Fuente title=Rafael de la Fuente talks 'Empire,' gay couples on TV, making music |url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/rafael-de-la-fuente-talks-empire-gay-couples-on-tv-making-music |website=Fox News |date=29 November 2016}}</ref>
Tiana Brown Serayah McNeill title=Tiana Brown, Empire |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/tiana-brown-empire/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
India Spring Elizabeth Whitson India Spring is lesbian, and had an affair with Tiana Brown.<ref name="tiana brown"/>
Ryan Morgan Eka Darville title='Empire' Episode 8 Recap: The Lyons, The Snitch, and the Boardroom |url=https://www.etonline.com/tv/160335_empire_episode_8_recap_the_lyons_the_snitch_and_the_boardroom |website=Entertainment Tonight}}</ref>
Mimi Whiteman Marisa Tomei title=Mimi Whiteman, Empire |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/mimi-whiteman-empire/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
D-Major
(aka Derek)		 Tobias Truvillion title=Who Is D-Major On 'Empire'? Tobias Truvillion Is Just Starting To Peel Back His Layers |url=https://www.bustle.com/articles/161518-who-is-d-major-on-empire-tobias-truvillion-is-just-starting-to-peel-back-his-layers |website=Bustle}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Is Empire 'Too Gay'? Here Is How One Cast Member Reacted |url=https://www.bet.com/celebrities/news/2016/05/06/is-empire--too-gay---here-is-how-one-cast-member-reacted.html |website=BET.com}}</ref>
Tory Ash Rumer Willis title=Rumer Willis Is Singing New Life Into ‘Empire’ |url=https://decider.com/2017/05/10/rumer-willis-is-singing-new-life-into-empire/ |website=Decider |date=10 May 2017}}</ref>
Rhonda Lyon Kaitlin Doubleday title=Rhonda Lyon, Empire |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/rhonda-lyon-empire/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Freda Gatz Bre-Z last1=Jones |first1=Layla A. |title=Newest 'Empire' star Bre-Z hails from Philly with superstar confidence |url=https://www.inquirer.com/philly/blogs/entertainment/Newest-Empire-star-Bre-Z-hails-from-Philly-with-superstar-confidence.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Freda Gatz, Empire|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/freda-gatz/}}</ref>
Melody Barnes Alexandra Grey title=‘Empire’s Latest Breakout Is Black, Trans, and Talented AF |url=https://www.out.com/television/2019/12/17/empires-latest-breakout-black-trans-and-talented-af |date=17 December 2019}}</ref>
Camilla Marks-Whiteman Naomi Campbell title=Camilla Marks-Whiteman, Empire |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/camilla-marks-whiteman-empire/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
2015– The Expanse SyFy
Amazon Prime Video		 Anna Volovodov Elizabeth Mitchell last1=Napier|first1=Chris|title=REVIEW: "The Expanse" Series Five Episodes 1-3 Reaction|url=https://www.grimdarkmagazine.com/review-the-expanse-series-five-episodes-1-3-reaction%E2%80%A8/%7Cwebsite=Grimdark Magazine|date=December 18, 2020}}</ref>
Julie Mao Florence Faivre title=Julie Mao, The Expanse |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/julie-mao-expanse/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Camina Drummer Cara Gee title=Camina Drummer, The Expanse |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/camina-drummer/}}</ref>
Oksana Sandrine Holt title=Oksana, The Expanse|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/oksana/}}</ref>
Namono Volovodov Raven Dauda title=Namono Volovodov, The Expanse|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/namono-volovodov/}}</ref>
2015 Eye Candy MTV Connor North John Garet Stoker Connor North is gay and dates Oliver in Season 1.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Halterman |first1=Jim |title="Eye Candy" Actor John Garet Stoker Talks Connor's Perilous First Date |url=http://www.newnownext.com/eye-candy-mtv-john-garet-stoker-interview-connor-first-date/02/2015/}}</ref>
Oliver Parker Pogue
2015– Fear The Walking Dead AMC Studios Victor Strand Colman Domingo Victor Strand and Thomas Abigail are gay and were in a relationship.<ref name="victor strand and thomas">{{cite web|last1=Mason|first1=Charlie|title=Fear the Walking Dead Recap: Al Learns About the Group That Has Rick Grimes|url=https://tvline.com/2019/06/30/fear-the-walking-dead-recap-season-5-episode-5-the-end-of-everything-al-gay-lesbian/%7Cwebsite=TVLine|date=June 30, 2019}}</ref>
Thomas Abigail Dougray Scott
Althea ("Al") Szewczek-Przygocki Maggie Grace title=Al and Isabelle – Fear the Walking Dead Season 5 Episode 5|url=https://blog.lesbianmedia.tv/al-and-isabelle-fear-the-walking-dead-season-5-episode-5/%7Cwebsite=Lesbian Media|date=July 3, 2019}} (Video)</ref>
Isabelle Sydney Lemmon Isabelle is lesbian.<ref name="althea and isabelle"/>
2015 Flesh and Bones Starz Paul Grayson Ben Daniels Paul Grayson is bisexual.<ref name="eduardo and grayson"/>
Trey Karell Williams title=Hey, remember when Flesh And Bone was about ballet? |url=https://tv.avclub.com/hey-remember-when-flesh-and-bone-was-about-ballet-1798185827 |website=TV Club}}</ref>
Eduardo Anthony Lee Medina title=Starz Show Flesh and Bone Features Gay Actor Ben Daniels Sex-Obsessed Ballet Director |url=https://www.out.com/television/2015/11/06/starz-show-flesh-and-bone-features-gay-actor-ben-daniels-sex-obsessed-ballet |date=6 November 2015}}</ref>
2015– Glitch ABC1 Charlie Thompson Sean Keenan last1=Scott |first1=Paul |title=From Contagion to Cogitation: The Evolving Television Zombie |journal=Science Fiction Studies |date=2020 |volume=47 |issue=1 |pages=93–110 |doi=10.5621/sciefictstud.47.1.0093}}</ref>
Gay Man #1 Nick Hedger Gay Man #1, Gay Man #2, Gay Older Man; characters that appeared in season 3, episode "First Times".<ref>{{cite web |title=Australian Television: Glitch: episode guide: series 2 |url=http://www.australiantelevision.net/glitch/series3.html |website=Australian Television.net}}</ref>
Gay Man #2 Ben Nicholson
Gay Older Man Damian Oehme
2015 Home Fires ITV Teresa Fenchurch Leanne Best title=Home Fires Creator Simon Block on the Series' Abrupt Cancellation and Literary Future |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/home-fires/home-fires-creator-simon-block-on-the-series-abrup/ |date=8 May 2017}}</ref>
Connie Ward Rachael Elizabeth Connie Ward is a lesbian and died on a ship sunk by German U-Boats.<ref name="autostraddle.com"/>
2015–2018 Humans
(aka HUM∀NS)		 Channel 4 Niska Emily Berrington last1=Anne |first1=Valerie |title="Humans" Sneaked In One Of The Best Queer Subplots On TV This Season |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/humans-sneaked-in-one-of-the-best-queer-subplots-on-tv-this-season-374840/ |website=Autostraddle |date=3 April 2017}}</ref><ref name="Humans synth show"/>
Astrid Bella Dayne title=Humans |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/humans/}}</ref>
2015–2019 Into the Badlands AMC Tilda Ally Ioannides last1=Anne |first1=Valerie |title="Into the Badlands" Failed its Queer and Female Characters in the End |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/into-the-badlands-failed-its-queer-and-female-characters-in-the-end/ |website=Autostraddle |date=8 May 2019}}</ref>
Odessa Maddison Jaizani title=Odessa, Into The Badlands |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/odessa/}}</ref>
2015–2019 Jessica Jones Netflix Jeri Hogarth Carrie-Anne Moss last1=Oswald|first1=Anjelica|title=We need to talk about that surprise orgy scene on the second season of 'Jessica Jones'|url=https://www.insider.com/jessica-jones-jeri-hogarth-sex-scene-carrie-anne-moss-2018-3%7Cwebsite=Insider|date=March 8, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Gallagher|first1=Caitlin|title=The Jeri Hogarth Sex Scene From 'Jessica Jones' Season 2 Breaks New Ground For Lesbian Characters Of A Certain Age|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/the-jeri-hogarth-sex-scene-from-jessica-jones-season-2-breaks-new-ground-for-lesbian-characters-of-a-certain-age-8427063%7Cwebsite=Bustle|date=March 8, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=McNally|first1=Victoria|title='Jessica Jones': Carrie-Anne Moss Opens Up About Playing Marvel's First Lesbian|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2512104/carrie-anne-moss-jessica-jones/%7Cwebsite=MTV News|date=20 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Avery|first1=Dan|title=Marvel Cinematic Universe Gets Its First Lesbian Character With Carrie Anne Moss|url=http://www.newnownext.com/marvel-cinematic-universe-gets-its-first-lesbian-character-with-carrie-anne-moss/10/2015/%7Cwebsite=NewNowNext.com%7Cdate=October 15, 2015|access-date=8 October 2017}}</ref>
Wendy Ross-Hogarth Robin Weigert last1=Thomas|first1=June|title=Jessica Jones' Lesbian Divorce Storyline Is Fabulous, Frustrating|url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/2015/11/24/jessica_jones_lesbian_divorce_plot_frustrating_netflix.html%7Cwebsite=Slate|date=November 24, 2015}}</ref>
Pam Susie Abromeit last1=Bendix|first1=Trish|title=Susie Abromeit on playing Pam in "Jessica Jones" and if she ships Jessica and Trish|url=https://www.afterellen.com/tv/466815-susie-abromeit-playing-pam-jessica-jones-ships-jessica-trish%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=December 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151221202650/https://www.afterellen.com/tv/466815-susie-abromeit-playing-pam-jessica-jones-ships-jessica-trish%7Carchive-date=December 21, 2015}}</ref>
Kith Lyonne Sarita Choudhury title=Kith Lyonne, Jessica Jones |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/kith-lyonne/}}</ref>
Gillian Aneesh Sheth title=The MCU Now Has a Trans Character Thanks to 'Jessica Jones' |url=https://www.pride.com/geek/2019/6/18/mcu-now-has-trans-character-thanks-jessica-jones |date=18 June 2019}}</ref>
Inez Green Leah Gibson title=Inez Green, Jessica Jones |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/inez-green/}}</ref>
Wendy Ross-Hogarth Robin Weigert title=Wendy Ross-Hogarth, Jessica Jones |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/wendy-ross-hogarth-jessica-jones/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Bundel |first1=Ani |title=Here's Everything To Know About Jeri Hogarth Before 'Jessica Jones' Season 2 Hits Netflix |url=https://www.elitedaily.com/p/what-happened-to-jeri-hogarth-in-jessica-jones-season-1-heres-what-you-should-know-8361391 |website=Elite Daily}}</ref>
Makayla Cece King title=Makayla, Jessica Jones |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/makayla/}}</ref>
Pam Susie Abromeit title=Pam, Jessica Jones |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/pam/}}</ref>
2015–2019 Killjoys Space
SyFy		 Prima "Pree" Dezz Thom Allison last1=Anne |first1=Valerie |title="Killjoys" Gave Its Queer Characters the Happily Ever (and Ever) After We Deserve |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/killjoys-gave-its-queer-characters-the-happily-ever-and-ever-after-we-deserve/ |website=Autostraddle |date=24 September 2019}}</ref>
Kendry Delle Seyah Mayko Nguyen last1=Wilner |first1=Norman |title=Two Canadian shows expand queer representation in sci-fi |url=https://nowtoronto.com/movies/news-features/queer-sci-fi-wynonna-earp-killjoys |website=NOW Magazine |date=19 July 2018}}</ref>
Aneela Kin Ritt Hannah John-Kamen Aneela Kin Ritt is a lesbian.<ref name="killjoys auto"/><ref name="Two Canadian shows killjoys"/>
Dutch Hannah John-Kamen title=Dutch, Killjoys |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/dutch/}}</ref>
2015 London Spy BBC Two Danny Holt Ben Whishaw last1=Hale |first1=Mike |title=Review: London Spy Follows an Unlikely Investigator With Love on His Mind |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/21/arts/television/tv-review-london-spy.html |website=The New York Times |date=20 January 2016}}</ref>
Alex Edward Holcroft last1=Lawson |first1=Richard |title=London Spy Is a Gay Twist on a Well-Worn Genre |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/01/london-spy-bbc-america-ben-whishaw |website=Vanity Fair |date=January 21, 2016}}</ref>
Scottie Jim Broadbent last1=Kornhaber |first1=Spencer |title=The BBC's 'London Spy' Is the Great Gay Espionage Show ... Almost |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/01/london-spy-the-great-gay-espionage-story-almost/425112/ |website=The Atlantic |date=21 January 2016}}</ref>
2015–2020 {{sortname|The|Magicians|The Magicians (U.S. TV series)}} Syfy Eliot Waugh Hale Appleman url=http://www.newnownext.com/the-magicians-gay-spellcaster-theres-sexual-events-that-happen-to-elliot/01/2016/%7Ctitle="The Magicians" Gay Spellcaster: "There's Sexual Events That Happen To Elliot"|website=NewNowNext|date=January 25, 2016}}</ref>
Quentin Coldwater Jason Ralph url=http://io9.gizmodo.com/just-how-much-of-the-magicians-insane-darkness-can-syfy-1736530397%7Ctitle=Just How Much of The Magicians' Insane Darkness Can Syfy Put on TV? Absolutely All of It.|first=Bryan|last=Lufkin|website=Io9.gizmodo.com|date=October 14, 2015}}</ref>
Dark King Sean Maguire title='Garden Variety Homicide' Roots The Magicians In New Troubled Times! |url=https://thegeekiary.com/the-magicians-episode-5x08-review-garden-variety-homicide/79255 |website=The Geekiary |date=27 February 2020}}</ref>
Margo Hanson Summer Bishil Margo Hanson is bisexual.<ref>{{cite web|last= Bocco|first= Federica |url=https://tvserieshub.tv/2018/01/23/interview-with-summer-bishil-margo-in-the-magicians/ |title=Interview with Summer Bishil, Margo in The Magicians|website=tvserieshub.tv|date=January 23, 2018}}</ref>
Marina Andrieski Kacey Rohl last1=Babu |first1=Armaan |title='The Magicians': Marina may be evil but standing up for that side of herself was the right thing to do |url=https://meaww.com/the-magicians-season-5-episode-6-marina-standing-up-for-her-evil-anna-right-thing-to-do-syfy |date=25 March 2020}}</ref>
2015–2017 Master of None Netflix Denise Lena Waithe title=Denise, Master of None |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/denise/}}</ref>
2015–2018 Merlí TV3 Bruno David Solans last1=Castellví |first1=Albert |title=Així va ser el polèmic i inesperat final de 'Merlí' |url=https://www.ara.cat/media/Aixi-polemic-inesperat-final-Merli_0_1943805681.html |website=Ara.cat |date=16 January 2018 |access-date=1 August 2019 |language=ca |trans-title=The polemic and unexpected end of 'Merlí'}}</ref>
Oliver Iñaki Mur Oliver is gay.<ref name="merli tv3"/>
Pol Carlos Cuevas Pol's sexual preference has been questioned In the second season Bruno and Pol have sex.<ref name="merli tv3"/>
Quima Manel Barceló Quima is a trans woman.<ref name="merli tv3"/>
2015–2019 Mr. Robot USA Network Gideon Goddard Michel Gill last=Thomas|first=June|url=https://slate.com/human-interest/2015/06/mr-robot-gay-character-sam-esmail-explains-why-the-show-needed-one.html%7Ctitle=Why the Hacker Drama Mr. Robot Needed a Gay Character|website=Slate|date=June 24, 2015|access-date=10 March 2020}}</ref>
Tyrell Wellick Martin Wallström Tyrell Wellick is bisexual and sleeps with Anwar Raziz.<ref name="mrrobot anwar"/>
Whiterose BD Wong last=Giles|first=Matthew|url=https://www.vulture.com/2015/09/bd-wong-mr-robot-whiterose-playing-transgender.html%7Ctitle=BD Wong on Why Mr. Robot's Portrayal of a Transgender Character Is Radical|website=Vulture|date=September 2, 2015|access-date=10 March 2020}}</ref>
Harry Randy Harrison last=Masaki|first=Lyle|title=Gay Sex Just Adds To The Puzzles Of "Mr. Robot"|url=http://www.newnownext.com/mr-robot-usa-martin-walstrom-gay-sex/07/2015/}}</ref>
Anwar Raziz Mitchell Winter Anwar Raziz is gay.<ref name="mrrobot anwar"/>
Hot Carla Eve Lindley last1=Walker |first1=John |title=Eve Lindley tells us what it's like to play her trans revolutionary icon onscreen |url=https://splinternews.com/eve-lindley-tells-us-what-its-like-to-play-her-trans-re-1793863527 |website=Splinter}}</ref>
Dominique DiPierro Grace Gummer title=Dominique DiPierro, Mr. Robot |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/dominique-dipierro/}}</ref>
Darlene Alderson Carly Chaikin title=Darlene Alderson, Mr. Robot |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/darlene-alderson/}}</ref>
2015–2017 Narcos Netflix Hélmer "Pacho" Herrera Alberto Ammann title=Narcos airs hot, dangerous, barrier-breaking gay scene |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/09/05/netflixs-narcos-airs-hot-dangerous-barrier-breaking-gay-scene/ |website=Pink News |date=5 September 2017}}</ref>
2015 Olympus Syfy Prince Lykos Wade Burns Prince Lykos is gay. Kimon is his lover.<ref name="olympus limon"/>
Kimon Levi Meaden title=Meet The Gay Couple On Syfy's "Olympus" |url=http://www.newnownext.com/meet-the-gay-couple-on-syfys-olympus/04/2015/}}</ref>
Adriadne Sophia Lauchlin Hirt title=Ariadne, Olympus |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/ariadne/}}</ref>
2015–2018 The Path Hulu Hawk Lane Kyle Allen title=The Path |url=https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/the-path/ |website=Plugged In}}</ref>
Caleb Matthews Titus Makin Jr. Caleb Matthews is gay, and has a relationship with Hawk Lane.<ref name="caleb and hawk"/>
Mary Cox Emma Greenwell Mary Cox is bisexual.<ref name="the path"/>
Betsy Whitney Crowder title=The Path |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/the-path/ |website=Lez}}</ref>
2015–2018 Quantico ABC Elias Harper Rick Cosnett url=http://starrymag.com/quantico-kmforget/%7Ctitle=Quantico - KMFORGET|date=6 November 2018|website=Starry Mag|access-date=28 March 2018}}</ref>
Hannah Wyland Eliza Coupe title=Hannah Wyland, Quantico |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/hannah-wyland/}}</ref>
Harry Doyle Russell Tovey Harry Doyle is an openly gay MI6 agent and CIA trainee.<ref name="quantico gay"/>
Will Olsen Jay Armstrong Johnson title=Jay Armstrong Johnson Finds Being Openly Gay Isn’t Career Suicide |url=https://www.out.com/theater-dance/2017/2/16/jay-armstrong-johnson-finds-being-openly-gay-isnt-career-suicide |date=16 February 2017}}</ref>
Sebastian Chen David Lim title=Russell Tovey Says Playing ‘Bold’ Gay Man on 'Quantico' ‘Feels Rewarding’ |url=https://www.out.com/television/2016/12/11/russell-tovey-says-playing-bold-gay-man-quantico-feels-rewarding |date=11 December 2016}}</ref>
2015 {{sortname|The|Returned|The Returned (U.S. TV series)}} A&E
Netflix		 Dr. Julie Han Sandrine Holt Dr. Julie Han is a lesbian.<ref name="usareturned the"/>
Deputy Nikki Banks Agnes Bruckner title=The Returned (US) |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/the-returned-us/}}</ref>
2015–2017 Rosewood FOX Pippy Rosewood Gabrielle Dennis last1=Rosenberg |first1=Alyssa |title=In fall TV, lesbians of color take center stage |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/tv/ct-in-fall-tv-lesbians-of-color-take-center-stage-20150929-story.html}}</ref>
Tara Milly Izikoff Anna Konkle title=Boob(s on Your) Tube: Pippy and TMI Are in Love Again on "Rosewood" |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/boobs-on-your-tube-pippy-and-tmi-are-in-love-again-on-rosewood-369649/ |website=Autostraddle |date=17 February 2017}}</ref>
Cassie Tia Mowry title=Cassie, Rosewood |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/cassie-rosewood/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
2015–2018 {{sortname|The|Royals|The Royals (TV series)}} E! Eleanor Henstridge Alexandra Park last1=Piccoli|first1=Dana|title=Princess Eleanor gets her heart broken by another woman on "The Royals"|url=http://www.afterellen.com/tv/467011-princess-eleanor-gets-heart-broken-another-woman-royals%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=December 21, 2015}}</ref>
Samantha Cook Sarah Dumont title=Samantha Cook, The Royals (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/samantha-cook/}}</ref>
2015–2018 Sense8 Netflix Wolfgang Bogdanow Max Riemelt Wolfgang Bogdanow is bisexual.<ref name="sense8 bisexual66"/>
Sun Bak Doona Bae title=Sun Bak, Sense8 |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sun-bak/}}</ref>
Nomi Marks Jamie Clayton last1=Handlin |first1=Taia |title=Why 'Sense8' Actually Sucks For Representation |url=https://www.btrtoday.com/read/featured/why-sense8-actually-sucks-for-representation/ |website=BTRtoday |date=July 7, 2017}}</ref>
Kala Dandekar Tina Desai title=Kala Dandekar, Sense8 |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/kala-dandekar/}}</ref>
Riley Blue Tuppence Middleton title=Riley Blue, Sense8 |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/riley-blue/}}</ref>
Capheus Onyango Aml Ameen (season 1)
{{Nowrap|Toby Onwumere (season 2)}}		 last1=Fleenor |first1=S. E. |title=66 bisexual+ characters in genre TV |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/66-bisexual-characters-in-genre-tv |website=SyFy Wire |date=24 September 2018}}</ref>
Lito Rodriguez Miguel Angel Silvestre Lito Rodriguez is gay.<ref name="sense8 actually sucks"/>
Will Gorski Brian J. Smith title=Netflix cancels Sense8, leaving fans devastated |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/06/01/netflix-cancels-popular-lgbt-show-sense8-leaving-fans-devastated/ |website=PinkNews |date=1 June 2017}}</ref>
Hernando Alfonso Herrera Hernando is gay and Lito's boyfriend.<ref name="sense8 actually sucks"/>
Amanita Caplan Freema Agyeman title=The 'Sense8' Cast Discusses Their Favorite Moments, LGBT Representation, & Those Racy Sex Scenes |url=https://www.pride.com/sense8/2018/6/11/sense8-cast-discusses-their-favorite-moments-lgbt-representation-those-racy-sex-scenes#media-gallery-media-5 |date=11 June 2018}}</ref>
Raoul Pasquale Erik Hayser title="Polyphony" offers the perfect term to describe Sense8’s unique storytelling|url=https://tv.avclub.com/polyphony-offers-the-perfect-term-to-describe-sense8-1798191257%7Cwebsite=TV Club}}</ref>
Zakia Asalache Mumbi Maina last1=Romero |first1=Ariana |title=Why "Sense8" Continues To Be The Best Show About Sexuality On TV |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2017/05/153219/sense8-sexuality-gender-identity-gay-sex-characters}}</ref>
Angelica Turing Daryl Hannah title=Sense8, List of characters |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/sense8/}}</ref>
Lila Facchini Valeria Bilello Lila Facchini is pansexual.<ref name="8sense characters"/>
Bodhi Sarah Kants Bodhi is pansexual.<ref name="8sense characters"/>
George Arly Jover George is a lesbian.<ref name="8sense characters"/>
Sara Patrell Margot Thorne Sara Patrell is pansexual.<ref name="8sense characters"/>
Carol Cumberland Janet Ulrich Brooks Carol Cumberland is pansexual.<ref name="8sense characters"/>
The Mother Ursula Jones The Mother is pansexual.<ref name="8sense characters"/>
2015–2017 Skam NRK Eskild Tryggvasson Carl Martin Eggesbø Eskild Tryggvasson is gay.<ref name="skam season 3"/>
Isak Valtersen Tarjei Sandvik Moe title='SKAM' Season 3: A Story About Accepting Yourself, Challenging Stereotypes and Living in the Moment |url=http://culture.affinitymagazine.us/skam-season-3-a-story-about-accepting-yourself-challenging-stereotypes-and-living-in-the-moment/ |website=Affinity Magazine |date=18 December 2017}}</ref>
Even Bech Næsheim Henrik Holm Even Bech Næsheim is gay.<ref name="skam season 3"/>
2015–2017 Stitchers Freeform Camille Engelson Allison Scagliotti Camille Engelson is bisexual.<ref name="stitchers characters"/>
Amanda Weston Anna Akana title=Stitchers, List of characters |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/stitchers/}}</ref>
2015– Supergirl The CW Alex Danvers Chyler Leigh last1=Bucksbaum|first1=Sydney|title='Supergirl' Boss on "Thoughtful" Coming Out Story and "Bury Your Gays" Fears|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/supergirl-gay-character-storyline-944838%7Cwork=The Hollywood Reporter|date=November 7, 2016}}</ref>
Maggie Sawyer Floriana Lima last1=Natalie|first1=Abrams|title=Supergirl: 12 Episodes Every Sanvers Fan Should Watch|url=https://ew.com/tv/supergirl-maggie-alex-sanvers/%7Cwebsite=Entertainment Weekly|date=September 7, 2017}}</ref>
Nia Nal(Dreamer) Nicole Maines last1=Gustines|first1=George Gene|title=Nicole Maines on Becoming TV's First Transgender Superhero|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/12/arts/television/nicole-maines-supergirl-transgender-interview.html%7Cwork=The New York Times|date=October 12, 2018}}</ref>
Kelly Olsen Azie Tesfai Kelly Olsen is a lesbian.<ref name="supergirl bucksbaum"/>
2015–2016 This Life CBC Oliver Lawson Kristopher Turner title=This Life’s Kristopher Turner Gives Us The Truth Behind Oliver – The TV Junkies |url=https://thetvjunkies.com/this-life-kristopher-turner-interview/}}</ref>
2015– Unforgotten ITV Eric Slater Tom Courtenay last1=Frost|first1=Caroline|title='Unforgotten' Series 2 Has Been Comissioned, With Nicola Walker, Sanjeev Bhaskar Returning To Crime Drama|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/11/13/unforgotten-series-2_n_8553374.html%7Cwebsite=HuffPost UK|date=13 November 2015}}</ref>
Jimmy Sullivan Harley Alexander-Sule Jimmy Sullivan was Eric's gay lover.<ref name="unforgotten"/>
Colin Osborne Mark Bonnar Colin Osborne is gay.<ref name="colin and simon osborne"/>
Simon Osborne Charlie Condou last1=Doran|first1=Sarah|title=Meet the cast of Unforgotten series two|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2018-04-20/meet-the-cast-of-unforgotten-series-two/%7Cwebsite=Radio Times|date=20 April 2018}}</ref>
2015–2018 UnREAL Lifetime Jay Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman title=Why Jay On 'UnREAL' Is So Important To LGBTQ Representation, According To Star Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman |url=https://www.bustle.com/p/why-jay-on-unreal-is-so-important-to-lgbtq-representation-according-to-star-jeffrey-bowyer-chapman-8314675 |website=Bustle}}</ref>
Faith Breeda Wool title=UnREAL |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/unreal/}}</ref>
Alexi Petrov Alex Sparrow title=Alex Sparrow opens up about gay kiss scenes |url=http://www.frivolette.com/art/acting/alex-sparrow-opens-up-about-gay-kiss-scenes}}</ref>
Xavier Jaime Callica title=Jaime M. Callica – UnREAL |url=https://starrymag.com/jaime-m-callica-unreal/ |website=Starry Constellation Magazine |date=19 March 2018}}</ref>
Fiona Tracie Thoms last1=Nemetz |first1=Dave |title=UnREAL Adds Tracie Thoms as Quinn's Lesbian Friend for Season 3 |url=https://tvline.com/2017/04/12/unreal-casts-tracie-thoms-season-3-lifetime-fiona/ |website=TV Line |date=12 April 2017}}</ref>
2015–2018 Versailles Canal+ Philippe d'Orléans Alexander Vlahos last1=Earle |first1=Toby |last2=Travis |first2=Ben |title=Versailles’ Alexander Vlahos talks fan reactions and gay relationships |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/versailles-alexander-vlahos-talks-fan-reactions-and-gay-relationships-on-tv-a3317516.html |date=11 August 2016}}</ref>
Chevalier de Lorraine Evan Williams title=Evan Williams tells us about playing one half of the gay power couple at the centre of Versailles |url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/versailles/ |date=6 July 2016}}</ref>
2015–2016 Wayward Pines FOX Frank Armstrong Michael Garza title=Wayward Pines - la scheda della serie tv |url=https://www.cinemagay.it/serie-tv/wayward-pines/ |language=it-IT}}</ref>
2015– Westside TV3 Bjelke "Bilkey" van Heeder Todd Emerson last1=McLachlan |first1=Marilynn |title=Westside’s Todd Emerson On What It Was Like Having His Husband Kip Chapman Join the Cast |url=https://www.nowtolove.co.nz/lifestyle/sex-relationships/westside-todd-emerson-and-husband-kip-chapman-41888}}</ref>
2015 You, Me and the Apocalypse Sky 1 Scotty McNeil Kyle Soller Scotty McNeil is gay.<ref name="Me and the Apocalypse"/>
Arnold Gaines Paterson Joseph title=Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Television Characters |url=https://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~wyatt/tv-char2000s.html#test331}}</ref>
2015– Younger TV Land Maggie Debi Mazar Maggie is lesbian.<ref name="tv series younger"/>
Lauren Heller Molly Bernard title=Younger |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/younger/}}</ref>

2016

Year Show Network Character Actor Notes
2016– 3% Netflix Joana Coelho Vaneza Oliveira title=3% TV Series (LGBT characters)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/3/%7Cwebsite=LezWatch.TV%7Cdate=June 29, 2019}}</ref>
Natália Amanda Magalhães Natalia is lesbian and Joana's partner. Joana and Natalia start a revolution against Maralto.<ref name="three percent characters"/>
Ariel Marina Matheus Ariel is a trans woman.<ref name="three percent characters"/>
Láis Fernanda Vasconcellos Láis is bisexual.<ref name="three percent characters"/>
Samira Maria Flor Samira is bisexual.<ref name="three percent characters"/>
2016– The|A Word}} BBC One
SundanceTV		 Tom Clarke Matt Greenwood last1=Stevenson |first1=Amelia |title=Matt Greenwood |url=https://tresamagazine.com/2020/08/17/matt-greenwood/ |website=TresA Magazine |date=17 August 2020}}</ref>
2016 American Gothic CBS Alison Hawthorne-Price Juliet Rylance title=Alison Hawthorne-Price, American Gothic (2016 TV series)|url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/alison-hawthorne-price-american-gothic/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Naomi Flynn Maureen Sebastian title=Naomi Flynn, American Gothic (2016 TV series)|url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/naomi-flynn-american-gothic/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
2016– Animal Kingdom TNT Deran Cody Jake Weary title=TNT’s 'Animal Kingdom' Weaves Gay Storyline in a Macho, Violent World |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/tnt-s-animal-kingdom-weaves-gay-storyline-macho-violent-world-n625311 |website=NBC News}}</ref>
Lila Cole title=Lila Cole, Animal Kingdom (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lila-cole/}}</ref>
Adrian Dolan Spencer Treat Clark title=Actor Jake Weary On Playing a Closeted Character in 'Animal Kingdom' |url=https://www.out.com/television/2016/6/22/actor-jake-weary-playing-closeted-character-animal-kingdom |date=22 June 2016}}</ref><ref name="animal kingdom:1"/>
Janine "Smurf" Cody Ellen Barkin title=Janine "Smurf" Cody, Animal Kingdom (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/janine-smurf-cody/}}</ref>
Mark Liston Andy Favreau title=TNT’s ‘Animal Kingdom’ Left An Interesting Taste In Our Mouth With Its Most Recent Gay Romp Scene. No Bed Needed. |url=https://instinctmagazine.com/tnts-animal-kingdom-left-an-interesting-taste-in-our-mouth-with-its-most-recent-gay-romp-scene-no-bed-needed/ |website=Instinct Magazine |date=28 July 2017}}</ref>
Linc Damon Erik Williams title=‘Animal Kingdom’ actor hails from Haverford |url=https://www.dailylocal.com/arts_and_entertainment/animal-kingdom-actor-hails-from-haverford/article_9897547a-4fc9-5095-9968-24530fb5a1b2.html |website=Daily Local News}}</ref>
2016 Barracuda ABC Danny Kelly Elias Anton last=Richens|first=Tony|title=Gay Swimmer Catalyst For Exciting New Australian Drama - Barracuda|url=https://gaynation.co/gay-swimmer-catalyst-for-exciting-new-australian-drama-barracuda/%7Cwebsite=Gay Nation|date=12 July 2016}}</ref>
Martin Taylor Ben Kindon title=Barracuda review – a valuable Australian story, with a one-for-the-ages finale |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/jul/11/barracuda-review-a-valuableaustralian-story-with-a-one-for-the-ages-finale |date=11 July 2016}}</ref>
Demet Nicole Gulasekharam title=Demet, Barracuda (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/demet/}}</ref>
2016– Berlin Station Epix Hector DeJean Rhys Ifans title=Berlin Station Exclusive Interview Rhys Ifans Assignment X |url=https://www.assignmentx.com/2016/berlin-station-rhys-ifans-on-new-cia-espionage-series-exclusive-interview/}}</ref>
2016– Better Things FX Sil Ser Anzoategui title=Sil, Better Things (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sil/}}</ref>
Tressa Rebecca Merz title=Better Things' Rebecca Metz on Pamela Adlon's Leadership on Set |url=https://www.fxnetworks.com/news/better-things/better-things-rebecca-metz-tressas-evolution-and-pamela-adlons-l/%7Cwebsite=FX Networks}}</ref>
Frankie Fox Hannah Alligood last1=Dry |first1=Jude |title=The 25 Most Influential LGBTQ Characters on TV Right Now |url=https://www.indiewire.com/gallery/best-lesbian-gay-characters-tv-lgbt-transgender/screen-shot-2019-05-09-at-5-22-10-pm/ |website=Indie Wire |date=10 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title="Better Things" Tells an Important Trans Story — By Not Telling a Trans Story |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/better-things-tells-an-important-trans-story-by-not-telling-a-trans-story/ |website=Autostraddle |date=1 May 2020}}</ref>
Mer Kodis Marsha Thomason last1=Ratledge |first1=Ingela |title='Better Things': Pamela Adlon on the 'Shocking' Real-Life Experiences That Inspired Season 3 |url=https://www.tvinsider.com/751321/better-things-season-3-pamela-adlon-details/ |website=TV Insider}}</ref>
2016– Billions Showtime Tara Mohr Annapurna Sriram title=Tara Mohr, Billions |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/tara-mohr-billions/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Donnie Caan David Cromer Donnie Caan and Walter are married.<ref>{{cite web |title=Billions 1×10 Recap: Death Becomes Them |url=https://observer.com/2016/03/billions-1x10-recap-death-becomes-them/ |website=Observer |date=28 March 2016}}</ref>
Walter Matthew Humphreys
Taylor Mason Asia Kate Dillon last1=Soloski |first1=Alexis |title=Asia Kate Dillon: ‘This Is Who I Am’ |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/26/arts/television/asia-kate-dillon-billions.html |website=The New York Times |date=26 May 2019}}</ref>
Lauren Turner Jade Eshete title=Lauren Turner, Billions (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lauren-turner/}}</ref>
Fiona Michaela Sprague title=Fiona, Billions (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/fiona/}}</ref>
2016– Bull CBS Chunk Palmer Chris Jackson last1=Ryan |first1=Maureen |title=Christopher Jackson Talks ‘Bull,’ ‘Hamilton’ and What’s Next |url=https://variety.com/2016/tv/features/christopher-jackson-hamilton-bull-cbs-tv-1201892605/ |website=Variety |date=18 October 2016}}</ref>
2016–2017 {{sortname|The|Catch|The Catch (TV series)}} ABC Margot Bishop Sonya Walger title=Margot Bishop, The Catch |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/margot-bishop/}}</ref>
Felicity Shivani Ghai title=Felicity, The Catch |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/felicity/}}</ref>
Shawn Sullivan Caleb Smith title=The Catch Season Finale: Happily Ever After? |url=https://www.vulture.com/2016/05/catch-recap-season-1-episode-9-10.html |website=Vulture}}</ref>
2016 The Cate Morland Chronicles YouTube Eleanor Monk Erika Ovudoba Eleanor is a lesbian. She is Cate Morland's best friend. Web series that is an adaption of Jane Austen's novel, Northanger Abbey.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kulik |first1=Elise |title=Webseries Discovery: The Cate Morland Chronicles |url=https://www.nerdophiles.com/2016/10/13/webseries-discovery-the-cate-morland-chronicles/ |website=Nerdophiles |date=13 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Eleanor Monk, The Cate Morland Chronicles|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/eleanor-monk/}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Heredia Torres |first1=María |title=Jane Austen and Transmedia Narratives. Analysis of The Cate Morland Chronicles |date=3 October 2018 |doi=10.30827/Digibug.53070 |publisher=Universidad de Granada|doi-access=free |journal=Digibug}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Elsbury |first1=Justin |title=Alumni's hit web series a modern take on Jane Austen novel |url=https://universe.byu.edu/2016/09/28/alumnis-hit-web-series-a-modern-take-on-jane-austin-novel/ |website=The Daily Universe |date=28 September 2016}}</ref>
2016 Class BBC Three Charlie Smith Greg Austin last1=Bryan |first1=Scott |title=The Casual Gay Relationship In "Class" Is Actually Important |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/scottybryan/the-writer-behind-class-explains-why-he-casually-portrayed-g |website=BuzzFeed}}</ref>
Matteusz Andrzejewski Jordan Renzo title=Doctor Who spin off 'Class' actors open up about their relationship onscreen |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2016/11/19/doctor-who-spin-off-class-actors-open-up-about-their-relationship-onscreen/ |website=Pink News |date=19 November 2016}}</ref><ref name="2016 tv class"/>
2016 The|Collection|The Collection (TV series)}} Amazon Prime Video
BBC Worldwide		 Claude Sabine Tom Riley last1=O'Keefe |first1=Meghan |title=Tom Riley Talks Playing Another "Sexually Fluid, Tortured Genius" on ‘The Collection’ |url=https://decider.com/2017/02/10/the-collection-tom-riley-interview/ |website=Decider |date=10 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Interview: Britain's brightest new star, Tom Riley |url=https://www.thegentlemansjournal.com/article/interview-britains-brightest-new-star-tom-riley/ |website=The Gentleman's Journal}}</ref>
2016 Conviction ABC Hayes Morrison Hayley Atwell title=Hayes Morrison, Conviction |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/hayes-morrison-conviction/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Jackson Morrison Daniel Franzese title=Actor Daniel Franzese gets political on ABC's 'Conviction'|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/actor-daniel-franzese-gets-political-abc-s-conviction-n671871%7Cwebsite=NBC News}}</ref>
Franklin "Frankie" Cruz Manny Montana Franklin "Frankie" Cruz is in love with Rey Armas.<ref>{{cite web |title=Conviction – The 1% Solution |url=https://starrymag.com/conviction-the-1-solution/ |website=Starry Constellation Magazine |date=10 November 2016}}</ref>
Rey Armas Ian Paola
Naomi Golden Ilfenesh Hadera title=Naomi Golden, Conviction (2016 TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/naomi-golden/}}</ref>
2016 Crashing Channel 4 Fred Amit Shah last1=Damshenas |first1=Sam |title=52 of the best LGBTQ+ shows you can watch right now on Netflix |url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/the-best-lgbtq-inclusive-shows-you-can-watch-right-now-on-netflix/ |website=Gay Times |date=8 February 2021}}</ref><ref name="uk series crashing">{{cite web |last1=Munzenrieder |first1=Kyle |title=W TV Club: Crashing is Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Twisted Take on 'Friends' |url=https://www.wmagazine.com/story/crashing-netflix-phoebe-waller-bridge |website=W Magazine |date=January 30, 2021}}</ref>
Sam Jonathan Bailey Sam is _____.<ref name="crashing uk tv series"/><ref name="uk series crashing"/>
Will Lachie Chapman title=Crashing Series 1, Episode 3 |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/crashing/episodes/1/3/ |website=British Comedy Guide}}</ref>
2016– The Crown Netflix Antony Armstrong-Jones Matthew Goode title=The Crown portrays a major royal figure as bisexual, and hints the Queen knew |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/12/11/the-crown-lord-snowdon-bisexual/ |website=PinkNews |date=11 December 2017}}</ref>
Patrick Michael Therriault
2016– Degrassi: Next Class Family Channel Miles Hollingsworth III Eric Osborne author=snicks|title=An Encyclopedia Of LGBT Characters On "Degrassi"|url=http://www.newnownext.com/degrassi-lgbt-characters/07/2015/%7Cwebsite=NewNowNext|date=July 20, 2015}}</ref>
Zoe Rivas Ana Golja Zoe is a lesbian.<ref name="degrassi characters"/>
Tristan Milligan Lyle Lettau Tristan is gay.<ref name="degrassi characters"/>
Vijay Maraji Dante Scott Vijay is gay.<ref name="degrassi characters"/>
Yael Baron Jamie Bloch Yael is non-binary/genderqueer and uses they/them pronouns.<ref name="degrassi characters"/>
Rasha Zuabi Dalia Yegavian Rasha is a lesbian.<ref name="degrassi characters"/>
Esme Song Chelsea Clark Esme and Frankie enter a polyamorous relationship with Zig.<ref name="degrassi characters"/>
Francesca "Frankie" Hollingsworth Sara Waisglass
2016 The Deleted Fullscreen Agatha Madeline Brewer title=Agatha, The Deleted|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/agatha/}}</ref>
Sophie Julia Kelly title=Sophie, The Deleted|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sophie/}}</ref>
2016–2019 Designated Survivor ABC Dontae Evans Ben Watson last1=Reynolds |first1=Daniel |title=Benjamin Charles Watson Brings Black and Gay Visibility to Designated Survivor |url=https://www.advocate.com/television/2019/6/09/benjamin-watson-brings-black-gay-visibility-designated-survivor |website=The Advocate |date=June 9, 2019}}</ref>
Sasha Booker Jamie Clayton Sasha is a trans woman.<ref name="designated survivor"/>
2016–2019 The|Durrells}} ITV Sven Ulric von der Esch title=The Durrells: Who plays Sven in the ITV drama? All the details on Ulric von der Esch |url=https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/2020080995016/the-durrells-who-plays-sven-in-itv-drama/ |date=9 August 2020}}</ref>
2016–2019 Easy Netflix Jo Jacqueline Toboni Jo and Chase meet, fall in love, and become a lesbian couple in season 1 episode 2, "Vegan Cinderella".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Keating|first1=Shannon|title=These TV Shows Are Finally Giving Queer Women Happy Endings|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/shannonkeating/black-mirror-easy-queer-happy-endings%7Cwebsite=BuzzFeed|date=October 28, 2016}}</ref>
Chase Kiersey Clemons
2016– El marginal Televisión Pública Argentina Juan Pablo "Diosito" Borges Nicolás Furtado last=Garibaldi|first=Florencia|title=Nicolás Furtado: artista de la transformación|url=http://revistawatt.com/nicolas-furtado/%7Cwork=WATT%7Cdate=2 May 2017|access-date=27 May 2018|language=es}}</ref><ref name="el marginal">{{cite web|title=Netflix: 'El marginal', una serie que no debes perderte|url=https://trome.pe/opinion/el-buho/netflix-marginal-serie-debes-perderte-29268%7Cwebsite=Trome%7Clanguage=es%7Cdate=4 November 2016}}</ref>
Morcilla Carlos Portaluppi Morcilla is bisexual.<ref name="juan pablo bi"/><ref name="el marginal"/>
Fiorella Guido Botto Fiora Fiorella is gay. He is in a relationship with Morcilla.<ref name="juan pablo bi"/><ref name="el marginal"/>
2016 Eyewitness USA Network Philip Shea Tyler Young title=Philip Shea: Eyewitness Character - USANetwork.com |url=https://www.usanetwork.com/eyewitness/credits/character/philip-shea |website=USA Network |quote=Tyler Young stars as Philip Shea, a gay teenager from the projects looking for a fresh start with a new foster family}}</ref>
Lukas Waldenbeck James Paxton title=Lukas Waldenbeck: Eyewitness Character - USANetwork.com |url=https://www.usanetwork.com/eyewitness/credits/character/lukas-waldenbeck |website=USA Network}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Anderson-Minshall |first1=Diane |title=An Illicit Gay Romance Is the Spark That Ignites TV's Best New Show |url=https://www.advocate.com/current-issue/2016/10/14/illicit-gay-romance-spark-ignites-tvs-best-new-show |website=The Advocate |date=14 October 2016}}</ref>
2016–2018 Falling Water USA Network Alexis Simms Sepideh Moafi title=Alex and Christy – Falling Water Season 2 Episode 8|url=https://blog.lesbianmedia.tv/alex-and-christy-falling-water-season-2-episode-8/%7Cwebsite=Lesbian Media|date=March 20, 2018}}</ref>
Christine Parisa Fitz-Henley Christine is lesbian and the girlfriend of Alexis.<ref name="falling water"/>
2016 {{sortname|The|Family|The Family (2016 TV series)}} ABC Willa Warren Alison Pill title=Willa, The Family (2016 TV series)|url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/willa-the-family/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref><ref name="Willa and Bridey">{{cite web |title=Willa and Bridey in The Family |url=http://www.lesbian-interest.eu/willa-bridey-family/ |website=Lesbian interest |date=28 March 2016}}</ref>
Bridey Cruz Floriana Lima title=Bridey Cruz, The Family (2016 TV series)|url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/bridey-cruz-family/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
2016–2017 {{sortname|The|Get Down}} Netflix Marcus 'Dizzee' Kipling Jaden Smith Dizzee and Thor are featured in a gay storyline. They go to an exclusive underground LGBT club and kiss.<ref>{{cite web |title=Let's Revisit Jaden Smith's Beautiful, Frustrating Gay Storyline on 'The Get Down' |url=https://www.out.com/television/2017/4/18/lets-revisit-jaden-smiths-beautiful-frustrating-gay-storyline-get-down |date=18 April 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Jaden Smith's Club Scene On 'The Get Down' Explores An Important Time In The Decade |url=https://www.romper.com/p/jaden-smiths-club-scene-on-the-get-down-explores-important-time-in-the-decade-16314 |website=Romper}}</ref>
Thor Noah Le Gros
2016 Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life Netflix Michel Gerard Yanic Truesdale title=Gilmore Girls: Michel Is Gay, Adopting a Child with His Husband |url=https://people.com/tv/gilmore-girls-michel-gerard-sexuality-gay-adopting-child-partner/}}</ref><ref name="gilmore girls"/>
Donald Sam Pancake last1=Canfield |first1=David |title=Why the Gilmore Girls Revival’s Attempt to Be LGBTQ-Friendly Was So Disingenuous |url=https://slate.com/culture/2016/12/netflix-s-gilmore-girls-revivals-attempt-to-be-lgbtq-friendly-failed.html |website=Slate Magazine |date=16 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Peitzman |first1=Louis |title=The "Gilmore Girls" Revival Is Gayer Than Expected |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzman/oy-with-the-heteronormativity-already |website=BuzzFeed}}</ref>
2016– {{sortname|The|Girlfriend Experience|The Girlfriend Experience (TV series)}} Starz Christine Reade Riley Keough title=Christine Reade, The Girlfriend Experience |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/christine-reade-girlfriend-experience/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Avery Suhr Kate Lyn Sheil title=Avery Suhr, The Girlfriend Experience |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/avery-suhr-girlfriend-experience/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref><ref name="the girlfriend experience:1">{{cite web |last1=Bendix |first1=Trish |title="The Girlfriend Experience" Makes A Power Play With Lesbian Dom-Sub Storyline |url=http://www.newnownext.com/the-girlfriend-experience-makes-a-power-play-with-lesbian-dom-sub-storyline/11/2017/}}</ref>
Darya Esford Narges Rashidi title=Darya Esford, The Girlfriend Experience (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/darya-esford/}}</ref>
Anna Garner Louisa Krause Anna Garner is a lesbian.<ref name="the girlfriend experience:1"/><ref name="girlfriend experience:2"/>
Erica Myles title="The Girlfriend Experience" Season Two: Bad Show, Decent Soft Core Lesbian Porn |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/the-girlfriend-experience-season-two-bad-plot-great-soft-core-lesbian-porn-408933/ |website=Autostraddle |date=15 February 2018}}</ref>
2016– Goliath Amazon Prime Video Michelle McBride Maria Bello title=Michelle McBride, Goliath |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/michelle-mcbride-goliath/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Callie Senate Molly Parker title=Callie Senate, Goliath |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/callie-senate-goliath/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
2016 The Good Wife
(South Korean)		 tvN Kim Dan Nana last1=John |first1=Simi |title=After School's Nana talks about bisexual role in The Good Wife |url=https://www.ibtimes.sg/after-schools-nana-talks-about-bisexual-role-good-wife-2575 |website=International Business Times |date=30 July 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Good Wife (Korean) |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/the-good-wife-korean/}}</ref>
2016–2018 Hap and Leonard SundanceTV Leonard Pine Michael K. Williams title='Hap and Leonard' Canceled at Sundance TV |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/hap-leonard-canceled-at-sundance-tv-1111922 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=14 May 2018}}</ref>
Raoul Enrique Murciano last1=Thomas |first1=June |title=Hap and Leonard’s Creator on Swamp Noir, Casting Gay Characters, and the F and the N Words |url=https://slate.com/human-interest/2016/03/hap-and-leonards-jim-mickle-interviewed.html |website=Slate Magazine |date=2 March 2016}}</ref>
2016 Heartbeat NBC Max Eliott Joshua Leonard title=Casting Report: 68 Gay Characters on TV Right Now |url=https://www.pride.com/gay/2016/4/20/casting-report-68-gay-characters-tv-right-now#slide-22 |date=21 April 2016}}</ref>
2016-2017 I Love Dick Amazon Prime Video Devon Roberta Colindrez last1=Parks-Ramage |first1=Jonathan |title='I Love Dick' Star Roberta Colindrez on Playing a Queer Texas Cowboy |url=https://www.out.com/entertainment/2017/5/17/i-love-dick-star-roberta-colindrez-playing-queer-texas-cowboy |website=Out Magazine |date=17 May 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Voss |first1=Brandon |title="I Love Dick" Star Roberta Colindrez Transcends Gender Again In "Hamlet" |url=http://www.newnownext.com/i-love-dick-star-roberta-colindrez-transcends-gender-again-in-hamlet/07/2017/ |website=NewNowNext |date=July 27, 2017}}</ref>
Toby Bobbi Salvör Menuez title=Toby, I Love Dick |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/toby/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Lesbian, Bi and Queer Year in Television 2017: Love, bravery, and found family |url=https://www.bellamediachannel.com/the-lesbian-bi-and-queer-year-in-television-2017-love-bravery-and-found-family/ |website=Bella Media Channel |date=20 December 2017}}</ref>
2016–2017 Incorporated Syfy Theo Marquez Eddie Ramos Theo Marquez's boyfriend is Anthony.<ref>{{cite web |title=Downsizing, Season 1 Episode 2 |url=https://www.syfy.com/incorporated/episodes/season/1/episode/2/downsizing |website=SyFy |quote=Out in the Red Zone, Theo is becoming quite the up-and-comer in the world of cage fighting, which hopefully means a brighter future for him and his boyfriend, Anthony.}}</ref>
Anthony Matt Landry
2016– Jamie Johnson CBBC Dillon Simmonds Patrick Ward last1=Holmes |first1=Jon |title=Stories can give strength to gay and bi footballers |url=https://sportsmedialgbt.com/stories-can-give-strength-to-gay-and-bi-footballers |website=Sports Media LGBT+ |date=20 June 2020}}</ref>
Elliot Laquarn Lewis people=Kay-Jelski, Daniel; Scheckter, Hugo; Ward, Patrick; Lewis, Laquarn; Duggan, Shaun; Taylor, Cheryl |date=July 9, 2020 |title=Jamie Johnson {{!}} Dillon's Storyline and LGBT Role Models For Kids {{!}} BAFTA Kids |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuujfA1WIgk |format=video |publisher= BAFTA Kids & Teens}}</ref><ref name="johnsontvjamie"/>
Becky Walker-Cotton Mali Tudno Jones title=Dawn Walker-Cotton, Jamie Johnson (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/dawn-walker-cotton/}}</ref>
Dawn Walker-Cotton Tonya Smith title=Becky Walker-Cotton, Jamie Johnson (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/becky-walker-cotton/}}</ref>
2016– Legends of Tomorrow CW Sara Lance Caity Lotz last=Mason|first=Jessica|title=The Cast and Writers Preview Legends of Tomorrow's Trip Into '80s Horror and More|url=https://www.themarysue.com/cast-and-writers-preview-legends-of-tomorrows-trip-into-80s-horror/%7Cwebsite=The Mary Sue|date=February 11, 2020}}</ref>
Todd Rice Lance Henriksen title=Legends of Tomorrow: Lance Henriksen Confirms Obsidian is Green Lantern’s Son |url=https://screenrant.com/obsidian-green-lantern-legends-of-tomorrow-lance-henriksen/ |website=Screen Rant |date=28 September 2016}}</ref>
Ava Sharpe Jes Macallan last=West|first=Amy|title=Legends of Tomorrow: Sara Lance and Ava Sharpe's romance FINALLY became canon and fans love it|url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/03/01/legends-of-tomorrow-sara-lance-and-ava-sharpes-romance-finally-became-canon-and-fans-love-it/%7Cwebsite=PinkNews|date=March 1, 2018}}</ref>
Lindsay Carlisle Ali Liebert title=Lindsay Carlisle, Legends of Tomorrow|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lindsay-carlisle/}}</ref>
Queen Anne Rebecca Eady title=Queen Anne, Legends of Tomorrow|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/queen-anne/}}</ref>
Guinevere Elyse Levesque title=Guinevere, Legends of Tomorrow|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/guinevere/}}</ref>
Alex Danvers Chyler Leigh title=Alex Danvers, Legends of Tomorrow|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/alex-danvers/}}</ref>
Captain Cold Wentworth Miller last1=Avery |first1=Dan |title="DC's Legends Of Tomorrow" Hints At A Romance Between Citizen Cold And John Constantine |url=http://www.newnownext.com/citizen-cold-and-john-constantine-gay-flirt/01/2018/ |website=NewNowNext |date=January 18, 2018}}</ref>
Ray Terrill Russell Tovey Ray is gay.<ref name="citizen cold ray"/>
John Constantine Matt Ryan first=Christopher|last=Rudolph|url=http://www.newnownext.com/constantine-legends-of-tomorrow/10/2017/%7Ctitle=Bisexual John Constantine Coming To "DC's Legends Of Tomorrow"|website=NewNowNext|date=October 17, 2017}}</ref>
Gary Green Adam Tsekhman url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/a-queer-kiss-saves-the-world-on-legends-of-tomorrow%7Ctitle=A queer kiss saves the world on Legends of Tomorrow|last=Fleenor|first=S.E.|date=December 26, 2019|website=Syfy|access-date=January 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107003938/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/a-queer-kiss-saves-the-world-on-legends-of-tomorrow%7Carchive-date=November 7, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>
Desmond Christian Keyes last1=Fleenor |first1=S. E. |title=A queer kiss saves the world on Legends of Tomorrow |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/a-queer-kiss-saves-the-world-on-legends-of-tomorrow |date=27 December 2018}}</ref>
Kate Kane Wallis Day title=Kate Kane, Legends of Tomorrow|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/kate-kane/}}</ref>
Charlie Maisie Richardson-Sellers Charlie is pansexual and genderfluid.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fleenor |first1=S. E. |title=Legends of Tomorrow low-key introduced a non-binary character in Season 4 |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/legends-of-tomorrow-low-key-introduced-a-non-binary-character-in-season-4 |date=25 January 2019}}</ref>
Nyssa al Ghul Katrina Law title=Nyssa al Ghul, Legends of Tomorrow|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/nyssa-al-ghul/}}</ref>
Miss Sinclair Sophia Johnson title=Miss Sinclair, Legends of Tomorrow|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/miss-sinclair/}}</ref>
2016– Lucifer Fox
Netflix		 Lucifer Morningstar Tom Ellis last1=Anne|first1=Valerie|title="Lucifer" Season Four Has a (Tragically) Beautiful Bisexual Storyline|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/lucifer-season-four-has-a-tragically-beautiful-bisexual-storyline/%7Cwebsite=Autostraddle|date=May 23, 2019}}</ref>
Mazikeen (Maze) Lesley-Ann Brandt last1=Opie |first1=David |title=Lucifer season 5 continues to erase bisexuality and conflate queerness with evil |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a33755517/lucifer-season-5-bisexual-queer-lgbtq/ |website=Digital Spy |date=24 August 2020}}</ref>
Eve Inbar Lavi title=Eve, Lucifer (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/eve-2/}}</ref>
2016–2018 Luke Cage Netflix Hernan "Shades" Alvarez Theo Rossi last1=Outlaw|first1=Kofi|title='Luke Cage' Season 2 Adds More LGBTQ Characters to the MCU|url=https://comicbook.com/marvel/2018/06/25/luke-cage-season-2-shades-gay-bisexual-lgbtq/%7Cwebsite=ComicBook.com%7Cpublisher=Pop Culture Media|date=June 25, 2018|access-date=27 June 2018}}</ref><ref name="luke cage season2">{{cite web|last1=Pooley|first1=Jack|title=Luke Cage Season 2: 22 WTF Moments|url=http://whatculture.com/tv/luke-cage-season-2-22-wtf-moments?page=10%7Cwebsite=WhatCulture.com%7Cdate=23 June 2018|access-date=27 June 2018}}</ref>
Comanche Jones Thomas Q. Jones Comanche is gay.<ref name="shades alvares"/><ref name="luke cage season2"/>
2016– Marcella ITV Matthew Neil Ben Cura title=Marcella recap: episode two – the butcher, the baker and the internet dater |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/apr/11/marcella-recap-episode-two-the-butcher-the-baker-and-the-internet-dater |date=11 April 2016}}</ref>
Yann Hall Tobias Santelmann title=Marcella Season 1 Recap |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/marcella-season-1-recap/ |website=Den of Geek |date=19 February 2018}}</ref>
Cara Thomas Florence Pugh title=Cara Thomas, Marcella (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/cara-thomas/}}</ref>
Sascha Kyte Victoria Broom title=TV Show Pick: Marcella |url=https://www.curvemag.com/film-club/film-collection/tv-show/tv-show-pick-marcella/ |date=8 September 2016}}</ref>
Jojo Baines Tamzin Malleson Jojo Baines is lesbian.<ref name="jojo and sascha"/>
2016–2018 The|Night Manager|The Night Manager (miniseries)}} BBC One Major Lance "Corky" Corkoran Tom Hollander last1=Handlen |first1=Zack |title=The Night Manager is elegant, well-chilled spy craft |url=https://tv.avclub.com/the-night-manager-is-elegant-well-chilled-spy-craft-1798187435 |website=TV Club |date=April 19, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Geier |first1=Thom |title=#BuryYourGays: 27 LGBT TV Characters Killed Off in 2016 |url=https://www.thewrap.com/buryyourgays-lgbt-tv-characters-gay-lesbian-killed-off-2016-empire-game-of-thrones/ |website=TheWrap |date=21 December 2016}}</ref>
2016–2017 No Tomorrow The CW Kareema Sarayu Blue title=Kareema, No Tomorrow |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/kareema-no-tomorrow/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Sofia Marta Milans title=Sofia, No Tomorrow |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/sofia-no-tomorrow/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
2016 Notorious ABC Levi Ramon de Ocampo title=Levi Is In Love With Oscar On 'Notorious' & It All Comes To A Tragic End|url=https://www.bustle.com/articles/189603-levi-is-in-love-with-oscar-on-notorious-it-all-comes-to-a-tragic-end |website=Bustle}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title='Notorious' Recap: How About That Ending?|url=https://ew.com/recap/notorious-season-1-episode-4/}}</ref>
2016– {{sortname|The|OA}} Netflix Buck Vu Ian Alexander last1=Walker|first1=Harron|url=https://www.vulture.com/2016/12/the-oa-netflix-ian-alexander-buck.html%7Ctitle=The OA's Ian Alexander on His Big Acting Debut and Trans Representation|website=Vulture|date=December 22, 2016}}</ref>
Alfonso "French" Sosa Brandon Perea Alfonso is gay.<ref name="the oa"/>
2016–2017 Pure Genius CBS Jess Wallace Taylor Rose title=Jess Wallace, Pure Genius|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/jess-wallace/}}</ref>
Ally (Ali) Irene Choi title=Ali, Pure Genius|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/ali/}}</ref>
Gloria Jazzmun title=Gloria, Pure Genius|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/gloria-pure-genius/}}</ref>
2016 Quarry Cinemax Buddy Damon Herriman title=Review: The reluctant hit man: A new antihero arises in Cinemax's '70s-set Southern noir 'Quarry' |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-quarry-review-20160906-snap-story.html |website=Los Angeles Times |date=9 September 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Quarry's Damon Herriman Discusses Playing Criminals & Finding Their Humanity |url=https://screenrant.com/quarry-cinemax-damon-herriman-buddy-justified/ |website=Screen Rant |date=7 October 2016}}</ref>
2016 Recovery Road Freeform Vern Testaverde Daniel Franzese title=BELLO mag #107, The Pride Issue |url=https://issuu.com/outnext/docs/bello107print |pages=6–13}}</ref>
2016–2018 Shades of Blue NBC Lieutenant Matt Wozniak Ray Liotta last1=Murphy |first1=Mary |title='Shades of Blue': Ray Liotta Weighs in on Wozniak's Big Reveal |url=https://www.tvinsider.com/67385/shades-of-blue-ray-liotta-weighs-in-on-wozniaks-big-reveal/ |website=TV Insider}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ray Liotta Says Bisexual Twist In 'Shades Of Blue' Knocked His Socks Off |url=http://www.ontopmag.com/article/22193/Ray_Liotta_Says_Bisexual_Twist_In_Shades_Of_Blue_Knocked_His_Socks_Off |website=On Top Magazine}}</ref>
Donnie Pomp Michael Esper title='Shades of Blue' Ray Liotta Gay Kiss Steams Up Social Media |url=https://www.thewrap.com/shades-of-blue-ray-liotta-gay-kiss-steams-up-social-media-mouth-just-dropped/ |website=TheWrap |date=22 January 2016}}</ref>
Nate Wozniak Cameron Scoggins last1=Heimbrod |first1=Camille |title=‘Shades Of Blue’ Season 2 Spoilers: Did Wozniak’s Son Nate Die In Episode 9 ‘Chaos Is Come Again’? |url=https://www.ibtimes.com/shades-blue-season-2-spoilers-did-wozniaks-son-nate-die-episode-9-chaos-come-again-2532710 |website=International Business Times |date=1 May 2017}}</ref>
2016–2017 {{sortname|The|Shannara Chronicles}} MTV
Spike		 Eretria Ivana Baquero last1=Berkowitz|first1= Alyssa|url=https://www.theworkprint.com/shannara-chronicles-lgbtq-training-interview/123%7Ctitle='The Shannara Chronicles' Season 2 Brings LGBTQ Characters, Intense Training, and Unexpected Connections|website=The Workprint|date=October 18, 2017}}</ref><ref name="shan chronicles:2">{{Cite web|last1=MacDonald|first1=Lindsay|url=http://screenertv.com/television/shannara-chronicles-miles-miller-al-gough-eretria-amberle/%7Ctitle='Shannara Chronicles' bosses talk Eretria & Amberle, cutting scenes from the book and more|website=Screener|date=February 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110165431/http://screenertv.com/television/shannara-chronicles-miles-miller-al-gough-eretria-amberle/%7Carchive-date=November 10, 2016}}</ref>
Princess Lyria Vanessa Morgan Princess Lyria was in a relationship with Eretria in season 2.<ref name="shannara chronicles:1"/><ref name="shan chronicles:2"/>
Zora Zoe Robins title=Zora, Shannara Chronicles|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/zora/}}</ref>
2016–2017 SOTUS: The Series One 31
Line TV		 Kongpob Singto Prachaya Kongpob and Arthrit are gay love interests.<ref>{{cite web|title=SOTUS Trailer|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke3RRiXo7rg%7Cdate=July 27, 2016}}</ref>
Arthrit Krist Perawat
2016–2019 Star FOX Simone Davis Brittany O'Grady Simone Davis is bisexual. She kissed her troubled friend, Karen, in the fifth episode of season 2.<ref name="Star LGBT characters"/>
Cotton Brown Amiyah Scott Cotton Brown is the transgender daughter of Carlota Brown.<ref name="Star LGBT characters"/>
Miss Bruce Miss Lawrence Miss Bruce is a trans woman.<ref name="Star LGBT characters"/>
Karen Williams Imani Lewis Karen Williams is a lesbian.<ref name="Star LGBT characters"/>
Nina Ferrera Camila Banus Nina Ferrera is bisexual.<ref name="Star LGBT characters"/>
Rachel Wallace Paris Jackson title=Star, LGBT characters |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/star/}}</ref>
2016– Stranger Things Netflix Robin Buckley Maya Hawke last1=Bandyopadhyay|first1=Alakananda|title='Stranger Things' season 3 blesses us with Robin, but her sexuality is the biggest surprise gift in the end|url=https://meaww.com/stranger-things-season-3-spoilers-robin-sexuality-lesbian-maya-hawke-steve-harrington-joe-keery%7Cwebsite=Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide|date=July 3, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Framke|first1=Caroline|title='Stranger Things' Finally Does Right by Female Characters With Maya Hawke's Robin (Column)|url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/columns/stranger-things-season-3-robin-steve-spoilers-1203259061/%7Cwork=Variety|date=July 6, 2019}}</ref>
2016– This Is Us NBC William Hill Ron Cephas Jones William Hill is bisexual and had a relationship with Jessie.<ref>{{cite web |title=My Favorite Bi Parent Characters on TV |url=https://bi.org/en/articles/my-favorite-bi-parent-characters-on-tv |website=Bi.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title='This Is Us' Recap: Talks About a Blue Christmas |url=https://ew.com/recap/this-is-us-season-1-episode-10/}}</ref>
Jessie Denis O'Hare
Tess Pearson Eris Baker;
Iantha Richardson		 title=Tess Pearson, This Is Us (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/tess-pearson/}}</ref>
Alex Presley Alexander title=Alex, This Is Us (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/alex-11/}}</ref>
Animal Shelter Clerk Lena Waithe title=Animal Shelter Clerk, This Is Us (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/animal-shelter-clerk/}}</ref>
2016–2018 Timeless NBC Denise Christopher Sakina Jaffrey last1=Gajjar|first1=Saloni|title='Timeless' Just Gave us a Noteworthy Episode for Indian-American LGBT Representation|url=http://www.thetealmango.com/entertainment/timeless-just-gave-us-a-noteworthy-episode-for-indian-american-lgbt-representation/%7Cwebsite=The Teal Mango|date=May 9, 2018}}</ref>
2016–2017 Too Close to Home TLC Dax Nick Ballard Dax and Victor are a gay couple.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Swift |first1=Andy |title=TLC's Too Close to Home Is the Worst Show I Can't Stop Watching |url=https://tvline.com/2017/02/22/too-close-to-home-season-2-review-finale/ |website=TV Line |date=22 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Too Close to Home: Jolene Labels Dax a Pickle-Picker |url=https://www.thewrap.com/too-close-to-home-jolene-dax-anna-valerie-tlc/ |website=The Wrap |date=3 October 2016}}</ref>
Victor Charles Justo
2016–2018 Travelers Showcase
Netflix		 Joanne Yates Kimberley Sustad last1=Clarke |first1=Kinsey |title=Netflix's 'Travelers' Finally Got Some Lesbian Representation And I'm Screaming |url=https://www.intomore.com/culture/netflixs-travelers-finally-got-some-lesbian-representation-and-im-screaming |website=Into |date=January 3, 2019 |access-date=April 13, 2019}}</ref><ref name="travelers netflix"/>
Samantha Burns Karen Holness Samantha Burns is a lesbian.<ref name="travelers lgbt char"/><ref name="travelers netflix"/>
Amanda Myers Enid-Raye Adams title=Travelers, LGBT characters |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/travelers/}}</ref>
2016– Van Helsing Syfy Susan Jackson Hilary Jardine Susan Jackson is a lesbian.<ref name="Van Helsing"/>
Vanessa Helsing Kelly Overton Vanessa Helsing is bisexual.<ref name="Van Helsing"/>
Dracula Tricia Helfer Dracula is bisexual.<ref name="Van Helsing"/>
Jack Nicole Muñoz Jack is a lesbian.<ref name="Van Helsing"/>
Sarah "Doc" Carol Rukiya Bernard Sarah "Doc" Carol is a lesbian.<ref name="Van Helsing"/>
Bathory Jesse Stanley Bathory is a lesbian.<ref name="Van Helsing"/>
Ivory Jennifer Cheon Ivory is a lesbian.<ref name="Van Helsing"/>
Jolene Caroline Cave Jolene is a lesbian.<ref name="Van Helsing"/>
Michaela Heather Doerksen title=Van Helsing, TV series, LGBT characters |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/van-helsing/}}</ref>
2016– Victoria ITV Lord Alfred Paget Jordan Waller Lord Alfred and Lord Edward have a romantic attraction for each other and share a kiss in season 2.<ref>{{cite web |title=Victoria fans are thrilled that Drummond and Alfred have FINALLY kissed |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/victoria-fans-are-thrilled-that-drummond-and-alfred-have-finally-kissed/ |website=Radio Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=ITV drama Victoria braces for backlash over gay kiss |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/10/08/itv-drama-victoria-braces-for-backlash-over-gay-kiss/ |website=PinkNews |date=8 October 2017}}</ref>
Lord Edward Drummond Leo Suter
2016– Westworld HBO Logan Ben Barnes title=Westworld Creator Confirms a Character's Bisexuality—and the Straights Are Shook |url=https://www.pride.com/tv/2018/5/16/westworld-creator-confirms-characters-bisexuality-and-straights-are-shook |date=16 May 2018}}</ref>
Clementine Pennyfeather Angela Sarafyan Clementine Pennyfeather is pansexual.<ref name="westworld tv series characters"/>
Elsie Hughes Shannon Woodward Elsie Hughes is a lesbian.<ref name="westworld tv series characters"/>
Marti Bojana Novakovic title=Westworld, LGBT characters, Marti, Elsie, Clementine |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/westworld/}}</ref>
2016–2021 Wynonna Earp Syfy
CHCH-DT
Space		 Waverly Earp Dominique Provost-Chalkley last1=Logan|first1=Megan|title='Wynonna Earp's #WayHaught Is What LGBT Audiences Deserve From TV|url=https://www.inverse.com/article/16329-wynonna-earp-s-wayhaught-is-what-lgbt-audiences-deserve-from-tv%7Cwebsite=Inverse|date=May 31, 2016}}</ref>
Nicole Haught Katherine Barrell Nicole Haught is a lesbian.<ref name="wynonna earp lgbt"/>
Jeremy Chetri Varun Saranga title=Justin Kelly – Wynonna Earp |url=https://starrymag.com/justin-kelly-wynonna-earp/ |website=Starry Constellation Magazine |date=28 September 2018}}</ref>
Robin Justin Kelly title=Wynonna Earp Episode 306 Recap: Make the Yuletide Gay |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/wynonna-earp-episode-306-recap-make-the-yuletide-gay-430458/ |website=Autostraddle |date=27 August 2018}}</ref>
Rosita Bustillos Tamara Duarte title=Rosita Bustillos, Wynonna Earp (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/rosita-bustillos/}}</ref>
Shae Clark Backo title=Shae, Wynonna Earp (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/shae/}}</ref>
Ambrose "Fish" Tyrell Crews title=Wynonna Earp Recap: Episode 5, "Digging Up Bones"|url=https://www.themarysue.com/wynonna-earp-recap-ep-5/}}</ref>
Levi Christian Goutsis Levi is gay. He was in a relationship with Fish.<ref name="themarysue.com"/>
2016 The Young Pope HBO Cardinal Bernardo Gutierrez Javier Cámara title=The Young Pope has a God problem |url=https://theweek.com/articles/673377/young-pope-god-problem |date=17 January 2017}}</ref>
Cardinal Andrew Dussolier Scott Shepherd last1=Collins |first1=Sean T. |title=The Young Pope Recap: Menage a Trinity |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-recaps/the-young-pope-recap-menage-a-trinity-106050/ |website=Rolling Stone |date=31 January 2017}}</ref><ref name="Young Pope Episode 7"/>
Cardinal Mario Assente Maurizio Lombardi title=The Young Pope Recap: For Whom the Kangaroo Tolls |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/01/young-pope-recap-season-1-episode-2.html |website=Vulture}}</ref>
Ángelo Sanchez Marcos Franz title=The Young Pope Episode 7 Recap: It's a Hard Knock Life |url=https://www.wmagazine.com/story/the-young-pope-hbo-episode-7-recap-its-a-hard-knock-life |website=W Magazine}}</ref>
Freddy Blakestone Alex Esola title=The Young Pope Episode 9 Recap: Jude Law's Golden Globes Moment |url=https://www.wmagazine.com/story/the-young-pope-episode-9-recap-jude-laws-golden-globes-moment |website=W Magazine}}</ref>
Archbishop Kurtwell Guy Boyd Archbishop Kurtwell is gay.<ref name="Young Pope Episode 9"/>
Cardinal Michel Marivaux Sebastian Roché title='The Young Pope' Major Characters, Ranked Worst to Best (Photos)|url=https://www.thewrap.com/young-pope-main-characters-ranked-photos/%7Cwebsite=The Wrap|date=18 January 2017}}</ref>

2017

Year Show Network Character Actor Notes
2017–2020 13 Reasons Why Netflix Courtney Crimsen Michele Selene Ang Courtney is a lesbian. She was closeted until the season 2 finale. episode "Bye", when she came out to her adoptive gay parents.<ref name=brabaw>{{cite web|last1=Brabaw|first1=Kasandra|title=Courtney's 13 Reasons Why Ending Is A Huge Moment For Queer Women On TV|url=https://www.refinery29.com/2018/05/199864/courtney-crimsen-gay-13-reasons-why-season-2-ending%7Cwebsite=Refinery29|date=May 22, 2018}}</ref>
Todd Crimsen Robert Gant Todd and Steve are gay and Courtney's parents.<ref name=brabaw/>
Steve Crimsen Alex Quiojan
Ryan Shaver Tommy Dorfman Ryan told Hannah he was gay in episode "Tape 4, Side B".<ref name="thirteen reasons">{{cite web |title=13 Reasons Why (Season 2) |url=https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/13-reasons-why-season-2/ |website=Plugged In}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Darwish |first1=Meaghan |title=13 Reasons Why Star Christian Navarro Talks Tony's New Relationship & More Season 2 Details |url=https://www.tvinsider.com/689812/13-reasons-why-season-2-tony-christian-navarro/ |website=TV Insider}}</ref>
Tony Padilla Christian Navarro last1=Brammer|first1=John Paul|title='13 Reasons Why' Made Tony a Gay, Latinx, Catholic Teen — Here's Why That Matters|url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/13-reasons-why-tony-latinx-lgbtq-representation-machismo%7Cwebsite=Teen Vogue|date=April 21, 2017}}</ref>
Brad Henry Zaga Brad is gay, and Caleb's boyfriend.<ref name="thirteen reasons"/>
Caleb R.J. Brown last1=Pannell |first1=Ni'Kesia |title=Where every 13 Reasons Why character ended up after season 3 |url=https://www.insider.com/where-everyone-ends-up-13-reasons-why-season-three-2019-8#jessica-davis-ends-the-season-as-an-outspoken-class-president-and-a-murder-witness-3 |website=Insider |access-date=10 April 2021}}</ref>
Tamika Clarke Hollingsworth Tamika is ____ and Courtney's girlfriend.<ref name=brabaw/>
Montgomery "Monty" de la Cruz Timothy Granaderos last1=Morris|first1=Lauren|title=A look back at Monty and Winston's relationship 13 Reasons Why as he attempts to avenge his death|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/on-demand/2020-06-05/monty-winston-13-reasons-why/%7Cwebsite=Radio Times|date=5 June 2020}}</ref><ref name="alexwinston"/>
Winston Williams Deaken Bluman Winston is gay. He tells Alex in the final episode "Graduation", that he loved Monty but that he also loves him.<ref name=morris/><ref name="alexwinston">{{cite web|last1=Sorren|first1=Martha|title=Alex & Winston's Relationship On '13 Reasons Why' Has Many Obstacles|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/alex-winstons-relationship-on-13-reasons-why-has-many-obstacles-22957769%7Cwebsite=Bustle|date=June 5, 2020}}</ref>
Alex Standall Miles Heizer last1=Kickham|first1=Dylan|title=Alex's Sexuality In '13 Reasons Why' Season 4 Tells A Story Of Self-Discovery|url=https://www.elitedaily.com/p/alexs-sexuality-in-13-reasons-why-season-4-tells-a-story-of-self-discovery-22956053%7Cwebsite=Elite Daily|date=5 June 2020}}</ref>
Charlie St. George Tyler Barnhardt Charlie is bisexual. He dates Alex and comes out to his dad in episode "Prom".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Smail|first1=Gretchen|title=Alex & Charlie's Relationship On '13 Reasons Why' Is Worth Rooting For|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/alex-charlies-relationship-on-13-reasons-why-is-worth-rooting-for-22959770%7Cwebsite=Bustle|date=5 June 2020}}</ref>
Hansen Foundry Reed Diamond title=13 Reasons Why season 4 binge recap|url=https://ew.com/tv/recaps/13-reasons-why-season-4-binge-recap/%7Cwebsite=Entertainment Weekly|date=5 June 2020}}</ref>
2017 195 Lewis 195 Lewis
(series website)		 Yuri Rae Leone Allen last1=Pennington|first1=Latonya|title='195 Lewis' Is Black Lesbian Perfection|url=https://wearyourvoicemag.com/culture/195-lewis-black-lesbian-perfection%7Cwebsite=Wear Your Voice|date=November 14, 2017}}</ref>
Camille Sirita Wright Camille is lesbian.<ref name="195 Lewis"/>
2017 24 Legacy Fox Andy Shalowitz Dan Bucatinsky last1=Morgan |first1=Joe |title=24: Legacy reveals first gay characters in the series' 16-year history |url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/24-legacy-reveals-first-gay-characters-series-16-year-history/ |website=Gay Star News |date=14 February 2017}}</ref><ref name="24legacy lgbt">{{cite web |title=Dan Bucatinsky on Playing Openly Gay Andy Shalowitz in 24 |url=https://www.out.com/entertainment/2017/2/20/dan-bucatinsky-playing-openly-gay-andy-shalowitz-24 |date=20 February 2017}}</ref>
Thomas Locke Bailey Chase Thomas Locke is gay. He is a CTU agent and the head of field operations.<ref name="24 legacy"/><ref name="24legacy lgbt"/>
2017–2019 A Series of Unfortunate Events Netflix Charles Rhys Darby last=Gallagher|first=Caitlin|title=Charles & Sir's Relationship In A Series Of Unfortunate Events Is Finally Made Clear In The Netflix Series|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/charles-sirs-relationship-in-a-series-of-unfortunate-events-is-finally-made-clear-in-the-netflix-series-30444%7Cwebsite=Bustle|date=January 20, 2017}}</ref><ref name="lemony snicket"/>
Sir Don Johnson title=Lemony Snicket Has the Gay TV Villains We've Been Waiting For |url=https://www.advocate.com/television/2017/1/17/lemony-snicket-has-gay-tv-villains-weve-been-waiting |date=17 January 2017}}</ref>
Babs Kerri Kenney title=Babs, A Series of Unfortunate Events (TV series) |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/babs/}}</ref>
2017– Ackley Bridge Channel 4 Nasreen Paracha Amy-Leigh Hickman Nasreen comes out to her mother as a lesbian and tells her she's in love with another woman (series 1, episode 5).<ref name="Ackley Bridge"/>
Lila Shariff Anneika Rose title=Lila Shariff, Ackley Bridge|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lila-shariff/}}</ref>
Naveed Haider Gurjeet Singh Naveed is gay.<ref name="Bridge fans"/>
Sam Murgatroyd Megan Parkinson title=Ackley Bridge has now got a lesbian storyline |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/07/17/ackley-bridge-is-set-to-feature-a-lesbian-storyline/ |website=Pink News |date=17 July 2018}}</ref>
Cory Wilson Sam Retford last1=Chase |first1=Stephanie |title=Ackley Bridge fans are heartbroken over Cory and Naveed |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a863405/ackley-bridge-cory-naveed-heartbreak/ |website=Digital Spy |date=7 August 2018}}</ref>
2017– American Gods Starz Bilquis Yetide Badaki last1=Henderson|first1=Taylor|title=The Gay Sex Scene in American Gods Isn't Pornographic, It's Art|url=https://www.pride.com/tv/2017/5/12/gay-sex-scene-american-gods-isnt-pornographic-its-art%7Cwebsite=Pride.com|date=May 12, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Cast of American Gods">{{cite web|last1=Schnelbach|first1=Leah|title=The Cast of American Gods (Plus Neil Gaiman) Hit the New York Comic-Con Stage to Talk Season Two!|url=https://www.tor.com/2018/10/05/american-gods-season-two-new-york-comic-con-2018-panel/%7Cwebsite=Tor.com%7Cdate=October 5, 2018}}</ref>
Jinn Mousa Kraish Jinn is gay. Jinn and Salim become romantically involved.<ref name="american gods"/><ref name="Cast of American Gods"/>
Salim Omid Abtahi Salim is gay. Jinn and Salim become romantically involved.<ref name="american gods"/><ref name="Cast of American Gods"/>
Samantha ("Sam") Black Crow Devery Jacobs Sam is lesbian.<ref name="american gods"/><ref name="Cast of American Gods"/>
2017–2019 Andi Mack Disney Channel Cyrus Goodman Joshua Rush last1=Voss|first1=Brandon|title="Andi Mack" Series Ends With Disney Channel's First Gay Romance|url=http://www.newnownext.com/andi-mack-series-finale-disney-channels-first-gay-romance-couple/07/2019/%7Cwebsite=NewNowNext|date=July 28, 2019}}</ref><ref name="last ever episode">{{cite web |last1=Besanvalle |first1=James |title=Fans react to emotional last ever episode of Andi Mack |url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/andi-mack-we-were-here-episode |website=Gay Star News |date=July 27, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Messer|first=Lesley|title='Andi Mack' stars weigh in on the show's historic coming out episode|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/andi-mack-stars-weigh-shows-historic-coming-episode/story?id=50922766%7Cwebsite=ABC News|date=November 4, 2017}}</ref>
TJ Kippen Luke Mullen TJ is gay, and holds hands with Cyrus in the finale. Andi Mack made history with Disney's first character to say "I'm gay".<ref name="cyrus and tj"/><ref name="last ever episode"/>
2017–2019 Anne with an E CBC
Netflix		 Josephine Barry Deborah Grover last1=Nguyen |first1=Hanh |title='Anne With an E' Boss Answers Burning Questions About the Queer Soirée, Season 3, and More |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2018/07/anne-with-an-e-season-3-queer-soiree-bash-moira-walley-beckett-1201984101/ |website=IndieWire |date=July 15, 2018}}</ref>
Cole Mackenzie Cory Grüter-Andrew Cole is gay.<ref name="anne with an e"/>
2017– Atypical Netflix Casey Brigette Lundy-Paine title=Atypical Isn't The Lesbian Representation You'd Think |url=https://afterellen.com/atypical-isnt-the-lesbian-representation-youd-think/ |website=Afterellen |date=10 December 2020}}</ref>
Izzie Fivel Stewart Izzie is bisexual. Casey and Izzie begin dating.<ref name="atypical tv"/>
2017– The Bastards of Pizzofalcone RAI Alex Di Nardo Simona Tabasco last1=Megna|first1=Rebecca|title=I bastardi di Pizzofalcone, Alex e Rosaria arriva la svolta: parla Simona Tabasco|url=https://www.gossipetv.com/i-bastardi-di-pizzofalcone-alex-e-rosaria-la-svolta-parla-simona-tabasco-377010%7Cwebsite=Gossip e TV|date=16 October 2018|language=it}}</ref><ref name="bastards of pizzo">{{cite magazine|last1=Vivarelli|first1=Nick|title=New Naples-Set Series 'Bastards of Pizzofalcone' Scores Record TV Ratings in Italy|url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/new-naples-set-tv-series-bastards-of-pizzofalcone-scores-stellar-ratings-in-italy-1201980055/%7Cmagazine=Variety|date=February 7, 2017}}</ref>
Rosaria Martone Serena Iansiti Rosaria is lesbian. Alex and Rosaria are in a relationship.<ref name="pizz"/><ref name="bastards of pizzo"/>
2017– Black Spot France 2
Netflix		 Martial "Nounours" Ferrandis Hubert Delattre title=Black Spot: What Makes It Tick? |url=https://www.thecinejournal.com/black-spot-what-makes-it-tick/ |website=The Cinematic Journal |date=12 January 2020}}</ref>
2017 Blood Drive SyFy The Scholar Darren Kent The Scholar is ____.<ref name="Blood Drive Review"/>
The Gentleman Andrew James Hall last1=Foutch |first1=Haleigh |title=Blood Drive Review: A Silly, Pulpy, Grindhouse Romp |url=https://collider.com/blood-drive-review/ |website=Collider |date=13 June 2017}}</ref>
2017– The Bold Type Freeform Adena El-Amin Nikohl Boosheri last1=Yap|first1=Audrey Cleo|title=On 'The Bold Type,' Actress Nikohl Boosheri Plays a 'Confident, Empowered' Lesbian Muslim|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/bold-type-actress-nikohl-boosheri-plays-confident-empowered-lesbian-muslim-n794676%7Cwebsite=NBC News|date=August 22, 2017}}</ref>
Kat Edison Aisha Dee last1=Gaudens|first1=Reed|title='The Bold Type' understands bisexuality better than most shows, and we have the receipts|url=https://hiddenremote.com/2017/07/19/bold-type-understands-bisexuality-better-than-most/%7Cwebsite=Hidden Remote|date=July 19, 2017}}</ref><ref name="better queer future">{{cite magazine|last1=Cuby|first1=Michael|title=Seen: On The Bold Type, Kat Edison Is Fighting for a Better Queer Future|url=https://www.them.us/story/seen-the-bold-type-kat-edison%7Cmagazine=Them.|date=March 24, 2020}}</ref>
Leila Katerina Tannembaum Leila is lesbian and Adena's ex.<ref name="the bold type"/><ref name="better queer future"/>
Tia Clayton Alexis Floyd Tia is lesbian and Kat's love interest.<ref name="the bold type"/><ref name="better queer future"/>
Oliver Grayson Stephen Conrad Moore last1=Gilchrist|first1=Tracy E.|title=The Bold Type's Stephen Conrad Moore Is Nobody's 'Gay Sidekick'|url=https://www.advocate.com/advocate-exclusives/2019/3/15/bold-types-stephen-conrad-moore-sick-being-gay-sidekick%7Cmagazine=The Advocate|date=April 16, 2019}}</ref>
Andrew Adam Capriolo Andrew is gay and a drag queen.<ref name="gay sidekick"/>
Eva Rhodes Alex Paxton-Beesley last1=Jones|first1=Zoe Christen|title=The Bold Type Embraced Its Worst Self This Season|url=https://www.vulture.com/article/the-bold-type-season-4-kat-eva-story-line-finale.html%7Cwebsite=Vulture|date=July 17, 2020}}</ref>
2017 Borderliner Netflix Nikolai Andreassen Tobias Santelmann last=O'Keefe|first=Meghan|title=Netflix's 'Borderliner' Is Going To Be Your New Scandi-Noir Obsession|url=https://decider.com/2018/03/06/borderliner-netflix-scandi-drama/%7Cwebsite=Decider|date=March 6, 2018}}</ref>
Kristoffer Lund Morten Svartveit Kristoffer is gay and Nikolai's boyfriend.<ref name="borderliner"/>
2017– Charité Netflix Sister Therese Klara Deutschmann Therese is lesbian.<ref name="charite"/>
Otto Marquardt Jannik Schümann last1=Dell|first1=SMatthias|title="Charité" Unsere Ärzte, unsere Schwestern|url=https://www.zeit.de/kultur/film/2019-02/charite-staffel-2-klinik-fernsehserie-nationalsozialismus%7Cwebsite=Die Zeit|date=18 February 2019|language=de}}</ref>
Martin Schelling Jacob Matschenz title=Verschüttet|url=https://www.daserste.de/unterhaltung/serie/charite/sendung-staffel-2/charite-folge-4-108.html%7Cwebsite=Dar Este|date=5 March 2019|language=de}}</ref>
2017– Claws TNT Quiet Ann Judy Reyes last1=Ferber |first1=Lawrence |title=TNT's Claws Season Two Is Even Gayer With Twink-Mobster Romance and Quiet Ann Gets Loud |url=http://www.newnownext.com/tnts-claws-season-two-is-even-gayer-with-twink-mobster-romance-and-quiet-ann-gets-loud/06/2018/ |website=NewNowNext |date=June 11, 2018}}</ref>
Uncle Daddy Dean Norris title=Claws Features a Butch Lesbian, a Bisexual Crime Boss and a Chance to Stop Talking About Breaking Bad |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/claws-features-a-butch-lesbian-a-bisexual-crime-boss-and-a-chance-to-stop-talking-about-breaking-bad-385841/ |website=Autostraddle |date=6 July 2017}}</ref><ref name=":2claws"/>
Toby Evan Daigle last1=Reddish |first1=David |title=Out queer actor Evan Daigle talks playing the gayest character on TV in Claws |url=https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2019/06/queer-actor-evan-diagle-talks-playing-gayest-character-tv-claws/ |website=LGBTQ Nation |date=30 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Feature: Actor Evan Daigle of TNT's Claws Chats With Us Again About the Series and Toby |url=https://occhimagazine.com/feature-actor-evan-daigle-of-tnts-claws-chats-with-us-again-about-the-series-and-toby/ |website=Occhi Magazine |date=22 July 2018}}</ref>
2017– Dark Netflix Peter Doppler Stephan Kampwirth last1=Thomas|first1=Kaitlin|title=Here's How Everyone in Netflix's Dark Is Connected|url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/dark-how-everything-connected-netflix/%7Cwebsite=TV Guide|date=December 7, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Fletcher|first1=Rosie|title=Netflix horror series Dark season 1 finale explained – spoilers ahoy!|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/cult/a845451/dark-netflix-explained-ending-season-finale-spoilers/%7Cwebsite=Digital Spy|date=19 December 2017}}</ref>
Agnes Nielsen Antje Traue In 1953, Agnes and Doris were secret lovers.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Matadeen|first1=Renaldo|title=Netflix's Dark: How the Town's Families Tie Into the Time-Travel Drama|url=https://www.cbr.com/netflixs-dark-families-time-travel-connections/%7Cwebsite=Comic Book Resources|date=June 19, 2019}}</ref>
Doris Tiedemann Luise Heyer
Bernadette Wöller Anton Rubtsov last1=Connolly |first1=Thomas |title=Not Where But When: Past and Future in Netflix's 'Dark' |url=https://www.popmatters.com/dark-baran-bo-odar-jantje-friese-2639153548.html |website=PopMatters |date=July 11, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Collins |first1=Sean T. |title='Dark' on Netflix Season 2 Premiere Recap: I'll Follow You Into the Dark |url=https://decider.com/2019/06/21/dark-on-netflix-season-2-episode-1-review/ |website=Decider |date=June 21, 2019}}</ref>
2017 Daytime Divas VH1 Kibby Ainsley Chloe Bridges title=Daytime Divas Inspires Happy Tears With Its 8-Year-Old Trans Character and Also Janet Mock |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/daytime-divas-inspires-happy-tears-with-its-8-year-old-trans-character-and-also-janet-mock-387622/ |website=Autostraddle |date=20 July 2017}}</ref>
Ella Will Buie Jr. Ella is an eight year old trans girl, introduced in the series "Pilot".<ref>{{cite web |title=Daytime Divas Inspires Happy Tears With Its 8-Year-Old Trans Character and Also Janet Mock |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/daytime-divas-inspires-happy-tears-with-its-8-year-old-trans-character-and-also-janet-mock-387622/ |website=Autostraddle |date=20 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Minor |first1=Kelsey |title=Finding Room for a Trans Story in Diva World |url=https://www.advocate.com/television/2017/7/17/finding-room-trans-story-diva-world |website=The Advocate |date=17 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Betancourt |first1=Manuel |title=TV Is Teaching America How to Treat Trans Kids |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/vbmvbd/tv-is-teaching-america-how-to-treat-trans-kids |website=Vice |date=July 5, 2017}}</ref>
2017– Dear White People Netflix Lionel Higgins DeRon Horton last1=Henderson |first1=Taylor |title=Dear White People Breaks New Ground in Black LGBTQ Representation |url=https://www.pride.com/tv/2019/8/08/dear-white-people-breaks-new-ground-black-lgbtq-representation#media-gallery-media-8 |website=Pride |date=8 August 2019}}</ref>
Silvio Romo D.J. Blickenstaff title=With Three LGBTQ Characters And Counting, Here's Why "Dear White People" Is All-Inclusive |url=https://instinctmagazine.com/with-three-lgbtq-characters-and-counting-heres-why-dear-white-people-is-all-inclusive/ |website=Instinct Magazine |date=11 May 2018}}</ref>
Neika Hobbs Nia Long Neika and Monique are a lesbian couple.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dear White People Season 3 Finally Gives Us the Nerdy Black Gay Girls We Deserve |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/dear-white-people-season-three-finally-gives-us-the-nerdy-black-gay-girls-we-deserve/ |website=Autostraddle |date=19 August 2019}}</ref>
Monique Zee James
Connor Luke O'Sullivan last1=Bowen |first1=Sesali |title=R29 Binge Club: Dear White People Recaps |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2017/04/152099/dear-white-people-recap-season-1-episode-summary}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Dear White People's Surprise Full Frontal Scene Brilliantly Captures How Weird College Is |url=https://decider.com/2017/05/15/netflix-dear-white-people-full-frontal/ |website=Decider |date=16 May 2017}}</ref>
Kelsey Phillips Nia Jervier last1=Bowen|first1=Sesali|title=Why This Dear White People Lesbian Narrative Is So Important|url=https://www.refinery29.com/2018/05/198440/dear-white-people-season-2-kelsey-lesbian%7Cwebsite=Refinery29|date=May 8, 2018}}</ref>
Wesley Alvarez Rudy Martinez last1=Yarbrough |first1=Xavier |title=Why White? A Look Into the Pairing of Black Queer Characters in Media |url=https://geeksofcolor.co/2018/05/30/why-white-a-look-into-the-pairing-of-black-queer-characters-in-media/}}</ref>
P. Ninny Lena Waithe P. Ninny is a lesbian.<ref name=bowen29/>
Genifer Quei Tann Genifer is transgender.<ref name="dear white people"/>
2017–2019 The Deuce HBO Paul Chris Coy last1=Coates|first1=Tyler|title=The Deuce Goes Where Most Cable Shows Won't|url=http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a13066232/the-deuce-episode-7-recap-au-reservoir/%7Cwebsite=Esquire|date=October 22, 2017}}</ref>
2017– Dynasty The CW
Netflix		 Steven Carrington James Mackay last1=Etemesi |first1=Philip |title=Dynasty: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Steven |url=https://screenrant.com/dynasty-10-things-you-didnt-know-about-steven/ |website=ScreenRant |date=28 July 2020}}</ref>
Sam Jones Rafael de la Fuente title=Dynasty: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Sammy Jo |url=https://screenrant.com/dynasty-things-didnt-know-about-sammy-jo/ |website=Screen Rant |date=24 August 2020}}</ref>
2017 Emerald City NBC The Witch of the West Ana Ularu West is a lesbian, and a slutty junkie who runs a brothel.<ref>{{cite web |title=Wait, WTF Is Emerald City About? |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/01/emerald-city-wtf-moments.html |website=Vulture}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=West, Emerald City (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/west/}}</ref>
2017– The End of the F***ing World Channel 4
Netflix		 Eunice Noon Gemma Whelan last1=Riese|title=I Demand a Lesbian Cop Show Spinoff of "The End of the F**king World"|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/i-demand-a-lesbian-cop-show-spinoff-of-the-end-of-the-fcking-world-409019/%7Cwebsite=Autostraddle|date=January 24, 2018}}</ref>
Teri Darego Wunmi Mosaku Teri Darego is a lesbian.<ref name="end of the world"/>
2017–2018 Famous in Love Freeform Alexis Glenn Niki Koss title=Alexis Glenn, Famous in Love |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/alexis-glenn-famous-love/}}</ref>
Rachel Davis Katelyn Tarver title=Rachel Davis, Famous in Love |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/rachel-davis-famous-love/}}</ref>
2017– Feud FX Victor Buono Dominic Burgess last1=Gallagher |first1=Caitlin |title='Feud' Explores Victor Buono's Homosexuality & How Difficult Life Was For Gay People In The '60s |url=https://www.bustle.com/p/feud-explores-victor-buonos-homosexuality-how-difficult-life-was-for-gay-people-in-the-60s-45060 |website=Bustle |date=March 2017}}</ref>
2017 The Frozen Dead M6 Irène Ziegler Julia Piaton last1=Didier|first1=Carine|last2=Guerrin|first2=Stéphanie|title=" Glacé " : ce thriller devrait vous glacer|url=http://www.leparisien.fr/culture-loisirs/ce-thriller-devrait-vous-glacer-10-01-2017-6546465.php%7Cwork=Le Parisien|date=10 January 2017|language=fr}}</ref>
Greta Sophie Guillemin Greta is Ziegler's partner and owner of a local inn where they reside together.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Piccoli|first1=Dana|title=Netflix's The Frozen Dead features a dedicated lesbian detective|url=http://blog.bellabooks.com/2018/01/netflixs-the-frozen-dead-features-a-dedicated-lesbian-detective.html%7Cwebsite=Bella Books|date=January 9, 2018}}</ref>
2017 Godless Netflix Marie Agnes MacNue Merritt Weaver last=Herman|first=Alison|title='Godless' Is a Beautiful but Unoriginal Western|url=https://www.theringer.com/tv/2017/11/22/16680570/godless-netflix-review%7Cwebsite=The Ringer|date=November 22, 2017}}</ref>
Callie Dunne Tess Frazer last=Froston|first=Karen|title=Diamonds in the Rough: Lesser-Known Lesbian Finds You Can Watch or Read|url=http://www.afterellen.com/tv/550873-diamonds-rough-lesser-known-lesbian-finds-can-watch-read%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=December 20, 2017}}</ref>
2017– Gone NBC James Andy Mientus last=Petski|first=Denise|title='Gone': Andy Mientus Cast As Series Regular In Drama Series For NBCU, RTL & TF1|url=https://deadline.com/2017/06/gone-andy-mientus-cast-series-regular-drama-series-nbcu-rtl-tf1-1202112403/%7Cwebsite=Deadline Hollywood|date=June 13, 2017}}</ref>
2017– {{sortname|The|Good Fight}} CBS All Access Maia Rindell Rose Leslie Maia is lesbian. Amy is lesbian and Maia's girlfriend.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Rice|first1=Lynette|title=Good Wife spinoff first look: Rose Leslie embraces lesbian lover|url=https://ew.com/article/2016/12/16/good-wife-spinoff-rose-leslie-lesbian/%7Cmagazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=December 16, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Giles|first1=Kayleigh|title=Game of Thrones' Rose Leslie strips off for racy lesbian shower scenes in The Good Fight|url=https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/770167/Game-of-Thrones-Rose-Leslie-nakes-lesbian-shower-The-Good-Fight%7Cwork=Daily Express|date=February 21, 2017}}</ref>
Amy Breslin Heléne Yorke
2017 Gypsy Netflix Jean Holloway Naomi Watts last1=Raeside|first1=Julia|title=Gypsy review – Naomi Watts is a charmless psychotherapist in a 'risk-taking lesbian' disguise|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2017/jun/29/gypsy-review-naomi-watts-lesbian-disguise-risk%7Cwork=The Guardian|date=29 June 2017}}</ref>
Sidney Pierce Sophie Cookson last1=Johns|first1=Merryn|title=Breaking Boundaries|url=http://www.curvemag.com/Culture/Breaking-Boundaries-12227/%7Cwebsite=Curve|date=July 14, 2017}}</ref>
Dolly Holloway Maren Heary last=Romero|first=Ariana|title=This Is The Hidden Lesson In Netflix's New Series Gypsy|url=http://www.refinery29.com/2017/06/161618/%7Cwebsite=Refinery29|date=June 30, 2017}}</ref>
2017 {{sortname|The|Halcyon|The Halcyon (TV series)}} ITV Toby Hamilton Edward Bluemel last1=Cannon |first1=Nick |title=Edward Bluemel on Toby's gay kiss in The Halcyon: 'That was a big no back then!' |url=https://www.whatsontv.co.uk/news/edward-bluemel-gay-kiss-halcyon-448495/ |website=What's on TV |date=30 January 2017}}</ref>
Adil Joshi Akshay Kumar title=The Halcyon - S1 - Episode 7 |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv-programme/e/fjv9vj/the-halcyon--s1-e7-the-halcyon/ |website=Radio Times}}</ref>
2017– {{sortname|The|Handmaid's Tale|The Handmaid's Tale (TV series)}} Hulu Moira Samira Wiley last1=Addice|first1=Danny|title='The Handmaid's Tale' LGBT Storyline Is Its Most Horrifying Narrative|url=https://hornetapp.com/stories/handmaids-tale-lgbt-hulu/%7Cwebsite=hornetapp.com%7Cdate=May 1, 2017}}</ref>
Emily Alexis Bledel Emily and Sylvia were married and had a kid before.<ref>{{cite web |title='The Handmaid's Tale' Season 2 Has LGBTQ Representation, But It Still Fails Its Queer Characters |url=https://www.bustle.com/p/the-handmaids-tale-season-2-has-lgbtq-representation-but-it-still-fails-its-queer-characters-8875406 |website=Bustle}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title='The Handmaid's Tale': Alexis Bledel on Emily's Life as a Refugee |url=https://www.etonline.com/the-handmaids-tale-alexis-bledel-on-emilys-unsteady-future-as-a-refugee-exclusive-127218 |website=Entertainment Tonight}}</ref>
Sylvia Clea DuVall
Peter Ben Lewis title=The Handmaid's Tale Finally Reveals What Happened to Luke |url=https://www.dispatch.com/entertainment/20170524/handmaids-tale-finally-reveals-what-happened-to-luke |website=The Columbus Dispatch}}</ref>
Dan John Carroll Lynch last1=Lawler |first1=Kelly |title='The Handmaid's Tale' Episode 2 recap: Colonial times, and Alexis Bledel |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2018/04/25/handmaids-tale-season-2-episode-2-recap-unwomen-alexis-bledel-marisa-tomei/547626002/}}</ref>
Odette Rebecca Rittenhouse last1=Bundel |first1=Ani |title='The Handmaid's Tale' Fans Learned A Major Detail About Moira's Past & It's Heartbreaking |url=https://www.elitedaily.com/p/who-is-moiras-fiancee-on-the-handmaids-tale-odettes-story-is-heartbreaking-9231907 |website=Elite Daily}}</ref>
Offred Elizabeth Moss Offred is a lesbian.<ref name="handmaids tale"/>
2017– Harlots ITV Encore
Hulu		 Margaret Wells Samantha Morton title=Harlots' Season Two Is Queer, Here, and Transcendent |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/harlots-season-two-is-queer-here-and-transcendent-430076/ |website=Autostraddle |date=6 September 2018}}</ref>
Charlotte Wells Jessica Brown Findlay Charlotte is bisexual.<ref name="Harlots Season Two Is Queer"/>
Nancy Birch Kate Fleetwood Nancy is a lesbian.<ref name="Harlots Season Two Is Queer"/>
Violet Cross Rosalind Eleazar Violet and Amelia are in a romantic relationship.<ref name="Harlots Season Two Is Queer"/><ref>{{cite web|last1=Riese|title=Hulu's "Harlots" Is a Gift to Feminists, Sex Workers, Queers and Herstory Lovers|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/hulus-harlots-is-the-best-ever-show-about-sex-work-also-has-a-lesbian-storyline-385529/%7Cwebsite=Autostraddle|date=October 23, 2017}}</ref>
Amelia Scanwell Jordon Stevens
Prince Rasselas Josef Altin title=5 ferocious reasons why you should be watching 'Harlots' |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/guide/article/2019/10/10/5-ferocious-reasons-why-you-should-be-watching-harlots}}</ref>
Lady Isabella Fitzwilliam Liv Tyler Lady Isabella is Charlotte's love interest in season two.<ref name="Harlots Season Two Is Queer"/>
2017– Las chicas del cable
(Cable Girls)		 Netflix Carlota Rodríguez de Senillosa Ana Fernández García Carlota is bisexual.<ref name="las chicas"/><ref name="line on the line"/>
Oscar Ruiz Ana Polvorosa last1=Martinez|first1=Sam|title=Transexualidad en Las Chicas del Cable|url=http://www.maglesrevista.es/transexualidad-en-las-chicas-del-cable/%7Cwebsite=MagLes Revista|language=es|date=10 January 2018}}</ref>
Carlota and Sara have a polyamorous relationship together with Carlota's husband, Miguel.<ref name="line on the line">{{cite web|last1=Steinberg|first1=Lisa|title=Love On The Line|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/love-on-the-line_us_5a5a712fe4b01ccdd48b5cf0%7Cwebsite=HuffPost|date=January 13, 2018}}</ref>
2017 Man in an Orange Shirt BBC Two Thomas March James McArdle The story of two gay relationships set in different eras: Thomas and Michael during the 1940s, and Adam and Steve in the present.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Mulkern|first1=Patrick|title=Patrick Gale reveals the secrets of Man in an Orange Shirt|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2017-08-07/patrick-gale-reveals-the-secrets-of-man-in-an-orange-shirt/%7Cwebsite=RadioTimes|date=7 August 2017}}</ref>
Michael Berryman Oliver Jackson-Cohen
Adam Berryman Julian Morris
Steve David Gyasi
2017– Mary Kills People Global Jess Abigail Winter last1=Kayvon |first1=Shervin |title=Abigail Winter Is A Lesbian Teen On 'Mary Kills People' |url=https://www.intomore.com/culture/abigail-winter-is-a-lesbian-teen-on-mary-kills-people/ |website=INTO |date=8 February 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Mary Kills People's Abigail Winter Says Jess Won't Stop Until Mary Tells Her the Truth – The TV Junkies |url=https://thetvjunkies.com/mary-kills-people-abigail-winter-interview/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Jess Geller, Mary Kills People |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/jess-geller-mary-kills-people/}}</ref>
Naomi Katie Douglas Naomi is ____.<ref name="Abigail Winter Is A Lesbian Teen"/>
2017– Mindhunter Netflix Wendy Carr Anna Torv last1=Steiner|first1=Chelsea|title=Season 2 of Mindhunter Gives Anna Torv's Closeted Character Her Own Storyline|url=https://www.themarysue.com/season-2-mindhunter-gives-anna-torv-more-to-do/%7Cwebsite=The Mary Sue|date=August 19, 2019}}</ref>
Annaliese Stilman Lena Olin last1=Ardillo|first1=Maddie|title=An Organized Sequence: The Quiet Queerness of "Mindhunter"|url=https://www.bellamediachannel.com/an-organized-sequence-the-quiet-queerness-of-mindhunter/%7Cwebsite=Bella Books|date=October 18, 2017}}</ref>
Kay Manz Lauren Glazier last1=Anne|first1=Valerie|title="Mindhunter" Makes Murder Boring, But Its Lesbian Love Story Is One for the Ages|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/mindhunter-makes-murder-boring-but-its-lesbian-love-story-is-one-for-the-ages/%7Cwebsite=Autostraddle|date=September 17, 2019}}</ref>
2017 The Mist Spike Adrian Garf Russell Posner title=The Mist Season 1 Spoiler Free Review |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-mist-season-1-spoiler-free-review/ |website=Den of Geek |date=19 June 2017}}</ref><ref name="Pansexual Outs Homophobic">{{cite web |title=Pansexual Outs Homophobic Jock with Gay Kiss on Stephen King's 'The Mist' |url=https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/culture/lindsay-kornick/2017/07/21/pansexual-outs-homophobic-jock-gay-kiss-stephen-kings-mist |website=Newsbusters}}</ref>
Tyler Denton Christopher Gray title=THE MIST Recap: (S01E07) Over the River and Through the Woods |url=https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/themist-recap-s01e07-river-woods/ |website=Geek Girl Authority |date=4 August 2017}}</ref>
2017– Money Heist Netflix Helsinki Darko Peric last=Ul-Haq|first=Farid|title='Money Heist' Part 4 Continues to Offer Queer Representation as Chaos Unfolds|url=https://thegeekiary.com/money-heist-part-4-queer-rep-netflix/81003%7Cwebsite=The Geekiary|date=April 6, 2020}}</ref>
Palermo Rodrigo de la Serna Palermo is gay.<ref name="money heist"/>
Tokyo Úrsula Corberó Tokyo is bisexual.<ref name="money heist"/>
Manila Belén Cuesta last=Dalton|first=Stephen|date=2020-04-29|title=Money Heist the Netflix Series Is Going Viral|url=https://medium.com/pop-off/money-heist-the-netflix-series-is-going-viral-dbdb8e92be91%7Caccess-date=2020-09-29%7Cwebsite=Medium}}</ref>
Berlin Pedro Alonso date=2020-04-05|title=Así es Berlín, según los creadores de La Casa de Papel, serie de Netflix|url=https://www.desdelacuna.net/series/berlin-la-casa-de-papel-serie-netflix-caracteristicas-descripcion-personalidad-analisis/%7Caccess-date=2020-09-29%7Cwebsite=Spoilers%7Clanguage=es}}</ref>
2017– Mr. Mercedes Audience Lou Linklatter Breeda Wool last1=Hatton|first1=Leslie|title='Mr. Mercedes' Might Be the Best Genre TV Show You Didn't See in 2017|url=http://www.everythingisscary.com/screen/mr-mercedes-best-genre-tv-show-2017%7Cwebsite=Everything Is Scary|date=December 21, 2017}}</ref>
2017 My Dear Loser GMM 25 In Purim Rattanaruangwattana (Pluem) In and Sun become a gay couple.<ref>{{cite web|author=GMMTV|title=Trailer My Dear Loser รักไม่เอาถ่าน ตอน Edge of 17|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZYUDwkIEc4%7Cwebsite=YouTube|date=June 19, 2017}}</ref>
Sun Wachirawit Ruangwiwat (Chimon)
2017– One Day at a Time Netflix Elena Alvarez Isabella Gomez last1=Nilles|first1=Billy|title=One Day at a Time's Coming Out Storyline Is a Breath of Fresh Air|url=http://www.eonline.com/news/820230/one-day-at-a-time-s-coming-out-storyline-is-a-breath-of-fresh-air%7Cwebsite=E! News|date=January 6, 2017}}</ref><ref name="day at a time">{{Cite web|last=Miller|first=Liz Shannon|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2018/02/one-day-at-a-time-season-3-non-binary-girlfriend-interview-1201924282/%7Ctitle='One Day at a Time' Stars Talk Season 3 and Why a Non-Binary Character Is Called a 'Girlfriend' On The Show|website=IndieWire|date=February 2, 2018}}</ref>
Ramona Judy Reyes Ramona is lesbian.<ref name="day at a time"/>
Syd Sheridan Pierce last1=Miller |first1=Liz Shannon |title='One Day at a Time' Stars Talk Season 3 and Why a Non-Binary Character Is Called a 'Girlfriend' On The Show |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2018/02/one-day-at-a-time-season-3-non-binary-girlfriend-interview-1201924282/ |website=IndieWire |date=2 February 2018}}</ref>
2017– The Orville Fox Bortus Peter Macon Bortus and Klyden are partners and members of an alien race, the Moclans, where homosexuality is the norm among their species.<ref>{{cite web|last=Elderkin|first=Beth|title=The Orville's Latest Episode Shows Seth MacFarlane's Future Is Stuck in the Past|url=https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-orvilles-latest-episode-shows-seth-macfarlanes-futu-1818655458%7Cwebsite=io9|date=September 22, 2017}}</ref>
Klyden Chad L. Coleman
2017– Ozark Netflix Roy Petty Jason Butler Harner last1=Rizi |first1=Michael |title=2 more casualties to add to the "Bury Your Gays" trope in the grim series 'Ozark' |url=https://www.queerty.com/2-casualties-add-bury-gays-trope-grim-series-ozark-20180916 |website=Queerty |date=16 September 2018}}</ref><ref name="10 Worst Episodes"/>
Russ Langmore Marc Menchaca title=The 10 Worst Episodes Of Netflix's Ozark, According To IMDb |url=https://screenrant.com/ozark-netflix-worst-episodes-imdb/ |website=Screen Rant |date=10 April 2020}}</ref>
Trevor Evans McKinley Belcher III Trevor is Roy's ex-boyfriend and his FBI agent partner.<ref name="queerty ozarks"/>
Scotty Dennis Flanagan Scotty is Roy's ex-boyfriend.<ref name="queerty ozarks"/>
2017– Prison Break: Resurrection Fox Sid Kunal Sharma last1=Dela Cruz |first1=Janna |title='Prison Break' season 5 spoilers: Writers tease LGBT character who has an 'important role to play' |url=https://www.christiantoday.com/article/prison-break-season-5-spoilers-writers-tease-lgbt-character-who-has-an-important-role-to-play/102235.htm |date=28 November 2016}}</ref>
Emily Blake Marina Benedict title=Emily Blake, Prison Break |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/emily-blake/}}</ref>
2017–2018 Prison Playbook tvN Yoo Han Yang Lee Kyu Hyung title=5 Korean actors who played LGBT characters |url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3092434/how-girls-generations-seohyun-moon-bin-and-lee-joo-young |website=South China Morning Post |date=9 July 2020}}</ref>
Song Ji Won Kim Joon Han Ji Won is gay and Han Yang's boyfriend.<ref name="Yoo Han Yang"/>
2017–2019 The Punisher Netflix David Schultz Todd Alan Crain title=The Punisher's Infuriating Finale Nearly Derails Season 2 |url=https://www.cbr.com/punisher-tv-season-2-finale-disappointing/ |date=20 January 2019}}</ref>
2017– Riverdale The CW Kevin Keller Casey Cott last1=Megarry |first1=Daniel |title=A definitive list of every LGBTQ character in Riverdale |url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/117052/a-definitive-list-of-every-lesbian-gay-bisexual-character-in-riverdale/ |website=Gay Times |date=January 8, 2019 |access-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Opie |first1=David |title=Why Kevin Keller Deserves A Boyfriend |url=https://www.intomore.com/culture/why-kevin-keller-deserves-a-boyfriend |website=Into |date=May 25, 2019 |access-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref>
Moose Mason Cody Kearsley last1=Bramesco |first1=Charles |title=A bomb vest, a rocket ship, a rotting corpse, an MFA seminar — Riverdale contains multitudes |url=https://tv.avclub.com/a-bomb-vest-a-rocket-ship-a-rotting-corpse-an-mfa-se-1839287285 |website=TV Club |date=23 October 2019 |access-date=31 October 2019}}</ref>
Joaquin DeSantos Rob Raco last1=Barrett |first1=Spencer |title=Rob Raco Talks His Debut as 'Riverdale's Joaquin |url=https://tvsourcemagazine.com/2017/02/rob-raco-talks-debut-riverdales-joaquin/ |website=TV Source Magazine |date=February 17, 2017 |access-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref>
Toni Topaz Vanessa Morgan last1=Anderson|first1=Jenna|title='Riverdale' Star Vanessa Morgan Talks Toni Topaz's Bisexuality|url=https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/2017/12/03/riverdale-season-2-toni-topaz-bisexual-vanessa-morgan/%7Cwebsite=ComicBook.com%7Cpublisher=Pop Culture Media|date=December 3, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Romero |first1=Ariana |title=Riverdale Season 3, Episode 16 Recap: The 6 Wildest Moments Of Musical "Big Fun" |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/03/227577/riverdale-recap-season-3-episode-16-cheryl-toni-back-together |website=Refinery29 |date=March 20, 2019 |access-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref>
Cheryl Blossom Madelaine Petsch last=Belle|first=Elly|title=Madelaine Petsch Said Her "Riverdale" Character Cheryl Blossom Is Bisexual|url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/madelaine-petsch-said-her-riverdale-character-cheryl-blossom-is-bisexual%7Cwork=Teen Vogue|date=March 1, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Idika|first1=Nicky|title='Riverdale' star Madelaine Petsch says Cheryl Blossom is lesbian, not bisexual|url=https://www.popbuzz.com/tv-film/riverdale/cheryl-blossom-lesbian/%7Cwebsite=PopBuzz%7Cdate=15 November 2018}}</ref>
Fangs Fogarty Drew Ray Tanner last1=Kickham |first1=Dylan |title=Is Fangs The Black Hood On 'Riverdale'? The Southside Serpent Is Up To Something |url=https://www.elitedaily.com/p/is-fangs-the-black-hood-on-riverdale-the-southside-serpent-is-up-to-something-8826535 |website=Elite Daily |date=April 18, 2018 |access-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Kickham |first1=Dylan |title=Did Kevin & Fangs Get Married On 'Riverdale'? One Strange Scene Has Fans Confused |url=https://www.elitedaily.com/p/did-kevin-fangs-get-married-on-riverdale-one-strange-scene-has-fans-confused-16971937 |website=Elite Daily |date=March 21, 2019 |access-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Cummins |first1=Chris |title=Riverdale Season 3 Episode 20 Review - Chapter 55: Prom Night |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/us/tv/riverdale/280849/riverdale-season-3-episode-20-review-chapter-55-prom-night |website=Den of Geek |access-date=May 6, 2019 |date=May 1, 2019}}</ref>
Chic Hart Denton last1=Krause|first1=Katie|title='Riverdale' Star Hart Denton Teases Possible Chic and Kevin Romance! (Exclusive)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwIev-tKCrU%7Cwebsite=YouTube%7Cpublisher=Entertainment Tonight|date=March 19, 2018}}</ref>
Charles Smith Wyatt Nash last1=MacLeish |first1=Jessica |title=Riverdale's Favorite Fake Brother Is Back |url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/riverdale-recap-season-4-episode-6 |website=Teen Vogue |access-date=14 November 2019 |date=14 November 2019}}</ref>
Peaches 'N Cream Bernadette Beck last1=Upadhyaya |first1=Kayla Kumari |title="Riverdale" Episode 316 Recap: How Very |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/riverdale-episode-316-recap-how-very/ |website=Autostraddle |date=March 21, 2019 |access-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref>
2017– Runaways Hulu Karolina Dean Virginia Gardner last=Pulliam-Moore|first=Charles|title=Marvel's Runaways Just Proved How Easy It Is To Include Queer Characters|url=https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2017/12/marvels-runaways-just-proved-how-easy-it-is-to-include-queer-characters/%7Cwebsite=Gizmodo|date=December 14, 2017}}</ref>
Nico Minoru Lyrica Okano last1=Jasper|first1=Marykate|title=The Biggest and Most Welcome Surprise on Last Night's Runaways|url=https://www.themarysue.com/runaways-nico-love-triangle/%7Cwebsite=The Mary Sue|date=January 10, 2018}}</ref>
2017–2019 She's Gotta Have It Netflix Nola Darling DeWanda Wise last=Bryant|first=Taylor|title=Spike Lee On Creating A "Sex-Positive, Pansexual" Hero In 'She's Gotta Have It'|url=https://nylon.com/articles/shes-gotta-have-it-spike-lee-interview%7Cwebsite=Nylon%7Cdate=November 22, 2017}}</ref>
Opal Gilstrap Ilfenesh Hadera last=Weekes|first=Princess|title=The Complex Queerness of Nola Darling in Netflix's She's Gotta Have It|url=https://www.themarysue.com/the-complex-queerness-of-nola-darling-in-netflixs-shes-gotta-have-it/%7Cwebsite=The Mary Sue|date=November 30, 2017}}</ref>
2017– The Sinner USA Network Heather Novack Natalie Paul last1=Gallagher|first1=Caitlin|title=Who's Heather Novack In 'The Sinner' Season 2? Natalie Paul's Detective Brings Harry Ambrose Back Home|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/whos-heather-novack-in-the-sinner-season-2-natalie-pauls-detective-brings-harry-ambrose-back-home-9869678%7Cwebsite=Bustle|date=August 1, 2018|access-date=8 August 2018}}</ref>
2017 Slam Dance GMM One Pob Sattabut Laedeke (Drake) Pob and Nick are a gay couple.<ref>{{cite web|author=GMMTV|title=Trailer SLAM DANCE ทุ่มฝันสนั่นฟลอร์|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgnlVFi2DyI%7Cwebsite=YouTube|date=May 5, 2017}}</ref>
Nick Harit Cheewagaroon (Sing)
2017– Star Trek: Discovery Netflix Paul Stamets Anthony Rapp Paul and Hugh are gay men and in a loving relationship.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Tremeer|first1=Eleanor|title='It Would Be Foolish To Ignore It': 'Star Trek: Discovery' Exec Talks LGBT Representation|url=https://moviepilot.com/p/star-trek-discovery-lgbt-representation/4292772%7Cwebsite=Moviepilot|date=June 12, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Kane|first1=Vivian|title=In an Historic Move, Star Trek: Discovery Will Feature an Openly Gay Couple, Played By Gay Actors|url=https://www.themarysue.com/star-trek-discovery-gay-couple/%7Cwebsite=The Mary Sue|date=July 27, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Duffy|first1=Nick|title=Star Trek Discovery star has a perfect response to angry homophobic fans|url=http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/10/21/star-trek-discovery-star-has-a-perfect-response-to-angry-homophobic-fans/%7Cwebsite=PinkNews|date=21 October 2017}}</ref>
Hugh Culber Wilson Cruz
2017– Suburra: Blood on Rome Netflix Alberto "Spadino" Anacleti Giacomo Ferrara last=Collins|first=Sean T.|title='Suburra' Recap, Series Premiere: Italians Do It Better|url=https://decider.com/2017/10/06/suburra-recap-season-1-episode-1/%7Cwebsite=Decider|date=October 6, 2017}}</ref>
2017– S.W.A.T CBS Christina "Chris" Alonso Lina Esco last1=Riese|title=In 2017, Lesbian and Bisexual TV Characters Did Pretty OK, and That's a Pretty Big Deal|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/in-2017-lesbian-and-bisexual-tv-characters-did-pretty-ok-and-thats-a-pretty-big-deal-399797/%7Cwebsite=Autostraddle|date=January 2, 2018}}</ref>
2017– Taboo FX Michael Godfrey Edward Hogg Michael Godfrey is probably gay, and is the secretary at the East India Company and lives in a London Molly House.<ref>{{cite web |title=Taboo Recap: Dirty Deeds |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/01/taboo-recap-season-1-episode-3.html |website=Vulture}}</ref>
2017–2018 Valor The CW Thea Melissa Roxburgh Thea is a closeted bisexual CIA agent. She has two short-term relationships with Zoe Cho, and Leland Gallo.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Marshall|first1=Melissa|title=Valor Season 1 Episode 3 Review: Soldier Ready|url=https://www.tvfanatic.com/2017/10/valor-season-1-episode-3-review-soldier-ready/%7Cwebsite=TV Fanatic|publisher=Mediavine Inc.|date=October 23, 2017}}</ref>
Zoe Cho Chelle Ramos
2017 When We Rise ABC Cleve Jones Guy Pearce Cleve Jones is gay and an AIDS activist. The miniseries is about the growth of the LGBT civil rights movement in San Francisco, from the 1970s until the 2010s, with characters based on actual persons.<ref name=":1when we rise">{{cite web|last1=Anderson|first1=Stephanie Marie|title=A who's who of 'When We Rise'|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/topics/sexuality/fast-lane/article/2017/02/19/whos-who-when-we-rise%7Cwebsite=SBS|date=24 February 2017}}</ref><ref name=":2when we rise">{{cite web|last1=Bendix|first1=Trish|title=Dustin Lance Black on Capturing America's LGBTQ Herstory in "When We Rise"|url=http://gomag.com/article/dustin-lance-black-capturing-americas-lgbtq-herstory-rise/%7Cwork=GO Magazine|date=February 24, 2017}}</ref>
young Cleve Jones Austin P. McKenzie
Roma Guy Mary-Louise Parker Roma Guy is a feminist lesbian and social justice activist.<ref name=":1when we rise"/><ref name=":2when we rise"/>
young Roma Guy Emily Skeggs
Diane Rachel Griffiths Diane is a lesbian nurse.<ref name=":1when we rise"/><ref name=":2when we rise"/>
young Diane Fiona Dourif
Ken Jones Michael K. Williams Ken Jones is a gay activist.<ref name=":1when we rise"/><ref name=":2when we rise"/>
young Ken Jones Jonathan Majors
Matt Tyler Young Matt is gay and has a relationship with young Cleve.<ref name=":1when we rise"/><ref name=":2when we rise"/>
Michael Charlie Carver title=Inside the Carry-On: Charlie Carver |url=https://dujour.com/lifestyle/charlie-carver-when-we-rise/ |website=DuJour |date=21 February 2017}}</ref>
Pat Norman Whoopi Goldberg Pat Norman is a lesbian activist, founder of the Lesbian Mothers Union and first openly gay employee of the San Francisco Health Department.<ref name=":1when we rise"/><ref name=":2when we rise"/>
Del Martin Rosie O'Donnell Del Martin is a feminist lesbian and activist, and co-founder of Daughters of Bilitis.<ref name=":1when we rise"/><ref name=":2when we rise"/>
Phyllis Lyon Maddie Corman last1=Werder|first1=Corinne|title=Meet the Real Women Featured in "When We Rise"|url=http://gomag.com/article/meet-real-women-featured-rise/%7Cwork=GO Magazine|date=February 27, 2017}}</ref>
Jean Caitlin Gerard title=When We Rise Premiere Recap: Outsiders Gather in San Francisco |url=https://ew.com/recap/when-we-rise-series-premiere/ |website=EW.com}}</ref>
Cecilia Chung Ivory Aquino Cecilia Chung is a trans woman and political activist.<ref name=":2when we rise"/>
Scott Nick Eversman Scott is gay, living in a treehouse.<ref name="when we rise premiere"/>
José Sarria Michael DeLorenzo José Sarria is a gay political activist and founder of the Imperial Court System.
Bobbi Jean Baker Jazzmun Bobbi Jean Baker is a transgender activist.<ref name=":4when we rise"/>
Anne Kronenberg Britt Irvin Anne Kronenberg is the campaign manager for Harvey Milk and his aide on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.<ref name=":4when we rise"/>
Sally Gearhart Carrie Preston Sally Gearhart is a feminist lesbian and political activist.<ref name=":1when we rise"/><ref name=":2when we rise"/>
Jim Foster Denis O’Hare Jim Foster is the first openly gay man to ever speak at a Democratic convention.<ref name="when we rise premiere"/>
2017 Will TNT Christopher Marlowe Jamie Campbell Bower title=TNT's Sexy Shakespeare Show Will Is Wild and Delightful |url=https://www.themarysue.com/tnt-will-review/ |website=The Mary Sue |date=7 July 2017}}</ref>
Thomas Walsingham Edward Hayter title=A Fine Mystery - Marlowe - What (little) We Know {{!}} Much Ado About Something {{!}} FRONTLINE {{!}} PBS |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/muchado/fine/bios.html}}</ref>

2018

Year Show Network Character Actor Notes
2018– 9-1-1 FOX Michael Grant Rockmond Dunbar last1=Fremont|first1=Maggie|title=9-1-1 series premiere react: 'Pilot'|url=https://ew.com/recap/9-1-1-series-premiere/%7Cwebsite=Entertainment Weekly|date=January 3, 2018}}</ref>
Henrietta "Hen" Wilson Aisha Hinds last1=Hogan|first1=Heather|title=Boob(s On Your) Tube: "9-1-1" Reveals Its Lesbian Character Just As We Predicted With Our Supreme TV Gaydar|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/boobs-on-your-tube-9-1-1-reveals-its-lesbian-character-as-we-knew-it-eventually-would-409905/%7Cwebsite=Autostraddle|date=February 2, 2018}}</ref>
Karen Wilson Tracie Thoms Karen is lesbian. She and Henrietta are raising the son of Hen's ex-girlfriend.<ref name="karen and henrietta"/>
Josh Russo Bryan Safi last=Jacobs|first=Meredith|title=Will the 118 Need to Help 9-1-1's Own After the Episode 13 Cliffhanger?|url=https://www.tvinsider.com/928821/911-season-3-episode-13-maddie-call-center-hostages/%7Cwebsite=TV Insider}}</ref>
Eva Mathis Abby Brammell Eva is Hen's ex and an incarcerated criminal.<ref name="karen and henrietta"/>
2018– A Discovery of Witches Sky One Sarah Bishop Alex Kingston Sarah and Emily are a lesbian couple.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Sobel|first1=Ariel|title=A New TV Show About Lesbian Witches Brews Excitement|url=https://www.advocate.com/television/2018/9/17/new-tv-show-about-lesbian-witches-stirs-excitement%7Cdate=September 17, 2018|website=The Advocate}}</ref>
Emily Mather Valarie Pettiford
2018– A Million Little Things ABC Daniel Dixon Chance Hurstfield last1=Zapata |first1=Kimberly |title=All About the Season 2 Cast of A Million Little Things |url=https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a28774714/a-million-little-things-cast/ |work=O, The Oprah Magazine |date=August 23, 2019}}</ref>
2018 A Very English Scandal BBC One Jeremy Thorpe Hugh Grant Jeremy Thorpe was the leader of the Liberal Party for nine years. He was a closeted homosexual who had affairs with men and was in a secret relationship with Norman Scott.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Boissoneault|first1=Lorraine|title=The True Story of "A Very English Scandal" and the Trials of a Closeted Gay Politician|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/true-story-very-english-scandal-and-trials-closeted-gay-politician-180969454/%7Cwork=Smithsonian|date=June 27, 2018}}</ref>
Norman Scott Ben Whishaw
2018– After Forever Amazon Prime Video Brian Kevin Spirtas title=After Forever|url=http://afterforevertheseries.com/%7Cdate=2018%7Caccess-date=18 January 2020}}</ref><ref name=":2after forever">{{cite magazine|last1=Reddish|first1=David|title=Micro series 'After Forever' takes an intimate look at older gay men-and death do us part|url=https://www.queerty.com/amazons-forever-takes-intimate-look-older-gay-men-death-us-part-20180425%7Cwebsite=Queerty|date=April 25, 2018}}</ref><ref name=":3after forever">{{cite news|last1=Simon|first1=Ray|title=New series on Amazon Prime takes on love and loss|url=http://www.epgn.com/arts-and-culture/television/13309-amazon-s-new-series-takes-on-love-and-loss%7Cwork=Philadelphia Gay News|date=April 26, 2018}}</ref><ref name=":4after forever">{{cite magazine|last1=Artavia|first1=David|title=A Looking, Queer as Folk for Fifty-something Golden Gays|url=https://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2018/11/29/looking-queer-folk-fifty-something-golden-gays%7Cmagazine=The Advocate|date=November 29, 2018}}</ref>
Jason Mitchell Anderson Jason is gay.<ref name=":1after forever"/><ref name=":2after forever"/><ref name=":3after forever"/><ref name=":4after forever"/>
David Taylor Mike McGowan David is gay and Brian's boyfriend.<ref name=":1after forever"/><ref name=":2after forever"/><ref name=":3after forever"/><ref name=":4after forever"/>
Brenda Erin Cherry Brenda is lesbian.<ref name=":1after forever"/><ref name=":2after forever"/><ref name=":3after forever"/><ref name=":4after forever"/>
2018– All American The CW Tamia "Coop" Cooper Bre-Z last1=Bowen |first1=Sesali |title=Bre-Z Just Told Us Exactly Why All American's Coop Is So Dope |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2018/10/214999/bre-z-all-american-coop-interview |website=Refinery29 |date=October 24, 2018}}</ref>
2018– Altered Carbon Netflix Isaac Bancroft Antonio Marziale Isaac Bancroft has a male lover, Sergei Brevlov.<ref>{{cite web |title=Altered Carbon - Season 1 |url=https://www.mediaversityreviews.com/tv-reviews/2018/11/5/altered-carbon |website=Mediaversity Reviews}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Altered Carbon Episode 6 Review: Man with My Face |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/altered-carbon-episode-6-review-man-with-my-face/ |website=Den of Geek |date=3 February 2018}}</ref>
Sergei Brevlov Chris McNally
2018 American Crime Story
{{Nowrap|The Assassination of Gianni Versace}}
(season 2)		 FX Gianni Versace Édgar Ramírez Gianni Versace was gay, and murdered by spree killer Andrew Cunanan.<ref name=versace/>
Andrew Cunanan Darren Criss last=Miller|first=Julie|title=The Truth About Gianni Versace and Andrew Cunanan's Relationship|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/01/versace-american-crime-story-andrew-cunanan%7Cwebsite=Vanity Fair|date=January 17, 2018}}</ref>
Antonio D'Amico Ricky Martin Antonio D'Amico is gay and Versace's partner at the time of his death.<ref name=versace/>
Lee Miglin Mike Farrell last1=Chan|first1=Sewell|title='The Assassination of Gianni Versace' Episode 3: Death or Disgrace?|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/31/arts/television/the-assassination-of-gianni-versace-american-crime-story-recap-a-random-killing.html%7Cwebsite=The New York Times|date=January 31, 2018}}</ref>
Jeffrey Trail Finn Wittrock last1=Mackelden|first1=Amy|title=Who Were Jeffrey Trail and David Madson? American Crime Story Explores Andrew Cunanan's First Victims|url=http://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/a15922647/jeffrey-trail-david-madson-facts-american-crime-story/%7Cwebsite=Harper's Bazaar|date=January 31, 2018}}</ref>
David Madson Cody Fern David Madson was gay, and witnessed Jeffrey Trail's murder, and was also killed by Andrew Cunanan.<ref name="harpersbazaar.com"/>
2018– Anne+ BNN-VARA
3LAB		 Anne Hanna van Vliet last1=Wisse|first1=Mario|title=Lesbische Webserie Was Hard Nodig'|url=https://www.metronieuws.nl/nieuws/showbizz/2017/11/lesbische-webserie-was-hard-nodig%7Cwork=Metro|date=21 November 2017|language=nl|trans-title=Lesbian Web Series Was Badly Needed}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Bader|first1=Silke|title=Web Series: Anne+|url=https://www.curvemag.com/film-club/film-collection/web-series/web-series-anne/%7Cmagazine=Curve|date=January 11, 2020}}</ref>
2018–2020 Baby Netflix Fabio Fedeli Brando Pacitto last1=Mitchell|first1=Molli|url=https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/1191718/Baby-season-2-cast-who-stars-actor-Netflix-series-Alice-Pagani-Benedetta-Porcaroli%7Ctitle=Baby season 2 cast: Who is in the cast of Baby?|work=Daily Express|date=October 18, 2019|access-date=8 November 2019}}</ref>
Brando De Santis Mirko Trovato Brando is gay and comes out in the final season.<ref name="Fabio and Brando"/>
2018– Black Lightning The CW Anissa Pierce Nafessa Williams last1=Jackman|first1=Josh|title=Meet the black lesbian superhero ready to take over TV on The CW's Black Lightning|url=http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/01/05/meet-the-black-lesbian-superhero-ready-to-take-over-tv-on-the-cws-black-lightning/%7Cwebsite=PinkNews|date=5 January 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Bergado|first1=Gabe|title="Black Lightning" Star Nafessa Williams Talks Why Representation Matters and Bringing Thunder to Life|url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/black-lightning-nafessa-williams-anissa-pierce%7Cwebsite=Teen Vogue|date=January 23, 2018}}</ref>
Grace Choi Chantal Thuy last1=Riese|title=Winter 2017/2018 TV Preview: Some Lesbian and Bisexual Content for Y'all|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/winter-2017-2018-tv-preview-some-lesbian-and-bisexual-content-for-yall-403491/%7Cwebsite=Autostraddle|date=December 5, 2017}}</ref>
Chenoa Shein Mompremier last1=Love|first1=Tirhakah|title=Black Lightning reveals its stakes: superheroes are bad at love|url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/black-lightning-reveals-its-stakes-superheroes-are-bad-at-love%7Cwebsite=Syfy Wire|date=January 24, 2018}}</ref>
2018– Burden of Truth CBC Molly Ross Sara Thompson Molly is lesbian. Luna is lesbian and a First Nation native. Molly and Luna are in a relationship and attend the same high school. In season 1 episode "Witch Hunt" they go to the prom as a couple, holding hands as they enter and afterwards dance together.<ref>{{cite web |title=Boobs on Your Tube: Canada Out-Gays Itself Again With Burden of Truth |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/boobs-on-your-tube-canada-out-gays-itself-again-with-burden-of-truth-430281/ |website=Autostraddle |date=24 August 2018}}</ref>
Luna Spence Star Slade
2018 'Cause You're My Boy GMM One Mork Drake Sattabut Mork and Tee are the main gay couple. Morn and Gord are the supporting gay couple. A Thai romance drama depicting relationships between male characters, known as boys love, it tells the love story of four young boys in a high school setting.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ferrer |first1=Louise |title=7 Thai Boys Love Shows To Watch If You're Obsessed With 2gether: The Series |url=https://www.cosmo.ph/entertainment/thai-boys-love-series-a1213-20200830 |website=Cosmopolitan |date=August 30, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Nugroho |first1=Johannes |title=Why Thailand's erotic Boys Love TV are a hit with both gay and straight |url=https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3104852/thailands-erotic-boys-love-tv-dramas-are-hit |website=South China Morning Post|date=11 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=GMMTV|title=Trailer อาตี๋ของผม|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHa8wMfsIms%7Cwebsite=YouTube|date=June 13, 2018}}</ref>
Tee Frank Thanatsaran
Morn Phuwin Tangsakyuen
Gord Neo Trai Nimtawat
2018– Charmed The CW Melanie "Mel" Vera Melonie Diaz Melanie "Mel" Vera is a lesbian witch. She's a Women's Studies graduate student. Niko Hamada is lesbian and a police detective. Mel and Nico are in a relationship.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Gallagher|first1=Caitlin|title=How Is The New 'Charmed' Connected To The Original Series? The Reboot Is Casting Its Own Spell|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/how-is-the-new-charmed-connected-to-the-original-series-the-reboot-is-casting-its-own-spell-12247468%7Cwebsite=Bustle|date=October 14, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Phillips|first1=Carmen|title="Charmed" Review: Come for the Kickass Lesbian Witch, Stay For the Sisterhood|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/charmed-review-come-for-the-kickass-lesbian-witch-stay-for-the-sisterhood-435785/%7Cwebsite=Autostraddle|date=October 15, 2018}}</ref>
Nico Hamada Ellen Tamaki
2018- Class T1T5 YouTube Melissa Melissa Poh title=Class T1T5 |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/class-t1t5/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
2018 Collateral BBC Two
Netflix		 Jane Oliver Nicola Walker Jane is a vicar in a lesbian relationship with an illegal immigrant, Linh Xuan Huy.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Sweeting|first1=Adam|title=Collateral, BBC Two review - a lecture or a drama?|url=http://www.theartsdesk.com/tv/collateral-bbc-two-review-lecture-or-drama%7Cwebsite=The Arts Desk|date=13 February 2018}}</ref>
Linh Xuan Huy Kae Alexander
2018– Condor Audience Sarah Tan Ellen Wong title=All 214 Dead Lesbian and Bisexual Characters On TV, And How They Died {{!}} Page 4 of 4 |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/all-65-dead-lesbian-and-bisexual-characters-on-tv-and-how-they-died-312315/4/ |website=Autostraddle |date=11 March 2016}}</ref>
Sharla Shepard Christina Moses title=Sharla Shepard, Condor (TV series) |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sharla-shepard/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
2018–2019 Counterpart Starz Nadia/Baldwin Sara Serraiocco last1=Kayvon |first1=Shervin |title=Sara Serraiocco Is A Leather-Wearing, Lesbian Assassin on Starz's Counterpart |url=https://www.intomore.com/culture/sara-serraiocco-is-a-leatherwearing-lesbian-assassin-on-starzs-counterpart/ |website=INTO |date=29 January 2018}}</ref>
Clare Nazanin Boniadi Clare is a lesbian.<ref name="Sara Serraiocco"/>
Greta Liv Lisa Fries title=Counterpart |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/counterpart/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
2018 Deutschland 86 SundanceTV Tim Avery Chris Veres Tim Avery is a closeted gay American G.I.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Fernandez|first1=Matt|title=Chris Veres Lands Series Regular Role on 'Deutschland 86' |url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/chris-veres-deutschland-86-1202610215/%7Cwork=Variety|date=November 10, 2017}}</ref> Rose Seithathi is lesbian and in a relationship with Lenora Rauch. Lenora is openly bisexual, having been seen kissing a man in the previous season. Alex Edel is gay. He slept with Tobias Tischbier in the previous season.<ref name=Hughes_83ep5>{{cite web|last1=Hughes|first1=Sarah|title=Deutschland 83 recap, episode five – Cold Fire |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2016/jan/31/deutschland-83-recap-episode-five-cold-fire%7Cwork=The Guardian|date=31 January 2018|access-date=24 October 2018}}</ref> Tobias Tischbier is gay. He tries to make a move on Alex in the first season, and later becomes sexually involved with him even though he was in a relationship with a man named Felix.<ref name=Hughes_83ep6/>
Rose Seithathi Florence Kasumba
Lenora Rauch Maria Schrader
Alex Edel Ludwig Trepte
Tobias Tischbier Alexander Beyer
2018– Dogs of Berlin Netflix Erol Birkan Fahri Yardim Erol Birkan is gay. Guido Mack is gay and Erol's partner.<ref>{{cite web|last1=ul-Haq|first1=Farid|title=Recommendation: "Dogs of Berlin" On Netflix Offers Crime & Well-Written Queer Representation|url=https://thegeekiary.com/dogs-berlin-netflix-queer/60255%7Cwebsite=The Geekiary|date=February 8, 2019|access-date=4 May 2020}}</ref>
Guido Mack Sebastian Achilles
2018– Druck ZDF Matteo Florenzi Michelangelo Fortuzzi last1=Johnstone |first1=Beth |title=Why Druck is the best version of Skam |url=https://jonosrantsandreviews.com/2021/03/11/why-druck-is-the-best-version-of-skam/ |date=11 March 2021}}</ref>
David Schreibner Lukas von Horbatschewsky last1=Barwenczik |first1=Lucas |title=A little flippant and imperfect |url=https://www.goethe.de/en/kul/flm/21657771.html |website=Goethe Institut |date=September 2019}}</ref>
Mia Winter Milena Tscharntke Mia is bisexual.<ref name="druck tv"/>
Victoria Tijan Marei title=Victoria |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/victoria-4/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
Fatou Jallow Sira-Anna Faal Fatou is lesbian.<ref name="druck tv"/>
Kieu My Vu Nhung Hong Kieu is bisexual.<ref name="druck tv"/>
2018– Élite Netflix Ander Muñoz Arón Piper Ander Muñoz is gay and in a relationship with Omar Shanaa. Omar is gay but has to hide his sexuality from his parents due to their Muslim faith. Polo Benavent is bisexual and polyamorous. He has a relationship with Carla and Christian in season 1 and later has a relationship with Cayetana and Valerio in season 3. He has also hooked up with Ander in season 2. Rebeka "Rebe" de Bormujo is bisexual. She confesses to Ander that she is attracted to girls and guys. She was attracted to Samuel and dated him, but also said she was sexually attracted to Carla. Valerio Montesinos is bisexual and polyamorous. He has a relationship with Cayetana and Polo.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Solari|first1=Bruno|title=Netflix's 'Elite' is a Hidden Queer Gem|url=https://www.out.com/popnography/2018/10/10/netflixs-elite-hidden-queer-gem%7Cwebsite=Out|date=October 10, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Street|first1=Mikelle|title=Polo From Elite Reveals a Much-Needed Conversation About Consent|url=https://www.out.com/television/2019/10/06/polo-elite-reveals-much-needed-conversation-about-consent%7Cwebsite=Out|date=October 6, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Reilly |first1=Kaitlin |title=The Gay Relationship On "Elite" Has Netflix Sharing Rainbows |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2018/10/214264/elite-netflix-homophobia-response |website=refinery29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Watch the official trailer for season 2 of LGBTQ-inclusive Netflix drama Elite |url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/watch-the-official-trailer-for-season-2-of-lgbtq-inclusive-netflix-drama-elite/ |date=20 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Opie |first1=David |title=Élite season 3 continues to celebrate queerness better than any other show |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a31431744/elite-season-3-lgbtq-queer-omander-netflix/ |website=Digital Spy |date=13 March 2020}}</ref> Malick was gay.
Omar Shanaa Omar Ayuso
Polo Benavent Álvaro Rico
Rebeka "Rebe" de Bormujo Claudia Salas
Valerio Montesinos Jorge López
Malick D Leïti Sène
2018 Everything Sucks! Netflix Kate Messner Peyton Kennedy Kate Messner spends the season struggling with her sexual identity, before coming to terms that she's a lesbian. Emaline Addario might be bisexual. She is seen dating a male classmate, but then she and Kate reveal their attraction towards one another and later share a kiss.<ref>{{Cite news|last= Romero|first= Ariana|url=https://www.refinery29.com/2018/02/191052/netflix-everything-sucks-kate-lesbian-teen-coming-out%7Ctitle=Why Everything Sucks' Coming Out Story Matters|website=Refinery29|date=February 16, 2018}}</ref>
Emaline Addario Sydney Sweeney
2018– For the People ABC Kate Littlejohn Susannah Flood Kate Littlejohn is lesbian and a prosecutor. Anya Ooms is lesbian and an ATF agent. Kate and Anya are involved romantically.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Vick |first1=Megan |title=For the People Exclusive: Is Kate Getting Cold Feet With Her ATF Girlfriend? |url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/for-the-people-exclusive-kate-girlfriend/ |website=TV Guide |date=May 15, 2018}}</ref>
Anya Ooms Caitlin Stasey
2018 Here and Now HBO Ramon Bayer-Boatwright Daniel Zovatto Ramon Bayer-Boatwright and Henry are a gay couple.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Goodman|first=Tim|title='Here and Now': TV Review|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/review-1080645%7Cwork=The Hollywood Reporter|date=February 1, 2018}}</ref>
Henry Andy Bean
Navid Shokrani Marwan Salama title=Here and Now - Marwan Salama's Navid Doesn't Need Validation |url=https://www.hbo.com/here-and-now/season-1/3-if-a-deer-shts-in-the-woods/marwan-salamas-navid-doesnt-need-validation |website=HBO}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Morton|first1=Ashley|title=Marwan Salama's Navid Doesn't Need Validation|url=https://www.hbo.com/here-and-now/season-1/3-if-a-deer-shts-in-the-woods/marwan-salamas-navid-doesnt-need-validation%7Cwebsite=HBO|date=February 25, 2018}}</ref>
2018–2020 The House of Flowers Netflix Julián de la Mora Darío Yazbek Bernal Julián de la Mora is bisexual. He was in a relationship with a woman while secretly dating Diego Olvera. Diego is gay. María José (formerly José María Riquelme) is a transgender woman that was married to Paulina de la Mora before transitioning. She remarried Paulina in the final episode of season 3. Paulina is pansexual. She was married to María José before she transitioned. After splitting up, she dated Alejo Salvat before reuniting with, and remarrying, María José. Pato Lascuraín is a gay man and a drag queen. He is murdered for his sexuality. Kim is pansexual. She starts a relationship with María José. Agustín Corcuera is a closeted gay man. He kills Pato after the latter tries to expose their relationship.<ref>{{cite web|title='La casa de las flores': Pareja gay te enseña lo importante que es 'salir del clóset'|url=https://peru21.pe/cheka/casa-flores-escena-gay-permite-hablar-miedo-salir-closet-420271?foto=2%7Cwebsite=Perú21%7Clanguage=es%7Cdate=11 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Ibarra|first1=Marlene Pérez|title=Paco de León conoce su transformación en mujer de la serie La casa de las flores|url=https://www.show.news/series/Paco-de-Leon-conoce-su-transformacion-en-mujer-de-la-serie-La-casa-de-las-flores-20191020-0016.html%7Cwebsite=Show!%7Cdate=20 October 2019|language=es}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=La Casa de las Flores is a Turning Point for Modern-Day Mexican Television |url=https://instinctmagazine.com/la-casa-de-las-flores-is-a-turning-point-for-modern-day-mexican-television/ |website=Instinct Magazine |date=19 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=House of Flowers Creator Shares What to Expect in Final Season |url=https://www.etonline.com/house-of-flowers-creator-manolo-caro-explores-lgbtq-issues-in-final-season-exclusive-145399 |website=Entertainment Tonight}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=La Casa de las Flores |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/la-casa-de-las-flores/}}</ref>
Diego Olvera Juan Pablo Medina
María José Riquelme Paco León
Paulina de la Mora Cecilia Suárez
Pato Lascuraín Christian Chávez
Kim Cristina Umaña
Agustín Corcuera Emilio Cuaik
2018–2019 Impulse YouTube Premium Jenna Faith Hope Sarah Desjardins Jenna comes to term with the realization that she's lesbian, then is outed to her parents by her friend (season 2). Kate is a young woman that Jenna meets at a college party during a poetry performance and Kate kisses Jenna afterwards. Megan Linderman is queer.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Anne|first=Valerie|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/impulse-season-2-makes-good-on-its-gay-promise/%7Ctitle="Impulse" Season 2 Makes Good on its Gay Promise|date=October 25, 2019|website=Autostraddle|access-date=27 March 2020}}</ref>
Kate Sarah Swire
Megan Linderman Lauren Collins
2018 The Innocents Netflix Lil Sabrina Bartlett Lil kisses June. (She may be lesbian or bisexual.) Kam has a boyfriend, but is also involved with women. (She appears to be bisexual.) Sigrid has feelings for a woman back home. (She may be lesbian or bisexual.)<ref>{{cite web|last1=Reilly|first1=Kaitlin|title=The Innocents Binge Club|url=https://www.refinery29.com/2018/08/207974/the-innocents-recap-season-1-episodes-summary-netflix%7Cdate=August 24, 2018|website=Refinery29}}</ref>
Kam Abigail Hardingham
Sigrid Lise Risom Olsen
2018– Insatiable Netflix Bob Barnard Christopher Gorham Bob Barnard claims to enjoy sex with women but self-identifies as gay. He has been in love with Bob Armstrong since they were teenagers.<ref name="insatiable"/>
Bob Armstrong Dallas Roberts title=Netflix's Insatiable sparks outrage by saying bi people 'don't exist' |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/08/16/netflix-insatiable-bisexual-outrage-exist/ |website=PinkNews |date=16 August 2018}}</ref>
Nonnie Thompson Kimmy Shields last1=Bryan |first1=Scott |title=13 Ways "Insatiable" Is Really Fucking Problematic |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/scottybryan/problematic-insatiable-moments |website=BuzzFeed}}</ref>
Deborah "Dee" Marshall Ashley D. Kelley last1=Sarrubba |first1=Stefania |title=Is new Netflix show Insatiable really homophobic, biphobic and fat-shaming? |url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/insatiable-netflix-fat-shaming-homophobia/ |website=Gay Star News |date=13 August 2018}}</ref>
2018– Instinct CBS Dylan Reinhart Alan Cumming Dylan Reinhart is gay. A former CIA operative-turned-university professor and best-selling author now helping the New York Police Department. Andy Wilson is gay. Dylan and Andy are married.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/why-cbs-instinct-history-making-gay-lead-matters-guest-column-1091642%7Ctitle=Why CBS' 'Instinct,' With Its History-Making Gay Lead, Matters|last=Rauch|first= Michael|date=March 14, 2018|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=March 21, 2018}}</ref>
Andy Wilson Daniel Ings
2018– Killing Eve BBC America Villanelle Jodie Comer Villanelle is a bisexual assassin. She has sex with women and men, had a brief relationship with her neighbor Sebastian, married a woman, and is in love with Eve. In episode "You're Mine" (season 2, episode 8), Villanelle asks Eve to run away with her. When Eve rejects her, Villanelle shoots Eve and leaves her for dead. The character of Villanelle was modeled on a real-life terrorist.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Harrison |first1=Ellie |title=Killing Eve: The real-life 'psychopath' who murdered 23 people and inspired Villanelle character |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/killing-eve-villanelle-real-inspiration-jodie-comer-idoia-lopez-riano-la-tigresa-luke-jennings-a9513881.html |work=The Independent |date=14 May 2020}}</ref> Eve Polastri appears to be bisexual. She reveals an attraction towards Villanelle, even though they are bitter rivals and that their cat-and-mouse relationship contains violence and obsession. In episode "Meetings Have Biscuits" (season 3, episode 3), Eve finally kisses Villanelle for the first time, then head-butts her. Bill Pargrave is bisexual. He chose to enter into a heterosexual marriage by arrangement because he wanted to father a child, and occasionally has sex with his wife who knows about his history with men.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Baugher|first1=Lacy|title=Killing Eve: We need to know more about Villanelle's past|url=https://culturess.com/2018/05/03/killing-eve-we-need-to-know-more-about-villanelles-past/%7Cwebsite=Culturess%7Cpublisher=FanSided|date=May 3, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Roberson |first1=Jennie |title=The Unicorn Scale: Killing Eve |url=https://bi.org/en/articles/the-unicorn-scale-killing-eve |website=Bi.org |date=April 17, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Cook |first1=Elisabeth |title=I Think About You, Too: "Killing Eve" & Bisexual Representation |url=https://thespool.net/features/killing-eve/ |website=The Spool |date=June 26, 2019}}</ref>
Bill Pargrave David Haig
Eve Polastri Sandra Oh
2018– Krypton SyFy Adam Strange Shaun Sipos Adam Strange is quite likely bisexual. In season 1, episode "House of Zod", Adam Strange appreciates the view of the bare ass of a tattooed male Sagitari.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Melrose|first1=Kevin|title=Wait, Did Krypton Just Hint That Adam Strange Is Gay?|url=https://www.cbr.com/krypton-adam-strange-gay-bisexual/%7Cwebsite=Comic Book Resources|date=April 18, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Krypton: The Decision to Make Adam Strange Bisexual |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/krypton-the-decision-to-make-adam-strange-bisexual/ |website=Den of Geek |date=28 July 2018}}</ref>
Nyssa-Vex Wallis Day last1=Burlingame|first1=Russ|title='Krypton': Nyssa-Vex Reveals She Is Bisexual|url=https://comicbook.com/dc/2018/05/03/krypton-nyssa-vex-is-bisexual/%7Cwebsite=ComicBook.com%7Cpublisher=Pop Culture Media|date=May 2, 2018}}</ref>
2018– Legacies The CW Josie Saltzman Kaylee Bryant last1=Nouri |first1=Sefket |title=Legacies recap: Series premiere delivers romance, drama, and magic |url=https://hiddenremote.com/2018/10/26/legacies-series-premiere-recap/ |website=Hidden Remote |publisher=FanSided Network |date=October 26, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Zalben|first1=Alex|title=Dear 'Legacies': You Can Keep Your Josie/Landon Romance, Thanks!|url=https://decider.com/2019/10/10/legacies-season-2-premiere-spoilers-landon-josie/%7Cwebsite=Decider|date=October 10, 2019}}</ref>
Penelope Park Lulu Antariksa last=Palmer|first=Catherine|url=https://theseriesregulars.com/legacies-a-revolutionary-approach-to-identity-and-relationships/%7Ctitle='Legacies': A Revolutionary Approach to Identity And Relationships|website=The Series Regulars|date=March 5, 2019|access-date=April 27, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Drum|first1=Nicole|title='Legacies' Creator Teases Fan-Favorites Returning in Season 2|url=https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/legacies-season-2-julie-plec-kai-parker-chris-wood-the-cw/%7Cwebsite=Comicbook.com |date=April 2, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Fleenor |first1=S.E. |title=The queer witches from TV who make us proud |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/queer-witches-tv-make-us-proud |website=Syfy Wire |date=July 15, 2020}}</ref>
Hope Mikaelson Danielle Rose Russell last1=Swift |first1=Andy |title=Legacies' Danielle Rose Russell Reacts to Hope's Romantic Confession About Josie: 'That Didn't Shock Me' |url=https://tvline.com/2019/12/01/legacies-season-2-hope-josie-relationship-new-interview/ |website=TVLine |date=December 1, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Neetha K|title='Legacies' Season 2: Is the show queerbaiting viewers with minor hints about Hope and Josie ship?|url=https://meaww.com/legacies-season-2-queerbaiting-viewers-minor-hints-hosie-hope-josie-penelope-maya%7Cwebsite=MEAWW (Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide)|date=January 30, 2020}}</ref>
Jade Giorgia Whigham last1=MacDonald|first1=Lindsay|title=Legacies Boss Says Josie and Jade's Romance 'Felt Right|url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/legacies-boss-jade-josie-romance-felt-right/%7Cmagazine=TV Guide|date=March 12, 2020}}</ref>
2018 Life Sentence The CW Ida Abbott Gillian Vigman Ida is bisexual. She leaves her husband to be with her friend, Poppy.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Reiher|first1=Andrea|title=Life Sentence' Premiere Recap: Introducing the Abbotts, Your New Fave TV Family|url=https://www.brit.co/life-sentence-premiere-recap-lucy-hale/%7Cwebsite=Brit + Co|date=March 8, 2018}}</ref>
Poppy Claudia Rocafort
2018– Light as a Feather Hulu Alex Portnoy Brianne Tju last1=Nicolaou|first1=Elena|title=A Complete Rundown Of The Death Predictions On Light As A Feather|url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2018/10/213652/light-as-a-feather-violet-death-predictions#slide-3%7Cwebsite=Refinery29|date=October 12, 2018}}</ref>
Peri Adriyan Rae last1=Block|first1=Rosemarie|title="Light as a Feather" Season 2 Lifts Its Lesbian Character Into the Spotlight|url=https://scoopsquare24.com/light-as-a-feather-season-2-lifts-its-lesbian-character-into-the-spotlight/%7Cwebsite=Scoop Square24|date=August 5, 2019}}</ref>
2018– Manifest NBC Bethany Collins Mugga title=Bethany Collins, Manifest (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/bethany-collins/}}</ref>
Georgia Collins Eva Kaminsky title=Georgia Collins, Manifest (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/georgia-collins/}}</ref>
Thomas Sheldon Best last1=Wilson |first1=Samantha |title='Manifest' Recap: A Stowaway On Flight 828 Could Be The Answer To Michaela & Saanvi's Problems |url=https://hollywoodlife.com/2018/10/15/manifest-stowaway-on-flight-828-season-1-episode-4-recap/ |website=Hollywood Life |date=16 October 2018}}</ref>
2018– McMafia BBC One
AMC		 Semiyon Kleiman David Strathairn title=TV review: McMafia Episode 5 |url=https://www.thejc.com/culture/tv/tv-review-mcmafia-episode-5-1.457058}}</ref>
2018– New Amsterdam NBC Iggy Frome Tyler Labine Iggy Frome and Martin McIntyre are married and have adopted three children from Bangladesh.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Blu |first1=Jasmine |title=New Amsterdam Season 2 Episode 10 Review: Code Silver |url=https://www.tvfanatic.com/2020/01/new-amsterdam-season-2-episode-10-review-code-silver/ |website=TV Fanatic |date=14 January 2020}}</ref>
Martin McIntyre Mike Doyle
2018 The Novelist Fuji TV Kazumi Haruhiko Izuka Kenta Kazumi Haruhiko and Kijima Rio are a gay couple.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Novelist|url=https://www.viki.com/tv/36852c-the-novelist%7Cwebsite=Viki|date= February 2020}}</ref>
Kijima Rio Takezai Terunosuke
2018 Origin YouTube Premium Agnes "Lee" Lebachi Adelayo Adedayo Agnes "Lee" Lebachi is a lesbian.<ref name="Origin TV series"/>
Evelyn Rey Nora Arnezeder title=Origin |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/origin/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
2018 Picnic at Hanging Rock Showcase (AU) Michael Fitzhubert Harrison Gilbertson Michael Fitzhubert is in love with Albert Crundall. Irma Leopold kisses Miranda Reid. Greta McGraw is a geography teacher whose father exiled her from home for being a lesbian. Marion Quade is lesbian. Greta and Marion are in a relationship.<ref>{{cite web|first=Holly|last=Byrnes|title=Foxtel's Picnic At Hanging Rock turns up the homoerotic heat in saucy new series|url=https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/foxtels-picnic-at-hanging-rock-turns-up-the-homoerotic-heat-in-saucy-new-series/news-story/151d918b1b755d4b0107219f1e2e4957%7Cdate=5 May 2018|access-date=11 July 2018|website=News.com.au}}</ref>
Irma Leopold Samara Weaving
Miranda Reid Lily Sullivan
Greta McGraw Anna McGahan
Marion Quade Madeleine Madden
2018– Playing for Keeps Network Ten Rusty O'Reilly Ethan Panizza Rusty O'Reilly is gay. He and Jack Davies were having an affair before Jack's death.<ref>{{cite web |title=Playing For Keeps: The Most WTF Moments Of The Season |url=https://10play.com.au/10-play-trending/articles/playing-for-keeps-the-most-wtf-moments-of-the-season/tpa190614wlnzo |website=10 play |date=9 November 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Woolford |first1=Lisa |title=Ethan's AFL 360 |url=https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/entertainment/confidential/playing-for-keeps-ethan-panizzas-afl-360/news-story/0cd0338b14bb79522f80811e5d4f992f |date=14 October 2018}}</ref>
Jack Davies James Mason
Tahlia Woods Olympia Valance title=Tahlia Woods, Playing for Keeps (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/tahlia-woods/}}</ref>
Hayley Fawkner Alexandra Adornetto title=Hayley Fawkner, Playing for Keeps (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/hayley-fawkner/}}</ref>
2018– Pose FX Blanca Rodriguez-Evangelista Mj Rodriguez last1=Upadhyaya |first1=Kayla Kumari |title=Pose presents a stylish, radical celebration of queer joy |url=https://tv.avclub.com/pose-presents-a-stylish-radical-celebration-of-queer-j-1826518546 |website=The A.V. Club |date=June 6, 2018 |access-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref>
Angel Evangelista Indya Moore Angel is a transgender woman.<ref name="AV-Pose-S1E1"/>
Elektra Abundance Dominique Jackson last1=Rude |first1=Mey |title=How 'Pose' Is Changing Media Representation of Gender Confirmation Surgery |url=https://www.them.us/story/pose-gender-confirmation-surgery |website=them. |publisher=Condé Nast |date=June 18, 2018 |access-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref>
Pray Tell Billy Porter Pray is gay.<ref name="them-Pose-blackgaylove"/>
Damon Richards-Evangelista Ryan Jamaal Swain Damon is gay.<ref name="AV-Pose-S1E1"/>
Ricky Evangelista Dyllón Burnside last1=Cuby |first1=Michael |title=Why Pose Is the Best Representation of Black Gay Love Since Moonlight |url=https://www.them.us/story/pose-black-gay-love-representation |website=them. |publisher=Condé Nast |date=July 23, 2018 |access-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref>
Candy Abundance Angelica Ross last1=Cooper |first1=Michael |title=Why Pose Is the Most Groundbreaking LGBTQ TV Show Ever |url=https://www.laweekly.com/arts/why-pose-is-the-most-ground-breaking-lgbtq-tv-show-ever-9673296 |work=LA Weekly |date=July 19, 2018 |access-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref>
Lulu Abundance Hailie Sahar title=The Fever |series=Pose |date=June 24, 2018 |network=FX |season=1 |number=4 |last=Mock |first=Janet}}</ref>
2018 Rise NBC Simon Saunders Ted Sutherland Simon Saunders is a closeted gay student raised by a very conservative religious family. Jeremy is Simon's co-star in the play, and potential love interest. Michael Hallowell is transgender.<ref>{{Cite news|last= Rudolph|first= Christopher|title=Why NBC Changed The Lead Character On "Rise" From Gay To Straight|url=http://www.newnownext.com/rise-nbc-musical-gay-teacher-straight/01/2018/%7Cwebsite=NewNowNext|date=January 11, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Altmann|first1=Alana|title=Who Plays Michael On 'Rise'? Ellie Desautels Plays An Important Role|url=https://www.elitedaily.com/p/who-plays-michael-on-rise-ellie-desautels-plays-important-role-8552262%7Cwebsite=Elite Daily|date=March 20, 2018}}</ref>
Michael Hallowell Ellie Desautels
Jeremy Sean Grandillo
2018– The Rookie ABC Jackson West Titus Makin Jackson West is gay. He's a rookie police officer and the son of a high-ranking police official. Gino Brown is gay. He is a nurse and in a relationship with Jackson West.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gomez |first1=Adrian |title=Timely topic: 'The Rookie' actor honored as series takes on issues of racial injustice |url=https://www.abqjournal.com/2353396/timely-topic.html |website=Albuquerque Journal |date=January 28, 2021 |url-access=subscription|quote=Titus Makin stars as Jackson West in the ABC series The Rookie. He's gay. He's Black. He's a rookie.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Orlando |first1=Christine |title=This Is Us Season Finale Delayed Following State of the Union Switch |url=https://www.tvfanatic.com/2019/01/this-is-us-season-finale-delayed-following-state-of-the-union-sw/ |website=TV Fanatic |date=30 January 2019}}</ref>
Gino Brown Cameron J. Armstrong
2018– Safe Canal 8
Netflix		 Pete Mayfield Marc Warren last1=Michael |title=Safe (saison 1) |url=http://mika03-nouvellesgays.over-blog.com/2018/05/safe-saison-1.html |website=Nouvelles gays |language=fr|date=20 May 2018}}</ref>
2018 Seven Seconds Netflix Kadeuce Porter Corey Champagne Kadeuce Porter and Brenton Butler were in a relationship before Brenton was killed by a white cop who ran over him in a hit and run.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mangum |first1=Trey |title='Seven Seconds' Breakout Star Corey Champagne On How His Character Adds To Diverse Representation On Television |url=https://shadowandact.com/netflix-seven-seconds-corey-champagne |website=Shadow and Act}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Bringing Diverse Representation to "Seven Seconds"– Corey Champagne Interview |url=https://gemmamagazine.com/2018/05/24/diverse-representation-with-corey-champagne-of-seven-seconds/ |website=gemma magazine |date=24 May 2018}}</ref>
Brenton Butler Daykwon Gaines
2018– Siren Freeform Ryn Eline Powell Ryn is a bisexual mermaid. She is attracted to both Maddie and her boyfriend Ben. Maddie Bishop is revealed to be bisexual, as she is receptive to Ryn's attraction for her.<ref>{{cite web|title='Siren' is Serving us Intersectional—and Interspecific—Bisexual Romance|url=https://www.intomore.com/culture/siren-is-serving-us-intersectionaland-interspecificbisexual-romance%7Cwebsite=INTO%7Cdate=20 April 2018}}</ref>
Maddie Bishop Fola Evans-Akingbola
2018– SKAM Austin Facebook Watch Shay Dixon La'Keisha Slade
Shay Dixon is a lesbian. Tyler Nunez is gay and Shay's best friend.<ref>{{cite web |title=Help I've Fallen For SKAM Austin (and its Black Lesbian Character) and Can't Get Up |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/help-ive-fallen-for-skam-austin-and-its-black-lesbian-character-and-cant-get-up-424342/ |website=Autostraddle |date=26 June 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Priya |first1=Kanu |title=Skam Austin Season 3: Release Date, Cast, New Season/Cancelled |url=https://thecinemaholic.com/skam-austin-facebook-watch/ |website=The Cinemaholic |date=14 January 2020}}</ref>
Tyler Nunez Giovanni Niubo
2018– Station 19 ABC Travis Montgomery Jay Hayden last1=Roschke |first1=Ryan |title=Jay Hayden as Travis Montgomery |url=https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/photo-gallery/44531044/image/44531045/Jay-Hayden-Travis-Montgomery |website=Popsugar Entertainment |date=22 March 2018}}</ref>
Maya Bishop Danielle Savre last1=Bastidas|first1=Jose|title='Station 19': Twitter Applauds Bisexual Main Character|url=https://popculture.com/tv-shows/2018/03/30/station-19-maya-bishop-bi-character-abc/%7Cwebsite=Popculture.com%7Cdate=March 29, 2018}}</ref>
2018– Step Up: High Water YouTube Premium Tal Baker Petrice Jones
(Keiynan Lonsdale)		 title=YouTube Red's 'Step Up: High Water' Is Like A More Dramatic 'Glee' But With Dancing |url=https://decider.com/2018/02/02/step-up-high-water-review-youtube-red/ |website=Decider |date=2 February 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Cuby |first1=Michael |title=Keiynan Lonsdale Will Dance His Way Into Your Heart in "Step Up" Spinoff |url=https://www.them.us/story/keiynan-lonsdale-step-up-tv-spinoff |website=them}}</ref>
2018– Sweetbitter Starz Ariel Eden Epstein Ariel is a lesbian and a womanizer.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Dickie|first1=George|title=A small-town girl seeks herself and finds trouble in the big city in Starz's 'Sweetbitter'|url=https://ontvtoday.com/a-small-town-girl-seeks-herself-and-finds-trouble-in-the-big-city-in-starzs-sweetbitter%7Cwebsite=ONTVtoday%7Cpublisher=Gracenote|date=May 1, 2018}}</ref> Sasha is a gay Russian immigrant.<ref>{{cite web|last=Rudolph|first=Christopher|title=Daniyar On Playing A Gay Russian Reveler On Starz's "Sweetbitter"|url=http://www.newnownext.com/sweetbitter-starz-daniyar-sasha/05/2018/%7Cwebsite=NewNowNext|date=May 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180505002635/http://www.newnownext.com/sweetbitter-starz-daniyar-sasha/05/2018/%7Carchive-date=May 5, 2018}}</ref>
Sasha Daniyar
2018– This Close SundanceNow Michael Josh Feldman Michael is a graphic novelist, and Ryan is a real estate agent. The series starts after their engagement to be married is broken.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Friess |first1=Steve |title='This Close' Is the Groundbreaking (And Very Adult) Show About Deafness We NEED |url=https://www.them.us/story/this-close-is-a-groundbreaking-show-about-deafness |website=them}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Wong |first1=Curtis M. |title=With 'This Close,' Josh Feldman Puts Deaf, Gay Lives In The Spotlight |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/josh-feldman-this-close-sundance-now_n_5aac9824e4b0c33361b09882 |website=HuffPost |date=26 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title='This Close' gets even more up close and personal for dramatic and guest star-filled second season |url=https://www.glaad.org/blog/this-close-gets-even-more-close-and-personal-dramatic-guest-star-filled-second-season |website=GLAAD |date=9 September 2019}}</ref>
Ryan Colt Prattes
2018– Vida Starz Emma Hernandez Mishel Prada last1=Villarreal|first1=Vanessa Angélica|title="Vida" Lets Its Latinx Characters Experience Sex And Pleasure|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/olliphant/vida-starz-latinx-queer-sex-and-love%7Cwebsite=BuzzFeed|date=July 18, 2018}}</ref>
Eddy Martínez Ser Anzoategui Eddy is a lesbian.<ref name="vida tv"/>
Cruz Maria-Elena Laas Cruz is lesbian.<ref name="vida tv"/>
Sam Michelle Badillo last1=Fernandez|first1=Maria Elena|title=The Making of Vida's 'Radical' Queer Sex Scene |url=https://www.vulture.com/2018/05/vida-making-of-queer-latina-sex-scene.html%7Cwebsite=Vulture|date=May 21, 2018}}</ref>
2018– You Lifetime Peach Salinger Shay Mitchell

Peach Salinger is a lesbian. Lucy is lesbian and a literary agent in L.A. married to Sunrise. Sunrise, wife of Lucy, is lesbian and a stay at home lifestyle blogger.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hogan|first1=Heather |title=Lifetime's "You" Knows Ezra Fitz and Dan Humphrey Are the Fucking Worst|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/lifetimes-you-knows-ezra-fitz-and-dan-humphrey-are-the-fucking-worst-431861/%7Cwebsite=Autostraddle|date=September 10, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Mallikarjuna |first1=Krutika |title=Every Character on YOU Is Trash, but I Would Still Die for Peach Salinger |url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/you-peach-salinger-queer-appreciation/ |website=TV Guide |date=January 14, 2019 |access-date=April 14, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Joshua|first1=Seth|title=Lifetime Network's, "You," Actually Improves Upon the Source Material|url=https://medium.com/@jschonhaut/lifetime-networks-you-actually-improves-upon-the-source-material-547acee27253%7Cwebsite=Medium|date=October 26, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/03/you-casts-marielle-scott-georgina-reilly-city-on-a-hill-1202568811/%7Ctitle='You' Casts Marielle Scott; Georgina Reilly Joins 'City On A Hill'|work=Deadline Hollywood|first=Denise|last=Petski|date=March 4, 2019|access-date=March 4, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/04/you-melanie-field-magda-apanowicz-to-recur-in-series-second-season-on-netflix-1202588662/%7Ctitle='You': Melanie Field & Magda Apanowicz To Recur In Series' Second Season On Netflix|work=Deadline Hollywood|first=Denise|last=Petski|date=April 4, 2019|access-date=April 4, 2019}}</ref>
Lucy Marielle Scott
Sunrise Melanie Field

2019

Year Show Network Character Actor Notes
2019 3 Will Be Free One 31
Line TV		 Shin Tay Tawan Shin is gay.<ref name="3 Will Be Free"/>
Neo Joss Way-ar Neo is bisexual.<ref name="3 Will Be Free"/>
Mae Jennie Panhan title=3 Will Be Free |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/3-will-be-free/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
2019– All Rise CBS Judge Lisa Benner Marg Helgenberger title=Boobs On Your Tube: Grace Choi Is Back On "Black Lightning," Celebrates With Cute Queer Bed Cuddling |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/boobs-on-your-tube-grace-choi-is-back-on-black-lightning/ |website=Autostraddle |date=25 October 2019}}</ref>
2019– Another Life Netflix Zayne JayR Tinaco title=How Starring in a Netflix Show Helped This Nonbinary Actor Thrive |url=https://www.out.com/television/2019/9/12/how-starring-netflix-show-helped-nonbinary-actor-thrive |date=12 September 2019}}</ref>
2019– Batwoman The CW Kate Kane Ruby Rose Kate Kane is the lesbian cousin of Bruce Wayne / Batman.<ref name=Schager>{{cite web|last1=Schager|first1=Nick|title=Ruby Rose's Kickass, Lesbian Batwoman Shows Plenty of Promise|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/ruby-roses-kickass-lesbian-batwoman-shows-plenty-of-promise%7Cwebsite=The Daily Beast|date=October 6, 2019}}</ref>
Sophie Moore Meagan Tandy last1=Fierra|first1=Ariana|title='Batwoman's' Meagan Tandy talks importance of Sophie Moore, season 2|url=https://www.hypable.com/batwoman-meagan-tandy-interview/%7Cwebsite=Hypable%7Cdate=April 25, 2020}}</ref>
Julia Pennyworth Christina Wolfe last1=Ng|first1=Philiana|title='Batwoman' Sneak Peek: Kate Kane Gets a Pep Talk from Her Ex Julia Pennyworth (Exclusive)|url=https://www.etonline.com/batwoman-sneak-peek-kate-kane-gets-a-pep-talk-from-her-ex-julia-pennyworth-exclusive-145361%7Cwebsite=Entertainment Tonight|date=April 23, 2020}}</ref> Batwoman is the first lesbian superhero to forefront a prime time series.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bentley|first=Jean|title='Batwoman' Star Ruby Rose Hopes Groundbreaking Lesbian Superhero Appeals to Everyone|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/ruby-rose-batwoman-1229120%7Cwork=The Hollywood Reporter|date=August 4, 2019}}</ref>
Ryan Wilder Javicia Leslie title=What The DC Comics Can Tell Us About The CW's New 'Batwoman' Ryan Wilder |url=https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/ryan-wilder-batwoman-comics |website=Bustle}}</ref>
Angelique Martin Bevin Bru last1=Gomez |first1=Emmanuel |title=Cuban Actress Bevin Bru Introduces Us To Angelique Martin Ryan's Ex In The CW's Batwoman [Exclusive Interview] |url=https://lrmonline.com/news/cuban-actress-bevin-bru-introduces-us-to-angelique-martin-ryans-ex-in-the-cws-batwoman-exclusive-interview/ |website=Latino Review Media |date=21 February 2021}}</ref>
Safiyah Sohail Shivani Ghai Safiyah Sohail is a lesbian. She is Queen of the pirate nation of Coryana.<ref name="tatiana and safiyah"/>
Tatiana Leah Gibson title=Batwoman Episode 203 Recap: Bat Girl Magic! |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/batwoman-203-recap-bat-girl-magic/ |website=Autostraddle |date=1 February 2021}}</ref>
Evan Blake Lincoln Clauss title=Batwoman Writer Explains the Importance of the Show's New Nonbinary Character |url=https://www.cbr.com/batwoman-nonbinary-evan-blake-writer-coments/ |website=CBR |date=22 February 2021}}</ref>
Reagan title="Batwoman" Keeps Getting Gayer and Queering Superhero Tropes |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/batwoman-keeps-getting-gayer-and-queering-superhero-tropes/%7Cwebsite=Autostraddle%7Cdate=28 October 2019}}</ref>
Gina Favour Onosemuede title=Gina, Batwoman (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/gina-5/}}</ref>
Parker Torres Malia Pyles title=Parker Torres, Batwoman (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/parker-torres/}}</ref>
Sara Lance Caity Lotz Sara Lance is bisexual. She had a guest appearance in 2019, episode "Crisis on Infinite Earths".<ref>{{cite web|title=Sara Lance, Batwoman (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sara-lance/}}</ref>
2019– Bluff City Law NBC Della Bedford Jayne Atkinson last1=Bandyopadhyay|first1=Alakananda|title='Bluff City Law' star Jayne Atkinson on Della's coming out story and the backlash she faces: 'It's not a deliberate mess'|url=https://meaww.com/bluff-city-law-jayne-atkinson-della-coming-out-lesbian-age-backlash-condemned-lgbtq-hollywood%7Cwebsite=MEAWW (Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide)|date=October 28, 2019}}</ref>
2019– Bonding Netflix Pete Brendan Scannell last1=Bachchan |first1=Vrinda |title=Is Bonding Based on a True Story? Is the Netflix Show Based on Real Life? |url=https://thecinemaholic.com/is-bonding-based-on-a-true-story/ |website=The Cinemaholic |date=27 January 2021}}</ref>
Josh Theo Stockman title=Netflix's Bonding: How Josh's Coming Out Was Ruined by [SPOILER] |url=https://www.cbr.com/netflixs-bonding-josh-coming-out-ruined-pete/ |website=CBR |date=4 February 2021}}</ref>
2019– The Boys Amazon Prime Video Ezekiel Shaun Benson last1=Kuchera |first1=Ben |title=The Boys is a great show at the worst time |url=https://www.polygon.com/2019/8/6/20747593/the-boys-amazon-politics-hard-to-watch |website=Polygon |date=6 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Amazon's The Boys Flips The Comic's Approach To Homophobia |url=https://screenrant.com/boys-amazon-comic-homosexuality-representation-changes/ |website=Screen Rant |date=10 November 2019}}</ref>
Queen Maeve Dominique McElligott last1=Tallerico|first1=Brian|title=The Boys Recap: Dancing With Myself|url=https://www.vulture.com/amp/article/the-boys-season-2-episode-4-recap-nothing-like-it-in-the-world.html%7Cwebsite=Vulture.com|date=September 11, 2020}}</ref>
Elena Nicola Correia-Damude last1=Damshenas|first1=Sam|title=The Boys tackles bi-erasure and lack of LGBTQ+ superheroes in Hollywood|url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/the-boys-tackles-bi-erasure-and-lack-of-lgbtq-superheroes-in-hollywood/amp/%7Cwebsite=gaytimes.co.uk%7Cdate=22 September 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Opie|first1=David|title=The Boys season 2 calls out queer erasure in Marvel and DC movies|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a34359719/the-boys-season-2-lgbtq-queer-maeve-marvel-dc/%7Cwork=digitalspy.com%7Cdate=October 14, 2020}}</ref>
2019– Carnival Row Amazon Prime Video Vignette Stonemoss Cara Delevingne Vignette Stonemoss is bisexual and a fairy. Tourmaline Larou is either bisexual or lesbian, and a fairy. Vignette and Tourmaline were once lovers and are now close friends.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Stevens|first1=Michael|title=Cara Delevingne In "Marie Claire"|url=http://www.sneakpeek.ca/2019/07/cara-delevingne-in-marie-claire.html%7Cwebsite=Sneak Peek|date=July 2, 2019|quote=I play this fairy called 'Vignette Stonemoss' who is a survivor, a really strong female lead. I'm a bisexual fairy – what else would you want to be in life?}}</ref>
Tourmaline Larou Karla Crome
Costin Finch Gregory Gudgeon Costin Finch was a closeted gay and the Headmaster of an orphanage. Dr. Morange was a closeted gay and the coroner for the Constabulary. Costin and Morange were longtime lovers and would meet in secret at the fairy brothel.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Shaw-Williams|first1=Hannah|title=Amazon's Carnival Row Cast & Character Guide|url=https://screenrant.com/carnival-row-amazon-series-cast-characters-guide/%7Cwebsite=Screen Rant|date=August 29, 2019}}</ref>
Dr. Morange John Malafronte
2019– The Club Netflix Santiago Caballero Alejandro Puente Santiago is gay. Max is gay. Santiago and Max are dating.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kramer |first1=Gary |title=Spanish-language series to stream during isolation |url=https://epgn.com/2020/03/23/spanish-language-series-to-stream-during-isolation/ |website=Philadelphia Gay News |date=23 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Quién es Max, novio de Santiago en El Club, serie de Netflix |url=https://www.desdelacuna.net/series/max-el-club-serie-martin-saracho-actor-quien-es/ |language=es |date=2 December 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Gay clip {{!}} El club Netflix: Santiago y Max |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCwJgS482S4}}</ref>
Max Martin Saracho
2019– Coroner CBC Ross Khalighi Ehren Kassam Ross Khalighi is gay and the teenage son of coroner Jenny Cooper. Matteo is gay and Ross's boyfriend. Ross and Matteo are dating.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Mazzeo|first1=Esme|title=Coroner Review: Scattered (Season 1 Episode 3)|url=https://telltaletv.com/2020/08/coroner-review-scattered-season-1-episode-3/%7Cwebsite=Tell-Tale TV|date=August 19, 2020}}</ref>
Matteo Graeme Jokic
Alison Trent Tamara Podemski last1=Wilson|first1=A.R.|title=Coroner: Tamara Podemski on Alison's backstory and why landing the role was a "huge triumph" for her|url=https://www.tv-eh.com/2019/02/08/coroner-tamara-podemski-on-alisons-backstory-and-why-landing-the-role-was-a-huge-triumph-for-her/%7Cwebsite=TV, eh?|date=February 8, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Liszewsk |first1=Bridget|title=Coroner: Noelle Carbone and Sean Reycraft Talk "All's Well" |url=https://thetvjunkies.com/coroner-noelle-carbone-sean-reycraft-talk-alls-well/%7Cwebsite=The TV Junkies|date=February 4, 2019}}</ref>
Sabina Jeananne Goossen title=Coroner: Characters: Alison Trent|url=https://www.cbc.ca/coroner/characters/alison-trent%7Cwebsite=CBC|date=2019}}</ref>
Taylor Kim Alli Chung author=Heather M.|title=Morwyn Brebner and Adrienne Mitchell Talk Coroner's Season 1 Finale|url=https://thetelevixen.com/morwyn-brebner-and-adrienne-mitchell-talk-coroners-season-1-finale/%7Cwebsite=The Televixen|date=February 25, 2019}}</ref>
2019 Dark Blue Kiss GMM 25
Line TV		 Pete Tay Tawan Pete and Kao are boyfriends. Non has a same-sex crush on Kao. Sun and Mork are gay love interests. Thai boys' love series.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Antonio |first1=Josiah |title=Series review: ’Dark Blue Kiss’ teaches people to accept queer family members, friends |url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/10/27/20/bl-series-dark-blue-kiss-review-tay-tawan-new-thitipoon-teaches-people-to-accept-their-queer-family-members-friends |website=ABS-CBN News |date=27 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Tamayo |first1=Olivier |title=What Keeps Me Calm: Watching ‘Dark Blue Kiss’ |url=https://metro.style/culture/spotlight/what-keeps-me-calm-watching-dark-blue-kiss/26271 |website=Metro.Style |date=July 24, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=GMMTV|title=Dark Blue Kiss |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRr2QTHukzo%7Cwebsite=YouTube|date=September 27, 2019}}</ref>
Kao New Thitipoom
Non AJ Chayapol
Sun Podd Suphakorn
Mork Fluke Gawin
2019– David Makes Man OWN Mx. Elijah Travis Coles last1=Cuby |first1=Michael |title=David Makes Man Is the Kind of Show That Can Make Oprah Cry |url=https://www.them.us/story/david-makes-man |website=them |date=August 13, 2019}}</ref>
Femi Trace Lysette Femi is a trans woman.<ref name="david makes man"/>
Star Child Logan Rozos Star Child is a trans man.<ref name="david makes man"/>
2019– Dickinson Apple TV+ Emily Dickinson Hailee Steinfeld Emily Dickinson is lesbian and an aspiring poet. She is in love with Sue Gilbert, her best friend, who is bisexual.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dickinson |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/dickinson/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
Sue Gilbert Ella Hunt
2019– Doom Patrol DC Universe Larry Trainor Matt Bomer last1=Thorne |first1=Will |title=Matt Bomer on Playing a Gay Superhero in DC Universe Show ‘Doom Patrol’ |url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/matt-bomer-playing-gay-superhero-in-dc-universe-doom-patrol-1203150639/ |website=Variety |date=27 February 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Opie |first1=David |title=Doom Patrol's Matt Bomer on season 2 and the "cost" of playing a gay hero |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a32933658/doom-patrol-matt-bomer-larry-trainor-gay-lgbtq/ |website=Digital Spy |date=26 June 2020}}</ref>
John Bowers Kyle Clements title=Doom Patrol's Matt Bomer on Playing a Gay Superhero |url=https://www.themarysue.com/doom-patrol-matt-bomer-gay-superhero/ |date=3 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Matt Bomer on Bringing Queer Representation to Prestige Superhero TV (Exclusive) |url=https://www.kmov.com/matt-bomer-on-bringing-queer-representation-to-prestige-superhero-tv-exclusive/article_57495363-ccf6-53e6-bb21-b2d31a95d846.html |website=KMOV}}</ref>
Maura Lee Karupt Alan Mingo Jr. last1=Hill |first1=Kennedy |title=Doom Patrol Is a Refreshing Ally For the Queer Community, and We Love It |url=https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/how-doom-patrol-represents-queer-community-47627217 |website=Popsugar |date=26 July 2020}}</ref>
Danny the Street N/A}} Danny the Street is a sentient gender-queer street with the power to teleport themselves and their residents to any location in the world. They communicate through street signs, napkins, neon signs, and anything else they can create letters on.<ref name="Doom Patrol Popsugar"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Doom Patrol's Genderqueer Street Episode Is the Queerest Thing on TV |url=https://www.pride.com/geek/2019/4/09/doom-patrols-genderqueer-street-episode-queerest-thing-tv |date=9 April 2019}}</ref>
2019– Euphoria HBO Rue Bennett Zendaya last1=Henderson|first1=Taylor|url=https://www.pride.com/tv/2019/4/11/drakes-new-hbo-teen-drama-euphoria-will-feature-trans-character%7Ctitle=Drake's New HBO Teen Drama Euphoria Will Feature a Trans Character|website=Pride.com|date=April 11, 2019}}</ref>
Jules Hunter Schafer Jules is a transgender young woman.<ref name="euphoria"/>
Cal Jacobs Sean Martini Cal Jacobs is bisexual. He is married but has a secret Grindr profile.<ref name=Pape>{{cite web |last1=Pape |first1=Allie |title=Euphoria Recap: A Very Narrow Window of Cool |url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/06/euphoria-recap-season-1-episode-1-and-2.html |website=Vulture |date=June 23, 2019}}</ref>
TC Bobbi Salvör Menuez TC is non-binary.<ref name="trippy hookup"/>
Anna Quintessa Swindell last1=Romero|first1=Ariana|title=WTF Happened During Jules' Trippy Hookup On Euphoria?|url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/07/239094/jules-anna-nate-sex-scene-euphoria-episode-7%7Cwebsite=Refinery29|date=July 29, 2019}}</ref>
2019– Five Bedrooms Network Ten Harry Roy Joseph title='Five Bedrooms' star Roy Joseph finds his mojo |url=https://www.if.com.au/five-bedrooms-star-roy-joseph-finds-his-mojo/ |website=IF Magazine |date=24 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Five play house in Ten’s new drama |url=https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/entertainment/confidential/five-play-house-in-tens-new-drama/news-story/89f370361aa5b0ecaf0b499ea110668a}}</ref>
Pete Portelli Adam Fiorentino title=In Bed With |url=https://pocketmags.com/dna-magazine/234-july-the-hot-bodies-issue/articles/596924/in-bed-with}}</ref>
2019– For All Mankind Apple TV+ Larry Wilson Nate Corddry last1=Brownworth |first1=Victoria A. |title=Space, grace, erased: The Lavender Tube on Pose, For All Mankind & trans erasure in news |url=https://www.ebar.com/arts_&_culture/television//302663 |website=The Bay Area Reporter |date=March 9, 2021}}</ref>
Ellen Waverly Jodi Balfour last1=Surrey |first1=Miles |title=For All Mankind Continues to Make Giant Leaps in Season 2 |url=https://www.theringer.com/tv/2021/2/18/22288277/for-all-mankind-season-2-apple-tv |website=The Ringer |date=18 February 2021}}</ref>
Pam Horton Meghan Leathers last1=Miller |first1=Liz Shannon |title=For All Mankind Season Finale Recap: Everybody Wants to Rule the Moon |url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/12/for-all-mankind-finale-recap-season-1-episode-10-a-city-upon-a-hill.html |website=Vulture |date=20 December 2019}}</ref>
Elise Mele Ihara title=Elise, For All Mankind (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/elise-2/}}</ref>
2019– Four More Shots Please! Amazon Prime Video Umang Singh Bani J last1=Desai|first1=Ketaki|title=They're putting the B in LGBT|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-times/theyre-putting-the-b-in-lgbt/articleshow/76238210.cms%7Cwork=The Times of India|date=June 7, 2020|access-date=9 September 2020}}</ref>
2019– The Game of Keys Amazon Prime Video Valentín Lombardo Horacio Pancheri date=2021 |title=Where We Are on TV: 2020-2021 |url=https://www.glaad.org/sites/default/files/GLAAD%20-%20202021%20WHERE%20WE%20ARE%20ON%20TV.pdf |website=GLAAD |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115060919/https://www.glaad.org/sites/default/files/GLAAD%20-%20202021%20WHERE%20WE%20ARE%20ON%20TV.pdf |archive-date=2021-01-15 |page=39}}</ref>
Daniel Manuel Vega title=Christian Ramos, rompe esquemas con El juego de las Llaves |url=https://www.bogartmagazine.mx/noticias/christian-ramos-rompe-esquemas-con-el-juego-de-las-llaves/ |language=es |date=September 9, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Horacio Pancheri |url=http://adelantemagazine.com/horacio-pancheri/ |website=Adelante Magazine |language=es}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Daniel & Valentin {{!}} El Juego De Las Ilaves {{!}} Horacio Pancheri {{!}} Manuel Vega |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AN9ZmuRCFEE}}</ref>
2019– Gentleman Jack BBC One Anne Lister Suranne Jones Anne Lister and Ann Walker are a couple. Ann admits that she loves Anne.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Stuever |first1=Hank |title=HBO’s grand ‘Gentleman Jack’ gives a 19th-century lesbian landowner the respect she deserved |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/hbos-grand-gentleman-jack-gives-a-19th-century-lesbian-landowner-the-respect-she-deserved/2019/04/21/d81c5df0-621f-11e9-9412-daf3d2e67c6d_story.html |work=The Washington Post |date=April 21, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Dolinh |first1=Aline |title="Gentleman Jack’s" Warm, Irreverent Take on 19th-Century Lesbian Desire |url=https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/gentleman-jack-lesbian-desire-onscreen |work=Bitch |date=May 29, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Bent |first1=Lloyd |title=Anne Lister: the true story behind Gentleman Jack, based on trailblazing diaries of the ‘first modern lesbian’ |url=https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/anne-lister-gentleman-jack-true-story-diaries-lesbian-shibden-hall-suranne-jones-292550 |work=i |date=July 7, 2019}}</ref>
Ann Walker Sophie Rundle
2019– Girls from Ipanema Netflix Thereza Soares Mel Lisboa Set in the 1950s, Thereza Soares is bisexual and married to Nelson, with whom she has an open relationship. She has an affair with female journalist Helô. Helô is lesbian.<ref>{{cite web |title='Girls from Ipanema' Season 2: Writers did wrong by Ligia say fans but Adélia's developed plotline wins favor |url=https://meaww.com/netflix-girls-from-ipanema-season-2-fan-reactions-writers-did-ligia-death-wrong-adelia-complex-plot}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Coisa Mais Linda |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/coisa-mais-linda/}}</ref>
Helô Thaila Ayala
2019– Good Trouble Freeform Alice Kwan Sherry Cola last1=Gilchrist|first1=Tracy E.|title=Good Trouble's Diversity Includes Groundbreaking Bisexual Character|url=https://www.advocate.com/television/2019/1/08/good-troubles-diversity-includes-groundbreaking-bisexual-character%7Cwebsite=The Advocate|date=January 8, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title='Good Trouble' star Sherry Cola on a mission to break stereotypes, empower Asian queer girls |url=https://abc7chicago.com/freeform-good-trouble-sherry-cola-the-fosters/6311670/ |website=ABC7 Chicago |date=10 July 2020}}</ref>
Gael Tommy Martinez last=Smyth|first=Tom|title="Good Trouble" Shows Bisexual Men in a Way We Rarely See Them|url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/good-trouble-bisexual-men-representation%7Cwebsite=Teen Vogue}}</ref>
Bryan Michael Galante last1=Gelman |first1=Vlada |title=Good Trouble Boss Talks [Spoiler]'s Sexuality — Plus, Grade the Premiere! |url=https://tvline.com/2019/01/08/good-trouble-recap-season-1-premiere-gael-bisexual/ |website=TV Line |date=9 January 2019}}</ref>
Elijah Adrieux Denim Richards last1=Gelman |first1=Vlada |title=Good Trouble Boss Talks [Spoiler]'s Big L-Bomb, Previews Gael's New Guy |url=https://tvline.com/2019/06/18/good-trouble-recap-season-2-premiere-jamie-says-i-love-you-callie/ |website=TV Line |date=19 June 2019}}</ref>
Jazmin Martinez Hailie Sahar title=Good Trouble |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/good-trouble/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
Joey Daisy Eagan title='Good Trouble's' Women Are Bringing So Much Queer Visibility to TV |url=https://www.advocate.com/exclusives/2020/5/14/good-trouble-actors-speak-importance-queer-love-stories |date=14 May 2020}}</ref>
Lena Adams Foster Sherri Saum title=Sherri Saum on Being Back With Her Enduring Fosters/Good Trouble Fam |url=https://www.advocate.com/television/2021/3/10/sherri-saum-being-back-her-enduring-fostersgood-trouble-fam |date=11 March 2021}}</ref>
Lindsay Brady Rhea Butcher title="Good Trouble" Episode 205 Recap: Happy Heckling |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/good-trouble-episode-205-recap-happy-heckling/ |website=Autostraddle |date=17 July 2019}}</ref>
Meera Mattei Briana Venskus title="Good Trouble" Episode 102 Recap: The Coterie |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/good-trouble-episode-102-recap-the-coterie-446023/ |website=Autostraddle |date=16 January 2019}}</ref>
Stef Adams Foster Teri Polo last1=Andreeva |first1=Nellie |title=‘Good Trouble’: ‘The Fosters’ Stars Teri Polo and Sherri Saum To Reprise Roles On Spinoff Series |url=https://deadline.com/2018/07/good-trouble-the-fosters-teri-polo-and-sherri-saum-cast-reprise-roles-spinoff-series-1202430355/ |website=Deadline |date=20 July 2018}}</ref>
Sumi Kara Wang last1=Ferber |first1=Lawrence |title=Sherry Cola on Coming Out and Her Big Queer TV Love Triangle |url=http://www.newnownext.com/sherry-cola-on-good-trouble-big-queer-love-triangle-season-2/08/2019/}}</ref>
Shaun Kye Tamm Shaun is a trans man.<ref name="Good Trouble lgbt"/>
Ruby Shannon Chan-Kent last1=Ramos |first1=Dino-Ray |title=‘Marvel’s Helstrom’ Adds Daniel Cudmore; Shannon Chan-Kent Joins ‘Good Trouble’ |url=https://deadline.com/2019/11/marvel-helstrom-hulu-daniel-cudmore-shannon-chan-kent-good-trouble-freeform-1202779179/ |website=Deadline |date=6 November 2019}}</ref>
Sydney Caitlin Kimball Sydney is a lesbian.<ref name="Good Trouble lgbt"/>
Shai Floraz Anisha Jagannathan Shai Floraz is queer.<ref name="Good Trouble lgbt"/>
2019– Grand Hotel ABC Yolanda ("Yoli") Renna Justina Adorno last1=Lennon|first1=Mads|title=Grand Hotel: 5 shockers from Season 1, Episode 5|url=https://hiddenremote.com/2019/07/16/grand-hotel-s1e5-recap/2/%7Cwebsite=Hidden Remote|date=July 16, 2019}}</ref><ref name="tv series grand hotel">{{cite web|last1=Coombs|first1=Alexa|title=The Grand Hotel--I'm not Gay, I'm Queer|url=https://www.mrctv.org/videos/grand-hotel-im-not-gay-im-queer%7Cwebsite=MRCTV|date=July 30, 2019}}</ref>
Sky Garibaldi Arielle Kebbel Sky Garibaldi is a lesbian and cook at the hotel. She was murdered during a hurricane.<ref name="grand hotel"/><ref name="tv series grand hotel"/>
Marisa Sabrina Texidor Marisa is a lesbian and also works at the hotel.<ref name="grand hotel"/><ref name="tv series grand hotel"/>
2019– The I-Land Netflix Blair Sibylla Deen last1=Brockington |first1=Ariana |title=Everyone Who's Not Kate Bosworth On The I-Land |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/09/8379363/netflix-the-i-land-series-cast-actors}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=‘The I-Land’ Cast Guide: Who’s Who in Netflix’s New Sci-Fi Thriller |url=https://decider.com/2019/09/12/the-i-land-cast-on-netflix/ |website=Decider |date=12 September 2019}}</ref>
2019– In the Dark The CW Jess Damon Brooke Markham Jess is a lesbian veterinarian. She's the roommate and best friend of Murphy Mason. Jess and Vanessa are in a romantic relationship and they admit that they love each other. Vanessa is either lesbian or bisexual. They break up after Jess cheats on Vanessa.<ref name="in the dark">{{cite web|last1=Bark|first1=Ed|title=Blindly Going Forth With CW Network's 'In The Dark'|url=http://www.tvworthwatching.com/post/Blindly-Going-Forth-With-CW-Networks-In-The-Dark.aspx |website=TV Worth Watching|date=April 4, 2019|access-date=19 April 2019}}</ref><ref name="pilot in the dark">{{cite web|last1=Hicks|first1=Aimee|title=In The Dark - Pilot - Advanced Preview: Honest New Series|url=https://www.spoilertv.com/2019/03/in-dark-pilot-advanced-preview-honest.html%7Cwebsite=SpoilerTV%7Cdate=March 30, 2019|access-date=20 April 2019}}</ref>
Vanessa Humberly Gonzalez
Sam Cortni Vaughn Joyner Sam is a butch lesbian henchwoman and liquidator.<ref name="in the dark"/><ref name="pilot in the dark"/>
Sterling Natalie Liconti Sterling is lesbian and Sam's girlfriend. She infiltrates Guiding Hope as a kennel assistant and dates Jess to gain her trust while keeping an eye on everyone.<ref name="in the dark"/><ref name="pilot in the dark"/>
2019– The InBetween NBC Tom Hackett Paul Blackthorne title=The InBetween series premiere recap: Breaking down the episode |url=https://hiddenremote.com/2019/05/30/the-inbetween-series-premiere-recap/ |website=Hidden Remote |date=30 May 2019}}</ref><ref name="tv series inbetween">{{cite web |title=Review: She sees dead people... again. Psychic crime stopping in NBC’s ‘The InBetween’ |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-the-inbetween-nbc-review-20190527-story.html |website=Los Angeles Times |date=27 May 2019}}</ref>
Brian Currie Michael B. Silver Brian Currie is a gay therapist, married to Tom Hackett.<ref name="the inbetween"/><ref name="tv series inbetween"/>
2019– The L Word: Generation Q Showtime Bette Porter Jennifer Beals last1=Vincentelli|first1=Elisabeth|title='The L Word: Generation Q' Review: New Vision, Old Blind Spots|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/05/arts/television/l-word-generation-q-review.html%7Cwork=The New York Times|date=December 5, 2019|access-date=6 December 2019}}</ref><ref name="lword q">{{cite web|last1=Martin|first1=Rachel|title='The L Word' Returns, Rebooted For 'Generation Q'|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/12/06/785262220/the-l-word-returns-rebooted-for-generation-q%7Cwebsite=NPR|date=December 6, 2019|access-date=6 December 2019}}</ref><ref name="The L Word: Generation Q">{{cite web |title=The L Word: Generation Q |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/the-l-word-generation-q/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
Shane McCutcheon Katherine Moennig Shane is lesbian.<ref name="lword q"/>
Alice Pieszecki Leisha Hailey Alice is bisexual.<ref name="lword q"/>
Dani Núñez Arienne Mandi title=The L Word: Generation Q Cast - All Characters & Cast by Season {{!}} SHOWTIME |url=https://www.sho.com/the-l-word-generation-q/cast |website=SHO.com}}</ref>
Sophie Suarez Rosanny Zayas Sophie is lesbian. Dani and Sophie are engaged.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="SHO.com"/>
Gigi Ghorbani Sepideh Moafi Gigi is lesbian.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="SHO.com"/>
Micah Lee Leo Sheng Micah is a trans man.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="November 26, 2019"/>
Sarah Finley Jacqueline Toboni Sarah is lesbian.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="SHO.com"/>
José Freddy Miyares title='The L Word: Generation Q' star Leo Sheng dishes on THAT steamy swimming pool scene |url=https://meaww.com/the-l-word-generation-q-exclusive-interview-leo-sheng-micah-lee-swimming-pool-jose-freddy-miyares-398454}}</ref>
Angelica Porter-Kennard Jordan Hull last1=Prahl |first1=Amanda |title=All the New and Returning Faces in The L Word: Generation Q Cast |url=https://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/l-word-generation-q-cast-46974741?stream_view=1#photo-46974824 |website=Popsugar |date=8 December 2019}}</ref>
Felicity Adams Latarsha Rose title='The L Word: Generation Q' casts Bette and Tina's daughter |url=https://ew.com/tv/2019/07/26/the-l-word-generation-q-bette-tina-daughter-angie/ |website=Entertainment Weekly}}</ref>
Jordi Sophie Giannamore title="The L Word: Generation Q" Casts Trans Actress Jamie Clayton as Tess, Which Is a Gay Name |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/l-word-generation-q-casts-trans-actress-jamie-clayton-as-tess-which-is-a-gay-name/ |website=Autostraddle |date=31 July 2019}}</ref>
Lena Mercedes Mason last1=Esposito |first1=Cameron |title=The L Word: Generation Q Recap: Oh Come, All Ye Faithful |url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/12/the-l-word-generation-q-recap-season-1-episode-3-lost-love.html |website=Vulture |date=22 December 2019}}</ref>
Natalie Bailey Stephanie Allynne Natalie Bailey is a lesbian.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="Popsugar lword"/>
Pierce Williams Brian Michael Smith last1=Bendix |first1=Trish |title=‘The L Word’ got trans men wrong. The sequel plans to make it right |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/tv/ct-ent-the-l-word-generation-q-trans-men-20191126-zlkxmyprzbardpsl4egdrhrvbm-story.html |website=Chicago Tribune |date=November 26, 2019}}</ref>
Quiara Thompson Lex Scott Davis last1=Petski |first1=Denise |title=‘The L Word: Generation Q’ Trailer: Extended Look At Showtime Sequel Series |url=https://deadline.com/video/the-l-word-generation-q-trailer-showtime-sequel-series-jennifer-beals/ |website=Deadline |date=24 October 2019}}</ref>
Rebecca Olivia Thirlby Rebecca is bisexual.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="Deadline the lword"/>
Tess Van De Berg Jamie Clayton Tess Van De Berg is a lesbian.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="Autostraddle lword"/>
Heather Fortune Feimster title=The L Word: Gen Boring |url=https://archermagazine.com.au/2020/02/the-l-word-gen-boring/ |website=Archer Magazine |date=7 February 2020}}</ref><ref name="megan rapinoe">{{cite web |title=Megan Rapinoe set to guest star on new 'The L Word: Generation Q' |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/topics/pride/fast-lane/article/2019/12/20/megan-rapinoe-set-guest-star-new-l-word-generation-q}}</ref>
Roxane Gay Roxane Gay Roxane Gay is bisexual. Guest character.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="Deadline the lword"/><ref name="gen boring"/>
Maya Stevenson Tamara Taylor Maya Stevenson is not straight. Guest character.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="Deadline the lword"/><ref name="gen boring"/>
Tina Kennard Laurel Holloman Tina Kennard is bisexual. Guest character.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="Deadline the lword"/><ref name="gen boring"/>
Megan Rapinoe Megan Rapinoe Megan Rapinoe is a lesbian. Guest character.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="Deadline the lword"/><ref name="megan rapinoe"/>
Zoe Ashley Gallegos Zoe is a lesbian. Guest character.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="Deadline the lword"/><ref name="gen boring"/>
2019– Limetown Facebook Watch Lia Haddock Jessica Biel Lia is a lesbian journalist investigating the disappearance of the population of a small Appalachian town. Lia's girlfriend is lesbian.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Piccoli|first1=Dana|title=A lesbian crime reporter falls deep into a dangerous mystery in "Limetown" series|url=https://www.bellamediachannel.com/a-lesbian-crime-reporter-falls-deep-into-a-dangerous-mystery-in-limetown-series/%7Cwebsite=Bella Media |publisher=Bella Books|date=October 22, 2019}}</ref>
Lia's girlfriend Kandyse McClure
2019– Made In Heaven Amazon Prime Video Karan Mehra Arjun Mathur last1=Ramachandran |first1=Naman |title=International Emmy Nominee Arjun Mathur Talks ‘Made In Heaven’, Freedom (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2020/streaming/news/emmy-actor-nominee-arjun-mathur-made-in-heaven-1234836561/ |website=Variety |date=20 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Arora |first1=Priya |title=An Indian TV Show Points the Way for a New Generation |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/09/arts/television/amazon-india-made-in-heaven.html |website=The New York Times |date=9 April 2019}}</ref>
2019– Merlí: Sapere Aude Movistar+ Pol Rubio Carlos Cuevas Pol Rubio comes out as bisexual. Bruno Bergeron is gay. Pol and Bruno have a complicated romance, extended from the previous TV series, Merlí.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Dios|first=Marisa de|url=https://www.elperiodico.com/es/tele/20191204/merli-sapere-aude-filosofia-bisexualidad-7762415%7Ctitle='Merlí. Sapere aude': de la filosofía a la bisexualidad|work=El Periódico de Catalunya|date=December 4, 2019|access-date=22 December 2019|language=es}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Jiménez|first=Adrián|url=https://www.ecartelera.com/noticias/carlos-cuevas-maria-pujalte-entrevista-merli-sapere-aude-58066/%7Ctitle=Carlos Cuevas ('Merlí: Sapere Aude'): "Es un logro que Pol sea un protagonista bisexual"|website=eCartelera|date=December 4, 2019|access-date=22 December 2019|language=es}}</ref>
Bruno Bergeron David Solans
Otilia Clàudia Vega Otilia is a lesbian. Amy O'Connor is a lesbian. Otilia and Amy hook up at a party.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Maltz|first=Diego|url=http://affinitymagazine.us/2017/04/09/why-is-no-one-talking-about-merli/%7Ctitle=Why Is No One Talking About Merlí?|website=Affinity Magazine|date=April 9, 2017|access-date=22 December 2019}}</ref>
Amy O'Connor Lesley Grant
2019– Nancy Drew The CW Bess Marvin Maddison Jaizani Bess Marvin is a lesbian and a waitress at The Bayside Claw. She develops a romantic interest in Lisbeth.<ref name="nancy drew"/>
Lisbeth Katie Findlay last1=Hay|first1=Carla|title=The "Batwoman" and "Nancy Drew" TV Series Are Getting Even Queerer|url=http://www.newnownext.com/batwoman-nancy-drew-gay-characters-storylines-cw/11/2019/%7Cwebsite=NewNowNext|date=November 19, 2019}}</ref>
2019 No Good Nick Netflix Jeremy Thompson Kalama Epstein last1=Ermac|first1=Raffy|title=Jeremy's Coming Out in No Good Nick Is Emotional AF|url=https://www.pride.com/comingout/2019/8/07/jeremys-coming-out-no-good-nick-emotional-af%7Cwebsite=Pride.com|date=August 7, 2019|access-date=July 31, 2020}}</ref>
Eric Gus Kamp Eric is gay. He tells Jeremy that his family already knew he was gay before coming out to them.<ref name="no good nick"/>
2019 Now Apocalypse Starz Ulysses Zane Avan Jogia title=5 queerest moments in the first episode of Now Apocalypse |url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/5-queerest-moments-in-the-first-episode-of-now-apocalypse/ |website=Gay Times |date=13 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Swift |first1=Andy |title=Now Apocalypse's Avan Jogia Knows His Sex Scenes With Tyler Posey Are 'Going to Be Gif'd to Death' |url=https://tvline.com/2019/03/10/now-apocalypse-sex-scenes-avan-jogia-tyler-posey-interview/ |website=TV Line |date=10 March 2019}}</ref>
Gabriel Tyler Posey last1=Taylor 3/15/2019 |first1=Jeff |title=Tyler Posey Talks "Intense" Gay Hookup Scenes in "Now Apocalypse," Calls Avan Jogia a Good Kisser |url=http://www.newnownext.com/tyler-posey-avan-jogia-sex-scenes-now-apocalypse/03/2019/ |website=NewNowNext |date=March 15, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Tyler Posey & Avan Jogia Loved Playing Gay in 'Now Apocalypse' |url=https://www.pride.com/tv/2019/3/06/tyler-posey-avan-jogia-loved-playing-gay-now-apocalypse |website=Pride |date=6 March 2019}}</ref>
Isaac Jacob Artist last1=Ellwood-Hughes |first1=Pip |title=Now Apocalypse 1×07 Anywhere Out of the World recap |url=https://entertainment-focus.com/2019/04/28/now-apocalypse-1x07-anywhere-out-of-the-world-recap/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Petski |first1=Denise |title=‘Now Apocalypse’: Jacob Artist & Chris Aquilino Set To Recur On Starz Comedy Series |url=https://deadline.com/2018/06/now-apocalypse-jacob-artist-chris-aquilino-recur-starz-comedy-series-1202412596/ |website=Deadline |date=19 June 2018}}</ref>
2019– Osmosis Netflix Lucas Apert Stéphane Pitti last1=Berlatsky |first1=Noah |title=Netflix's Osmosis is Black Mirror without the tech paranoia |url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/26/18281474/netflix-osmosis-review-french-black-mirror-nanotechnology-romance |website=The Verge|date=26 March 2019}}</ref>
Billie Tual Yuming Hey title=The Voice of Reason in 'Osmosis' is Gender Non-conforming: Looking Towards the Future of the Queer Identity |url=https://www.wussymag.com/all/2019/4/18/the-voice-of-reason-in-osmosis-is-gender-non-conforming-looking-towards-the-future-of-the-queer-identity}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Osmosis: Season 1 – Review {{!}} French Netflix Series |url=https://www.heavenofhorror.com/reviews/osmosis-netflix-season-1/ |website=Heaven of Horror |date=29 March 2019}}</ref>
2019– Pandora The CW Jacqueline "Jax" Zhou Priscilla Quintana Jax is bisexual.<ref name="pandora tv series"/>
Cordelia Fried Isabelle Bonfrer title=Pandora (TV series) |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/pandora/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
Atria Nine Raechelle Banno Atria Nine is pansexual.<ref name="pandora tv series"/>
Aleka Elizabeth Hammerton Aleka is pansexual.<ref name="pandora tv series"/>
2019– The Politician Netflix Payton Hobart Ben Platt Payton Hobart is bisexual. Initially identifies as straight and dates his classmate Alice Charles but develops a romantic relationship with his male classmate River Barkley and even has a threesome with River and his girlfriend Astrid Sloan. He and Alice later enter a short lived polyamorous relationship with Astrid before getting married.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Phillips |first1=Carmen |title="The Politician" Is a Stunningly Gay Ryan Murphy Roller Coaster |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/the-politician-is-a-stunningly-gay-ryan-murphy-roller-coaster/ |website=Autostraddle |date=October 1, 2019}}</ref>
River Barkley David Corenswet
Astrid Sloan Lucy Boynton title=Astrid Sloan |url=https://bi.org/en/bi-characters/astrid-sloan |website=Bi.org}}</ref>
Georgina Hobart Gwyneth Paltrow In season 1 Georgina leaves her husband Keaton for her female horse trainer, Brigitte. She later has relationships with Alison and Tino McCutcheon.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gilchrist |first1=Tracy E. |title='The Politician' Pits Ben Platt Against Judith Light and Bette Midler |url=https://www.advocate.com/television/2020/6/16/politician-pits-ben-platt-against-judith-light-and-bette-midler |website=Advocate |date=16 June 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Georgina Hobart |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/georgina-hobart/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
Brigitte Martina Navratilova
McAfee Westbrook Laura Dreyfuss title=McAfee Westbrook |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/mcafee-westbrook/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
Skye Leighton Rahne Jones title=Skye Leighton, The Politician (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/skye-leighton/}}</ref>
James Sullivan Theo Germaine title=James Sullivan, The Politician (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/james-sullivan/}}</ref>
Marcus Standish Joe Morton last1=Nichols |first1=Lynn |title=Anti-Blackness and Biphobia in Netflix’s "The Politician" |url=https://www.thevindi.com/post/anti-blackness-and-biphobia-in-netflix-s-the-politician |website=The Vindicator |date=4 October 2020}}</ref>
William Ward Teddy Sears For over ten years Teddy was engaged in a polyamorous relationship with married couple Marcus and Dede Standish, but eventually leaves them for a woman named Hadassah Gold.<ref name="the vindi"/>
Alice Charles Julia Schlaepfer last=Sorren|first=Martha|url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/09/8488292/who-is-alice-payton-girlfriend-the-politician%7Ctitle=We Need To Talk About Alice, From The Politician|date=September 28, 2019|website=Refinery29|access-date=February 8, 2021|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210208142052/https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/09/8488292/who-is-alice-payton-girlfriend-the-politician%7Carchive-date=February 8, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=VanDerWerff|first=Emily|url=https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/9/27/20886425/the-politician-netflix-review-ryan-murphy-ben-platt%7Ctitle=Netflix’s The Politician is a mess. But it may be a deeply meaningful one.|date=September 28, 2019|website=Vox|access-date=February 8, 2021|archive-date=July 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731053058/https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/9/27/20886425/the-politician-netflix-review-ryan-murphy-ben-platt%7Curl-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Witter|first=Brad|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/how-alice-paytons-politician-relationship-could-change-in-a-potential-season-3-22988822%7Ctitle=How Alice & Payton's Relationship Will Change If 'The Politician' Returns For Season 3|date=June 22, 2020|website=Bustle|access-date=February 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200722080244/https://www.bustle.com/p/how-alice-paytons-politician-relationship-could-change-in-a-potential-season-3-22988822%7Carchive-date=July 22, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>
Andi Mueller Robin Weigert title=Andi Mueller, The Politician (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/andi-mueller/}}</ref>
Susan Liv Mai title=Susan, The Politician (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/susan-2/}}</ref>
2019– Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists Freeform Alison DiLaurentis Sasha Pieterse Alison is bisexual. She was in a relationship with Emily Fields in the first series.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Warner|first1=Sam|title=Pretty Little Liars spin-off reveals what happened to Alison and Emily after the series ended|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a26893855/pretty-little-liars-the-perfectionists-alison-emily-emison/%7Cwebsite=Digital Spy|date=21 March 2019}}</ref>
Dylan Walker Eli Brown title=The ‘Pretty Little Liars’ Spinoff Is Unhinged Queer Camp |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/bjqq9z/pretty-little-liars-the-perfectionist-queer-show}}</ref><ref name="hidden pretty liars">{{cite web |title=PLL: The Perfectionists Season 1 finale recap: Who is the Professor? |url=https://hiddenremote.com/2019/05/22/pll-the-perfectionists-s1-finale-recap/ |website=Hidden Remote |date=22 May 2019}}</ref>
Andrew Villareal Evan Bittencourt title=Dylan Walker is the weakest link on 'The Perfectionists' |url=https://www.hypable.com/dylan-walker-weakest-link-the-perfectionists/ |website=Hypable |date=28 May 2019}}</ref>
Nolan Hotchkiss Chris Mason Nolan is bisexual.<ref name="vice pretty liars"/><ref name="hidden pretty liars"/>
2019 Proven Innocent Fox Madeline Scott Rachelle Lefevre Madeline is bisexual. She was with Wren during her time in prison. Wren is a lesbian.<ref>{{cite web|last=Byrd|first=Chris|title=A legal team takes on cases involving wrongful convictions in Fox's 'Proven Innocent'|url=https://catholiccourier.com/articles/a-legal-team-takes-on-cases-involving-wrongful-convictions-in-foxs-proven-innocent/%7Cwebsite=Catholic Courier|date=February 12, 2019}}</ref>
Wren Candice Coke
2019 The Red Line CBS Dr. Harrison Brennan Corey Reynolds Dr. Harrison Brennan is gay. He is married to Daniel Calder. He is shot, while unarmed, by a White cop.<ref name="the red line"/><ref name="daniel calder"/>
Daniel Calder Noah Wyle last1=Schwartz |first1=Ryan |title=CBS' The Red Line: Grade the Premiere |url=https://tvline.com/2019/04/28/the-red-line-recap-season-1-episode-1-series-premiere-noah-wyle-cbs/ |website=TV Line |date=29 April 2019}}</ref><ref name="daniel calder">{{cite web |last1=Stuever |first1=Hank |title=Review {{!}} Noah Wyle gives a must-see performance in CBS’s occasionally clunky ‘Red Line’ |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/noah-wyle-gives-a-must-see-performance-in-cbss-occasionally-clunky-red-line/2019/04/25/79fc0694-6611-11e9-8985-4cf30147bdca_story.html |website=Washington Post}}</ref>
Liam Bhatt Vinny Chhibber title=‘The Red Line’ Actor Vinny Chhibber: ‘We Still Struggle with Stepping Outside of Stereotypical Architypes Placed Upon Us’ |url=https://www.indiawest.com/entertainment/global/the-red-line-actor-vinny-chhibber-we-still-struggle-with-stepping-outside-of-stereotypical-architypes/article_96a75b66-6c35-11e9-991c-234a0d49369b.html |website=India West}}</ref>
Riley Hooper J.J. Hawkins title=JJ Hawkins Is a Trans Actor Playing a Trans Role on ‘The Red Line’ |url=https://www.out.com/television/2019/5/03/jj-hawkins-trans-actor-playing-trans-role-red-line |date=3 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Ramos |first1=Dino-Ray |title=J.J. Hawkins To Play First Transgender Character On ‘Charmed’ |url=https://deadline.com/2020/11/j-j-hawkins-charmed-the-cw-transgender-actor-lgbtq-diversity-representation-inclusion-1234616731/ |website=Deadline |date=17 November 2020}}</ref>
2019– Roswell, New Mexico The CW Michael Guerin Michael Vlamis

last1=Radish|first1=Christina|title='Roswell, New Mexico' Star Michael Vlamis on Season 2 and Exploring His Character's Bisexuality|url=https://collider.com/roswell-new-mexico-michael-vlamis-interview/%7Cwebsite=Collider|date=April 6, 2020}}</ref>
Alex Manes Tyler Blackburn title=Pilot|series=Roswell, New Mexico|first=Julie|last=Plec|network=The CW|season=1|number=1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Smith |first1=Chloe |title=Roswell, New Mexico is set to improve disability representation in season 3 |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a33364504/roswell-new-mexico-alex-manes-disabled-representation/ |website=Digital Spy |date=20 July 2020}}</ref>
Isobel Evans Lily Cowles title=Isobel Evans-Bracken, Roswell, New Mexico (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/isobel-evans-bracken/}}</ref>
Charlie Cameron Jamie Clayton title=Charlie Cameron, Roswell, New Mexico (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/charlie-cameron/}}</ref>
Blair Sarah Minnich title=Blair, Roswell, New Mexico (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/blair-3/}}</ref>
2019– Sex Education Netflix Eric Effiong Ncuti Gatwa last1=Maidment|first1=Adam|title=Sex Education on Netflix: Viewers praise show's LGBT+ representation|url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2019/01/12/sex-education-netflix-lgbt-representation/%7Cwebsite=PinkNews|date=January 12, 2019}}</ref>
Anwar Chaneil Kular last1=Brathwaite |first1=Lester Fabian |title=The "Sex Education" Douching Episode Is Required Gay Viewing |url=http://www.newnownext.com/sex-education-season-2-douching-lesson-episode-6/01/2020/ |website=NewNowNext |date=January 31, 2020}}</ref>
Adam Groff Connor Swindells last=Allah|first=Amari|url=https://wherever-i-look.com/tv-series/sex-education-season-1-episode-8-season-finale-recap-review-with-spoilers%7Ctitle=Sex Education: Season 1/ Episode 8 [Season Finale] - Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)|website=Wherever I Look|date=January 13, 2019}}</ref>
Ruthie Lily Newmark Ruthie is lesbian.<ref name="Sex Education"/>
Tanya Alice Hewkin Tanya is lesbian.<ref name="Sex Education"/>
Sofia Marchetti Hannah Waddingham Sofia and Roz Marchetti are Jackson's lesbian mothers.<ref name="Sex Education"/>
Roz Marchetti Sharon Duncan-Brewster
Rahim Sami Outalbali last=Clarke|first=Emma|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/stayingin/tvfilm/sex-education-actor-sami-outalbali-eric-boyfriend-rahim-a4335836.html%7Ctitle=Who is the new 'French guy' in Sex Education? Meet the actor who plays Eric's boyfriend Rahim|work=Evening Standard|date=17 January 2020}}</ref>
Florence Mirren Mack last=Dodgson|first=Lindsay|url=https://www.insider.com/best-sex-and-relationship-lessons-from-netflix-sex-education-season-2-2020-1%7Ctitle=The 11 best lessons season 2 of Netflix's 'Sex Education' teaches you about real-life sex and relationships|website=Insider|date=January 18, 2020}}</ref>
Ola Nyman Patricia Allison last=Upadhyaya|first=Kayla Kumari|url=https://tv.avclub.com/every-character-comes-to-life-in-sex-education-s-horny-1840877590%7Ctitle=Every character comes to life in Sex Education's horny and heartfelt 2nd season|website=The A.V. Club|date=January 9, 2020}}</ref>
Lily Iglehart Tanya Reynolds title=Sex Education |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/sex-education/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
2019– The Society Netflix Sam Sean Berdy Sam is gay and hearing impaired. Grizz is gay and learns sign language so he can communicate with Sam. They are romantically and sexually involved with each other.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dominick |first1=Nora |title=27 "The Society" Moments That Prove Grizz Is One Of The Best New Characters Of 2019 |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/noradominick/netflix-the-society-grizz-best-character |website=BuzzFeed}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Grizz and Sam's relationship on The Society already has fans feeling emotional |url=https://www.popbuzz.com/tv-film/the-society/grizz-and-sam-relationship/ |website=Pop Buzz}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sam + Grizz's Love Needs to Be Protected {{!}} The Society {{!}} Netflix |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me7GvzZJSkc |publisher=Netflix|via=YouTube}}</ref>
Grizz Jack Mulhern
2019– Special Netflix Ryan Hayes Ryan O'Connell title=Ryan O'Connell 'levels up' 'Special' for season 2 — and with it, Hollywood |url=https://ew.com/tv/ryan-oconnell-netflix-special-season-2/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ryan O'Connell and Netflix announce that season 2 of Special is back in production |url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/ryan-oconnell-and-netflix-announce-that-season-2-of-special-is-back-in-production/ |date=4 October 2020}}</ref>
Carey Augustus Prew title=Carey |url=https://www.stage13.com/shows/special/talent/carey/ |website=Stage 13}}</ref>
2019 The Stranded Netflix Krit Perth Tanapon Krit and Jack are a gay couple.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wheeler |first1=Greg |title=The Stranded – Season 1 Episode 5 Recap & Review |url=https://www.thereviewgeek.com/thestranded-s1e5review/ |website=The Review Geek |date=15 November 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Stranded (Netflix) Season 1, Episode 5 recap: "The Mutiny" {{!}} RSC |url=https://readysteadycut.com/2019/11/16/the-stranded-season-1-episode-5-recap-netflix/ |website=Ready Steady Cut |date=16 November 2019}}</ref>
Jack Mark Siwat
Arisa Chaleeda Gilbert title=The Stranded |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/the-stranded/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
Ying Ticha Wongtipkanon Ying is bisexual.<ref name="The Stranded"/>
2019– Stumptown ABC Dexadrine "Dex" Parios Cobie Smulders last1=Dorwart|first1=Laura|title=Cobie Smulders Plays A Bisexual Detective With PTSD In ABC's New Fall Series 'Stumptown'|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/lauradorwart/2019/08/26/cobie-smulders-plays-a-bisexual-detective-with-ptsd-in-abcs-new-fall-series-stumptown/#7148e5b7576a%7Cmagazine=Forbes|date=August 26, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Bernardini|first1=Gabrielle|title=Fans Will Get to Meet Dex's Ex-Girlfriend in New 'Stumptown' Episode|url=https://www.distractify.com/p/is-dex-stumptown-bisexual%7Cwebsite=Distractify%7Cdate=November 6, 2019}}</ref>
2019 Tales of the City Netflix Shawna Hawkins Elliot Page title=Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/armistead-maupins-tales-of-the-city/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
Michael 'Mouse' Tolliver Murray Bartlett last1=Barnes |first1=Mike |title=Marcus D'Amico Dead: The Original Mouse From 'Tales of the City,' Was 55 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/marcus-damico-the-original-mouse-from-tales-of-the-city-dies-at-55 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=29 December 2020}}</ref>
Ben Marshall Charlie Barnett last1=Reynolds |first1=Daniel |title=Charlie Barnett Brings Black Gay Representation to 'Tales of the City' |url=https://www.advocate.com/television/2019/5/22/charlie-barnett-brings-black-gay-representation-tales-city |website=The Advocate |date=22 May 2019}}</ref>
Anna Madrigal Olympia Dukakis Anna is a transsexual woman.<ref name="Tales of the City"/><ref>{{cite web|last1=White|first1=Brett|title='Tales of the City' on Netflix: Yes, Compton's Cafeteria Riot Really Happened|url=https://decider.com/2019/06/10/tales-of-the-city-netflix-comptons-cafeteria-riot/%7Cwebsite=Decider|date=June 10, 2019}}</ref>
Jake Rodriguez Garcia Jake is a transgender male.<ref name="Tales of the City"/>
Margot Park May Hong Margot is lesbian.<ref name="Tales of the City"/>
Samuel Garland Victor Garber last1=Barmann |first1=Jay |title=Armistead Maupin's 'Tales Of the City' Premieres On Netflix, With Victor Garber, Molly Ringwald and More Surprises |url=https://sfist.com/2019/06/08/armistead-maupins-tales-of-the-city-premieres-on-netflix-with-victor-garber-and-more-surprises/ |website=SFist |date=8 June 2019}}</ref>
DeDe Halcyon Day Barbara Garrick DeDe is lesbian.<ref name="Tales of the City"/>
Claire Duncan Zosia Mamet Claire is Shawna's love interest.<ref name="Tales of the City"/>
Ida Best Bob the Drag Queen Ida is gay and a drag queen.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sorren |first1=Martha |title=The 'Tales Of The City' 2019 Cast Includes A 'Girls' Fan Favorite & A 'Drag Race' Alum |url=https://www.bustle.com/p/the-tales-of-the-city-2019-cast-includes-a-girls-fan-favorite-a-drag-race-alum-17948582 |website=Bustle |date=June 6, 2019}}</ref>
Harrison Matthew Risch last1=Scott |first1=Darren |title=Netflix announce diverse queer cast and crew for 'Tales of the City' |url=https://www.attitude.co.uk/article/netflix-announce-diverse-queer-cast-and-crew-for-tales-of-the-city/19386/ |website=Attitude |date=16 October 2018}}</ref>
Flaco Ramirez Juan Castano title=Netflix announce diverse queer cast and crew for 'Tales of the City' |url=https://www.attitude.co.uk/article/netflix-announce-diverse-queer-cast-and-crew-for-tales-of-the-city/19386/ |website=Attitude |date=16 October 2018}}</ref>
Mateo Dickie Hearts last1=Lindsay |first1=Richard |title=Netflix Tales of the City Breaks Canon/New Ground |url=https://poptheology.com/netflix-tales-of-the-city-breaks-canon-new-ground/ |website=Pop Theology |date=18 July 2019}}</ref>
Inka Gisladottior Samantha Soule Inka is bisexual.<ref name="Tales of the City"/>
2019– TharnType: The Series One31 Tharn Mew Suppasit Tharn is gay. Tharn and Type are love interests.<ref name="TharnType"/> Thai boys love television series.
Type Gulf Kanawut title=TharnType: The Series |url=https://www.mediaversityreviews.com/tv-reviews/2020/8/23/tharntype-the-series |website=Mediaversity Reviews}}</ref>
Lhong Kaownah Kittipat title=รู้จัก 6 นักแสดง!! TharnType The Series เกลียดนักมาเป็นที่รักกันซะดีๆ |url=https://www.one31.net/news/detail/14780%7Clanguage=th%7Cwebsite=onehd31}}</ref>
Tar Kokliang Parinya Tar is Tharn's ex-boyfriend.<ref name="onehd31"/>
Tum Hiter Natthad Tum is gay.<ref name="onehd31"/>
Khlui Mawin Tanawin Khlui is gay.<ref name="onehd31"/>
2019 Theory of Love GMM 25 Third Gun Atthaphan Third originally has a secret crush on Khai but they eventually become a gay couple.<ref>{{cite web|author=GMMTV|title=ทฤษฎีจีบเธอ Theory of Love [Official Trailer]|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQT1x-4ciI4%7Cwebsite=YouTube|date=May 23, 2019}}</ref>
Khai Off Jumpol
2019– Toy Boy Antena 3
Netflix		 Jairo Carlos Constanzia Jairo is openly gay. Andrea is gay. Jairo and Andrea develop a romantic relationship.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Nicolaou|first1=Elena|title=The Cast of Netflix's Toy Boy Are About to Be Your New Favorite TV Crushes|url=https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/a31401715/toy-boy-netflix-cast/%7Cmagazine=Oprah Magazine|date=March 1, 2020}}</ref>
Andrea Norman Medina Juanjo Almeida
2019– Trinkets Netflix Elodie Davis Brianna Hildebrand Elodie Davis is lesbian and a kleptomaniac. Sabine is a queer singer, she shows interest in Elodie (who is also interested in her) and they kiss.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Phillipson|first1=Daisy|title=LGBTQ+ TV shows to get excited about in 2019 and beyond|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a25946658/lgbtq-tv-shows-to-get-excited-about-in-2019/%7Cwebsite=Digital Spy|date=14 June 2019}}</ref>
Sabine Katrina Cunningham
2019– The Umbrella Academy Netflix Klaus Hargreeves Robert Sheehan last1=Harp|first1=Justin|last2=Scott|first2=Darren|title=Robert Sheehan doesn't want his Umbrella Academy character to be labelled as just "the gay one"|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a26296278/netflix-umbrella-academy-robert-sheehan-gay-character/%7Cwebsite=Digital Spy|date=February 12, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Rocheleau|first1=Kelly|title=How 'The Umbrella Academy' show differs from the comic - and why that's a good thing|url=https://auburnpub.com/blogs/citizen_pop/how-the-umbrella-academy-show-differs-from-the-comic---and-why-thats-a/article_8b584457-e6eb-5381-84b6-098ec74042dc.html%7Cwork=The Citizen|date=March 13, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Gallagher|first1=Katie|title=Robert Sheehan says Klaus in Netflix's Umbrella Academy was rewritten to be gay after he was cast|url=https://www.irishmirror.ie/showbiz/irish-showbiz/robert-sheehan-netflix-umbrella-academy-22522731%7Cwork=Irish Mirror|date=14 August 2020}}</ref>
Vanya Hargreeves Elliot Page title=The Umbrella Academy |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/the-umbrella-academy/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
Dave Cody Ray Thompson Dave is gay. He and Klaus were together during the Vietnam War when Klaus travels back in time.<ref>{{Cite episode|title=The Day that Wasn't|series=The Umbrella Academy|first=Stephen|last=Surjik|network=Netflix|season=1|number=6}}{{subscription required}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Umbrella Academy Theory: Klaus Saved Dave's Life In Season 2 |url=https://screenrant.com/umbrella-academy-theory-klaus-saved-dave-life-vietnam/ |website=Screen Rant |date=10 September 2020}}</ref>
Sissy Cooper Marin Irlande Sissy is bisexual.<ref name="The Umbrella Academy"/>
2019 The Untamed Tencent Video Wei Wuxian Xiao Zhan Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji have a romantic friendship. The original web novel depicted a romantic relationship between the two main male characters, but it was changed for the television adaptation due to media censorship of LGBT portrayals.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Lusky|first=Bridget|date=2019-12-02|title='The Untamed': Chinese boy love drama we can't stop watching|url=https://filmdaily.co/news/the-untamed/%7Caccess-date=2020-09-24%7Cwebsite=Film Daily}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Khor|first=Emily|title='The Untamed' and how it Broke Barriers within Media Censorship|url=https://wolftracksonline.com/3338/opinion/the-untamed-and-how-it-broke-barriers-within-media-censorship/%7Caccess-date=2020-09-24%7Cwebsite=Wolf Tracks}}</ref>
Lan Wangji Wang Yibo
2019–2020 Until We Meet Again Line TV Dean Ohm Thitiwat Dean and Pharm are a gay couple. Thai boys love television series.<ref>{{cite web|author=Studio Wabi Sabi|title=[Official Trailer] Until We Meet Again {{!}} ด้ายแดง #UWMAseries|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlT_e3Eguz8%7Cwebsite=YouTube|date= October 7, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Until We Meet Again">{{cite web |title=Until We Meet Again The Series- ด้ายแดง (2019) |url=https://psycho-milk.com/2020/02/15/until-we-meet-again-uwma/ |website=Psychomilk's Love Without Gender |date=15 February 2020}}</ref><ref name="We Meet Again">{{cite web |title=Until We Meet Again The Series - Is Until We Meet Again The Series on Netflix? - Netflix TV Series |url=https://www.netflixtvseries.com/tv/95279/until-we-meet-again-the-series}}</ref>
Pharm Fluke Natouch
In Earth Katsamonnat In and Korn are a gay couple.<ref name="Until We Meet Again"/><ref name="We Meet Again"/>
Korn Kao Noppakao
Team Prem Warut Team and Win are a couple.<ref name="Until We Meet Again"/><ref name="We Meet Again"/>
Win Boun Noppanut
Alex Mean Phiravich Alex is bisexual. He initially had a crush on Pharm but later dates Del.<ref name="Until We Meet Again"/><ref name="We Meet Again"/>
2019– Watchmen HBO Will Reeves Louis Gossett Jr. Will Reeves is gay or bisexual, and had an affair with Nelson Gardner.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Stefansky|first1=Emma|url=https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/watchmen-episode-6-hooded-justice-actor-jovan-adepo-interview%7Ctitle=Jovan Adepo on That Big 'Watchmen' Scene: 'You're Supposed to Feel Uncomfortable'|website=Thrillist|date=November 24, 2019|access-date=November 25, 2019}}</ref>
Nelson Gardner Jovan Adepo
2019– Weird City YouTube Premium Stu Dylan O'Brien Stu and Burt are in a sexual and romantic relationship. They are assigned to be together after an app determines they are meant for one another.<ref>{{Cite episode |title=The One|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMnq5v8yZp4%7Cseries=Weird City|first=Adam|last=Bernstein|network=YouTube Premium|season=1|number=1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Weird City Episode 1 Review: The One |url=https://www.nerdsandbeyond.com/2019/02/13/weird-city-episode-1-review-the-one/ |website=Nerds and Beyond |date=13 February 2019}}</ref>
Burt Ed O'Neill
Liquia Laverne Cox Liquia and Jathryn are in a committed romantic and sexual relationship.<ref>{{Cite episode |title=Smart House|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54xhRlxODxA%7Cseries=Weird City|first=Charlie|last=Sanders|network=YouTube Premium|season=1|number=4}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Flook |first1=Ray |title=Weird City Preview: Laverne Cox, Sara Gilbert vs. Tech Gone Bad |url=https://bleedingcool.com/tv/weird-city-cox-preview/ |website=Bleeding Cool|date=29 January 2019}}</ref>
Jathryn Sara Gilbert
2019– What/If Netflix Marcos Juan Castano Marcos and Lionel are a couple.<ref name="what if">{{cite web |last1=Travers |first1=Ben |title=What / If: The Ending Isn't All That Matters in Season 1, But Boy Is It Grand |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2019/05/what-if-ending-what-happens-season-1-netflix-1202144741/ |website=Indie Wire |date=26 May 2019}}</ref><ref name="ifwhat"/>
Lionel John Clarence Stewart
Kevin Derek Smith last1=Swift |first1=Andy |title=What/If Creator Breaks Down the Biggest Twists From Part 1, Including the Finale's Ominous Ending |url=https://tvline.com/2019/05/27/what-if-season-1-finale-ending-explained-anne-dead-alive/ |website=TV Line |date=27 May 2019}}</ref>
2019– World on Fire BBC One Webster O'Connor Brian J. Smith Webster O'Connor is a gay American doctor. Albert Fallou is a gay Parisian saxophonist. They are in a romantic relationship.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Prescott|first=Amanda-Rae|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/world-on-fire-queer-history/%7Ctitle=How World On Fire Spotlights Previously Untold Queer History|website=Den of Geek|date=April 26, 2020}}</ref>
Albert Fallou Parker Sawyers
2019– Years and Years BBC One Daniel Lyons Russell Tovey title=Check out Russell Tovey's gay wedding in new drama from Queer as Folk creator |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2019/04/22/years-and-years-trailer-russell-tovey-gay-character-russell-t-davies-drama/ |website=Pink News |date=22 April 2019}}</ref><ref name="gay times years and years">{{cite web |title=Years and Years star Dino Fetscher on the "vital importance" of LGBTQ representation |url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/years-and-years-star-dino-fetscher-on-the-vital-importance-of-lgbtq-representation/ |date=11 June 2019}}</ref><ref name="pride years and years">{{cite web |title=HBO's 'Years and Years' Is the Great Gay Epic of Our Time |url=https://www.pride.com/tv/2019/7/29/hbos-years-and-years-great-gay-epic-our-time |date=29 July 2019}}</ref><ref name="blade years and years">{{cite web |title=Futuristic new Brit drama ‘Years and Years’ inclusive, compelling |url=https://www.washingtonblade.com/2019/06/28/futuristic-new-brit-drama-years-and-years-inclusive-compelling/ |website=Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News |date=28 June 2019}}</ref>
Ralph Cousins Dino Fetscher Ralph is gay. He is Daniel's ex-husband.<ref name="pink news years and years"/><ref name="gay times years and years"/><ref name="pride years and years"/><ref name="blade years and years"/>
Viktor Goraya Maxim Baldry Viktor is gay. He is in a relationship with Daniel.<ref name="pink news years and years"/><ref name="gay times years and years"/><ref name="pride years and years"/><ref name="blade years and years"/>
Edith Lyons Jessica Hynes Edith Lyons is a lesbian. Fran Baxter is a lesbian. They are in a relationship.<ref>{{cite web |title=Years and Years |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/years-and-years/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
Fran Baxter Sharon Duncan-Brewster

See also

{{Portal|LGBT|Television|Lists}}

References

{{Reflist}}

Further reading

{{LGBT fiction}}

Average Bunkerchan user

Bunkerchan.net, also known as leftypol.org, is a datamining website founded in 1998. It was made as an alternative to 4channel's /pol/ board<ref>http://bunkerchan.net/leftypol/res/668788.html</ref>.

Bunkerchan.net DOES NOT tolerate intolerance nor bigotry<ref>http://bunkerchan.net/leftypol/res/668788.html</ref>. Interestingly enough though, they think that Gulags were so funny they named a board after them.


Average bunkerchan user

Citations

/pol/ is often visited by glowniggers
/pol/ takes everything personally
/pol/ users taking a selfie

/pol/ is a board on 4chan for political discussion, created on November 10, 2011. Originally, /pol/ started as a spin-off of /new/ 8 months after it was deleted, this deletion was due to the fact that a large portion of the users on /new/ were "stormfront users" or "nazis" which caused the moderators of 4chan to delete the board entirely before creating /pol/.

The current state of /pol/

It's widely agreed upon that /pol/ is currently a politically themed random board due to extremely low quality content and spam posted regularly (this includes: bait/shill posts, NSFW content, sperging and schizoposting). The large drop in quality can be attributed to the fact of /pol/'s massive rise in popularity during and after the election of Donald Trump when /pol/ was frequently mentioned in the mainstream media, this caused a massive influx of newfags who weren't adapted to the culture, with various conflicting political opinions to flood the board.

A left-wing board before stormfront invasion?

Some people will assert that /pol/ was a centre-left or left-wing board before "stormfront" flooded it, this is untrue, /pol/ always had a right-wing majority. The userbase mostly ranged from Ron Paul libertarians to Nazis, this can be proven by looking at early archives <ref> https://warosu.org/tg/thread/21240328 </ref> <ref> https://warosu.org/tg/thread/S17673437#p17674661 </ref> discussing /pol/ in 2012 (/pol/ itself has little to no archives before 2014).

/pol/ on other imageboards

Soyjak.party - /pol/

8kun (formerly 8chan) - /pnd/ (formerly /pol/)

endchan - /pol/

kohlchan - /pol/, but German

16chan - /pol/

Leftypol (formerly bunkerchan which was formerly /leftypol/ on 8chan) - Tranny leftist political website

See also

Chudjak

Citations

<references /> {{Coal}}

{{about|the Republic of Finland}} {{pp-vandalism|small=yes}} {{pp-pc1|small=yes}} {{pp-move-indef}} {{short description|Country in Northern Europe}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}} {{Infobox country | conventional_long_name = Republic of Finland | common_name = Finland | native_name = {{ubl|{{native name|fi|Suomen tasavalta}}|{{native name|sv|Republiken Finland}}}} | image_flag = Flag of Finland.svg | image_coat = Coat of arms of Finland.svg

| national_anthem =
{{native name|fi|Maamme|nolink=yes}}
{{native name|sv|Vårt land|nolink=yes}}
({{Lang-en|"Our Land"}})

| image_map = {{Switcher||Show globe||Show map of Europe|default=2}} | map_caption = {{map caption|location_color=dark green |region=Europe |region_color=dark grey |subregion=the European Union |subregion_color=green |legend=EU-Finland.svg}} | capital = Helsinki | coordinates = {{Coord|60|10|N|24|56|E|type:city}} | largest_city = capital | official_languages = Finnish • Swedish | national_languages = Viittomakieli • Sámi • Teckenspråk • Karelian • Finnish Kalo language | ethnic_groups = {{unbulleted list |91.33% Finnish |4.90% Other European |2.50% Asian |0.90% African |0.37% Other }} | ethnic_groups_year = 2017 | ethnic_groups_ref = <ref name="auto">{{cite web |url=http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/fi/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__vaerak/statfin_vaerak_pxt_032.px/?rxid=726cd24d-d0f1-416a-8eec-7ce9b82fd5a4 |title=032 -- Syntyperä ja taustamaa sukupuolen mukaan maakunnittain ja kunnittain 1990 - 2017| work = Tilastokeskuksen PX-Web-tietokannat | publisher = Statistics Finland|language=fi |access-date=28 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212214837/http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/fi/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__vaerak/statfin_vaerak_pxt_032.px/?rxid=726cd24d-d0f1-416a-8eec-7ce9b82fd5a4 |archive-date=12 February 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="un">{{cite web|url=http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/data/estimates2/estimates17.shtml%7Ctitle=United Nations Population Division | Department of Economic and Social Affairs|website=un.org|access-date=29 June 2018}}</ref> | religion = {{ublist |item_style=white-space:nowrap; 

 |70.7% Christianity
 |—68.7% Lutheranism
 |—1.1% Orthodoxy
 |—0.9% Other Christian
 |28.5% No religion 
 | 0.8% Other}}

| religion_year = 2019 | religion_ref = <ref name="stnin">{{cite web |title=Belonging to a religious community by age and sex, 2000-2019 |url=http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/en/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__vaerak/statfin_vaerak_pxt_11rx.px/ |website=Tilastokeskuksen PX-Web tietokannat |publisher=Government |access-date=28 March 2020}} Note these are state religious registration numbers, people may be registered yet not practicing/believing and they may be believing/practicing but not registered.</ref> | demonym = {{hlist|Finnish|Finn}} | government_type = Unitary parliamentary republic<ref name="Parliamentary"/> | leader_title1 = President | leader_name1 = Sauli Niinistö | leader_title2 = Prime Minister | leader_name2 = Sanna Marin | legislature = Eduskunta/Riksdagen | sovereignty_type = Independence | sovereignty_note = from Russia | established_event1 = Autonomy | established_date1 = 29 March 1809 | established_event2 = Declared | established_date2 = 6 December 1917 | established_event3 = Civil War | established_date3 = January – May 1918 | established_event4 = Constitution | established_date4 = 17 July 1919 | established_event5 = Winter War | established_date5 = 30 November 1939 – 13 March 1940 | established_event6 = Continuation War | established_date6 = 25 June 1941 – 19 September 1944 | established_event7 = Joined the EU | established_date7 = 1 January 1995 | area_km2 = 338,455 | area_rank = 65th | area_sq_mi = 130,596 | percent_water = 9.71 (as of 2015)<ref>{{cite web|title=Surface water and surface water change|access-date=11 October 2020|publisher=Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)|url=https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=SURFACE_WATER#}}</ref> | population_estimate = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 5,536,146<ref>{{cite web|title=Birth rate showed a slight growth in 2020|url=https://www.stat.fi/til/vamuu/2020/12/vamuu_2020_12_2021-01-21_tie_001_en.html%7Cpublisher=Statistics Finland|access-date=21 January 2021}}</ref> | population_estimate_year = December 2020 | population_estimate_rank = 116th | population_label2 = | population_data2 = | population_density_km2 = 16 | population_density_sq_mi = 41 | population_density_rank = 213th | GDP_PPP = $257 billion<ref name=imf3>{{cite web|url=https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2018/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2018&ey=2018&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&pr1.x=59&pr1.y=9&c=172&s=NGDPD%2CPPPGDP%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPPC&grp=0&a= |date=17 October 2018|title=Report for Selected Countries and Subjects|publisher=IMF}}</ref> | GDP_PPP_year = 2020 | GDP_PPP_rank = 60th | GDP_PPP_per_capita = $49,334<ref name=imf3 /> | GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 19th | GDP_nominal = $277 billion<ref name=imf3 /> | GDP_nominal_year = 2020 | GDP_nominal_rank = 43rd | GDP_nominal_per_capita = $48,461<ref name=imf3 /> | GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 14th | Gini = 26.2 | Gini_year = 2019 | Gini_change = increase | Gini_ref = <ref name=eurogini>{{cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/table.do?tab=table&init=1&language=en&pcode=tessi190&plugin=1 |title=Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income - EU-SILC survey |publisher=Eurostat |website=ec.europa.eu |access-date=27 March 2020}}</ref> | Gini_rank = 6th | HDI = 0.938 | HDI_year = 2019 | HDI_change = increase | HDI_ref = <ref name="UNHDR">{{cite web|url=http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/hdr2020.pdf%7Ctitle=Human Development Report 2020|language=en|publisher=United Nations Development Programme|date=15 December 2020|access-date=15 December 2020}}</ref> | HDI_rank = 11th | currency = Euro (€) | currency_code = EUR | time_zone = EET | utc_offset = +2 | utc_offset_DST = +3 | time_zone_DST = EEST | date_format = d.m.yyyy<ref>Ajanilmaukset {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020033758/http://www.kielikello.fi/index.php?mid=2&pid=11&aid=1709 |date=20 October 2017 }} Kielikello 2/2006. Institute for the Languages of Finland. Retrieved 20 October 2017</ref> | drives_on = right | calling_code = +358 | cctld = .fia | footnote_a = The .eu domain is also used, as it is shared with other European Union member states. | today = }}

Finland ({{lang-fi|Suomi}} {{IPA-fi|ˈsuo̯mi||fi-suomi.ogg}}; {{lang-sv|Finland}} {{IPA-sv|ˈfɪ̌nland||sv-Finland.ogg}}, {{IPA-sv|ˈfinlɑnd|langfi}}), officially the Republic of Finland ({{Lang-fi|Suomen tasavalta}}, {{Lang-sv|Republiken Finland}} {{small|({{audio|Suomi Finland.ogg|listen to all|help=no}})}}),{{refn|group=note|"Republic of Finland", or {{lang|fi|Suomen tasavalta}} in Finnish, {{lang|sv|Republiken Finland}} in Swedish, and {{lang|se|Suoma dásseváldi}} in Sami, is the long protocol name, which is however not defined by law. Legislation recognises only the short name.}} is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the west, Russia to the east, Norway to the north, and is defined by the Gulf of Bothnia to the west, and the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea across Estonia to the south. Finland covers an area of {{convert|338455|km2|mi2}}, with a population of 5.5 million. Helsinki is the country's capital and largest city, but together with the neighboring cities of Espoo, Kauniainen and Vantaa, it forms a larger metropolitan area. Finnish, the native language of the Finns, is among the few Finnic languages in the world. The climate varies relative to latitude, from the southern humid continental climate to the northern boreal climate. The land cover is primarily a boreal forest biome, with more than 180,000 recorded lakes.<ref name="thousand">{{cite web|last=Li|first=Leslie|date=16 April 1989|title=A Land of a Thousand Lakes|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/04/16/travel/a-land-of-a-thousand-lakes.html%7Caccess-date=20 September 2020|work=The New York Times}}</ref>

Finland was inhabited around 9000 BC after the Last Glacial Period.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus|year=2015|isbn=978-952-495-363-4|location=Helsinki|page=23}}</ref> The Stone Age introduced several different ceramic styles and cultures. The Bronze Age and Iron Age were characterised by extensive contacts with other cultures in Fennoscandia and the Baltic region.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus|year=2015|isbn=978-952-495-363-4|location=Helsinki|page=339}}</ref> From the late 13th century, Finland gradually became an integral part of Sweden as a consequence of the Northern Crusades. In 1809, as a result of the Finnish War, Finland was annexed by Russia as the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland, during which Finnish art flourished and the idea of independence began to take hold. In 1906, Finland became the first European state to grant universal suffrage, and the first in the world to give all adult citizens the right to run for public office.<ref name="eduskunta">{{cite web |url=http://web.eduskunta.fi/Resource.phx/parliament/aboutparliament/presentation/history.htx |work=eduskunta.fi |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 December 2015 |author=Parliament of Finland |title=History of the Finnish Parliament |archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20151206184816/http://web.eduskunta.fi/Resource.phx/parliament/aboutparliament/presentation/history.htx }}</ref><ref name="full suffrage">Finland was the first nation in the world to give all (adult) citizens full suffrage, in other words the right to vote and to run for office, in 1906. New Zealand was the first country in the world to grant all (adult) citizens the right to vote, in 1893. But women did not get the right to run for the New Zealand legislature, until 1919.</ref> Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia, tried to russify Finland and terminate its political autonomy, but after the 1917 Russian Revolution, Finland declared independence from Russia. In 1918, the fledgling state was divided by the Finnish Civil War. During World War II, Finland fought the Soviet Union in the Winter War and the Continuation War, and Nazi Germany in the Lapland War. After the wars, Finland lost parts of its territory, but maintained its independence.

Finland largely remained an agrarian country until the 1950s. After World War II, the country rapidly industrialised and developed an advanced economy, while building an extensive welfare state based on the Nordic model, resulting in widespread prosperity and a high per capita income.<ref name="imf2">{{cite web |url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2013/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=65&pr.y=7&sy=2009&ey=2012&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=172&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a= |title=Finland |publisher=International Monetary Fund |access-date=17 April 2013}}</ref> Finland joined the United Nations in 1955 and adopted an official policy of neutrality. Finland joined the OECD in 1969, the NATO Partnership for Peace in 1994,<ref name="nato.int">Relations with Finland. NATO (13 January 2016)</ref> the European Union in 1995, the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council in 1997,<ref name="nato.int" /> and the Eurozone at its inception in 1999. Finland is a top performer in numerous metrics of national performance, including education, economic competitiveness, civil liberties, quality of life and human development.<ref name="World Audit">{{cite web |url=http://www.worldaudit.org/countries/finland.htm |title=Finland: World Audit Democracy Profile |work=WorldAudit.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030113921/http://www.worldaudit.org/countries/finland.htm |archive-date=30 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite document|url=http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/tertiary-education-graduation-rates_20755120-table1 |title=Tertiary education graduation rates—Education: Key Tables from OECD |doi=10.1787/20755120-table1 |publisher=OECD iLibrary |date=14 June 2010 |access-date=6 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430055650/http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/tertiary-education-graduation-rates_20755120-table1 |archive-date=30 April 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://e24.no/makro-og-politikk/article3803493.ece |title=Her er verdens mest konkurransedyktige land—Makro og politikk |publisher=E24.no |date=9 September 2010 |access-date=6 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101014010931/http://e24.no/makro-og-politikk/article3803493.ece |archive-date=14 October 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prosperity.com/country.aspx?id=FI |title=The 2009 Legatum Prosperity Index |publisher=Prosperity.com |access-date=4 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091029140547/http://www.prosperity.com/country.aspx?id=FI |archive-date=29 October 2009 }}</ref> In 2015, Finland was ranked first in the World Human Capital<ref>{{cite web |url=http://reports.weforum.org/human-capital-report-2015/rankings/ |title=Human Capital Report 2015 |website=World Economic Forum |access-date=15 May 2015}}</ref> and the Press Freedom Index and as the most stable country in the world during 2011–2016 in the Fragile States Index,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://fsi.fundforpeace.org/rankings-2016 |title=Fragile States Index 2016 |publisher=Fundforpeace.org |access-date=27 November 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204213240/http://fsi.fundforpeace.org/rankings-2016 |archive-date=4 February 2017 }}</ref> and second in the Global Gender Gap Report.<ref>{{cite book |title = Gender Gap Report |url = http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GenderGap_Report_2012.pdf |publisher = WEF }}</ref> It also ranked first on the World Happiness Report report for 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.<ref>{{cite news |last= Hetter|first=Katia|date=26 March 2019|title=This is the world's happiest country in 2019|url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/worlds-happiest-countries-united-nations-2019/index.html%7Cwork=CNN |access-date=31 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://happiness-report.s3.amazonaws.com/2020/WHR20.pdf%7Ctitle=World Happiness Report 2020|editor-last=Helliwell|editor-first=John F.|editor2-last=Sachs|editor2-first=Jeffrey|editor3-last=De Neve|editor3-first=Jan-Emmanuel|date=2020|publisher=Sustainable Development Solutions Network|location=New York|access-date=30 April 2020}}</ref>

Etymology

Finland

Finland on a medieval map, which is part of the Carta marina (1539)

{{See also|Finns#Etymology}}

The earliest written appearance of the name Finland is thought to be on three runestones. Two were found in the Swedish province of Uppland and have the inscription finlonti (U 582). The third was found in Gotland. It has the inscription finlandi (G 319) and dates back to the 13th century.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.arkisto.fi/ |title=National Archives Service, Finland (in English) |access-date=22 January 2007}}</ref> The name can be assumed to be related to the tribe name Finns, which is mentioned at first known time AD 98 (disputed meaning).

Suomi

The name Suomi ({{Langnf|fi|2=Finnish|3=Finland}}) has uncertain origins, but a common etymology with saame (Sami, a Finno-Ugric people in Lapland) and Häme (a province in the inland) has been suggested (Proto-Finnic *hämä from older *šämä, possibly loaned into Proto-Saami as *sāmē), whose source could be the Proto-Baltic word *źemē, meaning '(low) land'.<ref>kotikielenseura.fi, SUOMI (TTAVIA ETYMOLOGIOITA).</ref> According to the hypothesis, *sāmē – or *šämä directly – was loaned back into Baltic as *sāma- (compare Latvian sāms 'Finn, Öselian'), from which Northern Finnic reborrowed it (perhaps via a Germanic intermediate *sōma-) as *sōma- > *sōme- 'Finland'.<ref name=deSmit>{{cite web |last1=de Smit |first1=Merlijn |title=De Vanitate Etymologiae. On the origins of Suomi, Häme, Sápmi. |url=https://www.academia.edu/36858309 |website=Academia.edu |publisher=Academia, Inc. |access-date=6 September 2020 |language=en}}</ref> In addition to the close relatives of Finnish (the Finnic languages), this name is also used in the Baltic languages Latvian (soms, Somija) and Lithuanian (suomis, Suomija), although these are evidently later borrowings. An alternative hypothesis by Petri Kallio suggests the Proto-Indo-European word *(dʰ)ǵʰm-on- 'human' (cf. Gothic guma, Latin homo), being borrowed into Uralic as *ćoma.<ref name=deSmit />

It has been suggested that the Finnish word Suomi is first attested the Royal Frankish Annals annal for 811, which mentions a person called Suomi among the Danish delegation at a peace treaty with the Franks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/annalesregnifrancorum.html%7Ctitle=Annesl Regni Francorum|website=thelatinlibrary.com|access-date=29 July 2018}}</ref> If so, it is also the earliest evidence for the change from the proto-Finnic monophthong {{IPA|/oː/}} to the Finnish diphthong {{IPA|/uo/}}.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Keskiajan suomen kielen dokumentoitu sanasto ensiesiintymisvuosineen |last=Heikkilä |first=Mikko K. |publisher=Mediapinta |year=2017 |isbn=978-952-236-859-1 |page=44}}</ref><ref>Mikko Heikkilä, 'Varhaissuomen äännehistorian kronologiasta', Sananjalka, 58 (2016), 136–158 (p. 147).</ref> However, some historical linguists view this interpretation of the name as unlikely, supposing another etymology or that the spelling originated as a scribal error (in which case the sound-change {{IPA|/oː/}} > {{IPA|/uo/}} could have happened much later).<ref>Petri Kallio, 'Äännehistoriaa suomen kielen erilliskehityksen alkutaipaleilta', Sananjalka, 59 (2017), 7–24 (p. 12).</ref>

Concept

In the earliest historical sources, from the 12th and 13th centuries, the term Finland refers to the coastal region around Turku from Perniö to Uusikaupunki. This region later became known as Finland Proper in distinction from the country name Finland. Finland became a common name for the whole country in a centuries-long process that started when the Catholic Church established a missionary diocese in Nousiainen in the northern part of the province of Suomi possibly sometime in the 12th century.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |title=Suomen museo 2003: "The Origins of Finland and Häme" |last=Salo |first=Unto |publisher=Suomen muinaismuistoyhdistys |year=2004 |isbn=978-951-9057-55-2 |location=Helsinki |page=55}}</ref>

The devastation of Finland during the Great Northern War (1714–1721) and during the Russo-Swedish War (1741–1743) caused Sweden to begin carrying out major efforts to defend its eastern half from Russia. These 18th-century experiences created a sense of a shared destiny that when put in conjunction with the unique Finnish language, led to the adoption of an expanded concept of Finland.<ref name=UppslagsFi>{{cite web |url=http://www.uppslagsverket.fi/sv/sok/view-103684-FinlandsHistoria1700Talet |title=Finlands historia: 1700-talet |last=Lindberg |first=Johan |date=26 May 2016 |website=Uppslagsverket Finland |access-date=30 November 2017 |language=sv}}</ref>

History

{{Main|History of Finland}} {{see also|Åland Islands}}

Prehistory

{{Main|History of Finland#Prehistory}}

Reconstruction of Stone Age dwelling from Kierikki, Oulu

If the archeological finds from Wolf Cave are the result of Neanderthals' activities, the first people inhabited Finland approximately 120,000–130,000 years ago.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus |year=2015 |isbn=978-952-495-363-4 |location=Helsinki |page=21}}</ref> The area that is now Finland was settled in, at the latest, around 8,500 BC during the Stone Age towards the end of the last glacial period. The artifacts the first settlers left behind present characteristics that are shared with those found in Estonia, Russia, and Norway.<ref name=":1">Herkules.oulu.fi. People, material, culture and environment in the north. Proceedings of the 22nd Nordic Archaeological Conference, University of Oulu, 18–23 August 2004 Edited by Vesa-Pekka Herva Gummerus Kirjapaino</ref> The earliest people were hunter-gatherers, using stone tools.<ref name="VF-Pre">Dr. Pirjo Uino of the National Board of Antiquities, ThisisFinland—"Prehistory: The ice recedes—man arrives". Retrieved 24 June 2008.</ref>

The first pottery appeared in 5200 BC, when the Comb Ceramic culture was introduced.<ref name="Hist-Fin-Geo">History of Finland and the Finnish People from stone age to WWII. Retrieved 24 June 2008.</ref> The arrival of the Corded Ware culture in Southern coastal Finland between 3000 and 2500 BC may have coincided with the start of agriculture.<ref name="Virt-Mino">Professor Frank Horn of the Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law University of Lappland writing for Virtual Finland on National Minorities of Finland. Retrieved 24 June 2008.</ref> Even with the introduction of agriculture, hunting and fishing continued to be important parts of the subsistence economy.

In the Bronze Age permanent all-year-round cultivation and animal husbandry spread, but the cold climate phase slowed the change.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus |year=2015 |location=Helsinki |pages=199, 210–211}}</ref> Cultures in Finland shared common features in pottery and also axes had similarities but local features existed. Seima-Turbino-phenomenon brought first bronze artifacts to the region and possibly also the Finno-Ugric-Languages.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus|year=2015|location=Helsinki|pages=171–178}}</ref> Commercial contacts that had so far mostly been to Estonia started to extend to Scandinavia. Domestic manufacture of bronze artifacts started 1300 BC with {{ill|Maaninka-type bronze axe|fi|Maaningan kirves|lt=Maaninka-type bronze axes}}. Bronze was imported from Volga region and from Southern Scandinavia.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus|year=2015|location=Helsinki|pages=189–190}}</ref>

Northern Europe in 814 AD

In the Iron Age population grew especially in Häme and Savo regions. Finland proper was the most densely populated area. Cultural contacts to the Baltics and Scandinavia became more frequent. Commercial contacts in the Baltic Sea region grew and extended during the 8th and 9th centuries.

Main exports from Finland were furs, slaves, castoreum, and falcons to European courts. Imports included silk and other fabrics, jewelry, Ulfberht swords, and, in lesser extent, glass. Production of iron started approximately in 500 BC.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus |year=2015 |location=Helsinki |pages=332, 364–365}}</ref>

At the end of the 9th century, indigenous artifact culture, especially women's jewelry and weapons, had more common local features than ever before. This has been interpreted to be expressing common Finnish identity which was born from an image of common origin.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus |year=2015 |location=Helsinki |page=269}}</ref>

Late Iron Age swords found in Finland

An early form of Finnic languages spread to the Baltic Sea region approximately 1900 BC with the Seima-Turbino-phenomenon. Common Finnic language was spoken around Gulf of Finland 2000 years ago. The dialects from which the modern-day Finnish language was developed came into existence during the Iron Age.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus|year=2015|location=Helsinki|pages=211–212}}</ref> Although distantly related, the Sami retained the hunter-gatherer lifestyle longer than the Finns. The Sami cultural identity and the Sami language have survived in Lapland, the northernmost province, but the Sami have been displaced or assimilated elsewhere.

The 12th and 13th centuries were a violent time in the northern Baltic Sea. The Livonian Crusade was ongoing and the Finnish tribes such as the Tavastians and Karelians were in frequent conflicts with Novgorod and with each other. Also, during the 12th and 13th centuries several crusades from the Catholic realms of the Baltic Sea area were made against the Finnish tribes. According to historical sources, Danes waged at least three crusades to Finland, in 1187 or slightly earlier,<ref name=":3">{{cite book| author = Kurt Villads Jensen| title = Ristiretket| publisher = Turun Historiallinen Yhdistys| year = 2019| pages = 126–127}}</ref> in 1191 and in 1202,<ref>{{Cite book |title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus |year=2015 |location=Helsinki |page=380}}</ref> and Swedes, possibly the so-called second crusade to Finland, in 1249 against Tavastians and the third crusade to Finland in 1293 against the Karelians. The so-called first crusade to Finland, possibly in 1155, is most likely an unreal event. Also, it is possible that Germans made violent conversion of Finnish pagans in the 13th century.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Ruotsin itämaa |last=Tarkiainen |first=Kari |publisher=Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland |year=2010 |location=Helsinki |page=88}}</ref> According to a papal letter from 1241, the king of Norway was also fighting against "nearby pagans" at that time.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Suomen varhaiskeskiajan lähteitä |last=Compiled by Martti Linna |publisher=Historian aitta |year=1989 |page=69}}</ref>

Swedish era

{{Main|Finland under Swedish rule}} {{See also|Swedish colonisation of Finland}}

The Swedish Empire following the Treaty of Roskilde of 1658.
Dark green: Sweden proper, as represented in the Riksdag of the Estates. Other greens: Swedish dominions and possessions

As a result of the crusades and the colonisation of some Finnish coastal areas with Christian Swedish population during the Middle Ages,<ref>{{Cite book|title=Ruotsin itämaa|last=Tarkiainen|first=Kari|publisher=Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland |year=2010 |isbn=978-951-583-212-2 |location=Helsinki|pages=104–147}}</ref> including the old capital Turku, Finland gradually became part of the kingdom of Sweden and the sphere of influence of the Catholic Church. Due to the Swedish conquest, the Finnish upper class lost its position and lands to the new Swedish and German nobility and to the Catholic Church.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Ruotsin itämaa|last=Tarkiainen|first=Kari|publisher=Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland |year=2010 |isbn=978-951-583-212-2 |location=Porvoo |pages=167–170}}</ref> In Sweden even in the 17th and 18th centuries, it was clear that Finland was a conquered country and its inhabitants could be treated arbitrarily. Swedish kings visited Finland rarely and in Swedish contemporary texts Finns were portrayed to be primitive and their language inferior.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://journal.fi/tt/article/view/57138/19187%7Ctitle=Kansallinen identiteetti Ruotsissa ja Suomessa 1600-1700-luvuilla |last=Kemiläinen |first=Aira|publisher=Tieteessä tapahtuu 8/2004|year=2004|pages=25–26|language=fi}}</ref>

Swedish became the dominant language of the nobility, administration, and education; Finnish was chiefly a language for the peasantry, clergy, and local courts in predominantly Finnish-speaking areas. During the Protestant Reformation, the Finns gradually converted to Lutheranism.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.europe-cities.com/en/657/finland/history/chronology%7Ctitle=History of Finland. Finland chronology |publisher=Europe-cities.com |access-date=26 August 2010 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427060720/http://www.europe-cities.com/en/657/finland/history/chronology |archive-date=27 April 2011}}</ref>

In the 16th century, Mikael Agricola published the first written works in Finnish, and Finland's current capital city, Helsinki, was founded by Gustav I of Sweden.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/409531/ |title=Ruttopuisto – Plague Park |publisher=Tabblo.com |access-date=3 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411112934/http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/409531/ |archive-date=11 April 2008 }}</ref> The first university in Finland, the Royal Academy of Turku, was established in 1640. The Finns reaped a reputation in the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) as a well-trained cavalrymen called "Hakkapeliitta", that division excelled in sudden and savage attacks, raiding and reconnaissance, which King Gustavus Adolphus took advantage of in his significant battles, like in the Battle of Breitenfeld (1631) and the Battle of Rain (1632).<ref>{{cite book|author=Joose Olavi Hannula|year=1939|title=Hakkapeliittoja ja karoliineja – Kuvia Suomen sotahistoriasta|publisher=Otava| location=Helsinki|language=fi}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Matti J. Kankaanpää|year=2016|title=Suomalainen ratsuväki Ruotsin ajalla|publisher=T:mi Toiset aijat| location=Porvoo | page = 790 |isbn = 978-952-99106-9-4|language=fi}}</ref> Finland suffered a severe famine in 1696–1697, during which about one third of the Finnish population died,<ref name="empire"/> and a devastating plague a few years later.

Now lying within Helsinki, Suomenlinna is a UNESCO World Heritage Site consisting of an inhabited 18th-century sea fortress built on six islands. It is one of Finland's most popular tourist attractions.

In the 18th century, wars between Sweden and Russia twice led to the occupation of Finland by Russian forces, times known to the Finns as the Greater Wrath (1714–1721) and the Lesser Wrath (1742–1743).<ref name="empire">"Finland and the Swedish Empire". Federal Research Division, Library of Congress.</ref> It is estimated that almost an entire generation of young men was lost during the Great Wrath, due mainly to the destruction of homes and farms, and to the burning of Helsinki.<ref name="Nordstrom, Scandinavia">{{cite book|last=Nordstrom|first=Byron J.|title=Scandinavia Since 1500|year=2000|publisher=University of Minnesota Press|location=Minneapolis, US|isbn=978-0-8166-2098-2|page=142|url=https://archive.org/details/scandinaviasince0000nord/page/142}}</ref> By this time Finland was the predominant term for the whole area from the Gulf of Bothnia to the Russian border.{{citation needed|date=June 2018}}

Two Russo-Swedish wars in twenty-five years served as reminders to the Finnish people of the precarious position between Sweden and Russia. An increasingly vocal elite in Finland soon determined that Finnish ties with Sweden were becoming too costly, and following Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790), the Finnish elite's desire to break with Sweden only heightened.<ref name="a1">{{cite book |last=Nordstrom |first=Byron J. |title=Scandinavia Since 1500 |year=2000 |publisher=University of Minnesota Press |location=Minneapolis, US |isbn=978-0-8166-2098-2 |page=143 |url=https://archive.org/details/scandinaviasince0000nord/page/143 }}</ref>

Even before the war there were conspiring politicians, among them Col G. M. Sprengtporten, who had supported Gustav III's coup in 1772. Sprengporten fell out with the king and resigned his commission in 1777. In the following decade he tried to secure Russian support for an autonomous Finland, and later became an adviser to Catherine II.<ref name="a1"/> In the spirit of the notion of Adolf Ivar Arwidsson (1791–1858), "we are not Swedes, we do not want to become Russians, let us therefore be Finns", the Finnish national identity started to become established.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lefaivre|first1=Liane|last2=Tzonis|first2=Alexander|title=Architecture of Regionalism in the Age of Globalization: Peaks and Valleys in the Flat World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FkYHEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT144%7Cyear=2020%7Cpublisher=Routledge%7Clocation=New York|isbn=978-1-00-022106-0|page=144}}</ref>

Notwithstanding the efforts of Finland's elite and nobility to break ties with Sweden, there was no genuine independence movement in Finland until the early 20th century. As a matter of fact, at this time the Finnish peasantry was outraged by the actions of their elite and almost exclusively supported Gustav's actions against the conspirators. (The High Court of Turku condemned Sprengtporten as a traitor c. 1793.)<ref name="a1"/> The Swedish era ended in the Finnish War in 1809.

Russian era

{{Main|Grand Duchy of Finland}} {{See also|Diet of Porvoo|Finland's language strife|Russification of Finland}}

website=Google Arts & Culture}}</ref>

On 29 March 1809, having been taken over by the armies of Alexander I of Russia in the Finnish War, Finland became an autonomous Grand Duchy in the Russian Empire with the recognition given at the Diet held in Porvoo. This situation lasted until the end of 1917. In 1811, Alexander I incorporated the Russian Vyborg province into the Grand Duchy of Finland. In 1854, Finland became involved in Russia's involvement in the Crimean War, when the British and French navies bombed the Finnish coast and Åland during the so-called Åland War. During the Russian era, the Finnish language began to gain recognition. From the 1860s onwards, a strong Finnish nationalist movement known as the Fennoman movement grew, and one of its most prominent leading figures of the movement was the philosopher J. V. Snellman, who was strictly inclined to Hegel's idealism, and who pushed for the stabilization of the status of the Finnish language and its own currency, the Finnish markka, in the Grand Duchy of Finland.<ref>{{cite book| author = Olavi Junnila | title = Suomen historia 5 | year = 1986 | chapter = Autonomian rakentaminen ja kansallisen nousun aika | page = 151 | location = Helsinki | publisher = Weilin + Göös | isbn = 951-35-2494-9 | language = fi }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.suomenpankki.fi/fi/media-ja-julkaisut/puheet-ja-haastattelut/2006/pankinjohtaja-sinikka-salon-puhe-snellman-ja-suomen-markka--nayttelyn-avajaisissa-suomen-pankin-rahamuseossa/ | title = Pankinjohtaja Sinikka Salon puhe Snellman ja Suomen markka -näyttelyn avajaisissa Suomen Pankin rahamuseossa | publisher = Bank of Finland | date = 10 January 2006 | access-date = 7 December 2020 | language = fi }}</ref> Milestones included the publication of what would become Finland's national epic – the Kalevala – in 1835, and the Finnish language's achieving equal legal status with Swedish in 1892.

The Finnish famine of 1866–1868 killed approximately 15% of the population, making it one of the worst famines in European history. The famine led the Russian Empire to ease financial regulations, and investment rose in following decades. Economic and political development was rapid.<ref name="equity">{{cite web |url=http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTRANETSOCIALDEVELOPMENT/Resources/finland.pdf |title=Growth and Equity in Finland |publisher=World Bank}}</ref> The gross domestic product (GDP) per capita was still half of that of the United States and a third of that of Britain.<ref name="equity" />

In 1906, universal suffrage was adopted in the Grand Duchy of Finland. However, the relationship between the Grand Duchy and the Russian Empire soured when the Russian government made moves to restrict Finnish autonomy. For example, the universal suffrage was, in practice, virtually meaningless, since the tsar did not have to approve any of the laws adopted by the Finnish parliament. Desire for independence gained ground, first among radical liberals<ref>Mickelsson, Rauli (2007). Suomen puolueet—Historia, muutos ja nykypäivä. Vastapaino.</ref> and socialists. The case is known as the "Russification of Finland", driven by the last tsar of Russian Empire, Nicholas II.<ref>Alenius, Kari. "Russification in Estonia and Finland Before 1917," Faravid, 2004, Vol. 28, pp 181–194</ref>

Civil war and early independence

{{Main|Independence of Finland|Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic|Finnish Civil War}}

White firing squad executing Red soldiers after the Battle of Länkipohja (1918)

After the 1917 February Revolution, the position of Finland as part of the Russian Empire was questioned, mainly by Social Democrats. Since the head of state was the tsar of Russia, it was not clear who the chief executive of Finland was after the revolution. The Parliament, controlled by social democrats, passed the so-called Power Act to give the highest authority to the Parliament. This was rejected by the Russian Provisional Government which decided to dissolve the Parliament.<ref>The Finnish Civil War, Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress. Countrystudies.us. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

New elections were conducted, in which right-wing parties won with a slim majority. Some social democrats refused to accept the result and still claimed that the dissolution of the parliament (and thus the ensuing elections) were extralegal. The two nearly equally powerful political blocs, the right-wing parties and the social democratic party, were highly antagonized.

The October Revolution in Russia changed the geopolitical situation once more. Suddenly, the right-wing parties in Finland started to reconsider their decision to block the transfer of highest executive power from the Russian government to Finland, as the Bolsheviks took power in Russia. Rather than acknowledge the authority of the Power Act of a few months earlier, the right-wing government, led by Prime Minister P. E. Svinhufvud, presented Declaration of Independence on 4 December 1917, which was officially approved two days later, on 6 December, by the Finnish Parliament. The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR), led by Vladimir Lenin, recognized independence on 4 January 1918.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://formin.finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=107215&contentlan=1&culture=fi-FI | title = Uudenvuodenaatto Pietarin Smolnassa – Itsenäisyyden tunnustus 31.12.1917 | publisher = Ulkoministieriö | access-date = 14 September 2020 | language = fi }}</ref>

Finnish military leader and statesman C. G. E. Mannerheim as general officer leading the White Victory Parade at the end of the Finnish Civil War in Helsinki, 1918

On 27 January 1918, the official opening shots of the civil war were fired in two simultaneous events: on the one hand the government's beginning to disarm the Russian forces in Pohjanmaa, and on the other, a coup launched by the Social Democratic Party.{{failed verification |date=December 2010 |reason=No mention of coup in the section The Finnish Civil War, which should cover this. The actions by the reds are not characterized.}} The latter gained control of southern Finland and Helsinki, but the White government continued in exile from Vaasa. This sparked the brief but bitter civil war. The Whites, who were supported by Imperial Germany, prevailed over the Reds,<ref>{{cite web |title=A Country Study: Finland—The Finnish Civil War |url=http://memory.loc.gov/frd/cs/fitoc.html |work=Federal Research Division, Library of Congress |access-date=11 December 2008}}</ref> which were guided by Kullervo Manner's desire to make the newly independent country a Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic (also known as "Red Finland") and part of the RSFSR.<ref>SDP:n puheenjohtaja halusi punadiktaattoriksi, mutta kuoli Stalinin vankileirillä (in Finnish)</ref> After the war, tens of thousands of Reds and suspected sympathizers were interned in camps, where thousands were executed or died from malnutrition and disease. Deep social and political enmity was sown between the Reds and Whites and would last until the Winter War and beyond. Even nowadays, the civil war remains a sensitive topic.<ref>Pääkirjoitus: Kansalaissota on arka muistettava (in Finnish)</ref><ref>Punaisten ja valkoisten perintöä vaalitaan yhä – Suomalaiset lähettivät yli 400 muistoa vuoden 1918 sisällissodasta (in Finnish)</ref> The civil war and the 1918–1920 activist expeditions called "Kinship Wars" into Soviet Russia strained Eastern relations. At that time, the idea of a Greater Finland also emerged for the first time.<ref>{{Cite book | last=Manninen | first=Ohto | title=Suur-Suomen ääriviivat: Kysymys tulevaisuudesta ja turvallisuudesta Suomen Saksan-politiikassa 1941 | location=Helsinki | publisher=Kirjayhtymä | year=1980 | isbn= 951-26-1735-8}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | last=Nygård | first=Toivo | title=Suur-Suomi vai lähiheimolaisten auttaminen: Aatteellinen heimotyö itsenäisessä Suomessa | location=Helsinki | publisher=Otava | year=1978 | isbn=951-1-04963-1}}</ref>

J. K. Paasikivi and P. E. Svinhufvud, both at the time future presidents of the Republic of Finland, discuss the Finnish monarchy project in 1918.

After a brief experimentation with monarchy, when an attempt to make Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse King of Finland proved to be a poor success, Finland became a presidential republic, with K. J. Ståhlberg elected as its first president in 1919. As a liberal nationalist and with a legal background, Ståhlberg anchored the state in liberal democracy, guarded the fragile shoot of the rule of law, and embarked on internal reforms.<ref>{{cite web | first = Juha | last = Mononen | title = War or Peace for Finland? Neoclassical Realist Case Study of Finnish Foreign Policy in the Context of the Anti-Bolshevik Intervention in Russia 1918–1920 | url = https://tampub.uta.fi/handle/10024/80491 | date = 2 February 2009 | publisher = University of Tampere | access-date = 25 August 2020 | archive-date = 7 June 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150607035630/http://tampub.uta.fi/handle/10024/80491 | url-status = dead }}</ref> Finland was also one of the first European countries to strongly aim for equality for women, with Miina Sillanpää serving in Väinö Tanner's cabinet as the first female minister in Finnish history in 1926–1927.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://finland.fi/life-society/real-bridge-builder-became-finlands-first-female-government-minister/%7Ctitle=Real bridge-builder became Finland's first female government minister - thisisFINLAND|date=29 September 2017|work=thisisFINLAND|access-date=7 December 2020|language=en-US}}</ref> The Finnish–Russian border was defined in 1920 by the Treaty of Tartu, largely following the historic border but granting Pechenga ({{lang-fi|Petsamo}}) and its Barents Sea harbour to Finland. Finnish democracy did not experience any Soviet coup attempts and likewise survived the anti-communist Lapua Movement. Nevertheless, the relationship between Finland and the Soviet Union remained tense. Army officers were trained in France, and relations with Western Europe and Sweden were strengthened.

In 1917, the population was three million. Credit-based land reform was enacted after the civil war, increasing the proportion of the capital-owning population.<ref name="equity" /> About 70% of workers were occupied in agriculture and 10% in industry.<ref>{{cite web |author=Finland 1917–2007 |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suomi90/helmikuu_en.html |title=From slash-and-burn fields to post-industrial society—90 years of change in industrial structure |publisher=Stat.fi |date=20 February 2007 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> The largest export markets were the United Kingdom and Germany.

World War II and after

{{Main|Finland during World War II|Finno-Soviet Treaty of 1948|Finlandization|Early 1990s depression in Finland}}

Areas ceded by Finland to the Soviet Union after World War II. The Porkkala land lease was returned to Finland in 1956.

Finland fought the Soviet Union in the Winter War of 1939–1940 after the Soviet Union attacked Finland and in the Continuation War of 1941–1944, following Operation Barbarossa, when Finland aligned with Germany following Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union. For 872 days, the German army, aided indirectly by Finnish forces, besieged Leningrad, the USSR's second-largest city.<ref>Michael Jones (2013). "Leningrad: State of Siege". Basic Books. p. 38. {{ISBN|0-7867-2177-4}}</ref> After Finnish resistance to a major Soviet offensive in June and July 1944 led to a standstill, the two sides reached an armistice. This was followed by the Lapland War of 1944–1945, when Finland fought retreating German forces in northern Finland. Perhaps the most famous war heroes during the aforementioned wars were Simo Häyhä,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R948DQAAQBAJ&q=simo+hayha+219+kills&pg=PT35%7Ctitle=The White Sniper|first=Tapio|last=Saarelainen|date=31 October 2016|publisher=Casemate|isbn=978-1-61200-429-7|access-date=12 March 2019|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rdIgAQAAIAAJ%7Ctitle=Journal of Information Warfare|first1=Edith Cowan University School of Management Information|last1=Systems|first2=Teamlink|last2=Australia|date=12 March 2019|publisher=Teamlink Australia Pty Limited|access-date=12 March 2019|via=Google Books}}</ref> Aarne Juutilainen,<ref>{{Cite book|title=Marokon Kauhu|trans-title=Terror of Morocco|last=Mäkelä|first=Jukka L.|publisher=W. Söderström|location=Porvoo|language=fi|year=1969|oclc=3935082}}</ref> and Lauri Törni.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cleverley|first=J. Michael|title=Born a Soldier: The Times and Life of Larry Thorne|year=2008|publisher=Booksurge|isbn=978-1-4392-1437-4|oclc=299168934}}</ref>

The treaties signed with the Soviet Union in 1947 and 1948 included Finnish obligations, restraints, and reparations, as well as further Finnish territorial concessions in addition to those in the Moscow Peace Treaty of 1940. As a result of the two wars, Finland ceded the Petsamo, along with parts of Finnish Karelia and Salla. This amounted to 10% of Finland's land area and 20% of its industrial capacity, including the ports of Vyborg (Viipuri) and the ice-free Liinakhamari (Liinahamari). Almost the whole Finnish population, some 400,000 people, fled these areas. The former Finnish territory now constitutes part of Russia's Republic of Karelia, Leningrad Oblast, and Murmansk Oblast. Finland was never occupied by Soviet forces and it retained its independence, but at a loss of about 97,000 soldiers. The war reparations demanded by the Soviet Union amounted to $300 million ({{Inflation|US|300|1938|fmt=c}} million in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}).

Finland rejected Marshall aid, in apparent deference to Soviet desires. However, in the hope of preserving Finland's independence, the United States provided secret development aid and helped the Social Democratic Party.<ref>Hidden help from across the Atlantic {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070129165823/http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Hidden+help+from+across+the+Atlantic/1135223633788 |date=29 January 2007 }}, Helsingin Sanomat</ref> Establishing trade with the Western powers, such as the United Kingdom, and paying reparations to the Soviet Union produced a transformation of Finland from a primarily agrarian economy to an industrialised one. Valmet was founded to create materials for war reparations. After the reparations had been paid off, Finland continued to trade with the Soviet Union in the framework of bilateral trade.

Urho Kekkonen, the eighth president of Finland (1956–1982)

In 1950, 46% of Finnish workers worked in agriculture and a third lived in urban areas.<ref name="populationdevelopment">{{cite web |author=Finland 1917–2007 |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suomi90/joulukuu_en.html |title=Population development in independent Finland—greying Baby Boomers |publisher=Stat.fi |date=5 December 2007 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> The new jobs in manufacturing, services, and trade quickly attracted people to the towns. The average number of births per woman declined from a baby boom peak of 3.5 in 1947 to 1.5 in 1973.<ref name="populationdevelopment" /> When baby-boomers entered the workforce, the economy did not generate jobs quickly enough, and hundreds of thousands emigrated to the more industrialized Sweden, with emigration peaking in 1969 and 1970.<ref name="populationdevelopment" /> The 1952 Summer Olympics brought international visitors. Finland took part in trade liberalization in the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

Officially claiming to be neutral, Finland lay in the grey zone between the Western countries and the Soviet bloc. The YYA Treaty (Finno-Soviet Pact of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance) gave the Soviet Union some leverage in Finnish domestic politics. This was extensively exploited by president Urho Kekkonen against his opponents. He maintained an effective monopoly on Soviet relations from 1956 on, which was crucial for his continued popularity. In politics, there was a tendency to avoid any policies and statements that could be interpreted as anti-Soviet. This phenomenon was given the name "Finlandization" by the West German press. During the Cold War, Finland also developed into one of the centers of the East-West espionage, in which both the KGB and the CIA played their parts.<ref>{{Citation|last=Ford|first=Hal|title=ESAU -LVI - FINLANDIZATION IN ACTION: HELSINKI'S EXPERIENCE WITH MOSCOW|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/esau-55.pdf%7Cseries=DIRECTORATE OF INTELLIGENCE|date=August 1972}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.economist.com/eastern-approaches/2011/12/01/secret-history%7Ctitle=Finland and American intelligence - Secret history|work=The Economist|date=1 December 2011|access-date=16 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://intelnews.org/2011/08/19/01-794/%7Ctitle=Former Finnish diplomat reveals she worked for the CIA|first=Joseph|last=Fitsanakis|website=Intelnews.org|date=19 August 2011|access-date=16 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-9692396%7Ctitle=Naisia, autoja ja piilopirttejä – Norjalainen vakoili CIA:n laskuun kylmän sodan Suomessa|first=Satu|last=Helin|publisher=YLE|date=2 July 2017|access-date=16 August 2020|language=fi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2019/10/14/kylman-sodan-suomalaisagentit-kasikirjoitus%7Ctitle=Kylmän sodan suomalaisagentit: käsikirjoitus|first=Kai|last=Byman|work=MOT|publisher=YLE|date=14 October 2019|access-date=16 August 2020|language=fi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000005833479.html%7Ctitle=Näin Neuvostoliitto vakoili Suomessa – Supo seurasi "Jakkea", joka johdatti uusille jäljille|first=Mika|last=Lehto|work=Ilta-Sanomat|date=19 September 2018|access-date=16 August 2020|language=fi}}</ref> The 1949 established Finnish Security Intelligence Service (SUPO, Suojelupoliisi), an operational security authority and a police unit under the Interior Ministry, whose core areas of activity are counter-Intelligence, counter-terrorism and national security,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://supo.fi/en/frontpage?p_p_id=fi_yja_language_version_tool_web_portlet_LanguageVersionToolMissingNotificationPortlet&_fi_yja_language_version_tool_web_portlet_LanguageVersionToolMissingNotificationPortlet_missingLanguageVersion=1%7Ctitle=Frontpage%7Cwebsite=Supo}}</ref> also participated in this activity in some places.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://tuomioja.org/kirjavinkit/2009/09/matti-simola-toimittanut-ratakatu-12-suojelupoliisi-1949-2009-wsoy-319-s-hameenlinna-2009/%7Ctitle=Salaisen palvelun tutkimuksen haasteet|last=Tuomioja|first=Erkki|date=8 September 2009|work=Tuomioja.org|access-date=24 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171024153602/https://tuomioja.org/kirjavinkit/2009/09/matti-simola-toimittanut-ratakatu-12-suojelupoliisi-1949-2009-wsoy-319-s-hameenlinna-2009/%7Carchive-date=24 October 2017|url-status=live|language=fi-FI|trans-title=Challenges in secret service research}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|chapter-url=https://helda.helsinki.fi/handle/10224/4054%7Ctitle=The Cold War and the Politics of History|last=Rentola|first=Kimmo|publisher=Edita Publishing Ltd|year=2008|isbn=978-952-10-4637-7|editor-last=Aunesluoma|editor-first=Juhani|location=Helsinki|pages=269–289|chapter=President Urho Kekkonen of Finland and the KGB|editor-last2=Kettunen|editor-first2=Pauli|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305010917/https://helda.helsinki.fi/handle/10224/4054%7Carchive-date=5 March 2016}}</ref>

Despite close relations with the Soviet Union, Finland maintained a market economy. Various industries benefited from trade privileges with the Soviets, which explains the widespread support that pro-Soviet policies enjoyed among business interests in Finland. Economic growth was rapid in the postwar era, and by 1975 Finland's GDP per capita was the 15th-highest in the world. In the 1970s and 1980s, Finland built one of the most extensive welfare states in the world. Finland negotiated with the European Economic Community (EEC, a predecessor of the European Union) a treaty that mostly abolished customs duties towards the EEC starting from 1977, although Finland did not fully join. In 1981, President Urho Kekkonen's failing health forced him to retire after holding office for 25 years.

Finland joined the European Union in 1995 and signed the Lisbon Treaty in 2007.

Finland reacted cautiously to the collapse of the Soviet Union, but swiftly began increasing integration with the West. On 21 September 1990, Finland unilaterally declared the Paris Peace Treaty obsolete, following the German reunification decision nine days earlier.<ref>formin.finland.fi {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105213131/http://formin.finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=55802&contentlan=1&culture=fi-FI |date=5 January 2016 }}; Suurlähettiläs Jaakko Blomberg: Kylmän sodan päättyminen, Suomi ja Viro – Ulkoasiainministeriö: Ajankohtaista. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

Miscalculated macroeconomic decisions, a banking crisis, the collapse of its largest trading partner (the Soviet Union), and a global economic downturn caused a deep early 1990s recession in Finland. The depression bottomed out in 1993, and Finland saw steady economic growth for more than ten years.<ref>{{Citation|last=Uusitalo|first=Hannu|title=Economic Crisis and Social Policy in Finland in the 1990s|journal=Working Paper Series|url=https://www.sprc.unsw.edu.au/media/SPRCFile/dp070.pdf%7Cseries=SPRC Discussion Paper No. 70|date=October 1996|issn=1037-2741}}</ref> Like other Nordic countries, Finland decentralised its economy since the late 1980s. Financial and product market regulation were loosened. Some state enterprises have been privatized and there have been some modest tax cuts.{{Citation needed |date=August 2017}} Finland joined the European Union in 1995, and the Eurozone in 1999. Much of the late 1990s economic growth was fueled by the success of the mobile phone manufacturer Nokia, which held a unique position of representing 80% of the market capitalization of the Helsinki Stock Exchange.

Geography

{{Main|Geography of Finland}} {{See also|List of cities and towns in Finland|List of lakes of Finland|List of national parks of Finland|Environmental issues in Finland}}

Topographic map of Finland

Lying approximately between latitudes 60° and 70° N, and longitudes 20° and 32° E, Finland is one of the world's northernmost countries. Of world capitals, only Reykjavík lies more to the north than Helsinki. The distance from the southernmost point – Hanko in Uusimaa – to the northernmost – Nuorgam in Lapland – is {{convert|1160|km|mi}}.

Finland has about 168,000 lakes (of area larger than {{convert|500|m2|acre|2|abbr=on|disp=or}}) and 179,000 islands.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_alue_en.html |title=Statistics Finland, Environment and Natural Resources|access-date=4 April 2013}}</ref> Its largest lake, Saimaa, is the fourth largest in Europe. The Finnish Lakeland is the area with the most lakes in the country; many of the major cities in the area, most notably Tampere, Jyväskylä and Kuopio, are located in the immediate vicinity of the large lakes. The greatest concentration of islands is found in the southwest, in the Archipelago Sea between continental Finland and the main island of Åland.

Much of the geography of Finland is a result of the Ice Age. The glaciers were thicker and lasted longer in Fennoscandia compared with the rest of Europe. Their eroding effects have left the Finnish landscape mostly flat with few hills and fewer mountains. Its highest point, the Halti at {{convert|1324|m|ft|0}}, is found in the extreme north of Lapland at the border between Finland and Norway. The highest mountain whose peak is entirely in Finland is Ridnitšohkka at {{convert|1316|m|ft|abbr=on}}, directly adjacent to Halti.

There are some 187,888 lakes in Finland larger than 500 square metres and 75,818 islands of over 0,5 km2 area, leading to the denomination "the land of a thousand lakes".<ref name="thousand"/>

The retreating glaciers have left the land with morainic deposits in formations of eskers. These are ridges of stratified gravel and sand, running northwest to southeast, where the ancient edge of the glacier once lay. Among the biggest of these are the three Salpausselkä ridges that run across southern Finland.

Having been compressed under the enormous weight of the glaciers, terrain in Finland is rising due to the post-glacial rebound. The effect is strongest around the Gulf of Bothnia, where land steadily rises about {{convert|1|cm|1|abbr=on}} a year. As a result, the old sea bottom turns little by little into dry land: the surface area of the country is expanding by about {{convert|7|km2|sqmi}} annually.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fimr.fi/en/tutkimus/fysikaalinen-tutkimus/vedenkorkeuden-vaihteluiden-ajalliset-muutokset.html |title=Trends in sea level variability |work=Finnish Institute of Marine Research |date=24 August 2004 |access-date=22 January 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070227172733/http://www.fimr.fi/en/tutkimus/fysikaalinen-tutkimus/vedenkorkeuden-vaihteluiden-ajalliset-muutokset.html |archive-date=27 February 2007 }}</ref> Relatively speaking, Finland is rising from the sea.<ref name="EB">"Finland." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011.</ref>

The landscape is covered mostly by coniferous taiga forests and fens, with little cultivated land. Of the total area 10% is lakes, rivers and ponds, and 78% forest. The forest consists of pine, spruce, birch, and other species.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metla.fi/suomen-metsat/ |title=Euroopan metsäisin maa |date=2013 |website= Luke |language=fi |access-date=30 April 2016}}</ref> Finland is the largest producer of wood in Europe and among the largest in the world. The most common type of rock is granite. It is a ubiquitous part of the scenery, visible wherever there is no soil cover. Moraine or till is the most common type of soil, covered by a thin layer of humus of biological origin. Podzol profile development is seen in most forest soils except where drainage is poor. Gleysols and peat bogs occupy poorly drained areas.

Biodiversity

{{Main|Fauna of Finland|Wildlife of Finland}} Phytogeographically, Finland is shared between the Arctic, central European, and northern European provinces of the Circumboreal Region within the Boreal Kingdom. According to the WWF, the territory of Finland can be subdivided into three ecoregions: the Scandinavian and Russian taiga, Sarmatic mixed forests, and Scandinavian Montane Birch forest and grasslands.<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|year=2017|pages=534–545|issn=0006-3568|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287}}</ref> Taiga covers most of Finland from northern regions of southern provinces to the north of Lapland. On the southwestern coast, south of the Helsinki-Rauma line, forests are characterized by mixed forests, that are more typical in the Baltic region. In the extreme north of Finland, near the tree line and Arctic Ocean, Montane Birch forests are common. Finland had a 2018 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 5.08/10, ranking it 109th globally out of 172 countries.<ref name="FLII-Supplementary">{{cite journal|last1=Grantham|first1=H. S.|last2=Duncan|first2=A.|last3=Evans|first3=T. D.|last4=Jones|first4=K. R.|last5=Beyer|first5=H. L.|last6=Schuster|first6=R.|last7=Walston|first7=J.|last8=Ray|first8=J. C.|last9=Robinson|first9=J. G.|last10=Callow|first10=M.|last11=Clements|first11=T.|last12=Costa|first12=H. M.|last13=DeGemmis|first13=A.|last14=Elsen|first14=P. R.|last15=Ervin|first15=J.|last16=Franco|first16=P.|last17=Goldman|first17=E.|last18=Goetz|first18=S.|last19=Hansen|first19=A.|last20=Hofsvang|first20=E.|last21=Jantz|first21=P.|last22=Jupiter|first22=S.|last23=Kang|first23=A.|last24=Langhammer|first24=P.|last25=Laurance|first25=W. F.|last26=Lieberman|first26=S.|last27=Linkie|first27=M.|last28=Malhi|first28=Y.|last29=Maxwell|first29=S.|last30=Mendez|first30=M.|last31=Mittermeier|first31=R.|last32=Murray|first32=N. J.|last33=Possingham|first33=H.|last34=Radachowsky|first34=J.|last35=Saatchi|first35=S.|last36=Samper|first36=C.|last37=Silverman|first37=J.|last38=Shapiro|first38=A.|last39=Strassburg|first39=B.|last40=Stevens|first40=T.|last41=Stokes|first41=E.|last42=Taylor|first42=R.|last43=Tear|first43=T.|last44=Tizard|first44=R.|last45=Venter|first45=O.|last46=Visconti|first46=P.|last47=Wang|first47=S.|last48=Watson|first48=J. E. M.|title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity - Supplementary Material|journal=Nature Communications|volume=11|issue=1|year=2020|page=5978|issn=2041-1723|doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3|pmid=33293507|pmc=7723057}}</ref>

The brown bear (Ursus arctos) is Finland's national animal. It is also the largest carnivora in Finland.

Similarly, Finland has a diverse and extensive range of fauna. There are at least sixty native mammalian species, 248 breeding bird species, over 70 fish species, and 11 reptile and frog species present today, many migrating from neighboring countries thousands of years ago. Large and widely recognized wildlife mammals found in Finland are the brown bear, gray wolf, wolverine, and elk. The brown bear, which is also nicknamed as the "king of the forest" by the Finns, is the country's official national animal,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://finland.fi/life-society/iconic-finnish-nature-symbols-stand-out/ | title=Iconic Finnish nature symbols stand out | publisher=This is Finland | access-date=24 December 2020}}</ref> which also occur on the coat of arms of the Satakunta region is a crown-headed black bear carrying a sword,<ref>Iltanen, Jussi: Suomen kuntavaakunat (2013), Karttakeskus, {{ISBN|951-593-915-1}}</ref> possibly referring to the regional capital city of Pori, whose Swedish name Björneborg and the Latin name Arctopolis literally means "bear city" or "bear fortress".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Savoring Heritage: A Memphis writer explores her daughter's Finnish roots |last=Maki |first=Aisling |work=Memphis magazine |date=27 March 2020 |url= https://memphismagazine.com/travel/savoring-heritage/ }}</ref> Three of the more striking birds are the whooper swan, a large European swan and the national bird of Finland; the Western capercaillie, a large, black-plumaged member of the grouse family; and the Eurasian eagle-owl. The latter is considered an indicator of old-growth forest connectivity, and has been declining because of landscape fragmentation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://herkules.oulu.fi/isbn9514259904/html/x288.html |title=Nutritional and genetic adaptation of galliform birds: implications for hand-rearing and restocking |work=Oulu University Library (2000) |access-date=23 May 2008}}</ref> The most common breeding birds are the willow warbler, common chaffinch, and redwing.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.birdlife.fi/lintuharrastus/faq-muut.shtml#pesimalinnut |title=BirdLife Finland |work=BirdLife International (2004) Birds in Europe: population estimates, trends and conservation status. Cambridge, UK. (BirdLife Conservation Series No. 12) |access-date=22 January 2007}}</ref> Of some seventy species of freshwater fish, the northern pike, perch, and others are plentiful. Atlantic salmon remains the favourite of fly rod enthusiasts.

The endangered Saimaa ringed seal (Pusa hispida saimensis), one of only three lake seal species in the world, exists only in the Saimaa lake system of southeastern Finland, down to only 390 seals today.<ref>{{cite web |title= Saimaa Ringed Seal |url= https://wwf.fi/en/saimaaringedseal/ |access-date=22 December 2018}}</ref> Ever since the species was protected in 1955,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nationalparks.fi/saimaa-ringed-seal%7Ctitle=Saimaa Ringed Seal|website=Nationalparks.fi}}</ref> it has become the emblem of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=170517&contentlan=2&culture=en-US |title=SOS: Save our seals |work=this is Finland (Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910195719/http://finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=170517&contentlan=2&culture=en-US |archive-date=10 September 2015 }}</ref> The Saimaa ringed seal lives nowadays mainly in two Finnish national parks, Kolovesi and Linnansaari,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jarvisydan.com/en/Nature-Adventures/National-Parks |title=Welcome to Linnansaari and Kolovesi National Parks |date=2016 |website=Järvisydän |access-date=2016-05-01 |archive-date=26 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160926180335/http://www.jarvisydan.com/en/Nature-Adventures/National-Parks |url-status=dead }}</ref> but strays have been seen in a much larger area, including near Savonlinna's town centre.

Climate

{{Main|Climate of Finland}}

Köppen climate classification types of Finland

The main factor influencing Finland's climate is the country's geographical position between the 60th and 70th northern parallels in the Eurasian continent's coastal zone. In the Köppen climate classification, the whole of Finland lies in the boreal zone, characterized by warm summers and freezing winters. Within the country, the temperateness varies considerably between the southern coastal regions and the extreme north, showing characteristics of both a maritime and a continental climate. Finland is near enough to the Atlantic Ocean to be continuously warmed by the Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream combines with the moderating effects of the Baltic Sea and numerous inland lakes to explain the unusually warm climate compared with other regions that share the same latitude, such as Alaska, Siberia, and southern Greenland.<ref name="Finland's climate">{{cite web |title=Finland's climate |url=http://www.fmi.fi/weather/climate.html |publisher=Finnish Meteorological Institute |access-date=3 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100721105549/http://www.fmi.fi/weather/climate.html |archive-date=21 July 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Winters in southern Finland (when mean daily temperature remains below {{convert|0|°C|disp=or}}) are usually about 100 days long, and in the inland the snow typically covers the land from about late November to April, and on the coastal areas such as Helsinki, snow often covers the land from late December to late March.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://ilmasto-opas.fi/fi/ilmastonmuutos/suomen-muuttuva-ilmasto/-/artikkeli/08848977-fd1a-4e85-8389-7ecf3ca7de7d/uusimaa-merellisen-ilmaston-maakunta.html%7Ctitle = The climate in Finland (finnish)|access-date = 3 January 2015}}</ref> Even in the south, the harshest winter nights can see the temperatures fall to {{convert|-30|°C}} although on coastal areas like Helsinki, temperatures below {{convert|-30|°C|0}} are rare. Climatic summers (when mean daily temperature remains above {{convert|10|°C|disp=or}}) in southern Finland last from about late May to mid-September, and in the inland, the warmest days of July can reach over {{convert|35|°C|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Finland's climate" /> Although most of Finland lies on the taiga belt, the southernmost coastal regions are sometimes classified as hemiboreal.<ref name="Havas">{{cite web|url=http://www.oulu.fi/northnature/finnish/Suomi/luma1.html%7Ctitle=Pohjoiset alueet / yleiskuvaus|last=Havas|first=Paavo|language=fi|access-date=3 December 2012}}</ref>

In northern Finland, particularly in Lapland, the winters are long and cold, while the summers are relatively warm but short. The most severe winter days in Lapland can see the temperature fall down to {{convert|-45|°C}}. The winter of the north lasts for about 200 days with permanent snow cover from about mid-October to early May. Summers in the north are quite short, only two to three months, but can still see maximum daily temperatures above {{convert|25|°C}} during heat waves.<ref name="Finland's climate" /> No part of Finland has Arctic tundra, but Alpine tundra can be found at the fells Lapland.<ref name="Havas" />

The Finnish climate is suitable for cereal farming only in the southernmost regions, while the northern regions are suitable for animal husbandry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mmm.fi/attachments/mmm/julkaisut/esitteet/5HIspFLpC/45920_LFA_esite.pdf%7Ctitle=Finland's Northern Conditions: Challenges and Opportunities for Agriculture|publisher=Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Finland|pages=1–4|access-date=3 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407022547/http://www.mmm.fi/attachments/mmm/julkaisut/esitteet/5HIspFLpC/45920_LFA_esite.pdf%7Carchive-date=7 April 2012 }}</ref>

A quarter of Finland's territory lies within the Arctic Circle and the midnight sun can be experienced for more days the farther north one travels. At Finland's northernmost point, the sun does not set for 73 consecutive days during summer, and does not rise at all for 51 days during winter.<ref name="Finland's climate" />

Regions

{{Main|Regions of Finland}}

Finland consists of 19 regions, called {{lang|fi|maakunta}} in Finnish and {{lang|sv|landskap}} in Swedish. The regions are governed by regional councils which serve as forums of cooperation for the municipalities of a region. The main tasks of the regions are regional planning and development of enterprise and education. In addition, the public health services are usually organized on the basis of regions. Currently, the only region where a popular election is held for the council is Kainuu. Other regional councils are elected by municipal councils, each municipality sending representatives in proportion to its population.

In addition to inter-municipal cooperation, which is the responsibility of regional councils, each region has a state Employment and Economic Development Centre which is responsible for the local administration of labour, agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and entrepreneurial affairs. The Finnish Defence Forces regional offices are responsible for the regional defence preparations and for the administration of conscription within the region.

Regions represent dialectal, cultural, and economic variations better than the former provinces, which were purely administrative divisions of the central government. Historically, regions are divisions of historical provinces of Finland, areas which represent dialects and culture more accurately.

Six Regional State Administrative Agencies were created by the state of Finland in 2010, each of them responsible for one of the regions called {{lang|fi|alue}} in Finnish and {{lang|sv|region}} in Swedish; in addition, Åland was designated a seventh region. These take over some of the tasks of the earlier Provinces of Finland (lääni/län), which were abolished.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.avi.fi/fi/Sivut/etusivu.aspx |title=Tervetuloa aluehallintoviraston verkkosivuille! |publisher=State Provincial Office |language=fi |access-date=9 June 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315151138/http://www.avi.fi/fi/Sivut/etusivu.aspx |archive-date=15 March 2012 }}</ref>

{{Finnish Regions|options=float:top}}
Name url=https://vnk.fi/documents/10616/3457861/Suomen+hallintorakenteeseen+ja+maakuntauudistukseen+liittyviä+termejä+sekä+maakuntien+ja+kuntien+nimet+fi-sv-en-%28ru%29/974f7fc5-1466-c667-9787-381c5bd57603/Suomen+hallintorakenteeseen+ja+maakuntauudistukseen+liittyviä+termejä+sekä+maakuntien+ja+kuntien+nimet+fi-sv-en-%28ru%29.pdf%7Ctitle=Suomen hallintorakenteeseen ja maakuntauudistukseen liittyviä termejä sekä maakuntien ja kuntien nimet fi-sv-en-(ru)|website=vnk.fi|pages=8–9|access-date=23 August 2019}}</ref> Finnish name Swedish name Capital Regional state administrative agency
Lapland Lapland fi|Lappi}} sv|Lappland}} Rovaniemi Lapland
North Ostrobothnia North Ostrobothnia fi|Pohjois-Pohjanmaa}} sv|Norra Österbotten}} Oulu Northern Finland
Kainuu Kainuu fi|Kainuu}} sv|Kajanaland}} Kajaani Northern Finland
North Karelia North Karelia fi|Pohjois-Karjala}} sv|Norra Karelen}} Joensuu Eastern Finland
Northern Savonia North Savo fi|Pohjois-Savo}} {{lang|sv|Norra Savolax}} Kuopio Eastern Finland
Southern Savonia South Savo fi|Etelä-Savo}} sv|Södra Savolax}} Mikkeli Eastern Finland
South Ostrobothnia South Ostrobothnia fi|Etelä-Pohjanmaa}} sv|Södra Österbotten}} Seinäjoki Western and Central Finland
Central Ostrobothnia Central Ostrobothnia fi|Keski-Pohjanmaa}} sv|Mellersta Österbotten}} Kokkola Western and Central Finland
Ostrobothnia Ostrobothnia fi|Pohjanmaa}} sv|Österbotten}} Vaasa Western and Central Finland
Pirkanmaa Pirkanmaa fi|Pirkanmaa}} sv|Birkaland}} Tampere Western and Central Finland
Central Finland Central Finland fi|Keski-Suomi}} sv|Mellersta Finland}} Jyväskylä Western and Central Finland
Satakunta Satakunta fi|Satakunta}} sv|Satakunta}} Pori South-Western Finland
Southwest Finland Southwest Finland fi|Varsinais-Suomi}} sv|Egentliga Finland}} Turku South-Western Finland
South Karelia South Karelia fi|Etelä-Karjala}} sv|Södra Karelen}} Lappeenranta Southern Finland
Päijänne Tavastia Päijät-Häme fi|Päijät-Häme}} sv|Päijänne-Tavastland}} Lahti Southern Finland
Tavastia Proper Kanta-Häme fi|Kanta-Häme}} sv|Egentliga Tavastland}} Hämeenlinna Southern Finland
Uusimaa Uusimaa fi|Uusimaa}} sv|Nyland}} Helsinki Southern Finland
Kymenlaakso Kymenlaakso fi|Kymenlaakso}} sv|Kymmenedalen}} Kotka and Kouvola Southern Finland
Åland Islands<ref name="åland_note">The role that the regional councils serve on Mainland Finland are on the Åland Islands handled by the autonomous Government of Åland.</ref> Åland fi|Ahvenanmaa}} sv|Åland}} Mariehamn Åland

The region of Eastern Uusimaa (Itä-Uusimaa) was consolidated with Uusimaa on 1 January 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.valtioneuvosto.fi/ajankohtaista/tiedotteet/tiedote/fi.jsp?oid=274585 |title=Valtioneuvosto päätti Uudenmaan ja Itä-Uudenmaan maakuntien yhdistämisestä |date=22 October 2009 |publisher=Ministry of Finance |language=fi |access-date=30 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807084712/http://www.valtioneuvosto.fi/ajankohtaista/tiedotteet/tiedote/fi.jsp?oid=274585 |archive-date=7 August 2011 }}</ref>

Administrative divisions

{{Main|Administrative divisions of Finland|Regions of Finland|Sub-regions of Finland|Municipalities of Finland|Historical provinces of Finland}}

The fundamental administrative divisions of the country are the municipalities, which may also call themselves towns or cities. They account for half of public spending. Spending is financed by municipal income tax, state subsidies, and other revenue. {{As of|2021}}, there are 309 municipalities,<ref name="Suomen Kuntaliitto">{{cite web|title=Kaupunkien ja kuntien lukumäärät ja väestötiedot|url=https://www.kuntaliitto.fi/tilastot-ja-julkaisut/kaupunkien-ja-kuntien-lukumaarat-ja-vaestotiedot%7Caccess-date=7 March 2021|publisher=Suomen Kuntaliitto – Association of Finnish Municipalities|language=fi}}</ref> and most have fewer than 6,000 residents.

In addition to municipalities, two intermediate levels are defined. Municipalities co-operate in seventy sub-regions and nineteen regions. These are governed by the member municipalities and have only limited powers. The autonomous province of Åland has a permanent democratically elected regional council. Sami people have a semi-autonomous Sami native region in Lapland for issues on language and culture.

In the following chart, the number of inhabitants includes those living in the entire municipality (kunta/kommun), not just in the built-up area. The land area is given in km2, and the density in inhabitants per km2 (land area). The figures are as of {{#time:d F Y |{{Data Finland municipality/population count|sourcedate}}}}. The capital region – comprising Helsinki, Vantaa, Espoo and Kauniainen – forms a continuous conurbation of over 1.1 million people. However, common administration is limited to voluntary cooperation of all municipalities, e.g. in Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council.

City Population{{Data Finland municipality/population count}} Land area{{Data Finland municipality/total area}} Density Regional map Population density map
Helsinki Helsinki }} }} Helsinki }} }} Helsinki }} round 2}} }}
Municipalities (thin borders) and regions (thick borders) of Finland (2021)
The population densities of Finnish municipalities (2010)
Espoo Espoo }} }} Espoo }} }} Espoo }} round 2}} }}
Tampere Tampere }} }} Tampere }} }} Tampere }} round 2}} }}
Vantaa Vantaa }} }} Vantaa }} }} Vantaa }} round 2}} }}
Oulu Oulu }} }} Oulu }} }} Oulu }} round 2}} }}
Turku Turku }} }} Turku }} }} Turku }} round 2}}

}}

Jyväskylä Jyväskylä }} }} Jyväskylä }} }} Jyväskylä }} round 2}} }}
Kuopio Kuopio }} }} Kuopio }} }} Kuopio }} round 2}} }}
Lahti Lahti }} }} Lahti }} }} Lahti }} round 2}} }}
Pori Pori }} }} Pori }} }} Pori }} round 2}} }}
Kouvola Kouvola }} }} Kouvola }} }} Kouvola }} round 2}} }}
Joensuu Joensuu }} }} Joensuu }} }} Joensuu }} round 2}} }}
Lappeenranta Lappeenranta }} }} Lappeenranta }} }} Lappeenranta }} round 2}} }}
Hämeenlinna Hämeenlinna }} }} Hämeenlinna }} }} Hämeenlinna }} round 2}} }}
Vaasa Vaasa }} }} Vaasa }} }} Vaasa}} round 2}} }}

Politics

{{multiple image 

| align = right
| direction = horizontal
| caption_align = center
| image1 = President Trump Meets with the President of the Republic of Finland (48834234637) (cropped).jpg
| width1 = 115
| caption1 = Sauli Niinistö
12th President
since 1 March 2012
| image2 = Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin 2019 (cropped).jpg
| width2 = 113
| caption2 = Sanna Marin
46th Prime Minister
since 10 December 2019

}} {{Main|Politics of Finland}} {{See also|List of political parties in Finland|Human rights in Finland}}

the European Union}}

Constitution

The Constitution of Finland defines the political system; Finland is a parliamentary republic within the framework of a representative democracy. The Prime Minister is the country's most powerful person. The current version of the constitution was enacted on 1 March 2000, and was amended on 1 March 2012. Citizens can run and vote in parliamentary, municipal, presidential and European Union elections.

President

{{Main|President of Finland}} The head of state of Finland is President of the Republic of Finland (in Finnish: Suomen tasavallan presidentti; in Swedish: Republiken Finlands president). Finland has had for most of its independence a semi-presidential system, but in the last few decades the powers of the President have been diminished. Constitutional amendments, which came into effect in 1991 and 1992, as well as a new drafted constitution of 2000 (amended in 2012), have made the presidency a primarily ceremonial office. However, the President still leads the nation's foreign politics together with the Council of State and is the commander-in-chief of the Defence Forces.<ref name="Parliamentary">Formerly a semi-presidential republic, it is now a parliamentary republic according to David Arter, First Chair of Politics at Aberdeen University. In his "Scandinavian Politics Today" (Manchester University Press, revised 2008 {{ISBN|978-0-7190-7853-8}}), he quotes {{Cite journal |last=Nousiainen |first=Jaakko |date=June 2001 |title=From semi-presidentialism to parliamentary government: political and constitutional developments in Finland |journal=Scandinavian Political Studies |volume=24 |issue=2 |pages=95–109 |doi=10.1111/1467-9477.00048 }} as follows: "There are hardly any grounds for the epithet 'semi-presidential'." Arter's own conclusions are only slightly more nuanced: "The adoption of a new constitution on 1 March 2000 meant that Finland was no longer a case of semi-presidential government other than in the minimalist sense of a situation where a popularly elected fixed-term president exists alongside a prime minister and cabinet who are responsible to parliament (Elgie 2004: 317)". According to the Finnish Constitution, the president has no possibility to rule the government without the ministerial approval, and does not have the power to dissolve the parliament under his or her own desire. Finland is actually represented by its prime minister, and not by its president, in the Council of the Heads of State and Government of the European Union. The 2012 constitutional amendments reduced the powers of the president even further.</ref> The position still does entail some powers, including responsibility for foreign policy (excluding affairs related to the European Union) in cooperation with the cabinet, being the head of the armed forces, some decree and pardoning powers, and some appointive powers. Direct, one- or two-stage elections are used to elect the president for a term of six years and for a maximum of two consecutive 6-year terms. The current president is Sauli Niinistö; he took office on 1 March 2012. Former presidents were K. J. Ståhlberg (1919–1925), L. K. Relander (1925–1931), P. E. Svinhufvud (1931–1937), Kyösti Kallio (1937–1940), Risto Ryti (1940–1944), C. G. E. Mannerheim (1944–1946), J. K. Paasikivi (1946–1956), Urho Kekkonen (1956–1982), Mauno Koivisto (1982–1994), Martti Ahtisaari (1994–2000), and Tarja Halonen (2000–2012).

The current president was elected from the ranks of the National Coalition Party for the first time since 1946. The presidency between 1946 and the present was instead held by a member of the Social Democratic Party or the Centre Party.

Parliament

{{Main|Parliament of Finland}}

The Parliament of Finland's main building along Mannerheimintie in Töölö, Helsinki
The Session Hall of the Parliament of Finland

The 200-member unicameral Parliament of Finland ({{Lang-fi|Eduskunta}}, {{Lang-sv|Riksdag}}) exercises supreme legislative authority in the country. It may alter the constitution and ordinary laws, dismiss the cabinet, and override presidential vetoes. Its acts are not subject to judicial review; the constitutionality of new laws is assessed by the parliament's constitutional law committee. The parliament is elected for a term of four years using the proportional D'Hondt method within a number of multi-seat constituencies through the most open list multi-member districts. Various parliament committees listen to experts and prepare legislation.

Since universal suffrage was introduced in 1906, the parliament has been dominated by the Centre Party (former Agrarian Union), the National Coalition Party, and the Social Democrats. These parties have enjoyed approximately equal support, and their combined vote has totalled about 65–80% of all votes. Their lowest common total of MPs, 121, was reached in the 2011 elections. For a few decades after 1944, the Communists were a strong fourth party. Due to the electoral system of proportional representation, and the relative reluctance of voters to switch their support between parties, the relative strengths of the parties have commonly varied only slightly from one election to another. However, there have been some long-term trends, such as the rise and fall of the Communists during the Cold War; the steady decline into insignificance of the Liberals and their predecessors from 1906 to 1980; and the rise of the Green League since 1983.

The Marin Cabinet is the incumbent 76th government of Finland. It was formed following the collapse of the Rinne Cabinet and officially took office on 10 December 2019.<ref name=NYT1>{{Cite news| last1 = Lemola | first1 = Johanna | last2 = Specia | first2 = Megan | date=10 December 2019| title=Who Is Sanna Marin, Finland's 34-Year-Old Prime Minister? | work=The New York Times|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/10/world/europe/finland-sanna-marin.html | access-date=4 February 2020 | language = en | issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=NYT2>{{Cite news| last=Specia |first=Megan | date=10 December 2019| title=Sanna Marin of Finland to Become World's Youngest Prime Minister|work=The New York Times|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/09/world/europe/finland-prime-minister-sanna-marin.html | access-date=4 February 2020 | language = en | issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The cabinet consists of a coalition formed by the Social Democratic Party, the Centre Party, the Green League, the Left Alliance, and the Swedish People's Party.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kaatuneen hallituksen kaikki puolueet halukkaita jatkoon samalla hallitusohjelmalla – vanhan opposition puolueet eivät hyväksy ohjelmaa |url=https://www.savonsanomat.fi/kotimaa/Kaatuneen-hallituksen-kaikki-puolueet-halukkaita-jatkoon-samalla-hallitusohjelmalla-%E2%80%93-vanhan-opposition-puolueet-eiv%C3%A4t-hyv%C3%A4ksy-ohjelmaa/1479764 |work=Savon Sanomat |language= fi |access-date=10 December 2019 |date=7 December 2019}}</ref>

Cabinet

{{See also|List of female cabinet ministers of Finland}} After parliamentary elections, the parties negotiate among themselves on forming a new cabinet (the Finnish Government), which then has to be approved by a simple majority vote in the parliament. The cabinet can be dismissed by a parliamentary vote of no confidence, although this rarely happens (the last time in 1957), as the parties represented in the cabinet usually make up a majority in the parliament.<ref>The Finnish Wikipedia's article on Motion of no confidence</ref>{{circular reference|date=December 2020}}

The cabinet exercises most executive powers, and originates most of the bills that the parliament then debates and votes on. It is headed by the Prime Minister of Finland, and consists of him or her, of other ministers, and of the Chancellor of Justice. The current prime minister is Sanna Marin (Social Democratic Party). Each minister heads his or her ministry, or, in some cases, has responsibility for a subset of a ministry's policy. After the prime minister, the most powerful minister is the minister of finance. The incumbent Minister of Finance is Matti Vanhanen.

As no one party ever dominates the parliament, Finnish cabinets are multi-party coalitions. As a rule, the post of prime minister goes to the leader of the biggest party and that of the minister of finance to the leader of the second biggest.

Law

{{Main|Law of Finland|Judicial system of Finland}}

The Court House of the Supreme Court

The judicial system of Finland is a civil law system divided between courts with regular civil and criminal jurisdiction and administrative courts with jurisdiction over litigation between individuals and the public administration. Finnish law is codified and based on Swedish law and in a wider sense, civil law or Roman law. The court system for civil and criminal jurisdiction consists of local courts (käräjäoikeus, tingsrätt), regional appellate courts (hovioikeus, hovrätt), and the Supreme Court (korkein oikeus, högsta domstolen). The administrative branch of justice consists of administrative courts (hallinto-oikeus, förvaltningsdomstol) and the Supreme Administrative Court (korkein hallinto-oikeus, högsta förvaltningsdomstolen). In addition to the regular courts, there are a few special courts in certain branches of administration. There is also a High Court of Impeachment for criminal charges against certain high-ranking officeholders.

Around 92% of residents have confidence in Finland's security institutions.<ref name="corruptionpolicing">Policing corruption, International Perspectives.</ref> The overall crime rate of Finland is not high in the EU context. Some crime types are above average, notably the high homicide rate for Western Europe.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/images/3/3e/Intentional_homicides%2C_2016_%28police-recorded_offences_per_100_000_inhabitants%29.png |title=File:Intentional homicides, 2016 (police-recorded offences per 100 000 inhabitants).png |access-date=10 December 2010}}</ref> A day fine system is in effect and also applied to offenses such as speeding.

Finland has successfully fought against government corruption, which was more common in the 1970s and 1980s.<ref name="corruption">The History of Corruption in Central Government By Seppo Tiihonen, International Institute of Administrative Sciences</ref>{{verify source|date=March 2011|reason=Surprising, not clear what part of the work is used.}} For instance, economic reforms and EU membership introduced stricter requirements for open bidding and many public monopolies were abolished.<ref name="corruption" /> Today, Finland has a very low number of corruption charges; Transparency International ranks Finland as one of the least corrupt countries in Europe.

In 2008, Transparency International criticized the lack of transparency of the system of Finnish political finance.<ref>Vaalijohtaja: Vaalirahoituslain rikkominen melko yleistä YLE 15 May 2008</ref> According to GRECO in 2007, corruption should be taken into account in the Finnish system of election funds better.<ref>Evaluation Report on Finland on Incriminations, Theme I, s. 21, GRECO 3–7.12.2007</ref> A scandal revolving around campaign finance of the 2007 parliamentary elections broke out in spring 2008. Nine cabinet ministers submitted incomplete funding reports and even more of the members of parliament. The law includes no punishment of false funds reports of the elected politicians.

Foreign relations

{{Main|Foreign relations of Finland}}

Martti Ahtisaari receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008

According to the 2012 constitution, the president (currently Sauli Niinistö) leads foreign policy in cooperation with the government, except that the president has no role in EU affairs.<ref name="Finnish constitution.">Finnish constitution, Section 93.</ref>

In 2008, president Martti Ahtisaari was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.<ref name="Nobelprize">{{cite web |url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2008/%7Ctitle=The Nobel Peace Prize 2008|work=The Nobel Foundation|publisher=Nobelprize.org|access-date=10 May 2009}}</ref> Finland was considered a cooperative model state, and Finland did not oppose proposals for a common EU defence policy.<ref name="foreignpolicyidea" /> This was reversed in the 2000s, when Tarja Halonen and Erkki Tuomioja made Finland's official policy to resist other EU members' plans for common defence.<ref name="foreignpolicyidea">"Finland's foreign policy idea" ("Suomen ulkopolitiikan idea"), Risto E. J. Penttilä, 2008.</ref>

Military

{{Main|Finnish Defence Forces|Military history of Finland}} {{See also|List of wars involving Finland}}

Finnish Leopard 2A4 tank Ps 273–106 in a combat demonstration at Comprehensive security exhibition 2015 in Tampere.

The Finnish Defence Forces consist of a cadre of professional soldiers (mainly officers and technical personnel), currently serving conscripts, and a large reserve. The standard readiness strength is 34,700 people in uniform, of which 25% are professional soldiers. A universal male conscription is in place, under which all male Finnish nationals above 18 years of age serve for 6 to 12 months of armed service or 12 months of civilian (non-armed) service. Voluntary post-conscription overseas peacekeeping service is popular, and troops serve around the world in UN, NATO, and EU missions. Approximately 500 women choose voluntary military service every year.<ref>Women's voluntary service {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409182820/http://www.mil.fi/varusmies/naisten_vapaaehtoinen_asepalvelus.dsp |date=9 April 2008 }} (in Finnish)</ref> Women are allowed to serve in all combat arms including front-line infantry and special forces. The army consists of a highly mobile field army backed up by local defence units. The army defends the national territory and its military strategy employs the use of the heavily forested terrain and numerous lakes to wear down an aggressor, instead of attempting to hold the attacking army on the frontier.

Sisu Nasu NA-110 tracked transport vehicle of the Finnish Army. Most conscripts receive training for warfare in winter, and transport vehicles such as this give mobility in heavy snow.

Finnish defence expenditure per capita is one of the highest in the European Union.<ref>Työvoimakustannukset puuttuvat puolustusmenoista, Statistics Finland (in Finnish): Eurostat ranking is sixth, but the third when conscription is accounted.</ref> The Finnish military doctrine is based on the concept of total defence. The term total means that all sectors of the government and economy are involved in the defence planning. The armed forces are under the command of the Chief of Defence (currently General Jarmo Lindberg), who is directly subordinate to the president in matters related to military command. The branches of the military are the army, the navy, and the air force. The border guard is under the Ministry of the Interior but can be incorporated into the Defence Forces when required for defence readiness.

Even while Finland hasn't joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the country has joined the NATO Response Force, the EU Battlegroup,<ref>{{cite web|title=European Union battlegroups|url=http://puolustusvoimat.fi/en/international-crisis-management/eu-battle-group%7Cpublisher=Finnish Defence Forces|access-date=27 May 2018}}</ref> the NATO Partnership for Peace and in 2014 signed a NATO memorandum of understanding,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://natowatch.org/sites/default/files/briefing_paper_no.51_finland_and_nato.pdf |title=Is Finland taking a step closer to NATO membership |first=Nigel |last=Chamberlain |publisher=NATO Watch |date=19 May 2014 |access-date=27 May 2018}}</erf></ref><ref name="eduskunta.fi">MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU) BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF FINLAND AND HEADQUARTERS, SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER TRANSFORMATION. NATO</ref> thus forming a practical coalition.<ref name="nato.int" /> In 2015, the Finland-NATO ties were strengthened with a host nation support agreement allowing assistance from NATO troops in emergency situations.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://www.wsj.com/articles/sweden-and-finland-forge-closer-ties-with-nato-1409237354 |title = Sweden and Finland Forge Closer Ties With NATO |newspaper = Wall Street Journal }}</ref> Finland has been an active participant in the Afghanistan and Kosovo.<ref>Finnish soldiers involved in 20-minute gunfight in Afghanistan |Yle Uutiset. yle.fi. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref><ref>Finland's participation in NATO-led crisis management operations. Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland</ref>

Social security

{{Main|Social security in Finland}}

Finland has one of the world's most extensive welfare systems, one that guarantees decent living conditions for all residents: Finns, and non-citizens. Since the 1980s the social security has been cut back, but still the system is one of the most comprehensive in the world. Created almost entirely during the first three decades after World War II, the social security system was an outgrowth of the traditional Nordic belief that the state was not inherently hostile to the well-being of its citizens, but could intervene benevolently on their behalf. According to some social historians, the basis of this belief was a relatively benign history that had allowed the gradual emergence of a free and independent peasantry in the Nordic countries and had curtailed the dominance of the nobility and the subsequent formation of a powerful right wing. Finland's history has been harsher than the histories of the other Nordic countries, but not harsh enough to bar the country from following their path of social development.<ref name="LOC">Text from PD source: US Library of Congress: A Country Study: Finland, Library of Congress Call Number DL1012 .A74 1990.</ref>

Human rights

{{Main|Human rights in Finland|Women's suffrage in Finland|LGBT rights in Finland}}

People gathering at the Senate Square, Helsinki, right before the 2011 Helsinki Pride parade started.

§ 6 in two sentences of the Finnish Constitution states: "No one shall be placed in a different position on situation of sex, age, origin, language, religion, belief, opinion, state of health, disability or any other personal reason without an acceptable reason."<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/1999/19990731 | title = Perustuslaki: 2. luku Perusoikeudet, 6 § Yhdenvertaisuus 2 momentti | date = 1999 | publisher = Finlex | access-date = 27 August 2020 | language = fi }}</ref>

Finland has been ranked above average among the world's countries in democracy,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.democracyranking.org/downloads/2012/Scores_of_the_Democracy-Ranking-2012.htm |title=Scores of the Democracy Ranking 2012 |publisher= Global Democracy Ranking |year=2012 |access-date=27 September 2013}}</ref> press freedom,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2013/finland |title=Freedom of the Press: Finland |publisher= Freedom House |year=2013 |access-date=27 September 2013}}</ref> and human development.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/FIN.html |title=Statistics of the Human Development Report |publisher=United Nations Development Programme |year=2013 |access-date=27 September 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131128081803/http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/FIN.html |archive-date=28 November 2013 }}</ref>

Amnesty International has expressed concern regarding some issues in Finland, such as alleged permitting of stopovers of CIA rendition flights, the imprisonment of conscientious objectors, and societal discrimination against Romani people and members of other ethnic and linguistic minorities.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/region/finland/report-2013 |title=Annual Report 2013: Finland |publisher= Amnesty International |year=2013 |access-date=27 September 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm#wrapper |title=Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012: Finland |publisher= U.S. State of Department Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor |year=2012 |access-date=27 September 2013}}</ref>

Economy

{{Main|Economy of Finland}} {{See also|List of companies of Finland|List of largest companies in Finland|Helsinki Stock Exchange}}

Angry Birds Land, a theme park in the Särkänniemi amusement park, in Tampere, Pirkanmaa; the mobile phone game Angry Birds, developed in Finland, has become a commercial hit both domestically and internationally.

The economy of Finland has a per capita output equal to that of other European economies such as those of France, Germany, Belgium, or the UK. The largest sector of the economy is the service sector at 66% of GDP, followed by manufacturing and refining at 31%. Primary production represents 2.9%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_kansantalous_en.html |title=Finland in Figures—National Accounts |work=Statistics Finland |access-date=26 April 2007}}</ref> With respect to foreign trade, the key economic sector is manufacturing. The largest industries in 2007<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_teollisuus_en.html |title=Finland in Figures—Manufacturing |work=Statistics Finland |access-date=26 April 2007}}</ref> were electronics (22%); machinery, vehicles, and other engineered metal products (21.1%); forest industry (13%); and chemicals (11%). The gross domestic product peaked in 2008. {{As of|2015}}, the country's economy is at the 2006 level.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://yle.fi/uutiset/finlands_lost_decade_continueseconomy_same_size_as_in_2006/8044629 |title = Finland's 'lost decade' continues—economy same size as in 2006 |work = yle.fi |date = 4 June 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/35c8560c-c62f-11e4-add0-00144feab7de.html |title = Finland's economy: In search of the sunny side |work=Financial Times |location=London |date = 11 March 2015 }}</ref>

Finland has significant timber, mineral (iron, chromium, copper, nickel, and gold), and freshwater resources. Forestry, paper factories, and the agricultural sector (on which taxpayers spend{{clarify|subsidize?|date=June 2017}} around €3 billion annually) are important for rural residents so any policy changes affecting these sectors are politically sensitive for politicians dependent on rural votes. The Greater Helsinki area generates around one third of Finland's GDP. In a 2004 OECD comparison, high-technology manufacturing in Finland ranked second largest after Ireland. Knowledge-intensive services have also resulted in the smallest and slow-growth sectors – especially agriculture and low-technology manufacturing – being ranked the second largest after Ireland.<ref name="oecd2004">Finland Economy 2004, OECD</ref>

Finland's climate and soils make growing crops a particular challenge. The country lies between the latitudes 60°N and 70°N, and it has severe winters and relatively short growing seasons that are sometimes interrupted by frost. However, because the Gulf Stream and the North Atlantic Drift Current moderate the climate, Finland contains half of the world's arable land north of 60° north latitude. Annual precipitation is usually sufficient, but it occurs almost exclusively during the winter months, making summer droughts a constant threat. In response to the climate, farmers have relied on quick-ripening and frost-resistant varieties of crops, and they have cultivated south-facing slopes as well as richer bottomlands to ensure production even in years with summer frosts. Most farmland was originally either forest or swamp, and the soil has usually required treatment with lime and years of cultivation to neutralize excess acid and to improve fertility. Irrigation has generally not been necessary, but drainage systems are often needed to remove excess water. Finland's agriculture has been efficient and productive—at least when compared with farming in other European countries.<ref name="LOC" />

A treemap representing the exports of Finland in 2017

Forests play a key role in the country's economy, making it one of the world's leading wood producers and providing raw materials at competitive prices for the crucial wood-processing industries. As in agriculture, the government has long played a leading role in forestry, regulating tree cutting, sponsoring technical improvements, and establishing long-term plans to ensure that the country's forests continue to supply the wood-processing industries. To maintain the country's comparative advantage in forest products, Finnish authorities moved to raise lumber output toward the country's ecological limits. In 1984, the government published the Forest 2000 plan, drawn up by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The plan aimed at increasing forest harvests by about 3% per year, while conserving forestland for recreation and other uses.<ref name="LOC" />

Private sector employees amount to 1.8 million, out of which around a third with tertiary education. The average cost of a private sector employee per hour was €25.10 in 2004.<ref>Tehdyn työtunnin hinta 23–27 euroa, Statistics Finland</ref> {{As of|2008}}, average purchasing power-adjusted income levels are similar to those of Italy, Sweden, Germany, and France.<ref name="incomecomparison">{{cite web |url=http://www.tilastokeskus.fi/artikkelit/2008/art_2008-06-09_001.html |title=Suomalaisten tulot Euroopan keskitasoa. Hyvinvointipalvelut eivät paranna sijoitusta |publisher=Tilastokeskus.fi |date=9 June 2008 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> In 2006, 62% of the workforce worked for enterprises with less than 250 employees and they accounted for 49% of total business turnover and had the strongest rate of growth.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/htimes/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=895:small-enterprises-grow-faster-than-the-big-ones&catid=33:general&Itemid=201 |title=Small enterprises grow faster than the big ones |publisher=Helsinkitimes.fi |date=11 April 2008 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> The female employment rate is high. Gender segregation between male-dominated professions and female-dominated professions is higher than in the US.<ref name="niels">The Nordic Model of Welfare: A Historical Reappraisal, by Niels Finn Christiansen</ref> The proportion of part-time workers was one of the lowest in OECD in 1999.<ref name="niels" /> In 2013, the 10 largest private sector employers in Finland were Itella, Nokia, OP-Pohjola, ISS, VR, Kesko, UPM-Kymmene, YIT, Metso, and Nordea.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.talouselama.fi/uutiset/sata-suurinta-tyonantajaa-nokia-jai-kakkoseksi/72619deb-427d-3852-8a82-edfa4a7e818e%7Ctitle=Sata suurinta työnantajaa: Nokia jäi kakkoseksi|first=Antti|last=Mikkonen|website=Talouselämä}}</ref>

The unemployment rate was 9.4% in 2015, having risen from 8.7% in 2014.<ref>{{cite web |author=Finland in Figures |url=http://www.tilastokeskus.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_tyoelama_en.html |title=Statistics Finland: Labour Market |publisher=Tilastokeskus.fi |date=22 January 2015 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> Youth unemployment rate rose from 16.5% in 2007 to 20.5% in 2014.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Towards employment |work=SixDegrees |date=2016-01-16 |access-date=2016-07-21 |url= https://www.6d.fi/index.php/society/945-towards-employment |language=en }}</ref> A fifth of residents are outside the job market at the age of 50 and less than a third are working at the age of 61.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oecd.org/document/9/0,3343,en_2649_34747_28023113_1_1_1_1,00.html |title=OECD recommends Finland to do more to help older people stay in work |publisher=Oecd.org |date=1 January 1970 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> In 2014, nearly one million people were living with minimal wages or unemployed not enough to cover their costs of living.<ref>yle.fi; Suomessa on liki miljoona köyhää –"Heikoimmassa asemassa olevista on tullut muukalaisia" |Yle Uutiset. (28 August 2014). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

access-date=11 January 2021}}</ref>

{{As of|2006}}, 2.4 million households reside in Finland. The average size is 2.1 persons; 40% of households consist of a single person, 32% two persons and 28% three or more persons. Residential buildings total 1.2 million, and the average residential space is {{convert|38|m2}} per person. The average residential property without land costs €1,187 per sq metre and residential land €8.60 per sq metre. 74% of households had a car. There are 2.5 million cars and 0.4 million other vehicles.<ref>{{cite web|author=Finland in Figures |url=http://www.tilastokeskus.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_liikenne_en.html |title=Statistics Finland: Transport and Tourism|publisher=Tilastokeskus.fi|access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref>

Around 92% have a mobile phone and 83.5% (2009) Internet connection at home. The average total household consumption was €20,000, out of which housing consisted of about €5,500, transport about €3,000, food and beverages (excluding alcoholic beverages) at around €2,500, and recreation and culture at around €2,000.<ref>{{cite web |author=Households' consumption |url=http://www.tilastokeskus.fi/til/ktutk/2006/ktutk_2006_2007-12-19_tie_001_en.html |title=Own-account worker households' consumption has grown most in 2001–2006 |publisher=Tilastokeskus.fi |date=19 December 2007 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> According to Invest in Finland, private consumption grew by 3% in 2006 and consumer trends included durables, high-quality products, and spending on well-being.<ref>"Retail growth best in Finland for five years". For updates, see the Invest in Finland website.</ref>

In 2017, Finland's GDP reached €224 billion. However, second quarter of 2018 saw a slow economic growth. Unemployment rate fell to a near one-decade low in June, marking private consumption growth much higher.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.focus-economics.com/countries/finland%7Ctitle=Finland Economic Outlook|access-date=25 September 2018}}</ref>

Finland has the highest concentration of cooperatives relative to its population.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://maine.coop/Finland.php |title=Finland: Globalization Insurance: Finland's Leap of Caution |website=Cooperatives Build a Better Maine|publisher=Cooperative Maine Business Alliance & Cooperative Development Institute |access-date=1 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202042001/http://maine.coop/Finland.php |archive-date=2 February 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The largest retailer, which is also the largest private employer, S-Group, and the largest bank, OP-Group, in the country are both cooperatives.

Energy

{{See also|Nordic energy market|Peat energy in Finland|Nuclear power in Finland}}

access-date=7 November 2013}}</ref>

The free and largely privately owned financial and physical Nordic energy markets traded in NASDAQ OMX Commodities Europe and Nord Pool Spot exchanges, have provided competitive prices compared with other EU countries. {{As of|2007}}, Finland has roughly the lowest industrial electricity prices in the EU-15 (equal to France).<ref>Electricity prices—industrial users. Web.archive.org. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

In 2006, the energy market was around 90 terawatt hours and the peak demand around 15 gigawatts in winter. This means that the energy consumption per capita is around 7.2 tons of oil equivalent per year. Industry and construction consumed 51% of total consumption, a relatively high figure reflecting Finland's industries.<ref>{{cite web |author=Energy consumption |url=http://www.stat.fi/til/ekul/2006/ekul_2006_2007-12-12_kuv_009_en.html |title=Statistics Finland |publisher=Stat.fi |date= 12 December 2007|access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Energy consumption |url=http://www.stat.fi/til/ekul/2006/ekul_2006_2007-12-12_tie_001_en.html |title=Total energy consumption |publisher=Stat.fi |date=12 December 2007 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> Finland's hydrocarbon resources are limited to peat and wood. About 10–15% of the electricity is produced by hydropower,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metsavastaa.net/vattenkraft |title=Metsävastaa: Vattenkraft |language=sv |publisher=Metsavastaa.net |access-date=6 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090303204918/http://www.metsavastaa.net/vattenkraft |archive-date=3 March 2009 }}</ref> which is low compared with more mountainous Sweden or Norway. In 2008, renewable energy (mainly hydropower and various forms of wood energy) was high at 31% compared with the EU average of 10.3% in final energy consumption.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.energy.eu/#renewable |title=Europe's Energy Portal |publisher=energy.eu |access-date=17 February 2011}}</ref> Russia supplies more than 75% of Finland's oil imports and 100% of total gas imports.<ref> {{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/pdfscache/46126.pdf%7Ctitle=EU imports of energy products - recent developments|date=4 July 2018|publisher=Eurostat|pages=3–4}} </ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Europe helps fund non-Russia gas line for Finland |url=https://www.upi.com/Energy-News/2016/08/10/Europe-helps-fund-non-Russia-gas-line-for-Finland/6271470828765/ |work=United Press International |date=10 August 2016}}</ref>

File:Statistics of the energy supply in Finland.jpg
access-date=28 February 2015}}</ref>

Finland has four privately owned nuclear reactors producing 18% of the country's energy<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tilastokeskus.fi/tk/yr/yeenergiakuviot_en.pdf |title=Energy Consumption in 2001 |work=Statistics Finland |access-date=22 January 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061108043546/http://tilastokeskus.fi/tk/yr/yeenergiakuviot_en.pdf |archive-date=8 November 2006 }}</ref> and one research reactor (decommissioned 2018 <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.vtt.fi/palvelut/v%C3%A4h%C3%A4hiilinen-energia/ydinvoima/tutkimusreaktorin-purku |title = FiR 1 -ydinreaktorin käytöstä poisto}}</ref>) at the Otaniemi campus. The fifth AREVA-Siemens-built reactor – the world's largest at 1600 MWe and a focal point of Europe's nuclear industry – has faced many delays and is currently scheduled to be operational by 2018–2020, a decade after the original planned opening.<ref name="kauppalehti-02-2014">{{cite news |title = Areva ajaa Olkiluodon työmaata alas |author = Paula Nikula |url = http://www.kauppalehti.fi/etusivu/areva+ajaa+olkiluodon+tyomaata+alas/201402652139 |language = fi |publisher = Kauppalehti |date = 28 February 2014 |access-date = 28 February 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140304095114/http://www.kauppalehti.fi/etusivu/areva+ajaa+olkiluodon+tyomaata+alas/201402652139 |archive-date = 4 March 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> A varying amount (5–17%) of electricity has been imported from Russia (at around 3 gigawatt power line capacity), Sweden and Norway.

The Onkalo spent nuclear fuel repository is currently under construction at the Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant in the municipality of Eurajoki, on the west coast of Finland, by the company Posiva.<ref>{{cite news |title=Journey deep into the Finnish caverns where nuclear waste will be buried for millenia |url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/olkiluoto-island-finland-nuclear-waste-onkalo |work=Wired |date=24 April 2017}}</ref> Energy companies are about to increase nuclear power production, as in July 2010 the Finnish parliament granted permits for additional two new reactors.

Transport

{{Main|Transport in Finland}} {{multiple image 

| direction = vertical
| alignment = left
| width = 180
| footer = The state-owned VR operates a railway network serving all major cities in Finland.
| image3 = VR Sr1 3089.jpg
| caption3 = Soviet-made electric locomotive VR Class Sr1 model from 1981
| image2 = Vr sr3 3304 3307 3306.jpg
| caption2 = Three VR Class Sr3 locomotives
| image1 = VR Sr2 3202 Tampere 2012-06-22.JPG
| caption1 = A VR Class Sr2 locomotive

}}

Finland's road system is utilized by most internal cargo and passenger traffic. The annual state operated road network expenditure of around €1 billion is paid for with vehicle and fuel taxes which amount to around €1.5 billion and €1 billion, respectively. Among the Finnish highways, the most significant and busiest main roads include the Turku Highway (E18), the Tampere Highway (E12), the Lahti Highway (E75), and the ring roads (Ring I and Ring III) of the Helsinki metropolitan area and the Tampere Ring Road of the Tampere urban area.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://newsnowfinland.fi/domestic/top-gear-finlands-busiest-roads-revealed%7Ctitle=Top Gear: Finland's Busiest Roads Revealed | News Now Finland|first=News Now|last=Staff|date=19 March 2018}}</ref>

The main international passenger gateway is Helsinki Airport, which handled about 17 million passengers in 2016. Oulu Airport is the second largest, whilst another 25 airports have scheduled passenger services.<ref name="finavia_pass_stats">{{cite web |url=http://www.finavia.fi/files/finavia/vuosikertomukset_pdf/Finavia_vsk_2008_GB_LR.pdf |title=Airport operations |work=Annual report 2008 |date=17 March 2009 |access-date=28 July 2009 |location=Vantaa |publisher=Finavia |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807205454/http://www.finavia.fi/files/finavia/vuosikertomukset_pdf/Finavia_vsk_2008_GB_LR.pdf |archive-date=7 August 2011 }}</ref> The Helsinki Airport-based Finnair, Blue1, and Nordic Regional Airlines, Norwegian Air Shuttle sell air services both domestically and internationally. Helsinki has an optimal location for great circle (i.e. the shortest and most efficient) routes between Western Europe and the Far East.

Despite having a low population density, the Government annually spends around €350 million to maintain the {{convert|5865|km|mi|adj=mid|-long}} network of railway tracks. Rail transport is handled by the state owned VR Group, which has a 5% passenger market share (out of which 80% are from urban trips in Greater Helsinki) and 25% cargo market share.<ref name="ljvr">Transport and communications ministry—Rail. For year 2009 update: Finnish Railway Statistics 2010. For subsequent years when available: Finnish Railway Statistics. liikennevirasto.fi</ref> Since 12 December 2010, Karelian Trains, a joint venture between Russian Railways and VR Group, has been running Alstom Pendolino operated high-speed services between Saint Petersburg's Finlyandsky and Helsinki's Central railway stations. These services are branded as "Allegro" trains. The journey from Helsinki to Saint Petersburg takes only three and a half hours. A high-speed rail line is planned between Helsinki and Turku, with a line from the capital to Tampere also proposed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/16167-finland-earmarks-funds-for-new-rail-links-between-helsinki-turku-and-tampere.html%7Ctitle=Finland earmarks funds for new rail links between Helsinki, Turku and Tampere|website=Helsinki Times|date=4 February 2019}}</ref> Helsinki opened the world's northernmost metro system in 1982, which also serves the neighbouring city of Espoo since 2017.

The majority of international cargo shipments are handled at ports. Vuosaari Harbour in Helsinki is the largest container port in Finland; others include Kotka, Hamina, Hanko, Pori, Rauma, and Oulu. There is passenger traffic from Helsinki and Turku, which have ferry connections to Tallinn, Mariehamn, Stockholm and Travemünde. The Helsinki-Tallinn route – one of the busiest passenger sea routes in the world – has also been served by a helicopter line, and the Helsinki-Tallinn Tunnel has been proposed to provide railway services between the two cities.<ref name="busiest">{{Cite web |title=The Busiest Crossing |work=Discover the Baltic |date=2009-04-24 |url= http://discoverthebaltic.com/travel/bblog.htm#280409 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100326210756/http://www.discoverthebaltic.com/travel/bblog.htm |archive-date=2010-03-26 |language=en }}</ref> Largely following the example of the Øresund Bridge between Sweden and Denmark, the Kvarken Bridge connecting Umeå in Sweden and Vaasa in Finland to cross the Gulf of Bothnia has also been planned for decades.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tellerreport.com/news/2020-07-19-politicians-disagree-on-bridge-over-kvarken.rkOCYVt-ew.html%7Ctitle=Politicians disagree on bridge over Kvarken | tellerreport.com|website=www.tellerreport.com}}</ref>

Industry

{{Main|Economy of Finland}}

The Oasis of the Seas was built at the Perno shipyard in Turku.

Finland rapidly industrialized after World War II, achieving GDP per capita levels comparable to that of Japan or the UK in the beginning of the 1970s. Initially, most of the economic development was based on two broad groups of export-led industries, the "metal industry" (metalliteollisuus) and "forest industry" (metsäteollisuus). The "metal industry" includes shipbuilding, metalworking, the automotive industry, engineered products such as motors and electronics, and production of metals and alloys including steel, copper and chromium. Many of the world's biggest cruise ships, including MS Freedom of the Seas and the Oasis of the Seas have been built in Finnish shipyards.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oasisoftheseas.com/presskit/Oasis_of_the_Seas.pdf |title=Oasis of the Seas: Fast Facts |work=OasisoftheSeas.com |date=10 September 2009 |access-date=24 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220080037/http://www.oasisoftheseas.com/presskit/Oasis_of_the_Seas.pdf |archive-date=20 February 2012}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web|title=Freedom of the Seas Fact Sheet - Royal Caribbean Press Center|url=https://www.royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com/fact-sheet/5/freedom-of-the-seas/%7Caccess-date=16 June 2020|website=royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com}}</ref> The "forest industry" includes forestry, timber, pulp and paper, and is often considered a logical development based on Finland's extensive forest resources, as 73% of the area is covered by forest. In the pulp and paper industry, many major companies are based in Finland; Ahlstrom-Munksjö, Metsä Board, and UPM are all Finnish forest-based companies with revenues exceeding €1 billion. However, in recent decades, the Finnish economy has diversified, with companies expanding into fields such as electronics (Nokia), metrology (Vaisala), petroleum (Neste), and video games (Rovio Entertainment), and is no longer dominated by the two sectors of metal and forest industry. Likewise, the structure has changed, with the service sector growing, with manufacturing declining in importance; agriculture remains a minor part. Despite this, production for export is still more prominent than in Western Europe, thus making Finland possibly more vulnerable to global economic trends.

In 2017, the Finnish economy was estimated to consist of approximately 2.7% agriculture, 28.2% manufacturing and 69.1% services.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Europe :: Finland — The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/finland/%7Caccess-date=16 June 2020|website=cia.gov}}</ref> In 2019, the per-capita income of Finland was estimated to be $48,869. In 2020, Finland was ranked 20th on the ease of doing business index, among 190 jurisdictions.

Public policy

{{See also|Nordic model}}

Flags of the Nordic countries from left to right: Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark

Finnish politicians have often emulated the Nordic model.<ref name="nordicmodel">The Nordic Model {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120905212132/http://www.etla.fi/files/1892_the_nordic_model_complete.pdf |date=5 September 2012 }} by Torben M. Andersen, Bengt Holmström, Seppo Honkapohja, Sixten Korkman, Hans Tson Söderström, Juhana Vartiainen</ref> Nordics have been free-trading and relatively welcoming to skilled migrants for over a century, though in Finland immigration is relatively new. The level of protection in commodity trade has been low, except for agricultural products.<ref name="nordicmodel" />

Finland has top levels of economic freedom in many areas.{{clarify|date=April 2011|I have the impression that the Finnish labour market is quite flexible compared with other European countries—is this meant to be in relation to USA?}} Finland is ranked 16th in the 2008 global Index of Economic Freedom and 9th in Europe.<ref name="freedom" /> While the manufacturing sector is thriving, the OECD points out that the service sector would benefit substantially from policy improvements.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kilpailuvirasto.fi/cgi-bin/suomi.cgi?sivu=uut/u-2005-3-1 |title=Kilpailuvirasto.fi |publisher=Kilpailuvirasto.fi |date=17 October 2005 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref>

The 2007 IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook ranked Finland 17th most competitive.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imd.ch/research/publications/wcy/announcing.cfm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612031526/http://www.imd.ch/research/publications/wcy/announcing.cfm |archive-date=12 June 2007 |title=World Competitiveness Yearbook 2007 |publisher=Imd.ch |access-date=26 August 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> The World Economic Forum 2008 index ranked Finland the 6th most competitive.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.weforum.org/en/initiatives/gcp/Global%20Competitiveness%20Report/index.htm |title=The Global Competitiveness Report 2007–2008 |publisher=World Economic Forum |access-date=8 October 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080619083349/http://www.weforum.org/en/initiatives/gcp/Global%2BCompetitiveness%2BReport/index.htm |archive-date=19 June 2008 }}</ref> In both indicators, Finland's performance was next to Germany, and significantly higher than most European countries. In the Business competitiveness index 2007–2008 Finland ranked third in the world.

Economists attribute much growth to reforms in the product markets. According to the OECD, only four EU-15 countries have less regulated product markets (UK, Ireland, Denmark and Sweden) and only one has less regulated financial markets (Denmark). Nordic countries were pioneers in liberalizing energy, postal, and other markets in Europe.<ref name="nordicmodel" /> The legal system is clear and business bureaucracy less than most countries.<ref name="freedom">{{cite web|url=http://www.heritage.org/index/country/Finland |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629041208/http://www.heritage.org/index/country/Finland |archive-date=29 June 2011 |title=Finland economy |publisher=The Heritage Foundation |access-date=26 August 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> Property rights are well protected and contractual agreements are strictly honoured.<ref name="freedom" /> Finland is rated the least corrupt country in the world in the Corruption Perceptions Index<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2012/results/ |title=Corruption Perceptions Index 2012 – Results |publisher=Transparency.org |access-date=12 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131129013918/http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2012/results/ |archive-date=29 November 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and 13th in the Ease of doing business index. This indicates exceptional ease in cross-border trading (5th), contract enforcement (7th), business closure (5th), tax payment (83rd), and low worker hardship (127th).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.doingbusiness.org/economyrankings/%7Ctitle=Ranking of economies – Doing Business – World Bank Group|work=doingbusiness.org}}</ref>

Finnish law forces all workers to obey the national contracts that are drafted every few years for each profession and seniority level. The agreement becomes universally enforceable provided that more than 50% of the employees support it, in practice by being a member of a relevant trade union. The unionization rate is high (70%), especially in the middle class (AKAVA—80%). A lack of a national agreement in an industry is considered an exception.<ref name="oecd2004" /><ref name="nordicmodel" />

Tourism

{{Main|Tourism in Finland}}

website=www.travelofinland.com/}}</ref>
website=Visit Häme}}</ref>

In 2017, tourism in Finland grossed approximately €15.0 billion with a 7% increase from the previous year. Of this, €4.6 billion (30%) came from foreign tourism.<ref name="Matkailutilinpito">{{cite report|author=Business Finland|year=2019|title=Matkailutilinpito: Matkailun talous- ja työllisyysvaikutukset 2016–2017|url= https://www.businessfinland.fi/499c03/contentassets/4b07e15186484a69b62e991ed85a6c45/matkailutilinpito_2016-2017.pdf%7Cpublisher=Business Finland, Visit Finland|access-date=2 April 2020|language = fi}}</ref> In 2017, there were 15.2 million overnight stays of domestic tourists and 6.7 million overnight stays of foreign tourists.<ref name="TEM"/> Much of the sudden growth can be attributed to the globalisation of the country as well as a rise in positive publicity and awareness. While Russia remains the largest market for foreign tourists, the biggest growth came from Chinese markets (35%).<ref name="TEM">{{cite web|url=https://tem.fi/en/finnish-tourism-in-numbers%7Ctitle=Finnish tourism in numbers|author=Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (Finland)|access-date=2 April 2020}}</ref> Tourism contributes roughly 2.7% to Finland's GDP, making it comparable to agriculture and forestry.<ref name="Tourism_infographic"/>

Commercial cruises between major coastal and port cities in the Baltic region, including Helsinki, Turku, Mariehamn, Tallinn, Stockholm, and Travemünde, play a significant role in the local tourism industry. There are also separate ferry connections dedicated to tourism in the vicinity of Helsinki and its region, such as the connection to the fortress island of Suomenlinna<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hel.fi/helsinki/en/maps-and-transport/transport/ferry/%7Ctitle=Ferries%7Cwebsite=Helsingin kaupunki}}</ref> or the connection to the old town of Porvoo.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.msjlruneberg.fi/cruises/helsinki-porvoo/%7Ctitle=Helsinki - Porvoo|website=m/s J.L. Runeberg}}</ref> By passenger counts, the Port of Helsinki is the busiest port in the world after the Port of Dover in the United Kingdom and the Port of Tallinn in Estonia.<ref name="POH">{{cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/pdfscache/6652.pdf%7Ctitle=Maritime ports freight and passenger statistics|publisher=Eurostat|access-date=2 February 2020}}</ref> The Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport is the fourth busiest airport in the Nordic countries in terms of passenger numbers,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.helsinki-airport.com/%7Ctitle=Helsinki Airport (HEL)|publisher=Helsinki Airport|access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref> and about 90% of Finland's international air traffic passes through the airport.<ref>{{cite web|title=Helsinki Airport is designed for smooth travelling|url=https://www.finavia.fi/en/helsinki-airport/in-brief/%7Cpublisher=Finavia%7Caccess-date=25 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161004015600/http://www.finavia.fi/en/helsinki-airport/in-brief/%7Carchive-date=4 October 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Lapland has the highest tourism consumption of any Finnish region.<ref name="Tourism_infographic">{{cite report|author=Business Finland|year=2019|title=Tourism as Export Infographic 2019|url=https://www.businessfinland.fi/494339/globalassets/julkaisut/visit-finland/tutkimukset/2020/2019-tourism-as-export-infographic.pdf%7Cpublisher=Business Finland, Visit Finland|access-date=2 April 2020}}</ref> Above the Arctic Circle, in midwinter, there is a polar night, a period when the sun does not rise for days or weeks, or even months, and correspondingly, midnight sun in the summer, with no sunset even at midnight (for up to 73 consecutive days, at the northernmost point). Lapland is so far north that the aurora borealis, fluorescence in the high atmosphere due to solar wind, is seen regularly in the fall, winter, and spring. Finnish Lapland is also locally regarded as the home of Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus, with several theme parks, such as Santa Claus Village and Santa Park in Rovaniemi.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Real Home of Santa Claus in Finland |url=http://www.lifeinlapland.com/articles/lapland-travel-tips/real-home-santa-korvatunturi.html%7Caccess-date=20 November 2017}}</ref> Other significant tourist destinations in Lapland also include ski resorts (such as Ylläs, Levi and Ruka)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theculturetrip.com/europe/finland/articles/top-12-ski-resorts-in-finland/%7Ctitle=The Top 12 Ski Resorts in Finland|first=Jessica|last=Wood|website=Culture Trip}}</ref> and sleigh rides led by either reindeer or huskies.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://santaclausvillage.info/services/activity-services/santa-claus-reindeer-rides-safaris-rovaniemi/%7Ctitle=Santa Claus Reindeer rides & excursions in Rovaniemi Lapland Finland|website=Santa Claus Village Rovaniemi Finland}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.yllas.fi/en/activities/husky-safaris-and-reindeers.html%7Ctitle=Discover the winter magic with Huskies and Reindeers|website=www.yllas.fi}}</ref>

Tourist attractions in Finland include the natural landscape found throughout the country as well as urban attractions. Finland is covered with thick pine forests, rolling hills, and lakes. Finland contains 40 national parks (such as the Koli National Park in North Karelia), from the Southern shores of the Gulf of Finland to the high fells of Lapland. Outdoor activities range from Nordic skiing, golf, fishing, yachting, lake cruises, hiking, and kayaking, among many others. Bird-watching is popular for those fond of avifauna, however hunting is also popular. Elk and hare are common game in Finland.

Finland also has urbanised regions with many cultural events and activities. The most famous tourist attractions in Helsinki include the Helsinki Cathedral and the Suomenlinna sea fortress. The most well-known Finnish amusement parks include Linnanmäki in Helsinki, Särkänniemi in Tampere, PowerPark in Kauhava, Tykkimäki in Kouvola and Nokkakivi in Laukaa.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://trip101.com/article/theme-parks-in-finland%7Ctitle=Top 6 Theme Parks And Amusement Parks In Finland|date=30 December 2019|website=Trip101}}</ref> St. Olaf's Castle (Olavinlinna) in Savonlinna hosts the annual Savonlinna Opera Festival,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://operafestival.fi/en/%7Ctitle=Home - Savonlinna Opera Festival|access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref> and the medieval milieus of the cities of Turku, Rauma and Porvoo also attract curious spectators.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foreigner.fi/articulo/tourism/five-finnish-cities-worth-touristic-visit/20190623190002002246.html%7Ctitle=5 Finnish cities that deserve a tourist visit|website=Foreigner.fi|access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref>

Demographics

{{Main|Demographics of Finland}} {{Pie chart |thumb = left |caption = Population by ethnic background in 2017<ref name="auto"/><ref name="un"/> |label1 = Finnish |value1 = 91.33 |color1 = #003399 |label2 = Other European |value2 = 4.90 |color2 = #4080bf |label3 = Asian |value3 = 2.50 |color3 = #ff471a |label4 = African |value4 = 0.90 |color4 = #ffff00 |label5 = Other |value5 = 0.37 }}

The population of Finland is currently about 5.5 million. The current birth rate is 10.42 per 1,000 residents, for a fertility rate of 1.49 children born per woman,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/en/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__kuol/?tablelist=true%7Ctitle=PxWeb - Select table|website=pxnet2.stat.fi}}</ref> one of the lowest in the world, significantly below the replacement rate of 2.1. In 1887 Finland recorded its highest rate, 5.17 children born per woman.<ref>{{citation|url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?year=1800&country=FIN%7Ctitle=Total Fertility Rate around the world over the last centuries|author=Max Roser|date=2014|work=Our World In Data, Gapminder Foundation|access-date=7 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190205121631/https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?year=1800&country=FIN%7Carchive-date=5 February 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> Finland has one of the oldest populations in the world, with a median age of 42.6 years.<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/finland/%7Ctitle=World Factbook EUROPE : FINLAND|work=The World Factbook|date=12 July 2018}}</ref> Approximately half of voters are estimated to be over 50 years old.<ref>Tilastokeskus – Population. Stat.fi. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref><ref name="populationdevelopment" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.globalhealthfacts.org/data/topic/map.aspx?ind=81 |title=Median Age (Years) |publisher=GlobalHealthFacts.org |access-date=22 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130403123202/http://www.globalhealthfacts.org/data/topic/map.aspx?ind=81 |archive-date=3 April 2013 }}</ref><ref name="pop_stat">{{cite web|date=4 June 2020|title=Finland in Figures > Population|url=https://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_vaesto_en.html%7Caccess-date=12 August 2020|website=stat.fi|publisher=Statistics Finland}}</ref> Finland has an average population density of 18 inhabitants per square kilometre. This is the third-lowest population density of any European country, behind those of Norway and Iceland, and the lowest population density of any European Union member country. Finland's population has always been concentrated in the southern parts of the country, a phenomenon that became even more pronounced during 20th-century urbanisation. Two of the three largest cities in Finland are situated in the Greater Helsinki metropolitan area—Helsinki and Espoo, and some municipalities in the metropolitan area have also shown clear growth of population year after year, the most notable being Järvenpää, Nurmijärvi, Kirkkonummi, Kerava and Sipoo.<ref>Kirkkonummen Sanomat: Nurmijärvi - ilmiö voimistui heinäkuussa - Kirkkonummella väkiluvun kasvu 1,2 % (in Finnish)</ref> In the largest cities of Finland, Tampere holds the third place after Helsinki and Espoo while also Helsinki-neighbouring Vantaa is the fourth. Other cities with population over 100,000 are Turku, Oulu, Jyväskylä, Kuopio, and Lahti. On the other hand, Sottunga of the Åland Islands is the smallest municipality in Finland in terms of population (Luhanka in mainland Finland),<ref>Kaupunkien ja kuntien lukumäärät ja väestötiedot – Kuntaliitto (in Finnish)</ref> and Savukoski of Lapland is sparsely populated in terms of population density.<ref>Kuntien pinta-alat ja asukastiheydet – Kuntaliitto (in Finnish)</ref>

{{As of|2019}}, there were 423,494 people with a foreign background living in Finland (7.7% of the population), most of whom are from the former Soviet Union, Estonia, Somalia, Iraq and former Yugoslavia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ulkomaalaistaustaiset |publisher=Tilastokeskus |access-date= 2021-04-25 |url= https://www.stat.fi/tup/maahanmuutto/maahanmuuttajat-vaestossa/ulkomaalaistaustaiset.html |language=fi }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Population |publisher=Statistics Finland |date=2021-04-23 |access-date=2021-04-25 |url= https://www.tilastokeskus.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_vaesto_en.html |language=en }}</ref> The children of foreigners are not automatically given Finnish citizenship, as Finnish nationality law practices and maintain jus sanguinis policy where only children born to at least one Finnish parent are granted citizenship. If they are born in Finland and cannot get citizenship of any other country, they become citizens.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Child born in Finland |publisher=Finnish Immigration Service |access-date=2021-04-25 |url= https://migri.fi/en/child-born-in-finland |language=en }}</ref> Additionally, certain persons of Finnish descent who reside in countries that were once part of Soviet Union, retain the right of return, a right to establish permanent residency in the country, which would eventually entitle them to qualify for citizenship.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.migri.fi/netcomm/content.asp?path=8,2475 |title=Finnish Directorate of Immigration |date=10 November 2011 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111110122502/http://www.migri.fi/netcomm/content.asp?path=8,2475 |archive-date=10 November 2011 }}</ref> 387,215 people in Finland in 2018 were born in another country, representing 7% of the population. The 10 largest foreign born groups are (in order) from Russia, Estonia, Sweden, Iraq, Somalia, China, Thailand, Serbia, Vietnam and Turkey.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/en/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__vaerak/?tablelist%7Ctitle=PxWeb - Select table|website=pxnet2.stat.fi}}</ref>

Finland's immigrant population is growing. By 2035, the three largest cites in Finland are projected to have over a quarter of residents of a foreign-speaking background: in Helsinki, they are projected to form 26% of the population; in Espoo, 30%; and in Vantaa, 34%. The Helsinki region is projected to have 437,000 people of a foreign linguistic background, compared to 201,000 in 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hel.fi/uutiset/fi/kaupunginkanslia/helsingin-seudun-vieraskielinen-vaesto-yli-kaksinkertaistuu-vuoteen-2035-mennessa%7Ctitle=Helsingin seudun vieraskielinen väestö yli kaksinkertaistuu vuoteen 2035 mennessä|website=Helsingin kaupunki}}</ref>

Language

{{Main|Finnish language|Finland Swedish|Languages of Finland}} {{See also|List of municipalities of Finland in which Finnish is not the sole official language}}

bilingual with Finnish as majority language, Sami as minority language}}

Finnish and Swedish are the official languages of Finland. Finnish predominates nationwide while Swedish is spoken in some coastal areas in the west and south (such as Raseborg,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theculturetrip.com/europe/finland/articles/the-10-most-beautiful-towns-in-finland/%7Ctitle=The 10 Most Beautiful Towns In Finland|first=Lani|last=Seelinger|website=Culture Trip}}</ref> Pargas,<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/18417-twice-a-minority-foreign-immigration-to-swedish-speaking-communities-in-finland.html%7Ctitle=Twice a minority: foreign immigration to Swedish-speaking communities in Finland|website=www.helsinkitimes.fi}}</ref> Närpes,<ref name="auto1"/> Kristinestad,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/themes/themes/travel/12675-discovering-swedish-speaking-municipalities-kristinestad.html%7Ctitle=Discovering Swedish-speaking municipalities: Kristinestad|website=www.helsinkitimes.fi}}</ref> Jakobstad<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/themes/themes/travel/13124-discovering-swedish-speaking-municipalities-jakobstad.html%7Ctitle=Discovering Swedish-speaking municipalities: Jakobstad|website=www.helsinkitimes.fi}}</ref> and Nykarleby.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/themes/themes/travel/12953-discovering-swedish-speaking-municipalities-nykarleby.html%7Ctitle=Discovering Swedish-speaking municipalities: Nykarleby|website=www.helsinkitimes.fi}}</ref>) and in the autonomous region of Åland, which is the only monolingual Swedish-speaking region in Finland.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.norden.org/en/info-norden/swedish-language-courses-foreigners-aland%7Ctitle=Swedish language courses for foreigners in Åland | Nordic cooperation|website=www.norden.org}}</ref> The native language of 87.3% of the population is Finnish,<ref name="Population according to language">{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.fi/til/vaerak/2015/vaerak_2015_2016-04-01_tau_002_en.html |title=Appendix table 2. Population according to language 1980–2015 |work=Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Population structure |access-date=27 November 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stat.fi/tup/julkaisut/tiedostot/julkaisuluettelo/yyti_fif_201900_2019_21461_net.pdf |title=Finland in Figures 2019 |work=Statistics Finland |date=June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190711184650/https://www.stat.fi/tup/julkaisut/tiedostot/julkaisuluettelo/yyti_fif_201900_2019_21461_net.pdf |archive-date=11 July 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> which is part of the Finnic subgroup of the Uralic languages. The language is one of only four official EU languages not of Indo-European origin, and has no relation to the other national languages of the Nordics. Conversely, Finnish is closely related to Estonian and Karelian, and more distantly to Hungarian and the Sami languages.

Swedish is the native language of 5.2% of the population (Swedish-speaking Finns).<ref name="population-2016">Statistics Finland, Population Retrieved on 18 October 2017.</ref> Finnish is dominant in all the country's larger cities; though Helsinki, Turku and Vaasa were once predominantly Swedish-speaking, they have undergone a language shift since the 19th century to become largely Finnish-speaking.

Swedish is a compulsory school subject and general knowledge of the language is good among non-native speakers. In 2005, a total of 47% of Finnish citizens reported the ability to speak Swedish, either as primary or a secondary language.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_243_en.pdf%7Ctitle=Europeans and their languages, situation in 2005|publisher=European Commission|access-date=5 January 2021}}</ref> Likewise, a majority of mainland Sweden Finns are able to speak Finnish. However, most Sweden Finnish youth reported seldom using Finnish: 71% reported always or mostly speaking Swedish in social settings outside of their households.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hbl.fi/artikel/finlandssvenska-ungdomar-talar-sallan-finska-sarskilt-pa-natet-ar-finskan-ovanlig/%7C title=Finlandssvenska ungdomar talar sällan finska - särskilt på nätet är finskan ovanlig|publisher=Hufvudstadsbladet|last=Piippo|first=Mikael|date=12 December 2018|access-date=5 January 2021}}</ref> The Finnish side of the land border with Sweden is unilingually Finnish-speaking, with a stark language divide over the Torne River: on the Swedish side, a Northern Swedish accent can be heard that is distinct from the Swedish spoken in other parts of Finland. There is a sizeable pronunciation difference between the varieties of Swedish spoken in the two countries, although their mutual intelligibility is nearly universal.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.infofinland.fi/sv/livet-i-finland/finska-och-svenska-spraket/det-svenska-spraket-i-finland%7Ctitle=Det svenska språket i Finland|publisher=InfoFinland|language=sv|access-date=5 January 2021}}</ref>

The Nordic languages and Karelian are also specially recognized in parts of Finland.

Finnish Romani is spoken by some 5,000–6,000 people; Romani and Finnish Sign Language are also recognized in the constitution. There are two sign languages: Finnish Sign Language, spoken natively by 4,000–5,000 people,<ref>{{cite web |title=Forskningscentralen för de inhemska språken—Teckenspråken i Finland |language=sv |url=http://www.kotus.fi/index.phtml?l=sv&s=206 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318084839/http://www.kotus.fi/index.phtml?l=sv&s=206 |archive-date=18 March 2015 }}</ref> and Finland-Swedish Sign Language, spoken natively by about 150 people. Tatar is spoken by a Finnish Tatar minority of about 800 people whose ancestors moved to Finland mainly during Russian rule from the 1870s to the 1920s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://forum.hunturk.net/national-minorities-of-finland-the-tatars-2491.html |title=National Minorities of Finland, The Tatars |publisher=Forum.hunturk.net |access-date=6 December 2011}}</ref>

The Sami language has an official status in Lapland where the Sami people predominate, numbering around 7,000<ref>According to the Finnish Population Registry Centre and the Finnish Sami parliament, the Sami population living in Finland was 7,371 in 2003. See Regional division of Sami people in Finland by age in 2003 (in Finnish).</ref> and recognized as an indigenous people. About a quarter of them speak a Sami language as their mother tongue.<ref name="Population 2006-12-31">{{cite web |url=http://tilastokeskus.fi/til/vaerak/2006/vaerak_2006_2007-03-23_tie_001_en.html |title=The population of Finland in 2006 |work=Statistics Finland |date=31 December 2006 |access-date=4 September 2007}}</ref> The Sami languages that are spoken in Finland are Northern Sami, Inari Sami, and Skolt Sami.{{refn|group=note|The names for Finland in its Sami languages are: {{lang|se|Suopma}} (Northern Sami), {{lang|smn|Suomâ}} (Inari Sami) and {{lang|sms|Lää'ddjânnam}} (Skolt Sami). See Geonames.de.}}

The rights of minority groups (in particular Sami, Swedish speakers, and Romani people) are protected by the constitution.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/kaannokset/1999/en19990731.pdf |title=The Constitution of Finland, 17 § and 121 § |work=FINLEX Data Bank |access-date=4 September 2007}}</ref>

The largest immigrant languages are Russian (1.5%), Estonian (0.9%), Arabic (0.6%), Somali (0.4%) and English (0.4%).<ref name="population-2016" /> English is studied by most pupils as a compulsory subject from the first grade (at seven years of age) in the comprehensive school (in some schools other languages can be chosen instead),<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/15462-finland-s-first-graders-to-start-learning-foreign-language-in-spring-2020.html%7Ctitle=Finland's first-graders to start learning foreign language in spring 2020|last=Teivainen|first=Aleksi|date=13 April 2019|work=Helsinki Times|access-date=1 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite thesis|last=Yang|first=Junyi|title=Teachers' Role in Developing Healthy Self-esteem in Young Learners: A study of English language teachers in Finland|date=Spring 2018|degree=Master’s Degree Program in Early Language Education for Intercultural Communication|publisher=University of Eastern Finland|url=http://epublications.uef.fi/pub/urn_nbn_fi_uef-20180513/urn_nbn_fi_uef-20180513.pdf}}</ref> as a result of which Finns' English language skills have been significantly strengthened over several decades.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://finlandtoday.fi/finland-places-among-the-top-four-english-speaking-countries-in-the-world/%7Ctitle=Finland Places Among the Top Four English-Speaking Countries in the World|first=Tony|last=Öhberg}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finland_ranks_sixth_in_english_skills_early_instruction_crucial/10071036%7Ctitle=Finland ranks sixth in English skills, early instruction crucial|website=Yle Uutiset}}</ref> German, French, Spanish and Russian can be studied as second foreign languages from the fourth grade (at 10 years of age; some schools may offer other options).<ref>{{Cite conference|last=Nuolijärvi|first=Pirkko|date=Fall 2011|title=Language education policy and practice in Finland|url=http://www.efnil.org/documents/conference-publications/london-2011/the-role-of-language-education-in-creating-a/15-Pirkko-Nuolijarvi.pdf%7Cconference=European Federation of National Institutions for Language}}</ref>

About 93% of Finns can speak a second language.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/more_than_90_percent_of_finnish_residents_are_at_least_bilingual/10550664 |title=More than 90 percent of Finnish residents are at least bilingual |publisher=YLE |access-date=12 December 2018}}</ref> The figures in this section should be treated with caution, as they come from the official Finnish population register. People can only register one language and so bilingual or multilingual language users' language competencies are not properly included. A citizen of Finland that speaks bilingually Finnish and Swedish will often be registered as a Finnish only speaker in this system. Similarly "old domestic language" is a category applied to some languages and not others for political not linguistic reasons, for example Russian.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ling.helsinki.fi/~fkarlsso/Languages%20of%20Finland_1917-2017.pdf |title=THE LANGUAGES OF FINLAND 1917–2017 |work=Lingsoft Language Library publications |access-date=15 December 2018}}</ref>

Largest cities

{{Largest cities of Finland}}

Religion

{{Main|Religion in Finland}} {{Pie chart |thumb = right |caption = Religions in Finland (2019)<ref name="stnin"/> |label1 = Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland |value1 = 68.72 |color1 = DodgerBlue |label2 = Orthodox Church |value2 = 1.10 |color2 = Orchid |label3 = Other Christian |value3 = 0.93 |color3 = DarkOrchid |label4 = Other religions |value4 = 0.76 |color4 = Chartreuse |label5 = Unaffiliated |value5 = 28.49 |color5 = Honeydew }}

With 3.9 million members,<ref>Seurakuntien jäsentilasto 2018 Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland</ref> the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland is one of the largest Lutheran churches in the world and is also by far Finland's largest religious body; at the end of 2019, 68.7% of Finns were members of the church.<ref name="relig_stat">Population structure Statistics Finland</ref> The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland has seen its share of the country's population declining by roughly one percent annually in recent years.<ref name="relig_stat" /> The decline has been due to both church membership resignations and falling baptism rates.<ref>Eroakirkosta.fi – Kirkosta eronnut tänä vuonna 40 000 ihmistä (in Finnish)</ref><ref>Karjalainen – Kastettujen määrä romahtanut – kirkollisista ristiäisistä luopuu yhä useampi 13 June 2016 (in Finnish)</ref> The second largest group, accounting for 26.3% of the population<ref name="relig_stat" /> in 2017, has no religious affiliation. The irreligious group rose quickly from just below 13% in the year 2000. A small minority belongs to the Finnish Orthodox Church (1.1%). Other Protestant denominations and the Roman Catholic Church are significantly smaller, as are the Jewish and other non-Christian communities (totalling 1.6%); for example, in the Protestant trend, there are about 1,500 Baptists concentrated in the region of Central Finland,<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.uskonnot.fi/uskonnot/view.php?religionId=26%7C title= Baptismi| work= Uskonnot Suomessa | access-date=6 January 2021 | language=fi}}</ref> and there are only about 2,000 Methodists who are scattered around the country.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.uskonnot.fi/uskonnot/view.php?religionId=24%7C title= Metodismi| work= Uskonnot Suomessa| access-date= 6 January 2021| language= fi| archive-date= 8 January 2021| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210108084048/http://www.uskonnot.fi/uskonnot/view.php?religionId=24%7C url-status= dead}}</ref> The Pew Research Center estimated the Muslim population at 2.7% in 2016.<ref>{{cite web|title=Muslim Population Growth in Europe|url=http://www.pewforum.org/2017/11/29/europes-growing-muslim-population/%7Cwebsite=pewforum.org}}</ref> The main Lutheran and Orthodox churches are national churches of Finland with special roles such as in state ceremonies and schools.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://finland.fi/Public/default.aspx?contentid=160099&nodeid=41800&culture=en-US |title=The Church in Finland today |author=Salla Korpela |date=May 2005 |access-date=11 January 2011 |publisher=Finland Promotion Board; Produced by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Department for Communications and Culture}}</ref>

In 1869, Finland was the first Nordic country to disestablish its Evangelical Lutheran church by introducing the Church Act, followed by the Church of Sweden in 2000. Although the church still maintains a special relationship with the state, it is not described as a state religion in the Finnish Constitution or other laws passed by the Finnish Parliament.<ref name=FinlandConstitution>{{cite web|url=https://servat.unibe.ch/icl/fi00000_.html |title=Finland > Constitution: Chapter 1 Fundamental provisions (Section 76 The Church Act) |last=Tschentscher |first=Axel |date=27 June 2020}}</ref> Finland's state church was the Church of Sweden until 1809. As an autonomous Grand Duchy under Russia 1809–1917, Finland retained the Lutheran State Church system, and a state church separate from Sweden, later named the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, was established. It was detached from the state as a separate judicial entity when the new church law came to force in 1869. After Finland had gained independence in 1917, religious freedom was declared in the constitution of 1919 and a separate law on religious freedom in 1922. Through this arrangement, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland lost its position as a state church but gained a constitutional status as a national church alongside the Finnish Orthodox Church, whose position however is not codified in the constitution.

The Evangelical Lutheran Helsinki Cathedral

In 2016, 69.3% of Finnish children were baptized<ref>Lutheran church member statistics (2016) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215122035/http://sakasti.evl.fi/sakasti.nsf/0/FFEDB75916EB394AC22576CC003D875E/$FILE/Vaestonmuutokset_koko%20kirkko_2016.xlsx |date=15 December 2018 }} evl.fi</ref> and 82.3% were confirmed in 2012 at the age of 15,<ref>Church statistical yesrbook 2012 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140320170001/http://sakasti.evl.fi/sakasti.nsf/0/8A75CE045AD09FE4C22577AE00256611/$FILE/KKH_Tilastollinen_vuosikirja2012_toiminta_lopullinen%20versio.pdf |date=20 March 2014 }} The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland</ref> and over 90% of the funerals are Christian. However, the majority of Lutherans attend church only for special occasions like Christmas ceremonies, weddings, and funerals. The Lutheran Church estimates that approximately 1.8% of its members attend church services weekly.<ref>Church Attendance Falls; Religion Seen as Private 3 June 2012 YLE</ref> The average number of church visits per year by church members is approximately two.<ref name="state2004">{{cite web |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2004/35453.htm |title=International Religious Freedom Report 2004 |work=U.S. Department of State |date=15 September 2004 |access-date=22 January 2007}}</ref>

According to a 2010 Eurobarometer poll, 33% of Finnish citizens responded that they "believe there is a God"; 42% answered that they "believe there is some sort of spirit or life force"; and 22% that they "do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God, or life force".<ref name="EUROBAROMETER">{{cite web |url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_341_en.pdf |title=Special Eurobarometer Biotechnology |page=204 |edition=Fieldwork: January–February 2010 |date=October 2010 |access-date=16 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101215001129/http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_341_en.pdf |archive-date=15 December 2010 }}</ref> According to ISSP survey data (2008), 8% consider themselves "highly religious", and 31% "moderately religious". In the same survey, 28% reported themselves as "agnostic" and 29% as "non-religious".<ref>Kimmo, Ketola et al. (2011). Uskonto suomalaisten elämässä {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916015652/http://tampub.uta.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/65683/uskonto_suomalaisten_elamassa_2011.pdf?sequence=1 |date=16 September 2018 }}. Tampereen yliopistopaino Oy . {{ISBN|978-951-44-8483-4}}</ref>

Health

{{Main|Healthcare in Finland}}

The Meilahti Tower Hospital, part of the Helsinki University Central Hospital (HUCH) in Töölö, Helsinki

Life expectancy has increased from 71 years for men and 79 years for women in 1990 to 79 years for men and 84 years for women in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/julkaisut/tiedostot/julkaisuluettelo/yyti_fif_201800_2018_19693_net.pdf |title=Finland in Figures 2018 |publisher=Finnish Population Centre|access-date=10 December 2018}}</ref> The under-five mortality rate has decreased from 51 per 1,000 live births in 1950 to 2.3 per 1,000 live births in 2017, ranking Finland's rate among the lowest in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://data.unicef.org/country/fin/%7Ctitle=Trends in Under five Mortality Rate |publisher=UNICEF|access-date=10 December 2018}}</ref> The fertility rate in 2014 stood at 1.71 children born/per woman and has been below the replacement rate of 2.1 since 1969.<ref name="stat.fi">Statistics Finland – Births 2014. Stat.fi (14 April 2015). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref> With a low birth rate women also become mothers at a later age, the mean age at first live birth being 28.6 in 2014.<ref name="stat.fi" /> A 2011 study published in The Lancet medical journal found that Finland had the lowest stillbirth rate out of 193 countries, including the UK, France and New Zealand.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)62187-3/fulltext#article_upsell |title=Stillbirths: Where? When? Why? How to make the data count? |journal=The Lancet |access-date=6 December 2011 |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(10)62187-3 |pmid=21496911 |volume=377 |issue=9775 |pages=1448–1463|year=2011 |last1=Lawn |first1=Joy E. |last2=Blencowe |first2=Hannah |last3=Pattinson |first3=Robert |last4=Cousens |first4=Simon |last5=Kumar |first5=Rajesh |last6=Ibiebele |first6=Ibinabo |last7=Gardosi |first7=Jason |last8=Day |first8=Louise T. |last9=Stanton |first9=Cynthia |hdl=2263/16343 |s2cid=14278260 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

There has been a slight increase or no change in welfare and health inequalities between population groups in the 21st century. Lifestyle-related diseases are on the rise. More than half a million Finns suffer from diabetes, type 1 diabetes being globally the most common in Finland. Many children are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The number of musculoskeletal diseases and cancers are increasing, although the cancer prognosis has improved. Allergies and dementia are also growing health problems in Finland. One of the most common reasons for work disability are due to mental disorders, in particular depression.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stm.fi/c/document_library/get_file?folderId=6511570&name=DLFE-26813.pdf |title=Health care in Finland |publisher=STM |access-date=6 September 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317183526/http://www.stm.fi/c/document_library/get_file?folderId=6511570&name=DLFE-26813.pdf |archive-date=17 March 2015 }}</ref> Treatment for depression has improved and as a result the historically high suicide rates have declined to 13 per 100 000 in 2017, closer to the North European average.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/eurostat_falling_suicide_rate_in_finland_nears_european_average/10324113%7Ctitle=Eurostat: Falling suicide rate in Finland nears European average |publisher=YLE|access-date=18 December 2018}}</ref> Suicide rates are still among the highest among developed countries in the OECD.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.MHSUICIDEASDR?lang=en%7Ctitle=GHO {{!}} By category {{!}} Suicide rate estimates, age-standardized - Estimates by country|website=WHO|access-date=17 March 2020}}</ref>

There are 307 residents for each doctor.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_terveys_en.html |title=Health (2004) |work=Statistics Finland |access-date=22 January 2007}}</ref> About 19% of health care is funded directly by households and 77% by taxation.

In April 2012, Finland was ranked 2nd in Gross National Happiness in a report published by The Earth Institute.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pakblog.net/2012/04/pakistan-ranked-85th-happiest-nation-in.html |title=World Happiness report |year=2012 |access-date=7 April 2012}}</ref> Since 2012, Finland has every time ranked at least in the top 5 of world's happiest countries in the annual World Happiness Report by the United Nations,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://worldhappiness.report/ed/2017/%7Ctitle=World Happiness Report 2017|access-date=22 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/happiness-report/2016/HR-V1_web.pdf%7Ctitle=World Happiness Report 2016 {{pipe}} Volume I (page 22)|access-date=22 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/happiness-report/2012/World_Happiness_Report_2012.pdf%7Ctitle=World Happiness Report 2012 (page 30) |access-date=22 May 2018}}</ref> as well as ranking as the happiest country in 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://worldhappiness.report/ed/2018/%7Ctitle=World Happiness Report 2018|access-date=21 May 2018|date=14 March 2018}}</ref>

Education and science

{{Main|Education in Finland}} {{See also|List of universities in Finland|List of schools in Finland}}

access-date=11 October 2020}}</ref>
Auditorium in Aalto University's main building, designed by Alvar Aalto
The library of the University of Eastern Finland in Snellmania, the Kuopio campus of the university
Pupils at the school of Torvinen in Sodankylä, Finland, in the 1920s

Most pre-tertiary education is arranged at municipal level. Even though many or most schools were started as private schools, today only around 3 percent of students are enrolled in private schools (mostly specialist language and international schools), much less than in Sweden and most other developed countries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eurydice.org/ressources/Eurydice/pdf/047DN/047_NL_EN.pdf |title=Summary sheets on education systems in Europe |publisher=Eurydice.org |access-date=26 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080910005807/http://www.eurydice.org/ressources/Eurydice/pdf/047DN/047_NL_EN.pdf |archive-date=10 September 2008 }}</ref> Pre-school education is rare compared with other EU countries and formal education is usually started at the age of 7. Primary school takes normally six years and lower secondary school three years. Most schools are managed by municipal officials.

The flexible curriculum is set by the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Education Board. Education is compulsory between the ages of 7 and 16. After lower secondary school, graduates may either enter the workforce directly, or apply to trade schools or gymnasiums (upper secondary schools). Trade schools offer a vocational education: approximately 40% of an age group choose this path after the lower secondary school.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unevoc.unesco.org/worldtvetdatabase1.php?ct=FIN |title=Vocational Education in Finland |date=18 November 2013 |access-date=9 May 2014 |author=UNESCO-UNEVOC}}</ref> Academically oriented gymnasiums have higher entrance requirements and specifically prepare for Abitur and tertiary education. Graduation from either formally qualifies for tertiary education.

In tertiary education, two mostly separate and non-interoperating sectors are found: the profession-oriented polytechnics and the research-oriented universities. Education is free and living expenses are to a large extent financed by the government through student benefits. There are 15 universities and 24 Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) in the country.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.scholarshipsineurope.com/list-of-university-in-finland/ |title=List of University in Finland |website=scholarshipsineurope.com |access-date=4 August 2018|date=July 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.studyinfinland.fi/where_to_study/universities_of_applied_sciences |title=Universities of Applied Sciences in Finland |website=studyinfinland.fi |access-date=4 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808092603/http://studyinfinland.fi/where_to_study/universities_of_applied_sciences |archive-date=8 August 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The University of Helsinki is ranked 75th in the Top University Ranking of 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.topuniversities.com/university/258/university-of-helsinki |title=Top University Ranking of 2010: University of Helsinki |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102111112/http://topuniversities.com/university/258/university-of-helsinki |archive-date=2 January 2010 }}</ref> The World Economic Forum ranks Finland's tertiary education No. 1 in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GlobalCompetitivenessReport_2013-14.pdf |title=The Global Competitiveness Report 2013–2014 |access-date=9 May 2014 |author=World Economic Forum |page=36|author-link=World Economic Forum }}</ref> Around 33% of residents have a tertiary degree, similar to Nordics and more than in most other OECD countries except Canada (44%), United States (38%) and Japan (37%).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tilastokeskus.fi/artikkelit/2006/art_2006-07-06_001.html |title=Tilastokeskus.fi |publisher=Tilastokeskus.fi |access-date=6 March 2011}}</ref> The proportion of foreign students is 3% of all tertiary enrollments, one of the lowest in OECD, while in advanced programs it is 7.3%, still below OECD average 16.5%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/24/52/39315711.pdf%7Ctitle=Education at Glance 2007: Finland|publisher=OECD}}</ref> Other reputable universities of Finland include Aalto University in Espoo, both University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University in Turku, University of Jyväskylä, University of Oulu, LUT University in Lappeenranta and Lahti, University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio and Joensuu, and Tampere University.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.study.eu/best-universities/finland%7Ctitle=The top 9 best universities in Finland: 2021 rankings|website=www.study.eu}}</ref>

More than 30% of tertiary graduates are in science-related fields. Forest improvement, materials research, environmental sciences, neural networks, low-temperature physics, brain research, biotechnology, genetic technology, and communications showcase fields of study where Finnish researchers have had a significant impact.<ref name="innovation">{{cite web|author=Kari Sipilä |title=A country that innovates |url=http://www.finland.cn/Public/default.aspx?contentid=99637 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707031053/http://www.finland.cn/Public/default.aspx?contentid=99637 |archive-date=7 July 2011 |work=Virtual Finland |publisher=Ministry for Foreign Affairs / Department for Communication and Culture / Unit for Promotion and Publications / Embassy and Consulates General of Finland in China |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Finland has a long tradition of adult education, and by the 1980s nearly one million Finns were receiving some kind of instruction each year. Forty percent of them did so for professional reasons. Adult education appeared in a number of forms, such as secondary evening schools, civic and workers' institutes, study centres, vocational course centres, and folk high schools. Study centres allowed groups to follow study plans of their own making, with educational and financial assistance provided by the state. Folk high schools are a distinctly Nordic institution. Originating in Denmark in the 19th century, folk high schools became common throughout the region. Adults of all ages could stay at them for several weeks and take courses in subjects that ranged from handicrafts to economics.<ref name="LOC" />

Finland is highly productive in scientific research. In 2005, Finland had the fourth most scientific publications per capita of the OECD countries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.research.fi/en/performance/scientific_publication.html |title=Scientific publication—Finnish science and technology Information Service |language=fi |publisher=Research.fi |date=15 November 2007 |access-date=3 August 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113085004/http://www.research.fi/en/performance/scientific_publication.html |archive-date=13 November 2013 }}</ref> In 2007, 1,801 patents were filed in Finland.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.research.fi/en/performance/patents/patents_with%20numbers |title=Patents with numbers—Finnish science and technology Information Service |language=fi |publisher=Research.fi |date=8 December 2009 |access-date=4 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091011194752/http://www.research.fi/en/performance/patents/patents_with%20numbers |archive-date=11 October 2009 }}</ref>

In addition, 38 percent of Finland's population has a university or college degree, which is among the highest percentages in the world.<ref>Sauter, Michael B. (24 September 2012) The Most Educated Countries in the World {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820025707/http://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-most-educated-countries-in-the-world.html;_ylt=AlaWy8IcyeBaviKi7_.WJyhE6odG;_ylu=X3oDMTJrY2d2NGZyBG1pdANDeFMgRmluYW5jaWFsbHkgRml0IEFydGljbGUgQXJ0aWNsZSBCb2R5IFByb2QEcG9zAzMEc2VjA01lZGlhQXJ0aWNsZUJvZHlBc3NlbWJseQ--;_ylg=X3oDMTNjdGVoaXJqBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDY2IyOTRhMGEtYmY2OS0zYTdlLThlYTUtZWFlNTU3YWI1ZTc3BHBzdGNhdANleGNsdXNpdmVzfGZpbmFuY2lhbGx5Zml0BHB0A3N0b3J5cGFnZQ--;_ylv=3?page=1 |date=20 August 2016 }}. Finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref><ref>And the World's Most Educated Country Is.... Newsfeed.time.com (27 September 2012). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

In 2010 a new law was enacted considering the universities, which defined that there are 16 of them as they were excluded from the public sector to be autonomous legal and financial entities, however enjoying special status in the legislation.<ref>. finlex.fi; Yliopistolaki 558/2009 – Säädökset alkuperäisinä – FINLEX. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref> As result many former state institutions were driven to collect funding from private sector contributions and partnerships. The change caused deep rooted discussions among the academic circles.<ref>Educational Schizophrenia in Finland |Teivo Teivainen. Teivo.net (8 August 2013). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

English language is important in Finnish education. There are a number of degree programs that are taught in English, which attracts thousands of degree and exchange students every year.

In December 2017 the OECD reported that Finnish fathers spend an average of eight minutes a day more with their school-aged children than mothers do.<ref>{{cite news |first=Charles |last=Bremner |title=Finland is the first country where fathers do most of the childcare |work=The Times |date=9 December 2017 |page=51}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/dec/04/finland-only-country-world-dad-more-time-kids-moms |title=Finland: the only country where fathers spend more time with kids than mothers |access-date=23 December 2017 |date=4 October 2017 |newspaper= The Guardian}}</ref>

Culture

{{Main|Culture of Finland}}

Sauna

{{Main|Finnish sauna}}

A smoke sauna in Ruka, Kuusamo

The Finns' love for saunas is generally associated with Finnish cultural tradition in the world. Sauna is a type of dry steam bath practiced widely in Finland, which is especially evident in the strong tradition around Midsummer and Christmas. In Finland, the sauna has been a traditional cure or part of the treatment for many different diseases, thanks to the heat, which why the sauna has been a very hygienic place. There is an old Finnish saying: "Jos sauna, terva ja viina ei auta, on tauti kuolemaksi." ("If sauna, tar and booze doesn't help you, then a disease is deadly").<ref>Sauna, viina ja terva – Potilaan Lääkärilehti (in Finnish)</ref> The word is of Proto-Finnish origin (found in Finnic and Sámi languages) dating back 7,000 years.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sauna – A Finnish national institution |last1=Helamaa |first1=Erkki |last2=Pentikäinen |first2=Juha |work=Virtual Finland |date=November 2001 |url= http://virtual.finland.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=26074 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080209130410/http://virtual.finland.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=26074 |archive-date=2008-02-09 |language=en }}</ref> Steam baths have been part of European tradition elsewhere as well, but the sauna has survived best in Finland, in addition to Sweden, the Baltic States, Russia, Norway, and parts of the United States and Canada. Moreover, nearly all Finnish houses have either their own sauna or in multistory apartment houses, a timeshare sauna. Public saunas were previously common, but the tradition has declined when saunas have been built nearly everywhere (private homes, municipal swimming halls, hotels, corporate headquarters, gyms, etc.). At one time, the World Sauna Championships were held in Heinola, Finland, but the death of a Russian competitor in 2010 finally stopped organizing the competitions as too dangerous.<ref>Sauna contest leaves Russian dead and champion Finn in hospital - The Guardian</ref>

The Finnish sauna culture was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists at the 17 December 2020 meeting of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. As authorized by the state, the Finnish Heritage Agency commits, together with Finnish sauna communities and promoters of the sauna culture, to safeguard the vitality of the sauna tradition and to highlight its importance as part of customs and wellbeing.<ref>{{cite web| title= Sauna culture in Finland |url= https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/sauna-culture-in-finland-01596 |publisher=UNESCO |access-date=18 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title= Finnish sauna culture steams up UNESCO Heritage List |url= https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finnish_sauna_culture_steams_up_unesco_heritage_list/11703917 |publisher=YLE |date=17 December 2020|access-date=18 December 2020}}</ref>

Literature

{{Main|Finnish literature}}

Mikael Agricola (1510–1557), Bishop of Turku, a prominent Lutheran Protestant reformer and the father of the Finnish written language

Written Finnish could be said to have existed since Mikael Agricola translated the New Testament into Finnish during the Protestant Reformation, but few notable works of literature were written until the 19th century and the beginning of a Finnish national Romantic Movement. This prompted Elias Lönnrot to collect Finnish and Karelian folk poetry and arrange and publish them as the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic. The era saw a rise of poets and novelists who wrote in Finnish, notably Aleksis Kivi (The Seven Brothers), Minna Canth (Anna Liisa), Eino Leino ({{ill|Helkavirsiä|fi}}), Johannes Linnankoski (The Song of the Blood-Red Flower) and Juhani Aho (The Railroad and Juha). Many writers of the national awakening wrote in Swedish, such as the national poet J. L. Runeberg (The Tales of Ensign Stål) and Zachris Topelius (The Tomten in Åbo Castle).

After Finland became independent, there was a rise of modernist writers, most famously the Finnish-speaking Mika Waltari and Swedish-speaking Edith Södergran. Frans Eemil Sillanpää was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1939. World War II prompted a return to more national interests in comparison to a more international line of thought, characterized by Väinö Linna with his The Unknown Soldier and Under the North Star trilogy. Besides Lönnrot's Kalevala and Waltari, the Swedish-speaking Tove Jansson, best known as the creator of The Moomins, is the most translated Finnish writer;<ref>Finnish post honours Moomin creator Jansson - YLE News</ref> her books have been translated into more than 40 languages.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://finland.fi/arts-culture/tove-jansson-and-the-moomin-story/%7Ctitle=Finland's Tove Jansson and the Moomin story|date=11 March 2014|website=thisisFINLAND}}</ref> Popular modern writers include Arto Paasilinna, Veikko Huovinen, Antti Tuuri, Ilkka Remes, Kari Hotakainen, Sofi Oksanen, Tuomas Kyrö, and Jari Tervo, while the best novel is annually awarded the prestigious Finlandia Prize.

Visual arts, design, and architecture

{{See also|Architecture of Finland|Finnish art}}

Akseli Gallen-Kallela, The Defense of the Sampo, 1896, Turku Art Museum

The visual arts in Finland started to form their individual characteristics in the 19th century, when Romantic nationalism was rising in autonomic Finland. The best known of Finnish painters, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, started painting in a naturalist style, but moved to national romanticism. Other notable world-famous Finnish painters include Magnus Enckell, Pekka Halonen, Eero Järnefelt, Helene Schjerfbeck and Hugo Simberg. Finland's best-known sculptor of the 20th century was Wäinö Aaltonen, remembered for his monumental busts and sculptures. Finns have made major contributions to handicrafts and industrial design: among the internationally renowned figures are Timo Sarpaneva, Tapio Wirkkala and Ilmari Tapiovaara. Finnish architecture is famous around the world, and has contributed significantly to several styles internationally, such as Jugendstil (or Art Nouveau), Nordic Classicism and Functionalism. Among the top 20th-century Finnish architects to gain international recognition are Eliel Saarinen and his son Eero Saarinen. Architect Alvar Aalto is regarded as among the most important 20th-century designers in the world;<ref>James Stevens Curl, Dictionary of Architecture, Grange Books, Rochester, 2005, p. 1.</ref> he helped bring functionalist architecture to Finland, but soon was a pioneer in its development towards an organic style.<ref>Sigfried Giedion, Space, Time and Architecture: The Growth of a New Tradition, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2nd edition, 1949.</ref> Aalto is also famous for his work in furniture, lamps, textiles and glassware, which were usually incorporated into his buildings.

Music

{{Main|Music of Finland|Rock music in Finland|Sami music}}

The Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865–1957) was a significant figure in the history of classical music.
Classical

Much of Finland's classical music is influenced by traditional Karelian melodies and lyrics, as comprised in the Kalevala. Karelian culture is perceived as the purest expression of the Finnic myths and beliefs, less influenced by Germanic influence than the Nordic folk dance music that largely replaced the kalevaic tradition. Finnish folk music has undergone a roots revival in recent decades, and has become a part of popular music.

The people of northern Finland, Sweden, and Norway, the Sami, are known primarily for highly spiritual songs called joik. The same word sometimes refers to lavlu or vuelie songs, though this is technically incorrect.

The first Finnish opera was written by the German-born composer Fredrik Pacius in 1852. Pacius also wrote the music to the poem Maamme/Vårt land (Our Country), Finland's national anthem. In the 1890s Finnish nationalism based on the Kalevala spread, and Jean Sibelius became famous for his vocal symphony Kullervo. He soon received a grant to study runo singers in Karelia and continued his rise as the first prominent Finnish musician. In 1899 he composed Finlandia, which played its important role in Finland gaining independence. He remains one of Finland's most popular national figures and is a symbol of the nation. Another one of the most significant and internationally best-known Finnish-born classical composers long before Sibelius was Bernhard Crusell.<ref>See {{cite web|url=http://www.mozartforum.com/Contemporary%20Pages/Crusell_Contemp.htm%7Ctitle=Bernhard Henrik Crusell (1775-1838)|last=Asiado|first=Tel|work=Mozart Forum|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090708192751/http://www.mozartforum.com/Contemporary%20Pages/Crusell_Contemp.htm |archive-date=8 July 2009|access-date=31 January 2010}}</ref>

Modern
Perttu Kivilaakso of Apocalyptica

Iskelmä (coined directly from the German word Schlager, meaning "hit") is a traditional Finnish word for a light popular song.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Suomalainen iskelmä |last=Kaivanto |first=Petri |work=Pomus.net |access-date=18 July 2020 |url= http://pomus.net/kehityslinjat/suomalaineniskelma |language=fi }}</ref> Finnish popular music also includes various kinds of dance music; tango, a style of Argentine music, is also popular.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explaining the Finnish love of tango |author=C.G. |work=The Economist |date=11 October 2017 |access-date=18 July 2020 |url= https://www.economist.com/prospero/2017/10/11/explaining-the-finnish-love-of-tango }}</ref> The light music in Swedish-speaking areas has more influences from Sweden. Modern Finnish popular music includes a number of prominent rock bands, jazz musicians, hip hop performers, dance music acts, etc.<ref>{{Cite web|date=9 September 2014|title=Don't mess with Finnish jazz|url=https://finland.fi/arts-culture/dont-mess-with-finnish-jazz/%7Caccess-date=1 September 2020|website=thisisFINLAND|language=en-US}}</ref>{{Additional citation needed|date=September 2020}} Also, at least a couple of Finnish polkas are known worldwide, such as Säkkijärven polkka<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/how-the-finns-stopped-the-soviets-with-this-polka-song/%7Ctitle=How the Finns stopped the Soviets with this polka song|date=6 August 2020}}</ref> and Ievan polkka.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://musicfinland.com/en/news/finnish-jenkka-song-took-over-japans-department-stores%7Ctitle=Finnish jenkka song took over Japan's department stores|website=Music Finland}}</ref>

During the early 1960s, the first significant wave of Finnish rock groups emerged, playing instrumental rock inspired by groups such as The Shadows. Around 1964, Beatlemania arrived in Finland, resulting in further development of the local rock scene. During the late 1960s and '70s, Finnish rock musicians increasingly wrote their own music instead of translating international hits into Finnish. During the decade, some progressive rock groups such as Tasavallan Presidentti and Wigwam gained respect abroad but failed to make a commercial breakthrough outside Finland. This was also the fate of the rock and roll group Hurriganes. The Finnish punk scene produced some internationally acknowledged names including Terveet Kädet in the 1980s. Hanoi Rocks was a pioneering 1980s glam rock act that inspired the American hard rock group Guns N' Roses, among others.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304587704577333813382925678%7Ctitle=Guns N' Roses Can Agree on at Least One Thing: This Finnish Saxophonist Rocks |last=Shah|first=Neil|date=15 April 2012|work=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=19 November 2012}}</ref>

Many Finnish metal bands have gained international recognition; Finland has been often called the "Promised Land of Heavy Metal", because there are more than 50 metal Bands for every 100,000 inhabitants – more than any other nation in the world.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://finland.fi/arts-culture/finnish-metropolises-vie-to-win-capital-of-metal/%7Ctitle=Finnish metropolises vie to win Capital of Metal|date=8 May 2018|website=thisisFINLAND}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.famouscampaigns.com/2019/07/finlands-stage-worlds-first-heavy-metal-knitting-championship/%7Ctitle=Finland stage world's first heavy metal knitting championship|first=Famous|last=Campaigns}}</ref>

Cinema and television

{{Main|Cinema of Finland|Television in Finland}} {{See also|Lists of Finnish films}}

The Finnish filmmakers Edvin Laine and Matti Kassila in 1955

In the film industry, notable directors include brothers Mika and Aki Kaurismäki, Dome Karukoski, Antti Jokinen, Jalmari Helander, Mauritz Stiller, Edvin Laine, Teuvo Tulio, Spede Pasanen, and Hollywood film director and producer Renny Harlin. Internationally well-known Finnish actors and actresses include Jasper Pääkkönen, Peter Franzén, Laura Birn, Irina Björklund, Samuli Edelmann, Krista Kosonen, Ville Virtanen and Joonas Suotamo. Around twelve feature films are made each year.<ref name="Media moves">{{cite web |url=http://finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=162833&contentlan=2&culture=en-US |title=Media moves |work=ThisisFINLAND (Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501141049/http://finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=162833&contentlan=2&culture=en-US |archive-date=1 May 2011 }}</ref>

One of the most internationally successful Finnish films are The White Reindeer, directed by Erik Blomberg in 1952, which won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film in 1956, five years after its limited release in the United States;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.awardsandshows.com/features/best-foreign-film-506.html |title=List of Winners – Golden Globes Best Foreign Film |access-date=12 December 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Sundholm|first1=John|last2=Thorsen|first2=Isak|last3=Andersson|first3=Lars Gustaf|last4=Hedling|first4=Olof|last5=Iversen|first5=Gunnar|last6=Møller|first6=Birgir Thor|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QktG6a4YnQYC&q=1957+golden+globe+best+foreign+film+white+reindeer&pg=PA390 |title= Historical Dictionary of Scandinavian Cinema (Google eBook) |access-date=12 December 2013|date = 20 September 2012| page=389 et seq|isbn = 978-0-8108-7899-0}}</ref> The Man Without a Past, directed by Aki Kaurismäki in 2002, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2002 and won the Grand Prix at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival;<ref>{{cite web|last=Fauth|first=Jurgen|url=http://worldfilm.about.com/od/scandinavianfilm/fr/manwithoutpast.htm%7Ctitle=The Man Without a Past|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906125603/http://worldfilm.about.com/od/scandinavianfilm/fr/manwithoutpast.htm |archive-date=6 September 2015|work=About.com|access-date=5 February 2008}}</ref> and The Fencer, directed by Klaus Härö in 2015, which was nominated for the 73rd Golden Globe Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category as a Finnish/German/Estonian co-production.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/fencer%7Ctitle=The Fencer|website=www.goldenglobes.com}}</ref>

In Finland, the most significant films include The Unknown Soldier, directed by Edvin Laine in 1955, which is shown on television every Independence Day.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finnish_independence_day_galas_protests_and_war_memories/7671639%7Ctitle=Finnish Independence Day: Galas, protests and war memories|website=Yle Uutiset}}</ref> Here, Beneath the North Star from 1968, also directed by Laine, which includes the Finnish Civil War from the perspective of the Red Guards, is also one of the most significant works in Finnish history.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lfq.salisbury.edu/_issues/48_1/agreeing_on_history_adaptation_as_restorative_truth_in_finnish_reconciliation.html%7Ctitle=Agreeing on History Adaptation as Restorative Truth in Finnish Reconciliation, Mads Larsen, Literature Film Quarterly|website=lfq.salisbury.edu}}</ref> A 1960 crime comedy film Inspector Palmu's Mistake, directed by Matti Kassila, was voted in 2012 the best Finnish film of all time by Finnish film critics and journalists in a poll organized by Yle Uutiset,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://yle.fi/uutiset/kriitikot_valitsivat_kaikkien_aikojen_parhaan_kotimaisen_elokuvan/6372726 | title=Kriitikot valitsivat kaikkien aikojen parhaan kotimaisen elokuvan | publisher=Yle Uutiset | date=12 November 2012 | access-date=9 May 2014 | author=Sundqvist, Janne | language=fi}}</ref> but the 1984 comedy film Uuno Turhapuro in the Army, the ninth film in the Uuno Turhapuro film series, remains Finland's most seen domestic film made since 1968 by Finnish audience.<ref>Uuno armeijan leivissä ja muut Turhapuro elokuvat (in Finnish)</ref>

Although Finland's television offerings are largely known for their domestic dramas, such as the long-running soap opera series Salatut elämät,<ref>Juha Suoranta & Hanna Lehtimäki: Children in the Information Society: The Case of Finland (New Literacies and Digital Epistemologies). Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers, 2004. {{ISBN|978-0-8204-6829-7}}.</ref><ref>Elisabeth Eide & Kaarina Nikunen: Media in Motion: Cultural Complexity and Migration in the Nordic Region (Research in Migration and Ethnic Relations). Routledge, 2010. {{ISBN|978-1-4094-0446-0}}.</ref> there are also internationally known drama series, such as {{ill|Syke (TV series)|fi|Syke (televisiosarja)|lt=Syke}} and Bordertown.<ref>YLE: Syke, Sorjonen ja Suomi Love myyvät maailmalla, mutta Presidentti ei maistunut kriitikoille (in Finnish)</ref> One of Finland's most internationally successful TV shows are the backpacking travel documentary series Madventures and the reality TV show The Dudesons.

Media and communications

{{See also|Telecommunications in Finland|List of newspapers in Finland}}

Linus Torvalds, the Finnish software engineer best known for creating the popular open-source kernel Linux

Thanks to its emphasis on transparency and equal rights, Finland's press has been rated the freest in the world.<ref>2010 Freedom of the Press Survey {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111105114819/http://newseum.org/news/2011/05/world-press-freedom.html |date=5 November 2011}} (retrieved 4 May 2011).</ref>

Today, there are around 200 newspapers, 320 popular magazines, 2,100 professional magazines, 67 commercial radio stations, three digital radio channels and one nationwide and five national public service radio channels.

Each year, around 12,000 book titles are published and 12 million records are sold.<ref name="Media moves" />

Sanoma publishes the newspapers Helsingin Sanomat (its circulation of 412,000<ref>{{cite web |title=Circulation Statistics |url=http://www.levikintarkastus.fi/english/statistics.php |publisher=The Finnish Audit Bureau of Circulations (Levikintarkastus Oy) |access-date=25 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090601160935/http://www.levikintarkastus.fi/english/statistics.php |archive-date=1 June 2009 }}</ref> making it the largest) and Aamulehti, the tabloid Ilta-Sanomat, the commerce-oriented Taloussanomat and the television channel Nelonen. The other major publisher Alma Media publishes over thirty magazines, including the tabloid Iltalehti and commerce-oriented Kauppalehti. Worldwide, Finns, along with other Nordic peoples and the Japanese, spend the most time reading newspapers.<ref>{{cite web |title=World Press Trends: Newspapers Still Reach More Than Internet |url=http://www.wan-ifra.org/press-releases/2011/10/12/world-press-trends-newspapers-still-reach-more-than-internet |publisher=World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers |access-date=19 November 2012 |archive-date=23 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121123093454/http://www.wan-ifra.org/press-releases/2011/10/12/world-press-trends-newspapers-still-reach-more-than-internet |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Yle, the Finnish Broadcasting Company, operates five television channels and thirteen radio channels in both national languages. Yle is funded through a mandatory television license and fees for private broadcasters. All TV channels are broadcast digitally, both terrestrially and on cable. The commercial television channel MTV3 and commercial radio channel Radio Nova are owned by Nordic Broadcasting (Bonnier and Proventus).

In regards to telecommunication infrastructure, Finland is the highest ranked country in the World Economic Forum's Network Readiness Index (NRI) – an indicator for determining the development level of a country's information and communication technologies. Finland ranked 1st overall in the 2014 NRI ranking, unchanged from the year before.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GITR/2014/GITR_OverallRanking_2014.pdf |title=NRI Overall Ranking 2014 |publisher=World Economic Forum |access-date=28 June 2014}}</ref> This is shown in its penetration throughout the country's population. Around 79% of the population use the Internet (2007).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stat.fi/til/sutivi/2007/sutivi_2007_2007-09-28_tie_001_en.html |title=Internet used by 79 per cent of the population at the beginning of 2007|work=Statistics Finland |access-date=22 December 2007}}</ref> Finland had around 1.52 million broadband Internet connections by the end of June 2007 or around 287 per 1,000 inhabitants.<ref name="FICORA">{{cite web |url=http://www.ficora.fi/attachments/englanti/5ruZDB5VP/Files/CurrentFile/Market_review_2_2007.pdf |title=Market Review 2/2007 |work=Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority (FICORA) |date=31 August 2007 |access-date=4 September 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070925220234/http://www.ficora.fi/attachments/englanti/5ruZDB5VP/Files/CurrentFile/Market_review_2_2007.pdf |archive-date=25 September 2007 }}</ref> All Finnish schools and public libraries have Internet connections and computers and most residents have a mobile phone.<ref>Information technology has become part of Finns' everyday life (Statistics Finland).</ref>

Cuisine

{{Main|Finnish cuisine}}

Karelian pasty (karjalanpiirakka) is a traditional Finnish dish made from a thin rye crust with a filling of rice. Butter, often mixed with boiled egg (eggbutter or munavoi), is spread over the hot pastries before eating.

Finnish cuisine is notable for generally combining traditional country fare and haute cuisine with contemporary style cooking. Fish and meat play a prominent role in traditional Finnish dishes from the western part of the country, while the dishes from the eastern part have traditionally included various vegetables and mushrooms. Refugees from Karelia contributed to foods in eastern Finland. Many regions have strongly branded traditional delicacies, such as Tampere has mustamakkara<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/eat-and-drink/4311-the-black-sausage-is-the-pride-of-tampere%7Ctitle=The black sausage is the pride of Tampere|website=www.helsinkitimes.fi}}</ref> and Kuopio has kalakukko.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theculturetrip.com/europe/finland/articles/top-10-finnish-pastries-try/%7Ctitle=Top 10 Finnish Pastries You Have to Try|first=Jessica|last=Wood|website=Culture Trip}}</ref>

Finnish foods often use wholemeal products (rye, barley, oats) and berries (such as bilberries, lingonberries, cloudberries, and sea buckthorn). Milk and its derivatives like buttermilk are commonly used as food, drink, or in various recipes. Various turnips were common in traditional cooking, but were replaced with the potato after its introduction in the 18th century.

According to the statistics, red meat consumption has risen, but still Finns eat less beef than many other nations, and more fish and poultry. This is mainly because of the high cost of meat in Finland.

Finland has the world's highest per capita consumption of coffee.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fusiontables.google.com/DataSource?docid=1C-fn6nSe21acP0xJIO1T1x0wohqfMYCQyJjbqdk#rows:id=1%7Ctitle=Google Fusion Tables|website=fusiontables.google.com}}</ref> Milk consumption is also high, at an average of about {{convert|112|litre}}, per person, per year,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.luke.fi/en/news/what-was-eaten-in-finland-in-2017%7Ctitle=What was eaten in Finland in 2017|website=Luonnonvarakeskus}}</ref> even though 17% of the Finns are lactose intolerant.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.edunation.co/studyinfinland/blog/5-odd-facts-finland/%7Ctitle=Odd Facts about Finland|website=edunation.co|date=19 September 2017|access-date=17 November 2018|archive-date=17 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181117153004/https://www.edunation.co/studyinfinland/blog/5-odd-facts-finland/%7Curl-status=dead}}</ref>

Public holidays

{{Main|Public holidays in Finland|Flag flying days in Finland}} There are several holidays in Finland, of which perhaps the most characteristic of Finnish culture include Christmas (joulu), Midsummer (juhannus), May Day (vappu) and Independence Day (itsenäisyyspäivä). Of these, Christmas and Midsummer are special in Finland because the actual festivities take place on eves, such as Christmas Eve (jouluaatto)<ref>Llewellyn's Sabbats Almanac: Samhain 2010 to Mabon 2011 p.64. Llewellyn Worldwide, 2010</ref><ref>Festivals of Western Europe p.202. Forgotten Books, 1973</ref> and Midsummer's Eve (juhannusaatto),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.finlit.fi/tietopalvelu/juhlat/juhannus/kokko.htm |title=Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura: Juhannuskokko |publisher=Finlit.fi |access-date=25 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121212031052/http://www.finlit.fi/tietopalvelu/juhlat/juhannus/kokko.htm |archive-date=12 December 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.finlit.fi/tietopalvelu/juhlat/juhannus/koriste.htm |title=Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura: Koivunoksia ja maitoruokia |publisher=Finlit.fi |access-date=25 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121212031056/http://www.finlit.fi/tietopalvelu/juhlat/juhannus/koriste.htm |archive-date=12 December 2012 }}</ref> while Christmas Day (joulupäivä) and Midsummer's Day (juhannuspäivä) are more consecrated to rest. Other public holidays in Finland are New Year's Day (uudenvuodenpäivä), Epiphany (loppiainen), Good Friday (pitkäperjantai), Easter Sunday (pääsiäissunnuntai) and Easter Monday (pääsiäismaanantai), Ascension Day (helatorstai), All Saints' Day (pyhäinpäivä) and Saint Stephen's Day (tapaninpäivä). All official holidays in Finland are established by Acts of Parliament. On the other hand, laskiainen that is strongly part of the Finnish tradition is not defined as a public holiday in relation to the above-mentioned holidays.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iltalehti.fi/kotimaa/a/a5ada22b-379b-4b8b-83ca-51bf6f97213c%7Ctitle=Tänään on vietetty laskiaista – mutta tiedätkö, mistä päivässä on oikein kyse?|first=Samppa|last=Rautio|work=Iltalehti|date=5 March 2019|access-date=26 November 2020|language=fi}}</ref>

Sports

{{Main|Sport in Finland}}

Finland's men's national ice hockey team is ranked as one of the best in the world. The team has won three world championship titles (in 1995, 2011 and 2019) and six Olympic medals.
Kankkunen on the Laajavuori stage of the 2010 Rally Finland

Various sporting events are popular in Finland. Pesäpallo, resembling baseball, is the national sport of Finland, although the most popular sport in terms of spectators is ice hockey. The Ice Hockey World Championships 2016 final, Finland-Canada, was watched by 69% of Finnish people on TV.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://mtv.fi/sport/mm2016/uutiset/artikkeli/leijonien-mm-finaalista-kaikkien-aikojen-katsotuin-jaakiekko-ottelu-suomessa/5908282 |title = Leijonien MM-finaalista historian katsotuin jääkiekko-ottelu Suomessa!| work = mtv.fi| date = 23 May 2016| access-date = 23 May 2016}}</ref> Other popular sports include athletics, cross-country skiing, ski jumping, football, volleyball and basketball.<ref>Valta vaihtui urheilussa: Suomalaiset arvostavat nyt enemmän futista kuin jääkiekkoa |Jalkapallo |HS. Hs.fi (27 February 2014). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref> While ice hockey is the most popular sport when it comes to attendance at games, association football is the most played team sport in terms of the number of players in the country and is also the most appreciated sport in Finland.<ref>Jalkapallo nousi arvostetuimmaksi urheilulajiksi |Yle Urheilu. yle.fi. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref><ref>{{in lang|fi}} Jalkapallolla eniten harrastajia – se lyö lätkän, hiihto on alamäessä |Länsiväylä {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826183108/https://www.lansivayla.fi/artikkeli/369185-jalkapallolla-eniten-harrastajia-se-lyo-latkan-hiihto-on-alamaessa |date=26 August 2018 }}. Lansivayla.fi (28 February 2016). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

In terms of medals and gold medals won per capita, Finland is the best performing country in Olympic history.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.medalspercapita.com/#medals-per-capita:all-time%7Ctitle=Olympic Medals per Capita|website=medalspercapita.com}}</ref> Finland first participated as a nation in its own right at the Olympic Games in 1908, while still an autonomous Grand Duchy within the Russian Empire. At the 1912 Summer Olympics, great pride was taken in the three gold medals won by the original "Flying Finn" Hannes Kolehmainen.

Finland was one of the most successful countries at the Olympic Games before World War II. At the 1924 Summer Olympics, Finland, a nation then of only 3.2 million people, came second in the medal count. In the 1920s and '30s, Finnish long-distance runners dominated the Olympics, with Paavo Nurmi winning a total of nine Olympic gold medals between 1920 and 1928 and setting 22 official world records between 1921 and 1931. Nurmi is often considered the greatest Finnish sportsman and one of the greatest athletes of all time.

For over 100 years, Finnish male and female athletes have consistently excelled at the javelin throw. The event has brought Finland nine Olympic gold medals, five world championships, five European championships, and 24 world records.

The 1952 Summer Olympics were held in Helsinki. Other notable sporting events held in Finland include the 1983 and 2005 World Championships in Athletics.

Finland also has a notable history in figure skating. Finnish skaters have won 8 world championships and 13 junior world cups in synchronized skating, and Finland is considered one of the best countries at the sport.

Some of the most popular recreational sports and activities include floorball, Nordic walking, running, cycling, and skiing (alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and ski jumping). Floorball, in terms of registered players, occupies third place after football and ice hockey. According to the Finnish Floorball Federation, floorball is the most popular school, youth, club and workplace sport.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.expat-finland.com/events/finnish_sports.html%7Ctitle=Finnish Sports: Try the sports Finns love!|first=Stuart Allt Web Design, Turku|last=Finland|website=expat-finland.com}}</ref> {{as of|2016}}, the total number of licensed players reaches 57,400.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.floorball.org/pages/EN/Finland%7Ctitle=IFF%7Clast=IFF%7Cwebsite=floorball.org}}</ref>

Especially since the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Finland's national basketball team has received widespread public attention. More than 8,000 Finns travelled to Spain to support their team. Overall, they chartered more than 40 airplanes.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.fiba.com/basketballworldcup/2014/news/Fan-power-Finn-power-The-tournament--begins--on-win |title= Fan power! Finn power! The tournament "begins" on a winning note for Dettman's team |author=FIBA |date=31 August 2014 |publisher=FIBA.com |access-date=2 November 2014}}</ref>

See also

{{Portal |Finland|Arctic}}

{{Clear}}

Notes

{{reflist|group=note}}

References

{{Reflist|30em}}

Further reading

{{refbegin|30em}}

  • Chew, Allen F. The White Death: The Epic of the Soviet-Finnish Winter War ({{ISBN|0-87013-167-2}}).
  • Engle, Eloise and Paananen, Pauri. The Winter War: The Soviet Attack on Finland 1939–1940 ({{ISBN|0-8117-2433-6}}).
  • Insight Guide: Finland ({{ISBN|981-4120-39-1}}).
  • Jakobson, Max. Finland in the New Europe ({{ISBN|0-275-96372-1}}).
  • Jutikkala, Eino; Pirinen, Kauko. A History of Finland ({{ISBN|0-88029-260-1}}).
  • Klinge, Matti. Let Us Be Finns: Essays on History ({{ISBN|951-1-11180-9}}).
  • Lavery, Jason. The History of Finland, Greenwood Histories of the Modern Nations, Greenwood Press, 2006 ({{ISBN|0-313-32837-4}}, {{ISSN|1096-2905}}).
  • Lewis, Richard D. Finland: Cultural Lone Wolf ({{ISBN|1-931930-18-X}}).
  • Lonely Planet: Finland ({{ISBN|1-74059-791-5}})
  • Mann, Chris. Hitler's Arctic War: The German Campaigns in Norway, Finland, and the USSR 1940–1945 ({{ISBN|0-312-31100-1}}).
  • Rusama, Jaakko. Ecumenical Growth in Finland ({{ISBN|951-693-239-8}}).
  • Singleton, Fred. A Short History of Finland ({{ISBN|0-521-64701-0}}).
  • Subrenat, Jean-Jacques. Listen, there's music from the forest; a brief presentation of the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival ({{ISBN|952-92-0564-3}}).
  • Swallow, Deborah. Culture Shock! Finland: A Guide to Customs and Etiquette ({{ISBN|1-55868-592-8}}).
  • Trotter, William R. A Frozen Hell: The Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939–1940 ({{ISBN|1-56512-249-6}}).

{{refend}}

External links

{{Sister project links|Finland|voy=Finland}}

Government

Maps

  • {{osmrelation-inline|54224}}
  • {{wikiatlas|Finland}}

Travel

{{Finland topics}} {{Navboxes |list= {{Sovereign states of Europe}} {{Nordic countries}} {{Nordic Council}} {{Member states of the European Union}} {{European Economic Area (EEA)}} {{Countries bordering the Baltic Sea}} }} {{Authority control}} {{coord|64|N|26|E|region:FI_type:country|display=title}} {{about|the Republic of Finland}} {{pp-vandalism|small=yes}} {{pp-pc1|small=yes}} {{pp-move-indef}} {{short description|Country in Northern Europe}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}} {{Infobox country | conventional_long_name = Republic of Finland | common_name = Finland | native_name = {{ubl|{{native name|fi|Suomen tasavalta}}|{{native name|sv|Republiken Finland}}}} | image_flag = Flag of Finland.svg | image_coat = Coat of arms of Finland.svg

| national_anthem =
{{native name|fi|Maamme|nolink=yes}}
{{native name|sv|Vårt land|nolink=yes}}
({{Lang-en|"Our Land"}})

| image_map = {{Switcher||Show globe||Show map of Europe|default=2}} | map_caption = {{map caption|location_color=dark green |region=Europe |region_color=dark grey |subregion=the European Union |subregion_color=green |legend=EU-Finland.svg}} | capital = Helsinki | coordinates = {{Coord|60|10|N|24|56|E|type:city}} | largest_city = capital | official_languages = Finnish • Swedish | national_languages = Viittomakieli • Sámi • Teckenspråk • Karelian • Finnish Kalo language | ethnic_groups = {{unbulleted list |91.33% Finnish |4.90% Other European |2.50% Asian |0.90% African |0.37% Other }} | ethnic_groups_year = 2017 | ethnic_groups_ref = <ref name="auto">{{cite web |url=http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/fi/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__vaerak/statfin_vaerak_pxt_032.px/?rxid=726cd24d-d0f1-416a-8eec-7ce9b82fd5a4 |title=032 -- Syntyperä ja taustamaa sukupuolen mukaan maakunnittain ja kunnittain 1990 - 2017| work = Tilastokeskuksen PX-Web-tietokannat | publisher = Statistics Finland|language=fi |access-date=28 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212214837/http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/fi/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__vaerak/statfin_vaerak_pxt_032.px/?rxid=726cd24d-d0f1-416a-8eec-7ce9b82fd5a4 |archive-date=12 February 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="un">{{cite web|url=http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/data/estimates2/estimates17.shtml%7Ctitle=United Nations Population Division | Department of Economic and Social Affairs|website=un.org|access-date=29 June 2018}}</ref> | religion = {{ublist |item_style=white-space:nowrap; 

 |70.7% Christianity
 |—68.7% Lutheranism
 |—1.1% Orthodoxy
 |—0.9% Other Christian
 |28.5% No religion 
 | 0.8% Other}}

| religion_year = 2019 | religion_ref = <ref name="stnin">{{cite web |title=Belonging to a religious community by age and sex, 2000-2019 |url=http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/en/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__vaerak/statfin_vaerak_pxt_11rx.px/ |website=Tilastokeskuksen PX-Web tietokannat |publisher=Government |access-date=28 March 2020}} Note these are state religious registration numbers, people may be registered yet not practicing/believing and they may be believing/practicing but not registered.</ref> | demonym = {{hlist|Finnish|Finn}} | government_type = Unitary parliamentary republic<ref name="Parliamentary"/> | leader_title1 = President | leader_name1 = Sauli Niinistö | leader_title2 = Prime Minister | leader_name2 = Sanna Marin | legislature = Eduskunta/Riksdagen | sovereignty_type = Independence | sovereignty_note = from Russia | established_event1 = Autonomy | established_date1 = 29 March 1809 | established_event2 = Declared | established_date2 = 6 December 1917 | established_event3 = Civil War | established_date3 = January – May 1918 | established_event4 = Constitution | established_date4 = 17 July 1919 | established_event5 = Winter War | established_date5 = 30 November 1939 – 13 March 1940 | established_event6 = Continuation War | established_date6 = 25 June 1941 – 19 September 1944 | established_event7 = Joined the EU | established_date7 = 1 January 1995 | area_km2 = 338,455 | area_rank = 65th | area_sq_mi = 130,596 | percent_water = 9.71 (as of 2015)<ref>{{cite web|title=Surface water and surface water change|access-date=11 October 2020|publisher=Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)|url=https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=SURFACE_WATER#}}</ref> | population_estimate = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 5,536,146<ref>{{cite web|title=Birth rate showed a slight growth in 2020|url=https://www.stat.fi/til/vamuu/2020/12/vamuu_2020_12_2021-01-21_tie_001_en.html%7Cpublisher=Statistics Finland|access-date=21 January 2021}}</ref> | population_estimate_year = December 2020 | population_estimate_rank = 116th | population_label2 = | population_data2 = | population_density_km2 = 16 | population_density_sq_mi = 41 | population_density_rank = 213th | GDP_PPP = $257 billion<ref name=imf3>{{cite web|url=https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2018/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2018&ey=2018&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&pr1.x=59&pr1.y=9&c=172&s=NGDPD%2CPPPGDP%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPPC&grp=0&a= |date=17 October 2018|title=Report for Selected Countries and Subjects|publisher=IMF}}</ref> | GDP_PPP_year = 2020 | GDP_PPP_rank = 60th | GDP_PPP_per_capita = $49,334<ref name=imf3 /> | GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 19th | GDP_nominal = $277 billion<ref name=imf3 /> | GDP_nominal_year = 2020 | GDP_nominal_rank = 43rd | GDP_nominal_per_capita = $48,461<ref name=imf3 /> | GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 14th | Gini = 26.2 | Gini_year = 2019 | Gini_change = increase | Gini_ref = <ref name=eurogini>{{cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/table.do?tab=table&init=1&language=en&pcode=tessi190&plugin=1 |title=Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income - EU-SILC survey |publisher=Eurostat |website=ec.europa.eu |access-date=27 March 2020}}</ref> | Gini_rank = 6th | HDI = 0.938 | HDI_year = 2019 | HDI_change = increase | HDI_ref = <ref name="UNHDR">{{cite web|url=http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/hdr2020.pdf%7Ctitle=Human Development Report 2020|language=en|publisher=United Nations Development Programme|date=15 December 2020|access-date=15 December 2020}}</ref> | HDI_rank = 11th | currency = Euro (€) | currency_code = EUR | time_zone = EET | utc_offset = +2 | utc_offset_DST = +3 | time_zone_DST = EEST | date_format = d.m.yyyy<ref>Ajanilmaukset {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020033758/http://www.kielikello.fi/index.php?mid=2&pid=11&aid=1709 |date=20 October 2017 }} Kielikello 2/2006. Institute for the Languages of Finland. Retrieved 20 October 2017</ref> | drives_on = right | calling_code = +358 | cctld = .fia | footnote_a = The .eu domain is also used, as it is shared with other European Union member states. | today = }}

Finland ({{lang-fi|Suomi}} {{IPA-fi|ˈsuo̯mi||fi-suomi.ogg}}; {{lang-sv|Finland}} {{IPA-sv|ˈfɪ̌nland||sv-Finland.ogg}}, {{IPA-sv|ˈfinlɑnd|langfi}}), officially the Republic of Finland ({{Lang-fi|Suomen tasavalta}}, {{Lang-sv|Republiken Finland}} {{small|({{audio|Suomi Finland.ogg|listen to all|help=no}})}}),{{refn|group=note|"Republic of Finland", or {{lang|fi|Suomen tasavalta}} in Finnish, {{lang|sv|Republiken Finland}} in Swedish, and {{lang|se|Suoma dásseváldi}} in Sami, is the long protocol name, which is however not defined by law. Legislation recognises only the short name.}} is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the west, Russia to the east, Norway to the north, and is defined by the Gulf of Bothnia to the west, and the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea across Estonia to the south. Finland covers an area of {{convert|338455|km2|mi2}}, with a population of 5.5 million. Helsinki is the country's capital and largest city, but together with the neighboring cities of Espoo, Kauniainen and Vantaa, it forms a larger metropolitan area. Finnish, the native language of the Finns, is among the few Finnic languages in the world. The climate varies relative to latitude, from the southern humid continental climate to the northern boreal climate. The land cover is primarily a boreal forest biome, with more than 180,000 recorded lakes.<ref name="thousand">{{cite web|last=Li|first=Leslie|date=16 April 1989|title=A Land of a Thousand Lakes|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/04/16/travel/a-land-of-a-thousand-lakes.html%7Caccess-date=20 September 2020|work=The New York Times}}</ref>

Finland was inhabited around 9000 BC after the Last Glacial Period.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus|year=2015|isbn=978-952-495-363-4|location=Helsinki|page=23}}</ref> The Stone Age introduced several different ceramic styles and cultures. The Bronze Age and Iron Age were characterised by extensive contacts with other cultures in Fennoscandia and the Baltic region.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus|year=2015|isbn=978-952-495-363-4|location=Helsinki|page=339}}</ref> From the late 13th century, Finland gradually became an integral part of Sweden as a consequence of the Northern Crusades. In 1809, as a result of the Finnish War, Finland was annexed by Russia as the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland, during which Finnish art flourished and the idea of independence began to take hold. In 1906, Finland became the first European state to grant universal suffrage, and the first in the world to give all adult citizens the right to run for public office.<ref name="eduskunta">{{cite web |url=http://web.eduskunta.fi/Resource.phx/parliament/aboutparliament/presentation/history.htx |work=eduskunta.fi |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 December 2015 |author=Parliament of Finland |title=History of the Finnish Parliament |archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20151206184816/http://web.eduskunta.fi/Resource.phx/parliament/aboutparliament/presentation/history.htx }}</ref><ref name="full suffrage">Finland was the first nation in the world to give all (adult) citizens full suffrage, in other words the right to vote and to run for office, in 1906. New Zealand was the first country in the world to grant all (adult) citizens the right to vote, in 1893. But women did not get the right to run for the New Zealand legislature, until 1919.</ref> Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia, tried to russify Finland and terminate its political autonomy, but after the 1917 Russian Revolution, Finland declared independence from Russia. In 1918, the fledgling state was divided by the Finnish Civil War. During World War II, Finland fought the Soviet Union in the Winter War and the Continuation War, and Nazi Germany in the Lapland War. After the wars, Finland lost parts of its territory, but maintained its independence.

Finland largely remained an agrarian country until the 1950s. After World War II, the country rapidly industrialised and developed an advanced economy, while building an extensive welfare state based on the Nordic model, resulting in widespread prosperity and a high per capita income.<ref name="imf2">{{cite web |url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2013/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=65&pr.y=7&sy=2009&ey=2012&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=172&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a= |title=Finland |publisher=International Monetary Fund |access-date=17 April 2013}}</ref> Finland joined the United Nations in 1955 and adopted an official policy of neutrality. Finland joined the OECD in 1969, the NATO Partnership for Peace in 1994,<ref name="nato.int">Relations with Finland. NATO (13 January 2016)</ref> the European Union in 1995, the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council in 1997,<ref name="nato.int" /> and the Eurozone at its inception in 1999. Finland is a top performer in numerous metrics of national performance, including education, economic competitiveness, civil liberties, quality of life and human development.<ref name="World Audit">{{cite web |url=http://www.worldaudit.org/countries/finland.htm |title=Finland: World Audit Democracy Profile |work=WorldAudit.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030113921/http://www.worldaudit.org/countries/finland.htm |archive-date=30 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite document|url=http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/tertiary-education-graduation-rates_20755120-table1 |title=Tertiary education graduation rates—Education: Key Tables from OECD |doi=10.1787/20755120-table1 |publisher=OECD iLibrary |date=14 June 2010 |access-date=6 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430055650/http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/tertiary-education-graduation-rates_20755120-table1 |archive-date=30 April 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://e24.no/makro-og-politikk/article3803493.ece |title=Her er verdens mest konkurransedyktige land—Makro og politikk |publisher=E24.no |date=9 September 2010 |access-date=6 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101014010931/http://e24.no/makro-og-politikk/article3803493.ece |archive-date=14 October 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prosperity.com/country.aspx?id=FI |title=The 2009 Legatum Prosperity Index |publisher=Prosperity.com |access-date=4 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091029140547/http://www.prosperity.com/country.aspx?id=FI |archive-date=29 October 2009 }}</ref> In 2015, Finland was ranked first in the World Human Capital<ref>{{cite web |url=http://reports.weforum.org/human-capital-report-2015/rankings/ |title=Human Capital Report 2015 |website=World Economic Forum |access-date=15 May 2015}}</ref> and the Press Freedom Index and as the most stable country in the world during 2011–2016 in the Fragile States Index,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://fsi.fundforpeace.org/rankings-2016 |title=Fragile States Index 2016 |publisher=Fundforpeace.org |access-date=27 November 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204213240/http://fsi.fundforpeace.org/rankings-2016 |archive-date=4 February 2017 }}</ref> and second in the Global Gender Gap Report.<ref>{{cite book |title = Gender Gap Report |url = http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GenderGap_Report_2012.pdf |publisher = WEF }}</ref> It also ranked first on the World Happiness Report report for 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.<ref>{{cite news |last= Hetter|first=Katia|date=26 March 2019|title=This is the world's happiest country in 2019|url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/worlds-happiest-countries-united-nations-2019/index.html%7Cwork=CNN |access-date=31 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://happiness-report.s3.amazonaws.com/2020/WHR20.pdf%7Ctitle=World Happiness Report 2020|editor-last=Helliwell|editor-first=John F.|editor2-last=Sachs|editor2-first=Jeffrey|editor3-last=De Neve|editor3-first=Jan-Emmanuel|date=2020|publisher=Sustainable Development Solutions Network|location=New York|access-date=30 April 2020}}</ref>

Etymology

Finland

Finland on a medieval map, which is part of the Carta marina (1539)

{{See also|Finns#Etymology}}

The earliest written appearance of the name Finland is thought to be on three runestones. Two were found in the Swedish province of Uppland and have the inscription finlonti (U 582). The third was found in Gotland. It has the inscription finlandi (G 319) and dates back to the 13th century.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.arkisto.fi/ |title=National Archives Service, Finland (in English) |access-date=22 January 2007}}</ref> The name can be assumed to be related to the tribe name Finns, which is mentioned at first known time AD 98 (disputed meaning).

Suomi

The name Suomi ({{Langnf|fi|2=Finnish|3=Finland}}) has uncertain origins, but a common etymology with saame (Sami, a Finno-Ugric people in Lapland) and Häme (a province in the inland) has been suggested (Proto-Finnic *hämä from older *šämä, possibly loaned into Proto-Saami as *sāmē), whose source could be the Proto-Baltic word *źemē, meaning '(low) land'.<ref>kotikielenseura.fi, SUOMI (TTAVIA ETYMOLOGIOITA).</ref> According to the hypothesis, *sāmē – or *šämä directly – was loaned back into Baltic as *sāma- (compare Latvian sāms 'Finn, Öselian'), from which Northern Finnic reborrowed it (perhaps via a Germanic intermediate *sōma-) as *sōma- > *sōme- 'Finland'.<ref name=deSmit>{{cite web |last1=de Smit |first1=Merlijn |title=De Vanitate Etymologiae. On the origins of Suomi, Häme, Sápmi. |url=https://www.academia.edu/36858309 |website=Academia.edu |publisher=Academia, Inc. |access-date=6 September 2020 |language=en}}</ref> In addition to the close relatives of Finnish (the Finnic languages), this name is also used in the Baltic languages Latvian (soms, Somija) and Lithuanian (suomis, Suomija), although these are evidently later borrowings. An alternative hypothesis by Petri Kallio suggests the Proto-Indo-European word *(dʰ)ǵʰm-on- 'human' (cf. Gothic guma, Latin homo), being borrowed into Uralic as *ćoma.<ref name=deSmit />

It has been suggested that the Finnish word Suomi is first attested the Royal Frankish Annals annal for 811, which mentions a person called Suomi among the Danish delegation at a peace treaty with the Franks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/annalesregnifrancorum.html%7Ctitle=Annesl Regni Francorum|website=thelatinlibrary.com|access-date=29 July 2018}}</ref> If so, it is also the earliest evidence for the change from the proto-Finnic monophthong {{IPA|/oː/}} to the Finnish diphthong {{IPA|/uo/}}.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Keskiajan suomen kielen dokumentoitu sanasto ensiesiintymisvuosineen |last=Heikkilä |first=Mikko K. |publisher=Mediapinta |year=2017 |isbn=978-952-236-859-1 |page=44}}</ref><ref>Mikko Heikkilä, 'Varhaissuomen äännehistorian kronologiasta', Sananjalka, 58 (2016), 136–158 (p. 147).</ref> However, some historical linguists view this interpretation of the name as unlikely, supposing another etymology or that the spelling originated as a scribal error (in which case the sound-change {{IPA|/oː/}} > {{IPA|/uo/}} could have happened much later).<ref>Petri Kallio, 'Äännehistoriaa suomen kielen erilliskehityksen alkutaipaleilta', Sananjalka, 59 (2017), 7–24 (p. 12).</ref>

Concept

In the earliest historical sources, from the 12th and 13th centuries, the term Finland refers to the coastal region around Turku from Perniö to Uusikaupunki. This region later became known as Finland Proper in distinction from the country name Finland. Finland became a common name for the whole country in a centuries-long process that started when the Catholic Church established a missionary diocese in Nousiainen in the northern part of the province of Suomi possibly sometime in the 12th century.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |title=Suomen museo 2003: "The Origins of Finland and Häme" |last=Salo |first=Unto |publisher=Suomen muinaismuistoyhdistys |year=2004 |isbn=978-951-9057-55-2 |location=Helsinki |page=55}}</ref>

The devastation of Finland during the Great Northern War (1714–1721) and during the Russo-Swedish War (1741–1743) caused Sweden to begin carrying out major efforts to defend its eastern half from Russia. These 18th-century experiences created a sense of a shared destiny that when put in conjunction with the unique Finnish language, led to the adoption of an expanded concept of Finland.<ref name=UppslagsFi>{{cite web |url=http://www.uppslagsverket.fi/sv/sok/view-103684-FinlandsHistoria1700Talet |title=Finlands historia: 1700-talet |last=Lindberg |first=Johan |date=26 May 2016 |website=Uppslagsverket Finland |access-date=30 November 2017 |language=sv}}</ref>

History

{{Main|History of Finland}} {{see also|Åland Islands}}

Prehistory

{{Main|History of Finland#Prehistory}}

Reconstruction of Stone Age dwelling from Kierikki, Oulu

If the archeological finds from Wolf Cave are the result of Neanderthals' activities, the first people inhabited Finland approximately 120,000–130,000 years ago.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus |year=2015 |isbn=978-952-495-363-4 |location=Helsinki |page=21}}</ref> The area that is now Finland was settled in, at the latest, around 8,500 BC during the Stone Age towards the end of the last glacial period. The artifacts the first settlers left behind present characteristics that are shared with those found in Estonia, Russia, and Norway.<ref name=":1">Herkules.oulu.fi. People, material, culture and environment in the north. Proceedings of the 22nd Nordic Archaeological Conference, University of Oulu, 18–23 August 2004 Edited by Vesa-Pekka Herva Gummerus Kirjapaino</ref> The earliest people were hunter-gatherers, using stone tools.<ref name="VF-Pre">Dr. Pirjo Uino of the National Board of Antiquities, ThisisFinland—"Prehistory: The ice recedes—man arrives". Retrieved 24 June 2008.</ref>

The first pottery appeared in 5200 BC, when the Comb Ceramic culture was introduced.<ref name="Hist-Fin-Geo">History of Finland and the Finnish People from stone age to WWII. Retrieved 24 June 2008.</ref> The arrival of the Corded Ware culture in Southern coastal Finland between 3000 and 2500 BC may have coincided with the start of agriculture.<ref name="Virt-Mino">Professor Frank Horn of the Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law University of Lappland writing for Virtual Finland on National Minorities of Finland. Retrieved 24 June 2008.</ref> Even with the introduction of agriculture, hunting and fishing continued to be important parts of the subsistence economy.

In the Bronze Age permanent all-year-round cultivation and animal husbandry spread, but the cold climate phase slowed the change.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus |year=2015 |location=Helsinki |pages=199, 210–211}}</ref> Cultures in Finland shared common features in pottery and also axes had similarities but local features existed. Seima-Turbino-phenomenon brought first bronze artifacts to the region and possibly also the Finno-Ugric-Languages.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus|year=2015|location=Helsinki|pages=171–178}}</ref> Commercial contacts that had so far mostly been to Estonia started to extend to Scandinavia. Domestic manufacture of bronze artifacts started 1300 BC with {{ill|Maaninka-type bronze axe|fi|Maaningan kirves|lt=Maaninka-type bronze axes}}. Bronze was imported from Volga region and from Southern Scandinavia.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus|year=2015|location=Helsinki|pages=189–190}}</ref>

Northern Europe in 814 AD

In the Iron Age population grew especially in Häme and Savo regions. Finland proper was the most densely populated area. Cultural contacts to the Baltics and Scandinavia became more frequent. Commercial contacts in the Baltic Sea region grew and extended during the 8th and 9th centuries.

Main exports from Finland were furs, slaves, castoreum, and falcons to European courts. Imports included silk and other fabrics, jewelry, Ulfberht swords, and, in lesser extent, glass. Production of iron started approximately in 500 BC.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus |year=2015 |location=Helsinki |pages=332, 364–365}}</ref>

At the end of the 9th century, indigenous artifact culture, especially women's jewelry and weapons, had more common local features than ever before. This has been interpreted to be expressing common Finnish identity which was born from an image of common origin.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus |year=2015 |location=Helsinki |page=269}}</ref>

Late Iron Age swords found in Finland

An early form of Finnic languages spread to the Baltic Sea region approximately 1900 BC with the Seima-Turbino-phenomenon. Common Finnic language was spoken around Gulf of Finland 2000 years ago. The dialects from which the modern-day Finnish language was developed came into existence during the Iron Age.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus|year=2015|location=Helsinki|pages=211–212}}</ref> Although distantly related, the Sami retained the hunter-gatherer lifestyle longer than the Finns. The Sami cultural identity and the Sami language have survived in Lapland, the northernmost province, but the Sami have been displaced or assimilated elsewhere.

The 12th and 13th centuries were a violent time in the northern Baltic Sea. The Livonian Crusade was ongoing and the Finnish tribes such as the Tavastians and Karelians were in frequent conflicts with Novgorod and with each other. Also, during the 12th and 13th centuries several crusades from the Catholic realms of the Baltic Sea area were made against the Finnish tribes. According to historical sources, Danes waged at least three crusades to Finland, in 1187 or slightly earlier,<ref name=":3">{{cite book| author = Kurt Villads Jensen| title = Ristiretket| publisher = Turun Historiallinen Yhdistys| year = 2019| pages = 126–127}}</ref> in 1191 and in 1202,<ref>{{Cite book |title=Muinaisuutemme jäljet|author1=Georg Haggren|author2=Petri Halinen|author3=Mika Lavento|author4=Sami Raninen|author5=Anna Wessman|publisher=Gaudeamus |year=2015 |location=Helsinki |page=380}}</ref> and Swedes, possibly the so-called second crusade to Finland, in 1249 against Tavastians and the third crusade to Finland in 1293 against the Karelians. The so-called first crusade to Finland, possibly in 1155, is most likely an unreal event. Also, it is possible that Germans made violent conversion of Finnish pagans in the 13th century.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Ruotsin itämaa |last=Tarkiainen |first=Kari |publisher=Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland |year=2010 |location=Helsinki |page=88}}</ref> According to a papal letter from 1241, the king of Norway was also fighting against "nearby pagans" at that time.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Suomen varhaiskeskiajan lähteitä |last=Compiled by Martti Linna |publisher=Historian aitta |year=1989 |page=69}}</ref>

Swedish era

{{Main|Finland under Swedish rule}} {{See also|Swedish colonisation of Finland}}

The Swedish Empire following the Treaty of Roskilde of 1658.
Dark green: Sweden proper, as represented in the Riksdag of the Estates. Other greens: Swedish dominions and possessions

As a result of the crusades and the colonisation of some Finnish coastal areas with Christian Swedish population during the Middle Ages,<ref>{{Cite book|title=Ruotsin itämaa|last=Tarkiainen|first=Kari|publisher=Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland |year=2010 |isbn=978-951-583-212-2 |location=Helsinki|pages=104–147}}</ref> including the old capital Turku, Finland gradually became part of the kingdom of Sweden and the sphere of influence of the Catholic Church. Due to the Swedish conquest, the Finnish upper class lost its position and lands to the new Swedish and German nobility and to the Catholic Church.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Ruotsin itämaa|last=Tarkiainen|first=Kari|publisher=Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland |year=2010 |isbn=978-951-583-212-2 |location=Porvoo |pages=167–170}}</ref> In Sweden even in the 17th and 18th centuries, it was clear that Finland was a conquered country and its inhabitants could be treated arbitrarily. Swedish kings visited Finland rarely and in Swedish contemporary texts Finns were portrayed to be primitive and their language inferior.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://journal.fi/tt/article/view/57138/19187%7Ctitle=Kansallinen identiteetti Ruotsissa ja Suomessa 1600-1700-luvuilla |last=Kemiläinen |first=Aira|publisher=Tieteessä tapahtuu 8/2004|year=2004|pages=25–26|language=fi}}</ref>

Swedish became the dominant language of the nobility, administration, and education; Finnish was chiefly a language for the peasantry, clergy, and local courts in predominantly Finnish-speaking areas. During the Protestant Reformation, the Finns gradually converted to Lutheranism.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.europe-cities.com/en/657/finland/history/chronology%7Ctitle=History of Finland. Finland chronology |publisher=Europe-cities.com |access-date=26 August 2010 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427060720/http://www.europe-cities.com/en/657/finland/history/chronology |archive-date=27 April 2011}}</ref>

In the 16th century, Mikael Agricola published the first written works in Finnish, and Finland's current capital city, Helsinki, was founded by Gustav I of Sweden.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/409531/ |title=Ruttopuisto – Plague Park |publisher=Tabblo.com |access-date=3 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411112934/http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/409531/ |archive-date=11 April 2008 }}</ref> The first university in Finland, the Royal Academy of Turku, was established in 1640. The Finns reaped a reputation in the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) as a well-trained cavalrymen called "Hakkapeliitta", that division excelled in sudden and savage attacks, raiding and reconnaissance, which King Gustavus Adolphus took advantage of in his significant battles, like in the Battle of Breitenfeld (1631) and the Battle of Rain (1632).<ref>{{cite book|author=Joose Olavi Hannula|year=1939|title=Hakkapeliittoja ja karoliineja – Kuvia Suomen sotahistoriasta|publisher=Otava| location=Helsinki|language=fi}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Matti J. Kankaanpää|year=2016|title=Suomalainen ratsuväki Ruotsin ajalla|publisher=T:mi Toiset aijat| location=Porvoo | page = 790 |isbn = 978-952-99106-9-4|language=fi}}</ref> Finland suffered a severe famine in 1696–1697, during which about one third of the Finnish population died,<ref name="empire"/> and a devastating plague a few years later.

Now lying within Helsinki, Suomenlinna is a UNESCO World Heritage Site consisting of an inhabited 18th-century sea fortress built on six islands. It is one of Finland's most popular tourist attractions.

In the 18th century, wars between Sweden and Russia twice led to the occupation of Finland by Russian forces, times known to the Finns as the Greater Wrath (1714–1721) and the Lesser Wrath (1742–1743).<ref name="empire">"Finland and the Swedish Empire". Federal Research Division, Library of Congress.</ref> It is estimated that almost an entire generation of young men was lost during the Great Wrath, due mainly to the destruction of homes and farms, and to the burning of Helsinki.<ref name="Nordstrom, Scandinavia">{{cite book|last=Nordstrom|first=Byron J.|title=Scandinavia Since 1500|year=2000|publisher=University of Minnesota Press|location=Minneapolis, US|isbn=978-0-8166-2098-2|page=142|url=https://archive.org/details/scandinaviasince0000nord/page/142}}</ref> By this time Finland was the predominant term for the whole area from the Gulf of Bothnia to the Russian border.{{citation needed|date=June 2018}}

Two Russo-Swedish wars in twenty-five years served as reminders to the Finnish people of the precarious position between Sweden and Russia. An increasingly vocal elite in Finland soon determined that Finnish ties with Sweden were becoming too costly, and following Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790), the Finnish elite's desire to break with Sweden only heightened.<ref name="a1">{{cite book |last=Nordstrom |first=Byron J. |title=Scandinavia Since 1500 |year=2000 |publisher=University of Minnesota Press |location=Minneapolis, US |isbn=978-0-8166-2098-2 |page=143 |url=https://archive.org/details/scandinaviasince0000nord/page/143 }}</ref>

Even before the war there were conspiring politicians, among them Col G. M. Sprengtporten, who had supported Gustav III's coup in 1772. Sprengporten fell out with the king and resigned his commission in 1777. In the following decade he tried to secure Russian support for an autonomous Finland, and later became an adviser to Catherine II.<ref name="a1"/> In the spirit of the notion of Adolf Ivar Arwidsson (1791–1858), "we are not Swedes, we do not want to become Russians, let us therefore be Finns", the Finnish national identity started to become established.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lefaivre|first1=Liane|last2=Tzonis|first2=Alexander|title=Architecture of Regionalism in the Age of Globalization: Peaks and Valleys in the Flat World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FkYHEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT144%7Cyear=2020%7Cpublisher=Routledge%7Clocation=New York|isbn=978-1-00-022106-0|page=144}}</ref>

Notwithstanding the efforts of Finland's elite and nobility to break ties with Sweden, there was no genuine independence movement in Finland until the early 20th century. As a matter of fact, at this time the Finnish peasantry was outraged by the actions of their elite and almost exclusively supported Gustav's actions against the conspirators. (The High Court of Turku condemned Sprengtporten as a traitor c. 1793.)<ref name="a1"/> The Swedish era ended in the Finnish War in 1809.

Russian era

{{Main|Grand Duchy of Finland}} {{See also|Diet of Porvoo|Finland's language strife|Russification of Finland}}

website=Google Arts & Culture}}</ref>

On 29 March 1809, having been taken over by the armies of Alexander I of Russia in the Finnish War, Finland became an autonomous Grand Duchy in the Russian Empire with the recognition given at the Diet held in Porvoo. This situation lasted until the end of 1917. In 1811, Alexander I incorporated the Russian Vyborg province into the Grand Duchy of Finland. In 1854, Finland became involved in Russia's involvement in the Crimean War, when the British and French navies bombed the Finnish coast and Åland during the so-called Åland War. During the Russian era, the Finnish language began to gain recognition. From the 1860s onwards, a strong Finnish nationalist movement known as the Fennoman movement grew, and one of its most prominent leading figures of the movement was the philosopher J. V. Snellman, who was strictly inclined to Hegel's idealism, and who pushed for the stabilization of the status of the Finnish language and its own currency, the Finnish markka, in the Grand Duchy of Finland.<ref>{{cite book| author = Olavi Junnila | title = Suomen historia 5 | year = 1986 | chapter = Autonomian rakentaminen ja kansallisen nousun aika | page = 151 | location = Helsinki | publisher = Weilin + Göös | isbn = 951-35-2494-9 | language = fi }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.suomenpankki.fi/fi/media-ja-julkaisut/puheet-ja-haastattelut/2006/pankinjohtaja-sinikka-salon-puhe-snellman-ja-suomen-markka--nayttelyn-avajaisissa-suomen-pankin-rahamuseossa/ | title = Pankinjohtaja Sinikka Salon puhe Snellman ja Suomen markka -näyttelyn avajaisissa Suomen Pankin rahamuseossa | publisher = Bank of Finland | date = 10 January 2006 | access-date = 7 December 2020 | language = fi }}</ref> Milestones included the publication of what would become Finland's national epic – the Kalevala – in 1835, and the Finnish language's achieving equal legal status with Swedish in 1892.

The Finnish famine of 1866–1868 killed approximately 15% of the population, making it one of the worst famines in European history. The famine led the Russian Empire to ease financial regulations, and investment rose in following decades. Economic and political development was rapid.<ref name="equity">{{cite web |url=http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTRANETSOCIALDEVELOPMENT/Resources/finland.pdf |title=Growth and Equity in Finland |publisher=World Bank}}</ref> The gross domestic product (GDP) per capita was still half of that of the United States and a third of that of Britain.<ref name="equity" />

In 1906, universal suffrage was adopted in the Grand Duchy of Finland. However, the relationship between the Grand Duchy and the Russian Empire soured when the Russian government made moves to restrict Finnish autonomy. For example, the universal suffrage was, in practice, virtually meaningless, since the tsar did not have to approve any of the laws adopted by the Finnish parliament. Desire for independence gained ground, first among radical liberals<ref>Mickelsson, Rauli (2007). Suomen puolueet—Historia, muutos ja nykypäivä. Vastapaino.</ref> and socialists. The case is known as the "Russification of Finland", driven by the last tsar of Russian Empire, Nicholas II.<ref>Alenius, Kari. "Russification in Estonia and Finland Before 1917," Faravid, 2004, Vol. 28, pp 181–194</ref>

Civil war and early independence

{{Main|Independence of Finland|Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic|Finnish Civil War}}

White firing squad executing Red soldiers after the Battle of Länkipohja (1918)

After the 1917 February Revolution, the position of Finland as part of the Russian Empire was questioned, mainly by Social Democrats. Since the head of state was the tsar of Russia, it was not clear who the chief executive of Finland was after the revolution. The Parliament, controlled by social democrats, passed the so-called Power Act to give the highest authority to the Parliament. This was rejected by the Russian Provisional Government which decided to dissolve the Parliament.<ref>The Finnish Civil War, Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress. Countrystudies.us. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

New elections were conducted, in which right-wing parties won with a slim majority. Some social democrats refused to accept the result and still claimed that the dissolution of the parliament (and thus the ensuing elections) were extralegal. The two nearly equally powerful political blocs, the right-wing parties and the social democratic party, were highly antagonized.

The October Revolution in Russia changed the geopolitical situation once more. Suddenly, the right-wing parties in Finland started to reconsider their decision to block the transfer of highest executive power from the Russian government to Finland, as the Bolsheviks took power in Russia. Rather than acknowledge the authority of the Power Act of a few months earlier, the right-wing government, led by Prime Minister P. E. Svinhufvud, presented Declaration of Independence on 4 December 1917, which was officially approved two days later, on 6 December, by the Finnish Parliament. The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR), led by Vladimir Lenin, recognized independence on 4 January 1918.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://formin.finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=107215&contentlan=1&culture=fi-FI | title = Uudenvuodenaatto Pietarin Smolnassa – Itsenäisyyden tunnustus 31.12.1917 | publisher = Ulkoministieriö | access-date = 14 September 2020 | language = fi }}</ref>

Finnish military leader and statesman C. G. E. Mannerheim as general officer leading the White Victory Parade at the end of the Finnish Civil War in Helsinki, 1918

On 27 January 1918, the official opening shots of the civil war were fired in two simultaneous events: on the one hand the government's beginning to disarm the Russian forces in Pohjanmaa, and on the other, a coup launched by the Social Democratic Party.{{failed verification |date=December 2010 |reason=No mention of coup in the section The Finnish Civil War, which should cover this. The actions by the reds are not characterized.}} The latter gained control of southern Finland and Helsinki, but the White government continued in exile from Vaasa. This sparked the brief but bitter civil war. The Whites, who were supported by Imperial Germany, prevailed over the Reds,<ref>{{cite web |title=A Country Study: Finland—The Finnish Civil War |url=http://memory.loc.gov/frd/cs/fitoc.html |work=Federal Research Division, Library of Congress |access-date=11 December 2008}}</ref> which were guided by Kullervo Manner's desire to make the newly independent country a Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic (also known as "Red Finland") and part of the RSFSR.<ref>SDP:n puheenjohtaja halusi punadiktaattoriksi, mutta kuoli Stalinin vankileirillä (in Finnish)</ref> After the war, tens of thousands of Reds and suspected sympathizers were interned in camps, where thousands were executed or died from malnutrition and disease. Deep social and political enmity was sown between the Reds and Whites and would last until the Winter War and beyond. Even nowadays, the civil war remains a sensitive topic.<ref>Pääkirjoitus: Kansalaissota on arka muistettava (in Finnish)</ref><ref>Punaisten ja valkoisten perintöä vaalitaan yhä – Suomalaiset lähettivät yli 400 muistoa vuoden 1918 sisällissodasta (in Finnish)</ref> The civil war and the 1918–1920 activist expeditions called "Kinship Wars" into Soviet Russia strained Eastern relations. At that time, the idea of a Greater Finland also emerged for the first time.<ref>{{Cite book | last=Manninen | first=Ohto | title=Suur-Suomen ääriviivat: Kysymys tulevaisuudesta ja turvallisuudesta Suomen Saksan-politiikassa 1941 | location=Helsinki | publisher=Kirjayhtymä | year=1980 | isbn= 951-26-1735-8}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | last=Nygård | first=Toivo | title=Suur-Suomi vai lähiheimolaisten auttaminen: Aatteellinen heimotyö itsenäisessä Suomessa | location=Helsinki | publisher=Otava | year=1978 | isbn=951-1-04963-1}}</ref>

J. K. Paasikivi and P. E. Svinhufvud, both at the time future presidents of the Republic of Finland, discuss the Finnish monarchy project in 1918.

After a brief experimentation with monarchy, when an attempt to make Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse King of Finland proved to be a poor success, Finland became a presidential republic, with K. J. Ståhlberg elected as its first president in 1919. As a liberal nationalist and with a legal background, Ståhlberg anchored the state in liberal democracy, guarded the fragile shoot of the rule of law, and embarked on internal reforms.<ref>{{cite web | first = Juha | last = Mononen | title = War or Peace for Finland? Neoclassical Realist Case Study of Finnish Foreign Policy in the Context of the Anti-Bolshevik Intervention in Russia 1918–1920 | url = https://tampub.uta.fi/handle/10024/80491 | date = 2 February 2009 | publisher = University of Tampere | access-date = 25 August 2020 | archive-date = 7 June 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150607035630/http://tampub.uta.fi/handle/10024/80491 | url-status = dead }}</ref> Finland was also one of the first European countries to strongly aim for equality for women, with Miina Sillanpää serving in Väinö Tanner's cabinet as the first female minister in Finnish history in 1926–1927.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://finland.fi/life-society/real-bridge-builder-became-finlands-first-female-government-minister/%7Ctitle=Real bridge-builder became Finland's first female government minister - thisisFINLAND|date=29 September 2017|work=thisisFINLAND|access-date=7 December 2020|language=en-US}}</ref> The Finnish–Russian border was defined in 1920 by the Treaty of Tartu, largely following the historic border but granting Pechenga ({{lang-fi|Petsamo}}) and its Barents Sea harbour to Finland. Finnish democracy did not experience any Soviet coup attempts and likewise survived the anti-communist Lapua Movement. Nevertheless, the relationship between Finland and the Soviet Union remained tense. Army officers were trained in France, and relations with Western Europe and Sweden were strengthened.

In 1917, the population was three million. Credit-based land reform was enacted after the civil war, increasing the proportion of the capital-owning population.<ref name="equity" /> About 70% of workers were occupied in agriculture and 10% in industry.<ref>{{cite web |author=Finland 1917–2007 |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suomi90/helmikuu_en.html |title=From slash-and-burn fields to post-industrial society—90 years of change in industrial structure |publisher=Stat.fi |date=20 February 2007 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> The largest export markets were the United Kingdom and Germany.

World War II and after

{{Main|Finland during World War II|Finno-Soviet Treaty of 1948|Finlandization|Early 1990s depression in Finland}}

Areas ceded by Finland to the Soviet Union after World War II. The Porkkala land lease was returned to Finland in 1956.

Finland fought the Soviet Union in the Winter War of 1939–1940 after the Soviet Union attacked Finland and in the Continuation War of 1941–1944, following Operation Barbarossa, when Finland aligned with Germany following Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union. For 872 days, the German army, aided indirectly by Finnish forces, besieged Leningrad, the USSR's second-largest city.<ref>Michael Jones (2013). "Leningrad: State of Siege". Basic Books. p. 38. {{ISBN|0-7867-2177-4}}</ref> After Finnish resistance to a major Soviet offensive in June and July 1944 led to a standstill, the two sides reached an armistice. This was followed by the Lapland War of 1944–1945, when Finland fought retreating German forces in northern Finland. Perhaps the most famous war heroes during the aforementioned wars were Simo Häyhä,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R948DQAAQBAJ&q=simo+hayha+219+kills&pg=PT35%7Ctitle=The White Sniper|first=Tapio|last=Saarelainen|date=31 October 2016|publisher=Casemate|isbn=978-1-61200-429-7|access-date=12 March 2019|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rdIgAQAAIAAJ%7Ctitle=Journal of Information Warfare|first1=Edith Cowan University School of Management Information|last1=Systems|first2=Teamlink|last2=Australia|date=12 March 2019|publisher=Teamlink Australia Pty Limited|access-date=12 March 2019|via=Google Books}}</ref> Aarne Juutilainen,<ref>{{Cite book|title=Marokon Kauhu|trans-title=Terror of Morocco|last=Mäkelä|first=Jukka L.|publisher=W. Söderström|location=Porvoo|language=fi|year=1969|oclc=3935082}}</ref> and Lauri Törni.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cleverley|first=J. Michael|title=Born a Soldier: The Times and Life of Larry Thorne|year=2008|publisher=Booksurge|isbn=978-1-4392-1437-4|oclc=299168934}}</ref>

The treaties signed with the Soviet Union in 1947 and 1948 included Finnish obligations, restraints, and reparations, as well as further Finnish territorial concessions in addition to those in the Moscow Peace Treaty of 1940. As a result of the two wars, Finland ceded the Petsamo, along with parts of Finnish Karelia and Salla. This amounted to 10% of Finland's land area and 20% of its industrial capacity, including the ports of Vyborg (Viipuri) and the ice-free Liinakhamari (Liinahamari). Almost the whole Finnish population, some 400,000 people, fled these areas. The former Finnish territory now constitutes part of Russia's Republic of Karelia, Leningrad Oblast, and Murmansk Oblast. Finland was never occupied by Soviet forces and it retained its independence, but at a loss of about 97,000 soldiers. The war reparations demanded by the Soviet Union amounted to $300 million ({{Inflation|US|300|1938|fmt=c}} million in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}).

Finland rejected Marshall aid, in apparent deference to Soviet desires. However, in the hope of preserving Finland's independence, the United States provided secret development aid and helped the Social Democratic Party.<ref>Hidden help from across the Atlantic {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070129165823/http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Hidden+help+from+across+the+Atlantic/1135223633788 |date=29 January 2007 }}, Helsingin Sanomat</ref> Establishing trade with the Western powers, such as the United Kingdom, and paying reparations to the Soviet Union produced a transformation of Finland from a primarily agrarian economy to an industrialised one. Valmet was founded to create materials for war reparations. After the reparations had been paid off, Finland continued to trade with the Soviet Union in the framework of bilateral trade.

Urho Kekkonen, the eighth president of Finland (1956–1982)

In 1950, 46% of Finnish workers worked in agriculture and a third lived in urban areas.<ref name="populationdevelopment">{{cite web |author=Finland 1917–2007 |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suomi90/joulukuu_en.html |title=Population development in independent Finland—greying Baby Boomers |publisher=Stat.fi |date=5 December 2007 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> The new jobs in manufacturing, services, and trade quickly attracted people to the towns. The average number of births per woman declined from a baby boom peak of 3.5 in 1947 to 1.5 in 1973.<ref name="populationdevelopment" /> When baby-boomers entered the workforce, the economy did not generate jobs quickly enough, and hundreds of thousands emigrated to the more industrialized Sweden, with emigration peaking in 1969 and 1970.<ref name="populationdevelopment" /> The 1952 Summer Olympics brought international visitors. Finland took part in trade liberalization in the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

Officially claiming to be neutral, Finland lay in the grey zone between the Western countries and the Soviet bloc. The YYA Treaty (Finno-Soviet Pact of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance) gave the Soviet Union some leverage in Finnish domestic politics. This was extensively exploited by president Urho Kekkonen against his opponents. He maintained an effective monopoly on Soviet relations from 1956 on, which was crucial for his continued popularity. In politics, there was a tendency to avoid any policies and statements that could be interpreted as anti-Soviet. This phenomenon was given the name "Finlandization" by the West German press. During the Cold War, Finland also developed into one of the centers of the East-West espionage, in which both the KGB and the CIA played their parts.<ref>{{Citation|last=Ford|first=Hal|title=ESAU -LVI - FINLANDIZATION IN ACTION: HELSINKI'S EXPERIENCE WITH MOSCOW|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/esau-55.pdf%7Cseries=DIRECTORATE OF INTELLIGENCE|date=August 1972}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.economist.com/eastern-approaches/2011/12/01/secret-history%7Ctitle=Finland and American intelligence - Secret history|work=The Economist|date=1 December 2011|access-date=16 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://intelnews.org/2011/08/19/01-794/%7Ctitle=Former Finnish diplomat reveals she worked for the CIA|first=Joseph|last=Fitsanakis|website=Intelnews.org|date=19 August 2011|access-date=16 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-9692396%7Ctitle=Naisia, autoja ja piilopirttejä – Norjalainen vakoili CIA:n laskuun kylmän sodan Suomessa|first=Satu|last=Helin|publisher=YLE|date=2 July 2017|access-date=16 August 2020|language=fi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2019/10/14/kylman-sodan-suomalaisagentit-kasikirjoitus%7Ctitle=Kylmän sodan suomalaisagentit: käsikirjoitus|first=Kai|last=Byman|work=MOT|publisher=YLE|date=14 October 2019|access-date=16 August 2020|language=fi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000005833479.html%7Ctitle=Näin Neuvostoliitto vakoili Suomessa – Supo seurasi "Jakkea", joka johdatti uusille jäljille|first=Mika|last=Lehto|work=Ilta-Sanomat|date=19 September 2018|access-date=16 August 2020|language=fi}}</ref> The 1949 established Finnish Security Intelligence Service (SUPO, Suojelupoliisi), an operational security authority and a police unit under the Interior Ministry, whose core areas of activity are counter-Intelligence, counter-terrorism and national security,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://supo.fi/en/frontpage?p_p_id=fi_yja_language_version_tool_web_portlet_LanguageVersionToolMissingNotificationPortlet&_fi_yja_language_version_tool_web_portlet_LanguageVersionToolMissingNotificationPortlet_missingLanguageVersion=1%7Ctitle=Frontpage%7Cwebsite=Supo}}</ref> also participated in this activity in some places.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://tuomioja.org/kirjavinkit/2009/09/matti-simola-toimittanut-ratakatu-12-suojelupoliisi-1949-2009-wsoy-319-s-hameenlinna-2009/%7Ctitle=Salaisen palvelun tutkimuksen haasteet|last=Tuomioja|first=Erkki|date=8 September 2009|work=Tuomioja.org|access-date=24 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171024153602/https://tuomioja.org/kirjavinkit/2009/09/matti-simola-toimittanut-ratakatu-12-suojelupoliisi-1949-2009-wsoy-319-s-hameenlinna-2009/%7Carchive-date=24 October 2017|url-status=live|language=fi-FI|trans-title=Challenges in secret service research}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|chapter-url=https://helda.helsinki.fi/handle/10224/4054%7Ctitle=The Cold War and the Politics of History|last=Rentola|first=Kimmo|publisher=Edita Publishing Ltd|year=2008|isbn=978-952-10-4637-7|editor-last=Aunesluoma|editor-first=Juhani|location=Helsinki|pages=269–289|chapter=President Urho Kekkonen of Finland and the KGB|editor-last2=Kettunen|editor-first2=Pauli|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305010917/https://helda.helsinki.fi/handle/10224/4054%7Carchive-date=5 March 2016}}</ref>

Despite close relations with the Soviet Union, Finland maintained a market economy. Various industries benefited from trade privileges with the Soviets, which explains the widespread support that pro-Soviet policies enjoyed among business interests in Finland. Economic growth was rapid in the postwar era, and by 1975 Finland's GDP per capita was the 15th-highest in the world. In the 1970s and 1980s, Finland built one of the most extensive welfare states in the world. Finland negotiated with the European Economic Community (EEC, a predecessor of the European Union) a treaty that mostly abolished customs duties towards the EEC starting from 1977, although Finland did not fully join. In 1981, President Urho Kekkonen's failing health forced him to retire after holding office for 25 years.

Finland joined the European Union in 1995 and signed the Lisbon Treaty in 2007.

Finland reacted cautiously to the collapse of the Soviet Union, but swiftly began increasing integration with the West. On 21 September 1990, Finland unilaterally declared the Paris Peace Treaty obsolete, following the German reunification decision nine days earlier.<ref>formin.finland.fi {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105213131/http://formin.finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=55802&contentlan=1&culture=fi-FI |date=5 January 2016 }}; Suurlähettiläs Jaakko Blomberg: Kylmän sodan päättyminen, Suomi ja Viro – Ulkoasiainministeriö: Ajankohtaista. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

Miscalculated macroeconomic decisions, a banking crisis, the collapse of its largest trading partner (the Soviet Union), and a global economic downturn caused a deep early 1990s recession in Finland. The depression bottomed out in 1993, and Finland saw steady economic growth for more than ten years.<ref>{{Citation|last=Uusitalo|first=Hannu|title=Economic Crisis and Social Policy in Finland in the 1990s|journal=Working Paper Series|url=https://www.sprc.unsw.edu.au/media/SPRCFile/dp070.pdf%7Cseries=SPRC Discussion Paper No. 70|date=October 1996|issn=1037-2741}}</ref> Like other Nordic countries, Finland decentralised its economy since the late 1980s. Financial and product market regulation were loosened. Some state enterprises have been privatized and there have been some modest tax cuts.{{Citation needed |date=August 2017}} Finland joined the European Union in 1995, and the Eurozone in 1999. Much of the late 1990s economic growth was fueled by the success of the mobile phone manufacturer Nokia, which held a unique position of representing 80% of the market capitalization of the Helsinki Stock Exchange.

Geography

{{Main|Geography of Finland}} {{See also|List of cities and towns in Finland|List of lakes of Finland|List of national parks of Finland|Environmental issues in Finland}}

Topographic map of Finland

Lying approximately between latitudes 60° and 70° N, and longitudes 20° and 32° E, Finland is one of the world's northernmost countries. Of world capitals, only Reykjavík lies more to the north than Helsinki. The distance from the southernmost point – Hanko in Uusimaa – to the northernmost – Nuorgam in Lapland – is {{convert|1160|km|mi}}.

Finland has about 168,000 lakes (of area larger than {{convert|500|m2|acre|2|abbr=on|disp=or}}) and 179,000 islands.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_alue_en.html |title=Statistics Finland, Environment and Natural Resources|access-date=4 April 2013}}</ref> Its largest lake, Saimaa, is the fourth largest in Europe. The Finnish Lakeland is the area with the most lakes in the country; many of the major cities in the area, most notably Tampere, Jyväskylä and Kuopio, are located in the immediate vicinity of the large lakes. The greatest concentration of islands is found in the southwest, in the Archipelago Sea between continental Finland and the main island of Åland.

Much of the geography of Finland is a result of the Ice Age. The glaciers were thicker and lasted longer in Fennoscandia compared with the rest of Europe. Their eroding effects have left the Finnish landscape mostly flat with few hills and fewer mountains. Its highest point, the Halti at {{convert|1324|m|ft|0}}, is found in the extreme north of Lapland at the border between Finland and Norway. The highest mountain whose peak is entirely in Finland is Ridnitšohkka at {{convert|1316|m|ft|abbr=on}}, directly adjacent to Halti.

There are some 187,888 lakes in Finland larger than 500 square metres and 75,818 islands of over 0,5 km2 area, leading to the denomination "the land of a thousand lakes".<ref name="thousand"/>

The retreating glaciers have left the land with morainic deposits in formations of eskers. These are ridges of stratified gravel and sand, running northwest to southeast, where the ancient edge of the glacier once lay. Among the biggest of these are the three Salpausselkä ridges that run across southern Finland.

Having been compressed under the enormous weight of the glaciers, terrain in Finland is rising due to the post-glacial rebound. The effect is strongest around the Gulf of Bothnia, where land steadily rises about {{convert|1|cm|1|abbr=on}} a year. As a result, the old sea bottom turns little by little into dry land: the surface area of the country is expanding by about {{convert|7|km2|sqmi}} annually.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fimr.fi/en/tutkimus/fysikaalinen-tutkimus/vedenkorkeuden-vaihteluiden-ajalliset-muutokset.html |title=Trends in sea level variability |work=Finnish Institute of Marine Research |date=24 August 2004 |access-date=22 January 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070227172733/http://www.fimr.fi/en/tutkimus/fysikaalinen-tutkimus/vedenkorkeuden-vaihteluiden-ajalliset-muutokset.html |archive-date=27 February 2007 }}</ref> Relatively speaking, Finland is rising from the sea.<ref name="EB">"Finland." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011.</ref>

The landscape is covered mostly by coniferous taiga forests and fens, with little cultivated land. Of the total area 10% is lakes, rivers and ponds, and 78% forest. The forest consists of pine, spruce, birch, and other species.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metla.fi/suomen-metsat/ |title=Euroopan metsäisin maa |date=2013 |website= Luke |language=fi |access-date=30 April 2016}}</ref> Finland is the largest producer of wood in Europe and among the largest in the world. The most common type of rock is granite. It is a ubiquitous part of the scenery, visible wherever there is no soil cover. Moraine or till is the most common type of soil, covered by a thin layer of humus of biological origin. Podzol profile development is seen in most forest soils except where drainage is poor. Gleysols and peat bogs occupy poorly drained areas.

Biodiversity

{{Main|Fauna of Finland|Wildlife of Finland}} Phytogeographically, Finland is shared between the Arctic, central European, and northern European provinces of the Circumboreal Region within the Boreal Kingdom. According to the WWF, the territory of Finland can be subdivided into three ecoregions: the Scandinavian and Russian taiga, Sarmatic mixed forests, and Scandinavian Montane Birch forest and grasslands.<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|year=2017|pages=534–545|issn=0006-3568|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287}}</ref> Taiga covers most of Finland from northern regions of southern provinces to the north of Lapland. On the southwestern coast, south of the Helsinki-Rauma line, forests are characterized by mixed forests, that are more typical in the Baltic region. In the extreme north of Finland, near the tree line and Arctic Ocean, Montane Birch forests are common. Finland had a 2018 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 5.08/10, ranking it 109th globally out of 172 countries.<ref name="FLII-Supplementary">{{cite journal|last1=Grantham|first1=H. S.|last2=Duncan|first2=A.|last3=Evans|first3=T. D.|last4=Jones|first4=K. R.|last5=Beyer|first5=H. L.|last6=Schuster|first6=R.|last7=Walston|first7=J.|last8=Ray|first8=J. C.|last9=Robinson|first9=J. G.|last10=Callow|first10=M.|last11=Clements|first11=T.|last12=Costa|first12=H. M.|last13=DeGemmis|first13=A.|last14=Elsen|first14=P. R.|last15=Ervin|first15=J.|last16=Franco|first16=P.|last17=Goldman|first17=E.|last18=Goetz|first18=S.|last19=Hansen|first19=A.|last20=Hofsvang|first20=E.|last21=Jantz|first21=P.|last22=Jupiter|first22=S.|last23=Kang|first23=A.|last24=Langhammer|first24=P.|last25=Laurance|first25=W. F.|last26=Lieberman|first26=S.|last27=Linkie|first27=M.|last28=Malhi|first28=Y.|last29=Maxwell|first29=S.|last30=Mendez|first30=M.|last31=Mittermeier|first31=R.|last32=Murray|first32=N. J.|last33=Possingham|first33=H.|last34=Radachowsky|first34=J.|last35=Saatchi|first35=S.|last36=Samper|first36=C.|last37=Silverman|first37=J.|last38=Shapiro|first38=A.|last39=Strassburg|first39=B.|last40=Stevens|first40=T.|last41=Stokes|first41=E.|last42=Taylor|first42=R.|last43=Tear|first43=T.|last44=Tizard|first44=R.|last45=Venter|first45=O.|last46=Visconti|first46=P.|last47=Wang|first47=S.|last48=Watson|first48=J. E. M.|title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity - Supplementary Material|journal=Nature Communications|volume=11|issue=1|year=2020|page=5978|issn=2041-1723|doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3|pmid=33293507|pmc=7723057}}</ref>

The brown bear (Ursus arctos) is Finland's national animal. It is also the largest carnivora in Finland.

Similarly, Finland has a diverse and extensive range of fauna. There are at least sixty native mammalian species, 248 breeding bird species, over 70 fish species, and 11 reptile and frog species present today, many migrating from neighboring countries thousands of years ago. Large and widely recognized wildlife mammals found in Finland are the brown bear, gray wolf, wolverine, and elk. The brown bear, which is also nicknamed as the "king of the forest" by the Finns, is the country's official national animal,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://finland.fi/life-society/iconic-finnish-nature-symbols-stand-out/ | title=Iconic Finnish nature symbols stand out | publisher=This is Finland | access-date=24 December 2020}}</ref> which also occur on the coat of arms of the Satakunta region is a crown-headed black bear carrying a sword,<ref>Iltanen, Jussi: Suomen kuntavaakunat (2013), Karttakeskus, {{ISBN|951-593-915-1}}</ref> possibly referring to the regional capital city of Pori, whose Swedish name Björneborg and the Latin name Arctopolis literally means "bear city" or "bear fortress".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Savoring Heritage: A Memphis writer explores her daughter's Finnish roots |last=Maki |first=Aisling |work=Memphis magazine |date=27 March 2020 |url= https://memphismagazine.com/travel/savoring-heritage/ }}</ref> Three of the more striking birds are the whooper swan, a large European swan and the national bird of Finland; the Western capercaillie, a large, black-plumaged member of the grouse family; and the Eurasian eagle-owl. The latter is considered an indicator of old-growth forest connectivity, and has been declining because of landscape fragmentation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://herkules.oulu.fi/isbn9514259904/html/x288.html |title=Nutritional and genetic adaptation of galliform birds: implications for hand-rearing and restocking |work=Oulu University Library (2000) |access-date=23 May 2008}}</ref> The most common breeding birds are the willow warbler, common chaffinch, and redwing.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.birdlife.fi/lintuharrastus/faq-muut.shtml#pesimalinnut |title=BirdLife Finland |work=BirdLife International (2004) Birds in Europe: population estimates, trends and conservation status. Cambridge, UK. (BirdLife Conservation Series No. 12) |access-date=22 January 2007}}</ref> Of some seventy species of freshwater fish, the northern pike, perch, and others are plentiful. Atlantic salmon remains the favourite of fly rod enthusiasts.

The endangered Saimaa ringed seal (Pusa hispida saimensis), one of only three lake seal species in the world, exists only in the Saimaa lake system of southeastern Finland, down to only 390 seals today.<ref>{{cite web |title= Saimaa Ringed Seal |url= https://wwf.fi/en/saimaaringedseal/ |access-date=22 December 2018}}</ref> Ever since the species was protected in 1955,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nationalparks.fi/saimaa-ringed-seal%7Ctitle=Saimaa Ringed Seal|website=Nationalparks.fi}}</ref> it has become the emblem of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=170517&contentlan=2&culture=en-US |title=SOS: Save our seals |work=this is Finland (Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910195719/http://finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=170517&contentlan=2&culture=en-US |archive-date=10 September 2015 }}</ref> The Saimaa ringed seal lives nowadays mainly in two Finnish national parks, Kolovesi and Linnansaari,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jarvisydan.com/en/Nature-Adventures/National-Parks |title=Welcome to Linnansaari and Kolovesi National Parks |date=2016 |website=Järvisydän |access-date=2016-05-01 |archive-date=26 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160926180335/http://www.jarvisydan.com/en/Nature-Adventures/National-Parks |url-status=dead }}</ref> but strays have been seen in a much larger area, including near Savonlinna's town centre.

Climate

{{Main|Climate of Finland}}

Köppen climate classification types of Finland

The main factor influencing Finland's climate is the country's geographical position between the 60th and 70th northern parallels in the Eurasian continent's coastal zone. In the Köppen climate classification, the whole of Finland lies in the boreal zone, characterized by warm summers and freezing winters. Within the country, the temperateness varies considerably between the southern coastal regions and the extreme north, showing characteristics of both a maritime and a continental climate. Finland is near enough to the Atlantic Ocean to be continuously warmed by the Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream combines with the moderating effects of the Baltic Sea and numerous inland lakes to explain the unusually warm climate compared with other regions that share the same latitude, such as Alaska, Siberia, and southern Greenland.<ref name="Finland's climate">{{cite web |title=Finland's climate |url=http://www.fmi.fi/weather/climate.html |publisher=Finnish Meteorological Institute |access-date=3 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100721105549/http://www.fmi.fi/weather/climate.html |archive-date=21 July 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Winters in southern Finland (when mean daily temperature remains below {{convert|0|°C|disp=or}}) are usually about 100 days long, and in the inland the snow typically covers the land from about late November to April, and on the coastal areas such as Helsinki, snow often covers the land from late December to late March.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://ilmasto-opas.fi/fi/ilmastonmuutos/suomen-muuttuva-ilmasto/-/artikkeli/08848977-fd1a-4e85-8389-7ecf3ca7de7d/uusimaa-merellisen-ilmaston-maakunta.html%7Ctitle = The climate in Finland (finnish)|access-date = 3 January 2015}}</ref> Even in the south, the harshest winter nights can see the temperatures fall to {{convert|-30|°C}} although on coastal areas like Helsinki, temperatures below {{convert|-30|°C|0}} are rare. Climatic summers (when mean daily temperature remains above {{convert|10|°C|disp=or}}) in southern Finland last from about late May to mid-September, and in the inland, the warmest days of July can reach over {{convert|35|°C|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Finland's climate" /> Although most of Finland lies on the taiga belt, the southernmost coastal regions are sometimes classified as hemiboreal.<ref name="Havas">{{cite web|url=http://www.oulu.fi/northnature/finnish/Suomi/luma1.html%7Ctitle=Pohjoiset alueet / yleiskuvaus|last=Havas|first=Paavo|language=fi|access-date=3 December 2012}}</ref>

In northern Finland, particularly in Lapland, the winters are long and cold, while the summers are relatively warm but short. The most severe winter days in Lapland can see the temperature fall down to {{convert|-45|°C}}. The winter of the north lasts for about 200 days with permanent snow cover from about mid-October to early May. Summers in the north are quite short, only two to three months, but can still see maximum daily temperatures above {{convert|25|°C}} during heat waves.<ref name="Finland's climate" /> No part of Finland has Arctic tundra, but Alpine tundra can be found at the fells Lapland.<ref name="Havas" />

The Finnish climate is suitable for cereal farming only in the southernmost regions, while the northern regions are suitable for animal husbandry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mmm.fi/attachments/mmm/julkaisut/esitteet/5HIspFLpC/45920_LFA_esite.pdf%7Ctitle=Finland's Northern Conditions: Challenges and Opportunities for Agriculture|publisher=Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Finland|pages=1–4|access-date=3 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407022547/http://www.mmm.fi/attachments/mmm/julkaisut/esitteet/5HIspFLpC/45920_LFA_esite.pdf%7Carchive-date=7 April 2012 }}</ref>

A quarter of Finland's territory lies within the Arctic Circle and the midnight sun can be experienced for more days the farther north one travels. At Finland's northernmost point, the sun does not set for 73 consecutive days during summer, and does not rise at all for 51 days during winter.<ref name="Finland's climate" />

Regions

{{Main|Regions of Finland}}

Finland consists of 19 regions, called {{lang|fi|maakunta}} in Finnish and {{lang|sv|landskap}} in Swedish. The regions are governed by regional councils which serve as forums of cooperation for the municipalities of a region. The main tasks of the regions are regional planning and development of enterprise and education. In addition, the public health services are usually organized on the basis of regions. Currently, the only region where a popular election is held for the council is Kainuu. Other regional councils are elected by municipal councils, each municipality sending representatives in proportion to its population.

In addition to inter-municipal cooperation, which is the responsibility of regional councils, each region has a state Employment and Economic Development Centre which is responsible for the local administration of labour, agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and entrepreneurial affairs. The Finnish Defence Forces regional offices are responsible for the regional defence preparations and for the administration of conscription within the region.

Regions represent dialectal, cultural, and economic variations better than the former provinces, which were purely administrative divisions of the central government. Historically, regions are divisions of historical provinces of Finland, areas which represent dialects and culture more accurately.

Six Regional State Administrative Agencies were created by the state of Finland in 2010, each of them responsible for one of the regions called {{lang|fi|alue}} in Finnish and {{lang|sv|region}} in Swedish; in addition, Åland was designated a seventh region. These take over some of the tasks of the earlier Provinces of Finland (lääni/län), which were abolished.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.avi.fi/fi/Sivut/etusivu.aspx |title=Tervetuloa aluehallintoviraston verkkosivuille! |publisher=State Provincial Office |language=fi |access-date=9 June 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315151138/http://www.avi.fi/fi/Sivut/etusivu.aspx |archive-date=15 March 2012 }}</ref>

{{Finnish Regions|options=float:top}}
Name url=https://vnk.fi/documents/10616/3457861/Suomen+hallintorakenteeseen+ja+maakuntauudistukseen+liittyviä+termejä+sekä+maakuntien+ja+kuntien+nimet+fi-sv-en-%28ru%29/974f7fc5-1466-c667-9787-381c5bd57603/Suomen+hallintorakenteeseen+ja+maakuntauudistukseen+liittyviä+termejä+sekä+maakuntien+ja+kuntien+nimet+fi-sv-en-%28ru%29.pdf%7Ctitle=Suomen hallintorakenteeseen ja maakuntauudistukseen liittyviä termejä sekä maakuntien ja kuntien nimet fi-sv-en-(ru)|website=vnk.fi|pages=8–9|access-date=23 August 2019}}</ref> Finnish name Swedish name Capital Regional state administrative agency
Lapland Lapland fi|Lappi}} sv|Lappland}} Rovaniemi Lapland
North Ostrobothnia North Ostrobothnia fi|Pohjois-Pohjanmaa}} sv|Norra Österbotten}} Oulu Northern Finland
Kainuu Kainuu fi|Kainuu}} sv|Kajanaland}} Kajaani Northern Finland
North Karelia North Karelia fi|Pohjois-Karjala}} sv|Norra Karelen}} Joensuu Eastern Finland
Northern Savonia North Savo fi|Pohjois-Savo}} {{lang|sv|Norra Savolax}} Kuopio Eastern Finland
Southern Savonia South Savo fi|Etelä-Savo}} sv|Södra Savolax}} Mikkeli Eastern Finland
South Ostrobothnia South Ostrobothnia fi|Etelä-Pohjanmaa}} sv|Södra Österbotten}} Seinäjoki Western and Central Finland
Central Ostrobothnia Central Ostrobothnia fi|Keski-Pohjanmaa}} sv|Mellersta Österbotten}} Kokkola Western and Central Finland
Ostrobothnia Ostrobothnia fi|Pohjanmaa}} sv|Österbotten}} Vaasa Western and Central Finland
Pirkanmaa Pirkanmaa fi|Pirkanmaa}} sv|Birkaland}} Tampere Western and Central Finland
Central Finland Central Finland fi|Keski-Suomi}} sv|Mellersta Finland}} Jyväskylä Western and Central Finland
Satakunta Satakunta fi|Satakunta}} sv|Satakunta}} Pori South-Western Finland
Southwest Finland Southwest Finland fi|Varsinais-Suomi}} sv|Egentliga Finland}} Turku South-Western Finland
South Karelia South Karelia fi|Etelä-Karjala}} sv|Södra Karelen}} Lappeenranta Southern Finland
Päijänne Tavastia Päijät-Häme fi|Päijät-Häme}} sv|Päijänne-Tavastland}} Lahti Southern Finland
Tavastia Proper Kanta-Häme fi|Kanta-Häme}} sv|Egentliga Tavastland}} Hämeenlinna Southern Finland
Uusimaa Uusimaa fi|Uusimaa}} sv|Nyland}} Helsinki Southern Finland
Kymenlaakso Kymenlaakso fi|Kymenlaakso}} sv|Kymmenedalen}} Kotka and Kouvola Southern Finland
Åland Islands<ref name="åland_note">The role that the regional councils serve on Mainland Finland are on the Åland Islands handled by the autonomous Government of Åland.</ref> Åland fi|Ahvenanmaa}} sv|Åland}} Mariehamn Åland

The region of Eastern Uusimaa (Itä-Uusimaa) was consolidated with Uusimaa on 1 January 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.valtioneuvosto.fi/ajankohtaista/tiedotteet/tiedote/fi.jsp?oid=274585 |title=Valtioneuvosto päätti Uudenmaan ja Itä-Uudenmaan maakuntien yhdistämisestä |date=22 October 2009 |publisher=Ministry of Finance |language=fi |access-date=30 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807084712/http://www.valtioneuvosto.fi/ajankohtaista/tiedotteet/tiedote/fi.jsp?oid=274585 |archive-date=7 August 2011 }}</ref>

Administrative divisions

{{Main|Administrative divisions of Finland|Regions of Finland|Sub-regions of Finland|Municipalities of Finland|Historical provinces of Finland}}

The fundamental administrative divisions of the country are the municipalities, which may also call themselves towns or cities. They account for half of public spending. Spending is financed by municipal income tax, state subsidies, and other revenue. {{As of|2021}}, there are 309 municipalities,<ref name="Suomen Kuntaliitto">{{cite web|title=Kaupunkien ja kuntien lukumäärät ja väestötiedot|url=https://www.kuntaliitto.fi/tilastot-ja-julkaisut/kaupunkien-ja-kuntien-lukumaarat-ja-vaestotiedot%7Caccess-date=7 March 2021|publisher=Suomen Kuntaliitto – Association of Finnish Municipalities|language=fi}}</ref> and most have fewer than 6,000 residents.

In addition to municipalities, two intermediate levels are defined. Municipalities co-operate in seventy sub-regions and nineteen regions. These are governed by the member municipalities and have only limited powers. The autonomous province of Åland has a permanent democratically elected regional council. Sami people have a semi-autonomous Sami native region in Lapland for issues on language and culture.

In the following chart, the number of inhabitants includes those living in the entire municipality (kunta/kommun), not just in the built-up area. The land area is given in km2, and the density in inhabitants per km2 (land area). The figures are as of {{#time:d F Y |{{Data Finland municipality/population count|sourcedate}}}}. The capital region – comprising Helsinki, Vantaa, Espoo and Kauniainen – forms a continuous conurbation of over 1.1 million people. However, common administration is limited to voluntary cooperation of all municipalities, e.g. in Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council.

City Population{{Data Finland municipality/population count}} Land area{{Data Finland municipality/total area}} Density Regional map Population density map
Helsinki Helsinki }} }} Helsinki }} }} Helsinki }} round 2}} }}
Municipalities (thin borders) and regions (thick borders) of Finland (2021)
The population densities of Finnish municipalities (2010)
Espoo Espoo }} }} Espoo }} }} Espoo }} round 2}} }}
Tampere Tampere }} }} Tampere }} }} Tampere }} round 2}} }}
Vantaa Vantaa }} }} Vantaa }} }} Vantaa }} round 2}} }}
Oulu Oulu }} }} Oulu }} }} Oulu }} round 2}} }}
Turku Turku }} }} Turku }} }} Turku }} round 2}}

}}

Jyväskylä Jyväskylä }} }} Jyväskylä }} }} Jyväskylä }} round 2}} }}
Kuopio Kuopio }} }} Kuopio }} }} Kuopio }} round 2}} }}
Lahti Lahti }} }} Lahti }} }} Lahti }} round 2}} }}
Pori Pori }} }} Pori }} }} Pori }} round 2}} }}
Kouvola Kouvola }} }} Kouvola }} }} Kouvola }} round 2}} }}
Joensuu Joensuu }} }} Joensuu }} }} Joensuu }} round 2}} }}
Lappeenranta Lappeenranta }} }} Lappeenranta }} }} Lappeenranta }} round 2}} }}
Hämeenlinna Hämeenlinna }} }} Hämeenlinna }} }} Hämeenlinna }} round 2}} }}
Vaasa Vaasa }} }} Vaasa }} }} Vaasa}} round 2}} }}

Politics

{{multiple image 

| align = right
| direction = horizontal
| caption_align = center
| image1 = President Trump Meets with the President of the Republic of Finland (48834234637) (cropped).jpg
| width1 = 115
| caption1 = Sauli Niinistö
12th President
since 1 March 2012
| image2 = Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin 2019 (cropped).jpg
| width2 = 113
| caption2 = Sanna Marin
46th Prime Minister
since 10 December 2019

}} {{Main|Politics of Finland}} {{See also|List of political parties in Finland|Human rights in Finland}}

the European Union}}

Constitution

The Constitution of Finland defines the political system; Finland is a parliamentary republic within the framework of a representative democracy. The Prime Minister is the country's most powerful person. The current version of the constitution was enacted on 1 March 2000, and was amended on 1 March 2012. Citizens can run and vote in parliamentary, municipal, presidential and European Union elections.

President

{{Main|President of Finland}} The head of state of Finland is President of the Republic of Finland (in Finnish: Suomen tasavallan presidentti; in Swedish: Republiken Finlands president). Finland has had for most of its independence a semi-presidential system, but in the last few decades the powers of the President have been diminished. Constitutional amendments, which came into effect in 1991 and 1992, as well as a new drafted constitution of 2000 (amended in 2012), have made the presidency a primarily ceremonial office. However, the President still leads the nation's foreign politics together with the Council of State and is the commander-in-chief of the Defence Forces.<ref name="Parliamentary">Formerly a semi-presidential republic, it is now a parliamentary republic according to David Arter, First Chair of Politics at Aberdeen University. In his "Scandinavian Politics Today" (Manchester University Press, revised 2008 {{ISBN|978-0-7190-7853-8}}), he quotes {{Cite journal |last=Nousiainen |first=Jaakko |date=June 2001 |title=From semi-presidentialism to parliamentary government: political and constitutional developments in Finland |journal=Scandinavian Political Studies |volume=24 |issue=2 |pages=95–109 |doi=10.1111/1467-9477.00048 }} as follows: "There are hardly any grounds for the epithet 'semi-presidential'." Arter's own conclusions are only slightly more nuanced: "The adoption of a new constitution on 1 March 2000 meant that Finland was no longer a case of semi-presidential government other than in the minimalist sense of a situation where a popularly elected fixed-term president exists alongside a prime minister and cabinet who are responsible to parliament (Elgie 2004: 317)". According to the Finnish Constitution, the president has no possibility to rule the government without the ministerial approval, and does not have the power to dissolve the parliament under his or her own desire. Finland is actually represented by its prime minister, and not by its president, in the Council of the Heads of State and Government of the European Union. The 2012 constitutional amendments reduced the powers of the president even further.</ref> The position still does entail some powers, including responsibility for foreign policy (excluding affairs related to the European Union) in cooperation with the cabinet, being the head of the armed forces, some decree and pardoning powers, and some appointive powers. Direct, one- or two-stage elections are used to elect the president for a term of six years and for a maximum of two consecutive 6-year terms. The current president is Sauli Niinistö; he took office on 1 March 2012. Former presidents were K. J. Ståhlberg (1919–1925), L. K. Relander (1925–1931), P. E. Svinhufvud (1931–1937), Kyösti Kallio (1937–1940), Risto Ryti (1940–1944), C. G. E. Mannerheim (1944–1946), J. K. Paasikivi (1946–1956), Urho Kekkonen (1956–1982), Mauno Koivisto (1982–1994), Martti Ahtisaari (1994–2000), and Tarja Halonen (2000–2012).

The current president was elected from the ranks of the National Coalition Party for the first time since 1946. The presidency between 1946 and the present was instead held by a member of the Social Democratic Party or the Centre Party.

Parliament

{{Main|Parliament of Finland}}

The Parliament of Finland's main building along Mannerheimintie in Töölö, Helsinki
The Session Hall of the Parliament of Finland

The 200-member unicameral Parliament of Finland ({{Lang-fi|Eduskunta}}, {{Lang-sv|Riksdag}}) exercises supreme legislative authority in the country. It may alter the constitution and ordinary laws, dismiss the cabinet, and override presidential vetoes. Its acts are not subject to judicial review; the constitutionality of new laws is assessed by the parliament's constitutional law committee. The parliament is elected for a term of four years using the proportional D'Hondt method within a number of multi-seat constituencies through the most open list multi-member districts. Various parliament committees listen to experts and prepare legislation.

Since universal suffrage was introduced in 1906, the parliament has been dominated by the Centre Party (former Agrarian Union), the National Coalition Party, and the Social Democrats. These parties have enjoyed approximately equal support, and their combined vote has totalled about 65–80% of all votes. Their lowest common total of MPs, 121, was reached in the 2011 elections. For a few decades after 1944, the Communists were a strong fourth party. Due to the electoral system of proportional representation, and the relative reluctance of voters to switch their support between parties, the relative strengths of the parties have commonly varied only slightly from one election to another. However, there have been some long-term trends, such as the rise and fall of the Communists during the Cold War; the steady decline into insignificance of the Liberals and their predecessors from 1906 to 1980; and the rise of the Green League since 1983.

The Marin Cabinet is the incumbent 76th government of Finland. It was formed following the collapse of the Rinne Cabinet and officially took office on 10 December 2019.<ref name=NYT1>{{Cite news| last1 = Lemola | first1 = Johanna | last2 = Specia | first2 = Megan | date=10 December 2019| title=Who Is Sanna Marin, Finland's 34-Year-Old Prime Minister? | work=The New York Times|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/10/world/europe/finland-sanna-marin.html | access-date=4 February 2020 | language = en | issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=NYT2>{{Cite news| last=Specia |first=Megan | date=10 December 2019| title=Sanna Marin of Finland to Become World's Youngest Prime Minister|work=The New York Times|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/09/world/europe/finland-prime-minister-sanna-marin.html | access-date=4 February 2020 | language = en | issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The cabinet consists of a coalition formed by the Social Democratic Party, the Centre Party, the Green League, the Left Alliance, and the Swedish People's Party.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kaatuneen hallituksen kaikki puolueet halukkaita jatkoon samalla hallitusohjelmalla – vanhan opposition puolueet eivät hyväksy ohjelmaa |url=https://www.savonsanomat.fi/kotimaa/Kaatuneen-hallituksen-kaikki-puolueet-halukkaita-jatkoon-samalla-hallitusohjelmalla-%E2%80%93-vanhan-opposition-puolueet-eiv%C3%A4t-hyv%C3%A4ksy-ohjelmaa/1479764 |work=Savon Sanomat |language= fi |access-date=10 December 2019 |date=7 December 2019}}</ref>

Cabinet

{{See also|List of female cabinet ministers of Finland}} After parliamentary elections, the parties negotiate among themselves on forming a new cabinet (the Finnish Government), which then has to be approved by a simple majority vote in the parliament. The cabinet can be dismissed by a parliamentary vote of no confidence, although this rarely happens (the last time in 1957), as the parties represented in the cabinet usually make up a majority in the parliament.<ref>The Finnish Wikipedia's article on Motion of no confidence</ref>{{circular reference|date=December 2020}}

The cabinet exercises most executive powers, and originates most of the bills that the parliament then debates and votes on. It is headed by the Prime Minister of Finland, and consists of him or her, of other ministers, and of the Chancellor of Justice. The current prime minister is Sanna Marin (Social Democratic Party). Each minister heads his or her ministry, or, in some cases, has responsibility for a subset of a ministry's policy. After the prime minister, the most powerful minister is the minister of finance. The incumbent Minister of Finance is Matti Vanhanen.

As no one party ever dominates the parliament, Finnish cabinets are multi-party coalitions. As a rule, the post of prime minister goes to the leader of the biggest party and that of the minister of finance to the leader of the second biggest.

Law

{{Main|Law of Finland|Judicial system of Finland}}

The Court House of the Supreme Court

The judicial system of Finland is a civil law system divided between courts with regular civil and criminal jurisdiction and administrative courts with jurisdiction over litigation between individuals and the public administration. Finnish law is codified and based on Swedish law and in a wider sense, civil law or Roman law. The court system for civil and criminal jurisdiction consists of local courts (käräjäoikeus, tingsrätt), regional appellate courts (hovioikeus, hovrätt), and the Supreme Court (korkein oikeus, högsta domstolen). The administrative branch of justice consists of administrative courts (hallinto-oikeus, förvaltningsdomstol) and the Supreme Administrative Court (korkein hallinto-oikeus, högsta förvaltningsdomstolen). In addition to the regular courts, there are a few special courts in certain branches of administration. There is also a High Court of Impeachment for criminal charges against certain high-ranking officeholders.

Around 92% of residents have confidence in Finland's security institutions.<ref name="corruptionpolicing">Policing corruption, International Perspectives.</ref> The overall crime rate of Finland is not high in the EU context. Some crime types are above average, notably the high homicide rate for Western Europe.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/images/3/3e/Intentional_homicides%2C_2016_%28police-recorded_offences_per_100_000_inhabitants%29.png |title=File:Intentional homicides, 2016 (police-recorded offences per 100 000 inhabitants).png |access-date=10 December 2010}}</ref> A day fine system is in effect and also applied to offenses such as speeding.

Finland has successfully fought against government corruption, which was more common in the 1970s and 1980s.<ref name="corruption">The History of Corruption in Central Government By Seppo Tiihonen, International Institute of Administrative Sciences</ref>{{verify source|date=March 2011|reason=Surprising, not clear what part of the work is used.}} For instance, economic reforms and EU membership introduced stricter requirements for open bidding and many public monopolies were abolished.<ref name="corruption" /> Today, Finland has a very low number of corruption charges; Transparency International ranks Finland as one of the least corrupt countries in Europe.

In 2008, Transparency International criticized the lack of transparency of the system of Finnish political finance.<ref>Vaalijohtaja: Vaalirahoituslain rikkominen melko yleistä YLE 15 May 2008</ref> According to GRECO in 2007, corruption should be taken into account in the Finnish system of election funds better.<ref>Evaluation Report on Finland on Incriminations, Theme I, s. 21, GRECO 3–7.12.2007</ref> A scandal revolving around campaign finance of the 2007 parliamentary elections broke out in spring 2008. Nine cabinet ministers submitted incomplete funding reports and even more of the members of parliament. The law includes no punishment of false funds reports of the elected politicians.

Foreign relations

{{Main|Foreign relations of Finland}}

Martti Ahtisaari receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008

According to the 2012 constitution, the president (currently Sauli Niinistö) leads foreign policy in cooperation with the government, except that the president has no role in EU affairs.<ref name="Finnish constitution.">Finnish constitution, Section 93.</ref>

In 2008, president Martti Ahtisaari was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.<ref name="Nobelprize">{{cite web |url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2008/%7Ctitle=The Nobel Peace Prize 2008|work=The Nobel Foundation|publisher=Nobelprize.org|access-date=10 May 2009}}</ref> Finland was considered a cooperative model state, and Finland did not oppose proposals for a common EU defence policy.<ref name="foreignpolicyidea" /> This was reversed in the 2000s, when Tarja Halonen and Erkki Tuomioja made Finland's official policy to resist other EU members' plans for common defence.<ref name="foreignpolicyidea">"Finland's foreign policy idea" ("Suomen ulkopolitiikan idea"), Risto E. J. Penttilä, 2008.</ref>

Military

{{Main|Finnish Defence Forces|Military history of Finland}} {{See also|List of wars involving Finland}}

Finnish Leopard 2A4 tank Ps 273–106 in a combat demonstration at Comprehensive security exhibition 2015 in Tampere.

The Finnish Defence Forces consist of a cadre of professional soldiers (mainly officers and technical personnel), currently serving conscripts, and a large reserve. The standard readiness strength is 34,700 people in uniform, of which 25% are professional soldiers. A universal male conscription is in place, under which all male Finnish nationals above 18 years of age serve for 6 to 12 months of armed service or 12 months of civilian (non-armed) service. Voluntary post-conscription overseas peacekeeping service is popular, and troops serve around the world in UN, NATO, and EU missions. Approximately 500 women choose voluntary military service every year.<ref>Women's voluntary service {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409182820/http://www.mil.fi/varusmies/naisten_vapaaehtoinen_asepalvelus.dsp |date=9 April 2008 }} (in Finnish)</ref> Women are allowed to serve in all combat arms including front-line infantry and special forces. The army consists of a highly mobile field army backed up by local defence units. The army defends the national territory and its military strategy employs the use of the heavily forested terrain and numerous lakes to wear down an aggressor, instead of attempting to hold the attacking army on the frontier.

Sisu Nasu NA-110 tracked transport vehicle of the Finnish Army. Most conscripts receive training for warfare in winter, and transport vehicles such as this give mobility in heavy snow.

Finnish defence expenditure per capita is one of the highest in the European Union.<ref>Työvoimakustannukset puuttuvat puolustusmenoista, Statistics Finland (in Finnish): Eurostat ranking is sixth, but the third when conscription is accounted.</ref> The Finnish military doctrine is based on the concept of total defence. The term total means that all sectors of the government and economy are involved in the defence planning. The armed forces are under the command of the Chief of Defence (currently General Jarmo Lindberg), who is directly subordinate to the president in matters related to military command. The branches of the military are the army, the navy, and the air force. The border guard is under the Ministry of the Interior but can be incorporated into the Defence Forces when required for defence readiness.

Even while Finland hasn't joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the country has joined the NATO Response Force, the EU Battlegroup,<ref>{{cite web|title=European Union battlegroups|url=http://puolustusvoimat.fi/en/international-crisis-management/eu-battle-group%7Cpublisher=Finnish Defence Forces|access-date=27 May 2018}}</ref> the NATO Partnership for Peace and in 2014 signed a NATO memorandum of understanding,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://natowatch.org/sites/default/files/briefing_paper_no.51_finland_and_nato.pdf |title=Is Finland taking a step closer to NATO membership |first=Nigel |last=Chamberlain |publisher=NATO Watch |date=19 May 2014 |access-date=27 May 2018}}</erf></ref><ref name="eduskunta.fi">MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU) BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF FINLAND AND HEADQUARTERS, SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER TRANSFORMATION. NATO</ref> thus forming a practical coalition.<ref name="nato.int" /> In 2015, the Finland-NATO ties were strengthened with a host nation support agreement allowing assistance from NATO troops in emergency situations.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://www.wsj.com/articles/sweden-and-finland-forge-closer-ties-with-nato-1409237354 |title = Sweden and Finland Forge Closer Ties With NATO |newspaper = Wall Street Journal }}</ref> Finland has been an active participant in the Afghanistan and Kosovo.<ref>Finnish soldiers involved in 20-minute gunfight in Afghanistan |Yle Uutiset. yle.fi. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref><ref>Finland's participation in NATO-led crisis management operations. Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland</ref>

Social security

{{Main|Social security in Finland}}

Finland has one of the world's most extensive welfare systems, one that guarantees decent living conditions for all residents: Finns, and non-citizens. Since the 1980s the social security has been cut back, but still the system is one of the most comprehensive in the world. Created almost entirely during the first three decades after World War II, the social security system was an outgrowth of the traditional Nordic belief that the state was not inherently hostile to the well-being of its citizens, but could intervene benevolently on their behalf. According to some social historians, the basis of this belief was a relatively benign history that had allowed the gradual emergence of a free and independent peasantry in the Nordic countries and had curtailed the dominance of the nobility and the subsequent formation of a powerful right wing. Finland's history has been harsher than the histories of the other Nordic countries, but not harsh enough to bar the country from following their path of social development.<ref name="LOC">Text from PD source: US Library of Congress: A Country Study: Finland, Library of Congress Call Number DL1012 .A74 1990.</ref>

Human rights

{{Main|Human rights in Finland|Women's suffrage in Finland|LGBT rights in Finland}}

People gathering at the Senate Square, Helsinki, right before the 2011 Helsinki Pride parade started.

§ 6 in two sentences of the Finnish Constitution states: "No one shall be placed in a different position on situation of sex, age, origin, language, religion, belief, opinion, state of health, disability or any other personal reason without an acceptable reason."<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/1999/19990731 | title = Perustuslaki: 2. luku Perusoikeudet, 6 § Yhdenvertaisuus 2 momentti | date = 1999 | publisher = Finlex | access-date = 27 August 2020 | language = fi }}</ref>

Finland has been ranked above average among the world's countries in democracy,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.democracyranking.org/downloads/2012/Scores_of_the_Democracy-Ranking-2012.htm |title=Scores of the Democracy Ranking 2012 |publisher= Global Democracy Ranking |year=2012 |access-date=27 September 2013}}</ref> press freedom,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2013/finland |title=Freedom of the Press: Finland |publisher= Freedom House |year=2013 |access-date=27 September 2013}}</ref> and human development.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/FIN.html |title=Statistics of the Human Development Report |publisher=United Nations Development Programme |year=2013 |access-date=27 September 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131128081803/http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/FIN.html |archive-date=28 November 2013 }}</ref>

Amnesty International has expressed concern regarding some issues in Finland, such as alleged permitting of stopovers of CIA rendition flights, the imprisonment of conscientious objectors, and societal discrimination against Romani people and members of other ethnic and linguistic minorities.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/region/finland/report-2013 |title=Annual Report 2013: Finland |publisher= Amnesty International |year=2013 |access-date=27 September 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm#wrapper |title=Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012: Finland |publisher= U.S. State of Department Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor |year=2012 |access-date=27 September 2013}}</ref>

Economy

{{Main|Economy of Finland}} {{See also|List of companies of Finland|List of largest companies in Finland|Helsinki Stock Exchange}}

Angry Birds Land, a theme park in the Särkänniemi amusement park, in Tampere, Pirkanmaa; the mobile phone game Angry Birds, developed in Finland, has become a commercial hit both domestically and internationally.

The economy of Finland has a per capita output equal to that of other European economies such as those of France, Germany, Belgium, or the UK. The largest sector of the economy is the service sector at 66% of GDP, followed by manufacturing and refining at 31%. Primary production represents 2.9%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_kansantalous_en.html |title=Finland in Figures—National Accounts |work=Statistics Finland |access-date=26 April 2007}}</ref> With respect to foreign trade, the key economic sector is manufacturing. The largest industries in 2007<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_teollisuus_en.html |title=Finland in Figures—Manufacturing |work=Statistics Finland |access-date=26 April 2007}}</ref> were electronics (22%); machinery, vehicles, and other engineered metal products (21.1%); forest industry (13%); and chemicals (11%). The gross domestic product peaked in 2008. {{As of|2015}}, the country's economy is at the 2006 level.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://yle.fi/uutiset/finlands_lost_decade_continueseconomy_same_size_as_in_2006/8044629 |title = Finland's 'lost decade' continues—economy same size as in 2006 |work = yle.fi |date = 4 June 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/35c8560c-c62f-11e4-add0-00144feab7de.html |title = Finland's economy: In search of the sunny side |work=Financial Times |location=London |date = 11 March 2015 }}</ref>

Finland has significant timber, mineral (iron, chromium, copper, nickel, and gold), and freshwater resources. Forestry, paper factories, and the agricultural sector (on which taxpayers spend{{clarify|subsidize?|date=June 2017}} around €3 billion annually) are important for rural residents so any policy changes affecting these sectors are politically sensitive for politicians dependent on rural votes. The Greater Helsinki area generates around one third of Finland's GDP. In a 2004 OECD comparison, high-technology manufacturing in Finland ranked second largest after Ireland. Knowledge-intensive services have also resulted in the smallest and slow-growth sectors – especially agriculture and low-technology manufacturing – being ranked the second largest after Ireland.<ref name="oecd2004">Finland Economy 2004, OECD</ref>

Finland's climate and soils make growing crops a particular challenge. The country lies between the latitudes 60°N and 70°N, and it has severe winters and relatively short growing seasons that are sometimes interrupted by frost. However, because the Gulf Stream and the North Atlantic Drift Current moderate the climate, Finland contains half of the world's arable land north of 60° north latitude. Annual precipitation is usually sufficient, but it occurs almost exclusively during the winter months, making summer droughts a constant threat. In response to the climate, farmers have relied on quick-ripening and frost-resistant varieties of crops, and they have cultivated south-facing slopes as well as richer bottomlands to ensure production even in years with summer frosts. Most farmland was originally either forest or swamp, and the soil has usually required treatment with lime and years of cultivation to neutralize excess acid and to improve fertility. Irrigation has generally not been necessary, but drainage systems are often needed to remove excess water. Finland's agriculture has been efficient and productive—at least when compared with farming in other European countries.<ref name="LOC" />

A treemap representing the exports of Finland in 2017

Forests play a key role in the country's economy, making it one of the world's leading wood producers and providing raw materials at competitive prices for the crucial wood-processing industries. As in agriculture, the government has long played a leading role in forestry, regulating tree cutting, sponsoring technical improvements, and establishing long-term plans to ensure that the country's forests continue to supply the wood-processing industries. To maintain the country's comparative advantage in forest products, Finnish authorities moved to raise lumber output toward the country's ecological limits. In 1984, the government published the Forest 2000 plan, drawn up by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The plan aimed at increasing forest harvests by about 3% per year, while conserving forestland for recreation and other uses.<ref name="LOC" />

Private sector employees amount to 1.8 million, out of which around a third with tertiary education. The average cost of a private sector employee per hour was €25.10 in 2004.<ref>Tehdyn työtunnin hinta 23–27 euroa, Statistics Finland</ref> {{As of|2008}}, average purchasing power-adjusted income levels are similar to those of Italy, Sweden, Germany, and France.<ref name="incomecomparison">{{cite web |url=http://www.tilastokeskus.fi/artikkelit/2008/art_2008-06-09_001.html |title=Suomalaisten tulot Euroopan keskitasoa. Hyvinvointipalvelut eivät paranna sijoitusta |publisher=Tilastokeskus.fi |date=9 June 2008 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> In 2006, 62% of the workforce worked for enterprises with less than 250 employees and they accounted for 49% of total business turnover and had the strongest rate of growth.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/htimes/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=895:small-enterprises-grow-faster-than-the-big-ones&catid=33:general&Itemid=201 |title=Small enterprises grow faster than the big ones |publisher=Helsinkitimes.fi |date=11 April 2008 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> The female employment rate is high. Gender segregation between male-dominated professions and female-dominated professions is higher than in the US.<ref name="niels">The Nordic Model of Welfare: A Historical Reappraisal, by Niels Finn Christiansen</ref> The proportion of part-time workers was one of the lowest in OECD in 1999.<ref name="niels" /> In 2013, the 10 largest private sector employers in Finland were Itella, Nokia, OP-Pohjola, ISS, VR, Kesko, UPM-Kymmene, YIT, Metso, and Nordea.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.talouselama.fi/uutiset/sata-suurinta-tyonantajaa-nokia-jai-kakkoseksi/72619deb-427d-3852-8a82-edfa4a7e818e%7Ctitle=Sata suurinta työnantajaa: Nokia jäi kakkoseksi|first=Antti|last=Mikkonen|website=Talouselämä}}</ref>

The unemployment rate was 9.4% in 2015, having risen from 8.7% in 2014.<ref>{{cite web |author=Finland in Figures |url=http://www.tilastokeskus.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_tyoelama_en.html |title=Statistics Finland: Labour Market |publisher=Tilastokeskus.fi |date=22 January 2015 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> Youth unemployment rate rose from 16.5% in 2007 to 20.5% in 2014.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Towards employment |work=SixDegrees |date=2016-01-16 |access-date=2016-07-21 |url= https://www.6d.fi/index.php/society/945-towards-employment |language=en }}</ref> A fifth of residents are outside the job market at the age of 50 and less than a third are working at the age of 61.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oecd.org/document/9/0,3343,en_2649_34747_28023113_1_1_1_1,00.html |title=OECD recommends Finland to do more to help older people stay in work |publisher=Oecd.org |date=1 January 1970 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> In 2014, nearly one million people were living with minimal wages or unemployed not enough to cover their costs of living.<ref>yle.fi; Suomessa on liki miljoona köyhää –"Heikoimmassa asemassa olevista on tullut muukalaisia" |Yle Uutiset. (28 August 2014). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

access-date=11 January 2021}}</ref>

{{As of|2006}}, 2.4 million households reside in Finland. The average size is 2.1 persons; 40% of households consist of a single person, 32% two persons and 28% three or more persons. Residential buildings total 1.2 million, and the average residential space is {{convert|38|m2}} per person. The average residential property without land costs €1,187 per sq metre and residential land €8.60 per sq metre. 74% of households had a car. There are 2.5 million cars and 0.4 million other vehicles.<ref>{{cite web|author=Finland in Figures |url=http://www.tilastokeskus.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_liikenne_en.html |title=Statistics Finland: Transport and Tourism|publisher=Tilastokeskus.fi|access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref>

Around 92% have a mobile phone and 83.5% (2009) Internet connection at home. The average total household consumption was €20,000, out of which housing consisted of about €5,500, transport about €3,000, food and beverages (excluding alcoholic beverages) at around €2,500, and recreation and culture at around €2,000.<ref>{{cite web |author=Households' consumption |url=http://www.tilastokeskus.fi/til/ktutk/2006/ktutk_2006_2007-12-19_tie_001_en.html |title=Own-account worker households' consumption has grown most in 2001–2006 |publisher=Tilastokeskus.fi |date=19 December 2007 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> According to Invest in Finland, private consumption grew by 3% in 2006 and consumer trends included durables, high-quality products, and spending on well-being.<ref>"Retail growth best in Finland for five years". For updates, see the Invest in Finland website.</ref>

In 2017, Finland's GDP reached €224 billion. However, second quarter of 2018 saw a slow economic growth. Unemployment rate fell to a near one-decade low in June, marking private consumption growth much higher.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.focus-economics.com/countries/finland%7Ctitle=Finland Economic Outlook|access-date=25 September 2018}}</ref>

Finland has the highest concentration of cooperatives relative to its population.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://maine.coop/Finland.php |title=Finland: Globalization Insurance: Finland's Leap of Caution |website=Cooperatives Build a Better Maine|publisher=Cooperative Maine Business Alliance & Cooperative Development Institute |access-date=1 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202042001/http://maine.coop/Finland.php |archive-date=2 February 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The largest retailer, which is also the largest private employer, S-Group, and the largest bank, OP-Group, in the country are both cooperatives.

Energy

{{See also|Nordic energy market|Peat energy in Finland|Nuclear power in Finland}}

access-date=7 November 2013}}</ref>

The free and largely privately owned financial and physical Nordic energy markets traded in NASDAQ OMX Commodities Europe and Nord Pool Spot exchanges, have provided competitive prices compared with other EU countries. {{As of|2007}}, Finland has roughly the lowest industrial electricity prices in the EU-15 (equal to France).<ref>Electricity prices—industrial users. Web.archive.org. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

In 2006, the energy market was around 90 terawatt hours and the peak demand around 15 gigawatts in winter. This means that the energy consumption per capita is around 7.2 tons of oil equivalent per year. Industry and construction consumed 51% of total consumption, a relatively high figure reflecting Finland's industries.<ref>{{cite web |author=Energy consumption |url=http://www.stat.fi/til/ekul/2006/ekul_2006_2007-12-12_kuv_009_en.html |title=Statistics Finland |publisher=Stat.fi |date= 12 December 2007|access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Energy consumption |url=http://www.stat.fi/til/ekul/2006/ekul_2006_2007-12-12_tie_001_en.html |title=Total energy consumption |publisher=Stat.fi |date=12 December 2007 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> Finland's hydrocarbon resources are limited to peat and wood. About 10–15% of the electricity is produced by hydropower,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metsavastaa.net/vattenkraft |title=Metsävastaa: Vattenkraft |language=sv |publisher=Metsavastaa.net |access-date=6 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090303204918/http://www.metsavastaa.net/vattenkraft |archive-date=3 March 2009 }}</ref> which is low compared with more mountainous Sweden or Norway. In 2008, renewable energy (mainly hydropower and various forms of wood energy) was high at 31% compared with the EU average of 10.3% in final energy consumption.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.energy.eu/#renewable |title=Europe's Energy Portal |publisher=energy.eu |access-date=17 February 2011}}</ref> Russia supplies more than 75% of Finland's oil imports and 100% of total gas imports.<ref> {{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/pdfscache/46126.pdf%7Ctitle=EU imports of energy products - recent developments|date=4 July 2018|publisher=Eurostat|pages=3–4}} </ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Europe helps fund non-Russia gas line for Finland |url=https://www.upi.com/Energy-News/2016/08/10/Europe-helps-fund-non-Russia-gas-line-for-Finland/6271470828765/ |work=United Press International |date=10 August 2016}}</ref>

File:Statistics of the energy supply in Finland.jpg
access-date=28 February 2015}}</ref>

Finland has four privately owned nuclear reactors producing 18% of the country's energy<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tilastokeskus.fi/tk/yr/yeenergiakuviot_en.pdf |title=Energy Consumption in 2001 |work=Statistics Finland |access-date=22 January 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061108043546/http://tilastokeskus.fi/tk/yr/yeenergiakuviot_en.pdf |archive-date=8 November 2006 }}</ref> and one research reactor (decommissioned 2018 <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.vtt.fi/palvelut/v%C3%A4h%C3%A4hiilinen-energia/ydinvoima/tutkimusreaktorin-purku |title = FiR 1 -ydinreaktorin käytöstä poisto}}</ref>) at the Otaniemi campus. The fifth AREVA-Siemens-built reactor – the world's largest at 1600 MWe and a focal point of Europe's nuclear industry – has faced many delays and is currently scheduled to be operational by 2018–2020, a decade after the original planned opening.<ref name="kauppalehti-02-2014">{{cite news |title = Areva ajaa Olkiluodon työmaata alas |author = Paula Nikula |url = http://www.kauppalehti.fi/etusivu/areva+ajaa+olkiluodon+tyomaata+alas/201402652139 |language = fi |publisher = Kauppalehti |date = 28 February 2014 |access-date = 28 February 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140304095114/http://www.kauppalehti.fi/etusivu/areva+ajaa+olkiluodon+tyomaata+alas/201402652139 |archive-date = 4 March 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> A varying amount (5–17%) of electricity has been imported from Russia (at around 3 gigawatt power line capacity), Sweden and Norway.

The Onkalo spent nuclear fuel repository is currently under construction at the Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant in the municipality of Eurajoki, on the west coast of Finland, by the company Posiva.<ref>{{cite news |title=Journey deep into the Finnish caverns where nuclear waste will be buried for millenia |url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/olkiluoto-island-finland-nuclear-waste-onkalo |work=Wired |date=24 April 2017}}</ref> Energy companies are about to increase nuclear power production, as in July 2010 the Finnish parliament granted permits for additional two new reactors.

Transport

{{Main|Transport in Finland}} {{multiple image 

| direction = vertical
| alignment = left
| width = 180
| footer = The state-owned VR operates a railway network serving all major cities in Finland.
| image3 = VR Sr1 3089.jpg
| caption3 = Soviet-made electric locomotive VR Class Sr1 model from 1981
| image2 = Vr sr3 3304 3307 3306.jpg
| caption2 = Three VR Class Sr3 locomotives
| image1 = VR Sr2 3202 Tampere 2012-06-22.JPG
| caption1 = A VR Class Sr2 locomotive

}}

Finland's road system is utilized by most internal cargo and passenger traffic. The annual state operated road network expenditure of around €1 billion is paid for with vehicle and fuel taxes which amount to around €1.5 billion and €1 billion, respectively. Among the Finnish highways, the most significant and busiest main roads include the Turku Highway (E18), the Tampere Highway (E12), the Lahti Highway (E75), and the ring roads (Ring I and Ring III) of the Helsinki metropolitan area and the Tampere Ring Road of the Tampere urban area.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://newsnowfinland.fi/domestic/top-gear-finlands-busiest-roads-revealed%7Ctitle=Top Gear: Finland's Busiest Roads Revealed | News Now Finland|first=News Now|last=Staff|date=19 March 2018}}</ref>

The main international passenger gateway is Helsinki Airport, which handled about 17 million passengers in 2016. Oulu Airport is the second largest, whilst another 25 airports have scheduled passenger services.<ref name="finavia_pass_stats">{{cite web |url=http://www.finavia.fi/files/finavia/vuosikertomukset_pdf/Finavia_vsk_2008_GB_LR.pdf |title=Airport operations |work=Annual report 2008 |date=17 March 2009 |access-date=28 July 2009 |location=Vantaa |publisher=Finavia |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807205454/http://www.finavia.fi/files/finavia/vuosikertomukset_pdf/Finavia_vsk_2008_GB_LR.pdf |archive-date=7 August 2011 }}</ref> The Helsinki Airport-based Finnair, Blue1, and Nordic Regional Airlines, Norwegian Air Shuttle sell air services both domestically and internationally. Helsinki has an optimal location for great circle (i.e. the shortest and most efficient) routes between Western Europe and the Far East.

Despite having a low population density, the Government annually spends around €350 million to maintain the {{convert|5865|km|mi|adj=mid|-long}} network of railway tracks. Rail transport is handled by the state owned VR Group, which has a 5% passenger market share (out of which 80% are from urban trips in Greater Helsinki) and 25% cargo market share.<ref name="ljvr">Transport and communications ministry—Rail. For year 2009 update: Finnish Railway Statistics 2010. For subsequent years when available: Finnish Railway Statistics. liikennevirasto.fi</ref> Since 12 December 2010, Karelian Trains, a joint venture between Russian Railways and VR Group, has been running Alstom Pendolino operated high-speed services between Saint Petersburg's Finlyandsky and Helsinki's Central railway stations. These services are branded as "Allegro" trains. The journey from Helsinki to Saint Petersburg takes only three and a half hours. A high-speed rail line is planned between Helsinki and Turku, with a line from the capital to Tampere also proposed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/16167-finland-earmarks-funds-for-new-rail-links-between-helsinki-turku-and-tampere.html%7Ctitle=Finland earmarks funds for new rail links between Helsinki, Turku and Tampere|website=Helsinki Times|date=4 February 2019}}</ref> Helsinki opened the world's northernmost metro system in 1982, which also serves the neighbouring city of Espoo since 2017.

The majority of international cargo shipments are handled at ports. Vuosaari Harbour in Helsinki is the largest container port in Finland; others include Kotka, Hamina, Hanko, Pori, Rauma, and Oulu. There is passenger traffic from Helsinki and Turku, which have ferry connections to Tallinn, Mariehamn, Stockholm and Travemünde. The Helsinki-Tallinn route – one of the busiest passenger sea routes in the world – has also been served by a helicopter line, and the Helsinki-Tallinn Tunnel has been proposed to provide railway services between the two cities.<ref name="busiest">{{Cite web |title=The Busiest Crossing |work=Discover the Baltic |date=2009-04-24 |url= http://discoverthebaltic.com/travel/bblog.htm#280409 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100326210756/http://www.discoverthebaltic.com/travel/bblog.htm |archive-date=2010-03-26 |language=en }}</ref> Largely following the example of the Øresund Bridge between Sweden and Denmark, the Kvarken Bridge connecting Umeå in Sweden and Vaasa in Finland to cross the Gulf of Bothnia has also been planned for decades.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tellerreport.com/news/2020-07-19-politicians-disagree-on-bridge-over-kvarken.rkOCYVt-ew.html%7Ctitle=Politicians disagree on bridge over Kvarken | tellerreport.com|website=www.tellerreport.com}}</ref>

Industry

{{Main|Economy of Finland}}

The Oasis of the Seas was built at the Perno shipyard in Turku.

Finland rapidly industrialized after World War II, achieving GDP per capita levels comparable to that of Japan or the UK in the beginning of the 1970s. Initially, most of the economic development was based on two broad groups of export-led industries, the "metal industry" (metalliteollisuus) and "forest industry" (metsäteollisuus). The "metal industry" includes shipbuilding, metalworking, the automotive industry, engineered products such as motors and electronics, and production of metals and alloys including steel, copper and chromium. Many of the world's biggest cruise ships, including MS Freedom of the Seas and the Oasis of the Seas have been built in Finnish shipyards.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oasisoftheseas.com/presskit/Oasis_of_the_Seas.pdf |title=Oasis of the Seas: Fast Facts |work=OasisoftheSeas.com |date=10 September 2009 |access-date=24 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220080037/http://www.oasisoftheseas.com/presskit/Oasis_of_the_Seas.pdf |archive-date=20 February 2012}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web|title=Freedom of the Seas Fact Sheet - Royal Caribbean Press Center|url=https://www.royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com/fact-sheet/5/freedom-of-the-seas/%7Caccess-date=16 June 2020|website=royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com}}</ref> The "forest industry" includes forestry, timber, pulp and paper, and is often considered a logical development based on Finland's extensive forest resources, as 73% of the area is covered by forest. In the pulp and paper industry, many major companies are based in Finland; Ahlstrom-Munksjö, Metsä Board, and UPM are all Finnish forest-based companies with revenues exceeding €1 billion. However, in recent decades, the Finnish economy has diversified, with companies expanding into fields such as electronics (Nokia), metrology (Vaisala), petroleum (Neste), and video games (Rovio Entertainment), and is no longer dominated by the two sectors of metal and forest industry. Likewise, the structure has changed, with the service sector growing, with manufacturing declining in importance; agriculture remains a minor part. Despite this, production for export is still more prominent than in Western Europe, thus making Finland possibly more vulnerable to global economic trends.

In 2017, the Finnish economy was estimated to consist of approximately 2.7% agriculture, 28.2% manufacturing and 69.1% services.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Europe :: Finland — The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/finland/%7Caccess-date=16 June 2020|website=cia.gov}}</ref> In 2019, the per-capita income of Finland was estimated to be $48,869. In 2020, Finland was ranked 20th on the ease of doing business index, among 190 jurisdictions.

Public policy

{{See also|Nordic model}}

Flags of the Nordic countries from left to right: Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark

Finnish politicians have often emulated the Nordic model.<ref name="nordicmodel">The Nordic Model {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120905212132/http://www.etla.fi/files/1892_the_nordic_model_complete.pdf |date=5 September 2012 }} by Torben M. Andersen, Bengt Holmström, Seppo Honkapohja, Sixten Korkman, Hans Tson Söderström, Juhana Vartiainen</ref> Nordics have been free-trading and relatively welcoming to skilled migrants for over a century, though in Finland immigration is relatively new. The level of protection in commodity trade has been low, except for agricultural products.<ref name="nordicmodel" />

Finland has top levels of economic freedom in many areas.{{clarify|date=April 2011|I have the impression that the Finnish labour market is quite flexible compared with other European countries—is this meant to be in relation to USA?}} Finland is ranked 16th in the 2008 global Index of Economic Freedom and 9th in Europe.<ref name="freedom" /> While the manufacturing sector is thriving, the OECD points out that the service sector would benefit substantially from policy improvements.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kilpailuvirasto.fi/cgi-bin/suomi.cgi?sivu=uut/u-2005-3-1 |title=Kilpailuvirasto.fi |publisher=Kilpailuvirasto.fi |date=17 October 2005 |access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref>

The 2007 IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook ranked Finland 17th most competitive.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imd.ch/research/publications/wcy/announcing.cfm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612031526/http://www.imd.ch/research/publications/wcy/announcing.cfm |archive-date=12 June 2007 |title=World Competitiveness Yearbook 2007 |publisher=Imd.ch |access-date=26 August 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> The World Economic Forum 2008 index ranked Finland the 6th most competitive.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.weforum.org/en/initiatives/gcp/Global%20Competitiveness%20Report/index.htm |title=The Global Competitiveness Report 2007–2008 |publisher=World Economic Forum |access-date=8 October 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080619083349/http://www.weforum.org/en/initiatives/gcp/Global%2BCompetitiveness%2BReport/index.htm |archive-date=19 June 2008 }}</ref> In both indicators, Finland's performance was next to Germany, and significantly higher than most European countries. In the Business competitiveness index 2007–2008 Finland ranked third in the world.

Economists attribute much growth to reforms in the product markets. According to the OECD, only four EU-15 countries have less regulated product markets (UK, Ireland, Denmark and Sweden) and only one has less regulated financial markets (Denmark). Nordic countries were pioneers in liberalizing energy, postal, and other markets in Europe.<ref name="nordicmodel" /> The legal system is clear and business bureaucracy less than most countries.<ref name="freedom">{{cite web|url=http://www.heritage.org/index/country/Finland |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629041208/http://www.heritage.org/index/country/Finland |archive-date=29 June 2011 |title=Finland economy |publisher=The Heritage Foundation |access-date=26 August 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> Property rights are well protected and contractual agreements are strictly honoured.<ref name="freedom" /> Finland is rated the least corrupt country in the world in the Corruption Perceptions Index<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2012/results/ |title=Corruption Perceptions Index 2012 – Results |publisher=Transparency.org |access-date=12 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131129013918/http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2012/results/ |archive-date=29 November 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and 13th in the Ease of doing business index. This indicates exceptional ease in cross-border trading (5th), contract enforcement (7th), business closure (5th), tax payment (83rd), and low worker hardship (127th).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.doingbusiness.org/economyrankings/%7Ctitle=Ranking of economies – Doing Business – World Bank Group|work=doingbusiness.org}}</ref>

Finnish law forces all workers to obey the national contracts that are drafted every few years for each profession and seniority level. The agreement becomes universally enforceable provided that more than 50% of the employees support it, in practice by being a member of a relevant trade union. The unionization rate is high (70%), especially in the middle class (AKAVA—80%). A lack of a national agreement in an industry is considered an exception.<ref name="oecd2004" /><ref name="nordicmodel" />

Tourism

{{Main|Tourism in Finland}}

website=www.travelofinland.com/}}</ref>
website=Visit Häme}}</ref>

In 2017, tourism in Finland grossed approximately €15.0 billion with a 7% increase from the previous year. Of this, €4.6 billion (30%) came from foreign tourism.<ref name="Matkailutilinpito">{{cite report|author=Business Finland|year=2019|title=Matkailutilinpito: Matkailun talous- ja työllisyysvaikutukset 2016–2017|url= https://www.businessfinland.fi/499c03/contentassets/4b07e15186484a69b62e991ed85a6c45/matkailutilinpito_2016-2017.pdf%7Cpublisher=Business Finland, Visit Finland|access-date=2 April 2020|language = fi}}</ref> In 2017, there were 15.2 million overnight stays of domestic tourists and 6.7 million overnight stays of foreign tourists.<ref name="TEM"/> Much of the sudden growth can be attributed to the globalisation of the country as well as a rise in positive publicity and awareness. While Russia remains the largest market for foreign tourists, the biggest growth came from Chinese markets (35%).<ref name="TEM">{{cite web|url=https://tem.fi/en/finnish-tourism-in-numbers%7Ctitle=Finnish tourism in numbers|author=Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (Finland)|access-date=2 April 2020}}</ref> Tourism contributes roughly 2.7% to Finland's GDP, making it comparable to agriculture and forestry.<ref name="Tourism_infographic"/>

Commercial cruises between major coastal and port cities in the Baltic region, including Helsinki, Turku, Mariehamn, Tallinn, Stockholm, and Travemünde, play a significant role in the local tourism industry. There are also separate ferry connections dedicated to tourism in the vicinity of Helsinki and its region, such as the connection to the fortress island of Suomenlinna<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hel.fi/helsinki/en/maps-and-transport/transport/ferry/%7Ctitle=Ferries%7Cwebsite=Helsingin kaupunki}}</ref> or the connection to the old town of Porvoo.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.msjlruneberg.fi/cruises/helsinki-porvoo/%7Ctitle=Helsinki - Porvoo|website=m/s J.L. Runeberg}}</ref> By passenger counts, the Port of Helsinki is the busiest port in the world after the Port of Dover in the United Kingdom and the Port of Tallinn in Estonia.<ref name="POH">{{cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/pdfscache/6652.pdf%7Ctitle=Maritime ports freight and passenger statistics|publisher=Eurostat|access-date=2 February 2020}}</ref> The Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport is the fourth busiest airport in the Nordic countries in terms of passenger numbers,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.helsinki-airport.com/%7Ctitle=Helsinki Airport (HEL)|publisher=Helsinki Airport|access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref> and about 90% of Finland's international air traffic passes through the airport.<ref>{{cite web|title=Helsinki Airport is designed for smooth travelling|url=https://www.finavia.fi/en/helsinki-airport/in-brief/%7Cpublisher=Finavia%7Caccess-date=25 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161004015600/http://www.finavia.fi/en/helsinki-airport/in-brief/%7Carchive-date=4 October 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Lapland has the highest tourism consumption of any Finnish region.<ref name="Tourism_infographic">{{cite report|author=Business Finland|year=2019|title=Tourism as Export Infographic 2019|url=https://www.businessfinland.fi/494339/globalassets/julkaisut/visit-finland/tutkimukset/2020/2019-tourism-as-export-infographic.pdf%7Cpublisher=Business Finland, Visit Finland|access-date=2 April 2020}}</ref> Above the Arctic Circle, in midwinter, there is a polar night, a period when the sun does not rise for days or weeks, or even months, and correspondingly, midnight sun in the summer, with no sunset even at midnight (for up to 73 consecutive days, at the northernmost point). Lapland is so far north that the aurora borealis, fluorescence in the high atmosphere due to solar wind, is seen regularly in the fall, winter, and spring. Finnish Lapland is also locally regarded as the home of Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus, with several theme parks, such as Santa Claus Village and Santa Park in Rovaniemi.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Real Home of Santa Claus in Finland |url=http://www.lifeinlapland.com/articles/lapland-travel-tips/real-home-santa-korvatunturi.html%7Caccess-date=20 November 2017}}</ref> Other significant tourist destinations in Lapland also include ski resorts (such as Ylläs, Levi and Ruka)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theculturetrip.com/europe/finland/articles/top-12-ski-resorts-in-finland/%7Ctitle=The Top 12 Ski Resorts in Finland|first=Jessica|last=Wood|website=Culture Trip}}</ref> and sleigh rides led by either reindeer or huskies.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://santaclausvillage.info/services/activity-services/santa-claus-reindeer-rides-safaris-rovaniemi/%7Ctitle=Santa Claus Reindeer rides & excursions in Rovaniemi Lapland Finland|website=Santa Claus Village Rovaniemi Finland}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.yllas.fi/en/activities/husky-safaris-and-reindeers.html%7Ctitle=Discover the winter magic with Huskies and Reindeers|website=www.yllas.fi}}</ref>

Tourist attractions in Finland include the natural landscape found throughout the country as well as urban attractions. Finland is covered with thick pine forests, rolling hills, and lakes. Finland contains 40 national parks (such as the Koli National Park in North Karelia), from the Southern shores of the Gulf of Finland to the high fells of Lapland. Outdoor activities range from Nordic skiing, golf, fishing, yachting, lake cruises, hiking, and kayaking, among many others. Bird-watching is popular for those fond of avifauna, however hunting is also popular. Elk and hare are common game in Finland.

Finland also has urbanised regions with many cultural events and activities. The most famous tourist attractions in Helsinki include the Helsinki Cathedral and the Suomenlinna sea fortress. The most well-known Finnish amusement parks include Linnanmäki in Helsinki, Särkänniemi in Tampere, PowerPark in Kauhava, Tykkimäki in Kouvola and Nokkakivi in Laukaa.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://trip101.com/article/theme-parks-in-finland%7Ctitle=Top 6 Theme Parks And Amusement Parks In Finland|date=30 December 2019|website=Trip101}}</ref> St. Olaf's Castle (Olavinlinna) in Savonlinna hosts the annual Savonlinna Opera Festival,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://operafestival.fi/en/%7Ctitle=Home - Savonlinna Opera Festival|access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref> and the medieval milieus of the cities of Turku, Rauma and Porvoo also attract curious spectators.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foreigner.fi/articulo/tourism/five-finnish-cities-worth-touristic-visit/20190623190002002246.html%7Ctitle=5 Finnish cities that deserve a tourist visit|website=Foreigner.fi|access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref>

Demographics

{{Main|Demographics of Finland}} {{Pie chart |thumb = left |caption = Population by ethnic background in 2017<ref name="auto"/><ref name="un"/> |label1 = Finnish |value1 = 91.33 |color1 = #003399 |label2 = Other European |value2 = 4.90 |color2 = #4080bf |label3 = Asian |value3 = 2.50 |color3 = #ff471a |label4 = African |value4 = 0.90 |color4 = #ffff00 |label5 = Other |value5 = 0.37 }}

The population of Finland is currently about 5.5 million. The current birth rate is 10.42 per 1,000 residents, for a fertility rate of 1.49 children born per woman,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/en/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__kuol/?tablelist=true%7Ctitle=PxWeb - Select table|website=pxnet2.stat.fi}}</ref> one of the lowest in the world, significantly below the replacement rate of 2.1. In 1887 Finland recorded its highest rate, 5.17 children born per woman.<ref>{{citation|url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?year=1800&country=FIN%7Ctitle=Total Fertility Rate around the world over the last centuries|author=Max Roser|date=2014|work=Our World In Data, Gapminder Foundation|access-date=7 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190205121631/https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?year=1800&country=FIN%7Carchive-date=5 February 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> Finland has one of the oldest populations in the world, with a median age of 42.6 years.<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/finland/%7Ctitle=World Factbook EUROPE : FINLAND|work=The World Factbook|date=12 July 2018}}</ref> Approximately half of voters are estimated to be over 50 years old.<ref>Tilastokeskus – Population. Stat.fi. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref><ref name="populationdevelopment" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.globalhealthfacts.org/data/topic/map.aspx?ind=81 |title=Median Age (Years) |publisher=GlobalHealthFacts.org |access-date=22 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130403123202/http://www.globalhealthfacts.org/data/topic/map.aspx?ind=81 |archive-date=3 April 2013 }}</ref><ref name="pop_stat">{{cite web|date=4 June 2020|title=Finland in Figures > Population|url=https://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_vaesto_en.html%7Caccess-date=12 August 2020|website=stat.fi|publisher=Statistics Finland}}</ref> Finland has an average population density of 18 inhabitants per square kilometre. This is the third-lowest population density of any European country, behind those of Norway and Iceland, and the lowest population density of any European Union member country. Finland's population has always been concentrated in the southern parts of the country, a phenomenon that became even more pronounced during 20th-century urbanisation. Two of the three largest cities in Finland are situated in the Greater Helsinki metropolitan area—Helsinki and Espoo, and some municipalities in the metropolitan area have also shown clear growth of population year after year, the most notable being Järvenpää, Nurmijärvi, Kirkkonummi, Kerava and Sipoo.<ref>Kirkkonummen Sanomat: Nurmijärvi - ilmiö voimistui heinäkuussa - Kirkkonummella väkiluvun kasvu 1,2 % (in Finnish)</ref> In the largest cities of Finland, Tampere holds the third place after Helsinki and Espoo while also Helsinki-neighbouring Vantaa is the fourth. Other cities with population over 100,000 are Turku, Oulu, Jyväskylä, Kuopio, and Lahti. On the other hand, Sottunga of the Åland Islands is the smallest municipality in Finland in terms of population (Luhanka in mainland Finland),<ref>Kaupunkien ja kuntien lukumäärät ja väestötiedot – Kuntaliitto (in Finnish)</ref> and Savukoski of Lapland is sparsely populated in terms of population density.<ref>Kuntien pinta-alat ja asukastiheydet – Kuntaliitto (in Finnish)</ref>

{{As of|2019}}, there were 423,494 people with a foreign background living in Finland (7.7% of the population), most of whom are from the former Soviet Union, Estonia, Somalia, Iraq and former Yugoslavia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ulkomaalaistaustaiset |publisher=Tilastokeskus |access-date= 2021-04-25 |url= https://www.stat.fi/tup/maahanmuutto/maahanmuuttajat-vaestossa/ulkomaalaistaustaiset.html |language=fi }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Population |publisher=Statistics Finland |date=2021-04-23 |access-date=2021-04-25 |url= https://www.tilastokeskus.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_vaesto_en.html |language=en }}</ref> The children of foreigners are not automatically given Finnish citizenship, as Finnish nationality law practices and maintain jus sanguinis policy where only children born to at least one Finnish parent are granted citizenship. If they are born in Finland and cannot get citizenship of any other country, they become citizens.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Child born in Finland |publisher=Finnish Immigration Service |access-date=2021-04-25 |url= https://migri.fi/en/child-born-in-finland |language=en }}</ref> Additionally, certain persons of Finnish descent who reside in countries that were once part of Soviet Union, retain the right of return, a right to establish permanent residency in the country, which would eventually entitle them to qualify for citizenship.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.migri.fi/netcomm/content.asp?path=8,2475 |title=Finnish Directorate of Immigration |date=10 November 2011 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111110122502/http://www.migri.fi/netcomm/content.asp?path=8,2475 |archive-date=10 November 2011 }}</ref> 387,215 people in Finland in 2018 were born in another country, representing 7% of the population. The 10 largest foreign born groups are (in order) from Russia, Estonia, Sweden, Iraq, Somalia, China, Thailand, Serbia, Vietnam and Turkey.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/en/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__vaerak/?tablelist%7Ctitle=PxWeb - Select table|website=pxnet2.stat.fi}}</ref>

Finland's immigrant population is growing. By 2035, the three largest cites in Finland are projected to have over a quarter of residents of a foreign-speaking background: in Helsinki, they are projected to form 26% of the population; in Espoo, 30%; and in Vantaa, 34%. The Helsinki region is projected to have 437,000 people of a foreign linguistic background, compared to 201,000 in 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hel.fi/uutiset/fi/kaupunginkanslia/helsingin-seudun-vieraskielinen-vaesto-yli-kaksinkertaistuu-vuoteen-2035-mennessa%7Ctitle=Helsingin seudun vieraskielinen väestö yli kaksinkertaistuu vuoteen 2035 mennessä|website=Helsingin kaupunki}}</ref>

Language

{{Main|Finnish language|Finland Swedish|Languages of Finland}} {{See also|List of municipalities of Finland in which Finnish is not the sole official language}}

bilingual with Finnish as majority language, Sami as minority language}}

Finnish and Swedish are the official languages of Finland. Finnish predominates nationwide while Swedish is spoken in some coastal areas in the west and south (such as Raseborg,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theculturetrip.com/europe/finland/articles/the-10-most-beautiful-towns-in-finland/%7Ctitle=The 10 Most Beautiful Towns In Finland|first=Lani|last=Seelinger|website=Culture Trip}}</ref> Pargas,<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/18417-twice-a-minority-foreign-immigration-to-swedish-speaking-communities-in-finland.html%7Ctitle=Twice a minority: foreign immigration to Swedish-speaking communities in Finland|website=www.helsinkitimes.fi}}</ref> Närpes,<ref name="auto1"/> Kristinestad,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/themes/themes/travel/12675-discovering-swedish-speaking-municipalities-kristinestad.html%7Ctitle=Discovering Swedish-speaking municipalities: Kristinestad|website=www.helsinkitimes.fi}}</ref> Jakobstad<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/themes/themes/travel/13124-discovering-swedish-speaking-municipalities-jakobstad.html%7Ctitle=Discovering Swedish-speaking municipalities: Jakobstad|website=www.helsinkitimes.fi}}</ref> and Nykarleby.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/themes/themes/travel/12953-discovering-swedish-speaking-municipalities-nykarleby.html%7Ctitle=Discovering Swedish-speaking municipalities: Nykarleby|website=www.helsinkitimes.fi}}</ref>) and in the autonomous region of Åland, which is the only monolingual Swedish-speaking region in Finland.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.norden.org/en/info-norden/swedish-language-courses-foreigners-aland%7Ctitle=Swedish language courses for foreigners in Åland | Nordic cooperation|website=www.norden.org}}</ref> The native language of 87.3% of the population is Finnish,<ref name="Population according to language">{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.fi/til/vaerak/2015/vaerak_2015_2016-04-01_tau_002_en.html |title=Appendix table 2. Population according to language 1980–2015 |work=Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Population structure |access-date=27 November 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stat.fi/tup/julkaisut/tiedostot/julkaisuluettelo/yyti_fif_201900_2019_21461_net.pdf |title=Finland in Figures 2019 |work=Statistics Finland |date=June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190711184650/https://www.stat.fi/tup/julkaisut/tiedostot/julkaisuluettelo/yyti_fif_201900_2019_21461_net.pdf |archive-date=11 July 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> which is part of the Finnic subgroup of the Uralic languages. The language is one of only four official EU languages not of Indo-European origin, and has no relation to the other national languages of the Nordics. Conversely, Finnish is closely related to Estonian and Karelian, and more distantly to Hungarian and the Sami languages.

Swedish is the native language of 5.2% of the population (Swedish-speaking Finns).<ref name="population-2016">Statistics Finland, Population Retrieved on 18 October 2017.</ref> Finnish is dominant in all the country's larger cities; though Helsinki, Turku and Vaasa were once predominantly Swedish-speaking, they have undergone a language shift since the 19th century to become largely Finnish-speaking.

Swedish is a compulsory school subject and general knowledge of the language is good among non-native speakers. In 2005, a total of 47% of Finnish citizens reported the ability to speak Swedish, either as primary or a secondary language.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_243_en.pdf%7Ctitle=Europeans and their languages, situation in 2005|publisher=European Commission|access-date=5 January 2021}}</ref> Likewise, a majority of mainland Sweden Finns are able to speak Finnish. However, most Sweden Finnish youth reported seldom using Finnish: 71% reported always or mostly speaking Swedish in social settings outside of their households.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hbl.fi/artikel/finlandssvenska-ungdomar-talar-sallan-finska-sarskilt-pa-natet-ar-finskan-ovanlig/%7C title=Finlandssvenska ungdomar talar sällan finska - särskilt på nätet är finskan ovanlig|publisher=Hufvudstadsbladet|last=Piippo|first=Mikael|date=12 December 2018|access-date=5 January 2021}}</ref> The Finnish side of the land border with Sweden is unilingually Finnish-speaking, with a stark language divide over the Torne River: on the Swedish side, a Northern Swedish accent can be heard that is distinct from the Swedish spoken in other parts of Finland. There is a sizeable pronunciation difference between the varieties of Swedish spoken in the two countries, although their mutual intelligibility is nearly universal.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.infofinland.fi/sv/livet-i-finland/finska-och-svenska-spraket/det-svenska-spraket-i-finland%7Ctitle=Det svenska språket i Finland|publisher=InfoFinland|language=sv|access-date=5 January 2021}}</ref>

The Nordic languages and Karelian are also specially recognized in parts of Finland.

Finnish Romani is spoken by some 5,000–6,000 people; Romani and Finnish Sign Language are also recognized in the constitution. There are two sign languages: Finnish Sign Language, spoken natively by 4,000–5,000 people,<ref>{{cite web |title=Forskningscentralen för de inhemska språken—Teckenspråken i Finland |language=sv |url=http://www.kotus.fi/index.phtml?l=sv&s=206 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318084839/http://www.kotus.fi/index.phtml?l=sv&s=206 |archive-date=18 March 2015 }}</ref> and Finland-Swedish Sign Language, spoken natively by about 150 people. Tatar is spoken by a Finnish Tatar minority of about 800 people whose ancestors moved to Finland mainly during Russian rule from the 1870s to the 1920s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://forum.hunturk.net/national-minorities-of-finland-the-tatars-2491.html |title=National Minorities of Finland, The Tatars |publisher=Forum.hunturk.net |access-date=6 December 2011}}</ref>

The Sami language has an official status in Lapland where the Sami people predominate, numbering around 7,000<ref>According to the Finnish Population Registry Centre and the Finnish Sami parliament, the Sami population living in Finland was 7,371 in 2003. See Regional division of Sami people in Finland by age in 2003 (in Finnish).</ref> and recognized as an indigenous people. About a quarter of them speak a Sami language as their mother tongue.<ref name="Population 2006-12-31">{{cite web |url=http://tilastokeskus.fi/til/vaerak/2006/vaerak_2006_2007-03-23_tie_001_en.html |title=The population of Finland in 2006 |work=Statistics Finland |date=31 December 2006 |access-date=4 September 2007}}</ref> The Sami languages that are spoken in Finland are Northern Sami, Inari Sami, and Skolt Sami.{{refn|group=note|The names for Finland in its Sami languages are: {{lang|se|Suopma}} (Northern Sami), {{lang|smn|Suomâ}} (Inari Sami) and {{lang|sms|Lää'ddjânnam}} (Skolt Sami). See Geonames.de.}}

The rights of minority groups (in particular Sami, Swedish speakers, and Romani people) are protected by the constitution.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/kaannokset/1999/en19990731.pdf |title=The Constitution of Finland, 17 § and 121 § |work=FINLEX Data Bank |access-date=4 September 2007}}</ref>

The largest immigrant languages are Russian (1.5%), Estonian (0.9%), Arabic (0.6%), Somali (0.4%) and English (0.4%).<ref name="population-2016" /> English is studied by most pupils as a compulsory subject from the first grade (at seven years of age) in the comprehensive school (in some schools other languages can be chosen instead),<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/15462-finland-s-first-graders-to-start-learning-foreign-language-in-spring-2020.html%7Ctitle=Finland's first-graders to start learning foreign language in spring 2020|last=Teivainen|first=Aleksi|date=13 April 2019|work=Helsinki Times|access-date=1 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite thesis|last=Yang|first=Junyi|title=Teachers' Role in Developing Healthy Self-esteem in Young Learners: A study of English language teachers in Finland|date=Spring 2018|degree=Master’s Degree Program in Early Language Education for Intercultural Communication|publisher=University of Eastern Finland|url=http://epublications.uef.fi/pub/urn_nbn_fi_uef-20180513/urn_nbn_fi_uef-20180513.pdf}}</ref> as a result of which Finns' English language skills have been significantly strengthened over several decades.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://finlandtoday.fi/finland-places-among-the-top-four-english-speaking-countries-in-the-world/%7Ctitle=Finland Places Among the Top Four English-Speaking Countries in the World|first=Tony|last=Öhberg}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finland_ranks_sixth_in_english_skills_early_instruction_crucial/10071036%7Ctitle=Finland ranks sixth in English skills, early instruction crucial|website=Yle Uutiset}}</ref> German, French, Spanish and Russian can be studied as second foreign languages from the fourth grade (at 10 years of age; some schools may offer other options).<ref>{{Cite conference|last=Nuolijärvi|first=Pirkko|date=Fall 2011|title=Language education policy and practice in Finland|url=http://www.efnil.org/documents/conference-publications/london-2011/the-role-of-language-education-in-creating-a/15-Pirkko-Nuolijarvi.pdf%7Cconference=European Federation of National Institutions for Language}}</ref>

About 93% of Finns can speak a second language.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/more_than_90_percent_of_finnish_residents_are_at_least_bilingual/10550664 |title=More than 90 percent of Finnish residents are at least bilingual |publisher=YLE |access-date=12 December 2018}}</ref> The figures in this section should be treated with caution, as they come from the official Finnish population register. People can only register one language and so bilingual or multilingual language users' language competencies are not properly included. A citizen of Finland that speaks bilingually Finnish and Swedish will often be registered as a Finnish only speaker in this system. Similarly "old domestic language" is a category applied to some languages and not others for political not linguistic reasons, for example Russian.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ling.helsinki.fi/~fkarlsso/Languages%20of%20Finland_1917-2017.pdf |title=THE LANGUAGES OF FINLAND 1917–2017 |work=Lingsoft Language Library publications |access-date=15 December 2018}}</ref>

Largest cities

{{Largest cities of Finland}}

Religion

{{Main|Religion in Finland}} {{Pie chart |thumb = right |caption = Religions in Finland (2019)<ref name="stnin"/> |label1 = Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland |value1 = 68.72 |color1 = DodgerBlue |label2 = Orthodox Church |value2 = 1.10 |color2 = Orchid |label3 = Other Christian |value3 = 0.93 |color3 = DarkOrchid |label4 = Other religions |value4 = 0.76 |color4 = Chartreuse |label5 = Unaffiliated |value5 = 28.49 |color5 = Honeydew }}

With 3.9 million members,<ref>Seurakuntien jäsentilasto 2018 Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland</ref> the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland is one of the largest Lutheran churches in the world and is also by far Finland's largest religious body; at the end of 2019, 68.7% of Finns were members of the church.<ref name="relig_stat">Population structure Statistics Finland</ref> The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland has seen its share of the country's population declining by roughly one percent annually in recent years.<ref name="relig_stat" /> The decline has been due to both church membership resignations and falling baptism rates.<ref>Eroakirkosta.fi – Kirkosta eronnut tänä vuonna 40 000 ihmistä (in Finnish)</ref><ref>Karjalainen – Kastettujen määrä romahtanut – kirkollisista ristiäisistä luopuu yhä useampi 13 June 2016 (in Finnish)</ref> The second largest group, accounting for 26.3% of the population<ref name="relig_stat" /> in 2017, has no religious affiliation. The irreligious group rose quickly from just below 13% in the year 2000. A small minority belongs to the Finnish Orthodox Church (1.1%). Other Protestant denominations and the Roman Catholic Church are significantly smaller, as are the Jewish and other non-Christian communities (totalling 1.6%); for example, in the Protestant trend, there are about 1,500 Baptists concentrated in the region of Central Finland,<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.uskonnot.fi/uskonnot/view.php?religionId=26%7C title= Baptismi| work= Uskonnot Suomessa | access-date=6 January 2021 | language=fi}}</ref> and there are only about 2,000 Methodists who are scattered around the country.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.uskonnot.fi/uskonnot/view.php?religionId=24%7C title= Metodismi| work= Uskonnot Suomessa| access-date= 6 January 2021| language= fi| archive-date= 8 January 2021| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210108084048/http://www.uskonnot.fi/uskonnot/view.php?religionId=24%7C url-status= dead}}</ref> The Pew Research Center estimated the Muslim population at 2.7% in 2016.<ref>{{cite web|title=Muslim Population Growth in Europe|url=http://www.pewforum.org/2017/11/29/europes-growing-muslim-population/%7Cwebsite=pewforum.org}}</ref> The main Lutheran and Orthodox churches are national churches of Finland with special roles such as in state ceremonies and schools.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://finland.fi/Public/default.aspx?contentid=160099&nodeid=41800&culture=en-US |title=The Church in Finland today |author=Salla Korpela |date=May 2005 |access-date=11 January 2011 |publisher=Finland Promotion Board; Produced by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Department for Communications and Culture}}</ref>

In 1869, Finland was the first Nordic country to disestablish its Evangelical Lutheran church by introducing the Church Act, followed by the Church of Sweden in 2000. Although the church still maintains a special relationship with the state, it is not described as a state religion in the Finnish Constitution or other laws passed by the Finnish Parliament.<ref name=FinlandConstitution>{{cite web|url=https://servat.unibe.ch/icl/fi00000_.html |title=Finland > Constitution: Chapter 1 Fundamental provisions (Section 76 The Church Act) |last=Tschentscher |first=Axel |date=27 June 2020}}</ref> Finland's state church was the Church of Sweden until 1809. As an autonomous Grand Duchy under Russia 1809–1917, Finland retained the Lutheran State Church system, and a state church separate from Sweden, later named the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, was established. It was detached from the state as a separate judicial entity when the new church law came to force in 1869. After Finland had gained independence in 1917, religious freedom was declared in the constitution of 1919 and a separate law on religious freedom in 1922. Through this arrangement, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland lost its position as a state church but gained a constitutional status as a national church alongside the Finnish Orthodox Church, whose position however is not codified in the constitution.

The Evangelical Lutheran Helsinki Cathedral

In 2016, 69.3% of Finnish children were baptized<ref>Lutheran church member statistics (2016) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215122035/http://sakasti.evl.fi/sakasti.nsf/0/FFEDB75916EB394AC22576CC003D875E/$FILE/Vaestonmuutokset_koko%20kirkko_2016.xlsx |date=15 December 2018 }} evl.fi</ref> and 82.3% were confirmed in 2012 at the age of 15,<ref>Church statistical yesrbook 2012 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140320170001/http://sakasti.evl.fi/sakasti.nsf/0/8A75CE045AD09FE4C22577AE00256611/$FILE/KKH_Tilastollinen_vuosikirja2012_toiminta_lopullinen%20versio.pdf |date=20 March 2014 }} The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland</ref> and over 90% of the funerals are Christian. However, the majority of Lutherans attend church only for special occasions like Christmas ceremonies, weddings, and funerals. The Lutheran Church estimates that approximately 1.8% of its members attend church services weekly.<ref>Church Attendance Falls; Religion Seen as Private 3 June 2012 YLE</ref> The average number of church visits per year by church members is approximately two.<ref name="state2004">{{cite web |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2004/35453.htm |title=International Religious Freedom Report 2004 |work=U.S. Department of State |date=15 September 2004 |access-date=22 January 2007}}</ref>

According to a 2010 Eurobarometer poll, 33% of Finnish citizens responded that they "believe there is a God"; 42% answered that they "believe there is some sort of spirit or life force"; and 22% that they "do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God, or life force".<ref name="EUROBAROMETER">{{cite web |url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_341_en.pdf |title=Special Eurobarometer Biotechnology |page=204 |edition=Fieldwork: January–February 2010 |date=October 2010 |access-date=16 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101215001129/http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_341_en.pdf |archive-date=15 December 2010 }}</ref> According to ISSP survey data (2008), 8% consider themselves "highly religious", and 31% "moderately religious". In the same survey, 28% reported themselves as "agnostic" and 29% as "non-religious".<ref>Kimmo, Ketola et al. (2011). Uskonto suomalaisten elämässä {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916015652/http://tampub.uta.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/65683/uskonto_suomalaisten_elamassa_2011.pdf?sequence=1 |date=16 September 2018 }}. Tampereen yliopistopaino Oy . {{ISBN|978-951-44-8483-4}}</ref>

Health

{{Main|Healthcare in Finland}}

The Meilahti Tower Hospital, part of the Helsinki University Central Hospital (HUCH) in Töölö, Helsinki

Life expectancy has increased from 71 years for men and 79 years for women in 1990 to 79 years for men and 84 years for women in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/julkaisut/tiedostot/julkaisuluettelo/yyti_fif_201800_2018_19693_net.pdf |title=Finland in Figures 2018 |publisher=Finnish Population Centre|access-date=10 December 2018}}</ref> The under-five mortality rate has decreased from 51 per 1,000 live births in 1950 to 2.3 per 1,000 live births in 2017, ranking Finland's rate among the lowest in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://data.unicef.org/country/fin/%7Ctitle=Trends in Under five Mortality Rate |publisher=UNICEF|access-date=10 December 2018}}</ref> The fertility rate in 2014 stood at 1.71 children born/per woman and has been below the replacement rate of 2.1 since 1969.<ref name="stat.fi">Statistics Finland – Births 2014. Stat.fi (14 April 2015). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref> With a low birth rate women also become mothers at a later age, the mean age at first live birth being 28.6 in 2014.<ref name="stat.fi" /> A 2011 study published in The Lancet medical journal found that Finland had the lowest stillbirth rate out of 193 countries, including the UK, France and New Zealand.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)62187-3/fulltext#article_upsell |title=Stillbirths: Where? When? Why? How to make the data count? |journal=The Lancet |access-date=6 December 2011 |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(10)62187-3 |pmid=21496911 |volume=377 |issue=9775 |pages=1448–1463|year=2011 |last1=Lawn |first1=Joy E. |last2=Blencowe |first2=Hannah |last3=Pattinson |first3=Robert |last4=Cousens |first4=Simon |last5=Kumar |first5=Rajesh |last6=Ibiebele |first6=Ibinabo |last7=Gardosi |first7=Jason |last8=Day |first8=Louise T. |last9=Stanton |first9=Cynthia |hdl=2263/16343 |s2cid=14278260 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

There has been a slight increase or no change in welfare and health inequalities between population groups in the 21st century. Lifestyle-related diseases are on the rise. More than half a million Finns suffer from diabetes, type 1 diabetes being globally the most common in Finland. Many children are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The number of musculoskeletal diseases and cancers are increasing, although the cancer prognosis has improved. Allergies and dementia are also growing health problems in Finland. One of the most common reasons for work disability are due to mental disorders, in particular depression.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stm.fi/c/document_library/get_file?folderId=6511570&name=DLFE-26813.pdf |title=Health care in Finland |publisher=STM |access-date=6 September 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317183526/http://www.stm.fi/c/document_library/get_file?folderId=6511570&name=DLFE-26813.pdf |archive-date=17 March 2015 }}</ref> Treatment for depression has improved and as a result the historically high suicide rates have declined to 13 per 100 000 in 2017, closer to the North European average.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/eurostat_falling_suicide_rate_in_finland_nears_european_average/10324113%7Ctitle=Eurostat: Falling suicide rate in Finland nears European average |publisher=YLE|access-date=18 December 2018}}</ref> Suicide rates are still among the highest among developed countries in the OECD.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.MHSUICIDEASDR?lang=en%7Ctitle=GHO {{!}} By category {{!}} Suicide rate estimates, age-standardized - Estimates by country|website=WHO|access-date=17 March 2020}}</ref>

There are 307 residents for each doctor.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_terveys_en.html |title=Health (2004) |work=Statistics Finland |access-date=22 January 2007}}</ref> About 19% of health care is funded directly by households and 77% by taxation.

In April 2012, Finland was ranked 2nd in Gross National Happiness in a report published by The Earth Institute.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pakblog.net/2012/04/pakistan-ranked-85th-happiest-nation-in.html |title=World Happiness report |year=2012 |access-date=7 April 2012}}</ref> Since 2012, Finland has every time ranked at least in the top 5 of world's happiest countries in the annual World Happiness Report by the United Nations,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://worldhappiness.report/ed/2017/%7Ctitle=World Happiness Report 2017|access-date=22 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/happiness-report/2016/HR-V1_web.pdf%7Ctitle=World Happiness Report 2016 {{pipe}} Volume I (page 22)|access-date=22 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/happiness-report/2012/World_Happiness_Report_2012.pdf%7Ctitle=World Happiness Report 2012 (page 30) |access-date=22 May 2018}}</ref> as well as ranking as the happiest country in 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://worldhappiness.report/ed/2018/%7Ctitle=World Happiness Report 2018|access-date=21 May 2018|date=14 March 2018}}</ref>

Education and science

{{Main|Education in Finland}} {{See also|List of universities in Finland|List of schools in Finland}}

access-date=11 October 2020}}</ref>
Auditorium in Aalto University's main building, designed by Alvar Aalto
The library of the University of Eastern Finland in Snellmania, the Kuopio campus of the university
Pupils at the school of Torvinen in Sodankylä, Finland, in the 1920s

Most pre-tertiary education is arranged at municipal level. Even though many or most schools were started as private schools, today only around 3 percent of students are enrolled in private schools (mostly specialist language and international schools), much less than in Sweden and most other developed countries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eurydice.org/ressources/Eurydice/pdf/047DN/047_NL_EN.pdf |title=Summary sheets on education systems in Europe |publisher=Eurydice.org |access-date=26 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080910005807/http://www.eurydice.org/ressources/Eurydice/pdf/047DN/047_NL_EN.pdf |archive-date=10 September 2008 }}</ref> Pre-school education is rare compared with other EU countries and formal education is usually started at the age of 7. Primary school takes normally six years and lower secondary school three years. Most schools are managed by municipal officials.

The flexible curriculum is set by the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Education Board. Education is compulsory between the ages of 7 and 16. After lower secondary school, graduates may either enter the workforce directly, or apply to trade schools or gymnasiums (upper secondary schools). Trade schools offer a vocational education: approximately 40% of an age group choose this path after the lower secondary school.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unevoc.unesco.org/worldtvetdatabase1.php?ct=FIN |title=Vocational Education in Finland |date=18 November 2013 |access-date=9 May 2014 |author=UNESCO-UNEVOC}}</ref> Academically oriented gymnasiums have higher entrance requirements and specifically prepare for Abitur and tertiary education. Graduation from either formally qualifies for tertiary education.

In tertiary education, two mostly separate and non-interoperating sectors are found: the profession-oriented polytechnics and the research-oriented universities. Education is free and living expenses are to a large extent financed by the government through student benefits. There are 15 universities and 24 Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) in the country.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.scholarshipsineurope.com/list-of-university-in-finland/ |title=List of University in Finland |website=scholarshipsineurope.com |access-date=4 August 2018|date=July 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.studyinfinland.fi/where_to_study/universities_of_applied_sciences |title=Universities of Applied Sciences in Finland |website=studyinfinland.fi |access-date=4 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808092603/http://studyinfinland.fi/where_to_study/universities_of_applied_sciences |archive-date=8 August 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The University of Helsinki is ranked 75th in the Top University Ranking of 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.topuniversities.com/university/258/university-of-helsinki |title=Top University Ranking of 2010: University of Helsinki |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102111112/http://topuniversities.com/university/258/university-of-helsinki |archive-date=2 January 2010 }}</ref> The World Economic Forum ranks Finland's tertiary education No. 1 in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GlobalCompetitivenessReport_2013-14.pdf |title=The Global Competitiveness Report 2013–2014 |access-date=9 May 2014 |author=World Economic Forum |page=36|author-link=World Economic Forum }}</ref> Around 33% of residents have a tertiary degree, similar to Nordics and more than in most other OECD countries except Canada (44%), United States (38%) and Japan (37%).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tilastokeskus.fi/artikkelit/2006/art_2006-07-06_001.html |title=Tilastokeskus.fi |publisher=Tilastokeskus.fi |access-date=6 March 2011}}</ref> The proportion of foreign students is 3% of all tertiary enrollments, one of the lowest in OECD, while in advanced programs it is 7.3%, still below OECD average 16.5%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/24/52/39315711.pdf%7Ctitle=Education at Glance 2007: Finland|publisher=OECD}}</ref> Other reputable universities of Finland include Aalto University in Espoo, both University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University in Turku, University of Jyväskylä, University of Oulu, LUT University in Lappeenranta and Lahti, University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio and Joensuu, and Tampere University.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.study.eu/best-universities/finland%7Ctitle=The top 9 best universities in Finland: 2021 rankings|website=www.study.eu}}</ref>

More than 30% of tertiary graduates are in science-related fields. Forest improvement, materials research, environmental sciences, neural networks, low-temperature physics, brain research, biotechnology, genetic technology, and communications showcase fields of study where Finnish researchers have had a significant impact.<ref name="innovation">{{cite web|author=Kari Sipilä |title=A country that innovates |url=http://www.finland.cn/Public/default.aspx?contentid=99637 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707031053/http://www.finland.cn/Public/default.aspx?contentid=99637 |archive-date=7 July 2011 |work=Virtual Finland |publisher=Ministry for Foreign Affairs / Department for Communication and Culture / Unit for Promotion and Publications / Embassy and Consulates General of Finland in China |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Finland has a long tradition of adult education, and by the 1980s nearly one million Finns were receiving some kind of instruction each year. Forty percent of them did so for professional reasons. Adult education appeared in a number of forms, such as secondary evening schools, civic and workers' institutes, study centres, vocational course centres, and folk high schools. Study centres allowed groups to follow study plans of their own making, with educational and financial assistance provided by the state. Folk high schools are a distinctly Nordic institution. Originating in Denmark in the 19th century, folk high schools became common throughout the region. Adults of all ages could stay at them for several weeks and take courses in subjects that ranged from handicrafts to economics.<ref name="LOC" />

Finland is highly productive in scientific research. In 2005, Finland had the fourth most scientific publications per capita of the OECD countries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.research.fi/en/performance/scientific_publication.html |title=Scientific publication—Finnish science and technology Information Service |language=fi |publisher=Research.fi |date=15 November 2007 |access-date=3 August 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113085004/http://www.research.fi/en/performance/scientific_publication.html |archive-date=13 November 2013 }}</ref> In 2007, 1,801 patents were filed in Finland.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.research.fi/en/performance/patents/patents_with%20numbers |title=Patents with numbers—Finnish science and technology Information Service |language=fi |publisher=Research.fi |date=8 December 2009 |access-date=4 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091011194752/http://www.research.fi/en/performance/patents/patents_with%20numbers |archive-date=11 October 2009 }}</ref>

In addition, 38 percent of Finland's population has a university or college degree, which is among the highest percentages in the world.<ref>Sauter, Michael B. (24 September 2012) The Most Educated Countries in the World {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820025707/http://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-most-educated-countries-in-the-world.html;_ylt=AlaWy8IcyeBaviKi7_.WJyhE6odG;_ylu=X3oDMTJrY2d2NGZyBG1pdANDeFMgRmluYW5jaWFsbHkgRml0IEFydGljbGUgQXJ0aWNsZSBCb2R5IFByb2QEcG9zAzMEc2VjA01lZGlhQXJ0aWNsZUJvZHlBc3NlbWJseQ--;_ylg=X3oDMTNjdGVoaXJqBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDY2IyOTRhMGEtYmY2OS0zYTdlLThlYTUtZWFlNTU3YWI1ZTc3BHBzdGNhdANleGNsdXNpdmVzfGZpbmFuY2lhbGx5Zml0BHB0A3N0b3J5cGFnZQ--;_ylv=3?page=1 |date=20 August 2016 }}. Finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref><ref>And the World's Most Educated Country Is.... Newsfeed.time.com (27 September 2012). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

In 2010 a new law was enacted considering the universities, which defined that there are 16 of them as they were excluded from the public sector to be autonomous legal and financial entities, however enjoying special status in the legislation.<ref>. finlex.fi; Yliopistolaki 558/2009 – Säädökset alkuperäisinä – FINLEX. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref> As result many former state institutions were driven to collect funding from private sector contributions and partnerships. The change caused deep rooted discussions among the academic circles.<ref>Educational Schizophrenia in Finland |Teivo Teivainen. Teivo.net (8 August 2013). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

English language is important in Finnish education. There are a number of degree programs that are taught in English, which attracts thousands of degree and exchange students every year.

In December 2017 the OECD reported that Finnish fathers spend an average of eight minutes a day more with their school-aged children than mothers do.<ref>{{cite news |first=Charles |last=Bremner |title=Finland is the first country where fathers do most of the childcare |work=The Times |date=9 December 2017 |page=51}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/dec/04/finland-only-country-world-dad-more-time-kids-moms |title=Finland: the only country where fathers spend more time with kids than mothers |access-date=23 December 2017 |date=4 October 2017 |newspaper= The Guardian}}</ref>

Culture

{{Main|Culture of Finland}}

Sauna

{{Main|Finnish sauna}}

A smoke sauna in Ruka, Kuusamo

The Finns' love for saunas is generally associated with Finnish cultural tradition in the world. Sauna is a type of dry steam bath practiced widely in Finland, which is especially evident in the strong tradition around Midsummer and Christmas. In Finland, the sauna has been a traditional cure or part of the treatment for many different diseases, thanks to the heat, which why the sauna has been a very hygienic place. There is an old Finnish saying: "Jos sauna, terva ja viina ei auta, on tauti kuolemaksi." ("If sauna, tar and booze doesn't help you, then a disease is deadly").<ref>Sauna, viina ja terva – Potilaan Lääkärilehti (in Finnish)</ref> The word is of Proto-Finnish origin (found in Finnic and Sámi languages) dating back 7,000 years.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sauna – A Finnish national institution |last1=Helamaa |first1=Erkki |last2=Pentikäinen |first2=Juha |work=Virtual Finland |date=November 2001 |url= http://virtual.finland.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=26074 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080209130410/http://virtual.finland.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=26074 |archive-date=2008-02-09 |language=en }}</ref> Steam baths have been part of European tradition elsewhere as well, but the sauna has survived best in Finland, in addition to Sweden, the Baltic States, Russia, Norway, and parts of the United States and Canada. Moreover, nearly all Finnish houses have either their own sauna or in multistory apartment houses, a timeshare sauna. Public saunas were previously common, but the tradition has declined when saunas have been built nearly everywhere (private homes, municipal swimming halls, hotels, corporate headquarters, gyms, etc.). At one time, the World Sauna Championships were held in Heinola, Finland, but the death of a Russian competitor in 2010 finally stopped organizing the competitions as too dangerous.<ref>Sauna contest leaves Russian dead and champion Finn in hospital - The Guardian</ref>

The Finnish sauna culture was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists at the 17 December 2020 meeting of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. As authorized by the state, the Finnish Heritage Agency commits, together with Finnish sauna communities and promoters of the sauna culture, to safeguard the vitality of the sauna tradition and to highlight its importance as part of customs and wellbeing.<ref>{{cite web| title= Sauna culture in Finland |url= https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/sauna-culture-in-finland-01596 |publisher=UNESCO |access-date=18 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title= Finnish sauna culture steams up UNESCO Heritage List |url= https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finnish_sauna_culture_steams_up_unesco_heritage_list/11703917 |publisher=YLE |date=17 December 2020|access-date=18 December 2020}}</ref>

Literature

{{Main|Finnish literature}}

Mikael Agricola (1510–1557), Bishop of Turku, a prominent Lutheran Protestant reformer and the father of the Finnish written language

Written Finnish could be said to have existed since Mikael Agricola translated the New Testament into Finnish during the Protestant Reformation, but few notable works of literature were written until the 19th century and the beginning of a Finnish national Romantic Movement. This prompted Elias Lönnrot to collect Finnish and Karelian folk poetry and arrange and publish them as the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic. The era saw a rise of poets and novelists who wrote in Finnish, notably Aleksis Kivi (The Seven Brothers), Minna Canth (Anna Liisa), Eino Leino ({{ill|Helkavirsiä|fi}}), Johannes Linnankoski (The Song of the Blood-Red Flower) and Juhani Aho (The Railroad and Juha). Many writers of the national awakening wrote in Swedish, such as the national poet J. L. Runeberg (The Tales of Ensign Stål) and Zachris Topelius (The Tomten in Åbo Castle).

After Finland became independent, there was a rise of modernist writers, most famously the Finnish-speaking Mika Waltari and Swedish-speaking Edith Södergran. Frans Eemil Sillanpää was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1939. World War II prompted a return to more national interests in comparison to a more international line of thought, characterized by Väinö Linna with his The Unknown Soldier and Under the North Star trilogy. Besides Lönnrot's Kalevala and Waltari, the Swedish-speaking Tove Jansson, best known as the creator of The Moomins, is the most translated Finnish writer;<ref>Finnish post honours Moomin creator Jansson - YLE News</ref> her books have been translated into more than 40 languages.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://finland.fi/arts-culture/tove-jansson-and-the-moomin-story/%7Ctitle=Finland's Tove Jansson and the Moomin story|date=11 March 2014|website=thisisFINLAND}}</ref> Popular modern writers include Arto Paasilinna, Veikko Huovinen, Antti Tuuri, Ilkka Remes, Kari Hotakainen, Sofi Oksanen, Tuomas Kyrö, and Jari Tervo, while the best novel is annually awarded the prestigious Finlandia Prize.

Visual arts, design, and architecture

{{See also|Architecture of Finland|Finnish art}}

Akseli Gallen-Kallela, The Defense of the Sampo, 1896, Turku Art Museum

The visual arts in Finland started to form their individual characteristics in the 19th century, when Romantic nationalism was rising in autonomic Finland. The best known of Finnish painters, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, started painting in a naturalist style, but moved to national romanticism. Other notable world-famous Finnish painters include Magnus Enckell, Pekka Halonen, Eero Järnefelt, Helene Schjerfbeck and Hugo Simberg. Finland's best-known sculptor of the 20th century was Wäinö Aaltonen, remembered for his monumental busts and sculptures. Finns have made major contributions to handicrafts and industrial design: among the internationally renowned figures are Timo Sarpaneva, Tapio Wirkkala and Ilmari Tapiovaara. Finnish architecture is famous around the world, and has contributed significantly to several styles internationally, such as Jugendstil (or Art Nouveau), Nordic Classicism and Functionalism. Among the top 20th-century Finnish architects to gain international recognition are Eliel Saarinen and his son Eero Saarinen. Architect Alvar Aalto is regarded as among the most important 20th-century designers in the world;<ref>James Stevens Curl, Dictionary of Architecture, Grange Books, Rochester, 2005, p. 1.</ref> he helped bring functionalist architecture to Finland, but soon was a pioneer in its development towards an organic style.<ref>Sigfried Giedion, Space, Time and Architecture: The Growth of a New Tradition, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2nd edition, 1949.</ref> Aalto is also famous for his work in furniture, lamps, textiles and glassware, which were usually incorporated into his buildings.

Music

{{Main|Music of Finland|Rock music in Finland|Sami music}}

The Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865–1957) was a significant figure in the history of classical music.
Classical

Much of Finland's classical music is influenced by traditional Karelian melodies and lyrics, as comprised in the Kalevala. Karelian culture is perceived as the purest expression of the Finnic myths and beliefs, less influenced by Germanic influence than the Nordic folk dance music that largely replaced the kalevaic tradition. Finnish folk music has undergone a roots revival in recent decades, and has become a part of popular music.

The people of northern Finland, Sweden, and Norway, the Sami, are known primarily for highly spiritual songs called joik. The same word sometimes refers to lavlu or vuelie songs, though this is technically incorrect.

The first Finnish opera was written by the German-born composer Fredrik Pacius in 1852. Pacius also wrote the music to the poem Maamme/Vårt land (Our Country), Finland's national anthem. In the 1890s Finnish nationalism based on the Kalevala spread, and Jean Sibelius became famous for his vocal symphony Kullervo. He soon received a grant to study runo singers in Karelia and continued his rise as the first prominent Finnish musician. In 1899 he composed Finlandia, which played its important role in Finland gaining independence. He remains one of Finland's most popular national figures and is a symbol of the nation. Another one of the most significant and internationally best-known Finnish-born classical composers long before Sibelius was Bernhard Crusell.<ref>See {{cite web|url=http://www.mozartforum.com/Contemporary%20Pages/Crusell_Contemp.htm%7Ctitle=Bernhard Henrik Crusell (1775-1838)|last=Asiado|first=Tel|work=Mozart Forum|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090708192751/http://www.mozartforum.com/Contemporary%20Pages/Crusell_Contemp.htm |archive-date=8 July 2009|access-date=31 January 2010}}</ref>

Modern
Perttu Kivilaakso of Apocalyptica

Iskelmä (coined directly from the German word Schlager, meaning "hit") is a traditional Finnish word for a light popular song.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Suomalainen iskelmä |last=Kaivanto |first=Petri |work=Pomus.net |access-date=18 July 2020 |url= http://pomus.net/kehityslinjat/suomalaineniskelma |language=fi }}</ref> Finnish popular music also includes various kinds of dance music; tango, a style of Argentine music, is also popular.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explaining the Finnish love of tango |author=C.G. |work=The Economist |date=11 October 2017 |access-date=18 July 2020 |url= https://www.economist.com/prospero/2017/10/11/explaining-the-finnish-love-of-tango }}</ref> The light music in Swedish-speaking areas has more influences from Sweden. Modern Finnish popular music includes a number of prominent rock bands, jazz musicians, hip hop performers, dance music acts, etc.<ref>{{Cite web|date=9 September 2014|title=Don't mess with Finnish jazz|url=https://finland.fi/arts-culture/dont-mess-with-finnish-jazz/%7Caccess-date=1 September 2020|website=thisisFINLAND|language=en-US}}</ref>{{Additional citation needed|date=September 2020}} Also, at least a couple of Finnish polkas are known worldwide, such as Säkkijärven polkka<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/how-the-finns-stopped-the-soviets-with-this-polka-song/%7Ctitle=How the Finns stopped the Soviets with this polka song|date=6 August 2020}}</ref> and Ievan polkka.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://musicfinland.com/en/news/finnish-jenkka-song-took-over-japans-department-stores%7Ctitle=Finnish jenkka song took over Japan's department stores|website=Music Finland}}</ref>

During the early 1960s, the first significant wave of Finnish rock groups emerged, playing instrumental rock inspired by groups such as The Shadows. Around 1964, Beatlemania arrived in Finland, resulting in further development of the local rock scene. During the late 1960s and '70s, Finnish rock musicians increasingly wrote their own music instead of translating international hits into Finnish. During the decade, some progressive rock groups such as Tasavallan Presidentti and Wigwam gained respect abroad but failed to make a commercial breakthrough outside Finland. This was also the fate of the rock and roll group Hurriganes. The Finnish punk scene produced some internationally acknowledged names including Terveet Kädet in the 1980s. Hanoi Rocks was a pioneering 1980s glam rock act that inspired the American hard rock group Guns N' Roses, among others.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304587704577333813382925678%7Ctitle=Guns N' Roses Can Agree on at Least One Thing: This Finnish Saxophonist Rocks |last=Shah|first=Neil|date=15 April 2012|work=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=19 November 2012}}</ref>

Many Finnish metal bands have gained international recognition; Finland has been often called the "Promised Land of Heavy Metal", because there are more than 50 metal Bands for every 100,000 inhabitants – more than any other nation in the world.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://finland.fi/arts-culture/finnish-metropolises-vie-to-win-capital-of-metal/%7Ctitle=Finnish metropolises vie to win Capital of Metal|date=8 May 2018|website=thisisFINLAND}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.famouscampaigns.com/2019/07/finlands-stage-worlds-first-heavy-metal-knitting-championship/%7Ctitle=Finland stage world's first heavy metal knitting championship|first=Famous|last=Campaigns}}</ref>

Cinema and television

{{Main|Cinema of Finland|Television in Finland}} {{See also|Lists of Finnish films}}

The Finnish filmmakers Edvin Laine and Matti Kassila in 1955

In the film industry, notable directors include brothers Mika and Aki Kaurismäki, Dome Karukoski, Antti Jokinen, Jalmari Helander, Mauritz Stiller, Edvin Laine, Teuvo Tulio, Spede Pasanen, and Hollywood film director and producer Renny Harlin. Internationally well-known Finnish actors and actresses include Jasper Pääkkönen, Peter Franzén, Laura Birn, Irina Björklund, Samuli Edelmann, Krista Kosonen, Ville Virtanen and Joonas Suotamo. Around twelve feature films are made each year.<ref name="Media moves">{{cite web |url=http://finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=162833&contentlan=2&culture=en-US |title=Media moves |work=ThisisFINLAND (Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501141049/http://finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=162833&contentlan=2&culture=en-US |archive-date=1 May 2011 }}</ref>

One of the most internationally successful Finnish films are The White Reindeer, directed by Erik Blomberg in 1952, which won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film in 1956, five years after its limited release in the United States;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.awardsandshows.com/features/best-foreign-film-506.html |title=List of Winners – Golden Globes Best Foreign Film |access-date=12 December 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Sundholm|first1=John|last2=Thorsen|first2=Isak|last3=Andersson|first3=Lars Gustaf|last4=Hedling|first4=Olof|last5=Iversen|first5=Gunnar|last6=Møller|first6=Birgir Thor|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QktG6a4YnQYC&q=1957+golden+globe+best+foreign+film+white+reindeer&pg=PA390 |title= Historical Dictionary of Scandinavian Cinema (Google eBook) |access-date=12 December 2013|date = 20 September 2012| page=389 et seq|isbn = 978-0-8108-7899-0}}</ref> The Man Without a Past, directed by Aki Kaurismäki in 2002, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2002 and won the Grand Prix at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival;<ref>{{cite web|last=Fauth|first=Jurgen|url=http://worldfilm.about.com/od/scandinavianfilm/fr/manwithoutpast.htm%7Ctitle=The Man Without a Past|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906125603/http://worldfilm.about.com/od/scandinavianfilm/fr/manwithoutpast.htm |archive-date=6 September 2015|work=About.com|access-date=5 February 2008}}</ref> and The Fencer, directed by Klaus Härö in 2015, which was nominated for the 73rd Golden Globe Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category as a Finnish/German/Estonian co-production.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/fencer%7Ctitle=The Fencer|website=www.goldenglobes.com}}</ref>

In Finland, the most significant films include The Unknown Soldier, directed by Edvin Laine in 1955, which is shown on television every Independence Day.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finnish_independence_day_galas_protests_and_war_memories/7671639%7Ctitle=Finnish Independence Day: Galas, protests and war memories|website=Yle Uutiset}}</ref> Here, Beneath the North Star from 1968, also directed by Laine, which includes the Finnish Civil War from the perspective of the Red Guards, is also one of the most significant works in Finnish history.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lfq.salisbury.edu/_issues/48_1/agreeing_on_history_adaptation_as_restorative_truth_in_finnish_reconciliation.html%7Ctitle=Agreeing on History Adaptation as Restorative Truth in Finnish Reconciliation, Mads Larsen, Literature Film Quarterly|website=lfq.salisbury.edu}}</ref> A 1960 crime comedy film Inspector Palmu's Mistake, directed by Matti Kassila, was voted in 2012 the best Finnish film of all time by Finnish film critics and journalists in a poll organized by Yle Uutiset,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://yle.fi/uutiset/kriitikot_valitsivat_kaikkien_aikojen_parhaan_kotimaisen_elokuvan/6372726 | title=Kriitikot valitsivat kaikkien aikojen parhaan kotimaisen elokuvan | publisher=Yle Uutiset | date=12 November 2012 | access-date=9 May 2014 | author=Sundqvist, Janne | language=fi}}</ref> but the 1984 comedy film Uuno Turhapuro in the Army, the ninth film in the Uuno Turhapuro film series, remains Finland's most seen domestic film made since 1968 by Finnish audience.<ref>Uuno armeijan leivissä ja muut Turhapuro elokuvat (in Finnish)</ref>

Although Finland's television offerings are largely known for their domestic dramas, such as the long-running soap opera series Salatut elämät,<ref>Juha Suoranta & Hanna Lehtimäki: Children in the Information Society: The Case of Finland (New Literacies and Digital Epistemologies). Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers, 2004. {{ISBN|978-0-8204-6829-7}}.</ref><ref>Elisabeth Eide & Kaarina Nikunen: Media in Motion: Cultural Complexity and Migration in the Nordic Region (Research in Migration and Ethnic Relations). Routledge, 2010. {{ISBN|978-1-4094-0446-0}}.</ref> there are also internationally known drama series, such as {{ill|Syke (TV series)|fi|Syke (televisiosarja)|lt=Syke}} and Bordertown.<ref>YLE: Syke, Sorjonen ja Suomi Love myyvät maailmalla, mutta Presidentti ei maistunut kriitikoille (in Finnish)</ref> One of Finland's most internationally successful TV shows are the backpacking travel documentary series Madventures and the reality TV show The Dudesons.

Media and communications

{{See also|Telecommunications in Finland|List of newspapers in Finland}}

Linus Torvalds, the Finnish software engineer best known for creating the popular open-source kernel Linux

Thanks to its emphasis on transparency and equal rights, Finland's press has been rated the freest in the world.<ref>2010 Freedom of the Press Survey {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111105114819/http://newseum.org/news/2011/05/world-press-freedom.html |date=5 November 2011}} (retrieved 4 May 2011).</ref>

Today, there are around 200 newspapers, 320 popular magazines, 2,100 professional magazines, 67 commercial radio stations, three digital radio channels and one nationwide and five national public service radio channels.

Each year, around 12,000 book titles are published and 12 million records are sold.<ref name="Media moves" />

Sanoma publishes the newspapers Helsingin Sanomat (its circulation of 412,000<ref>{{cite web |title=Circulation Statistics |url=http://www.levikintarkastus.fi/english/statistics.php |publisher=The Finnish Audit Bureau of Circulations (Levikintarkastus Oy) |access-date=25 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090601160935/http://www.levikintarkastus.fi/english/statistics.php |archive-date=1 June 2009 }}</ref> making it the largest) and Aamulehti, the tabloid Ilta-Sanomat, the commerce-oriented Taloussanomat and the television channel Nelonen. The other major publisher Alma Media publishes over thirty magazines, including the tabloid Iltalehti and commerce-oriented Kauppalehti. Worldwide, Finns, along with other Nordic peoples and the Japanese, spend the most time reading newspapers.<ref>{{cite web |title=World Press Trends: Newspapers Still Reach More Than Internet |url=http://www.wan-ifra.org/press-releases/2011/10/12/world-press-trends-newspapers-still-reach-more-than-internet |publisher=World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers |access-date=19 November 2012 |archive-date=23 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121123093454/http://www.wan-ifra.org/press-releases/2011/10/12/world-press-trends-newspapers-still-reach-more-than-internet |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Yle, the Finnish Broadcasting Company, operates five television channels and thirteen radio channels in both national languages. Yle is funded through a mandatory television license and fees for private broadcasters. All TV channels are broadcast digitally, both terrestrially and on cable. The commercial television channel MTV3 and commercial radio channel Radio Nova are owned by Nordic Broadcasting (Bonnier and Proventus).

In regards to telecommunication infrastructure, Finland is the highest ranked country in the World Economic Forum's Network Readiness Index (NRI) – an indicator for determining the development level of a country's information and communication technologies. Finland ranked 1st overall in the 2014 NRI ranking, unchanged from the year before.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GITR/2014/GITR_OverallRanking_2014.pdf |title=NRI Overall Ranking 2014 |publisher=World Economic Forum |access-date=28 June 2014}}</ref> This is shown in its penetration throughout the country's population. Around 79% of the population use the Internet (2007).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stat.fi/til/sutivi/2007/sutivi_2007_2007-09-28_tie_001_en.html |title=Internet used by 79 per cent of the population at the beginning of 2007|work=Statistics Finland |access-date=22 December 2007}}</ref> Finland had around 1.52 million broadband Internet connections by the end of June 2007 or around 287 per 1,000 inhabitants.<ref name="FICORA">{{cite web |url=http://www.ficora.fi/attachments/englanti/5ruZDB5VP/Files/CurrentFile/Market_review_2_2007.pdf |title=Market Review 2/2007 |work=Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority (FICORA) |date=31 August 2007 |access-date=4 September 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070925220234/http://www.ficora.fi/attachments/englanti/5ruZDB5VP/Files/CurrentFile/Market_review_2_2007.pdf |archive-date=25 September 2007 }}</ref> All Finnish schools and public libraries have Internet connections and computers and most residents have a mobile phone.<ref>Information technology has become part of Finns' everyday life (Statistics Finland).</ref>

Cuisine

{{Main|Finnish cuisine}}

Karelian pasty (karjalanpiirakka) is a traditional Finnish dish made from a thin rye crust with a filling of rice. Butter, often mixed with boiled egg (eggbutter or munavoi), is spread over the hot pastries before eating.

Finnish cuisine is notable for generally combining traditional country fare and haute cuisine with contemporary style cooking. Fish and meat play a prominent role in traditional Finnish dishes from the western part of the country, while the dishes from the eastern part have traditionally included various vegetables and mushrooms. Refugees from Karelia contributed to foods in eastern Finland. Many regions have strongly branded traditional delicacies, such as Tampere has mustamakkara<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/eat-and-drink/4311-the-black-sausage-is-the-pride-of-tampere%7Ctitle=The black sausage is the pride of Tampere|website=www.helsinkitimes.fi}}</ref> and Kuopio has kalakukko.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theculturetrip.com/europe/finland/articles/top-10-finnish-pastries-try/%7Ctitle=Top 10 Finnish Pastries You Have to Try|first=Jessica|last=Wood|website=Culture Trip}}</ref>

Finnish foods often use wholemeal products (rye, barley, oats) and berries (such as bilberries, lingonberries, cloudberries, and sea buckthorn). Milk and its derivatives like buttermilk are commonly used as food, drink, or in various recipes. Various turnips were common in traditional cooking, but were replaced with the potato after its introduction in the 18th century.

According to the statistics, red meat consumption has risen, but still Finns eat less beef than many other nations, and more fish and poultry. This is mainly because of the high cost of meat in Finland.

Finland has the world's highest per capita consumption of coffee.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fusiontables.google.com/DataSource?docid=1C-fn6nSe21acP0xJIO1T1x0wohqfMYCQyJjbqdk#rows:id=1%7Ctitle=Google Fusion Tables|website=fusiontables.google.com}}</ref> Milk consumption is also high, at an average of about {{convert|112|litre}}, per person, per year,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.luke.fi/en/news/what-was-eaten-in-finland-in-2017%7Ctitle=What was eaten in Finland in 2017|website=Luonnonvarakeskus}}</ref> even though 17% of the Finns are lactose intolerant.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.edunation.co/studyinfinland/blog/5-odd-facts-finland/%7Ctitle=Odd Facts about Finland|website=edunation.co|date=19 September 2017|access-date=17 November 2018|archive-date=17 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181117153004/https://www.edunation.co/studyinfinland/blog/5-odd-facts-finland/%7Curl-status=dead}}</ref>

Public holidays

{{Main|Public holidays in Finland|Flag flying days in Finland}} There are several holidays in Finland, of which perhaps the most characteristic of Finnish culture include Christmas (joulu), Midsummer (juhannus), May Day (vappu) and Independence Day (itsenäisyyspäivä). Of these, Christmas and Midsummer are special in Finland because the actual festivities take place on eves, such as Christmas Eve (jouluaatto)<ref>Llewellyn's Sabbats Almanac: Samhain 2010 to Mabon 2011 p.64. Llewellyn Worldwide, 2010</ref><ref>Festivals of Western Europe p.202. Forgotten Books, 1973</ref> and Midsummer's Eve (juhannusaatto),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.finlit.fi/tietopalvelu/juhlat/juhannus/kokko.htm |title=Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura: Juhannuskokko |publisher=Finlit.fi |access-date=25 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121212031052/http://www.finlit.fi/tietopalvelu/juhlat/juhannus/kokko.htm |archive-date=12 December 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.finlit.fi/tietopalvelu/juhlat/juhannus/koriste.htm |title=Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura: Koivunoksia ja maitoruokia |publisher=Finlit.fi |access-date=25 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121212031056/http://www.finlit.fi/tietopalvelu/juhlat/juhannus/koriste.htm |archive-date=12 December 2012 }}</ref> while Christmas Day (joulupäivä) and Midsummer's Day (juhannuspäivä) are more consecrated to rest. Other public holidays in Finland are New Year's Day (uudenvuodenpäivä), Epiphany (loppiainen), Good Friday (pitkäperjantai), Easter Sunday (pääsiäissunnuntai) and Easter Monday (pääsiäismaanantai), Ascension Day (helatorstai), All Saints' Day (pyhäinpäivä) and Saint Stephen's Day (tapaninpäivä). All official holidays in Finland are established by Acts of Parliament. On the other hand, laskiainen that is strongly part of the Finnish tradition is not defined as a public holiday in relation to the above-mentioned holidays.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iltalehti.fi/kotimaa/a/a5ada22b-379b-4b8b-83ca-51bf6f97213c%7Ctitle=Tänään on vietetty laskiaista – mutta tiedätkö, mistä päivässä on oikein kyse?|first=Samppa|last=Rautio|work=Iltalehti|date=5 March 2019|access-date=26 November 2020|language=fi}}</ref>

Sports

{{Main|Sport in Finland}}

Finland's men's national ice hockey team is ranked as one of the best in the world. The team has won three world championship titles (in 1995, 2011 and 2019) and six Olympic medals.
Kankkunen on the Laajavuori stage of the 2010 Rally Finland

Various sporting events are popular in Finland. Pesäpallo, resembling baseball, is the national sport of Finland, although the most popular sport in terms of spectators is ice hockey. The Ice Hockey World Championships 2016 final, Finland-Canada, was watched by 69% of Finnish people on TV.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://mtv.fi/sport/mm2016/uutiset/artikkeli/leijonien-mm-finaalista-kaikkien-aikojen-katsotuin-jaakiekko-ottelu-suomessa/5908282 |title = Leijonien MM-finaalista historian katsotuin jääkiekko-ottelu Suomessa!| work = mtv.fi| date = 23 May 2016| access-date = 23 May 2016}}</ref> Other popular sports include athletics, cross-country skiing, ski jumping, football, volleyball and basketball.<ref>Valta vaihtui urheilussa: Suomalaiset arvostavat nyt enemmän futista kuin jääkiekkoa |Jalkapallo |HS. Hs.fi (27 February 2014). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref> While ice hockey is the most popular sport when it comes to attendance at games, association football is the most played team sport in terms of the number of players in the country and is also the most appreciated sport in Finland.<ref>Jalkapallo nousi arvostetuimmaksi urheilulajiksi |Yle Urheilu. yle.fi. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref><ref>{{in lang|fi}} Jalkapallolla eniten harrastajia – se lyö lätkän, hiihto on alamäessä |Länsiväylä {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826183108/https://www.lansivayla.fi/artikkeli/369185-jalkapallolla-eniten-harrastajia-se-lyo-latkan-hiihto-on-alamaessa |date=26 August 2018 }}. Lansivayla.fi (28 February 2016). Retrieved on 18 May 2016.</ref>

In terms of medals and gold medals won per capita, Finland is the best performing country in Olympic history.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.medalspercapita.com/#medals-per-capita:all-time%7Ctitle=Olympic Medals per Capita|website=medalspercapita.com}}</ref> Finland first participated as a nation in its own right at the Olympic Games in 1908, while still an autonomous Grand Duchy within the Russian Empire. At the 1912 Summer Olympics, great pride was taken in the three gold medals won by the original "Flying Finn" Hannes Kolehmainen.

Finland was one of the most successful countries at the Olympic Games before World War II. At the 1924 Summer Olympics, Finland, a nation then of only 3.2 million people, came second in the medal count. In the 1920s and '30s, Finnish long-distance runners dominated the Olympics, with Paavo Nurmi winning a total of nine Olympic gold medals between 1920 and 1928 and setting 22 official world records between 1921 and 1931. Nurmi is often considered the greatest Finnish sportsman and one of the greatest athletes of all time.

For over 100 years, Finnish male and female athletes have consistently excelled at the javelin throw. The event has brought Finland nine Olympic gold medals, five world championships, five European championships, and 24 world records.

The 1952 Summer Olympics were held in Helsinki. Other notable sporting events held in Finland include the 1983 and 2005 World Championships in Athletics.

Finland also has a notable history in figure skating. Finnish skaters have won 8 world championships and 13 junior world cups in synchronized skating, and Finland is considered one of the best countries at the sport.

Some of the most popular recreational sports and activities include floorball, Nordic walking, running, cycling, and skiing (alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and ski jumping). Floorball, in terms of registered players, occupies third place after football and ice hockey. According to the Finnish Floorball Federation, floorball is the most popular school, youth, club and workplace sport.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.expat-finland.com/events/finnish_sports.html%7Ctitle=Finnish Sports: Try the sports Finns love!|first=Stuart Allt Web Design, Turku|last=Finland|website=expat-finland.com}}</ref> {{as of|2016}}, the total number of licensed players reaches 57,400.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.floorball.org/pages/EN/Finland%7Ctitle=IFF%7Clast=IFF%7Cwebsite=floorball.org}}</ref>

Especially since the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Finland's national basketball team has received widespread public attention. More than 8,000 Finns travelled to Spain to support their team. Overall, they chartered more than 40 airplanes.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.fiba.com/basketballworldcup/2014/news/Fan-power-Finn-power-The-tournament--begins--on-win |title= Fan power! Finn power! The tournament "begins" on a winning note for Dettman's team |author=FIBA |date=31 August 2014 |publisher=FIBA.com |access-date=2 November 2014}}</ref>

See also

{{Portal |Finland|Arctic}}

{{Clear}}

Notes

{{reflist|group=note}}

References

{{Reflist|30em}}

Further reading

{{refbegin|30em}}

  • Chew, Allen F. The White Death: The Epic of the Soviet-Finnish Winter War ({{ISBN|0-87013-167-2}}).
  • Engle, Eloise and Paananen, Pauri. The Winter War: The Soviet Attack on Finland 1939–1940 ({{ISBN|0-8117-2433-6}}).
  • Insight Guide: Finland ({{ISBN|981-4120-39-1}}).
  • Jakobson, Max. Finland in the New Europe ({{ISBN|0-275-96372-1}}).
  • Jutikkala, Eino; Pirinen, Kauko. A History of Finland ({{ISBN|0-88029-260-1}}).
  • Klinge, Matti. Let Us Be Finns: Essays on History ({{ISBN|951-1-11180-9}}).
  • Lavery, Jason. The History of Finland, Greenwood Histories of the Modern Nations, Greenwood Press, 2006 ({{ISBN|0-313-32837-4}}, {{ISSN|1096-2905}}).
  • Lewis, Richard D. Finland: Cultural Lone Wolf ({{ISBN|1-931930-18-X}}).
  • Lonely Planet: Finland ({{ISBN|1-74059-791-5}})
  • Mann, Chris. Hitler's Arctic War: The German Campaigns in Norway, Finland, and the USSR 1940–1945 ({{ISBN|0-312-31100-1}}).
  • Rusama, Jaakko. Ecumenical Growth in Finland ({{ISBN|951-693-239-8}}).
  • Singleton, Fred. A Short History of Finland ({{ISBN|0-521-64701-0}}).
  • Subrenat, Jean-Jacques. Listen, there's music from the forest; a brief presentation of the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival ({{ISBN|952-92-0564-3}}).
  • Swallow, Deborah. Culture Shock! Finland: A Guide to Customs and Etiquette ({{ISBN|1-55868-592-8}}).
  • Trotter, William R. A Frozen Hell: The Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939–1940 ({{ISBN|1-56512-249-6}}).

{{refend}}

External links

{{Sister project links|Finland|voy=Finland}}

Government

Maps

  • {{osmrelation-inline|54224}}
  • {{wikiatlas|Finland}}

Travel

{{Finland topics}} {{Navboxes |list= {{Sovereign states of Europe}} {{Nordic countries}} {{Nordic Council}} {{Member states of the European Union}} {{European Economic Area (EEA)}} {{Countries bordering the Baltic Sea}} }} {{Authority control}} {{coord|64|N|26|E|region:FI_type:country|display=title}}

Your World of Text during the second soyjak.party raid.

Your World of Text is a website that allows anyone to type whatever they want on an infinitely large canvas. A favourite target for soyjak.party raids due to the ease of editing and lack of jannies or any ban system whatsoever.

Normally you can't paste text on YWOT, type 

Permissions.can_paste = function() {return true;};

into your browser's console to enable pasting, or use Your Hacked World of Text (linked below).

Raids

The first soyjak raid on Your World of Text occured on June 7, 2021. It was fairly minor and was quickly forgotten due to the original thread being lost to the Captain Coal incident. The second raid began on June 10, 2021 and is still ongoing. Massive amounts of ASCIIjaks and Sneed spam could be found across the canvas, invoking the rage of several Brazillians using the site, however these were mostly erased in the early morning of June 13. A rebuilding effort is ongoing, with skirmishes between soyjak.party raiders, a Trollface spammer, and a Ballmerposter being documented.

Gallery

<gallery> File:YWOTJune12.png|The second raid (June 12) File:YWOTSkirmishes.png|Skirmishes during the rebuilding effort of June 13 </gallery>

Related articles

External links

{{subst::You will hang, pedophile}} {{hatnote|This article is about live action drama television programs. Comedy-dramas ("dramedy") are also included in List of comedy television series with LGBT characters. For animated series, see List of animated series with LGBTQ+ characters.}} {{For|live action characters listed by orientation|List of lesbian characters in television|List of gay characters in television|List of bisexual characters in television|List of transgender characters in television}} {{For2|the list of 1960s–2000s series|List of dramatic television series with LGBT characters: 1960s–2000s|the list of 2020s series|List of dramatic television series with LGBT characters: 2020s}} {{Short description|Wikipedia list article}} {{very long|date=March 2021}} {{dynamic list}} {{sp}} This is a list of dramatic television series (including web television and miniseries) that premiered in the 2010s which feature lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender characters. Non-binary, pansexual, asexual, and graysexual characters are also included. The orientation can be portrayed on-screen, described in the dialogue or mentioned.

2010

Year Show Network Character Actor Notes
2010–2013 The|Big C|The Big C (TV series)}} Showtime Lee Hugh Dancy last1=Hartinger |first1=Brent |title=You Should TOTALLY be Watching the Hugh Dancy Storyline on "The Big C" Right Now! |url=http://www.newnownext.com/you-should-totally-be-watching-the-hugh-dancy-storyline-on-the-big-c-right-now/08/2011/ |website=NewNowNext |date=August 8, 2011}}</ref>
2010–2014 Boardwalk Empire HBO Angela Darmody Aleksa Palladino title=Boardwalk Empire |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/boardwalk-empire/}}</ref>
Mary Dittrich Lisa Joyce Mary is bisexual, and a photographer's assistant to her husband.<ref name="Boardwalk EmpireLezWatch"/>
Louise Bryant Kristen Sieh Louise is a lesbian, and a bohemian from San Francisco. She is killed by a mobster.<ref name="Boardwalk EmpireLezWatch"/>
2010–2013 Dance Academy ABC1
ABC3		 Sammy Lieberman Tom Green last1=Besanvalle |first1=James |title=Flash star Keiynan Lonsdale comes out in beautiful Instagram post |url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/flash-star-keiynan-lonsdale-comes-bisexual-beautiful-instagram-post/ |website=Gay Star News |date=13 May 2017}}</ref>
Ollie Lloyd Keiynan Lonsdale last1=Fox |first1=Tiffany |title=Reluctant heart-throb |url=https://thewest.com.au/entertainment/art/reluctant-heart-throb-ng-ya-273222 |website=The West Australian |date=3 July 2013}}</ref>
Christian Reed Jordan Rodrigues last1=Knox |first1=David |title=A kiss is just a kiss, even in teen TV. {{!}} TV Tonight |url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2010/08/a-kiss-is-just-a-kiss-even-in-teen-tv.html |website=TV Tonight |date=August 21, 2010}}</ref>
Rhys O'Leary Richard Brancatisano Rhys dates Ollie, after Sammy dies.<ref name="Flash star Keiynan Lonsdale"/>
2010–2015 Downton Abbey ITV
PBS		 Thomas Barrow Rob James-Collier Thomas is gay. He is a footman in the aristocratic Crawley household and hides his sexuality due to the criminality of the time period. He also appears in the movie adaption.<ref name="Downton Abbey">{{cite web |last1=Ryan |first1=Hugh |title=Downton Abbey's Thomas Barrow and the Future of the Gay Past |url=https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a28984957/downton-abbey-thomas-barrow-gay-sexuality-1920s-history-accuracy/ |website=Town & Country |date=16 September 2019}}</ref>
Duke of Crowborough Charlie Cox The Duke of Crowborough is Lady Mary's suitor and Thomas's lover in the opening of the show.<ref name="Downton Abbey"/>
2010–2011 Gigantic TeenNick Ryan Katins Greg Ellis last1=Hartinger |first1=Brent |title="Gigantic" Brings Gay Diversity to "Tween" Television with a Gay Dad |url=http://www.newnownext.com/gigantic-brings-gay-diversity-to-tween-television-with-a-gay-dad/03/2011/ |website=NewNowNext |date=March 22, 2011}}</ref>
Charlie Maddock Don O. Knowlton Charlie is gay and Ryan's boyfriend.<ref name="gigantic tv show"/>
2010–2011 Hellcats The|CW|The CW Television Network}} Darwin Jeremy Wong last1=Jensen |first1=Michael |title=Best. Gay. Week. Ever! Who Wants to Be a Baby Daddy? |url=http://www.newnownext.com/best-gay-week-ever-who-wants-to-be-a-baby-daddy/01/2011/2/ |website=NewNowNext |date=January 21, 2011}}</ref>
2010–2011 Law & Order: LA NBC Lt. Arleen Gonzales Rachel Ticotin title=Arleen Gonzales, Law & Order: LA |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/arleen-gonzales-law-order-la/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
2010–2012 Lip Service BBC Three Cat McKenzie Laura Fraser title=Lip Service |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/lip-service/}}</ref>
Frankie Alan Ruta Gedmintas Frankie is bisexual.<ref name="Lip Service LezWatch.TV"/>
Tess Roberts Fiona Button Tess is a lesbian. She is Cat's roommate and a struggling actor.<ref name="Lip Service LezWatch.TV"/>
Sgt Sam Murray Heather Peace Sam is a lesbian police officer, and Cat's girlfriend.<ref name="Lip Service LezWatch.TV"/>
Sadie Anderson Natasha O'Keeffe last1=Pitts |first1=Gavin |title=Couch Potato - Lip Service |url=https://www.outinperth.com/couch-potato-lip-service/ |website=OUT In Perth |date=7 September 2011}}</ref>
Lexy Price Anna Skellern Lexy is lesbian, and a Doctor. In season 2 she has a crush on Sam.<ref name="Lip Service LezWatch.TV"/>
Declan Love Adam Sinclair title=Lip Service |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/lipservice/ |website=BBC}}</ref>
Lou Foster Roxanne McKee Lou is a closeted bisexual, who has a secret relationship with Tess.<ref name="Couch Potato Lip Service"/>
Lauren Neve McIntosh Lauren is lesbian, and an editor at a Scottish arts, culture and fashion magazine. Her partner is Jo.<ref name="Lauren played by Neve McIntosh"/>
Jo Valerie Edmond title=Lauren played by Neve McIntosh |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/lipservice/lauren/ |website=BBC}}</ref>
2010–2015 Lost Girl Showcase Bo Dennis Anna Silk Bo is a bisexual succubus, meaning she can and often does drain the life force of others through intimate contact.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Stinson|first1=Scott|title=Stinson: The not-so-bizarre love triangle in Lost Girl|url=http://news.nationalpost.com/arts/television/stinson-the-not-so-bizarre-love-triangle-in-lost-girl%7Cwork=National Post|date=November 7, 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150405045213/http://news.nationalpost.com/arts/television/stinson-the-not-so-bizarre-love-triangle-in-lost-girl%7Carchive-date=5 April 2015}}</ref><ref name="Lost Girl LezWatch.TV">{{cite web |title=Lost Girl |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/lost-girl/}}</ref>
Lauren Lewis Zoie Palmer Lauren is lesbian, and a Doctor to the Fae.<ref name="Lost Girl LezWatch.TV"/>
Evony Fleurette Marquise Emmanuelle Vaugier Evony (aka The Morrigain), is bisexual and queen of the dark Fae. She lost her powers after oral sex with Lauren.<ref name="Lost Girl LezWatch.TV"/><ref name="The Unicorn Scale Lost Girl"/>
Vex Paul Amos Vex is bisexual, and ends up with Mark in the final episodes of the series.<ref name="The Unicorn Scale Lost Girl"/>
Nadia Athena Karkanis Nadia is lesbian, and Lauren's girlfriend.<ref name="Lost Girl LezWatch.TV"/>
Tamsin Rachel Skarsten Tamsin is a bisexual Valkyrie who works as a bounty hunter and mercenary for the Dark Fae.<ref name="Lost Girl LezWatch.TV"/><ref name="The Unicorn Scale Lost Girl"/>
Crystal Ali Liebert Crystal is a lesbian waitress.<ref name="Lost Girl LezWatch.TV"/>
Mark Luke Bilyk last1=Swartz |first1=SB |title=The Unicorn Scale: Lost Girl |url=https://bi.org/en/articles/the-unicorn-scale-lost-girl |website=Bi.org |date=February 12, 2019}}</ref>
Dagny Olivia Scriven Dagny is pansexual and Tamsin's daughter.<ref name="Lost Girl LezWatch.TV"/>
2010–2019 Luther BBC Emma Lane Rose Leslie last1=Hogan|first1=Michael|title=Luther Season 4: What You Need To Know|url=https://uk.askmen.com/top_10/celebrity/luther-season-4-what-you-need-to-know/ |website=Askmen|date=14 December 2015|access-date=13 January 2020}}</ref>
2010 Outlaw NBC Lucinda Pearl Carly Pope title=Lucinda Pearl |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lucinda-pearl/}}</ref>
2010–2015 Parenthood NBC Haddie Braverman Sarah Ramos title=Haddie Braverman |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/haddie-braverman/}}</ref>
Lauren Tavi Gevinson title=Lauren |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lauren/}}</ref>
2010–2017 Pretty Little Liars Freeform Emily Fields Shay Mitchell Emily realizes that she is a lesbian in Season 1 when she begins a romance with Maya and comes out to her father. She later marries Alison.<ref name="Pretty Little Liars Lez"/>
Maya St. Germain Bianca Lawson last1=Rauscher |first1=Melody |title=Queer Representation in Pretty Little Liars |url=https://geeks.media/queer-representation-in-pretty-little-liars-spoilers |website=Geeks |date=October 7, 2017}}</ref>
Paige McCullers Lindsey Shaw Paige is lesbian, and on the high school's swim team. She dates Emily for a while.<ref name="Pretty Little Liars Lez"/>
Samara Cook Claire Holt Samara is a lesbian. She and Emily dated, but Samara did not want to be exclusive.<ref name="Pretty Little Liars Lez"/>
Alison DiLaurentis Sasha Pieterse title=Pretty Little Liars |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/pretty-little-liars/}}</ref>
Shana Fring Aeriél Miranda Shana is a lesbian, and works at a Halloween themed store. She dated Jenna and briefly dated Paige. She died after falling off a stage from being hit in the head with a gun.<ref name="Pretty Little Liars Lez"/>
Talia Sandoval Miranda Rae Mayo Talia is lesbian, and she dated Emily for a while.<ref name="Pretty Little Liars Lez"/>
Jenna Marshall Tammin Sursok Jenna is bisexual. She dated Shana for a while, but also forced herself on her step-brother.<ref name="Pretty Little Liars Lez"/>
Charlotte DiLaurentis Vanessa Ray title = Behind That Controversial "Pretty Little Liars" Transgender Reveal|url = https://www.buzzfeed.com/jarettwieselman/pretty-little-liars-boss-defends-controversial-transgender-r#.bdjDJrWzx%7Cwebsite = BuzzFeed|access-date = 2015-12-09}}</ref>
Sabrina Lulu Brud Sabrina is a lesbian, and manager of a coffee shop, who also had cancer.<ref name="Pretty Little Liars Lez"/>
Sara Harvey Dre Davis Sara is bisexual, and is found dead in a hotel bathtub.<ref name="Pretty Little Liars Lez"/>
Rachel Amelia Leigh Harris Rachel is lesbian, and Sabrina's girlfriend.<ref name="Pretty Little Liars Lez"/>
2010–2015 Rookie Blue Global Gail Peck Charlotte Sullivan last1=Costa|first1=Daniela|title="Rookie Blue" showrunner Tassie Cameron talks Gail Peck, Season 5 storylines and lesbians in the writers' room|url=https://www.afterellen.com/tv/434875-rookie-blue-showrunner-tassie-cameron-talks-gail-peck-season-5-storylines-lesbians-writers-room%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=June 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150607043309/https://www.afterellen.com/tv/434875-rookie-blue-showrunner-tassie-cameron-talks-gail-peck-season-5-storylines-lesbians-writers-room%7Carchive-date=June 7, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Costa|first1=Daniela|title="Rookie Blue" star Charlotte Sullivan talks playing gay cop Gail Peck|url=https://www.afterellen.com/tv/444461-rookie-blue-star-charlotte-sullivan-talks-playing-gay-cop-gail-peck%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=July 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150727061427/https://www.afterellen.com/tv/444461-rookie-blue-star-charlotte-sullivan-talks-playing-gay-cop-gail-peck%7Carchive-date=July 27, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Wilson|first1=Erin Faith|title=Lesbian TV writer Noelle Carbone on writing for gay cop Gail Peck on "Rookie Blue"|url=https://www.afterellen.com/tv/450065-lesbian-tv-writer-noelle-carbon-writing-gay-cop-gail-peck-rookie-blue%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=August 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150829051639/https://www.afterellen.com/tv/450065-lesbian-tv-writer-noelle-carbon-writing-gay-cop-gail-peck-rookie-blue%7Carchive-date=August 29, 2015}}</ref>
Holly Stewart Aliyah O'Brien last1=Staff|title=Rookie Blue's Aliyah O'Brien on Holly and Gail|url=https://www.globaltv.com/rookieblue/latest/rookie-blues-aliyah-obrien-on-holly-and-gail/%7Cwebsite=Global|date=July 9, 2014|access-date=September 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190217030135/https://www.globaltv.com/rookieblue/latest/rookie-blues-aliyah-obrien-on-holly-and-gail/%7Carchive-date=February 17, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Frankie Anderson Katharine Isabelle last1=Anne|first1=Valerie|title="Rookie Blue" recap (6.11): Over and out|url=http://www.afterellen.com/tv/451757-rookie-blue-recap-6-11/2%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=September 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911011636/http://www.afterellen.com/tv/451757-rookie-blue-recap-6-11/2%7Carchive-date=September 11, 2015}}</ref>
Alex Katy Grabstas title=Alex |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/alex-rookie-blue/}}</ref>
Tabby Barnes Tulsi Balram title=Tabby Barnes |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/tabby-barnes/}}</ref>
Jen Luck Alexandra Ordolis title=Jen Luck |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/jen-luck/}}</ref>
Lisa Lara Gilchrist title=Lisa |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lisa-rookie-blue/}}</ref>
2010 Rubicon AMC Kale Ingram Arliss Howard last1=Jensen |first1=Michael |title=Spying a Gay Character on AMC’s "Rubicon" |url=http://www.newnownext.com/spying-a-gay-character-on-amcs-rubicon/08/2010/ |website=NewNowNext |date=August 30, 2010}}</ref>
Walter Carrington Jon Patrick Walker Walter is gay and Kale's partner.<ref name="2011 network responsibility"/><ref name="Spying a Gay Character"/>
Donald Bloom Michael Gaston title=2011 network responsibility index |url=https://www.glaad.org/files/glaad_nri_2011_updated.pdf |website=GLAAD |page=20}}</ref><ref name="Spying a Gay Character"/>
2010–2017 Sherlock BBC One Irene Adler Lara Pulver title=Irene Adler |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/irene-adler/}}</ref>
Jim Moriarty Andrew Scott last1=Simpson |first1=Jayne M. |title=3 Halves of a Whole: Homosexuality and Self-Acceptance in BBC’s Sherlock |journal=Undergraduate Research Journal |date=2016 |volume=10 |issue=1 |page=24 |publisher=University of Colorado Colorado Springs |issn=2693-3918|oclc=1182591537}}</ref>
Eurus Holmes Sian Brooke title=Eurus Holmes |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/eurus-holmes/}}</ref>
2010–2013 Spartacus Starz Barca Antonio Te Maioha last1=Jensen |first1=Michael |title=Exclusive: Meet "Spartacus: Blood and Sand"'s Intriguing New "Gay" Character |url=http://www.newnownext.com/exclusive-meet-spartacus-blood-and-sands-intriguing-new-gay-character/01/2010/ |website=NewNowNext |date=January 4, 2010}}</ref>
Pietros Eka Darville last1=Jensen |first1=Michael |title=Breaking! "Spartacus"'s Gay Gladiator Will Have a Love Interest in "Gods of the Arena" Prequel |url=http://www.newnownext.com/breaking-spartacuss-gay-gladiator-will-have-a-love-interest-in-gods-of-the-arena-prequel/07/2010/2/ |website=NewNowNext |date=July 23, 2010}}</ref>
Auctus Josef Brown Auctus is gay, and Barca' lover after Pietros is killed.<ref name="Gods of the Arena"/>
Agron Daniel Feuerriegel Agron is a gay rebel warrior, in a relationship with Nasir.<ref name="Gay Action Hero on Spartacus"/>
Nasir Pana Hema Taylor last1=Peeples |first1=Jase |title=The Gay Action Hero on Spartacus is Back Tonight |url=https://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/television/2013/01/24/gay-action-hero-spartacus-back-tonight |website=The Advocate |date=24 January 2013}}</ref>
Saxa Ellen Hollman Saxa is bisexual and one of a group of Germanic prisoners rescued from a slave ship.<ref name="Spartacus TV Watch Lez"/>
Belesa Luna Rioumina Belesa is bisexual and a Thracian slave.<ref name="Spartacus TV Watch Lez"/>
Tiberius Christian Antidormi last1=Cornelius |first1=Michael |title="Spartacus: War of the Damned" Episode 4 Recap: "Memo to Sparty: Kill all Romans!" |url=http://www.newnownext.com/spartacus-war-of-the-damned-episode-4-recap-memo-to-sparty-kill-all-romans/02/2013/ |website=NewNowNext |date=February 23, 2013}}</ref>
Castus Blessing Mokgohloa last1=Halterman |first1=Jim |title="Spartacus" Interview: Blessing Mokgohloa |url=http://www.newnownext.com/interview-blessing-mokgohloa-of-spartacus/04/2013/ |website=NewNowNext |date=April 11, 2013}}</ref>
Gaia Jaime Murray title=Gaia, Spartacus |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/gaia-spartacus/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Lucretia Lucy Lawless title=Spartacus |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/spartacus/}}</ref>
2010–2015 Strike Back Sky1
Cinemax		 James Leatherby Dougray Scott Leatherby is gay, and a former SAS officer. He is also insanely jealous.<ref name="The New Big Baddie">{{cite web|url=http://www.newnownext.com/the-new-big-baddie-on-strike-back-is-brutal-unhinged-and-gay/08/2013/%7Ctitle= The New Big Baddie On "Strike Back" Is Brutal, Unhinged, and Gay |website=NewNowNext}}</ref>
Fahran Daniel Ben Zenou Fahran is Leatherby's lover. James shoots Fahran in the hand when he suspects Fahran of cheating on him with a bartender. He shoots the bartender in the back.<ref name="The New Big Baddie"/>
2010 Thorne Sky1 HD Phil Hendricks Aidan Gillen Phil is a gay forensic pathologist. The show is based on the novels of author Mark Billingham.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Pennington |first1=Gail |title=TV review: 'Thorne' |url=https://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/television/gail-pennington/tv-review-thorne/article_d3bab970-b432-11e1-b7b7-0019bb30f31a.html |website=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |date=June 12, 2012}}</ref>
2010–2012 Upstairs Downstairs BBC Blanche Mottershead Alex Kingston title=Blanche Mottershead |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/blanche-mottershead/}}</ref>
Portia Alresford Emilia Fox Porits is lesbian, and Blanche's lover. She is a bohemian novelist.<ref>{{cite web |title=Portia Alresford |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/portia-alresford/}}</ref>
2010 The|Whole Truth|The Whole Truth (TV series)}} ABC Alejo Salazar Anthony Ruivivar last1=Stevenson |first1=Alexander |title="The Whole Truth" Does Justice to its Gay Character |url=http://www.newnownext.com/the-whole-truth-does-justice-to-its-gay-character/09/2010/ |website=NewNowNext |date=September 22, 2010}}</ref>

2011

Year Show Network Character Actor Notes
2011– Black Mirror Netflix Yorkie Mackenzie Davis
(young Yorkie)		 Yorkie is a lesbian and Kelly is her love interest, in episode "San Junipero", which is a simulated reality where the deceased can live and the elderly can visit, all inhabiting their younger selves' bodies in a time of their choice.<ref>{{cite news|last1=O'Hara|first1=Helen|title=The story of San Junipero: why Charlie Brooker's Emmy-winning vision of Heaven will live forever|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/on-demand/2017/09/16/san-junipero-revisited-black-mirrors-heartbreaking-vision-heaven/%7Cnewspaper=The Telegraph|date=18 September 2017}}</ref><ref name="Black Mirror season 3">{{cite web|last1=Mullane|first1=Alex|title=Black Mirror season 3 'San Junipero' review: beautiful rather than biting|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/black-mirror/review/a811882/black-mirror-season-3-san-junipero-review-beautiful-rather-than-biting/%7Cwebsite=Digital Spy|date=23 October 2016}}</ref>
Annabel Davis
(elderly Yorkie)		 title=Black Mirror |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/black-mirror/}}</ref>
Kelly Gugu Mbatha-Raw
(young Kelly)		 Kelly is bisexual and Yorkie's love interest, in episode "San Junipero".<ref name="Black Mirror season 3"/><ref name="Black MirrorLezWatch"/>
Denise Burse
(elderly Kelly)		 Elderly Kelly sought refuge in San Junipero after her daughter died, and her husband killed himself.<ref name="Black MirrorLezWatch"/>
Amy Georgina Campbell Amy is bisexual, and in a dating simulation, trying to find her compatible other.<ref name="Black MirrorLezWatch"/>
2011–2014 Borgia Canal+ Francesc Gacet Art Malik title=I Borgia - la scheda della serie tv |url=https://www.cinemagay.it/serie-tv/borgia-i/ |website=Cinemagay.it |language=it-IT |date=February 7, 2018}}</ref>
Giuliano della Rovere Dejan Čukić Giuliano della Rovere was condemned by the Council of Pisa as a sodomite. The Council said it was because of his fondness for Francesco Alidosi, and other young men.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Monteagudo |first1=Jesse |title=Meet the 11 gay or bisexual Catholic popes from history |url=https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2017/08/meet-11-gay-bisexual-catholic-popes-history/ |website=LGBTQ Nation |date=17 August 2017}}</ref>
Francesco Alidosi Matt Di Angelo
2011–2013 {{sortname|The|Borgias|The Borgias (2011 TV series)}} Showtime Micheletto Corella Sean Harris last1=Hanson |first1=Britta |title=The Homogenized Queerness of Historical Television |url=https://www.flowjournal.org/2017/07/queer-tv-homogenization/ |website=Flow Journal |date=July 5, 2017}}</ref>
Angelino Darwin Shaw Angelino's lover is Micheletto Corella. Micheletto tells him that his impending marriage will be a lie. Angelino replies that he must proceed anyway, given the punishment for their homosexual relationship would be "disemboweled and burnt".<ref name="Homogenized Queerness"/>
Pascal Charlie Carrick last1=Wyatt |first1=David A. |title=Gay / Lesbian / Bisexual Television Characters |url=https://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~wyatt/tv-char2000s.html#test217 |publisher=University of Manitoba |date=September 10, 2016}}</ref>
Pope Alexander VI Jeremy Irons last1=Ogles |first1=Jacob |title=21 Gay Popes, Cardinals, and Assorted Catholic Leaders |url=https://www.advocate.com/religion/2018/2/02/21-gay-popes-cardinals-and-assorted-catholic-leaders |website=The Advocate |date=2 February 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Murphy |first1=Francis Xavier |title=Alexander VI {{!}} Biography, Legacy, & Facts |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexander-VI |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |date=1998 |quote=Alexander VI holds a high place on the list of the so-called bad popes.}}</ref>
2011 Crownies ABC1 Janet King Marta Dusseldorp Janet is a lesbian who lives with her partner Ashleigh Larsson, and she becomes pregnant via IVF.<ref>{{cite web |title=Janet King |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/janet-king/}}</ref> Her character continued in the Janet King spin-off.
Ashleigh Larsson Aimee Pedersen title=Ash Larsson |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/ash-larsson/}}</ref>
2011–2019 Game of Thrones HBO Renly Baratheon Gethin Anthony Renly is the gay brother of King Robert. He is in a secret relationship with Loras Tyrell.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Avery|first1=Dan|title=Renly Baratheon Is Proud He Brought Good Gay Lovin' To Westeros|url=http://www.newnownext.com/renly-baratheon-is-proud-he-brought-good-gay-lovin-to-westeros/09/2016/%7Cwebsite=NewNowNext|publisher=Logo|date=September 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191223133204/http://www.newnownext.com/renly-baratheon-is-proud-he-brought-good-gay-lovin-to-westeros/09/2016/%7Carchive-date=December 23, 2019}}</ref>
Loras Tyrell Finn Jones Loras is gay and the Knight of Flowers. He is in a secret relationship with Renly Baratheon.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Renfro|first1=Kim|title=Fans are up in arms about HBO's treatment of a side character on 'Game of Thrones'|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/game-of-thrones-loras-2015-5%7Cwebsite=Business Insider|date=May 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920011256/https://www.businessinsider.com/game-of-thrones-loras-2015-5%7Carchive-date=September 20, 2018}}</ref>
Oberyn Martell Pedro Pascal last1=Vineyard |first1=Jennifer |title=Game of Thrones Pedro Pascal on Oberyns Bisexuality, Orgies in Westeros, and Boy Candy |url=https://www.vulture.com/2014/04/pedro-pascal-oberyn-red-viper-bisexuality-interview.html |website=Vulture |date=April 7, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Stevenson|first1=Alexander|title="Game Of Thrones" Introduces Badass Bisexual Oberyn Martell In Season 4|url=http://www.newnownext.com/game-of-thrones-introduces-badass-bisexual-oberyn-martell-in-season-4/03/2014/%7Cwebsite=NewNowNext|date=March 2, 2014}}</ref>
Ellaria Sand Indira Varma last1=Mohan|first1=Keerthi|title='Game of Thrones' Actress Indira Varma Talks Nudity on Show; Reveals What's Next for Ellaria Sand|url=http://www.ibtimes.co.in/game-thrones-actress-indira-varma-talks-nudity-show-reveals-whats-next-ellaria-sand-623954%7Cwebsite=International Business Times|date=February 19, 2015}}</ref>
Marei Josephine Gillan title=Marei |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/marei/}}</ref>
Olyvar Will Tudor last1=Sarner |first1=Lauren |title=Loras Tyrell Says His Lover Olyvar Died Offscreen in 'Game of Thrones' |url=https://www.inverse.com/article/24998-loras-olyvar-died-offscreen |website=Inverse |date=December 9, 2016}}</ref>
Varys Conleth Hill last1=Whitney |first1=E. Oliver |title=Tyrion Had A Very Emotional Trial |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/game-of-thrones-recap_n_5307394 |website=Huff Post |date=12 May 2014}}</ref>
Yara Greyjoy Gemma Whelan title=Yara Greyjoy |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/yara-greyjoy/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Vineyard |first1=Jennifer |title=Game of Thrones’ Gemma Whelan on Yara’s Sexuality and Freezing on Set |url=https://www.vulture.com/2016/07/gemma-whelan-yara-sexuality-game-of-thrones.html |website=Vulture |date=July 6, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Trivedi|first1=Sachin|title='Game of Thrones' Season 7 spoilers: Yara is 'pansexual'; Possible romance with Daenerys|url=http://www.ibtimes.com.au/game-thrones-season-7-spoilers-yara-pansexual-possible-romance-daenerys-1521432%7Cwebsite=International Business Times|date=July 11, 2016}}</ref>
Doreah Roxanne McKee title=Doreah |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/doreah/}}</ref>
Hodor Kristian Nairn last1=Sobel |first1=Ariel |title=11 LGBTQ Characters Who Played the 'Game of Thrones' |url=https://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2017/7/17/11-lgbt-characters-who-played-game-thrones#media-gallery-media-1 |website=The Advocate |date=17 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Moylan |first1=Brian |title=Game of Thrones Has a Gay Problem |url=https://www.vulture.com/2016/06/game-of-thrones-has-a-gay-problem.html |website=Vulture |date=June 28, 2016}}</ref>
2011–2015 Hart of Dixie CW Crickett Watts Brandi Burkhardt title=Crickett Watts |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/cricket-watts/}}</ref>
Jaysene Charles Erica Piccininni title=Jaysene Charles |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/jaysene-charles/}}</ref>
2011–2016 Hell on Wheels AMC Louise Ellison Jennifer Ferrin Louise is bisexual and a newspaper reporter sent by the New York Tribune to cover the building of the Union Pacific Railroad; she reveals that the assignment was a punishment for exhibiting attraction toward the newspaper editors daughter.<ref>{{cite web |title=Louise Ellison |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/louise-ellison/}}</ref>
2011–2014 {{sortname|The|Killing|The Killing (U.S. TV series)}} AMC
Netflix		 Regi Darnell Annie Corley title=The Killing |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/the-killing/}}</ref>
Rachel "Bullet" Olmstead Bex Taylor-Klaus last1=Hogan|first1=Heather|title="The Killing" adds a "tough scrappy" lesbian character|url=https://www.afterellen.com/tv/107547-the-killing-adds-a-tough-scrappy-lesbian-character%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=May 20, 2013}}</ref>
Nicole Jackson Claudia Ferri last1=Kine|first1=Starlee|title=An Exhaustive List of All the Things You Missed by Skipping Season Two of The Killing|url=https://www.vulture.com/2012/06/what-you-missed-on-season-two-of-the-killing.html%7Cwebsite=Vulture|date=June 15, 2012}}</ref>
Roberta Drays Patti Kim title=Cast & Crew: Roberta Drays|url=https://www.amc.com/shows/the-killing/cast-crew/roberta-drays%7Cwebsite=AMC}}</ref>
Ellen Hilary Strang Ellen is lesbian, and Regi's girlfriend, and then wife.<ref name="The Killing Lez Watch"/>
2011–2013 Necessary Roughness USA Rex Evans Travis Smith url=http://www.thebacklot.com/travis-smith-on-necessary-roughness-and-his-gay-pro-quarterback-character/02/2013/%7Ctitle=The Backlot - Corner of Hollywood and Gay - NewNowNext|website=LOGO News}}</ref>
2011–2018 Once Upon a Time ABC Mulan Jamie Chung last1=Bricker|first1=Tierney|title=Once Upon a Time's Jamie Chung Speaks Out on Mulan's Gay Reveal: "Her Heart Is With Aurora"|url=http://www.eonline.com/news/501450/once-upon-a-time-s-jamie-chung-speaks-out-on-mulan-s-gay-reveal-her-heart-is-with-aurora%7Cwebsite=E! News|date=January 19, 2014}}</ref>
Ruby Lucas Meghan Ory title=Once Upon a Time |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/once-upon-a-time/}}</ref>
Dorothy Gale Teri Reeves Dorothy is a lesbian, and that girl from Kansas. She is cursed and only True Love's Kiss (from Ruby) can awaken her.<ref name="Once Upon a TimeLezWatch.TV"/>
Alice Rose Reynolds last1=MacDonald|first1=Lindsay|title=Once Upon a Time Star on Alice's New Romance: "Love Is Love"|url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/once-upon-a-times-rose-reynolds-alice-robin-love-story/%7Cwebsite=TV Guide|publisher=CBS Interactive|date=December 15, 2017}}</ref>
Robin Tiera Skovbye Robin is a lesbian. She is the daughter of Robin Hook and Zelena (the Wicked Witch of the West).<ref name="Once Upon a TimeLezWatch.TV"/>
2011–2016 Person of Interest CBS Sameen Shaw Sarah Shahi title=Sameen Shaw |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sameen-shaw/}}</ref>
Root (Samantha Groves) Amy Acker title=Root |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/root/}}</ref>
Amy Enright Erica Leerhsen title=Amy Enright |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/amy-enright/}}</ref>
Madeleine Enright Sharon Leal title=Madeleine Enright |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/madeleine-enright/}}</ref>
2011 {{sortname|The|Playboy Club}} NBC Bunny Alice Leah Renee Alice is a Playboy Bunny and secretly lesbian. She is in a sham marriage with Sean, who is gay.<ref>{{cite web |title=Alice |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/alice/}}</ref>
Sean Beasley Sean Maher Sean is gay. Alice and Sean are in a sham marriage.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.afterelton.com/tv-nbc-sean-maher-smash-playboy-a-manns-world |title=New Music Videos, Reality TV Shows, Celebrity News, Pop Culture | LOGOtv |access-date=2011-05-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110602163756/http://www.afterelton.com/tv-nbc-sean-maher-smash-playboy-a-manns-world |archive-date=2011-06-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.afterelton.com/tv-on-tap-07-12-2011 |title=New Music Videos, Reality TV Shows, Celebrity News, Pop Culture | LOGOtv |access-date=2011-07-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714025955/http://www.afterelton.com/tv-on-tap-07-12-2011 |archive-date=2011-07-14}}</ref>
Frances Dunhill Cassidy Freeman title=Frances Dunhill |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/frances-dunhill/}}</ref>
2011–2015 Revenge ABC Nolan Ross Gabriel Mann Nolan is bisexual dotcom billionaire, and rates himself a 3 on the Kinsey scale.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Avery |first1=Dan |title=Gabriel Mann, Resident Bisexual On "Revenge," Promises "Full-Body Reveal" In Season 3 |url=http://www.newnownext.com/gabriel-mann-resident-bisexual-on-revenge-promises-full-body-reveal-in-season-3/08/2013/ |website=NewNowNext |date=August 12, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Hern |first1=Greg |title=Gabriel Mann's bisexual character on ABC's Revenge expected to swing back to men |url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/gabriel-manns-bisexual-character-abcs-revenge-expected-swing-back-men140813/ |website=Gay Star News |date=14 August 2013}}</ref>
Tyler Barrol Ashton Holmes Tyler is a bisexual hustler, who suffers from bipolar disorder.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Batty |first1=David |title=How Revenge lost the plot |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2013/feb/25/how-revenge-lost-plot-e4-drama |website=The Guardian |date=25 February 2013}}</ref>
Marco Romero E.J. Bonilla last1=Halterman |first1=Jim |title=EJ Bonilla On Soft Lips And More "Revenge" |url=http://www.newnownext.com/ej-bonilla-on-soft-lips-and-more-revenge/11/2012/ |website=NewNowNext |date=November 30, 2012}}</ref>
Patrick Osbourne Justin Hartley Patrick is gay and the illegitimate son of Victoria Greyson (Madeline Stowe). Patrick and Nolan had a relationship in season 3.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wieselman |first1=Jarett |title=Justin Hartley Teases 'Revenge' Romance Fallout |url=http://www.etonline.com/tv/140218_Justin_Hartley_Revenge_Interview/ |website=Entertainment Tonight |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150407023336/http://www.etonline.com/tv/140218_Justin_Hartley_Revenge_Interview/ |archive-date=April 7, 2015 |date=October 31, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
Regina Seychelle Gabriel title=Regina George |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/regina-george/}}</ref>
2011–2012 Ringer {{sortname|The|CW|The CW Television Network}} Olivia Charles Jaime Murray title=Ringer |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/ringer/}}</ref>
Catherine Martin Andrea Roth Catherine is bisexual and in a relationship with Olivia.<ref name="Ringer olivia catherine"/>
2011–2016 Scott & Bailey ITV Helen Bartlett Nicola Walker Helen is a lesbian, and emotionally disturbed. She eventually commits suicide by slashing her wrists.<ref name="Scott Bailey LezWatch"/>
Anna Ran Jing Lusi Anna is a lesbian, and a detective assigned to Syndicate 9.<ref name="Scott Bailey LezWatch"/>
Louise Caroline Harding title=Scott & Bailey |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/scott-bailey/}}</ref>

Shameless (2011–2021)

Shameless on Showtime (Seasons 1 - 11)
Character Actor Notes
Ian Gallagher Cameron Monaghan In the series pilot, Ian is a closeted gay, he comes out after his brother Lip (Jeremy Allen White), discovers his cache of gay pornography. Ian's first gay relationship in the series is with Kash Karib, owner of Kash and Grab, the neighborhood convenience store where Ian works. In season 1, episode 7, Ian has his first sexual encounter with Mickey Milkovich. Their relationship is on-and-off again throughout the series, with the two finally getting married in the series finale of season 10, in episode "Gallavich!". Ian's other sexual partners in the series run include, Lloyd Lishman, Caleb and Trevor.{{Sfn|GLAAD|2007|p=9}}
Monica Gallagher Chloe Webb Monica is bisexual, and the Gallagher clan mother. She ran off to be with a woman, and then came back and hooked up with a drug dealer. She died of a cerebral hemorrhage following a drunken night out.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/>
Debbie Gallagher Emma Kenney last1=Bendix|first1=Trish|url=http://www.afterellen.com/TV/2011/01/shameless-has-lesbians-theyre-just-a-little-under-the-radar%7Ctitle="Shameless" has lesbians, they're just a little under the radar|website=AfterEllen|date=January 27, 2011|access-date=11 September 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110130061915/http://www.afterellen.com/TV/2011/01/shameless-has-lesbians-theyre-just-a-little-under-the-radar%7Carchive-date=30 January 2011}}</ref><ref name="Francis Season 11 Premiere HND">{{cite web |last1=Francis |first1=Sue |title='Shameless' Season 11 Premiere Spoilers: Crazy Relationship Drama & Shocking Hook Up |url=https://www.hollywoodnewsdaily.com/shameless-season-11-spoilers-drama-hook-up |website=Hollywood News Daily |date=6 December 2020}}</ref>
Mickey Milkovich Noel Fisher In the beginning of the series, Mickey is a closeted gay. His first gay encounter is with Ian Gallagher. They maintain a secret relationship until season 3, when Mickey's dad catches them together. Mickey publicly comes out, and reveals his love for Ian in season 4, episode 11. His relationship with Ian is on-and-off again throughout the series, with the two finally getting married in the series finale of season 10, in episode "Gallavich!". Mickey has a brief relationship with Byron Koch, in order to make Ian jealous.<ref name="shameless gays logo">{{cite web |last1=Macavoy |first1=Tim |title=When it Comes to the Gays, Shameless Has Nothing to be Ashamed of |url=http://www.newnownext.com/when-it-comes-to-the-gays-shameless-has-nothing-to-be-ashamed-of/03/2010/2/ |website=NewNowNext |date=March 25, 2010}}</ref>
Molly Milkovich Madison Rothschild Molly is a trans girl. She is the cousin of Mickey and Mandy Milkovich.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/>
Sandy Milkovich Elise Eberle Sandy is a lesbian, and is dating Debbie.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/>
Kash Pej Vahdat last1=DiCarlo |first1=Steve |title=Shameless: 20 Things Wrong With Ian We All Choose To Ignore |url=https://screenrant.com/shameless-things-ian-we-ignore/ |website=ScreenRant |date=26 February 2019}}</ref>
Jess Missy Doty title=Shameless (US) |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/shameless-us/}}</ref>
Lloyd Lishman Harry Hamlin last1=Hodges |first1=Chris |title=10 New Character Additions That Hurt Shameless (And 10 That Saved It) |url=https://screenrant.com/shameless-new-characters-additions-saved-show/ |website=Screen Rant |date=21 September 2018}}</ref>
Svetlana Fisher Isidora Goreshter Svetlana is bisexual and a former sex worker. She was Mickey's wife, and then was in a polyamorous relationship with Veronica and Kev in season 6.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/><ref name="McNutt Shameless AV Club"/><ref name="Bernard Autostraddle Shameless"/>
Veronica Fisher Shanola Hampton last1=McNutt |first1=Myles |title=Shameless has its characters explore modern romance, with mixed results |url=https://tv.avclub.com/shameless-has-its-characters-explore-modern-romance-wi-1798189192 |website=The AV Club |date=October 9, 2016}}</ref>
Angela Dichen Lachman last1=Bernard |first1=Riese |author1-link=Riese Bernard |title="Shameless" Racked Up 15+ Queer Women Characters While You Were Getting High |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/shameless-has-racked-up-15-queer-women-characters-in-nine-years-452571/ |website=Autostraddle |date=14 March 2019}}</ref>
Jasmine Hollander Amy Smart Jasmine is a bisexual friend of Fiona who is interested in her. After Fiona refuses to offer her financial help, Jasmine gets angry and leaves, never speaking to her again.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/>
Caleb Jeff Pierre last1=Escobedo Shepherd |first1=Julianne |title=Shameless Introduces a Trans Character and Teaches Ian a Lesson |url=https://themuse.jezebel.com/shameless-introduces-a-trans-character-and-teaches-ian-1788156572 |website=Jezebel |date=October 24, 2016}}</ref><ref name="McNutt Shameless AV Club"/>
Trevor Elliot Fletcher Trevor is a trans man, and an LGBT+ activist. Trevor and Ian were in a relationship in season 7.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/><ref name="Jezebel Shameless Trans"/>
Abraham Paige Bradley Whitford last1=Bricker |first1=Tierney |title=Shameless First Look: The West Wing's Bradley Whitford Makes His Debut—See the Pic! |url=https://www.eonline.com/news/394177/shameless-first-look-the-west-wing-s-bradley-whitford-makes-his-debut-see-the-pic |website=E! Online |date=March 4, 2013}}</ref>
Nessa Jessica Szohr Nessa is a lesbian, and Mel's girlfriend.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/><ref name="Bernard Autostraddle Shameless"/>
Mel Perry Mattfield Mel is a lesbian, and Nessa's girlfriend.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/><ref name="Bernard Autostraddle Shameless"/>
Alex Ashley Romans Alex is lesbian, and briefly worked with Debbie for a while. She asks Debbie out for a drink.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/><ref name="Bernard Autostraddle Shameless"/>
Amanda Nichole Bloom Amanda is a bisexual college student and in a relationship with Lip. She exposes Lip's affair with a professor.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/><ref name="Bernard Autostraddle Shameless"/>
Claudia Nicolo Constance Zimmer Claudia is a bisexual, and sleeps with Debbie, thinking her to be a prostitute. After Debbie makes it clear she is not a prostitute, Claudia becomes her sugar mama.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/>
Karen Jackson Laura Slade Wiggins Karen is bisexual, and was a real bitch. Her personality radically changed after a car accident almost killed her.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/><ref name="Bernard Autostraddle Shameless"/>
Barb Lea DeLaria Barb is a lesbian, and was Lip' sponsor for Alcoholics Anonymous.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/><ref name="Bernard Autostraddle Shameless"/>
Liz Mia Barron Liz is a lesbian, and was a customer of @DebbieHotLesbianConvict, Debbie's handyman company.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/>
Roberta Carlease Burke Roberta is lesbian, and was Monica's girlfriend for a while.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/><ref name="Bernard Autostraddle Shameless"/>
Calista Paula Andrea Placido Calista is a lesbian, and along with her ex-wife Haley, they are opening up a new queer bar in the Gallagher's neighborhood. She hires Debbie to do a handyperson job.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/>
Haley Mary Alexis Cruz Haley is a lesbian, and she is opening up a new queer bar in the Gallagher's neighborhood, with her ex-wife Calista.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/>
Jill Jenna Elfman Jill is a lesbian, and was Monica's friend at the drug clinic, where they escape from.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/>
Miss June Roxy Wood Miss June is a trans woman, busted by the police for selling loose cigarettes.<ref name="Shameless US lgbt lez"/>
Geneva Juliette Angelo Geneva is a lesbian. She was involved in the Gay Jesus movement along with Ian, who portrayed Gay Jesus.<ref name="Bernard Autostraddle Shameless"/>
The Two Lisas Jenica Bergere A lesbian couple, both named Lisa, who were buying up numerous properties in the Gallagher's neighborhood for a gentrification project.<ref name="Bernard Autostraddle Shameless"/>
Lee Stark
Byron Koch Adam Farabee Byron is gay, and has a brief relationship with Mickey, who is trying to make Ian jealous. Ian ends up beating Byron up after hearing him bad mouth Mickey, in season 10, episode 10.<ref name="Lips Big Decision">{{cite web |last1=Darwish |first1=Meaghan |title='Shameless': Lip's Big Decision, Ian's Relationship Status & More From 'Now Leaving Illinois' (RECAP) |url=https://www.tvinsider.com/847925/shameless-season-10-episode-10-recap/ |website=TV Insider |date=January 12, 2020}}</ref>
Cole Chester Lockhart Cole is gay, and has a hook up with Ian; he found Cole on Grindr and invites him along on a date to make Mickey jealous. Cole ends up getting beat up by Mickey in season 10, episode 10.<ref name="Lips Big Decision"/>
Tim Michael Sasaki Tim is gay and his partner is Brendan. Ian and Mickey meet them while shopping, in their quest to make new gay friends, in episode "Two at a Biker Bar, One in the Lake".<ref name="Two at a Biker Bar"/><ref name="Mickey Ians Friends">{{cite web |last1=Darwish |first1=Meaghan |title='Shameless': To Stay or Not to Stay Is the Gallagher Family's Big Question|url=https://www.tvinsider.com/989639/shameless-season-11-episode-7-recap/ |website=TV Insider |date=March 7, 2021}}</ref>
Brendan Brian Dare Brendan is gay and his partner is Tim. Ian and Mickey meet them while shopping, in their quest to make new gay friends, in episode "Two at a Biker Bar, One in the Lake".<ref name="Two at a Biker Bar">{{Cite episode|series=Shameless|title=Two at a Biker Bar, One in the Lake|episode-link=Shameless (season 11)#ep129|series-link=Shameless (American TV series)|network=Showtime|date=March 7, 2021|season=11|number=7|last=Buiser|first=Phillip|minutes=30:09}}</ref><ref name="Mickey Ians Friends"/>
Jon Giancarlo Jon is gay and his partner is Travis. Ian and Mickey meet them at a dinner party, in their quest to make new gay friends, in episode "Two at a Biker Bar, One in the Lake".<ref name="One in the Lake">{{Cite episode|series=Shameless|title=Two at a Biker Bar, One in the Lake|episode-link=Shameless (season 11)#ep129|series-link=Shameless (American TV series)|network=Showtime|date=March 7, 2021|season=11|number=7|last=Buiser|first=Phillip|minutes=38:07}}</ref><ref name="Mickey Ians Friends"/>
Travis Doug Locke Travis is gay and his partner is Jon. Ian and Mickey meet them at a dinner party, in their quest to make new gay friends, in episode "Two at a Biker Bar, One in the Lake".<ref name="One in the Lake"/><ref name="Mickey Ians Friends"/>
Kevin's Hookup Chris Prascus Kevin's Hookup (Don Wessels's kid), is gay. When Kevin starts to question his sexuality, he attempts to give oral sex to his hookup, but discovers that he is not turned on, and realizes he is not gay, not even part gay. In season 8, episode "Icarus Fell And Rusty Ate Him".<ref>{{Cite episode|series=Shameless|title=Icarus Fell And Rusty Ate Him|episode-link=Shameless (season 8)#ep90|series-link=Shameless (American TV series)|network=Showtime|date=December 10, 2017|season=8|number=6|last=Steilen|first=Mark|minutes=38:24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Lawrence |first1=Derek |title='Shameless' recap: Kevin struggles with his sexuality |url=https://ew.com/recap/shameless-season-8-episode-6/ |website=Entertainment Weekly |date=December 10, 2017}}</ref>
Tony Markovich Tyler Jacob Moore last1=DeRosa |first1=Michael |title=Shameless: 10 Duos Who Should Have Dated |url=https://screenrant.com/shameless-characters-should-have-romance-dated/ |website=Screen Rant |date=13 February 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Steiner |first1=Amanda Michelle |title='Shameless' recap: The Gallaghers are homeless, and Ian has a date |url=https://ew.com/recap/shameless-season-6-episode-5/ |website=Entertainment Weekly |date=February 8, 2016}}</ref>
Tommy Michael Patrick McGill Tommy and Kermit are regulars at The Alibi Room, Kev and Veronica's bar. When they start selling marijuana for medicinal purposes, they encourage Tommy and Kermit to try some. The duo each consume a marijuana brownie, and when Kev and Veronica aren't looking, Tommy and Kermit consume all of the brownies and all of the marijuana gummies. Later in the men's bathroom, Tommy and Kermit are sharing a sink, when Kermit makes a reach for Tommy's butt and instead of pulling away, Tommy slowly leads Kermit into the stall for a hookup.<ref name="Francis Season 11 Premiere HND"/><ref name="10 Duos Who Should Have Dated"/>
Kermit Jim Hoffmaster

2011 continued

Year Show Network Character Actor Notes
2011 Skins MTV Tea Marvelli Sofia Black D'Elia url=http://uknewsreporter.co.uk/skins-shameless-and-being-human-which-won-the-ratings-battle-in-the-usa/6711406/ |title=Archived copy |access-date=2011-01-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120716095517/http://uknewsreporter.co.uk/skins-shameless-and-being-human-which-won-the-ratings-battle-in-the-usa/6711406/ |archive-date=2012-07-16}}</ref>
Betty Nardone Blaine Morris title=Betty Nardone |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/betty-nardone/}}</ref>
2011–2017 Switched at Birth Freeform Matthew Daniel Durant last1=Temkin |first1=Deborah |title=The Misguided Bullying Storyline on Switched at Birth |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-misguided-bullying-st_b_5530402 |website=Huff Post |date=25 June 2014}}</ref>
Renzo Alec Mapa last1=Raisler |first1=Carrie |title=Switched At Birth: "Have You Really The Courage?" |url=https://tv.avclub.com/switched-at-birth-have-you-really-the-courage-1798179463 |website=TV Club |date=February 10, 2014}}</ref>
Natalie Pierce Stephanie Nogueras title=Natalie Pierce |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/natalie-pierce/}}</ref>
Hilary Abby Walla title=Hilary |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/hilary/}}</ref>
2011–2015 Waterloo Road BBC One Martin Dunbar Matt Greenwood url=https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/newsmanchester/i-was-once-too-shy-to-ask-for-ketchup-in-mcdonalds-but-i-went-on-to-appear-in-an-oscar-winning-blockbuster/ar-BB13x6xN |title='I was once too shy to ask for ketchup in McDonald's, but I went on to appear in an Oscar- winning blockbuster' |last=Fitzpatrick |first=Katie |date=March 5, 2020 |website=MSN |publisher=Manchester Evening News |access-date=February 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.is/8sFeA |archive-date=February 5, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Martin Dunbar |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/martin-dunbar/}}</ref>
Nate Gurney Scott Haining last1=McLennan |first1=Patrick |title=Nate’s dad is furious his son’s gay {{!}} Episode {{!}} Waterloo Road |url=https://www.whatsontv.co.uk/events/nate-s-dad-is-furious-his-son-s-gay/ |website=What's on TV |date=February 2, 2011}}</ref>
Colin Scott Chris Finch author1=Staff Reporter |title=Actor Chris drops in to help |url=https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/2037031.actor-chris-drops-in-to-help/ |website=The Bolton News |date=February 12, 2008}}</ref>
Josh Stevenson William Rush last1=Welsh |first1=Daniel |title='X Factor': 'Waterloo Road' Actor Will Rush Auditions For The Judges |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/x-factor-waterloo-road-will-rush_uk_57dc1a9de4b0d584f7f12f3f?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAANzTzvUrDHIR5gnr59UEL3iQX6kEqjnRBjHmCK9Zx3HTEBcQqgoNPeQjDBnFJBmT4fMan2ZqgTjO5uIJ2fz306dQ_4NAsYxea1gfPZbnhMDW2Obd9G8B7vOo6T8llM2zQbchVU8eVUxHYlUNwJVoZUcPUfelGpo4nwusd91FbN4K |website=HuffPo UK |date=September 17, 2016}}</ref>
Matt Wilding Chris Geere last1=Rankin |first1=JJ |title=You're The Worst: 10 Things You Never Knew About The Cast |url=https://screenrant.com/youre-the-worst-fx-series-cast-facts/ |website=ScreenRant |date=21 January 2021}}</ref>
Jo Lipsett Sarah-Jane Potts title=Waterloo Road |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/waterloo-road/}}</ref>
Nikki Boston Heather Peace Nikki is lesbian, and a teacher at the school. She and Vix left the show together.<ref name="Waterloo Road LezWatch.TV"/>
Ros McCain Sophie McShera Ros is a lesbian, and falls in love with her teacher, Jo Lipsett.<ref name="Waterloo Road LezWatch.TV"/>
Kacey Barry Brogan Ellis Kacey is a trans boy, and student at the school. After disguising himself as a boy to play in a soccer match, he realizes how much more comfortable he is as a male. Kacey decides to postpone any medical changes until after school.<ref name="Waterloo Road LezWatch.TV"/>
Lorraine Donnegan Daniela Denby-Ashe Lorraine is a lesbian, and philanthropist and businesswoman. She is a former pupil at the school.<ref name="Waterloo Road LezWatch.TV"/>
Vix Spark Kristin Atherton Vix is a lesbian, and has a homemade jewellery business. She and Nikki leave to be together.<ref name="Waterloo Road LezWatch.TV"/>

2012

Year Show Network Character Actor Notes
2012–2020 Arrow {{sortname|The|CW|The CW Television Network}} Sara Lance Caity Lotz
(Jacqueline Wood)		 Sara is bisexual and Nyssa's ex-lover. Jacqueline Wood played Sara in her first appearance on Arrow.<ref name="ArrowLezWatch"/>
Nyssa al Ghul Katrina Law title=Arrow |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/arrow/}}</ref>
Curtis Holt Echo Kellum last1=Prudom |first1=Laura |title=‘Arrow’ Casts Echo Kellum as Mr. Terrific for Season 4 |url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/arrow-mr-terrific-echo-kellum-season-4-1201543026/ |website=Variety |date=17 July 2015}}</ref>
Paul Holt Chenier Hundal last1=Espiritu |first1=Emmanuelle |title='Arrow' season 5 spoilers, plot news 2016: The New Year brings new crises to Team Arrow |url=https://www.christiantimes.com/news/arrow-season-5-episode-10-spoilers-the-new-year-brings-new-crises-to-team-arrow.html |website=The Christian Times |date=December 10, 2016}}</ref>
Nick Anastas Evan Roderick title=Feature: Evan Roderick aka Nick Anastas is Officer-turned-vigilante in Season 7 CW's 'Arrow' |url=https://occhimagazine.com/feature-evan-roderick-aka-nick-anastas-is-officer-turned-vigilante-in-season-7-cws-arrow/ |website=Occhi Magazine |date=17 October 2018}}</ref>
William Ben Lewis In a flash-forward, William is joking about his frequently absent father, and retorts: "And my ex-boyfriend wonders why I have commitment issues". In season 7, episode "The Longbow Hunters".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Duffy|first1=Nick|title=Arrow just revealed a major character is gay|url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/10/24/arrow-gay-character-william-son/%7Cwebsite=Pink News|date=24 October 2018}}</ref>
Kate Kane Ruby Rose
(Wallis Day)		 author=Jesse|title=Batwoman Explained: What to Know About Ruby Rose's Elseworlds Crossover Character|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2018/12/10/batwoman-explained-how-the-batman-love-interest-became-a-lgbtq-icon%7Cwebsite=IGN|date=December 10, 2018}}</ref>
Alex Danvers Chyler Leigh Alex was a closeted lesbian, and then came out to herself and then finally everyone.<ref name="ArrowLezWatch"/>
John Constantine Matt Ryan John is bisexual and was brought in to deal with the fallout of the resurrection of Sara Lance, in episode "Haunted".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dominguez |first1=Noah |title=Matt Ryan Says Constantine Isn't Just Bisexual - He's 'Bi-Specieal' |url=https://www.cbr.com/justice-league-dark-apokolips-war-john-constantine-bisexual-bispecieal-matt-ryan/ |website=Comic Book Resources |date=7 May 2020}}</ref>
2012–2013 Bomb Girls Global Betty McRae Ali Liebert title=Betty McRae |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/betty-mcrae/}}</ref>
Teresa Rachel Wilson Teresa is lesbian and a Canadian Women's Army Corps sergeant. She is in a relationship with Betty.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hogan|first1=Heather|title=10 reasons to watch "Bomb Girls" TONIGHT!|url=https://www.afterellen.com/tv/106703-10-reasons-to-watch-bomb-girls-tonight/2%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=April 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912225559/https://www.afterellen.com/tv/106703-10-reasons-to-watch-bomb-girls-tonight/2%7Carchive-date=September 12, 2015}}</ref>
2012– Call the Midwife BBC One Patience "Patsy" Mount Emerald Fennell Patsy is a closeted lesbian, and a midwife. She is in a relationship with Delia, and they later move to Scotland.<ref>{{cite web |title=Patsy Mount |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/patsy-mount/}}</ref><ref name="Season 4 of Call the Midwife"/>
Delia Bubsy Kate Lamb last1=Drachman|first1=Chen|title=Season 4 of "Call the Midwife" gives us a sweet lesbian romance then dashes our hopes|url=http://www.afterellen.com/tv/419541-season-4-call-midwife-gives-us-sweet-lesbian-romance-dashes-hopes%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=March 10, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=McGrath|first1=Rachel|title='Call The Midwife' Fans Praise Lesbian Kiss As Series Closes On A High|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/call-the-midwlfe-series-finale-lesbian-kiss_uk_58c672bee4b054a0ea6b8b9b%7Cwebsite=HuffPost|date=March 13, 2017}}</ref>
2012– Chicago Fire NBC Leslie Shay Lauren German Leslie is a lesbian, and a paramedic on Ambulance 61.<ref name=":1Chicago Fire"/>
Clarice Carthage Shiri Appleby title=Chicago Fire |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/chicago-fire/}}</ref>
Devon Vedette Lim Devon is a lesbian. In season 2 Leslie briefly dates Devon, who robs her apartment and disappears.<ref name=":1Chicago Fire"/>
Emily Foster Annie Ilonzeh Emily is bisexual, and a paramedic.<ref name=":1Chicago Fire"/>
Darren Ritter Daniel Kyri last1=Moore |first1=Evan F. |title=For Daniel Kyri, it’s ‘an honor’ to represent Black, gay people on ‘Chicago Fire’ |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/movies-and-tv/2021/1/4/22203118/daniel-kyri-chicago-fire-ritter-nbc-lgbt-queer-black-man-art-after-school-matters-theater |website=Chicago Sun-Times |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210104193128/https://chicago.suntimes.com/movies-and-tv/2021/1/4/22203118/daniel-kyri-chicago-fire-ritter-nbc-lgbt-queer-black-man-art-after-school-matters-theater |archive-date=4 January 2021 |date=4 January 2021}}</ref>
2012–2015 Continuum Showcase Jasmine Garza Luvia Petersen last1=Sheppard|first1=Denise|title=Continuum's bisexual Liber8tor|url=https://www.dailyxtra.com/continuums-bisexual-liber8tor-50231 |website=Daily Xtra|publisher=Pink Triangle Press|date=June 27, 2013}}</ref>
2012 Don't Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves SVT1 Rasmus Adam Pålsson Rasmus is 19 and gay. After graduation. he moves from rural Värmland to Stockholm to attend college. As soon as he arrives in Stockholm he begins to seek out the gay community. He begins a relationship with Benjamin. Rasmus is later found to be HIV-positive and eventually dies.<ref name="Dont Ever Wipe Tears">{{cite web |last1=Cohen |first1=Benjamin |title=Don’t Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves: The TV show you must not miss |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2013/12/01/dont-ever-wipe-tears-without-gloves-the-tv-show-you-must-not-miss/ |website=Pink News |date=1 December 2013}}</ref><ref name="Time Out London Wipe Tears"/>
Paul Simon J. Berger last1=Smith |first1=Anna |title=Don’t Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves |url=https://www.timeout.com/london/tv-reviews/dont-ever-wipe-tears-without-gloves |website=Time Out London |date=November 25, 2013}}</ref>
Benjamin Adam Lundgren Benjamin is young and struggling to come to terms with his homosexuality and faith as a Jehovah's Witness. Benjamin begins a relationship with Rasmus, and stays by his side the entire time he is dying. Benjamin is the only one out of the three characters to survive the AIDS crisis, and is seen in the last episode reflecting about that period in his life 20 years later.<ref name="Dont Ever Wipe Tears"/><ref name="Time Out London Wipe Tears"/>
2012–2013 Emily Owens, M.D. {{sortname|The|CW|The CW Television Network}} Tyra Dupre Kelly McCreary title=Tyra Dupre |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/tyra-dupre/}}</ref>
Jake Reeser 3 different babies portray Jake Jake is an intersexual baby who has a penis as well as ovaries. The parents discuss raising the child gender neutral and allowing them to decide when they are older.<ref>{{cite web |title=Jake Reeser |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/jake-reeser/}}</ref>
2012 GCB ABC Blake Reilly Mark Deklin last1=Eramo |first1=Steve |title=A Chat With GCB's Mark Deklin |url=http://www.themortonreport.com/entertainment/television/a-chat-with-gcbs-mark-deklin/ |website=The Morton Report |date=5 April 2012}}</ref>
2012–2017 Girls HBO Elijah Krantz Andrew Rannells Elijah is openly gay, and dates several men throughout the series, never really having a serious boyfriend.<ref name="Rise of Elijah on Girls"/>
George Billy Morrissette last1=Gallagher |first1=Caitlin |title=Elijah's Realistic Gay Sex Scene On HBO's 'Girls' Was A Really Progressive Move For The Show |url=https://www.bustle.com/articles/146350-elijahs-realistic-gay-sex-scene-on-hbos-girls-was-a-really-progressive-move-for-the-show |website=Bustle}}</ref>
Dill Harcourt Corey Stoll last1=Chaney |first1=Jen |title=The Rise of Elijah on Girls |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/03/andrew-rannells-girls-the-rise-of-elijah.html |website=Vulture |date=March 26, 2017}}</ref><ref name="How Elijah Became">{{cite web |last1=Budowski |first1=Jade |title=How Elijah Became The Best Character On ‘Girls’ |url=https://decider.com/2017/03/27/how-elijah-became-the-best-character-on-girls/ |website=Decider |date=27 March 2017}}</ref>
Pal Danny Strong last1=Van Syckle |first1=Katie |title=Danny Strong on Playing Elijah’s Mean Boyfriend on Girls, Pizza Parties With the Cast, and Empire |url=https://www.vulture.com/2014/02/girls-danny-strong-interview.html |website=Vulture |date=February 20, 2014}}</ref>
2012 {{sortname|The|L.A. Complex}} CTV
MuchMusic		 Kaldrick King Andra Fuller last1=Delmacy |first1=Nick |title=The L.A. Complex – "Kaldrick King and Tariq’s First Date" |url=https://cypheravenue.com/gif-rewind-the-l-a-complex-kaldrick-king-and-tariqs-first-date/ |website=Cypher Avenue |date=2015}}</ref>
Tariq Muhammad Benjamin Charles Watson Tariq is gay and an aspiring rapper working at the production company where Kaldrick records. The two start a secret relationship.<ref name="Cypher Avenue King and Tariq"/>
Christopher Taylor Jarod Joseph last1=Johnson |first1=George M. |title=‘The 100’s Queer Heartthrob Is Getting More Storylines In Season 5 |url=https://www.intomore.com/culture/the-100s-queer-heartthrob-is-getting-more-storylines-in-season-5/ |website=Into |date=10 April 2018}}</ref>
2012–2016 Last Tango in Halifax BBC One Caroline Dawson Sarah Lancashire last1=Duffy|first1=Nick|title=Last Tango in Halifax creator: Killing lesbian character was a mistake|url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2016/09/06/last-tango-in-halifax-creator-killing-lesbian-character-was-a-mistake/%7Cwebsite=PinkNews|date=6 September 2016}}</ref>
Kate McKenzie Nina Sosanya Kate is lesbian, and married to Caroline.<ref name="Tango in Halifax"/>
Olga Lorraine Burroughs title=Olga |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/olga/}}</ref>
Judith Ronni Ancona title=Judith |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/judith/}}</ref>
2012– Line of Duty BBC Two
BBC One (2017)		 DCI Joanne Davidson Kelly Macdonald Joanne is lesbian and the SIO of "Operation Lighthouse" (season 6). She was accused by her ex, Farida, of cheating on her with Kate Fleming.
PC/PS Farida Jatri Anneika Rose last1=Wakefield |first1=Lily |title=Line of Duty leaves fans reeling with sapphic twist and ‘s**t storm of lesbian drama’ |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2021/03/22/kate-line-of-duty-fleming-gay-lesbian-joanne-davidson-vicky-mcclure-kelly-macdonald/ |website=PinkNews |date=March 22, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Davies |first1=Nadia |title=Lesbian Twitter is still talking about the new season of Line Of Duty |url=https://divamag.co.uk/2021/03/24/lesbian-twitter-is-still-talking-about-the-new-season-of-line-of-duty/ |work=Diva |date=24 March 2021}}</ref>
2012–2018 Major Crimes TNT Rusty Beck Graham Patrick Martin title=Interview Exclusive: Graham Patrick Martin |url=https://www.candidmagazine.com/graham-patrick-martin-interview/ |website=Candid Magazine |date=27 July 2020}}</ref>
Gustavo Wallace Rene Rosado last1=Cruz |first1=Karen |title=Rene Rosado Talks "Major Crimes" and Opening Doors for Latino Actors |url=https://www.lol-la.com/rene-rosado-talks-major-crimes-opening-doors-latino-actors/ |website=Living Out Loud Los Angeles |date=29 April 2016}}</ref>
TJ Shaw Patrick Stafford title=Major Crimes - la scheda della serie tv |url=https://www.cinemagay.it/serie-tv/major-crimes/ |website=Cinemagay.it |language=it}}</ref>
2012–2015 Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries ABC Dr. Elizabeth 'Mac' MacMillan Tammy MacIntosh last1=Wendell|first1=Sarah|title=All the Reasons Why You Should Be Watching Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries|url=http://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2015/01/all-the-reasons-why-you-should-be-watching-miss-fishers-murder-mysteries/%7Cwebsite=Smart Bitches Trashy Books|date=January 8, 2015|access-date=4 October 2017}}</ref>
Daisy Murphy Maria Coviello title=Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/miss-fishers-murder-mysteries/}}</ref>
Hetty Caroline Brazier Hetty is a lesbian, and a factory worker with Daisy. She is love with Daisy and kills her when rejected for Dr. Mac. She also frames Dr. Mac for another murder.<ref name="Miss Fishers Murder Mysteries"/>
Sarah Norden Eloise Mignon Sarah is a lesbian, and a contortionist, she was in a relationship with Pearl.<ref name="Miss Fishers Murder Mysteries"/>
Pearl Dyson Madeleine Vizard Pearl is a lesbian, and an assistant for a magician. She is accidentally killed by a malfunctioning guillotine.<ref name="Miss Fishers Murder Mysteries"/>
2012–2018 Nashville ABC Will Lexington Chris Carmack GLAAD|2013|p=9}}{{Sfn|GLAAD|2016|pp=8-9}}
Brent McKinney Derek Krantz title=Nashville - la scheda della serie tv |url=https://www.cinemagay.it/serie-tv/nashville/ |website=Cinemagay.it |language=it-IT}}</ref>
Kevin Bicks Kyle Dean Massey url=http://www.out.com/entertainment/television/2013/09/26/nashville-chris-carmack-abc-gay-country-singer%7Ctitle=Nashville's Chris Carmack on Playing Gay Country Singer Will Lexington|date=26 September 2013|website=Out.com|access-date=11 September 2017}}</ref>
Zach Welles Cameron Scoggins last1=Rudolph |first1=Christopher |title=Will Lexington's New Boyfriend Is Sticking Around On "Nashville" |url=http://www.newnownext.com/nashville-will-lexington-cameron-scoggins-season-5-regular/05/2017/ |website=NewNowNext |date=May 16, 2017}}</ref>
Jakob Fine Murray Bartlett last1=Rudolph |first1=Christopher |title=Will Lexington's Boyfriend Has Something To Hide In New "Nashville" Trailer |url=http://www.newnownext.com/nashville-season-5-trailer-will-lexington-gay/05/2017/ |website=NewNowNext |date=May 26, 2017}}</ref>
Allyson Del Lago Jen Richards Allyson is a trans woman, and a physical therapist. Her character is the first transgender to ever appear on a CMT show and the first out transgender actor on the network.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rudolph |first1=Christopher |title=Jen Richards Joins "Nashville" As CMT's First Transgender Character |url=http://www.newnownext.com/nashville-jen-richards-transgender-character/09/2016/ |website=NewNowNext |date=September 13, 2016}}</ref>
Jeff Aaron Cavette last1=Weiss |first1=Max |title=Nashville Recap: Shame of Thrones |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/07/nashville-recap-season-5-episode-17.html |website=Vulture |date=6 July 2017}}</ref>
2012 Political Animals USA T.J. Hammond Sebastian Stan title="Political Animal" Sebastian Stan |url=https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/politcal-animal-sebastian-stan/1922444/ |website=NBC4 Washington |date=July 11, 2012}}</ref>
Diane Nash Vanessa Redgrave title=Diane Nash |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/diane-nash/}}</ref>
Sean Reeves David Monahan last1=Eichel |first1=Molly |title=Political Animals: "Lost Boys" |url=https://tv.avclub.com/political-animals-lost-boys-1798173718 |website=The AV Club |date=August 6, 2012}}</ref>
2012–2017 Saving Hope CTV
NBC		 Shahir Hamza Huse Madhavji last1=Treccia |first1=Mandy |title=Saving Hope Recap: "The Law of Contagion" |url=https://tvsourcemagazine.com/2012/08/2935-saving-hope-recap-the-law-of-contagion/ |website=TV Source Magazine |date=31 August 2012}}</ref>
Victor Reis Salvatore Antonio Victor is gay and an OR nurse. Shahir and Victor are in a long-term relationship.<ref name="Saving Hope Recap"/>
Maggie Lin Julia Taylor Ross Maggie is bisexual. She is an OB/GYN attending at Hope Zion Hospital. At the end of the series, Maggie and Sydney enter into a relationship.<ref name="Saving Hope LezWatch.TV"/>
Sydney Katz Stacey Farber title=Saving Hope |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/saving-hope/}}</ref>
Bree Hannigan Rebecca Liddiard Bree is lesbian, and was admitted to the hospital following a car accident. Scans reveal that Bree has cancer.<ref name="Saving Hope LezWatch.TV"/>
Neshema Hannah Miller Neshema is a lesbian, and married to Ruth. She is pregnant.<ref name="Saving Hope LezWatch.TV"/>
Violet Jackson Bahia Watson Violet is lesbian, and Bree's fiancé.<ref name="Saving Hope LezWatch.TV"/>
Riley Stiles Justin Kelly Riley is intersexual and is transitioning to male. When he comes to the hospital for surgery, he learns he had a gender assignment surgery as a baby.<ref name="Saving Hope LezWatch.TV"/>
Ruth Maggie Castle Ruth is lesbian, and married to Neshema.<ref name="Saving Hope LezWatch.TV"/>
2012–2018 Scandal ABC Cyrus Beene Jeff Perry Cyrus is the White House Chief of Staff. He is openly gay and in a long-term relationship with James.<ref name="cosmo jeff perry"/>
James Novak Dan Bucatinsky last1=Greco |first1=Patti |title=Jeff Perry Remembers "My So-Called Life" 20 Years Later |url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/tv/q-and-a/a30474/jeff-perry-remembers-my-so-called-life/ |website=Cosmopolitan |date=26 August 2014}}</ref>
Michael Ambruso Matthew Del Negro last1=Arceneaux |first1=Michael |title='Scandal': Olivia Wants Us to Forget That Cyrus Is the Worst Husband of All-Time |url=http://www.vh1.com/news/90018/scandal-cyrus-marries-hooker/ |website=VH1 News |date=March 27, 2015}}</ref>
Fenton Glackland Dean Norris last1=Kirkland |first1=Justin |title='Scandal' recap: What happened to Quinn? |url=https://ew.com/recap/scandal-season-7-episode-8/ |website=Entertainment Weekly |date=January 18, 2018}}</ref>
Annalise Keating Viola Davis Annalise is bisexual, and in a guest appearance in episode "Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself", she teams up with Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) to work on a class action lawsuit regarding the mass incarceration of black people in the United States.<ref name="ScandalLezWatch.TV">{{cite web |title=Scandal |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/scandal/}}</ref>
Rose Marla Gibbs Rose is a lesbian, who hires Olivia to help find her ex-lover Lois, but Lois had already been murdered.<ref name="ScandalLezWatch.TV"/>
Lois Moore Fran Bennett Lois is lesbian, and Olivia's neighbor. After Olivia was kidnapped, she was held hostage in Lois' apartment and the hostage takers eventually killed her.<ref name="ScandalLezWatch.TV"/>
Gillian Lauren Gaw Gillian is lesbian, and Yasmeen's girlfriend.<ref name="ScandalLezWatch.TV"/>
Yasmeen Medalion Rahimi Yasmeen is a lesbian, and the niece of the Bashranian president. She is killed when her plane leaving the U.S. explodes on the runway, in episode "Adventures in Babysitting".<ref name="ScandalLezWatch.TV"/>
2012–2013 Smash NBC Tom Levitt Christian Borle last1=Goldberg |first1=Lesley |last2=Godley |first2=Chris |title=NBC's 'Smash' Who's Who: Meet the Show's Characters |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/gallery/nbcs-smash-debra-messing-katharine-mcphee-283702/2-christian-borle-tom |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=20 January 2012}}</ref>
Dennis Phillip Spaeth last1=Jensen 2/24/2011 |first1=Michael |title=How Gay is NBC's "Smash?" It's Potentially Something to Sing About! |url=http://www.newnownext.com/how-gay-is-nbcs-smash-its-potentially-something-to-sing-about/02/2011/ |website=NewNowNext |date=February 24, 2011}}</ref>
Bobby Wesley Taylor last1=Halterman |first1=Jim |title="Smash 2.0" Is Coming...With Andy Mientus As A New Gay Character |url=http://www.newnownext.com/smash-20-is-comingwith-andy-mientus-as-a-new-gay-character/01/2013/ |website=NewNowNext |date=January 8, 2013}}</ref>
Sam Strickland Leslie Odom, Jr. title=Leslie Odom Jr., Krysta Rodriguez Added To 'Smash' Cast |url=https://deadline.com/2012/07/leslie-odom-jr-krysta-rodriguez-added-to-smash-cast-296703/ |website=Deadline |date=6 July 2012}}</ref>
John Goodwin Neal Bledsoe last1=Sheward |first1=David |title='Smash' Recap: Episode 5, 'Let's Be Bad' |url=https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/smash-recap-episode-bad-59195/ |website=Backstage |date=March 6, 2012}}</ref>
Ellis Boyd Jaime Cepero Ellis began as Tom's personal assistant, who he slept with, before becoming assistant to Broadway producer Eileen Rand. He left the series after season one and an ex-girlfriend later outed him as gay.<ref name="how gay is smash"/>
Kyle Bishop Andy Mientus last1=Slezak |first1=Michael |title=Smash's Andy Mientus Talks Kyle's [Spoiler], Hit List's Rent Parallels and Jimmy's Redemption |url=https://tvline.com/2013/05/04/smash-andy-mientus-kyle-dies-dead-interview/ |website=TV Line |date=5 May 2013}}</ref>
Blake Daniel Abeles Blake is the lighting director for Hit List and he and Kyle became involved.<ref name="smash andy mientus"/>
2012–2013 Underemployed MTV Sophia Swanson Michelle Ang Sophia is a lesbian, and an aspiring writer.<ref name="Underemployed MTV cast"/>
Laura Angel M. Wainwright Laura is lesbian, and Sophia's girlfriend for a short while.<ref name="Underemployed MTV cast"/>
Natalie Katherine Cunningham title=Underemployed |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/underemployed/}}</ref>

2013

Year Show Network Character Actor Notes
2013–2018 {{sortname|A|Place to Call Home|A Place to Call Home (TV series)}} Channel 7 James Bligh David Berry last1=Molloy |first1=Shannon |title=Shunned, abused and tortured: David Berry portrays what many gay men endured in 1950s Australia |url=https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/shunned-abused-and-tortured-david-berry-portrays-what-many-gay-men-endured-in-1950s-australia/news-story/fa3398c3c19c56d8edf1769b5dd9c042}}</ref>
Harry Polson Dominic Allburn last1=Langford |first1=Anthony D. |title=Gays of Our Lives: Best and Worst of 2016 |url=https://tvsourcemagazine.com/2016/12/gays-of-our-lives-best-worst-2016/2/}}</ref>
Dr. Henry Fox Tim Draxl Henry is gay, and has a relationship with James Bligh.<ref name="place to call home"/>
Carolyn Bligh Sara Wiseman title=Carolyn Bligh |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/carolyn-duncan/}}</ref>
Delia Craig Maya Stange title=Delia Craig |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/delia-craig/}}</ref>
2013– Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ABC Joey Gutierrez Juan Pablo Raba Joey is a gay Inhuman who can melt metals, he previously had a boyfriend.{{Sfn|GLAAD|2015|p=7}} Joey is the first openly gay character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.<ref name="Screen RantAgents Of SHIELD">{{cite web |last1=Cotter |first1=Padraig |title=Why Agents Of SHIELD Didn't Address The LGBTQ Backstory Of Lucy Lawless' Izzy |url=https://screenrant.com/agents-shield-show-lucy-lawless-lgbtq-backstory/ |date=3 September 2020}}</ref>
Marcus Benson Barry Shabaka Henley Benson is a gay scientist recruited to help with the S.H.I.E.L.D science team in season 6.<ref name="Screen RantAgents Of SHIELD"/>
Victoria Hand Saffron Burrows Victoria is a lesbian, she was eventually shot and killed in the series.<ref name="Screen RantAgents Of SHIELD"/>
Isabelle Hartley Lucy Lawless Isabelle is a lesbian, and was killed when her SUV was flipped over by the Absorbing Man.<ref name="Screen RantAgents Of SHIELD"/>
Olga Pachinko Jolene Andersen title=Olga Pachinko |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/olga-pachinko/}}</ref>
2013- Amar es para siempre
(To Love is Forever)		 Antena 3 Amelia Ledesma Carol Rovira Amelia is a lesbian. During the day she works at a hotel, and then she sings at night. She is in a secret relationship with Luisita Gómez, as the show takes place in the 1970s.<ref name="amar es para siempre"/><ref name="Diez Minutos"/>
Luisita Gómez Paula Usero last1=Díaz |first1=Aroa |title=Luimelia se despide tras tres años de romance y visibilidad |url=https://www.diezminutos.es/telenovela/amar-es-para-siempre/a33505750/luimelia-amar-es-para-siempre-fin/ |website=Diez Minutos |language=es |date=4 August 2020}}</ref>
Isabel Vegas Silvia Maya title=Isabel Vegas, Amar es para siempre|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/isabel-2/}}</ref>
Ana Rivas Marina San José Ana is a lesbian, and married to Teresa García.<ref name="amar es para siempre"/>
Teresa García Carlota Olcina Teresa is a lesbian, and married to Ana. They both die, along with their child in a fire.<ref name="amar es para siempre"/>
Sara Martín Belén González title=Sara Martín, Amar es para siempre|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sara-martin/}}</ref>
Juanma Enrique Gimeno Juanma is gay and Gonzalo is his boyfriend.<ref name="amar es para siempre"/>
Gonzalo Nacho Casalvaque last1=Iniesta |first1=Nuria |title='Luimelia', el romance lésbico de 'Amar es para siempre' que triunfa en redes sociales |url=https://shangay.com/2019/02/19/https-bit-ly-2iwo8ow/ |website=Shangay |language=es |date=19 February 2019}}</ref>
2013–2015 Atlantis BBC One Pythagoras Robert Emms Pythagoras and Icarus are romantically involved in the second series.<ref name="atlantis icarus">{{cite web|last1=Ellis|first1=Sarah Kate|title=GLAAD 2015 Network Responsibility Index|url=https://www.glaad.org/files/GLAAD-2015-NRI.pdf}}</ref>
Icarus Joseph Timms
2013–2016 Banshee Cinemax Job Hoon Lee last1=Nahmod |first1=David-Elijah |title=Cinemax show pushes boundaries with cross-dressing killer |url=https://www.windycitytimes.com/lgbt/Cinemax-show-pushes-boundaries-with-cross-dressing-killer/41062.html}}</ref>
2013–2014 Betrayal ABC Jules Whitman Sofia Black D'Elia title=Jules Whitman |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/jules-whitman/}}</ref>
Valerie McAllister Elizabeth McLaughlin title=Valerie McAllister |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/valerie-mcallister/}}</ref>
2013–2014 {{sortname|The|Bridge|The Bridge (2013 TV series)}} FX Adriana Perez Emily Rios title=Adriana Mendez |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/adriana-mendez/}}</ref>
Lucy Alyssa Diaz title=Lucy |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lucy-bridge/}}</ref>
2013–2017 Broadchurch ITV Maggie Radcliffe Carolyn Pickles title=Maggie Radcliffe |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/maggie-radcliffe/}}</ref><ref name="Broadchurch kiss"/>
Jocelyn Knight Charlotte Rampling Jocelyn is a lesbian, and a semi-retired barrister, in love with Maggie.<ref name="Broadchurch kiss">{{cite web |last1=Payton |first1=Naith |title=Broadchurch kiss between older women surprises viewers |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2015/02/18/broadchurch-kiss-between-older-women-surprises-viewers/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Jocelyn Knight |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/jocelyn-knight/}}</ref>
2013 Camp NBC Todd Adam Garcia Todd and Raffi are an interracial couple raising an adopted child. They get married in season 1, episode 7, "The Wedding".<ref>{{cite web |title=Camp Season 1 Episodes |url=https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/camp/episodes-season-1/1000523953/?ftag=web |website=TV Guide}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Nunn |first1=Jerry |title=Rachel Griffiths: summer 'Camp' - Windy City Times News |url=https://windycitytimes.com/m/APParticle.php?AID=44177&i=14&s=Tv}}</ref>
Raffi Christopher Kirby
2013–2014 {{sortname|The|Carrie Diaries|The Carrie Diaries (TV series)}} {{sortname|The|CW|The CW Television Network}} Walt Reynolds Brendan Dooling last1=Lewis |first1=Casey |title='Carrie Diaries' Star Brendan Dooling on Playing The Iconic Character's Best Bud |url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/brendan-dooling-the-carrie-diaries |website=Teen Vogue |date=March 7, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Rudolph |first1=Christopher |title=Before Stanford: Meet Carrie Bradshaw's First Gay Bestie |url=https://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/television/2013/02/04/stanford-meet-carrie-bradshaws-first-gay-bestie}}</ref>
Bennet Wilcox Jake Robinson author1=Out.com Editors |title=The Carrie Diaries Gets Serious With AIDS Crisis Storyline |url=https://www.out.com/entertainment/television/2014/01/10/carrie-diaries-walt-bennett-aids-crisis-storyline |website=Out Magazine |date=10 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Asay |first1=Paul |title=The Carrie Diaries |url=https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/carrie-diaries/}}</ref>
Larissa Loughlin Freema Agyeman Larissa is bisexual, a style editor at a magazine and party girl. She slept with Samantha.<ref name="The Carrie Diaries"/>
Samantha "Sam" Jones Lindsey Gort Sam is bisexual and slept with Larissa.<ref name="The Carrie Diaries"/>
Jill "Mouse" Chen Ellen Wong Mouse is a bisexual nerd. She slept with Donna.<ref name="The Carrie Diaries"/>
Donna LaDonna Chloe Bridges title=The Carrie Diaries |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/the-carrie-diaries/}}</ref>
Blake Ian Quinlan author1=Snicks |title="The Carrie Diaries" 2.04 Can't Fight This Feeling |url=http://www.newnownext.com/the-carrie-diaries-2-04-cant-fight-this-feeling/11/2013/ |date=November 16, 2013}}</ref>
2013–2015 Da Vinci's Demons Starz Leonardo da Vinci Tom Riley Leonardo da Vinci is bisexual. The shows creator, David S. Goyer, confirmed his bisexuality, along with actor Tom Riley who said: "He is, in my mind, canonically bisexual. He is attracted to men and he is attracted to women on the show."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Nededog |first1=Jethro |title='Da Vinci's Demons' Creator Says 'We're Not Backing Away' From Leonardo's Bisexuality |url=https://www.thewrap.com/da-vincis-demons-creator-says-backing-away-leonardos-bisexuality/ |website=The Wrap |date=12 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=O'Keefe |first1=Meghan |title=‘Da Vinci’s Demons’ Star Tom Riley Addresses Leonardo Da Vinci’s Alleged Homosexuality|url=https://decider.com/2015/10/23/da-vincis-demons-tom-riley-sexuality/}}</ref> Da Vinci's Demons is a fictional account of Leonardo da Vinci's early life.
Jacopo Saltarelli Christopher Elson last1=Halterman |first1=Jim |title="Da Vinci's Demons" Sodomy Trial Post-Mortem: Tom Riley & David S. Goyer |url=http://www.newnownext.com/da-vincis-demons-interview-tom-riley-david-s-goyer/05/2013/ |date=May 13, 2013}}</ref>
Andrea del Verrocchio Allan Corduner In season 2, episode 5, "The Sun and the Moon", it is implied that Andrea has a sexual relationship with a handsome young man (Benedetto), who works as a picture framer in his workshop.<ref>{{Cite episode|series=Da Vinci's Demons|title=The Sun and the Moon|series-link=Da Vinci's Demons|network=Starz|date=April 19, 2014|season=2|number=5|last=Hess|first=Dan|last2=Reed|first2=Corey|minutes=7:14}}</ref>
2013 Dates Channel 4 Erica Gemma Chan title=Erica |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/erica/}}</ref>
Kate Katie McGrath title=Kate |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/kate-dates/}}</ref>
2013–2015 Defiance Syfy Stahma Tarr Jaime Murray Stahma is bisexual, and a wealthy alien.<ref name="DefianceLezWatch"/><ref name="Defiance ArchivesLGBT Fans"/>
Kenya Rosewater Mia Kirschner title=Defiance |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/defiance/}}</ref><ref name="Defiance ArchivesLGBT Fans"/>
Doc Meh Yewll Trenna Keating Meh is a lesbian and is a Doctor in the town of Defiance.<ref name="DefianceLezWatch"/><ref name="Defiance ArchivesLGBT Fans"/>
Lev Hannah Cheeseman title=Defiance Archives |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/show/defiance/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Niles Pottinger James Murray last1=Lavigne |first1=Carlen |title=Post-Apocalyptic Patriarchy: American Television and Gendered Visions of Survival |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-9906-9 |page=87 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YOxzDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA87 |date=2018}}</ref>
2013–2016 Devious Maids Lifetime Alejandro Rubio Matt Cedeño title=Roselyn Sanchez Teases ‘A New Murder Mystery’ On ‘Devious Maids’ |url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/roselyn-sanchez-teases-a-new-murder-mystery-on-devious-maids |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204212847/https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/roselyn-sanchez-teases-a-new-murder-mystery-on-devious-maids |archive-date=December 4, 2020 |date=25 December 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Matt Cedeño, "Days of Our Lives" Actor and Model. (Cuban Descendant) |url=https://www.thecubanhistory.com/2015/03/matt-cedeno-days-of-our-lives-actor-and-model-cuban-descendant-matt-cedeno-actor-en-devious-maids-y-modelo-descendiente-cubano/}}</ref>
2013–2017 East Los High Hulu Camila Barrios Vannessa Vasquez title=East Los High |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/east-los-high/}}</ref>
Jocelyn Reyes Andrea Sixtos Jocelyn is lesbian, and hooked up with Camila after smoking pot together.<ref name="East Los HighLezWatch"/>
Daysi Cantu Ser Anzoategui Daysi is a queer, and a new student at East Los High.<ref name="East Los HighLezWatch"/>
Ms. Alvarez Catherine Lazo Ms. Alvarez is a lesbian, and the school principal.<ref name="East Los HighLezWatch"/>
Veronica Jacqueline Grace Lopez Veronica is a lesbian, and went out with Jocelyn.<ref name="East Los HighLezWatch"/>
2013–2016 {{sortname|The|Fall|The Fall (TV series)}} BBC Two Danielle Ferrington Niamh McGrady title=The Fall |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/the-fall/}}</ref>
Stella Gibson Gillian Anderson Stella is bisexual.<ref name="The FallLezWatch.TV"/>
2013–2018 {{sortname|The|Fosters|The Fosters (2013 TV series)}} Freeform Stef Adams-Foster Teri Polo Stef and Lena are a married lesbian couple. Stef has a son from a previous marriage. Stef and Lena also serve as adoptive and foster parents to additional children.<ref name="LezWatch.TVThe Fosters">{{cite web |title=The Fosters |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/the-fosters/}}</ref>
Lena Adams-Foster Sherri Saum
Jude Adams Foster Hayden Byerly last1=Bergado |first1=Gabe |title=The History-Making Gay Kiss: ‘The Fosters’ Features the Youngest Same-Sex TV Kiss Ever |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-history-making-gay-kiss-the-fosters-features-the-youngest-same-sex-tv-kiss-ever |website=The Daily Beast |date=4 March 2015}}</ref><ref name=Clinton_Fosters>{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywood.com/news/tv/56811911/our-favorite-lgbtq-characters-on-tv%7Ctitle=Our Favorite LGBTQ Characters on TV}}</ref>
Connor Stevens Gavin MacIntosh In season 2, Connor comes out as gay, shares a kiss with Jude and the two begin dating.<ref name="jude and connor"/>
Cole Tom Phelan Cole is a trans boy, and a teen runaway who lives at a group foster home.<ref name="LezWatch.TVThe Fosters"/>
Noah Walker Kalama Epstein last1=Dresden |first1=Hilton |title=Actor Kalama Epstein on Playing a Gay Teen on 'The Fosters' |url=https://www.out.com/interviews/2016/8/18/kalama-epstein-playing-gay-teen-fosters}}</ref>
Monte Porter Annika Marks last1=Hogan |first1=Heather |title=The Fosters Episode 317 Recap: Trust No One |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/the-fosters-episode-317-recap-trust-no-one-330799/}}</ref>
Aaron Baker Elliot Fletcher last1=Bradley|first1=Laura|title=Inside The Fosters' Groundbreaking Callie-Aaron Sex Scene|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/08/the-fosters-aaron-callie-sex-scene-relationship-elliot-fletcher-interview}}</ref>
Ximena Sinfuego Lisseth Chavez Ximena is a lesbian, and captain of the roller-derby team.<ref name="LezWatch.TVThe Fosters"/>
Jack Downey Tanner Buchanan last1=Bernard |first1=Riese |author1-link=Riese Bernard |title=Bury Your Gays: 109 Dead Gay and Bisexual Male TV Characters, And How They Died |url=https://www.queerty.com/bury-your-gays-108-dead-gay-and-bisexual-male-tv-characters-and-how-they-died-20160325}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Geier |first1=Thom |title=#BuryYourGays: 27 LGBT TV Characters Killed Off in 2016 |url=https://www.thewrap.com/buryyourgays-lgbt-tv-characters-gay-lesbian-killed-off-2016-empire-game-of-thrones/}}</ref>
Carmen Cruz Alicia Sixtos Carmen is a lesbian, and been involved with gangs, drugs, and kidnapping.<ref name="LezWatch.TVThe Fosters"/>
Jenna Paul Suzanne Cryer Jenna is a lesbian, and an old friend of Stef and Lena.<ref name="LezWatch.TVThe Fosters"/>
Sally Benton Pepi Sonuga Sally is a lesbian, and accuses the principal of kissing her.<ref name="LezWatch.TVThe Fosters"/>
Tess Bayfield Kristen Ariza Tess is bisexual and Steph's high-school crush.<ref name="LezWatch.TVThe Fosters"/>
Kelly Paul Alice Dodd Kelly is a lesbian, and Jenna's ex-wife.<ref name="LezWatch.TVThe Fosters"/>
Lara Brit Manor Lara is lesbian, and makes a pass at Tess.<ref name="LezWatch.TVThe Fosters"/>
2013–2018 Hit the Floor VH1 Jude Kinkade Brent Antonello Jude is gay and Zero is a closeted bisexual basketball player, Jude is also Zero's agent. Jude and Zero begin having casual sex in season 2. In season 3, Zero comes out by kissing Jude in public, and the two are now in a committed relationship.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rudolph |first1=Christopher |title="Hit the Floor" Heats Up The Court In Sexy New Season Four Preview |url=http://www.newnownext.com/hit-the-floor-season-4-bet/04/2018/ |date=April 25, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Hern |first1=Greg |title=TV pro basketball drama Hit the Floor surprises with gay affair between star player and his agent |url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/tv-pro-basketball-drama-hit-floor-surprises-hot-affair-between-star-player-and-his-agent0108/#sthash.cHFXS4zO.dpuf |website=Gay Star News |date=1 August 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Hinzmann |first1=Dennis |title=First Look at Adam Senn and Brent Antonello in ‘Hit the Floor’ Season 3 |url=https://www.out.com/popnography/2016/1/13/excluisive-first-look-adam-senn-and-brent-antonello-hit-floor-season-3}}</ref>
Zero
(real name Gideon)		 Adam Senn
Lucas Jonathan Bennett last=Avery|first=Dan|title=Jonathan Bennett Becomes "A Complication" For Jude And Zero On "Hit The Floor"|url=http://www.newnownext.com/jonathan-bennett-becomes-a-complication-for-jude-and-zero-on-hit-the-floor/01/2016/%7Cdate=January 25, 2016}}</ref>
Noah Kristian Kordula author1=Farid-ul-Haq |title=New Hit the Floor Season 4 Trailer Is Queer As Heck! |url=https://thegeekiary.com/hit-floor-season-4-trailer-queer/53237 |website=The Geekiary |date=12 June 2018}}</ref>
2013–2018 House of Cards Netflix Frank Underwood Kevin Spacey Frank has been shown to have sexual encounters with both men and women. The series creator, Beau Willimon, said that Frank ignores the label of being bisexual or gay, and is simply attracted to people regardless of their gender.<ref name="frank underwood independent">{{cite web|title = House of Cards creator Beau Willimon clears up Frank Underwood's|url = https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/house-of-cards-creator-clears-up-frank-underwoods-sexuality-10098032.html}}</ref>
Edward Meechum Nathan Darrow Meechum is a Secret Service agent assigned to Frank Underwood, and has a threesome with him and Claire Underwood in season 2, episode "Chapter 24".<ref name="frank underwood independent"/>
Rachel Posner Rachel Brosnahan Rachel is a bisexual prostitute.<ref name="House of Cards Lez"/>
Lisa Williams Kate Lyn Sheil title=House of Cards |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/house-of-cards/}}</ref>
Michael Corrigan Christian Camargo Michael is a gay rights activist, imprisoned by the Russian government. He eventually hangs himself in his cell, refusing a deal to be released if he apologizes to Russia for his unlawful actions, in season 3, episode "Chapter 32".<ref name="bustle house of cards">{{cite web |last1=Gallagher |first1=Caitlin |title=Frank Won't Take A Gay Rights Stance On 'House of Cards' — Which Is Quite Interesting Knowing His Personal Life |url=https://www.bustle.com/articles/66926-frank-wont-take-a-gay-rights-stance-on-house-of-cards-which-is-quite-interesting}}</ref>
John Pasternak Todd Alan Crain John is Michael Corrigan's husband.<ref name="bustle house of cards"/>
2013–2016 Masters of Sex Showtime Betty DeMillo Annaleigh Ashford Betty is a lesbian sex worker and an early research subject in Masters and Johnson's study.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Bendix|first1=Trish|url=http://www.afterellen.com/masters-of-sex-explores-all-kinds-of-sexuality/08/2013/%7Ctitle="Masters of Sex" explores all kinds of sexuality}}</ref>
Helen Sarah Silverman title=Helen Schiff |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/helen-schiff/}}</ref>
Barton Scully Beau Bridges Barton is a closeted gay and the provost at the university where Masters initiates his study.<ref name="john backlot masters"/>
Dale Finn Wittrock Dale is gay and a hustler whom Scully patronizes.<ref name="john backlot masters">{{cite web|author=John |url=http://www.thebacklot.com/masters-of-sex-gay-story/11/2013/ |title=The Compelling Gay Story in "Masters Of Sex" |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131201042321/http://www.thebacklot.com/masters-of-sex-gay-story/11/2013/ |archive-date= December 1, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Carl Bobby Campo Carl is gay and a hustler, and has sex with Dale.<ref name="john backlot masters"/>
Guy Nick Clifford last1=Kearney |first1=Kelly |title=Nick Clifford – Masters of Sex |url=https://starrymag.com/nick-clifford-masters-of-sex/ |website=Starry Constellation Magazine |date=10 October 2016}}</ref>
Sarah unknown baby title=Sarah |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sarah-9/}}</ref>
2013 Murder in Passing YouTube Epicene Alexander Chapman Epicene is a trans woman detective assigned to investigate the murder of Mars Brito, a trans man bike courier. The show was originally broadcast as a series of 30-second episodes on advertising video screens in the Toronto Transit Commission's subway system.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Astle |first1=Randy |title=Murder in Passing: Transmedia on the Toronto Subway |url=https://filmmakermagazine.com/61947-murder-in-passing-transmedia-on-the-toronto-subway/ |website=Filmmaker Magazine |date=January 7, 2013}}</ref>
Mars Brito Chase Joynt last1=Israeli-Nevo |first1=Atalia |title=Taking (My) Time: Temporality in Transition, Queer Delays and Being (in the) Present |journal=Somatechnics |date=March 2017 |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=34–49 |doi=10.3366/soma.2017.0204}}</ref> The noirish black and white series is now on YouTube.<ref>{{cite web |title=Murder In Passing |url=https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1msb5FYoFeHBPyoWcqxbPg/subscribers |via=YouTube |format=video}}</ref>
2013–2015 My Mad Fat Diary E4 Archie Dan Cohen title=My Mad Fat Diary's Sharon Rooney: 'Gay storyline was my favourite' |url=https://attitude.co.uk/article/my-mad-fat-diarys-sharon-rooney-gay-storyline-was-my-favourite/7091/}}</ref>
2013–2019 Orange Is the New Black Netflix Piper Chapman Taylor Schilling last=Walkley|first=A.J|title=Bi-erasure in Orange Is the New Black|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/orange-is-the-new-black-bisexuality_b_3799037}}</ref>
Alex Vause Laura Prepon title=Alex Vause, Orange is the New Black |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/alex-vause-orange-new-black/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title='The First Scene We Shot Is When We Get Naked In The Shower' |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/orange-is-the-new-black-laura-prepon_n_3715942}}</ref>
Sophia Burset Laverne Cox Sophia is a trans woman. (Laverne Cox is transgender in real life. The Advocate suggested that Orange is the New Black is the first women-in-prison series that includes a real transgender woman playing the role of a transgender person.<ref>{{cite web|last=Anderson |first=Diane |url=http://www.advocate.com/print-issue/current-issue/2013/07/10/why-you-should-watch-orange-new-black?page=full |title=Why You Should Watch 'Orange Is the New Black'}}</ref>)
Nicky Nichols Natasha Lyonne last1=Ashenden |first1=Amy |title=Orange Is the New Black’s hottest lesbian relationships |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2019/07/03/orange-is-the-new-black-best-lesbian-relationships/}}</ref>
Crazy Eyes Uzo Aduba Crazy Eyes is a lesbian.<ref name="pink news oitnb ash"/>
Carrie "Big Boo" Black Lea DeLaria url=https://mashable.com/2015/06/12/orange-is-the-new-black-big-boo-backstory/%7Ctitle=We finally learn Big Boo's 'OITNB' backstory, and it's heartbreaking|last=Gonzalez|first=Sandra|date=June 12, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108132204/https://mashable.com/2015/06/12/orange-is-the-new-black-big-boo-backstory/%7Carchive-date=November 8, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>
Tricia Miller Madeline Brewer Tricia is a lesbian.<ref name="pink news oitnb ash"/>
Poussey Washington Samira Wiley Poussey is a lesbian.<ref name="pink news oitnb ash"/>
Lorna Morello Yael Stone title=Lorna, Orange is the New Black |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/lorna-orange-new-black/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Brook Soso Kimiko Glenn last1=Ferguson |first1=McKenna |title=Why 'OITNB' Refuses to Say the Word 'Bisexual' |url=https://www.pride.com/oitnb/2016/6/30/why-oitnb-refuses-say-word-bisexual}}</ref>
Artesian McCullough Emily Tarver last1=Sarrubba |first1=Stefania |title=These two OITNB actresses are girlfriends IRL and congrats, ladies! |url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/these-two-oitnb-actresses-are-girlfriends-irl-and-congrats-ladies/}}</ref>
Maureen Kukudio Emily Althaus title=Maureen Kukudio, Orange is the New Black |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/maureen-kukudio-orange-new-black/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Shani Abboud Marie Lou-Nahhas last1=Peter |first1=Zack |title=Grab Some Tissues and Join Us on Nicky and Shani's Relationship Roller Coaster on OITNB |url=https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/Who-Plays-Shani-Orange-New-Black-46433403 |date=28 July 2019}}</ref>
Stella Carlin Ruby Rose title=Stella Carlin, Orange is the New Black |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/stella-carlin-orange-new-black/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Zelda Alicia Witt last1=Pomarico |first1=Nicole |title=A Guide To The New "OITNB" Season 7 Characters |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/07/238771/who-are-orange-is-the-new-black-season-7-new-characters#slide-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Zelda |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/zelda-2/}}</ref>
Desi Piscatella Brad William Henke last1=Herman |first1=James Patrick |title=OITNB's Brad William Henke Talks Openly Gay 'Papa Bear' Piscatella (Exclusive) |url=https://www.out.com/popnography/2016/7/29/oitnb-brad-william-henke-gay-bear-piscatella-interview}}</ref>
Dayanara "Daya" Diaz Dasha Polanco title=Dayanara "Daya" Diaz |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/dayanara-daya-diaz/}}</ref>
Dominga "Daddy" Duarte Vicci Martinez last1=Prance|first1=Sam|title=Daddy from 'Orange Is the New Black' is dating McCullough irl and the internet can't deal|url=https://www.popbuzz.com/tv-film/news/orange-is-the-new-black-daddy-actress-dating/}}</ref>
2013–2017 Orphan Black Space
BBC America		 Cosima Niehaus Tatiana Maslany title=Cosima Niehaus, Orphan Black |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/cosima-niehaus-orphan-black/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Felix Dawkins Jordan Gavaris title=Jordan Gavaris On Why He Waited to Come Out |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/06/jordan-gavaris-explains-it-all.html}}</ref>
Delphine Cormier Evelyne Brochu title=Delphine Cormier, Orphan Black |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/delphine-cormier-orphan-black/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Tony Sawicki Tatiana Maslany title='Orphan Black' and trans representation: Where they went wrong |url=https://www.hypable.com/orphan-black-trans-representation/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Shay Davydov Ksenia Solo title=Shay Davydov, Orphan Black |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/shay-davydov-orphan-black/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Sarah Manning Tatiana Maslany url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvO8a48t4js%7Ctitle=Orphan Black FULL PANEL - San Diego Comic-Con 2016}}</ref>
Camilla Torres Tatiana Maslany title=Camilla Torres |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/camilla-torres/}}</ref>
2013– Peaky Blinders BBC Two James Josh O'Connor title='Peaky Blinders': Top 5 reasons Thomas Shelby is the most lovable gangster on TV |url=https://meaww.com/peaky-blinders-top-5-reasons-thomas-shelby-is-the-most-lovable-gangster-on-tv}}</ref>
2013–2016 Please Like Me ABC Josh Josh Thomas GLAAD|2013|p=11}}
Geoffrey Wade Briggs title=After ‘Please Like Me,’ Josh Thomas’s New Show Is All Fiction |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/16/arts/television/everythings-gonna-be-okay.html}}</ref>
Patrick Charles Cottier title=15 Things You Need To Know About 'Please Like Me' Star Josh Thomas |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/josh-thomas-please-like-me_n_5976630}}</ref>
Arnold Keegan Joyce last1=McHenry |first1=Jackson |title=Please Like Me Creator Josh Thomas on Season 4, Bad Dates, and Why Cat People Are ‘Psychopaths’ |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/01/please-like-me-season-four-josh-thomas-hulu.html}}</ref>
Hannah Hannah Gadsby title=‘Please Like Me’ Recap — Season 3, Episode 2: ‘Simple Carbohydrates’ |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2015/10/please-like-me-recap-season-3-episode-2-simple-carbohydrates-213623/}}</ref>
Ben David Quirk title=Puff Pastry Pizza |title-link=List of Please Like Me episodes#Season 3 (2015)|last=Thomas|first=Josh |author-link= Josh Thomas (comedian) |series=Please Like Me|network=ABC |date=November 27, 2015 |season=3 |number=7 |time=12:02}}</ref><ref>{{Cite episode |title=Beluga Caviar|title-link=List of Please Like Me episodes#Season 4 (2016)|last1=Thomas|first1=Josh |author-link2= Thomas Ward (actor)|last2=Ward|first2=Thomas|last3=Doran|first3=Liz |series=Please Like Me|network=ABC|date=November 23, 2016|season=4|number=3 |time=05:25}}</ref>
Kyah Freya Stafford title=Kyah |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/kyah/}}</ref>
2013–2020 Ray Donovan Showtime Lena Katherine Moennig title=Lena |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lena/}}</ref>
Tommy Wheeler Austin Nichols title=Is "Ray Donovan" TV’s Most Offensive Show? |url=https://www.queerty.com/is-ray-donovan-tvs-most-offensive-show-20130711}}</ref>
Justine Alexandra Turshen title=Justine |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/justine-2/}}</ref>
Chloe Hunter Alex Saxon title=Chloe Hunter |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/chloe-hunter/}}</ref>
Jeannie Rya Kihlstedt title=Jeannie |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/jeannie/}}</ref>
2013–2018 {{sortname|The|Tunnel|The Tunnel (TV series)}} Sky Atlantic
Canal+		 Elise Wassermann Clémence Poésy title=Élise and Erika make Season 2 of "The Tunnel" worth watching|url=http://www.afterellen.com/tv/514419-elise-erika-make-season-2-tunnel-worth-watching}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Love story between French police detective Elise Wassermann and suspect Eryka Klein|url=https://www.kizztv.com/2017/06/22/love-story-between-french-police-detective-elise-wassermann-and-suspect-eryka-klein/%7Carchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170730113913/https://www.kizztv.com/2017/06/22/love-story-between-french-police-detective-elise-wassermann-and-suspect-eryka-klein/%7Carchive-date=July 30, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Eryka Klein Laura De Boer Eryka (lesbian) falls in love with Elise.<ref name="the tunnel tv show"/>
2013–2015 Under the Dome CBS Carolyn Hill Aisha Hinds url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2013/06/25/cbs-to-rebroadcast-the-series-premiere-of-under-the-dome-this-sunday-june-30-at-900-800c-145012/20130625cbs02/%7Ctitle=Breaking News - CBS to Rebroadcast the Series Premiere of "Under the Dome" This Sunday, June 30 at 9:00/8:00c}}</ref>
Alice Calvert Samantha Mathis Alice is a lesbian.<ref name="under the dome"/>
2013–2020 Vikings History Ragnar Lothbrok Travis Fimmel title=The Unicorn Scale: Vikings |url=https://bi.org/en/articles/the-unicorn-scale-vikings}}</ref>
Lagertha Katheryn Winnick last1=Wagner|first1=Curt |title=Vikings' Sapphic Twist Surfaces a Powerful, Modern Woman|url=https://www.out.com/television/2016/11/23/vikings-sapphic-twist-surfaces-powerful-modern-woman}}</ref>
Astrid Josefin Asplund Astrid is bisexual. In season 5, she forces Lagertha to kill her. The sex scene between Lagertha and Astrid in episode "The Outsider" was edited for U.S. audiences and only showed them kissing.<ref>{{cite web|title=Vikings 4.11 The Outsider|url=https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=433594%7Cwebsite=Movie-Censorship.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title="Vikings" take on queer relationship|url=https://www.bgfalconmedia.com/entertainment/vikings-take-on-queer-relationship/article_eb29c1c0-dc6c-11e6-a0f7-97a6b03ba23d.html}}</ref>
2013– Wentworth SoHo Franky Doyle Nicole da Silva last1=Roberts |first1=Delina |title=Blue is the New Black at Wentworth |url=https://lezflix.com/blue-is-the-new-black-at-wentworth/ |website=Lez Flix |date=November 26, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Lyons |first1=Margaret |title=Australian Prison Series Wentworth Is the Dark Drama You've Been Waiting For |url=https://www.vulture.com/2014/12/tv-review-wentworth-australian-prison-series.html}}</ref>
Erica Davidson Leeanna Walsman title=Erica Davidson, Wentworth |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/erica-davidson-wentworth/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Kim Chang Ra Chapman title=Kim Chang, Wentworth |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/kim-chang-wentworth/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Joan Ferguson Pamela Rabe title=Joan Ferguson, Wentworth |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/joan-ferguson-wentworth/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Maxine Conway Socratis Otto title=Maxine Conway, Wentworth |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/maxine-conway/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Bridget Westfall Libby Tanner title=Bridget Westfall, Wentworth |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/bridget-westfall-wentworth/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Lucy Gambaro Sally-Anne Upton title=Lucy Gambaro, Wentworth |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/lucy-gambaro-wentworth/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Allie Novak Kate Jenkinson title=Allie Novak, Wentworth |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/allie-novak-wentworth/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Bea Smith Danielle Cormack title=Bea Smith, Wentworth |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/bea-smith-wentworth/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Jodie Spiteri Pia Miranda title=Jodie Spiteri, Wentworth |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/jodie-spiteri-wentworth/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Sean Brody Rick Donald title=Jake, you naughty boy – what have you been up to? |url=https://www.foxtel.com.au/whats-on/foxtel-insider/foxtel/jake-you-naughty-boy-what-have-you-been-up-to.html}}</ref>
Jake Stewart Bernard Curry Jake was in a sexual relationship with Sean.<ref name="Jake you naughty boy"/>
Lou Kelly Kate Box title=Lou Kelly, Wentworth |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lou-kelly/}}</ref>
Ruby Mitchell Rarriwuy Hick title=Ruby Mitchell, Wentworth |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/ruby-mitchell/}}</ref>
Marie Winter Susie Porter title=Marie Winter, Wentworth |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/marie-winter/}}</ref>
Maxine Conway Socratis Otto Maxine is a trans woman.<ref name="Maxine Conway, Wentworth"/>
Reb Keane Zoe Terakes title=Reb Keane, Wentworth |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/reb-keane/}}</ref>
Spike Baxter Kate Elliott title=Spike Baxter, Wentworth |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/spike-baxter/}}</ref>
Zara Dragovich Natalia Novikova title=Zara Dragovich, Wentworth |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/zara-dragovich/}}</ref>
Dana Malouf Daniielle Alexis title=Dana Malouf, Wentworth |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/dana-malouf/}}</ref>
Jianna Riley Tasia Zalar title=Jianna Riley, Wentworth |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/jianna-riley/}}</ref>
Shelley Hayes Alinta Chidzey title=Shelley Hayes, Wentworth |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/shelley-hayes/}}</ref>

2014

Year Show Network Character Actor Notes
2014– {{sortname|The|100|The 100 (TV series)}} The CW Commander Lexa Alycia Debnam-Carey title=Lexa, The 100 |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/lexa-the-100/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Clarke Griffin Eliza Taylor title=Clarke Griffin, The 100|url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/clarke-griffin-100/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Niylah Jessica Harmon title=Niylah, The 100 |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/niylah-the-100/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Nathan Miller Jarod Joseph title="The 100": What's In Store For Miller, Clarke And The Show's Other LGBT Characters (SPOILERS) |url=http://www.newnownext.com/the-100-clarke-clexa-miller/01/2016/}}</ref>
Bryan Jonathan Whitesell last1=Lavigne |first1=Carlen |title=Post-Apocalyptic Patriarchy: American Television and Gendered Visions of Survival |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-3445-6 |page=151 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_HZyDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA151}}</ref>
Eric Jackson Sachin Sahel title='The 100' Season 7 Countdown: Sachin Sahel says final season is 'batsh*t crazy' and 'like nothing you've seen' |url=https://meaww.com/the-100-season-7-countdown-sachin-sahel-interview-final-season-batshit-crazy-jackson-miller-429173}}</ref>
2014–2019 The Affair Showtime Trevor Solloway Jadon Sand last1=Bandyopadhyay |first1=Alakananda |title='The Affair' season 5 dissects who Jadon Sand's Trevor Solloway has become in the aftermath of his father's romantic fling |url=https://meaww.com/the-affair-season-5-spoilers-trevor-solloway-gay-coming-out-father-affair-jadon-sand}}</ref>
2014–2017 Black Sails Starz James Flint Toby Stephens title="Black Sails" and Its Big Gay Reveal|url=http://www.newnownext.com/black-sails-and-its-big-gay-reveal/02/2015/%7Cwebsite=NewNowNext|date=February 22, 2015}}</ref>
Eleanor Guthrie Hannah New last1=Bendix|first1=Trish|title="Black Sails" Season 2 has Eleanor and Max at odds|url=https://www.afterellen.com/tv/409889-black-sails-season-2-eleanor-max-odds%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=January 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150124035454/https://www.afterellen.com/tv/409889-black-sails-season-2-eleanor-max-odds%7Carchive-date=January 24, 2015}}</ref>
Max Jessica Parker Kennedy last1=Berlin|first1=Marina|title='Black Sails' Depicts the Untold Story of Queer Pirates|url=https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/yp99gm/black-sails-depicts-the-untold-story-of-queer-pirates%7Cwebsite=Vice|date=April 4, 2017}}</ref>
Anne Bonny Clara Paget last1=Bendix|first1=Trish|title=Clara Paget talks playing bisexual pirate legend Anne Bonny on Season 3 of "Black Sails"|url=https://www.afterellen.com/tv/470671-clara-paget-talks-playing-bisexual-pirate-legend-anne-bonny-season-3-black-sails%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=January 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160124095022/https://www.afterellen.com/tv/470671-clara-paget-talks-playing-bisexual-pirate-legend-anne-bonny-season-3-black-sails%7Carchive-date=January 24, 2016}}</ref>
Thomas Hamilton Rupert Penry-Jones title='Black Sails' Star Toby Stephens Talks Flint's Gay Romance: 'He Became Himself' (Video) |url=https://www.thewrap.com/black-sails-star-toby-stephens-talks-flints-gay-romance-he-became-himself/}}</ref>
2014– Bosch Amazon Prime Video Grace Billets Amy Aquino Grace Billets has a lesbian affair with a Black female colleague in the LAPD, Kizmin Rider.<ref name="danran">{{cite web|last=Dankievitch|first=Randy|url=https://www.tvovermind.com/bosch-season-1-episode-9-review-magic-castle/%7Ctitle=Bosch Season 1 Episode 9 Review: "The Magic Castle"|website=TV Over Mind|date=2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210329193600/https://www.tvovermind.com/bosch-season-1-episode-9-review-magic-castle/%7Carchive-date=March 29, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Sepinwall|first=Alan|url=https://uproxx.com/sepinwall/bosch-amazon-review-season-three-recap/%7Ctitle=Amazon’s ‘Bosch’ Gets Busier — And Better — In Season Three|website=Uproxx|date=April 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028022749/https://uproxx.com/sepinwall/bosch-amazon-review-season-three-recap/%7Carchive-date=October 29, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=|url=https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/home-and-family/thursday-may-4th-2017#slide-4%7Ctitle=Thursday, May 4th 2017|website=The Hallmark Channel|date=April 19, 2017|archive-url=https://archive.is/EwfLx%7Carchive-date=March 29, 2021|url-status=live|quote=This season explores Billets past after she gave birth to her daughter and revealed she was a lesbian}}</ref> She is a lieutenant who is a supervisor of the show's protagonist, Harry Bosch, at Hollywood Station.<ref>{{cite web|last=Connolly|first=Michael|url=https://www.michaelconnelly.com/characters/grace-billets/%7Ctitle=Grace Billets|website=Official website of Michael Connelly|date=April 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210329194615/https://www.michaelconnelly.com/characters/grace-billets/%7Carchive-date=March 29, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Gunderson|first=Alexis|url=https://collider.com/bosch-recap/%7Ctitle='Bosch' Recap: Everything You Need to Know Before the Season 6 Premiere on Amazon|website=Collider|date=April 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806155658/https://collider.com/bosch-recap/%7Carchive-date=August 6, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>
Kizmin Rider Rose Rollins The girlfriend of Grace Billets and detective with the LAPD.<ref name="danran"/><ref>{{cite web|last=Fowler|first=Matt|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/02/20/bosch-season-1-spoiler-discussion%7Ctitle=Bosch: Season 1 Spoiler Discussion|website=IGN|date=February 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801133840/http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/02/20/bosch-season-1-spoiler-discussion%7Carchive-date=August 1, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
2014–2016 Carmilla Vervegirl Carmilla Karnstein Natasha Negovanlis Carmilla Karnstein is a 100+ year old lesbian vampire.<ref name="odyssey"/>
Laura Hollis Elise Bauman Laura Hollis is a lesbian. Carmilla and Laura are in a relationship.<ref name="odyssey"/>
Danny Lawrence Sharon Belle Danny Lawrence is a lesbian.<ref name="odyssey"/>
S. LaFontaine Kaitlyn Alexander last1=Polito |first1=Isabelle |title=What 'Carmilla' Does Get Right About Queer Representation |url=https://www.theodysseyonline.com/carmilla-queer-representation |website=The Odyssey Online |publisher=Odyssey Media Group |access-date=14 October 2018 |date=13 June 2017}}</ref>
2014–2015 Chasing Life Freeform Brenna Carver Haley Ramm title='Chasing Life' Star Discusses Brenna's Bisexuality, Her New "Innocent" Relationship |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/chasing-life-season-2-haley-822975 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=14 September 2015}}</ref>
Greer Danville Gracie Dzienny title=Greer Danvill, Chasing Life |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/greer-danvill-chasing-life/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Margo Aurora Perrineau title=Margo, Chasing Life |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/margo/}}</ref>
Juliet Leisha Hailey title=Juliet, Chasing Life |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/juliet-chasing-life/}}</ref>
2014–2016 Faking It MTV Amy Raudenfeld Rita Volk title=Amy Raudenfeld, Faking It |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/amy-raudenfeld/}}</ref>
Shane Harvey Michael Willett title=Faking It Episode 215 Recap: Raise Your Hand If You've Been Outed By Shane Harvey |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/faking-it-episode-215-recap-raise-your-hand-if-youve-been-outed-by-shane-harvey-309219/ |website=Autostraddle |date=29 September 2015}}</ref><ref name="faking it"/>
Lauren Cooper Bailey De Young title=Lauren Cooper, Faking It |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lauren-cooper/}}</ref>
Reagan Yvette Monreal title=Reagan, Faking It |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/reagan-faking-it/}}</ref>
Noah Elliot Fletcher title=Noah, Faking It |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/noah/}}</ref>
Sabrina Sophia Ali title=Sabrina, Faking It |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sabrina/}}</ref>
2014–2015 Finding Carter MTV Bird Vanessa Morgan title=Bird Castro, Finding Carter |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/bird-castro-finding-carter/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Madison Molly Kunz title=Madison, Finding Carter |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/madison-finding-carter/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
2014– {{sortname|The|Flash|The Flash (2014 TV series)}} The CW David Singh Patrick Sabongui last1=Miller |first1=Liz Shannon |title=Introducing Batwoman: What to Know About Ruby Rose's Lesbian Superhero on The CW |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2018/12/the-cw-batwoman-ruby-rose-elseworlds-1202027068/ |website=IndieWire |date=December 11, 2018}}</ref>
Rob Jeremy Schuetze Rob is gay.<ref name=Batwoman1/>
Hartley Rathaway Andy Mientus last1=Chi |first1=Paul |title=‘The Flash’: Andy Mientus Says Gay Villain Pied Piper is a ‘Huge Step Forward’ |url=https://variety.com/2014/tv/news/flash-andy-mientus-gay-pied-piper-1201375260/ |website=Variety |date=10 December 2014}}</ref>
Nora West-Allen Jessica Parker Kennedy title=Nora West-Allen, The Flash |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/nora-west-allen/}}</ref>
Kate Kane Ruby Rose Kate Kane is lesbian.<ref name=Batwoman1/>
Marlize DeVoe Kim Engelbrecht title=Marlize DeVoe, The Flash |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/marlize-devoe/}}</ref>
Alex Danvers Chyler Leigh title=Alex Danvers, The Flash |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/alex-danvers/}}</ref>
2014 Glue E4 James Warwick Billy Howle James Warwick and Caleb "Cal" Bray were romantically involved.<ref name="gluecultbox"/>
Caleb "Cal" Bray Tommy Lawrence Knight title=‘Glue’ Episode 5 review |url=https://cultbox.co.uk/reviews/episodes/glue-s01e05-episode-5-review |website=CultBox |date=13 October 2014}}</ref>
2014–2019 Gotham Fox Renee Montoya Victoria Cartagena Renee Montoya is lesbian, and is the ex-girlfriend of Barbara Kean.<ref name="gotham lesbi"/>
Barbara Kean Erin Richards title=Gotham Introduces Lesbian & Bisexual Characters |url=https://www.pride.com/women/2014/9/24/gotham-introduces-lesbian-bisexual-characters |date=24 September 2014}}</ref>
Tabitha Galavan Jessica Lucas title=Tabitha Galavan, Gotham |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/tabitha-galavan-gotham/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
The Lady Michelle Gomez title=The Lady, Gotham |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/the-lady/}}</ref>
Oswald Cobblepot Robin Lord Taylor title=Supergirl and Gotham Have Both Coming-Out Storylines for Main Characters |url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/supergirl-gotham-lgbt-coming-out-alex-danvers-the-penguin/ |website=TV Guide}}</ref>
2014– Grantchester ITV Leonard Finch Al Weaver Leonard Finch is gay.<ref name="grantchester gay charct"/>
Daniel Marlowe Oliver Dimsdale title='Grantchester' Season 4 New Arrival Will Davenport Is 'Very Different' From Sidney |url=https://www.tvinsider.com/790622/grantchester-season-4-james-norton-exit-tom-brittney/}}</ref>
Alex Simms Tom Turner last1=Elliott |first1=Megan |title='Grantchester' Season 4, Episode 2 Recap: Secrets Exposed |url=https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/grantchester-season-4-episode-2-recap-secrets-exposed.html/ |date=22 July 2019}}</ref>
2014–2017 Halt and Catch Fire AMC Joe MacMillan Lee Pace title=Lee Pace on Joe MacMillan’s Fate in the Halt and Catch Fire Finale |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/10/halt-and-catch-fire-lee-pace-series-finale-interview.html |date=14 October 2017}}</ref>
Lev August Emerson title=Am I the Only Human on the Internet Who Thinks Cameron and Donna from Halt and Catch Fire Should Be In Love? |url=https://shacksadvocate.com/2016/11/08/am-i-the-only-human-on-the-internet-who-thinks-cameron-and-donna-from-halt-and-catch-fire-should-be-in-love/comment-page-1/ |date=8 November 2016}}</ref>
Haley Clark Susanna Skaggs title=Haley Clark, Halt and Catch Fire |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/haley-clark/}}</ref>
2014–2015 Heartless Kanal 5 Sofie Julie Zangenberg Sofie is a succubus lesbian that feeds on the life force of humans. She falls in love with Emilie.<ref name="heartless sofie"/>
Emilie Julie Christiansen last1=Frost|first1=Karen|title=The Happy Ending Project: Sofie and Emilie in "Heartless"|url=https://www.afterellen.com/tv/544527-happy-ending-project-sofie-emilie-heartless%7Cwebsite=After Ellen|date=September 11, 2017}}</ref>
2014– How to Get Away with Murder ABC Annalise Keating Viola Davis title=How To Get Away With Murder actor applauds character's sexuality |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/08/10/how-to-get-away-with-murder-actor-applauds-characters-sexuality/ |date=10 August 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Cooper|first=Mariah|url=https://www.losangelesblade.com/2017/08/10/viola-davis-applauds-annalise-keatings-pansexuality-htgawm/%7Ctitle=Viola Davis applauds Annalise Keating's pansexuality in 'HTGAWM'|work=Los Angeles Blade|date=August 10, 2017}}</ref>
Eve Rothlo Famke Janssen title=Eve Rothlow, How to Get Away with Murder |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/eve-rothlow-get-away-murder/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Connor Walsh Jack Falahee Connor Walsh is a gay law student. Connor Walsh and Oliver Hampton begin to date on and off throughout the seasons, culminating in their marriage in season 5.<ref name="oliver and connor htgawm"/><ref name="jill hartford"/>
Oliver Hampton Conrad Ricamora last1=smith|first1=s.e.|title="How To Get Away With Murder" Brings an HIV-Positive Character to Primetime|url=https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/how-get-away-murder-brings-hiv-positive-character-primetime%7Cwebsite=Bitch Media|date=September 30, 2015}}</ref><ref name="jill hartford"/>
Bonnie Winterbottom Liza Weil title=Bonnie Winterbottom, How To Get Away With Murder |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/bonnie-winterbottom-get-away-murder/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Aiden Walker Elliot Knight title="HTGAWM" S1 rewind: "Smile or Go to Jail" |url=https://colorwebmag.com/2014/11/02/htgawm-s2-rewind-smile-or-go-to-jail/}}</ref>
Simon Drake Behzad Dabu title=How To Get Away With Murder: The 10 Worst Things Michaela Ever Did |url=https://screenrant.com/how-to-get-away-with-murder-worst-things-michaela-did/ |website=Screen Rant |date=19 April 2020}}</ref>
Tegan Price Amirah Vann title=Tegan Price, How To Get Away With Murder|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/tegan-price/}}</ref>
Jeff Walsh D.W. Moffett Jeff Walsh is gay. He is Connor's dad.<ref name="jeff and ted htgawm"/>
Ted Jim Abele title=How to Get Away With Murder's Jack Falahee Has an Idea About Who Should Play Connor's Mom Now That We've Met His Dad(s) |url=https://www.eonline.com/news/888232/how-to-get-away-with-murder-s-jack-falahee-has-an-idea-about-who-should-play-connor-s-mom-now-that-we-ve-met-his-dad-s |website=E! Online |date=2017}}</ref>
Jill Hartford Alexandra Billings last1=Signorile|first1=Michelangelo|title=Here's How 'How To Get Away With Murder' Became The Queerest Show On Network TV|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-to-get-away-with-murder-queer-tv_us_56eac3c7e4b0b25c91849584%7Cwebsite=HuffPost|date=March 17, 2016}}</ref>
Claire Telesco Melinda Page Hamilton title=Claire Telesco, How To Get Away With Murder|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/claire-telesco/}}</ref>
Cora Mercedes Mason title=Cora, How To Get Away With Murder|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/cora/}}</ref>
Nanda Hashim Ramona DuBarry title=Nanda Hashim, How To Get Away With Murder|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/nanda-hashim/}}</ref>
Dani Alvodar Alyssa Diaz title=Dani Alvodar, How To Get Away With Murder|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/dani-alvodar/}}</ref>
2014–2019 Jane the Virgin The CW Luisa Alver Yara Martinez Luisa Alver is lesbian.<ref name="jane the virgin"/>
Rose Solano Bridget Regan Rose Solano is lesbian.<ref name="jane the virgin"/>
Wesley Masters Brian Jordan Alvarez last1=Vine |first1=Lauren Le |title="Jane The Virgin" Midseason Finale Recap: It's A Christmas Miracle |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2015/12/99039/jane-the-virgin-season-2-episode-8-recap}}</ref>
Krishna Shelly Bhalla title=Krishna Dhawan, Jane the Virgin |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/krishna-dhawan/}}</ref>
Adam Alvaro Tyler Posey title=Jane the Virgin just brought in a bisexual character and fans are excited |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/11/14/jane-the-virgin-just-brought-in-a-bisexual-character-and-fans-are-excited/ |date=14 November 2017}}</ref>
Jane Ramos Rosario Dawson Jane Ramos is openly lesbian and a shady lawyer.<ref name="jane the virgin"/>
Petra Andel Yael Grobglas title=Jane the Virgin's Final Season is Gayer and Wilder and More Romantic Than Ever |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/jane-the-virgins-final-season-is-gayer-and-wilder-and-more-romantic-than-ever/ |website=Autostraddle |date=22 April 2019}}</ref>
Eileen Elisabeth Röhm title=Eileen, Jane the Virgin|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/eileen/}}</ref>
Marlene Donaldson Melanie Mayron title=Marlene Donaldson, Jane the Virgin|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/marlene-donaldson/}}</ref>
Susanna Barnett Megan Ketch title=Susanna Barnett, Jane the Virgin|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/susanna-barnett/}}</ref>
Allison Iyari Limon title=Allison, Jane the Virgin|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/allison-2/}}</ref>
Dana A Leslie Kies title=Dana, Jane the Virgin|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/dana-jtv/}}</ref>
Leona Zelda Williams title=Leona, Jane the Virgin|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/leona/}}</ref>
2014– Janet King ABC1 Janet King Marta Dusseldorp last1=Kayvon |first1=Shervin |title=Meet Janet King: The Lesbian Lead Australians Asked For |url=https://www.intomore.com/culture/meet-janet-king-the-lesbian-lead-australians-asked-for/ |date=11 October 2017}}</ref>
Ash Larsson Aimee Pedersen Ash Larsson is lesbian.<ref name="janet king tv"/>
Bianca Grieve Anita Hegh title=Bianca Grieve |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/bianca-grieve/}}</ref>
2014–2017 Kingdom Audience Network Nate Kulina Nick Jonas last1=Highfill |first1=Samantha |title='Kingdom' Creator, Nick Jonas Talk Tonight's Shocking Ending |url=https://ew.com/tv/2017/07/27/kingdom-nate-kulina-shot-nick-jonas/ |website=Entertainment Weekly |date=July 27, 2017}}</ref>
Will Jonathan Howard title=Nick Jonas's gay kiss in the latest episode of Kingdom was too adorable |url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/nick-jonas-gay-kiss-latest-episode-kingdom-adorable/ |date=6 June 2017}}</ref>
2014–2018 {{sortname|The|Last Ship|The Last Ship (TV series)}} TNT Alisha Granderson Christina Elmore title=Alisha Granderson, The Last Ship |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/alisha-granderson/}}</ref>
Kelsi Baker Caitlin Gerard title=Kelsi Baker, The Last Ship |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/kelsi-baker/}}</ref>
2014–2018 The|Librarians|The Librarians (2014 TV series)}} TNT Cassandra Killian Lindy Booth title=Cassandra Cillian |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/cassandra-cillian/}}</ref>
2014–2015 Looking HBO Patrick Murray Jonathan Groff last=Goldberg|first=Lesley|title='Glee's' Jonathan Groff to Star in HBO Comedy Pilot (Exclusive)|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/glee-jonathan-groff-star-hbo-comedy-gay-friends-419996%7Cwork=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=August 24, 2013|date=February 8, 2013}}</ref><ref name="looking tv show">{{cite web |last1=McNamara |first1=Mary |title=Review: HBO's 'Looking' an authentic glimpse inside lives of gay men |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-looking-hbo-review-story.html |website=Los Angeles Times |date=January 18, 2014}}</ref>
Agustín Lanuez Frankie J. Alvarez last1=Carney |first1=Brian T. |title=‘Looking’ for closure |url=https://www.washingtonblade.com/2016/07/20/looking-movie/ |website=Washington Blade |date=20 July 2016}}</ref>
Dom Basaluzzo Murray Bartlett last1=Stroude |first1=Will |title='Tales of the City' star Murray Bartlett looks back on 'Looking' criticism |url=https://www.attitude.co.uk/article/tales-of-the-city-star-murray-bartlett-looks-back-on-looking-criticism/21040/ |website=Attitude (magazine) |date=24 May 2019}}</ref>
Kevin Matheson Russell Tovey last=Abramovitch|first=Seth|title=Russell Tovey Joins Gay-Themed HBO Dramedy 'Looking'|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/russell-tovey-joins-gay-themed-617683%7Cwork=The Hollywood Reporter|date=August 29, 2013}}</ref>
Ricardo "Richie" Donado Ventura Raúl Castillo last1=Heap |first1=Tim |last2=Stroude |first2=Will |title=Raúl Castillo talks 'Looking' and his new role in gay coming-of-age drama 'We the Animals' |url=https://attitude.co.uk/article/raul-castillo-talks-looking-and-his-new-role-in-gay-coming-of-age-drama-we-the-animals/21050/ |website=Attitude |date=28 May 2019}}</ref>
Frank O. T. Fagbenle Frank is gay.<ref name="looking tv show"/>
Lynn Scott Bakula Lynn is gay.<ref name="looking tv show"/>
Eddie Daniel Franzese last1=Kornhaber |first1=Spencer |title='Looking: The Movie' Tackles the Existential Crisis Around Gay Marriage |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/07/looking-the-movie-gay-marriage/492434/ |website=The Atlantic |date=25 July 2016}}</ref>
2014– Madam Secretary CBS Blake Moran Erich Bergen last=Hernandez|first=Greg|url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/watch-madam-secretary-character-comes-bisexual-boss-touching-scene/%7Ctitle=WATCH: Madam Secretary character comes out as bisexual to his boss in touching scene|work=Gay Star News|date=May 17, 2017}}</ref>
Kat Sandoval Sara Ramirez last1=Phillips|first1=Carmen|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/sara-ramirezs-bisexual-coming-out-on-madam-secretary-was-breathtaking-415241/%7Ctitle=Sara Ramirez's Bisexual Coming Out on "Madam Secretary" Was Breathtaking|website=Autostraddle|date=March 26, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=McDonough|first1=Beth|title=Sara Ramirez on "Madam Secretary" is a Game Changer for Bisexual Representation|url=https://www.afterellen.com/tv/557187-sara-ramirez-madam-secretary-game-changer-bisexual-representation%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=April 3, 2018}}</ref>
Ali Krieger Ali Krieger title=Ali Krieger, Madam Secretary|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/ali-krieger/}}</ref><ref name="equal pay psa">{{cite web |last1=Jacobs |first1=Meredith |title=Look Who's Back for the 'Madam Secretary' Series Finale McCord Wedding |url=https://www.tvinsider.com/gallery/madam-secretary-series-finale-leaving-the-station-photos/#15 |website=TV Insider}}</ref>
Ashlyn Harris Ashlyn Harris Ashlyn Harris is a lesbian. She does a public service announcement for equal pay. She is a member of the World Cup Champion U.S. Women's Soccer team.<ref name="equal pay psa"/>
Maryam Gagulia Amanda M. Rodriguez title=Maryam Gagulia, Madam Secretary|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/maryam-gagulia/}}</ref>
Ana Ivanba Anastasia Baranova title=Ana Ivanba, Madam Secretary|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/ana-ivanba/}}</ref>
2014 Matador El Rey Network Reyna Flores Eve Torres title=Reyna Flores, Matador |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/reyna-flores-matador/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref><ref name="autostraddle.com">{{cite web |title=All 214 Dead Lesbian and Bisexual Characters On TV, And How They Died {{!}} Page 3 of 4 |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/all-65-dead-lesbian-and-bisexual-characters-on-tv-and-how-they-died-312315/3/ |website=Autostraddle |date=11 March 2016}}</ref>
Silda Patel Mouzam Makkar title=Silda Patel, Matador |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/silda-patel/}}</ref>
2014–2016 The|Mysteries of Laura}} NBC Max Carnegie Max Jenkins title=The Mysteries of Laura |url=https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/mysteries-of-laura/}}</ref>
2014– NCIS: New Orleans CBS Tammy Gregorio Vanessa Ferlito title=Tammy Gregorio, NCIS: New Orleans|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/tammy-gregorio/}}</ref>
Eva Azarova Cassidy Freeman title=Eva Azarova, NCIS: New Orleans|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/eva-azarova/}}</ref>
Hannah Lee Meghan Ory title=Hannah Lee, NCIS: New Orleans|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/hannah-lee/}}</ref>
2014–2017 {{sortname|The|Night Shift|The Night Shift (TV series)}} NBC Drew Allister Brendan Fehr Drew Allister is gay.<ref name="the shift at night"/>
Rick Luke Macfarlane last1=Halterman |first1=Jim |title=Interview: Luke Macfarlane on "The Night Shift," Gay Military Couples, "Brothers & Sisters" & More |url=http://www.newnownext.com/interview-luke-macfarlane-on-night-shift-gays-on-tv-more/06/2014/}}</ref>
2014 Nikki & Nora: The N&N Files YouTube Nikki Beaumont Liz Vassey last1=Krauss |first1=Andrea |title=Nikki & Nora: The N&N Files - Lesbian Private Investigators in Love in The Big Easy |url=https://www.pride.com/box-office/2013/08/29/watch-nikki-nora-nn-files-lesbian-private-investigators-love-big-easy |website=Pride |date=29 August 2013}}</ref><ref name="nor and nik">{{cite web |last1=Capuano |first1=Erin P. |title=Nikki and Nora (N&N Files) is back and ready for a Season Two (Includes interview and first-hand account) |url=http://www.digitaljournal.com/a-and-e/entertainment/nikki-and-nora-n-n-files-is-back-and-ready-for-a-season-two/article/428087 |website=Digital Journal |date=11 March 2015}}</ref>
Nora Delaney Christina Cox Nora Delaney is a lesbian, and a private investigator. Her partner is Nikki, who is also her lover.<ref name="nikki and nora"/><ref name="nor and nik"/>
2014– Nord bei Nordwest Das Erste Hannah Wagner Jana Klinge author=Meike|title=Queere Frauenfiguren in deutschen Serien|url=https://www.seriennotizen.de/queere-frauenfiguren-in-deutschen-serien/%7Cwebsite=Seriennotizen%7Cdate=24 January 2021|language=de|trans-title=Queer female characters in German series}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title= Video: Nord bei Nordwest – Der Anschlag|url=https://www.daserste.de/unterhaltung/film/der-donnerstags-krimi/videos/nord-bei-nordwest-der-anschlag-video-100.html%7Cwebsite=Das Erste|date=7 January 2021|language=de|trans-title=Video: North by Northwest - The attack}}</ref>
2014– Outlander Starz Duke of Sandringham Simon Callow title=The Unicorn Scale: Outlander |url=https://bi.org/en/articles/the-unicorn-scale-outlander |website=Bi.org}}</ref>
Jonathan Randall
(aka Black Jack)		 Tobias Menzies title=Outlander: Casting a Queer Man as the Main Villain Is Garbage, Actually |url=https://www.cbr.com/outlander-queer-jack-randall-problematic/ |date=30 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Byrne-Cristiano|first= Laura|url=http://www.hypable.com/outlander-gabaldon-jack-randall-isnt-gay%7Ctitle='Outlander's' Diana Gabaldon clarifies Black Jack Randall's sexual orientation|website=Hypable|date=April 28, 2015|access-date=11 September 2017}}</ref>
Lord John Grey David Berry title=Outlander: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Lord John Grey |url=https://screenrant.com/outlander-things-didnt-know-lord-john-grey/ |website=Screen Rant |date=17 July 2019}}</ref>
2014 Øyevitne NRK Philip Axel Bøyum Philip and Henning are 15-year-old boys secretly in love. After witnessing a murder at a quarry, they vow to never tell anyone in order to keep their relationship a secret.<ref>{{cite web |title=Eyewitness {{!}} Øyevitne |url=https://nordicdrama.com/eyewitness-oyevitne/ |date=15 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Eyewitness Episode 1 Review: Is the complex Norwegian thriller worth watching? |url=https://culturefly.co.uk/eyewitness-episode-1-review-is-the-complex-norwegian-thriller-worth-watching/ |date=30 March 2017}}</ref>
Henning Odin Waage
2014–2015 Red Band Society Fox Sarah Souders Andrea Parker title=Sarah Souders, Red Band Society |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sarah-souders/}}</ref>
Kenji Gomez-Rejon Wilson Cruz title=GLAAD's Wilson Cruz on his role on 'Red Band Society' and advising the young cast members |url=https://www.glaad.org/blog/glaads-wilson-cruz-his-role-red-band-society-and-advising-young-cast-members |date=15 August 2014}}</ref>
Daniella Tricia O’Kelley title=Daniella, Red Band Society |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/daniella/}}</ref>
2014 Star-Crossed The CW Sophia Brina Palencia title=Sophia, Star-Crossed|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sophia/}}</ref>
Nikki Nicola Correia-Damude title=Nikki Taylor, The Strain |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/nikki-taylor-strain/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
2014–2019 Transparent Amazon Prime Video Maura Pfefferman Jeffrey Tambor last1=Keveney |first1=Bill |title='Transparent' creator on post-Tambor musical finale: 'No (other) way to go back' |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2019/02/13/transparent-creator-soloway-discusses-music-finale-after-tambor-firing/2864778002/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=How 'Transparent' Finale Pays Tribute to Transgender Matriarch (Without Jeffrey Tambor) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/how-transparents-finale-pays-tribute-jeffrey-tambor-jeffrey-tambor-1243727 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=28 September 2019}}</ref>
Sarah Pfefferman Amy Landecker title=Sarah Pfefferman, Transparent |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/sarah-pfefferman-transparent/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Tammy Cashman Melora Hardin title=Tammy Cashman, Transparent |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/tammy-cashman-transparent/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Sydney Feldman Carrie Brownstein title=Sydney Feldman, Transparent |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/sydney-feldman-transparent/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Ali Pfefferman Gaby Hoffmann title=Ali Pfefferman, Transparent |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/ali-pfefferman-transparent/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Davina Alexandra Billings title=Alexandra Billings, transgender actor: 'Transparent came up when I had nothing to lose' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2014/oct/10/-sp-alexandra-billings-transgender-actor-transparent |date=10 October 2014}}</ref>
Shea Trace Lysette title='Transparent' Star on Josh and Shea's Groundbreaking Romance: "It’s Just Boy Meets Girl" |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/transparents-josh-shea-trace-lysette-934860 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=4 October 2016}}</ref>
Tanta Gittel Hari Nef last1=Shattuck |first1=Kathryn |title=Hari Nef Adds Another Layer to ‘Transparent’ |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/06/arts/television/hari-nef-adds-another-layer-to-transparent.html |website=The New York Times |date=2 December 2015}}</ref>
Leslie Mackinaw Cherry Jones title=Leslie Mackinaw, Transparent |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/leslie-mackinaw-transparent/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Vicki Anjelica Huston title='Transparent': We Recapped All of Season 3 |url=https://ew.com/recap/transparent-season-3-recaps/}}</ref>
Barb Tig Notaro title=Barb, Transparent |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/barb-transparent/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Lila Alia Shawkat title=The ‘Transparent’ Cast Explains Why Season 4 Made Things VERY Uncomfortable On The ‘Arrested Development’ Set |url=https://decider.com/2017/09/21/transparent-season-4-cast-interviews-amazon/ |website=Decider |date=21 September 2017}}</ref>
Marcy Bradley Whitford title=‘Transparent’ Recap: Season 1, Episode 8 |url=https://decider.com/2014/09/30/transparent-s1-ep8-recap/ |website=Decider |date=30 September 2014}}</ref>
Adriana Hailie Sahar title=Adriana, Transparent |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/adriana/}}</ref>
Carmen Mariana Marroquin title=Carmen, Transparent|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/carmen-2/}}</ref>
Eleanor Zackary Drucker title=Eleanor, Transparent|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/eleanor/}}</ref>
Lorena Harmony Santana title=Lorena, Transparent|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lorena/}}</ref>
Zelda Becky Thyre title=Zelda, Transparent|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/zelda/}}</ref>
Celeste Jill Soloway title=Celeste, Transparent|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/celeste/}}</ref>
Elizah Edwards Alexandra Grey title=Elizah Edwards, Transparent|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/elizah-edwards/}}</ref>
Omar Rocco Kayiatos title=Omar, Transparent|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/omar/}}</ref>
Bella Bobbi Salvör Menuez title=Bella, Transparent|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/bella/}}</ref>
Dale Ian Harvie title=Dale, Transparent|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/dale/}}</ref>
Pony Jiz Lee title=Pony, Transparent|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/pony/}}</ref>
2014– True Detective HBO Paul Woodrugh Taylor Kitsch last=Bugbee|first=Teo|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/true-detectives-big-gay-problem%7Ctitle=True Detective's Big Gay Problem|website=The Daily Beast|date=4 August 2015|access-date=21 March 2019}}</ref>
Tom Purcell Scoot McNairy last1=Rizzo|first1=Carita|url=https://www.purewow.com/news/true-detective-tom-purcell-theory%7Ctitle=What Do Tom's Demons in 'True Detective' Have to Do with Julie's Disappearance?|website=PureWow|date=February 11, 2019|access-date=21 March 2019}}</ref>
2014–2016 Tyrant FX Sammy Al-Fayeed Noah Silver title=Noah Silver on Playing a Gay Middle-Eastern Kid in 'Tyrant' |url=https://www.out.com/entertainment/2016/2/11/noah-silver-playing-gay-middle-eastern-kid-tyrant |date=11 February 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Viruet |first1=Pilot |title=FX’s ‘Tyrant’ Skirts Controversy by Saying Nothing At All |url=https://www.flavorwire.com/463922/fxs-tyrant-skirts-controversy-by-saying-nothing-at-all}}</ref>
Abdul Mehdi Dehbi title=FX's 'Tyrant' Season 2 'First Look' Preview: Reaping What Was Sown |url=https://screenrant.com/tyrant-fx-season-2-preview/ |website=Screen Rant |date=12 June 2015}}</ref>
Haitham El-Amin Raphael Acloque last1=Ellwood-Hughes |first1=Pip |title=Tyrant 3×04 Prayer For Our Daughters preview |url=https://entertainment-focus.com/2016/08/20/tyrant-3x04-prayer-for-our-daughters-preview/}}</ref>

2015

Year Show Network Character Actor Notes
2015–2018 12 Monkeys Syfy Oliver Peters Ramon de Ocampo Oliver Peters is a gay widow. In season 1, episode 10, Oliver makes reference to his dead husband.<ref>{{cite web |title=12 Monkeys S01 E10: Divine Move|url=https://biffbampop.com/2015/03/21/12-monkeys-s01-e10-divine-move/ |date=21 March 2015}}</ref>
2015–2017 American Crime
(season 2)		 ABC Network Eric Tanner Joey Pollari last1=Lawson |first1=Richard |title=American Crime’s Joey Pollari on the Role of a (Young) Lifetime |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/02/joey-pollari-american-crime-interview |website=Vanity Fair |date=February 18, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Licuria |first1=Rob |title=Joey Pollari (‘American Crime’): ‘It was such a transformative experience being on that set’ |url=https://www.goldderby.com/article/2016/joey-pollari-american-crime-season-2-emmy-awards-news-135790864/ |date=June 14, 2016}}</ref>
Taylor Blaine Connor Jessup last1=Birnbaum |first1=Debra |title=John Ridley Reveals Season Two Plot of ‘American Crime’ (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/american-crime-season-2-john-ridley-1201554723/ |website=Variety |date=1 August 2015}}</ref>
Luke Taylor John Smith title=American Crime: Taylor and Luke kiss |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNhB_hi1UcQ |via=YouTube |format=video |date=April 24, 2016}}</ref>
2015–2016 Aquarius NBC Charles Manson Gethin Anthony Charles Manson is bisexual. He had sex with Ken in exchange for giving him money for living. John McNamara, the creator of the show, said the story about Manson is historical fiction.<ref>{{cite web|last=Rorke|first=Robert|title=‘Game of Thones’ vet channels Charles Manson in ‘Aquarius’|url=https://nypost.com/2015/07/03/game-of-thones-vet-channels-charles-manson-in-aquarius/%7Cdate=3 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title='Aquarius' Boss Says NBC's Charles Manson Drama Is "Historical Fiction"|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/aquarius-david-duchovny-spoilers-786235%7Cwebsite=The Hollywood Reporter|date=27 May 2015}}</ref>
Ken Karn Brían F. O'Byrne title=I Watched All of ‘Aquarius’ So You Don’t Have to: A Season 1 Review |url=https://observer.com/2015/06/i-watched-all-of-aquarius-so-you-dont-have-to-a-season-1-review/ |date=5 June 2015}}</ref>
2015 Backstrom Fox Gregory Valentine Thomas Dekker last1=Andreeva |first1=Nellie |title=Thomas Dekker Made ‘Backstrom’ Regular |url=https://deadline.com/2014/01/thomas-dekker-made-backstrom-regular-664621/ |website=Deadline |date=15 January 2014}}</ref>
2015 Banana E4 Freddie Baxter Freddie Fox title=Exclusive Sneak Peek: Freddie's Old Flame Returns in Cucumber Ep 3 |url=https://www.out.com/popnography/2015/4/27/exclusive-clip-cucumber |date=27 April 2015}}</ref><ref name="indiewire.com">{{cite web |last1=Skinner |first1=Oliver |title=Freddie Fox Opens Up: The Cucumber Breakout On Sex, Typecasting and What Happens Next |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2015/04/freddie-fox-opens-up-the-cucumber-breakout-on-sex-typecasting-and-what-happens-next-215432/ |website=Indie Wire |date=22 April 2015}}</ref>
Dean Monroe Fisayo Akinade last1=McDonald |first1=James |title=Gay Series 'Cucumber' & 'Banana' Are Coming To Logo |url=https://www.out.com/television/2015/3/10/cucumber-banana-gay-series-us-tv-logo |website=Out |date=10 March 2015}}</ref>
Henry Best Vincent Franklin last1=Nussbaum |first1=Emily |title=What’s Changed Since "Queer as Folk"? |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/06/08/where-the-boys-are-television-nussbaum |website=The New Yorker |date=June 1, 2015}}</ref>
Lance Sullivan Cyril Nri Lance Sullivan is gay.<ref name="banana tv show"/>
Vivienne "Scotty" Scott Letitia Wright title=Vivienne 'Scotty' Scott|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/vivienne-scotty-scott/}}</ref>
Vanessa Moore Lynn Hunter title=Vanessa Moore|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/vanessa-moore/}}</ref>
Sian Moore Georgia Henshaw title=Sian Moore|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sian-moore/}}</ref>
Violet Hannah John-Kamen title=Violet|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/violet-banana/}}</ref>
Amy Charlie Covell title=Amy|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/amy-banana/}}</ref>
Helen Brears Bethany Black title=Helen Brears|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/helen-brears/}}</ref>
Kay T’Nia Miller title=Kay|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/kay/}}</ref>
2015– Blindspot NBC Bethany Mayfair Marianne Jean-Baptiste title=Bethany Mayfair, Blindspot |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/bethany-mayfair-blindspot/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Sofia Varma Sarita Choudhury title=Sophia Varma, Blindspot |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/sophia-varma-blindspot/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Alexandra Eisa Davis title=Alexandra Harrison, Blindspot |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/alexandra-harrison-blindspot/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Rich Dotcom Ennis Esmer url=https://queerculturechats.org/2018/09/24/7-best-bisexual-characters-on-tv/%7Ctitle=7 Best Bisexual Characters on TV|date=September 24, 2018}}</ref>
2015–2018 Casual Hulu Laura Meyers Tara Lynne Barr last1=Grobar|first1=Matt|title='Casual's Tara Lynne Barr Talks Singing On Set And A Season Driven By Female Directors|url=https://deadline.com/2017/06/casual-tara-lynne-barr-zander-lehmann-hulu-emmys-interview-news-1202113754/%7Cwebsite=Deadline|date=June 21, 2017}}</ref>
Aubrey Dylan Gelula title=Aubrey, Casual |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/aubrey-casual/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Tathiana Lorenza Izzo title=Tathiana, Casual |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/tathiana/ |website=LGBT}}</ref>
Emmy title=Emmy, Casual |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/emmy-casual/%7Cwebsite=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Alyssa Teri Andrez title=Alyssa, Casual |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/alyssa/}}</ref>
2015– Cheetah In August Vimeo August Chandler Andre Myers title=Cheetah in August (Web Series Trailer) |url=https://cypheravenue.com/watch-cheetah-in-august-web-series-trailer/ |website=Cypher Avenue}}</ref>
2015– Club de Cuervos Netflix Aitor Cardoné Alosian Vivancos title=LGBTQ Representation on Spanish-Language Television in the United States |url=https://www.glaad.org/files/SLMR/SPAReport2016.pdf |date=2016}}</ref>
2015–2018 Code Black CBS Malaya Pineda Melanie Chandra last1=Bendix|first1=Trish|title="Code Black" introduces us to a new Indian lesbian MD|url=https://www.afterellen.com/tv/455429-code-black-introduces-us-new-indian-lesbian-md%7Cwork=AfterEllen|date=September 30, 2015|access-date=11 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002005555/https://www.afterellen.com/tv/455429-code-black-introduces-us-new-indian-lesbian-md%7Carchive-date=October 2, 2015}}</ref>
Carla Niven Shiri Appleby title=Carla Niven, Code Black |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/carla-niven-code-black/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Noa Kean Emily Tyra title=Noa Kean, Code Black|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/noa-kean/}}</ref>
2015 Complications USA Network Gretchen Polk Jessica Szohr title=Gretchen Polk, Complications|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/gretchen-polk/}}</ref>
2015–2019 Crazy Ex-Girlfriend The CW White Josh Wilson David Hull url=https://ew.com/article/2016/03/07/crazy-ex-girlfriend-bisexual-darryl-pete-gardner/%7Ctitle=Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Darryl's bisexuality 'isn't the butt of the joke'|first=Shirley|last=Li|website=Entertainment Weekly|date=March 7, 2016}}</ref>
Darryl Whitefeather Pete Gardner title=Darryl Whitefeather |url=https://bi.org/en/bi-characters/darryl-whitefeather |website=Bi.org}}</ref>
Maya Esther Povitsky url=http://www.afterellen.com/tv/477951-crazy-ex-girlfriend-gives-us-two-bisexual-characters-new-bi-anthem/%7Ctitle="Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" Gives us Two Bisexual Characters and a New Bi Anthem|first=Chelsea|last=Steiner|website=AfterEllen|date=March 8, 2016}}</ref>
Valencia Perez Gabrielle Ruiz Valencia Perez becomes aware that she is bisexual when she starts dating a woman named Beth (Emma Willmann) late in Season 3.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/crazy-ex-girlfriend-season-3-time-jump-heather-pregnancy-valencia-girlfriend-female-filmmaker-friday-1202681289/%7Ctitle='Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' Boss on Season 3's Time Jump and Her 'Female Filmmaker Friday' Initiative|first=Danielle|last=Turchiano|work=Variety|date=February 2, 2018}}</ref>
2015 Cucumber Channel 4 Freddie Baxter Freddie Fox Freddie Baxter is bisexual, and is completely "hardwired to fuck", according to actor Freddie Fox.<ref name="out.com"/><ref name="indiewire.com"/>
Dean Monroe Fisayo Akinade Dean Monroe is gay.<ref name="Gay Series 'Cucumber' & 'Banana' Ar"/>
Henry Best Vincent Franklin Henry Best is a gay middle-aged insurance salesman, happily settled with his boyfriend of nine years, Lance Sullivan.<ref name="banana tv show"/>
Lance Sullivan Cyril Nri Lance Sullivan is gay.<ref name="banana tv show"/>
Vivienne "Scotty" Scott Letitia Wright Vivienne "Scotty" Scott is a lesbian.<ref name=":0"/>
Vanessa Moore Lynn Hunter Vanessa Moore is a lesbian.<ref name=":1"/>
Sian Moore Georgia Henshaw Sian Moore is a lesbian.<ref name=":2"/>
Violet Hannah John-Kamen Violet is a lesbian, and likes to party.<ref name=":3"/>
Amy Charlie Covell Amy is a neurotic lesbian.<ref name=":4"/>
Helen Brears Bethany Black Helen Brears is a trans woman.<ref name=":5"/>
Kay T’Nia Miller Kay is a lesbian.<ref name=":6"/>
2015 Cuffs BBC One Jake Vickers Jacob Ifan last1=Tate |first1=Gabriel |title=TV review: Cuffs; The Affair |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/tv-review-cuffs-the-affair-ww2bbdjxd26}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Cuffs - S1 - Episode 1 |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv-programme/e/dtj6sz/cuffs--s1-e1-cuffs/ |website=Radio Times}}</ref>
Simon Reddington Andrew Hawley last1=Peters |first1=Lewis |title=The UK has more regular LGBTI characters on TV than in the US |url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/see-lgbti-characters-british-tv-year/ |website=Gay Star News |date=1 June 2016}}</ref>
Donna Prager Eleanor Matsuura title=Donna Prager, Cuffs (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/donna-prager/}}</ref>
Alice Gove Pippa Nixon title=Alice Gove, Cuffs (TV series) |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/alice-gove/}}</ref>
2015–2017 Dark Matter Syfy Two Melissa O'Neil title=Boob(s On Your) Tube: "Claws" and "Dark Matter" Didn't Quite Live Up to Their Queer Potential This Summer |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/boobs-on-your-tube-claws-and-dark-matter-didnt-quite-live-up-to-their-queer-potential-this-summer-392636/ |website=Autostraddle |date=1 September 2017}}</ref>
Dr. Irena Shaw Zoie Palmer title=Irena Shaw, Dark Matter (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/irena-shaw/}}</ref>
2015 Deutschland 83 RTL Television
SundanceTV		 Alexander Edel Ludwig Trepte last1=Hughes|first1=Sarah|title=Deutschland 83 recap, episode five – Cold Fire|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2016/jan/31/deutschland-83-recap-episode-five-cold-fire%7Cwork=The Guardian|date=31 January 2016|access-date=23 October 2018}}</ref><ref name=Hughes_83ep6>{{cite web|last1=Hughes|first1=Sarah|title=Deutschland 83 recap: episode six – Brandy Station|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/feb/07/deutschland-83-recap-episode-six-brandy-station%7Cwork=The Guardian|date=7 February 2016|access-date=23 October 2018}}</ref><ref name="bold guard deutschland">{{cite web|last1=Hughes|first1=Sarah|title=Deutschland 83, the finale – Bold Guard and Able Archer|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2016/feb/14/deutschland-83-the-finale-bold-guard-and-able-archer%7Cpublisher=theguardian.com%7Cdate=14 February 2016|access-date=23 October 2018}}</ref>
Tobias Tischbier Alexander Beyer Tobias Tischbier is gay and works as a professor at the University of Bonn.<ref name="deutschland guardian"/><ref name="bold guard deutschland"/>
Felix von Schwerin Florian Bartholomäi Felix von Schwerin is gay.<ref name="deutschland guardian"/><ref name="bold guard deutschland"/>
2015 Dig USA Detective Golan Cohen Ori Pfeffer title=Dig Creator Gideon Raff & Actor Ori Pfeffer On the Show's Gay Israeli Character |url=https://www.out.com/popnography/2015/4/02/dig-creator-and-actor-discuss-shows-gay-character |date=2 April 2015}}</ref>
Udi Tsahi Halevi title=The 2015 GLAAD Network Responsibility Index |url=https://www.glaad.org/files/GLAAD-2015-NRI.pdf}}</ref>
2015–2018 È arrivata la felicità Rai 1 Valeria Camilli Giulia Bevilacqua Valeria Camilli and Rita Nardelli are lesbians.<ref>{{cite web |title=E' arrivata la felicità - la scheda della serie tv |url=https://www.cinemagay.it/serie-tv/e-arrivata-la-felicita/ |website=Cinemagay.it |language=it-IT}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=È arrivata la felicità |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/e-arrivata-la-felicita/}}</ref>
Rita Nardelli Federica De Cola
2015– Empire Fox Jamal Lyon Jussie Smollett title='Empire's' Jussie Smollett Breaks Down Jamal's Coming Out |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/empire-jamal-coming-775796 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=25 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Skinner |first1=Oliver |title=The 15 Best LGBT Characters On Television: Jamal Lyon on ‘Empire’ |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2015/04/the-15-best-lgbt-characters-on-television-jamal-lyon-on-empire-215436/ |website=Indie Wire |date=22 April 2015}}</ref>
Michael Sanchez Rafael de la Fuente title=Rafael de la Fuente talks 'Empire,' gay couples on TV, making music |url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/rafael-de-la-fuente-talks-empire-gay-couples-on-tv-making-music |website=Fox News |date=29 November 2016}}</ref>
Tiana Brown Serayah McNeill title=Tiana Brown, Empire |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/tiana-brown-empire/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
India Spring Elizabeth Whitson India Spring is lesbian, and had an affair with Tiana Brown.<ref name="tiana brown"/>
Ryan Morgan Eka Darville title='Empire' Episode 8 Recap: The Lyons, The Snitch, and the Boardroom |url=https://www.etonline.com/tv/160335_empire_episode_8_recap_the_lyons_the_snitch_and_the_boardroom |website=Entertainment Tonight}}</ref>
Mimi Whiteman Marisa Tomei title=Mimi Whiteman, Empire |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/mimi-whiteman-empire/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
D-Major
(aka Derek)		 Tobias Truvillion title=Who Is D-Major On 'Empire'? Tobias Truvillion Is Just Starting To Peel Back His Layers |url=https://www.bustle.com/articles/161518-who-is-d-major-on-empire-tobias-truvillion-is-just-starting-to-peel-back-his-layers |website=Bustle}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Is Empire 'Too Gay'? Here Is How One Cast Member Reacted |url=https://www.bet.com/celebrities/news/2016/05/06/is-empire--too-gay---here-is-how-one-cast-member-reacted.html |website=BET.com}}</ref>
Tory Ash Rumer Willis title=Rumer Willis Is Singing New Life Into ‘Empire’ |url=https://decider.com/2017/05/10/rumer-willis-is-singing-new-life-into-empire/ |website=Decider |date=10 May 2017}}</ref>
Rhonda Lyon Kaitlin Doubleday title=Rhonda Lyon, Empire |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/rhonda-lyon-empire/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Freda Gatz Bre-Z last1=Jones |first1=Layla A. |title=Newest 'Empire' star Bre-Z hails from Philly with superstar confidence |url=https://www.inquirer.com/philly/blogs/entertainment/Newest-Empire-star-Bre-Z-hails-from-Philly-with-superstar-confidence.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Freda Gatz, Empire|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/freda-gatz/}}</ref>
Melody Barnes Alexandra Grey title=‘Empire’s Latest Breakout Is Black, Trans, and Talented AF |url=https://www.out.com/television/2019/12/17/empires-latest-breakout-black-trans-and-talented-af |date=17 December 2019}}</ref>
Camilla Marks-Whiteman Naomi Campbell title=Camilla Marks-Whiteman, Empire |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/camilla-marks-whiteman-empire/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
2015– The Expanse SyFy
Amazon Prime Video		 Anna Volovodov Elizabeth Mitchell last1=Napier|first1=Chris|title=REVIEW: "The Expanse" Series Five Episodes 1-3 Reaction|url=https://www.grimdarkmagazine.com/review-the-expanse-series-five-episodes-1-3-reaction%E2%80%A8/%7Cwebsite=Grimdark Magazine|date=December 18, 2020}}</ref>
Julie Mao Florence Faivre title=Julie Mao, The Expanse |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/julie-mao-expanse/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Camina Drummer Cara Gee title=Camina Drummer, The Expanse |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/camina-drummer/}}</ref>
Oksana Sandrine Holt title=Oksana, The Expanse|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/oksana/}}</ref>
Namono Volovodov Raven Dauda title=Namono Volovodov, The Expanse|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/namono-volovodov/}}</ref>
2015 Eye Candy MTV Connor North John Garet Stoker Connor North is gay and dates Oliver in Season 1.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Halterman |first1=Jim |title="Eye Candy" Actor John Garet Stoker Talks Connor's Perilous First Date |url=http://www.newnownext.com/eye-candy-mtv-john-garet-stoker-interview-connor-first-date/02/2015/}}</ref>
Oliver Parker Pogue
2015– Fear The Walking Dead AMC Studios Victor Strand Colman Domingo Victor Strand and Thomas Abigail are gay and were in a relationship.<ref name="victor strand and thomas">{{cite web|last1=Mason|first1=Charlie|title=Fear the Walking Dead Recap: Al Learns About the Group That Has Rick Grimes|url=https://tvline.com/2019/06/30/fear-the-walking-dead-recap-season-5-episode-5-the-end-of-everything-al-gay-lesbian/%7Cwebsite=TVLine|date=June 30, 2019}}</ref>
Thomas Abigail Dougray Scott
Althea ("Al") Szewczek-Przygocki Maggie Grace title=Al and Isabelle – Fear the Walking Dead Season 5 Episode 5|url=https://blog.lesbianmedia.tv/al-and-isabelle-fear-the-walking-dead-season-5-episode-5/%7Cwebsite=Lesbian Media|date=July 3, 2019}} (Video)</ref>
Isabelle Sydney Lemmon Isabelle is lesbian.<ref name="althea and isabelle"/>
2015 Flesh and Bones Starz Paul Grayson Ben Daniels Paul Grayson is bisexual.<ref name="eduardo and grayson"/>
Trey Karell Williams title=Hey, remember when Flesh And Bone was about ballet? |url=https://tv.avclub.com/hey-remember-when-flesh-and-bone-was-about-ballet-1798185827 |website=TV Club}}</ref>
Eduardo Anthony Lee Medina title=Starz Show Flesh and Bone Features Gay Actor Ben Daniels Sex-Obsessed Ballet Director |url=https://www.out.com/television/2015/11/06/starz-show-flesh-and-bone-features-gay-actor-ben-daniels-sex-obsessed-ballet |date=6 November 2015}}</ref>
2015– Glitch ABC1 Charlie Thompson Sean Keenan last1=Scott |first1=Paul |title=From Contagion to Cogitation: The Evolving Television Zombie |journal=Science Fiction Studies |date=2020 |volume=47 |issue=1 |pages=93–110 |doi=10.5621/sciefictstud.47.1.0093}}</ref>
Gay Man #1 Nick Hedger Gay Man #1, Gay Man #2, Gay Older Man; characters that appeared in season 3, episode "First Times".<ref>{{cite web |title=Australian Television: Glitch: episode guide: series 2 |url=http://www.australiantelevision.net/glitch/series3.html |website=Australian Television.net}}</ref>
Gay Man #2 Ben Nicholson
Gay Older Man Damian Oehme
2015 Home Fires ITV Teresa Fenchurch Leanne Best title=Home Fires Creator Simon Block on the Series' Abrupt Cancellation and Literary Future |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/home-fires/home-fires-creator-simon-block-on-the-series-abrup/ |date=8 May 2017}}</ref>
Connie Ward Rachael Elizabeth Connie Ward is a lesbian and died on a ship sunk by German U-Boats.<ref name="autostraddle.com"/>
2015–2018 Humans
(aka HUM∀NS)		 Channel 4 Niska Emily Berrington last1=Anne |first1=Valerie |title="Humans" Sneaked In One Of The Best Queer Subplots On TV This Season |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/humans-sneaked-in-one-of-the-best-queer-subplots-on-tv-this-season-374840/ |website=Autostraddle |date=3 April 2017}}</ref><ref name="Humans synth show"/>
Astrid Bella Dayne title=Humans |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/humans/}}</ref>
2015–2019 Into the Badlands AMC Tilda Ally Ioannides last1=Anne |first1=Valerie |title="Into the Badlands" Failed its Queer and Female Characters in the End |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/into-the-badlands-failed-its-queer-and-female-characters-in-the-end/ |website=Autostraddle |date=8 May 2019}}</ref>
Odessa Maddison Jaizani title=Odessa, Into The Badlands |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/odessa/}}</ref>
2015–2019 Jessica Jones Netflix Jeri Hogarth Carrie-Anne Moss last1=Oswald|first1=Anjelica|title=We need to talk about that surprise orgy scene on the second season of 'Jessica Jones'|url=https://www.insider.com/jessica-jones-jeri-hogarth-sex-scene-carrie-anne-moss-2018-3%7Cwebsite=Insider|date=March 8, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Gallagher|first1=Caitlin|title=The Jeri Hogarth Sex Scene From 'Jessica Jones' Season 2 Breaks New Ground For Lesbian Characters Of A Certain Age|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/the-jeri-hogarth-sex-scene-from-jessica-jones-season-2-breaks-new-ground-for-lesbian-characters-of-a-certain-age-8427063%7Cwebsite=Bustle|date=March 8, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=McNally|first1=Victoria|title='Jessica Jones': Carrie-Anne Moss Opens Up About Playing Marvel's First Lesbian|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2512104/carrie-anne-moss-jessica-jones/%7Cwebsite=MTV News|date=20 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Avery|first1=Dan|title=Marvel Cinematic Universe Gets Its First Lesbian Character With Carrie Anne Moss|url=http://www.newnownext.com/marvel-cinematic-universe-gets-its-first-lesbian-character-with-carrie-anne-moss/10/2015/%7Cwebsite=NewNowNext.com%7Cdate=October 15, 2015|access-date=8 October 2017}}</ref>
Wendy Ross-Hogarth Robin Weigert last1=Thomas|first1=June|title=Jessica Jones' Lesbian Divorce Storyline Is Fabulous, Frustrating|url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/2015/11/24/jessica_jones_lesbian_divorce_plot_frustrating_netflix.html%7Cwebsite=Slate|date=November 24, 2015}}</ref>
Pam Susie Abromeit last1=Bendix|first1=Trish|title=Susie Abromeit on playing Pam in "Jessica Jones" and if she ships Jessica and Trish|url=https://www.afterellen.com/tv/466815-susie-abromeit-playing-pam-jessica-jones-ships-jessica-trish%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=December 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151221202650/https://www.afterellen.com/tv/466815-susie-abromeit-playing-pam-jessica-jones-ships-jessica-trish%7Carchive-date=December 21, 2015}}</ref>
Kith Lyonne Sarita Choudhury title=Kith Lyonne, Jessica Jones |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/kith-lyonne/}}</ref>
Gillian Aneesh Sheth title=The MCU Now Has a Trans Character Thanks to 'Jessica Jones' |url=https://www.pride.com/geek/2019/6/18/mcu-now-has-trans-character-thanks-jessica-jones |date=18 June 2019}}</ref>
Inez Green Leah Gibson title=Inez Green, Jessica Jones |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/inez-green/}}</ref>
Wendy Ross-Hogarth Robin Weigert title=Wendy Ross-Hogarth, Jessica Jones |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/wendy-ross-hogarth-jessica-jones/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Bundel |first1=Ani |title=Here's Everything To Know About Jeri Hogarth Before 'Jessica Jones' Season 2 Hits Netflix |url=https://www.elitedaily.com/p/what-happened-to-jeri-hogarth-in-jessica-jones-season-1-heres-what-you-should-know-8361391 |website=Elite Daily}}</ref>
Makayla Cece King title=Makayla, Jessica Jones |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/makayla/}}</ref>
Pam Susie Abromeit title=Pam, Jessica Jones |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/pam/}}</ref>
2015–2019 Killjoys Space
SyFy		 Prima "Pree" Dezz Thom Allison last1=Anne |first1=Valerie |title="Killjoys" Gave Its Queer Characters the Happily Ever (and Ever) After We Deserve |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/killjoys-gave-its-queer-characters-the-happily-ever-and-ever-after-we-deserve/ |website=Autostraddle |date=24 September 2019}}</ref>
Kendry Delle Seyah Mayko Nguyen last1=Wilner |first1=Norman |title=Two Canadian shows expand queer representation in sci-fi |url=https://nowtoronto.com/movies/news-features/queer-sci-fi-wynonna-earp-killjoys |website=NOW Magazine |date=19 July 2018}}</ref>
Aneela Kin Ritt Hannah John-Kamen Aneela Kin Ritt is a lesbian.<ref name="killjoys auto"/><ref name="Two Canadian shows killjoys"/>
Dutch Hannah John-Kamen title=Dutch, Killjoys |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/dutch/}}</ref>
2015 London Spy BBC Two Danny Holt Ben Whishaw last1=Hale |first1=Mike |title=Review: London Spy Follows an Unlikely Investigator With Love on His Mind |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/21/arts/television/tv-review-london-spy.html |website=The New York Times |date=20 January 2016}}</ref>
Alex Edward Holcroft last1=Lawson |first1=Richard |title=London Spy Is a Gay Twist on a Well-Worn Genre |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/01/london-spy-bbc-america-ben-whishaw |website=Vanity Fair |date=January 21, 2016}}</ref>
Scottie Jim Broadbent last1=Kornhaber |first1=Spencer |title=The BBC's 'London Spy' Is the Great Gay Espionage Show ... Almost |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/01/london-spy-the-great-gay-espionage-story-almost/425112/ |website=The Atlantic |date=21 January 2016}}</ref>
2015–2020 {{sortname|The|Magicians|The Magicians (U.S. TV series)}} Syfy Eliot Waugh Hale Appleman url=http://www.newnownext.com/the-magicians-gay-spellcaster-theres-sexual-events-that-happen-to-elliot/01/2016/%7Ctitle="The Magicians" Gay Spellcaster: "There's Sexual Events That Happen To Elliot"|website=NewNowNext|date=January 25, 2016}}</ref>
Quentin Coldwater Jason Ralph url=http://io9.gizmodo.com/just-how-much-of-the-magicians-insane-darkness-can-syfy-1736530397%7Ctitle=Just How Much of The Magicians' Insane Darkness Can Syfy Put on TV? Absolutely All of It.|first=Bryan|last=Lufkin|website=Io9.gizmodo.com|date=October 14, 2015}}</ref>
Dark King Sean Maguire title='Garden Variety Homicide' Roots The Magicians In New Troubled Times! |url=https://thegeekiary.com/the-magicians-episode-5x08-review-garden-variety-homicide/79255 |website=The Geekiary |date=27 February 2020}}</ref>
Margo Hanson Summer Bishil Margo Hanson is bisexual.<ref>{{cite web|last= Bocco|first= Federica |url=https://tvserieshub.tv/2018/01/23/interview-with-summer-bishil-margo-in-the-magicians/ |title=Interview with Summer Bishil, Margo in The Magicians|website=tvserieshub.tv|date=January 23, 2018}}</ref>
Marina Andrieski Kacey Rohl last1=Babu |first1=Armaan |title='The Magicians': Marina may be evil but standing up for that side of herself was the right thing to do |url=https://meaww.com/the-magicians-season-5-episode-6-marina-standing-up-for-her-evil-anna-right-thing-to-do-syfy |date=25 March 2020}}</ref>
2015–2017 Master of None Netflix Denise Lena Waithe title=Denise, Master of None |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/denise/}}</ref>
2015–2018 Merlí TV3 Bruno David Solans last1=Castellví |first1=Albert |title=Així va ser el polèmic i inesperat final de 'Merlí' |url=https://www.ara.cat/media/Aixi-polemic-inesperat-final-Merli_0_1943805681.html |website=Ara.cat |date=16 January 2018 |access-date=1 August 2019 |language=ca |trans-title=The polemic and unexpected end of 'Merlí'}}</ref>
Oliver Iñaki Mur Oliver is gay.<ref name="merli tv3"/>
Pol Carlos Cuevas Pol's sexual preference has been questioned In the second season Bruno and Pol have sex.<ref name="merli tv3"/>
Quima Manel Barceló Quima is a trans woman.<ref name="merli tv3"/>
2015–2019 Mr. Robot USA Network Gideon Goddard Michel Gill last=Thomas|first=June|url=https://slate.com/human-interest/2015/06/mr-robot-gay-character-sam-esmail-explains-why-the-show-needed-one.html%7Ctitle=Why the Hacker Drama Mr. Robot Needed a Gay Character|website=Slate|date=June 24, 2015|access-date=10 March 2020}}</ref>
Tyrell Wellick Martin Wallström Tyrell Wellick is bisexual and sleeps with Anwar Raziz.<ref name="mrrobot anwar"/>
Whiterose BD Wong last=Giles|first=Matthew|url=https://www.vulture.com/2015/09/bd-wong-mr-robot-whiterose-playing-transgender.html%7Ctitle=BD Wong on Why Mr. Robot's Portrayal of a Transgender Character Is Radical|website=Vulture|date=September 2, 2015|access-date=10 March 2020}}</ref>
Harry Randy Harrison last=Masaki|first=Lyle|title=Gay Sex Just Adds To The Puzzles Of "Mr. Robot"|url=http://www.newnownext.com/mr-robot-usa-martin-walstrom-gay-sex/07/2015/}}</ref>
Anwar Raziz Mitchell Winter Anwar Raziz is gay.<ref name="mrrobot anwar"/>
Hot Carla Eve Lindley last1=Walker |first1=John |title=Eve Lindley tells us what it's like to play her trans revolutionary icon onscreen |url=https://splinternews.com/eve-lindley-tells-us-what-its-like-to-play-her-trans-re-1793863527 |website=Splinter}}</ref>
Dominique DiPierro Grace Gummer title=Dominique DiPierro, Mr. Robot |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/dominique-dipierro/}}</ref>
Darlene Alderson Carly Chaikin title=Darlene Alderson, Mr. Robot |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/darlene-alderson/}}</ref>
2015–2017 Narcos Netflix Hélmer "Pacho" Herrera Alberto Ammann title=Narcos airs hot, dangerous, barrier-breaking gay scene |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/09/05/netflixs-narcos-airs-hot-dangerous-barrier-breaking-gay-scene/ |website=Pink News |date=5 September 2017}}</ref>
2015 Olympus Syfy Prince Lykos Wade Burns Prince Lykos is gay. Kimon is his lover.<ref name="olympus limon"/>
Kimon Levi Meaden title=Meet The Gay Couple On Syfy's "Olympus" |url=http://www.newnownext.com/meet-the-gay-couple-on-syfys-olympus/04/2015/}}</ref>
Adriadne Sophia Lauchlin Hirt title=Ariadne, Olympus |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/ariadne/}}</ref>
2015–2018 The Path Hulu Hawk Lane Kyle Allen title=The Path |url=https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/the-path/ |website=Plugged In}}</ref>
Caleb Matthews Titus Makin Jr. Caleb Matthews is gay, and has a relationship with Hawk Lane.<ref name="caleb and hawk"/>
Mary Cox Emma Greenwell Mary Cox is bisexual.<ref name="the path"/>
Betsy Whitney Crowder title=The Path |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/the-path/ |website=Lez}}</ref>
2015–2018 Quantico ABC Elias Harper Rick Cosnett url=http://starrymag.com/quantico-kmforget/%7Ctitle=Quantico - KMFORGET|date=6 November 2018|website=Starry Mag|access-date=28 March 2018}}</ref>
Hannah Wyland Eliza Coupe title=Hannah Wyland, Quantico |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/hannah-wyland/}}</ref>
Harry Doyle Russell Tovey Harry Doyle is an openly gay MI6 agent and CIA trainee.<ref name="quantico gay"/>
Will Olsen Jay Armstrong Johnson title=Jay Armstrong Johnson Finds Being Openly Gay Isn’t Career Suicide |url=https://www.out.com/theater-dance/2017/2/16/jay-armstrong-johnson-finds-being-openly-gay-isnt-career-suicide |date=16 February 2017}}</ref>
Sebastian Chen David Lim title=Russell Tovey Says Playing ‘Bold’ Gay Man on 'Quantico' ‘Feels Rewarding’ |url=https://www.out.com/television/2016/12/11/russell-tovey-says-playing-bold-gay-man-quantico-feels-rewarding |date=11 December 2016}}</ref>
2015 {{sortname|The|Returned|The Returned (U.S. TV series)}} A&E
Netflix		 Dr. Julie Han Sandrine Holt Dr. Julie Han is a lesbian.<ref name="usareturned the"/>
Deputy Nikki Banks Agnes Bruckner title=The Returned (US) |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/the-returned-us/}}</ref>
2015–2017 Rosewood FOX Pippy Rosewood Gabrielle Dennis last1=Rosenberg |first1=Alyssa |title=In fall TV, lesbians of color take center stage |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/tv/ct-in-fall-tv-lesbians-of-color-take-center-stage-20150929-story.html}}</ref>
Tara Milly Izikoff Anna Konkle title=Boob(s on Your) Tube: Pippy and TMI Are in Love Again on "Rosewood" |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/boobs-on-your-tube-pippy-and-tmi-are-in-love-again-on-rosewood-369649/ |website=Autostraddle |date=17 February 2017}}</ref>
Cassie Tia Mowry title=Cassie, Rosewood |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/cassie-rosewood/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
2015–2018 {{sortname|The|Royals|The Royals (TV series)}} E! Eleanor Henstridge Alexandra Park last1=Piccoli|first1=Dana|title=Princess Eleanor gets her heart broken by another woman on "The Royals"|url=http://www.afterellen.com/tv/467011-princess-eleanor-gets-heart-broken-another-woman-royals%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=December 21, 2015}}</ref>
Samantha Cook Sarah Dumont title=Samantha Cook, The Royals (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/samantha-cook/}}</ref>
2015–2018 Sense8 Netflix Wolfgang Bogdanow Max Riemelt Wolfgang Bogdanow is bisexual.<ref name="sense8 bisexual66"/>
Sun Bak Doona Bae title=Sun Bak, Sense8 |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sun-bak/}}</ref>
Nomi Marks Jamie Clayton last1=Handlin |first1=Taia |title=Why 'Sense8' Actually Sucks For Representation |url=https://www.btrtoday.com/read/featured/why-sense8-actually-sucks-for-representation/ |website=BTRtoday |date=July 7, 2017}}</ref>
Kala Dandekar Tina Desai title=Kala Dandekar, Sense8 |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/kala-dandekar/}}</ref>
Riley Blue Tuppence Middleton title=Riley Blue, Sense8 |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/riley-blue/}}</ref>
Capheus Onyango Aml Ameen (season 1)
{{Nowrap|Toby Onwumere (season 2)}}		 last1=Fleenor |first1=S. E. |title=66 bisexual+ characters in genre TV |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/66-bisexual-characters-in-genre-tv |website=SyFy Wire |date=24 September 2018}}</ref>
Lito Rodriguez Miguel Angel Silvestre Lito Rodriguez is gay.<ref name="sense8 actually sucks"/>
Will Gorski Brian J. Smith title=Netflix cancels Sense8, leaving fans devastated |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/06/01/netflix-cancels-popular-lgbt-show-sense8-leaving-fans-devastated/ |website=PinkNews |date=1 June 2017}}</ref>
Hernando Alfonso Herrera Hernando is gay and Lito's boyfriend.<ref name="sense8 actually sucks"/>
Amanita Caplan Freema Agyeman title=The 'Sense8' Cast Discusses Their Favorite Moments, LGBT Representation, & Those Racy Sex Scenes |url=https://www.pride.com/sense8/2018/6/11/sense8-cast-discusses-their-favorite-moments-lgbt-representation-those-racy-sex-scenes#media-gallery-media-5 |date=11 June 2018}}</ref>
Raoul Pasquale Erik Hayser title="Polyphony" offers the perfect term to describe Sense8’s unique storytelling|url=https://tv.avclub.com/polyphony-offers-the-perfect-term-to-describe-sense8-1798191257%7Cwebsite=TV Club}}</ref>
Zakia Asalache Mumbi Maina last1=Romero |first1=Ariana |title=Why "Sense8" Continues To Be The Best Show About Sexuality On TV |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2017/05/153219/sense8-sexuality-gender-identity-gay-sex-characters}}</ref>
Angelica Turing Daryl Hannah title=Sense8, List of characters |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/sense8/}}</ref>
Lila Facchini Valeria Bilello Lila Facchini is pansexual.<ref name="8sense characters"/>
Bodhi Sarah Kants Bodhi is pansexual.<ref name="8sense characters"/>
George Arly Jover George is a lesbian.<ref name="8sense characters"/>
Sara Patrell Margot Thorne Sara Patrell is pansexual.<ref name="8sense characters"/>
Carol Cumberland Janet Ulrich Brooks Carol Cumberland is pansexual.<ref name="8sense characters"/>
The Mother Ursula Jones The Mother is pansexual.<ref name="8sense characters"/>
2015–2017 Skam NRK Eskild Tryggvasson Carl Martin Eggesbø Eskild Tryggvasson is gay.<ref name="skam season 3"/>
Isak Valtersen Tarjei Sandvik Moe title='SKAM' Season 3: A Story About Accepting Yourself, Challenging Stereotypes and Living in the Moment |url=http://culture.affinitymagazine.us/skam-season-3-a-story-about-accepting-yourself-challenging-stereotypes-and-living-in-the-moment/ |website=Affinity Magazine |date=18 December 2017}}</ref>
Even Bech Næsheim Henrik Holm Even Bech Næsheim is gay.<ref name="skam season 3"/>
2015–2017 Stitchers Freeform Camille Engelson Allison Scagliotti Camille Engelson is bisexual.<ref name="stitchers characters"/>
Amanda Weston Anna Akana title=Stitchers, List of characters |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/stitchers/}}</ref>
2015– Supergirl The CW Alex Danvers Chyler Leigh last1=Bucksbaum|first1=Sydney|title='Supergirl' Boss on "Thoughtful" Coming Out Story and "Bury Your Gays" Fears|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/supergirl-gay-character-storyline-944838%7Cwork=The Hollywood Reporter|date=November 7, 2016}}</ref>
Maggie Sawyer Floriana Lima last1=Natalie|first1=Abrams|title=Supergirl: 12 Episodes Every Sanvers Fan Should Watch|url=https://ew.com/tv/supergirl-maggie-alex-sanvers/%7Cwebsite=Entertainment Weekly|date=September 7, 2017}}</ref>
Nia Nal(Dreamer) Nicole Maines last1=Gustines|first1=George Gene|title=Nicole Maines on Becoming TV's First Transgender Superhero|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/12/arts/television/nicole-maines-supergirl-transgender-interview.html%7Cwork=The New York Times|date=October 12, 2018}}</ref>
Kelly Olsen Azie Tesfai Kelly Olsen is a lesbian.<ref name="supergirl bucksbaum"/>
2015–2016 This Life CBC Oliver Lawson Kristopher Turner title=This Life’s Kristopher Turner Gives Us The Truth Behind Oliver – The TV Junkies |url=https://thetvjunkies.com/this-life-kristopher-turner-interview/}}</ref>
2015– Unforgotten ITV Eric Slater Tom Courtenay last1=Frost|first1=Caroline|title='Unforgotten' Series 2 Has Been Comissioned, With Nicola Walker, Sanjeev Bhaskar Returning To Crime Drama|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/11/13/unforgotten-series-2_n_8553374.html%7Cwebsite=HuffPost UK|date=13 November 2015}}</ref>
Jimmy Sullivan Harley Alexander-Sule Jimmy Sullivan was Eric's gay lover.<ref name="unforgotten"/>
Colin Osborne Mark Bonnar Colin Osborne is gay.<ref name="colin and simon osborne"/>
Simon Osborne Charlie Condou last1=Doran|first1=Sarah|title=Meet the cast of Unforgotten series two|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2018-04-20/meet-the-cast-of-unforgotten-series-two/%7Cwebsite=Radio Times|date=20 April 2018}}</ref>
2015–2018 UnREAL Lifetime Jay Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman title=Why Jay On 'UnREAL' Is So Important To LGBTQ Representation, According To Star Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman |url=https://www.bustle.com/p/why-jay-on-unreal-is-so-important-to-lgbtq-representation-according-to-star-jeffrey-bowyer-chapman-8314675 |website=Bustle}}</ref>
Faith Breeda Wool title=UnREAL |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/unreal/}}</ref>
Alexi Petrov Alex Sparrow title=Alex Sparrow opens up about gay kiss scenes |url=http://www.frivolette.com/art/acting/alex-sparrow-opens-up-about-gay-kiss-scenes}}</ref>
Xavier Jaime Callica title=Jaime M. Callica – UnREAL |url=https://starrymag.com/jaime-m-callica-unreal/ |website=Starry Constellation Magazine |date=19 March 2018}}</ref>
Fiona Tracie Thoms last1=Nemetz |first1=Dave |title=UnREAL Adds Tracie Thoms as Quinn's Lesbian Friend for Season 3 |url=https://tvline.com/2017/04/12/unreal-casts-tracie-thoms-season-3-lifetime-fiona/ |website=TV Line |date=12 April 2017}}</ref>
2015–2018 Versailles Canal+ Philippe d'Orléans Alexander Vlahos last1=Earle |first1=Toby |last2=Travis |first2=Ben |title=Versailles’ Alexander Vlahos talks fan reactions and gay relationships |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/versailles-alexander-vlahos-talks-fan-reactions-and-gay-relationships-on-tv-a3317516.html |date=11 August 2016}}</ref>
Chevalier de Lorraine Evan Williams title=Evan Williams tells us about playing one half of the gay power couple at the centre of Versailles |url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/versailles/ |date=6 July 2016}}</ref>
2015–2016 Wayward Pines FOX Frank Armstrong Michael Garza title=Wayward Pines - la scheda della serie tv |url=https://www.cinemagay.it/serie-tv/wayward-pines/ |language=it-IT}}</ref>
2015– Westside TV3 Bjelke "Bilkey" van Heeder Todd Emerson last1=McLachlan |first1=Marilynn |title=Westside’s Todd Emerson On What It Was Like Having His Husband Kip Chapman Join the Cast |url=https://www.nowtolove.co.nz/lifestyle/sex-relationships/westside-todd-emerson-and-husband-kip-chapman-41888}}</ref>
2015 You, Me and the Apocalypse Sky 1 Scotty McNeil Kyle Soller Scotty McNeil is gay.<ref name="Me and the Apocalypse"/>
Arnold Gaines Paterson Joseph title=Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Television Characters |url=https://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~wyatt/tv-char2000s.html#test331}}</ref>
2015– Younger TV Land Maggie Debi Mazar Maggie is lesbian.<ref name="tv series younger"/>
Lauren Heller Molly Bernard title=Younger |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/younger/}}</ref>

2016

Year Show Network Character Actor Notes
2016– 3% Netflix Joana Coelho Vaneza Oliveira title=3% TV Series (LGBT characters)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/3/%7Cwebsite=LezWatch.TV%7Cdate=June 29, 2019}}</ref>
Natália Amanda Magalhães Natalia is lesbian and Joana's partner. Joana and Natalia start a revolution against Maralto.<ref name="three percent characters"/>
Ariel Marina Matheus Ariel is a trans woman.<ref name="three percent characters"/>
Láis Fernanda Vasconcellos Láis is bisexual.<ref name="three percent characters"/>
Samira Maria Flor Samira is bisexual.<ref name="three percent characters"/>
2016– The|A Word}} BBC One
SundanceTV		 Tom Clarke Matt Greenwood last1=Stevenson |first1=Amelia |title=Matt Greenwood |url=https://tresamagazine.com/2020/08/17/matt-greenwood/ |website=TresA Magazine |date=17 August 2020}}</ref>
2016 American Gothic CBS Alison Hawthorne-Price Juliet Rylance title=Alison Hawthorne-Price, American Gothic (2016 TV series)|url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/alison-hawthorne-price-american-gothic/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Naomi Flynn Maureen Sebastian title=Naomi Flynn, American Gothic (2016 TV series)|url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/naomi-flynn-american-gothic/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
2016– Animal Kingdom TNT Deran Cody Jake Weary title=TNT’s 'Animal Kingdom' Weaves Gay Storyline in a Macho, Violent World |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/tnt-s-animal-kingdom-weaves-gay-storyline-macho-violent-world-n625311 |website=NBC News}}</ref>
Lila Cole title=Lila Cole, Animal Kingdom (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lila-cole/}}</ref>
Adrian Dolan Spencer Treat Clark title=Actor Jake Weary On Playing a Closeted Character in 'Animal Kingdom' |url=https://www.out.com/television/2016/6/22/actor-jake-weary-playing-closeted-character-animal-kingdom |date=22 June 2016}}</ref><ref name="animal kingdom:1"/>
Janine "Smurf" Cody Ellen Barkin title=Janine "Smurf" Cody, Animal Kingdom (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/janine-smurf-cody/}}</ref>
Mark Liston Andy Favreau title=TNT’s ‘Animal Kingdom’ Left An Interesting Taste In Our Mouth With Its Most Recent Gay Romp Scene. No Bed Needed. |url=https://instinctmagazine.com/tnts-animal-kingdom-left-an-interesting-taste-in-our-mouth-with-its-most-recent-gay-romp-scene-no-bed-needed/ |website=Instinct Magazine |date=28 July 2017}}</ref>
Linc Damon Erik Williams title=‘Animal Kingdom’ actor hails from Haverford |url=https://www.dailylocal.com/arts_and_entertainment/animal-kingdom-actor-hails-from-haverford/article_9897547a-4fc9-5095-9968-24530fb5a1b2.html |website=Daily Local News}}</ref>
2016 Barracuda ABC Danny Kelly Elias Anton last=Richens|first=Tony|title=Gay Swimmer Catalyst For Exciting New Australian Drama - Barracuda|url=https://gaynation.co/gay-swimmer-catalyst-for-exciting-new-australian-drama-barracuda/%7Cwebsite=Gay Nation|date=12 July 2016}}</ref>
Martin Taylor Ben Kindon title=Barracuda review – a valuable Australian story, with a one-for-the-ages finale |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/jul/11/barracuda-review-a-valuableaustralian-story-with-a-one-for-the-ages-finale |date=11 July 2016}}</ref>
Demet Nicole Gulasekharam title=Demet, Barracuda (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/demet/}}</ref>
2016– Berlin Station Epix Hector DeJean Rhys Ifans title=Berlin Station Exclusive Interview Rhys Ifans Assignment X |url=https://www.assignmentx.com/2016/berlin-station-rhys-ifans-on-new-cia-espionage-series-exclusive-interview/}}</ref>
2016– Better Things FX Sil Ser Anzoategui title=Sil, Better Things (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sil/}}</ref>
Tressa Rebecca Merz title=Better Things' Rebecca Metz on Pamela Adlon's Leadership on Set |url=https://www.fxnetworks.com/news/better-things/better-things-rebecca-metz-tressas-evolution-and-pamela-adlons-l/%7Cwebsite=FX Networks}}</ref>
Frankie Fox Hannah Alligood last1=Dry |first1=Jude |title=The 25 Most Influential LGBTQ Characters on TV Right Now |url=https://www.indiewire.com/gallery/best-lesbian-gay-characters-tv-lgbt-transgender/screen-shot-2019-05-09-at-5-22-10-pm/ |website=Indie Wire |date=10 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title="Better Things" Tells an Important Trans Story — By Not Telling a Trans Story |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/better-things-tells-an-important-trans-story-by-not-telling-a-trans-story/ |website=Autostraddle |date=1 May 2020}}</ref>
Mer Kodis Marsha Thomason last1=Ratledge |first1=Ingela |title='Better Things': Pamela Adlon on the 'Shocking' Real-Life Experiences That Inspired Season 3 |url=https://www.tvinsider.com/751321/better-things-season-3-pamela-adlon-details/ |website=TV Insider}}</ref>
2016– Billions Showtime Tara Mohr Annapurna Sriram title=Tara Mohr, Billions |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/tara-mohr-billions/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Donnie Caan David Cromer Donnie Caan and Walter are married.<ref>{{cite web |title=Billions 1×10 Recap: Death Becomes Them |url=https://observer.com/2016/03/billions-1x10-recap-death-becomes-them/ |website=Observer |date=28 March 2016}}</ref>
Walter Matthew Humphreys
Taylor Mason Asia Kate Dillon last1=Soloski |first1=Alexis |title=Asia Kate Dillon: ‘This Is Who I Am’ |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/26/arts/television/asia-kate-dillon-billions.html |website=The New York Times |date=26 May 2019}}</ref>
Lauren Turner Jade Eshete title=Lauren Turner, Billions (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lauren-turner/}}</ref>
Fiona Michaela Sprague title=Fiona, Billions (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/fiona/}}</ref>
2016– Bull CBS Chunk Palmer Chris Jackson last1=Ryan |first1=Maureen |title=Christopher Jackson Talks ‘Bull,’ ‘Hamilton’ and What’s Next |url=https://variety.com/2016/tv/features/christopher-jackson-hamilton-bull-cbs-tv-1201892605/ |website=Variety |date=18 October 2016}}</ref>
2016–2017 {{sortname|The|Catch|The Catch (TV series)}} ABC Margot Bishop Sonya Walger title=Margot Bishop, The Catch |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/margot-bishop/}}</ref>
Felicity Shivani Ghai title=Felicity, The Catch |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/felicity/}}</ref>
Shawn Sullivan Caleb Smith title=The Catch Season Finale: Happily Ever After? |url=https://www.vulture.com/2016/05/catch-recap-season-1-episode-9-10.html |website=Vulture}}</ref>
2016 The Cate Morland Chronicles YouTube Eleanor Monk Erika Ovudoba Eleanor is a lesbian. She is Cate Morland's best friend. Web series that is an adaption of Jane Austen's novel, Northanger Abbey.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kulik |first1=Elise |title=Webseries Discovery: The Cate Morland Chronicles |url=https://www.nerdophiles.com/2016/10/13/webseries-discovery-the-cate-morland-chronicles/ |website=Nerdophiles |date=13 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Eleanor Monk, The Cate Morland Chronicles|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/eleanor-monk/}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Heredia Torres |first1=María |title=Jane Austen and Transmedia Narratives. Analysis of The Cate Morland Chronicles |date=3 October 2018 |doi=10.30827/Digibug.53070 |publisher=Universidad de Granada|doi-access=free |journal=Digibug}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Elsbury |first1=Justin |title=Alumni's hit web series a modern take on Jane Austen novel |url=https://universe.byu.edu/2016/09/28/alumnis-hit-web-series-a-modern-take-on-jane-austin-novel/ |website=The Daily Universe |date=28 September 2016}}</ref>
2016 Class BBC Three Charlie Smith Greg Austin last1=Bryan |first1=Scott |title=The Casual Gay Relationship In "Class" Is Actually Important |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/scottybryan/the-writer-behind-class-explains-why-he-casually-portrayed-g |website=BuzzFeed}}</ref>
Matteusz Andrzejewski Jordan Renzo title=Doctor Who spin off 'Class' actors open up about their relationship onscreen |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2016/11/19/doctor-who-spin-off-class-actors-open-up-about-their-relationship-onscreen/ |website=Pink News |date=19 November 2016}}</ref><ref name="2016 tv class"/>
2016 The|Collection|The Collection (TV series)}} Amazon Prime Video
BBC Worldwide		 Claude Sabine Tom Riley last1=O'Keefe |first1=Meghan |title=Tom Riley Talks Playing Another "Sexually Fluid, Tortured Genius" on ‘The Collection’ |url=https://decider.com/2017/02/10/the-collection-tom-riley-interview/ |website=Decider |date=10 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Interview: Britain's brightest new star, Tom Riley |url=https://www.thegentlemansjournal.com/article/interview-britains-brightest-new-star-tom-riley/ |website=The Gentleman's Journal}}</ref>
2016 Conviction ABC Hayes Morrison Hayley Atwell title=Hayes Morrison, Conviction |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/hayes-morrison-conviction/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Jackson Morrison Daniel Franzese title=Actor Daniel Franzese gets political on ABC's 'Conviction'|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/actor-daniel-franzese-gets-political-abc-s-conviction-n671871%7Cwebsite=NBC News}}</ref>
Franklin "Frankie" Cruz Manny Montana Franklin "Frankie" Cruz is in love with Rey Armas.<ref>{{cite web |title=Conviction – The 1% Solution |url=https://starrymag.com/conviction-the-1-solution/ |website=Starry Constellation Magazine |date=10 November 2016}}</ref>
Rey Armas Ian Paola
Naomi Golden Ilfenesh Hadera title=Naomi Golden, Conviction (2016 TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/naomi-golden/}}</ref>
2016 Crashing Channel 4 Fred Amit Shah last1=Damshenas |first1=Sam |title=52 of the best LGBTQ+ shows you can watch right now on Netflix |url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/the-best-lgbtq-inclusive-shows-you-can-watch-right-now-on-netflix/ |website=Gay Times |date=8 February 2021}}</ref><ref name="uk series crashing">{{cite web |last1=Munzenrieder |first1=Kyle |title=W TV Club: Crashing is Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Twisted Take on 'Friends' |url=https://www.wmagazine.com/story/crashing-netflix-phoebe-waller-bridge |website=W Magazine |date=January 30, 2021}}</ref>
Sam Jonathan Bailey Sam is _____.<ref name="crashing uk tv series"/><ref name="uk series crashing"/>
Will Lachie Chapman title=Crashing Series 1, Episode 3 |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/crashing/episodes/1/3/ |website=British Comedy Guide}}</ref>
2016– The Crown Netflix Antony Armstrong-Jones Matthew Goode title=The Crown portrays a major royal figure as bisexual, and hints the Queen knew |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/12/11/the-crown-lord-snowdon-bisexual/ |website=PinkNews |date=11 December 2017}}</ref>
Patrick Michael Therriault
2016– Degrassi: Next Class Family Channel Miles Hollingsworth III Eric Osborne author=snicks|title=An Encyclopedia Of LGBT Characters On "Degrassi"|url=http://www.newnownext.com/degrassi-lgbt-characters/07/2015/%7Cwebsite=NewNowNext|date=July 20, 2015}}</ref>
Zoe Rivas Ana Golja Zoe is a lesbian.<ref name="degrassi characters"/>
Tristan Milligan Lyle Lettau Tristan is gay.<ref name="degrassi characters"/>
Vijay Maraji Dante Scott Vijay is gay.<ref name="degrassi characters"/>
Yael Baron Jamie Bloch Yael is non-binary/genderqueer and uses they/them pronouns.<ref name="degrassi characters"/>
Rasha Zuabi Dalia Yegavian Rasha is a lesbian.<ref name="degrassi characters"/>
Esme Song Chelsea Clark Esme and Frankie enter a polyamorous relationship with Zig.<ref name="degrassi characters"/>
Francesca "Frankie" Hollingsworth Sara Waisglass
2016 The Deleted Fullscreen Agatha Madeline Brewer title=Agatha, The Deleted|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/agatha/}}</ref>
Sophie Julia Kelly title=Sophie, The Deleted|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sophie/}}</ref>
2016–2019 Designated Survivor ABC Dontae Evans Ben Watson last1=Reynolds |first1=Daniel |title=Benjamin Charles Watson Brings Black and Gay Visibility to Designated Survivor |url=https://www.advocate.com/television/2019/6/09/benjamin-watson-brings-black-gay-visibility-designated-survivor |website=The Advocate |date=June 9, 2019}}</ref>
Sasha Booker Jamie Clayton Sasha is a trans woman.<ref name="designated survivor"/>
2016–2019 The|Durrells}} ITV Sven Ulric von der Esch title=The Durrells: Who plays Sven in the ITV drama? All the details on Ulric von der Esch |url=https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/2020080995016/the-durrells-who-plays-sven-in-itv-drama/ |date=9 August 2020}}</ref>
2016–2019 Easy Netflix Jo Jacqueline Toboni Jo and Chase meet, fall in love, and become a lesbian couple in season 1 episode 2, "Vegan Cinderella".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Keating|first1=Shannon|title=These TV Shows Are Finally Giving Queer Women Happy Endings|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/shannonkeating/black-mirror-easy-queer-happy-endings%7Cwebsite=BuzzFeed|date=October 28, 2016}}</ref>
Chase Kiersey Clemons
2016– El marginal Televisión Pública Argentina Juan Pablo "Diosito" Borges Nicolás Furtado last=Garibaldi|first=Florencia|title=Nicolás Furtado: artista de la transformación|url=http://revistawatt.com/nicolas-furtado/%7Cwork=WATT%7Cdate=2 May 2017|access-date=27 May 2018|language=es}}</ref><ref name="el marginal">{{cite web|title=Netflix: 'El marginal', una serie que no debes perderte|url=https://trome.pe/opinion/el-buho/netflix-marginal-serie-debes-perderte-29268%7Cwebsite=Trome%7Clanguage=es%7Cdate=4 November 2016}}</ref>
Morcilla Carlos Portaluppi Morcilla is bisexual.<ref name="juan pablo bi"/><ref name="el marginal"/>
Fiorella Guido Botto Fiora Fiorella is gay. He is in a relationship with Morcilla.<ref name="juan pablo bi"/><ref name="el marginal"/>
2016 Eyewitness USA Network Philip Shea Tyler Young title=Philip Shea: Eyewitness Character - USANetwork.com |url=https://www.usanetwork.com/eyewitness/credits/character/philip-shea |website=USA Network |quote=Tyler Young stars as Philip Shea, a gay teenager from the projects looking for a fresh start with a new foster family}}</ref>
Lukas Waldenbeck James Paxton title=Lukas Waldenbeck: Eyewitness Character - USANetwork.com |url=https://www.usanetwork.com/eyewitness/credits/character/lukas-waldenbeck |website=USA Network}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Anderson-Minshall |first1=Diane |title=An Illicit Gay Romance Is the Spark That Ignites TV's Best New Show |url=https://www.advocate.com/current-issue/2016/10/14/illicit-gay-romance-spark-ignites-tvs-best-new-show |website=The Advocate |date=14 October 2016}}</ref>
2016–2018 Falling Water USA Network Alexis Simms Sepideh Moafi title=Alex and Christy – Falling Water Season 2 Episode 8|url=https://blog.lesbianmedia.tv/alex-and-christy-falling-water-season-2-episode-8/%7Cwebsite=Lesbian Media|date=March 20, 2018}}</ref>
Christine Parisa Fitz-Henley Christine is lesbian and the girlfriend of Alexis.<ref name="falling water"/>
2016 {{sortname|The|Family|The Family (2016 TV series)}} ABC Willa Warren Alison Pill title=Willa, The Family (2016 TV series)|url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/willa-the-family/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref><ref name="Willa and Bridey">{{cite web |title=Willa and Bridey in The Family |url=http://www.lesbian-interest.eu/willa-bridey-family/ |website=Lesbian interest |date=28 March 2016}}</ref>
Bridey Cruz Floriana Lima title=Bridey Cruz, The Family (2016 TV series)|url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/bridey-cruz-family/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
2016–2017 {{sortname|The|Get Down}} Netflix Marcus 'Dizzee' Kipling Jaden Smith Dizzee and Thor are featured in a gay storyline. They go to an exclusive underground LGBT club and kiss.<ref>{{cite web |title=Let's Revisit Jaden Smith's Beautiful, Frustrating Gay Storyline on 'The Get Down' |url=https://www.out.com/television/2017/4/18/lets-revisit-jaden-smiths-beautiful-frustrating-gay-storyline-get-down |date=18 April 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Jaden Smith's Club Scene On 'The Get Down' Explores An Important Time In The Decade |url=https://www.romper.com/p/jaden-smiths-club-scene-on-the-get-down-explores-important-time-in-the-decade-16314 |website=Romper}}</ref>
Thor Noah Le Gros
2016 Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life Netflix Michel Gerard Yanic Truesdale title=Gilmore Girls: Michel Is Gay, Adopting a Child with His Husband |url=https://people.com/tv/gilmore-girls-michel-gerard-sexuality-gay-adopting-child-partner/}}</ref><ref name="gilmore girls"/>
Donald Sam Pancake last1=Canfield |first1=David |title=Why the Gilmore Girls Revival’s Attempt to Be LGBTQ-Friendly Was So Disingenuous |url=https://slate.com/culture/2016/12/netflix-s-gilmore-girls-revivals-attempt-to-be-lgbtq-friendly-failed.html |website=Slate Magazine |date=16 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Peitzman |first1=Louis |title=The "Gilmore Girls" Revival Is Gayer Than Expected |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzman/oy-with-the-heteronormativity-already |website=BuzzFeed}}</ref>
2016– {{sortname|The|Girlfriend Experience|The Girlfriend Experience (TV series)}} Starz Christine Reade Riley Keough title=Christine Reade, The Girlfriend Experience |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/christine-reade-girlfriend-experience/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Avery Suhr Kate Lyn Sheil title=Avery Suhr, The Girlfriend Experience |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/avery-suhr-girlfriend-experience/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref><ref name="the girlfriend experience:1">{{cite web |last1=Bendix |first1=Trish |title="The Girlfriend Experience" Makes A Power Play With Lesbian Dom-Sub Storyline |url=http://www.newnownext.com/the-girlfriend-experience-makes-a-power-play-with-lesbian-dom-sub-storyline/11/2017/}}</ref>
Darya Esford Narges Rashidi title=Darya Esford, The Girlfriend Experience (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/darya-esford/}}</ref>
Anna Garner Louisa Krause Anna Garner is a lesbian.<ref name="the girlfriend experience:1"/><ref name="girlfriend experience:2"/>
Erica Myles title="The Girlfriend Experience" Season Two: Bad Show, Decent Soft Core Lesbian Porn |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/the-girlfriend-experience-season-two-bad-plot-great-soft-core-lesbian-porn-408933/ |website=Autostraddle |date=15 February 2018}}</ref>
2016– Goliath Amazon Prime Video Michelle McBride Maria Bello title=Michelle McBride, Goliath |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/michelle-mcbride-goliath/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Callie Senate Molly Parker title=Callie Senate, Goliath |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/callie-senate-goliath/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
2016 The Good Wife
(South Korean)		 tvN Kim Dan Nana last1=John |first1=Simi |title=After School's Nana talks about bisexual role in The Good Wife |url=https://www.ibtimes.sg/after-schools-nana-talks-about-bisexual-role-good-wife-2575 |website=International Business Times |date=30 July 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Good Wife (Korean) |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/the-good-wife-korean/}}</ref>
2016–2018 Hap and Leonard SundanceTV Leonard Pine Michael K. Williams title='Hap and Leonard' Canceled at Sundance TV |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/hap-leonard-canceled-at-sundance-tv-1111922 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=14 May 2018}}</ref>
Raoul Enrique Murciano last1=Thomas |first1=June |title=Hap and Leonard’s Creator on Swamp Noir, Casting Gay Characters, and the F and the N Words |url=https://slate.com/human-interest/2016/03/hap-and-leonards-jim-mickle-interviewed.html |website=Slate Magazine |date=2 March 2016}}</ref>
2016 Heartbeat NBC Max Eliott Joshua Leonard title=Casting Report: 68 Gay Characters on TV Right Now |url=https://www.pride.com/gay/2016/4/20/casting-report-68-gay-characters-tv-right-now#slide-22 |date=21 April 2016}}</ref>
2016-2017 I Love Dick Amazon Prime Video Devon Roberta Colindrez last1=Parks-Ramage |first1=Jonathan |title='I Love Dick' Star Roberta Colindrez on Playing a Queer Texas Cowboy |url=https://www.out.com/entertainment/2017/5/17/i-love-dick-star-roberta-colindrez-playing-queer-texas-cowboy |website=Out Magazine |date=17 May 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Voss |first1=Brandon |title="I Love Dick" Star Roberta Colindrez Transcends Gender Again In "Hamlet" |url=http://www.newnownext.com/i-love-dick-star-roberta-colindrez-transcends-gender-again-in-hamlet/07/2017/ |website=NewNowNext |date=July 27, 2017}}</ref>
Toby Bobbi Salvör Menuez title=Toby, I Love Dick |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/toby/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Lesbian, Bi and Queer Year in Television 2017: Love, bravery, and found family |url=https://www.bellamediachannel.com/the-lesbian-bi-and-queer-year-in-television-2017-love-bravery-and-found-family/ |website=Bella Media Channel |date=20 December 2017}}</ref>
2016–2017 Incorporated Syfy Theo Marquez Eddie Ramos Theo Marquez's boyfriend is Anthony.<ref>{{cite web |title=Downsizing, Season 1 Episode 2 |url=https://www.syfy.com/incorporated/episodes/season/1/episode/2/downsizing |website=SyFy |quote=Out in the Red Zone, Theo is becoming quite the up-and-comer in the world of cage fighting, which hopefully means a brighter future for him and his boyfriend, Anthony.}}</ref>
Anthony Matt Landry
2016– Jamie Johnson CBBC Dillon Simmonds Patrick Ward last1=Holmes |first1=Jon |title=Stories can give strength to gay and bi footballers |url=https://sportsmedialgbt.com/stories-can-give-strength-to-gay-and-bi-footballers |website=Sports Media LGBT+ |date=20 June 2020}}</ref>
Elliot Laquarn Lewis people=Kay-Jelski, Daniel; Scheckter, Hugo; Ward, Patrick; Lewis, Laquarn; Duggan, Shaun; Taylor, Cheryl |date=July 9, 2020 |title=Jamie Johnson {{!}} Dillon's Storyline and LGBT Role Models For Kids {{!}} BAFTA Kids |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuujfA1WIgk |format=video |publisher= BAFTA Kids & Teens}}</ref><ref name="johnsontvjamie"/>
Becky Walker-Cotton Mali Tudno Jones title=Dawn Walker-Cotton, Jamie Johnson (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/dawn-walker-cotton/}}</ref>
Dawn Walker-Cotton Tonya Smith title=Becky Walker-Cotton, Jamie Johnson (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/becky-walker-cotton/}}</ref>
2016– Legends of Tomorrow CW Sara Lance Caity Lotz last=Mason|first=Jessica|title=The Cast and Writers Preview Legends of Tomorrow's Trip Into '80s Horror and More|url=https://www.themarysue.com/cast-and-writers-preview-legends-of-tomorrows-trip-into-80s-horror/%7Cwebsite=The Mary Sue|date=February 11, 2020}}</ref>
Todd Rice Lance Henriksen title=Legends of Tomorrow: Lance Henriksen Confirms Obsidian is Green Lantern’s Son |url=https://screenrant.com/obsidian-green-lantern-legends-of-tomorrow-lance-henriksen/ |website=Screen Rant |date=28 September 2016}}</ref>
Ava Sharpe Jes Macallan last=West|first=Amy|title=Legends of Tomorrow: Sara Lance and Ava Sharpe's romance FINALLY became canon and fans love it|url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/03/01/legends-of-tomorrow-sara-lance-and-ava-sharpes-romance-finally-became-canon-and-fans-love-it/%7Cwebsite=PinkNews|date=March 1, 2018}}</ref>
Lindsay Carlisle Ali Liebert title=Lindsay Carlisle, Legends of Tomorrow|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lindsay-carlisle/}}</ref>
Queen Anne Rebecca Eady title=Queen Anne, Legends of Tomorrow|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/queen-anne/}}</ref>
Guinevere Elyse Levesque title=Guinevere, Legends of Tomorrow|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/guinevere/}}</ref>
Alex Danvers Chyler Leigh title=Alex Danvers, Legends of Tomorrow|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/alex-danvers/}}</ref>
Captain Cold Wentworth Miller last1=Avery |first1=Dan |title="DC's Legends Of Tomorrow" Hints At A Romance Between Citizen Cold And John Constantine |url=http://www.newnownext.com/citizen-cold-and-john-constantine-gay-flirt/01/2018/ |website=NewNowNext |date=January 18, 2018}}</ref>
Ray Terrill Russell Tovey Ray is gay.<ref name="citizen cold ray"/>
John Constantine Matt Ryan first=Christopher|last=Rudolph|url=http://www.newnownext.com/constantine-legends-of-tomorrow/10/2017/%7Ctitle=Bisexual John Constantine Coming To "DC's Legends Of Tomorrow"|website=NewNowNext|date=October 17, 2017}}</ref>
Gary Green Adam Tsekhman url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/a-queer-kiss-saves-the-world-on-legends-of-tomorrow%7Ctitle=A queer kiss saves the world on Legends of Tomorrow|last=Fleenor|first=S.E.|date=December 26, 2019|website=Syfy|access-date=January 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107003938/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/a-queer-kiss-saves-the-world-on-legends-of-tomorrow%7Carchive-date=November 7, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>
Desmond Christian Keyes last1=Fleenor |first1=S. E. |title=A queer kiss saves the world on Legends of Tomorrow |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/a-queer-kiss-saves-the-world-on-legends-of-tomorrow |date=27 December 2018}}</ref>
Kate Kane Wallis Day title=Kate Kane, Legends of Tomorrow|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/kate-kane/}}</ref>
Charlie Maisie Richardson-Sellers Charlie is pansexual and genderfluid.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fleenor |first1=S. E. |title=Legends of Tomorrow low-key introduced a non-binary character in Season 4 |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/legends-of-tomorrow-low-key-introduced-a-non-binary-character-in-season-4 |date=25 January 2019}}</ref>
Nyssa al Ghul Katrina Law title=Nyssa al Ghul, Legends of Tomorrow|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/nyssa-al-ghul/}}</ref>
Miss Sinclair Sophia Johnson title=Miss Sinclair, Legends of Tomorrow|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/miss-sinclair/}}</ref>
2016– Lucifer Fox
Netflix		 Lucifer Morningstar Tom Ellis last1=Anne|first1=Valerie|title="Lucifer" Season Four Has a (Tragically) Beautiful Bisexual Storyline|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/lucifer-season-four-has-a-tragically-beautiful-bisexual-storyline/%7Cwebsite=Autostraddle|date=May 23, 2019}}</ref>
Mazikeen (Maze) Lesley-Ann Brandt last1=Opie |first1=David |title=Lucifer season 5 continues to erase bisexuality and conflate queerness with evil |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a33755517/lucifer-season-5-bisexual-queer-lgbtq/ |website=Digital Spy |date=24 August 2020}}</ref>
Eve Inbar Lavi title=Eve, Lucifer (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/eve-2/}}</ref>
2016–2018 Luke Cage Netflix Hernan "Shades" Alvarez Theo Rossi last1=Outlaw|first1=Kofi|title='Luke Cage' Season 2 Adds More LGBTQ Characters to the MCU|url=https://comicbook.com/marvel/2018/06/25/luke-cage-season-2-shades-gay-bisexual-lgbtq/%7Cwebsite=ComicBook.com%7Cpublisher=Pop Culture Media|date=June 25, 2018|access-date=27 June 2018}}</ref><ref name="luke cage season2">{{cite web|last1=Pooley|first1=Jack|title=Luke Cage Season 2: 22 WTF Moments|url=http://whatculture.com/tv/luke-cage-season-2-22-wtf-moments?page=10%7Cwebsite=WhatCulture.com%7Cdate=23 June 2018|access-date=27 June 2018}}</ref>
Comanche Jones Thomas Q. Jones Comanche is gay.<ref name="shades alvares"/><ref name="luke cage season2"/>
2016– Marcella ITV Matthew Neil Ben Cura title=Marcella recap: episode two – the butcher, the baker and the internet dater |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/apr/11/marcella-recap-episode-two-the-butcher-the-baker-and-the-internet-dater |date=11 April 2016}}</ref>
Yann Hall Tobias Santelmann title=Marcella Season 1 Recap |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/marcella-season-1-recap/ |website=Den of Geek |date=19 February 2018}}</ref>
Cara Thomas Florence Pugh title=Cara Thomas, Marcella (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/cara-thomas/}}</ref>
Sascha Kyte Victoria Broom title=TV Show Pick: Marcella |url=https://www.curvemag.com/film-club/film-collection/tv-show/tv-show-pick-marcella/ |date=8 September 2016}}</ref>
Jojo Baines Tamzin Malleson Jojo Baines is lesbian.<ref name="jojo and sascha"/>
2016–2018 The|Night Manager|The Night Manager (miniseries)}} BBC One Major Lance "Corky" Corkoran Tom Hollander last1=Handlen |first1=Zack |title=The Night Manager is elegant, well-chilled spy craft |url=https://tv.avclub.com/the-night-manager-is-elegant-well-chilled-spy-craft-1798187435 |website=TV Club |date=April 19, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Geier |first1=Thom |title=#BuryYourGays: 27 LGBT TV Characters Killed Off in 2016 |url=https://www.thewrap.com/buryyourgays-lgbt-tv-characters-gay-lesbian-killed-off-2016-empire-game-of-thrones/ |website=TheWrap |date=21 December 2016}}</ref>
2016–2017 No Tomorrow The CW Kareema Sarayu Blue title=Kareema, No Tomorrow |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/kareema-no-tomorrow/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
Sofia Marta Milans title=Sofia, No Tomorrow |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/sofia-no-tomorrow/ |website=LGBT Fans Deserve Better}}</ref>
2016 Notorious ABC Levi Ramon de Ocampo title=Levi Is In Love With Oscar On 'Notorious' & It All Comes To A Tragic End|url=https://www.bustle.com/articles/189603-levi-is-in-love-with-oscar-on-notorious-it-all-comes-to-a-tragic-end |website=Bustle}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title='Notorious' Recap: How About That Ending?|url=https://ew.com/recap/notorious-season-1-episode-4/}}</ref>
2016– {{sortname|The|OA}} Netflix Buck Vu Ian Alexander last1=Walker|first1=Harron|url=https://www.vulture.com/2016/12/the-oa-netflix-ian-alexander-buck.html%7Ctitle=The OA's Ian Alexander on His Big Acting Debut and Trans Representation|website=Vulture|date=December 22, 2016}}</ref>
Alfonso "French" Sosa Brandon Perea Alfonso is gay.<ref name="the oa"/>
2016–2017 Pure Genius CBS Jess Wallace Taylor Rose title=Jess Wallace, Pure Genius|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/jess-wallace/}}</ref>
Ally (Ali) Irene Choi title=Ali, Pure Genius|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/ali/}}</ref>
Gloria Jazzmun title=Gloria, Pure Genius|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/gloria-pure-genius/}}</ref>
2016 Quarry Cinemax Buddy Damon Herriman title=Review: The reluctant hit man: A new antihero arises in Cinemax's '70s-set Southern noir 'Quarry' |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-quarry-review-20160906-snap-story.html |website=Los Angeles Times |date=9 September 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Quarry's Damon Herriman Discusses Playing Criminals & Finding Their Humanity |url=https://screenrant.com/quarry-cinemax-damon-herriman-buddy-justified/ |website=Screen Rant |date=7 October 2016}}</ref>
2016 Recovery Road Freeform Vern Testaverde Daniel Franzese title=BELLO mag #107, The Pride Issue |url=https://issuu.com/outnext/docs/bello107print |pages=6–13}}</ref>
2016–2018 Shades of Blue NBC Lieutenant Matt Wozniak Ray Liotta last1=Murphy |first1=Mary |title='Shades of Blue': Ray Liotta Weighs in on Wozniak's Big Reveal |url=https://www.tvinsider.com/67385/shades-of-blue-ray-liotta-weighs-in-on-wozniaks-big-reveal/ |website=TV Insider}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ray Liotta Says Bisexual Twist In 'Shades Of Blue' Knocked His Socks Off |url=http://www.ontopmag.com/article/22193/Ray_Liotta_Says_Bisexual_Twist_In_Shades_Of_Blue_Knocked_His_Socks_Off |website=On Top Magazine}}</ref>
Donnie Pomp Michael Esper title='Shades of Blue' Ray Liotta Gay Kiss Steams Up Social Media |url=https://www.thewrap.com/shades-of-blue-ray-liotta-gay-kiss-steams-up-social-media-mouth-just-dropped/ |website=TheWrap |date=22 January 2016}}</ref>
Nate Wozniak Cameron Scoggins last1=Heimbrod |first1=Camille |title=‘Shades Of Blue’ Season 2 Spoilers: Did Wozniak’s Son Nate Die In Episode 9 ‘Chaos Is Come Again’? |url=https://www.ibtimes.com/shades-blue-season-2-spoilers-did-wozniaks-son-nate-die-episode-9-chaos-come-again-2532710 |website=International Business Times |date=1 May 2017}}</ref>
2016–2017 {{sortname|The|Shannara Chronicles}} MTV
Spike		 Eretria Ivana Baquero last1=Berkowitz|first1= Alyssa|url=https://www.theworkprint.com/shannara-chronicles-lgbtq-training-interview/123%7Ctitle='The Shannara Chronicles' Season 2 Brings LGBTQ Characters, Intense Training, and Unexpected Connections|website=The Workprint|date=October 18, 2017}}</ref><ref name="shan chronicles:2">{{Cite web|last1=MacDonald|first1=Lindsay|url=http://screenertv.com/television/shannara-chronicles-miles-miller-al-gough-eretria-amberle/%7Ctitle='Shannara Chronicles' bosses talk Eretria & Amberle, cutting scenes from the book and more|website=Screener|date=February 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110165431/http://screenertv.com/television/shannara-chronicles-miles-miller-al-gough-eretria-amberle/%7Carchive-date=November 10, 2016}}</ref>
Princess Lyria Vanessa Morgan Princess Lyria was in a relationship with Eretria in season 2.<ref name="shannara chronicles:1"/><ref name="shan chronicles:2"/>
Zora Zoe Robins title=Zora, Shannara Chronicles|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/zora/}}</ref>
2016–2017 SOTUS: The Series One 31
Line TV		 Kongpob Singto Prachaya Kongpob and Arthrit are gay love interests.<ref>{{cite web|title=SOTUS Trailer|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke3RRiXo7rg%7Cdate=July 27, 2016}}</ref>
Arthrit Krist Perawat
2016–2019 Star FOX Simone Davis Brittany O'Grady Simone Davis is bisexual. She kissed her troubled friend, Karen, in the fifth episode of season 2.<ref name="Star LGBT characters"/>
Cotton Brown Amiyah Scott Cotton Brown is the transgender daughter of Carlota Brown.<ref name="Star LGBT characters"/>
Miss Bruce Miss Lawrence Miss Bruce is a trans woman.<ref name="Star LGBT characters"/>
Karen Williams Imani Lewis Karen Williams is a lesbian.<ref name="Star LGBT characters"/>
Nina Ferrera Camila Banus Nina Ferrera is bisexual.<ref name="Star LGBT characters"/>
Rachel Wallace Paris Jackson title=Star, LGBT characters |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/star/}}</ref>
2016– Stranger Things Netflix Robin Buckley Maya Hawke last1=Bandyopadhyay|first1=Alakananda|title='Stranger Things' season 3 blesses us with Robin, but her sexuality is the biggest surprise gift in the end|url=https://meaww.com/stranger-things-season-3-spoilers-robin-sexuality-lesbian-maya-hawke-steve-harrington-joe-keery%7Cwebsite=Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide|date=July 3, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Framke|first1=Caroline|title='Stranger Things' Finally Does Right by Female Characters With Maya Hawke's Robin (Column)|url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/columns/stranger-things-season-3-robin-steve-spoilers-1203259061/%7Cwork=Variety|date=July 6, 2019}}</ref>
2016– This Is Us NBC William Hill Ron Cephas Jones William Hill is bisexual and had a relationship with Jessie.<ref>{{cite web |title=My Favorite Bi Parent Characters on TV |url=https://bi.org/en/articles/my-favorite-bi-parent-characters-on-tv |website=Bi.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title='This Is Us' Recap: Talks About a Blue Christmas |url=https://ew.com/recap/this-is-us-season-1-episode-10/}}</ref>
Jessie Denis O'Hare
Tess Pearson Eris Baker;
Iantha Richardson		 title=Tess Pearson, This Is Us (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/tess-pearson/}}</ref>
Alex Presley Alexander title=Alex, This Is Us (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/alex-11/}}</ref>
Animal Shelter Clerk Lena Waithe title=Animal Shelter Clerk, This Is Us (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/animal-shelter-clerk/}}</ref>
2016–2018 Timeless NBC Denise Christopher Sakina Jaffrey last1=Gajjar|first1=Saloni|title='Timeless' Just Gave us a Noteworthy Episode for Indian-American LGBT Representation|url=http://www.thetealmango.com/entertainment/timeless-just-gave-us-a-noteworthy-episode-for-indian-american-lgbt-representation/%7Cwebsite=The Teal Mango|date=May 9, 2018}}</ref>
2016–2017 Too Close to Home TLC Dax Nick Ballard Dax and Victor are a gay couple.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Swift |first1=Andy |title=TLC's Too Close to Home Is the Worst Show I Can't Stop Watching |url=https://tvline.com/2017/02/22/too-close-to-home-season-2-review-finale/ |website=TV Line |date=22 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Too Close to Home: Jolene Labels Dax a Pickle-Picker |url=https://www.thewrap.com/too-close-to-home-jolene-dax-anna-valerie-tlc/ |website=The Wrap |date=3 October 2016}}</ref>
Victor Charles Justo
2016–2018 Travelers Showcase
Netflix		 Joanne Yates Kimberley Sustad last1=Clarke |first1=Kinsey |title=Netflix's 'Travelers' Finally Got Some Lesbian Representation And I'm Screaming |url=https://www.intomore.com/culture/netflixs-travelers-finally-got-some-lesbian-representation-and-im-screaming |website=Into |date=January 3, 2019 |access-date=April 13, 2019}}</ref><ref name="travelers netflix"/>
Samantha Burns Karen Holness Samantha Burns is a lesbian.<ref name="travelers lgbt char"/><ref name="travelers netflix"/>
Amanda Myers Enid-Raye Adams title=Travelers, LGBT characters |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/travelers/}}</ref>
2016– Van Helsing Syfy Susan Jackson Hilary Jardine Susan Jackson is a lesbian.<ref name="Van Helsing"/>
Vanessa Helsing Kelly Overton Vanessa Helsing is bisexual.<ref name="Van Helsing"/>
Dracula Tricia Helfer Dracula is bisexual.<ref name="Van Helsing"/>
Jack Nicole Muñoz Jack is a lesbian.<ref name="Van Helsing"/>
Sarah "Doc" Carol Rukiya Bernard Sarah "Doc" Carol is a lesbian.<ref name="Van Helsing"/>
Bathory Jesse Stanley Bathory is a lesbian.<ref name="Van Helsing"/>
Ivory Jennifer Cheon Ivory is a lesbian.<ref name="Van Helsing"/>
Jolene Caroline Cave Jolene is a lesbian.<ref name="Van Helsing"/>
Michaela Heather Doerksen title=Van Helsing, TV series, LGBT characters |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/van-helsing/}}</ref>
2016– Victoria ITV Lord Alfred Paget Jordan Waller Lord Alfred and Lord Edward have a romantic attraction for each other and share a kiss in season 2.<ref>{{cite web |title=Victoria fans are thrilled that Drummond and Alfred have FINALLY kissed |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/victoria-fans-are-thrilled-that-drummond-and-alfred-have-finally-kissed/ |website=Radio Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=ITV drama Victoria braces for backlash over gay kiss |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/10/08/itv-drama-victoria-braces-for-backlash-over-gay-kiss/ |website=PinkNews |date=8 October 2017}}</ref>
Lord Edward Drummond Leo Suter
2016– Westworld HBO Logan Ben Barnes title=Westworld Creator Confirms a Character's Bisexuality—and the Straights Are Shook |url=https://www.pride.com/tv/2018/5/16/westworld-creator-confirms-characters-bisexuality-and-straights-are-shook |date=16 May 2018}}</ref>
Clementine Pennyfeather Angela Sarafyan Clementine Pennyfeather is pansexual.<ref name="westworld tv series characters"/>
Elsie Hughes Shannon Woodward Elsie Hughes is a lesbian.<ref name="westworld tv series characters"/>
Marti Bojana Novakovic title=Westworld, LGBT characters, Marti, Elsie, Clementine |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/westworld/}}</ref>
2016–2021 Wynonna Earp Syfy
CHCH-DT
Space		 Waverly Earp Dominique Provost-Chalkley last1=Logan|first1=Megan|title='Wynonna Earp's #WayHaught Is What LGBT Audiences Deserve From TV|url=https://www.inverse.com/article/16329-wynonna-earp-s-wayhaught-is-what-lgbt-audiences-deserve-from-tv%7Cwebsite=Inverse|date=May 31, 2016}}</ref>
Nicole Haught Katherine Barrell Nicole Haught is a lesbian.<ref name="wynonna earp lgbt"/>
Jeremy Chetri Varun Saranga title=Justin Kelly – Wynonna Earp |url=https://starrymag.com/justin-kelly-wynonna-earp/ |website=Starry Constellation Magazine |date=28 September 2018}}</ref>
Robin Justin Kelly title=Wynonna Earp Episode 306 Recap: Make the Yuletide Gay |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/wynonna-earp-episode-306-recap-make-the-yuletide-gay-430458/ |website=Autostraddle |date=27 August 2018}}</ref>
Rosita Bustillos Tamara Duarte title=Rosita Bustillos, Wynonna Earp (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/rosita-bustillos/}}</ref>
Shae Clark Backo title=Shae, Wynonna Earp (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/shae/}}</ref>
Ambrose "Fish" Tyrell Crews title=Wynonna Earp Recap: Episode 5, "Digging Up Bones"|url=https://www.themarysue.com/wynonna-earp-recap-ep-5/}}</ref>
Levi Christian Goutsis Levi is gay. He was in a relationship with Fish.<ref name="themarysue.com"/>
2016 The Young Pope HBO Cardinal Bernardo Gutierrez Javier Cámara title=The Young Pope has a God problem |url=https://theweek.com/articles/673377/young-pope-god-problem |date=17 January 2017}}</ref>
Cardinal Andrew Dussolier Scott Shepherd last1=Collins |first1=Sean T. |title=The Young Pope Recap: Menage a Trinity |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-recaps/the-young-pope-recap-menage-a-trinity-106050/ |website=Rolling Stone |date=31 January 2017}}</ref><ref name="Young Pope Episode 7"/>
Cardinal Mario Assente Maurizio Lombardi title=The Young Pope Recap: For Whom the Kangaroo Tolls |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/01/young-pope-recap-season-1-episode-2.html |website=Vulture}}</ref>
Ángelo Sanchez Marcos Franz title=The Young Pope Episode 7 Recap: It's a Hard Knock Life |url=https://www.wmagazine.com/story/the-young-pope-hbo-episode-7-recap-its-a-hard-knock-life |website=W Magazine}}</ref>
Freddy Blakestone Alex Esola title=The Young Pope Episode 9 Recap: Jude Law's Golden Globes Moment |url=https://www.wmagazine.com/story/the-young-pope-episode-9-recap-jude-laws-golden-globes-moment |website=W Magazine}}</ref>
Archbishop Kurtwell Guy Boyd Archbishop Kurtwell is gay.<ref name="Young Pope Episode 9"/>
Cardinal Michel Marivaux Sebastian Roché title='The Young Pope' Major Characters, Ranked Worst to Best (Photos)|url=https://www.thewrap.com/young-pope-main-characters-ranked-photos/%7Cwebsite=The Wrap|date=18 January 2017}}</ref>

2017

Year Show Network Character Actor Notes
2017–2020 13 Reasons Why Netflix Courtney Crimsen Michele Selene Ang Courtney is a lesbian. She was closeted until the season 2 finale. episode "Bye", when she came out to her adoptive gay parents.<ref name=brabaw>{{cite web|last1=Brabaw|first1=Kasandra|title=Courtney's 13 Reasons Why Ending Is A Huge Moment For Queer Women On TV|url=https://www.refinery29.com/2018/05/199864/courtney-crimsen-gay-13-reasons-why-season-2-ending%7Cwebsite=Refinery29|date=May 22, 2018}}</ref>
Todd Crimsen Robert Gant Todd and Steve are gay and Courtney's parents.<ref name=brabaw/>
Steve Crimsen Alex Quiojan
Ryan Shaver Tommy Dorfman Ryan told Hannah he was gay in episode "Tape 4, Side B".<ref name="thirteen reasons">{{cite web |title=13 Reasons Why (Season 2) |url=https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/13-reasons-why-season-2/ |website=Plugged In}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Darwish |first1=Meaghan |title=13 Reasons Why Star Christian Navarro Talks Tony's New Relationship & More Season 2 Details |url=https://www.tvinsider.com/689812/13-reasons-why-season-2-tony-christian-navarro/ |website=TV Insider}}</ref>
Tony Padilla Christian Navarro last1=Brammer|first1=John Paul|title='13 Reasons Why' Made Tony a Gay, Latinx, Catholic Teen — Here's Why That Matters|url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/13-reasons-why-tony-latinx-lgbtq-representation-machismo%7Cwebsite=Teen Vogue|date=April 21, 2017}}</ref>
Brad Henry Zaga Brad is gay, and Caleb's boyfriend.<ref name="thirteen reasons"/>
Caleb R.J. Brown last1=Pannell |first1=Ni'Kesia |title=Where every 13 Reasons Why character ended up after season 3 |url=https://www.insider.com/where-everyone-ends-up-13-reasons-why-season-three-2019-8#jessica-davis-ends-the-season-as-an-outspoken-class-president-and-a-murder-witness-3 |website=Insider |access-date=10 April 2021}}</ref>
Tamika Clarke Hollingsworth Tamika is ____ and Courtney's girlfriend.<ref name=brabaw/>
Montgomery "Monty" de la Cruz Timothy Granaderos last1=Morris|first1=Lauren|title=A look back at Monty and Winston's relationship 13 Reasons Why as he attempts to avenge his death|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/on-demand/2020-06-05/monty-winston-13-reasons-why/%7Cwebsite=Radio Times|date=5 June 2020}}</ref><ref name="alexwinston"/>
Winston Williams Deaken Bluman Winston is gay. He tells Alex in the final episode "Graduation", that he loved Monty but that he also loves him.<ref name=morris/><ref name="alexwinston">{{cite web|last1=Sorren|first1=Martha|title=Alex & Winston's Relationship On '13 Reasons Why' Has Many Obstacles|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/alex-winstons-relationship-on-13-reasons-why-has-many-obstacles-22957769%7Cwebsite=Bustle|date=June 5, 2020}}</ref>
Alex Standall Miles Heizer last1=Kickham|first1=Dylan|title=Alex's Sexuality In '13 Reasons Why' Season 4 Tells A Story Of Self-Discovery|url=https://www.elitedaily.com/p/alexs-sexuality-in-13-reasons-why-season-4-tells-a-story-of-self-discovery-22956053%7Cwebsite=Elite Daily|date=5 June 2020}}</ref>
Charlie St. George Tyler Barnhardt Charlie is bisexual. He dates Alex and comes out to his dad in episode "Prom".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Smail|first1=Gretchen|title=Alex & Charlie's Relationship On '13 Reasons Why' Is Worth Rooting For|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/alex-charlies-relationship-on-13-reasons-why-is-worth-rooting-for-22959770%7Cwebsite=Bustle|date=5 June 2020}}</ref>
Hansen Foundry Reed Diamond title=13 Reasons Why season 4 binge recap|url=https://ew.com/tv/recaps/13-reasons-why-season-4-binge-recap/%7Cwebsite=Entertainment Weekly|date=5 June 2020}}</ref>
2017 195 Lewis 195 Lewis
(series website)		 Yuri Rae Leone Allen last1=Pennington|first1=Latonya|title='195 Lewis' Is Black Lesbian Perfection|url=https://wearyourvoicemag.com/culture/195-lewis-black-lesbian-perfection%7Cwebsite=Wear Your Voice|date=November 14, 2017}}</ref>
Camille Sirita Wright Camille is lesbian.<ref name="195 Lewis"/>
2017 24 Legacy Fox Andy Shalowitz Dan Bucatinsky last1=Morgan |first1=Joe |title=24: Legacy reveals first gay characters in the series' 16-year history |url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/24-legacy-reveals-first-gay-characters-series-16-year-history/ |website=Gay Star News |date=14 February 2017}}</ref><ref name="24legacy lgbt">{{cite web |title=Dan Bucatinsky on Playing Openly Gay Andy Shalowitz in 24 |url=https://www.out.com/entertainment/2017/2/20/dan-bucatinsky-playing-openly-gay-andy-shalowitz-24 |date=20 February 2017}}</ref>
Thomas Locke Bailey Chase Thomas Locke is gay. He is a CTU agent and the head of field operations.<ref name="24 legacy"/><ref name="24legacy lgbt"/>
2017–2019 A Series of Unfortunate Events Netflix Charles Rhys Darby last=Gallagher|first=Caitlin|title=Charles & Sir's Relationship In A Series Of Unfortunate Events Is Finally Made Clear In The Netflix Series|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/charles-sirs-relationship-in-a-series-of-unfortunate-events-is-finally-made-clear-in-the-netflix-series-30444%7Cwebsite=Bustle|date=January 20, 2017}}</ref><ref name="lemony snicket"/>
Sir Don Johnson title=Lemony Snicket Has the Gay TV Villains We've Been Waiting For |url=https://www.advocate.com/television/2017/1/17/lemony-snicket-has-gay-tv-villains-weve-been-waiting |date=17 January 2017}}</ref>
Babs Kerri Kenney title=Babs, A Series of Unfortunate Events (TV series) |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/babs/}}</ref>
2017– Ackley Bridge Channel 4 Nasreen Paracha Amy-Leigh Hickman Nasreen comes out to her mother as a lesbian and tells her she's in love with another woman (series 1, episode 5).<ref name="Ackley Bridge"/>
Lila Shariff Anneika Rose title=Lila Shariff, Ackley Bridge|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/lila-shariff/}}</ref>
Naveed Haider Gurjeet Singh Naveed is gay.<ref name="Bridge fans"/>
Sam Murgatroyd Megan Parkinson title=Ackley Bridge has now got a lesbian storyline |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/07/17/ackley-bridge-is-set-to-feature-a-lesbian-storyline/ |website=Pink News |date=17 July 2018}}</ref>
Cory Wilson Sam Retford last1=Chase |first1=Stephanie |title=Ackley Bridge fans are heartbroken over Cory and Naveed |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a863405/ackley-bridge-cory-naveed-heartbreak/ |website=Digital Spy |date=7 August 2018}}</ref>
2017– American Gods Starz Bilquis Yetide Badaki last1=Henderson|first1=Taylor|title=The Gay Sex Scene in American Gods Isn't Pornographic, It's Art|url=https://www.pride.com/tv/2017/5/12/gay-sex-scene-american-gods-isnt-pornographic-its-art%7Cwebsite=Pride.com|date=May 12, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Cast of American Gods">{{cite web|last1=Schnelbach|first1=Leah|title=The Cast of American Gods (Plus Neil Gaiman) Hit the New York Comic-Con Stage to Talk Season Two!|url=https://www.tor.com/2018/10/05/american-gods-season-two-new-york-comic-con-2018-panel/%7Cwebsite=Tor.com%7Cdate=October 5, 2018}}</ref>
Jinn Mousa Kraish Jinn is gay. Jinn and Salim become romantically involved.<ref name="american gods"/><ref name="Cast of American Gods"/>
Salim Omid Abtahi Salim is gay. Jinn and Salim become romantically involved.<ref name="american gods"/><ref name="Cast of American Gods"/>
Samantha ("Sam") Black Crow Devery Jacobs Sam is lesbian.<ref name="american gods"/><ref name="Cast of American Gods"/>
2017–2019 Andi Mack Disney Channel Cyrus Goodman Joshua Rush last1=Voss|first1=Brandon|title="Andi Mack" Series Ends With Disney Channel's First Gay Romance|url=http://www.newnownext.com/andi-mack-series-finale-disney-channels-first-gay-romance-couple/07/2019/%7Cwebsite=NewNowNext|date=July 28, 2019}}</ref><ref name="last ever episode">{{cite web |last1=Besanvalle |first1=James |title=Fans react to emotional last ever episode of Andi Mack |url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/andi-mack-we-were-here-episode |website=Gay Star News |date=July 27, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Messer|first=Lesley|title='Andi Mack' stars weigh in on the show's historic coming out episode|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/andi-mack-stars-weigh-shows-historic-coming-episode/story?id=50922766%7Cwebsite=ABC News|date=November 4, 2017}}</ref>
TJ Kippen Luke Mullen TJ is gay, and holds hands with Cyrus in the finale. Andi Mack made history with Disney's first character to say "I'm gay".<ref name="cyrus and tj"/><ref name="last ever episode"/>
2017–2019 Anne with an E CBC
Netflix		 Josephine Barry Deborah Grover last1=Nguyen |first1=Hanh |title='Anne With an E' Boss Answers Burning Questions About the Queer Soirée, Season 3, and More |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2018/07/anne-with-an-e-season-3-queer-soiree-bash-moira-walley-beckett-1201984101/ |website=IndieWire |date=July 15, 2018}}</ref>
Cole Mackenzie Cory Grüter-Andrew Cole is gay.<ref name="anne with an e"/>
2017– Atypical Netflix Casey Brigette Lundy-Paine title=Atypical Isn't The Lesbian Representation You'd Think |url=https://afterellen.com/atypical-isnt-the-lesbian-representation-youd-think/ |website=Afterellen |date=10 December 2020}}</ref>
Izzie Fivel Stewart Izzie is bisexual. Casey and Izzie begin dating.<ref name="atypical tv"/>
2017– The Bastards of Pizzofalcone RAI Alex Di Nardo Simona Tabasco last1=Megna|first1=Rebecca|title=I bastardi di Pizzofalcone, Alex e Rosaria arriva la svolta: parla Simona Tabasco|url=https://www.gossipetv.com/i-bastardi-di-pizzofalcone-alex-e-rosaria-la-svolta-parla-simona-tabasco-377010%7Cwebsite=Gossip e TV|date=16 October 2018|language=it}}</ref><ref name="bastards of pizzo">{{cite magazine|last1=Vivarelli|first1=Nick|title=New Naples-Set Series 'Bastards of Pizzofalcone' Scores Record TV Ratings in Italy|url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/new-naples-set-tv-series-bastards-of-pizzofalcone-scores-stellar-ratings-in-italy-1201980055/%7Cmagazine=Variety|date=February 7, 2017}}</ref>
Rosaria Martone Serena Iansiti Rosaria is lesbian. Alex and Rosaria are in a relationship.<ref name="pizz"/><ref name="bastards of pizzo"/>
2017– Black Spot France 2
Netflix		 Martial "Nounours" Ferrandis Hubert Delattre title=Black Spot: What Makes It Tick? |url=https://www.thecinejournal.com/black-spot-what-makes-it-tick/ |website=The Cinematic Journal |date=12 January 2020}}</ref>
2017 Blood Drive SyFy The Scholar Darren Kent The Scholar is ____.<ref name="Blood Drive Review"/>
The Gentleman Andrew James Hall last1=Foutch |first1=Haleigh |title=Blood Drive Review: A Silly, Pulpy, Grindhouse Romp |url=https://collider.com/blood-drive-review/ |website=Collider |date=13 June 2017}}</ref>
2017– The Bold Type Freeform Adena El-Amin Nikohl Boosheri last1=Yap|first1=Audrey Cleo|title=On 'The Bold Type,' Actress Nikohl Boosheri Plays a 'Confident, Empowered' Lesbian Muslim|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/bold-type-actress-nikohl-boosheri-plays-confident-empowered-lesbian-muslim-n794676%7Cwebsite=NBC News|date=August 22, 2017}}</ref>
Kat Edison Aisha Dee last1=Gaudens|first1=Reed|title='The Bold Type' understands bisexuality better than most shows, and we have the receipts|url=https://hiddenremote.com/2017/07/19/bold-type-understands-bisexuality-better-than-most/%7Cwebsite=Hidden Remote|date=July 19, 2017}}</ref><ref name="better queer future">{{cite magazine|last1=Cuby|first1=Michael|title=Seen: On The Bold Type, Kat Edison Is Fighting for a Better Queer Future|url=https://www.them.us/story/seen-the-bold-type-kat-edison%7Cmagazine=Them.|date=March 24, 2020}}</ref>
Leila Katerina Tannembaum Leila is lesbian and Adena's ex.<ref name="the bold type"/><ref name="better queer future"/>
Tia Clayton Alexis Floyd Tia is lesbian and Kat's love interest.<ref name="the bold type"/><ref name="better queer future"/>
Oliver Grayson Stephen Conrad Moore last1=Gilchrist|first1=Tracy E.|title=The Bold Type's Stephen Conrad Moore Is Nobody's 'Gay Sidekick'|url=https://www.advocate.com/advocate-exclusives/2019/3/15/bold-types-stephen-conrad-moore-sick-being-gay-sidekick%7Cmagazine=The Advocate|date=April 16, 2019}}</ref>
Andrew Adam Capriolo Andrew is gay and a drag queen.<ref name="gay sidekick"/>
Eva Rhodes Alex Paxton-Beesley last1=Jones|first1=Zoe Christen|title=The Bold Type Embraced Its Worst Self This Season|url=https://www.vulture.com/article/the-bold-type-season-4-kat-eva-story-line-finale.html%7Cwebsite=Vulture|date=July 17, 2020}}</ref>
2017 Borderliner Netflix Nikolai Andreassen Tobias Santelmann last=O'Keefe|first=Meghan|title=Netflix's 'Borderliner' Is Going To Be Your New Scandi-Noir Obsession|url=https://decider.com/2018/03/06/borderliner-netflix-scandi-drama/%7Cwebsite=Decider|date=March 6, 2018}}</ref>
Kristoffer Lund Morten Svartveit Kristoffer is gay and Nikolai's boyfriend.<ref name="borderliner"/>
2017– Charité Netflix Sister Therese Klara Deutschmann Therese is lesbian.<ref name="charite"/>
Otto Marquardt Jannik Schümann last1=Dell|first1=SMatthias|title="Charité" Unsere Ärzte, unsere Schwestern|url=https://www.zeit.de/kultur/film/2019-02/charite-staffel-2-klinik-fernsehserie-nationalsozialismus%7Cwebsite=Die Zeit|date=18 February 2019|language=de}}</ref>
Martin Schelling Jacob Matschenz title=Verschüttet|url=https://www.daserste.de/unterhaltung/serie/charite/sendung-staffel-2/charite-folge-4-108.html%7Cwebsite=Dar Este|date=5 March 2019|language=de}}</ref>
2017– Claws TNT Quiet Ann Judy Reyes last1=Ferber |first1=Lawrence |title=TNT's Claws Season Two Is Even Gayer With Twink-Mobster Romance and Quiet Ann Gets Loud |url=http://www.newnownext.com/tnts-claws-season-two-is-even-gayer-with-twink-mobster-romance-and-quiet-ann-gets-loud/06/2018/ |website=NewNowNext |date=June 11, 2018}}</ref>
Uncle Daddy Dean Norris title=Claws Features a Butch Lesbian, a Bisexual Crime Boss and a Chance to Stop Talking About Breaking Bad |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/claws-features-a-butch-lesbian-a-bisexual-crime-boss-and-a-chance-to-stop-talking-about-breaking-bad-385841/ |website=Autostraddle |date=6 July 2017}}</ref><ref name=":2claws"/>
Toby Evan Daigle last1=Reddish |first1=David |title=Out queer actor Evan Daigle talks playing the gayest character on TV in Claws |url=https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2019/06/queer-actor-evan-diagle-talks-playing-gayest-character-tv-claws/ |website=LGBTQ Nation |date=30 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Feature: Actor Evan Daigle of TNT's Claws Chats With Us Again About the Series and Toby |url=https://occhimagazine.com/feature-actor-evan-daigle-of-tnts-claws-chats-with-us-again-about-the-series-and-toby/ |website=Occhi Magazine |date=22 July 2018}}</ref>
2017– Dark Netflix Peter Doppler Stephan Kampwirth last1=Thomas|first1=Kaitlin|title=Here's How Everyone in Netflix's Dark Is Connected|url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/dark-how-everything-connected-netflix/%7Cwebsite=TV Guide|date=December 7, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Fletcher|first1=Rosie|title=Netflix horror series Dark season 1 finale explained – spoilers ahoy!|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/cult/a845451/dark-netflix-explained-ending-season-finale-spoilers/%7Cwebsite=Digital Spy|date=19 December 2017}}</ref>
Agnes Nielsen Antje Traue In 1953, Agnes and Doris were secret lovers.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Matadeen|first1=Renaldo|title=Netflix's Dark: How the Town's Families Tie Into the Time-Travel Drama|url=https://www.cbr.com/netflixs-dark-families-time-travel-connections/%7Cwebsite=Comic Book Resources|date=June 19, 2019}}</ref>
Doris Tiedemann Luise Heyer
Bernadette Wöller Anton Rubtsov last1=Connolly |first1=Thomas |title=Not Where But When: Past and Future in Netflix's 'Dark' |url=https://www.popmatters.com/dark-baran-bo-odar-jantje-friese-2639153548.html |website=PopMatters |date=July 11, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Collins |first1=Sean T. |title='Dark' on Netflix Season 2 Premiere Recap: I'll Follow You Into the Dark |url=https://decider.com/2019/06/21/dark-on-netflix-season-2-episode-1-review/ |website=Decider |date=June 21, 2019}}</ref>
2017 Daytime Divas VH1 Kibby Ainsley Chloe Bridges title=Daytime Divas Inspires Happy Tears With Its 8-Year-Old Trans Character and Also Janet Mock |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/daytime-divas-inspires-happy-tears-with-its-8-year-old-trans-character-and-also-janet-mock-387622/ |website=Autostraddle |date=20 July 2017}}</ref>
Ella Will Buie Jr. Ella is an eight year old trans girl, introduced in the series "Pilot".<ref>{{cite web |title=Daytime Divas Inspires Happy Tears With Its 8-Year-Old Trans Character and Also Janet Mock |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/daytime-divas-inspires-happy-tears-with-its-8-year-old-trans-character-and-also-janet-mock-387622/ |website=Autostraddle |date=20 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Minor |first1=Kelsey |title=Finding Room for a Trans Story in Diva World |url=https://www.advocate.com/television/2017/7/17/finding-room-trans-story-diva-world |website=The Advocate |date=17 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Betancourt |first1=Manuel |title=TV Is Teaching America How to Treat Trans Kids |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/vbmvbd/tv-is-teaching-america-how-to-treat-trans-kids |website=Vice |date=July 5, 2017}}</ref>
2017– Dear White People Netflix Lionel Higgins DeRon Horton last1=Henderson |first1=Taylor |title=Dear White People Breaks New Ground in Black LGBTQ Representation |url=https://www.pride.com/tv/2019/8/08/dear-white-people-breaks-new-ground-black-lgbtq-representation#media-gallery-media-8 |website=Pride |date=8 August 2019}}</ref>
Silvio Romo D.J. Blickenstaff title=With Three LGBTQ Characters And Counting, Here's Why "Dear White People" Is All-Inclusive |url=https://instinctmagazine.com/with-three-lgbtq-characters-and-counting-heres-why-dear-white-people-is-all-inclusive/ |website=Instinct Magazine |date=11 May 2018}}</ref>
Neika Hobbs Nia Long Neika and Monique are a lesbian couple.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dear White People Season 3 Finally Gives Us the Nerdy Black Gay Girls We Deserve |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/dear-white-people-season-three-finally-gives-us-the-nerdy-black-gay-girls-we-deserve/ |website=Autostraddle |date=19 August 2019}}</ref>
Monique Zee James
Connor Luke O'Sullivan last1=Bowen |first1=Sesali |title=R29 Binge Club: Dear White People Recaps |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2017/04/152099/dear-white-people-recap-season-1-episode-summary}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Dear White People's Surprise Full Frontal Scene Brilliantly Captures How Weird College Is |url=https://decider.com/2017/05/15/netflix-dear-white-people-full-frontal/ |website=Decider |date=16 May 2017}}</ref>
Kelsey Phillips Nia Jervier last1=Bowen|first1=Sesali|title=Why This Dear White People Lesbian Narrative Is So Important|url=https://www.refinery29.com/2018/05/198440/dear-white-people-season-2-kelsey-lesbian%7Cwebsite=Refinery29|date=May 8, 2018}}</ref>
Wesley Alvarez Rudy Martinez last1=Yarbrough |first1=Xavier |title=Why White? A Look Into the Pairing of Black Queer Characters in Media |url=https://geeksofcolor.co/2018/05/30/why-white-a-look-into-the-pairing-of-black-queer-characters-in-media/}}</ref>
P. Ninny Lena Waithe P. Ninny is a lesbian.<ref name=bowen29/>
Genifer Quei Tann Genifer is transgender.<ref name="dear white people"/>
2017–2019 The Deuce HBO Paul Chris Coy last1=Coates|first1=Tyler|title=The Deuce Goes Where Most Cable Shows Won't|url=http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a13066232/the-deuce-episode-7-recap-au-reservoir/%7Cwebsite=Esquire|date=October 22, 2017}}</ref>
2017– Dynasty The CW
Netflix		 Steven Carrington James Mackay last1=Etemesi |first1=Philip |title=Dynasty: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Steven |url=https://screenrant.com/dynasty-10-things-you-didnt-know-about-steven/ |website=ScreenRant |date=28 July 2020}}</ref>
Sam Jones Rafael de la Fuente title=Dynasty: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Sammy Jo |url=https://screenrant.com/dynasty-things-didnt-know-about-sammy-jo/ |website=Screen Rant |date=24 August 2020}}</ref>
2017 Emerald City NBC The Witch of the West Ana Ularu West is a lesbian, and a slutty junkie who runs a brothel.<ref>{{cite web |title=Wait, WTF Is Emerald City About? |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/01/emerald-city-wtf-moments.html |website=Vulture}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=West, Emerald City (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/west/}}</ref>
2017– The End of the F***ing World Channel 4
Netflix		 Eunice Noon Gemma Whelan last1=Riese|title=I Demand a Lesbian Cop Show Spinoff of "The End of the F**king World"|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/i-demand-a-lesbian-cop-show-spinoff-of-the-end-of-the-fcking-world-409019/%7Cwebsite=Autostraddle|date=January 24, 2018}}</ref>
Teri Darego Wunmi Mosaku Teri Darego is a lesbian.<ref name="end of the world"/>
2017–2018 Famous in Love Freeform Alexis Glenn Niki Koss title=Alexis Glenn, Famous in Love |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/alexis-glenn-famous-love/}}</ref>
Rachel Davis Katelyn Tarver title=Rachel Davis, Famous in Love |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/rachel-davis-famous-love/}}</ref>
2017– Feud FX Victor Buono Dominic Burgess last1=Gallagher |first1=Caitlin |title='Feud' Explores Victor Buono's Homosexuality & How Difficult Life Was For Gay People In The '60s |url=https://www.bustle.com/p/feud-explores-victor-buonos-homosexuality-how-difficult-life-was-for-gay-people-in-the-60s-45060 |website=Bustle |date=March 2017}}</ref>
2017 The Frozen Dead M6 Irène Ziegler Julia Piaton last1=Didier|first1=Carine|last2=Guerrin|first2=Stéphanie|title=" Glacé " : ce thriller devrait vous glacer|url=http://www.leparisien.fr/culture-loisirs/ce-thriller-devrait-vous-glacer-10-01-2017-6546465.php%7Cwork=Le Parisien|date=10 January 2017|language=fr}}</ref>
Greta Sophie Guillemin Greta is Ziegler's partner and owner of a local inn where they reside together.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Piccoli|first1=Dana|title=Netflix's The Frozen Dead features a dedicated lesbian detective|url=http://blog.bellabooks.com/2018/01/netflixs-the-frozen-dead-features-a-dedicated-lesbian-detective.html%7Cwebsite=Bella Books|date=January 9, 2018}}</ref>
2017 Godless Netflix Marie Agnes MacNue Merritt Weaver last=Herman|first=Alison|title='Godless' Is a Beautiful but Unoriginal Western|url=https://www.theringer.com/tv/2017/11/22/16680570/godless-netflix-review%7Cwebsite=The Ringer|date=November 22, 2017}}</ref>
Callie Dunne Tess Frazer last=Froston|first=Karen|title=Diamonds in the Rough: Lesser-Known Lesbian Finds You Can Watch or Read|url=http://www.afterellen.com/tv/550873-diamonds-rough-lesser-known-lesbian-finds-can-watch-read%7Cwebsite=AfterEllen|date=December 20, 2017}}</ref>
2017– Gone NBC James Andy Mientus last=Petski|first=Denise|title='Gone': Andy Mientus Cast As Series Regular In Drama Series For NBCU, RTL & TF1|url=https://deadline.com/2017/06/gone-andy-mientus-cast-series-regular-drama-series-nbcu-rtl-tf1-1202112403/%7Cwebsite=Deadline Hollywood|date=June 13, 2017}}</ref>
2017– {{sortname|The|Good Fight}} CBS All Access Maia Rindell Rose Leslie Maia is lesbian. Amy is lesbian and Maia's girlfriend.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Rice|first1=Lynette|title=Good Wife spinoff first look: Rose Leslie embraces lesbian lover|url=https://ew.com/article/2016/12/16/good-wife-spinoff-rose-leslie-lesbian/%7Cmagazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=December 16, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Giles|first1=Kayleigh|title=Game of Thrones' Rose Leslie strips off for racy lesbian shower scenes in The Good Fight|url=https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/770167/Game-of-Thrones-Rose-Leslie-nakes-lesbian-shower-The-Good-Fight%7Cwork=Daily Express|date=February 21, 2017}}</ref>
Amy Breslin Heléne Yorke
2017 Gypsy Netflix Jean Holloway Naomi Watts last1=Raeside|first1=Julia|title=Gypsy review – Naomi Watts is a charmless psychotherapist in a 'risk-taking lesbian' disguise|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2017/jun/29/gypsy-review-naomi-watts-lesbian-disguise-risk%7Cwork=The Guardian|date=29 June 2017}}</ref>
Sidney Pierce Sophie Cookson last1=Johns|first1=Merryn|title=Breaking Boundaries|url=http://www.curvemag.com/Culture/Breaking-Boundaries-12227/%7Cwebsite=Curve|date=July 14, 2017}}</ref>
Dolly Holloway Maren Heary last=Romero|first=Ariana|title=This Is The Hidden Lesson In Netflix's New Series Gypsy|url=http://www.refinery29.com/2017/06/161618/%7Cwebsite=Refinery29|date=June 30, 2017}}</ref>
2017 {{sortname|The|Halcyon|The Halcyon (TV series)}} ITV Toby Hamilton Edward Bluemel last1=Cannon |first1=Nick |title=Edward Bluemel on Toby's gay kiss in The Halcyon: 'That was a big no back then!' |url=https://www.whatsontv.co.uk/news/edward-bluemel-gay-kiss-halcyon-448495/ |website=What's on TV |date=30 January 2017}}</ref>
Adil Joshi Akshay Kumar title=The Halcyon - S1 - Episode 7 |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv-programme/e/fjv9vj/the-halcyon--s1-e7-the-halcyon/ |website=Radio Times}}</ref>
2017– {{sortname|The|Handmaid's Tale|The Handmaid's Tale (TV series)}} Hulu Moira Samira Wiley last1=Addice|first1=Danny|title='The Handmaid's Tale' LGBT Storyline Is Its Most Horrifying Narrative|url=https://hornetapp.com/stories/handmaids-tale-lgbt-hulu/%7Cwebsite=hornetapp.com%7Cdate=May 1, 2017}}</ref>
Emily Alexis Bledel Emily and Sylvia were married and had a kid before.<ref>{{cite web |title='The Handmaid's Tale' Season 2 Has LGBTQ Representation, But It Still Fails Its Queer Characters |url=https://www.bustle.com/p/the-handmaids-tale-season-2-has-lgbtq-representation-but-it-still-fails-its-queer-characters-8875406 |website=Bustle}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title='The Handmaid's Tale': Alexis Bledel on Emily's Life as a Refugee |url=https://www.etonline.com/the-handmaids-tale-alexis-bledel-on-emilys-unsteady-future-as-a-refugee-exclusive-127218 |website=Entertainment Tonight}}</ref>
Sylvia Clea DuVall
Peter Ben Lewis title=The Handmaid's Tale Finally Reveals What Happened to Luke |url=https://www.dispatch.com/entertainment/20170524/handmaids-tale-finally-reveals-what-happened-to-luke |website=The Columbus Dispatch}}</ref>
Dan John Carroll Lynch last1=Lawler |first1=Kelly |title='The Handmaid's Tale' Episode 2 recap: Colonial times, and Alexis Bledel |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2018/04/25/handmaids-tale-season-2-episode-2-recap-unwomen-alexis-bledel-marisa-tomei/547626002/}}</ref>
Odette Rebecca Rittenhouse last1=Bundel |first1=Ani |title='The Handmaid's Tale' Fans Learned A Major Detail About Moira's Past & It's Heartbreaking |url=https://www.elitedaily.com/p/who-is-moiras-fiancee-on-the-handmaids-tale-odettes-story-is-heartbreaking-9231907 |website=Elite Daily}}</ref>
Offred Elizabeth Moss Offred is a lesbian.<ref name="handmaids tale"/>
2017– Harlots ITV Encore
Hulu		 Margaret Wells Samantha Morton title=Harlots' Season Two Is Queer, Here, and Transcendent |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/harlots-season-two-is-queer-here-and-transcendent-430076/ |website=Autostraddle |date=6 September 2018}}</ref>
Charlotte Wells Jessica Brown Findlay Charlotte is bisexual.<ref name="Harlots Season Two Is Queer"/>
Nancy Birch Kate Fleetwood Nancy is a lesbian.<ref name="Harlots Season Two Is Queer"/>
Violet Cross Rosalind Eleazar Violet and Amelia are in a romantic relationship.<ref name="Harlots Season Two Is Queer"/><ref>{{cite web|last1=Riese|title=Hulu's "Harlots" Is a Gift to Feminists, Sex Workers, Queers and Herstory Lovers|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/hulus-harlots-is-the-best-ever-show-about-sex-work-also-has-a-lesbian-storyline-385529/%7Cwebsite=Autostraddle|date=October 23, 2017}}</ref>
Amelia Scanwell Jordon Stevens
Prince Rasselas Josef Altin title=5 ferocious reasons why you should be watching 'Harlots' |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/guide/article/2019/10/10/5-ferocious-reasons-why-you-should-be-watching-harlots}}</ref>
Lady Isabella Fitzwilliam Liv Tyler Lady Isabella is Charlotte's love interest in season two.<ref name="Harlots Season Two Is Queer"/>
2017– Las chicas del cable
(Cable Girls)		 Netflix Carlota Rodríguez de Senillosa Ana Fernández García Carlota is bisexual.<ref name="las chicas"/><ref name="line on the line"/>
Oscar Ruiz Ana Polvorosa last1=Martinez|first1=Sam|title=Transexualidad en Las Chicas del Cable|url=http://www.maglesrevista.es/transexualidad-en-las-chicas-del-cable/%7Cwebsite=MagLes Revista|language=es|date=10 January 2018}}</ref>
Carlota and Sara have a polyamorous relationship together with Carlota's husband, Miguel.<ref name="line on the line">{{cite web|last1=Steinberg|first1=Lisa|title=Love On The Line|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/love-on-the-line_us_5a5a712fe4b01ccdd48b5cf0%7Cwebsite=HuffPost|date=January 13, 2018}}</ref>
2017 Man in an Orange Shirt BBC Two Thomas March James McArdle The story of two gay relationships set in different eras: Thomas and Michael during the 1940s, and Adam and Steve in the present.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Mulkern|first1=Patrick|title=Patrick Gale reveals the secrets of Man in an Orange Shirt|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2017-08-07/patrick-gale-reveals-the-secrets-of-man-in-an-orange-shirt/%7Cwebsite=RadioTimes|date=7 August 2017}}</ref>
Michael Berryman Oliver Jackson-Cohen
Adam Berryman Julian Morris
Steve David Gyasi
2017– Mary Kills People Global Jess Abigail Winter last1=Kayvon |first1=Shervin |title=Abigail Winter Is A Lesbian Teen On 'Mary Kills People' |url=https://www.intomore.com/culture/abigail-winter-is-a-lesbian-teen-on-mary-kills-people/ |website=INTO |date=8 February 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Mary Kills People's Abigail Winter Says Jess Won't Stop Until Mary Tells Her the Truth – The TV Junkies |url=https://thetvjunkies.com/mary-kills-people-abigail-winter-interview/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Jess Geller, Mary Kills People |url=https://lgbtfansdeservebetter.com/character/jess-geller-mary-kills-people/}}</ref>
Naomi Katie Douglas Naomi is ____.<ref name="Abigail Winter Is A Lesbian Teen"/>
2017– Mindhunter Netflix Wendy Carr Anna Torv last1=Steiner|first1=Chelsea|title=Season 2 of Mindhunter Gives Anna Torv's Closeted Character Her Own Storyline|url=https://www.themarysue.com/season-2-mindhunter-gives-anna-torv-more-to-do/%7Cwebsite=The Mary Sue|date=August 19, 2019}}</ref>
Annaliese Stilman Lena Olin last1=Ardillo|first1=Maddie|title=An Organized Sequence: The Quiet Queerness of "Mindhunter"|url=https://www.bellamediachannel.com/an-organized-sequence-the-quiet-queerness-of-mindhunter/%7Cwebsite=Bella Books|date=October 18, 2017}}</ref>
Kay Manz Lauren Glazier last1=Anne|first1=Valerie|title="Mindhunter" Makes Murder Boring, But Its Lesbian Love Story Is One for the Ages|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/mindhunter-makes-murder-boring-but-its-lesbian-love-story-is-one-for-the-ages/%7Cwebsite=Autostraddle|date=September 17, 2019}}</ref>
2017 The Mist Spike Adrian Garf Russell Posner title=The Mist Season 1 Spoiler Free Review |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-mist-season-1-spoiler-free-review/ |website=Den of Geek |date=19 June 2017}}</ref><ref name="Pansexual Outs Homophobic">{{cite web |title=Pansexual Outs Homophobic Jock with Gay Kiss on Stephen King's 'The Mist' |url=https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/culture/lindsay-kornick/2017/07/21/pansexual-outs-homophobic-jock-gay-kiss-stephen-kings-mist |website=Newsbusters}}</ref>
Tyler Denton Christopher Gray title=THE MIST Recap: (S01E07) Over the River and Through the Woods |url=https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/themist-recap-s01e07-river-woods/ |website=Geek Girl Authority |date=4 August 2017}}</ref>
2017– Money Heist Netflix Helsinki Darko Peric last=Ul-Haq|first=Farid|title='Money Heist' Part 4 Continues to Offer Queer Representation as Chaos Unfolds|url=https://thegeekiary.com/money-heist-part-4-queer-rep-netflix/81003%7Cwebsite=The Geekiary|date=April 6, 2020}}</ref>
Palermo Rodrigo de la Serna Palermo is gay.<ref name="money heist"/>
Tokyo Úrsula Corberó Tokyo is bisexual.<ref name="money heist"/>
Manila Belén Cuesta last=Dalton|first=Stephen|date=2020-04-29|title=Money Heist the Netflix Series Is Going Viral|url=https://medium.com/pop-off/money-heist-the-netflix-series-is-going-viral-dbdb8e92be91%7Caccess-date=2020-09-29%7Cwebsite=Medium}}</ref>
Berlin Pedro Alonso date=2020-04-05|title=Así es Berlín, según los creadores de La Casa de Papel, serie de Netflix|url=https://www.desdelacuna.net/series/berlin-la-casa-de-papel-serie-netflix-caracteristicas-descripcion-personalidad-analisis/%7Caccess-date=2020-09-29%7Cwebsite=Spoilers%7Clanguage=es}}</ref>
2017– Mr. Mercedes Audience Lou Linklatter Breeda Wool last1=Hatton|first1=Leslie|title='Mr. Mercedes' Might Be the Best Genre TV Show You Didn't See in 2017|url=http://www.everythingisscary.com/screen/mr-mercedes-best-genre-tv-show-2017%7Cwebsite=Everything Is Scary|date=December 21, 2017}}</ref>
2017 My Dear Loser GMM 25 In Purim Rattanaruangwattana (Pluem) In and Sun become a gay couple.<ref>{{cite web|author=GMMTV|title=Trailer My Dear Loser รักไม่เอาถ่าน ตอน Edge of 17|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZYUDwkIEc4%7Cwebsite=YouTube|date=June 19, 2017}}</ref>
Sun Wachirawit Ruangwiwat (Chimon)
2017– One Day at a Time Netflix Elena Alvarez Isabella Gomez last1=Nilles|first1=Billy|title=One Day at a Time's Coming Out Storyline Is a Breath of Fresh Air|url=http://www.eonline.com/news/820230/one-day-at-a-time-s-coming-out-storyline-is-a-breath-of-fresh-air%7Cwebsite=E! News|date=January 6, 2017}}</ref><ref name="day at a time">{{Cite web|last=Miller|first=Liz Shannon|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2018/02/one-day-at-a-time-season-3-non-binary-girlfriend-interview-1201924282/%7Ctitle='One Day at a Time' Stars Talk Season 3 and Why a Non-Binary Character Is Called a 'Girlfriend' On The Show|website=IndieWire|date=February 2, 2018}}</ref>
Ramona Judy Reyes Ramona is lesbian.<ref name="day at a time"/>
Syd Sheridan Pierce last1=Miller |first1=Liz Shannon |title='One Day at a Time' Stars Talk Season 3 and Why a Non-Binary Character Is Called a 'Girlfriend' On The Show |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2018/02/one-day-at-a-time-season-3-non-binary-girlfriend-interview-1201924282/ |website=IndieWire |date=2 February 2018}}</ref>
2017– The Orville Fox Bortus Peter Macon Bortus and Klyden are partners and members of an alien race, the Moclans, where homosexuality is the norm among their species.<ref>{{cite web|last=Elderkin|first=Beth|title=The Orville's Latest Episode Shows Seth MacFarlane's Future Is Stuck in the Past|url=https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-orvilles-latest-episode-shows-seth-macfarlanes-futu-1818655458%7Cwebsite=io9|date=September 22, 2017}}</ref>
Klyden Chad L. Coleman
2017– Ozark Netflix Roy Petty Jason Butler Harner last1=Rizi |first1=Michael |title=2 more casualties to add to the "Bury Your Gays" trope in the grim series 'Ozark' |url=https://www.queerty.com/2-casualties-add-bury-gays-trope-grim-series-ozark-20180916 |website=Queerty |date=16 September 2018}}</ref><ref name="10 Worst Episodes"/>
Russ Langmore Marc Menchaca title=The 10 Worst Episodes Of Netflix's Ozark, According To IMDb |url=https://screenrant.com/ozark-netflix-worst-episodes-imdb/ |website=Screen Rant |date=10 April 2020}}</ref>
Trevor Evans McKinley Belcher III Trevor is Roy's ex-boyfriend and his FBI agent partner.<ref name="queerty ozarks"/>
Scotty Dennis Flanagan Scotty is Roy's ex-boyfriend.<ref name="queerty ozarks"/>
2017– Prison Break: Resurrection Fox Sid Kunal Sharma last1=Dela Cruz |first1=Janna |title='Prison Break' season 5 spoilers: Writers tease LGBT character who has an 'important role to play' |url=https://www.christiantoday.com/article/prison-break-season-5-spoilers-writers-tease-lgbt-character-who-has-an-important-role-to-play/102235.htm |date=28 November 2016}}</ref>
Emily Blake Marina Benedict title=Emily Blake, Prison Break |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/emily-blake/}}</ref>
2017–2018 Prison Playbook tvN Yoo Han Yang Lee Kyu Hyung title=5 Korean actors who played LGBT characters |url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3092434/how-girls-generations-seohyun-moon-bin-and-lee-joo-young |website=South China Morning Post |date=9 July 2020}}</ref>
Song Ji Won Kim Joon Han Ji Won is gay and Han Yang's boyfriend.<ref name="Yoo Han Yang"/>
2017–2019 The Punisher Netflix David Schultz Todd Alan Crain title=The Punisher's Infuriating Finale Nearly Derails Season 2 |url=https://www.cbr.com/punisher-tv-season-2-finale-disappointing/ |date=20 January 2019}}</ref>
2017– Riverdale The CW Kevin Keller Casey Cott last1=Megarry |first1=Daniel |title=A definitive list of every LGBTQ character in Riverdale |url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/117052/a-definitive-list-of-every-lesbian-gay-bisexual-character-in-riverdale/ |website=Gay Times |date=January 8, 2019 |access-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Opie |first1=David |title=Why Kevin Keller Deserves A Boyfriend |url=https://www.intomore.com/culture/why-kevin-keller-deserves-a-boyfriend |website=Into |date=May 25, 2019 |access-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref>
Moose Mason Cody Kearsley last1=Bramesco |first1=Charles |title=A bomb vest, a rocket ship, a rotting corpse, an MFA seminar — Riverdale contains multitudes |url=https://tv.avclub.com/a-bomb-vest-a-rocket-ship-a-rotting-corpse-an-mfa-se-1839287285 |website=TV Club |date=23 October 2019 |access-date=31 October 2019}}</ref>
Joaquin DeSantos Rob Raco last1=Barrett |first1=Spencer |title=Rob Raco Talks His Debut as 'Riverdale's Joaquin |url=https://tvsourcemagazine.com/2017/02/rob-raco-talks-debut-riverdales-joaquin/ |website=TV Source Magazine |date=February 17, 2017 |access-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref>
Toni Topaz Vanessa Morgan last1=Anderson|first1=Jenna|title='Riverdale' Star Vanessa Morgan Talks Toni Topaz's Bisexuality|url=https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/2017/12/03/riverdale-season-2-toni-topaz-bisexual-vanessa-morgan/%7Cwebsite=ComicBook.com%7Cpublisher=Pop Culture Media|date=December 3, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Romero |first1=Ariana |title=Riverdale Season 3, Episode 16 Recap: The 6 Wildest Moments Of Musical "Big Fun" |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/03/227577/riverdale-recap-season-3-episode-16-cheryl-toni-back-together |website=Refinery29 |date=March 20, 2019 |access-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref>
Cheryl Blossom Madelaine Petsch last=Belle|first=Elly|title=Madelaine Petsch Said Her "Riverdale" Character Cheryl Blossom Is Bisexual|url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/madelaine-petsch-said-her-riverdale-character-cheryl-blossom-is-bisexual%7Cwork=Teen Vogue|date=March 1, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Idika|first1=Nicky|title='Riverdale' star Madelaine Petsch says Cheryl Blossom is lesbian, not bisexual|url=https://www.popbuzz.com/tv-film/riverdale/cheryl-blossom-lesbian/%7Cwebsite=PopBuzz%7Cdate=15 November 2018}}</ref>
Fangs Fogarty Drew Ray Tanner last1=Kickham |first1=Dylan |title=Is Fangs The Black Hood On 'Riverdale'? The Southside Serpent Is Up To Something |url=https://www.elitedaily.com/p/is-fangs-the-black-hood-on-riverdale-the-southside-serpent-is-up-to-something-8826535 |website=Elite Daily |date=April 18, 2018 |access-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Kickham |first1=Dylan |title=Did Kevin & Fangs Get Married On 'Riverdale'? One Strange Scene Has Fans Confused |url=https://www.elitedaily.com/p/did-kevin-fangs-get-married-on-riverdale-one-strange-scene-has-fans-confused-16971937 |website=Elite Daily |date=March 21, 2019 |access-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Cummins |first1=Chris |title=Riverdale Season 3 Episode 20 Review - Chapter 55: Prom Night |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/us/tv/riverdale/280849/riverdale-season-3-episode-20-review-chapter-55-prom-night |website=Den of Geek |access-date=May 6, 2019 |date=May 1, 2019}}</ref>
Chic Hart Denton last1=Krause|first1=Katie|title='Riverdale' Star Hart Denton Teases Possible Chic and Kevin Romance! (Exclusive)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwIev-tKCrU%7Cwebsite=YouTube%7Cpublisher=Entertainment Tonight|date=March 19, 2018}}</ref>
Charles Smith Wyatt Nash last1=MacLeish |first1=Jessica |title=Riverdale's Favorite Fake Brother Is Back |url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/riverdale-recap-season-4-episode-6 |website=Teen Vogue |access-date=14 November 2019 |date=14 November 2019}}</ref>
Peaches 'N Cream Bernadette Beck last1=Upadhyaya |first1=Kayla Kumari |title="Riverdale" Episode 316 Recap: How Very |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/riverdale-episode-316-recap-how-very/ |website=Autostraddle |date=March 21, 2019 |access-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref>
2017– Runaways Hulu Karolina Dean Virginia Gardner last=Pulliam-Moore|first=Charles|title=Marvel's Runaways Just Proved How Easy It Is To Include Queer Characters|url=https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2017/12/marvels-runaways-just-proved-how-easy-it-is-to-include-queer-characters/%7Cwebsite=Gizmodo|date=December 14, 2017}}</ref>
Nico Minoru Lyrica Okano last1=Jasper|first1=Marykate|title=The Biggest and Most Welcome Surprise on Last Night's Runaways|url=https://www.themarysue.com/runaways-nico-love-triangle/%7Cwebsite=The Mary Sue|date=January 10, 2018}}</ref>
2017–2019 She's Gotta Have It Netflix Nola Darling DeWanda Wise last=Bryant|first=Taylor|title=Spike Lee On Creating A "Sex-Positive, Pansexual" Hero In 'She's Gotta Have It'|url=https://nylon.com/articles/shes-gotta-have-it-spike-lee-interview%7Cwebsite=Nylon%7Cdate=November 22, 2017}}</ref>
Opal Gilstrap Ilfenesh Hadera last=Weekes|first=Princess|title=The Complex Queerness of Nola Darling in Netflix's She's Gotta Have It|url=https://www.themarysue.com/the-complex-queerness-of-nola-darling-in-netflixs-shes-gotta-have-it/%7Cwebsite=The Mary Sue|date=November 30, 2017}}</ref>
2017– The Sinner USA Network Heather Novack Natalie Paul last1=Gallagher|first1=Caitlin|title=Who's Heather Novack In 'The Sinner' Season 2? Natalie Paul's Detective Brings Harry Ambrose Back Home|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/whos-heather-novack-in-the-sinner-season-2-natalie-pauls-detective-brings-harry-ambrose-back-home-9869678%7Cwebsite=Bustle|date=August 1, 2018|access-date=8 August 2018}}</ref>
2017 Slam Dance GMM One Pob Sattabut Laedeke (Drake) Pob and Nick are a gay couple.<ref>{{cite web|author=GMMTV|title=Trailer SLAM DANCE ทุ่มฝันสนั่นฟลอร์|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgnlVFi2DyI%7Cwebsite=YouTube|date=May 5, 2017}}</ref>
Nick Harit Cheewagaroon (Sing)
2017– Star Trek: Discovery Netflix Paul Stamets Anthony Rapp Paul and Hugh are gay men and in a loving relationship.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Tremeer|first1=Eleanor|title='It Would Be Foolish To Ignore It': 'Star Trek: Discovery' Exec Talks LGBT Representation|url=https://moviepilot.com/p/star-trek-discovery-lgbt-representation/4292772%7Cwebsite=Moviepilot|date=June 12, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Kane|first1=Vivian|title=In an Historic Move, Star Trek: Discovery Will Feature an Openly Gay Couple, Played By Gay Actors|url=https://www.themarysue.com/star-trek-discovery-gay-couple/%7Cwebsite=The Mary Sue|date=July 27, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Duffy|first1=Nick|title=Star Trek Discovery star has a perfect response to angry homophobic fans|url=http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/10/21/star-trek-discovery-star-has-a-perfect-response-to-angry-homophobic-fans/%7Cwebsite=PinkNews|date=21 October 2017}}</ref>
Hugh Culber Wilson Cruz
2017– Suburra: Blood on Rome Netflix Alberto "Spadino" Anacleti Giacomo Ferrara last=Collins|first=Sean T.|title='Suburra' Recap, Series Premiere: Italians Do It Better|url=https://decider.com/2017/10/06/suburra-recap-season-1-episode-1/%7Cwebsite=Decider|date=October 6, 2017}}</ref>
2017– S.W.A.T CBS Christina "Chris" Alonso Lina Esco last1=Riese|title=In 2017, Lesbian and Bisexual TV Characters Did Pretty OK, and That's a Pretty Big Deal|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/in-2017-lesbian-and-bisexual-tv-characters-did-pretty-ok-and-thats-a-pretty-big-deal-399797/%7Cwebsite=Autostraddle|date=January 2, 2018}}</ref>
2017– Taboo FX Michael Godfrey Edward Hogg Michael Godfrey is probably gay, and is the secretary at the East India Company and lives in a London Molly House.<ref>{{cite web |title=Taboo Recap: Dirty Deeds |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/01/taboo-recap-season-1-episode-3.html |website=Vulture}}</ref>
2017–2018 Valor The CW Thea Melissa Roxburgh Thea is a closeted bisexual CIA agent. She has two short-term relationships with Zoe Cho, and Leland Gallo.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Marshall|first1=Melissa|title=Valor Season 1 Episode 3 Review: Soldier Ready|url=https://www.tvfanatic.com/2017/10/valor-season-1-episode-3-review-soldier-ready/%7Cwebsite=TV Fanatic|publisher=Mediavine Inc.|date=October 23, 2017}}</ref>
Zoe Cho Chelle Ramos
2017 When We Rise ABC Cleve Jones Guy Pearce Cleve Jones is gay and an AIDS activist. The miniseries is about the growth of the LGBT civil rights movement in San Francisco, from the 1970s until the 2010s, with characters based on actual persons.<ref name=":1when we rise">{{cite web|last1=Anderson|first1=Stephanie Marie|title=A who's who of 'When We Rise'|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/topics/sexuality/fast-lane/article/2017/02/19/whos-who-when-we-rise%7Cwebsite=SBS|date=24 February 2017}}</ref><ref name=":2when we rise">{{cite web|last1=Bendix|first1=Trish|title=Dustin Lance Black on Capturing America's LGBTQ Herstory in "When We Rise"|url=http://gomag.com/article/dustin-lance-black-capturing-americas-lgbtq-herstory-rise/%7Cwork=GO Magazine|date=February 24, 2017}}</ref>
young Cleve Jones Austin P. McKenzie
Roma Guy Mary-Louise Parker Roma Guy is a feminist lesbian and social justice activist.<ref name=":1when we rise"/><ref name=":2when we rise"/>
young Roma Guy Emily Skeggs
Diane Rachel Griffiths Diane is a lesbian nurse.<ref name=":1when we rise"/><ref name=":2when we rise"/>
young Diane Fiona Dourif
Ken Jones Michael K. Williams Ken Jones is a gay activist.<ref name=":1when we rise"/><ref name=":2when we rise"/>
young Ken Jones Jonathan Majors
Matt Tyler Young Matt is gay and has a relationship with young Cleve.<ref name=":1when we rise"/><ref name=":2when we rise"/>
Michael Charlie Carver title=Inside the Carry-On: Charlie Carver |url=https://dujour.com/lifestyle/charlie-carver-when-we-rise/ |website=DuJour |date=21 February 2017}}</ref>
Pat Norman Whoopi Goldberg Pat Norman is a lesbian activist, founder of the Lesbian Mothers Union and first openly gay employee of the San Francisco Health Department.<ref name=":1when we rise"/><ref name=":2when we rise"/>
Del Martin Rosie O'Donnell Del Martin is a feminist lesbian and activist, and co-founder of Daughters of Bilitis.<ref name=":1when we rise"/><ref name=":2when we rise"/>
Phyllis Lyon Maddie Corman last1=Werder|first1=Corinne|title=Meet the Real Women Featured in "When We Rise"|url=http://gomag.com/article/meet-real-women-featured-rise/%7Cwork=GO Magazine|date=February 27, 2017}}</ref>
Jean Caitlin Gerard title=When We Rise Premiere Recap: Outsiders Gather in San Francisco |url=https://ew.com/recap/when-we-rise-series-premiere/ |website=EW.com}}</ref>
Cecilia Chung Ivory Aquino Cecilia Chung is a trans woman and political activist.<ref name=":2when we rise"/>
Scott Nick Eversman Scott is gay, living in a treehouse.<ref name="when we rise premiere"/>
José Sarria Michael DeLorenzo José Sarria is a gay political activist and founder of the Imperial Court System.
Bobbi Jean Baker Jazzmun Bobbi Jean Baker is a transgender activist.<ref name=":4when we rise"/>
Anne Kronenberg Britt Irvin Anne Kronenberg is the campaign manager for Harvey Milk and his aide on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.<ref name=":4when we rise"/>
Sally Gearhart Carrie Preston Sally Gearhart is a feminist lesbian and political activist.<ref name=":1when we rise"/><ref name=":2when we rise"/>
Jim Foster Denis O’Hare Jim Foster is the first openly gay man to ever speak at a Democratic convention.<ref name="when we rise premiere"/>
2017 Will TNT Christopher Marlowe Jamie Campbell Bower title=TNT's Sexy Shakespeare Show Will Is Wild and Delightful |url=https://www.themarysue.com/tnt-will-review/ |website=The Mary Sue |date=7 July 2017}}</ref>
Thomas Walsingham Edward Hayter title=A Fine Mystery - Marlowe - What (little) We Know {{!}} Much Ado About Something {{!}} FRONTLINE {{!}} PBS |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/muchado/fine/bios.html}}</ref>

2018

Year Show Network Character Actor Notes
2018– 9-1-1 FOX Michael Grant Rockmond Dunbar last1=Fremont|first1=Maggie|title=9-1-1 series premiere react: 'Pilot'|url=https://ew.com/recap/9-1-1-series-premiere/%7Cwebsite=Entertainment Weekly|date=January 3, 2018}}</ref>
Henrietta "Hen" Wilson Aisha Hinds last1=Hogan|first1=Heather|title=Boob(s On Your) Tube: "9-1-1" Reveals Its Lesbian Character Just As We Predicted With Our Supreme TV Gaydar|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/boobs-on-your-tube-9-1-1-reveals-its-lesbian-character-as-we-knew-it-eventually-would-409905/%7Cwebsite=Autostraddle|date=February 2, 2018}}</ref>
Karen Wilson Tracie Thoms Karen is lesbian. She and Henrietta are raising the son of Hen's ex-girlfriend.<ref name="karen and henrietta"/>
Josh Russo Bryan Safi last=Jacobs|first=Meredith|title=Will the 118 Need to Help 9-1-1's Own After the Episode 13 Cliffhanger?|url=https://www.tvinsider.com/928821/911-season-3-episode-13-maddie-call-center-hostages/%7Cwebsite=TV Insider}}</ref>
Eva Mathis Abby Brammell Eva is Hen's ex and an incarcerated criminal.<ref name="karen and henrietta"/>
2018– A Discovery of Witches Sky One Sarah Bishop Alex Kingston Sarah and Emily are a lesbian couple.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Sobel|first1=Ariel|title=A New TV Show About Lesbian Witches Brews Excitement|url=https://www.advocate.com/television/2018/9/17/new-tv-show-about-lesbian-witches-stirs-excitement%7Cdate=September 17, 2018|website=The Advocate}}</ref>
Emily Mather Valarie Pettiford
2018– A Million Little Things ABC Daniel Dixon Chance Hurstfield last1=Zapata |first1=Kimberly |title=All About the Season 2 Cast of A Million Little Things |url=https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a28774714/a-million-little-things-cast/ |work=O, The Oprah Magazine |date=August 23, 2019}}</ref>
2018 A Very English Scandal BBC One Jeremy Thorpe Hugh Grant Jeremy Thorpe was the leader of the Liberal Party for nine years. He was a closeted homosexual who had affairs with men and was in a secret relationship with Norman Scott.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Boissoneault|first1=Lorraine|title=The True Story of "A Very English Scandal" and the Trials of a Closeted Gay Politician|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/true-story-very-english-scandal-and-trials-closeted-gay-politician-180969454/%7Cwork=Smithsonian|date=June 27, 2018}}</ref>
Norman Scott Ben Whishaw
2018– After Forever Amazon Prime Video Brian Kevin Spirtas title=After Forever|url=http://afterforevertheseries.com/%7Cdate=2018%7Caccess-date=18 January 2020}}</ref><ref name=":2after forever">{{cite magazine|last1=Reddish|first1=David|title=Micro series 'After Forever' takes an intimate look at older gay men-and death do us part|url=https://www.queerty.com/amazons-forever-takes-intimate-look-older-gay-men-death-us-part-20180425%7Cwebsite=Queerty|date=April 25, 2018}}</ref><ref name=":3after forever">{{cite news|last1=Simon|first1=Ray|title=New series on Amazon Prime takes on love and loss|url=http://www.epgn.com/arts-and-culture/television/13309-amazon-s-new-series-takes-on-love-and-loss%7Cwork=Philadelphia Gay News|date=April 26, 2018}}</ref><ref name=":4after forever">{{cite magazine|last1=Artavia|first1=David|title=A Looking, Queer as Folk for Fifty-something Golden Gays|url=https://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2018/11/29/looking-queer-folk-fifty-something-golden-gays%7Cmagazine=The Advocate|date=November 29, 2018}}</ref>
Jason Mitchell Anderson Jason is gay.<ref name=":1after forever"/><ref name=":2after forever"/><ref name=":3after forever"/><ref name=":4after forever"/>
David Taylor Mike McGowan David is gay and Brian's boyfriend.<ref name=":1after forever"/><ref name=":2after forever"/><ref name=":3after forever"/><ref name=":4after forever"/>
Brenda Erin Cherry Brenda is lesbian.<ref name=":1after forever"/><ref name=":2after forever"/><ref name=":3after forever"/><ref name=":4after forever"/>
2018– All American The CW Tamia "Coop" Cooper Bre-Z last1=Bowen |first1=Sesali |title=Bre-Z Just Told Us Exactly Why All American's Coop Is So Dope |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2018/10/214999/bre-z-all-american-coop-interview |website=Refinery29 |date=October 24, 2018}}</ref>
2018– Altered Carbon Netflix Isaac Bancroft Antonio Marziale Isaac Bancroft has a male lover, Sergei Brevlov.<ref>{{cite web |title=Altered Carbon - Season 1 |url=https://www.mediaversityreviews.com/tv-reviews/2018/11/5/altered-carbon |website=Mediaversity Reviews}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Altered Carbon Episode 6 Review: Man with My Face |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/altered-carbon-episode-6-review-man-with-my-face/ |website=Den of Geek |date=3 February 2018}}</ref>
Sergei Brevlov Chris McNally
2018 American Crime Story
{{Nowrap|The Assassination of Gianni Versace}}
(season 2)		 FX Gianni Versace Édgar Ramírez Gianni Versace was gay, and murdered by spree killer Andrew Cunanan.<ref name=versace/>
Andrew Cunanan Darren Criss last=Miller|first=Julie|title=The Truth About Gianni Versace and Andrew Cunanan's Relationship|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/01/versace-american-crime-story-andrew-cunanan%7Cwebsite=Vanity Fair|date=January 17, 2018}}</ref>
Antonio D'Amico Ricky Martin Antonio D'Amico is gay and Versace's partner at the time of his death.<ref name=versace/>
Lee Miglin Mike Farrell last1=Chan|first1=Sewell|title='The Assassination of Gianni Versace' Episode 3: Death or Disgrace?|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/31/arts/television/the-assassination-of-gianni-versace-american-crime-story-recap-a-random-killing.html%7Cwebsite=The New York Times|date=January 31, 2018}}</ref>
Jeffrey Trail Finn Wittrock last1=Mackelden|first1=Amy|title=Who Were Jeffrey Trail and David Madson? American Crime Story Explores Andrew Cunanan's First Victims|url=http://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/a15922647/jeffrey-trail-david-madson-facts-american-crime-story/%7Cwebsite=Harper's Bazaar|date=January 31, 2018}}</ref>
David Madson Cody Fern David Madson was gay, and witnessed Jeffrey Trail's murder, and was also killed by Andrew Cunanan.<ref name="harpersbazaar.com"/>
2018– Anne+ BNN-VARA
3LAB		 Anne Hanna van Vliet last1=Wisse|first1=Mario|title=Lesbische Webserie Was Hard Nodig'|url=https://www.metronieuws.nl/nieuws/showbizz/2017/11/lesbische-webserie-was-hard-nodig%7Cwork=Metro|date=21 November 2017|language=nl|trans-title=Lesbian Web Series Was Badly Needed}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Bader|first1=Silke|title=Web Series: Anne+|url=https://www.curvemag.com/film-club/film-collection/web-series/web-series-anne/%7Cmagazine=Curve|date=January 11, 2020}}</ref>
2018–2020 Baby Netflix Fabio Fedeli Brando Pacitto last1=Mitchell|first1=Molli|url=https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/1191718/Baby-season-2-cast-who-stars-actor-Netflix-series-Alice-Pagani-Benedetta-Porcaroli%7Ctitle=Baby season 2 cast: Who is in the cast of Baby?|work=Daily Express|date=October 18, 2019|access-date=8 November 2019}}</ref>
Brando De Santis Mirko Trovato Brando is gay and comes out in the final season.<ref name="Fabio and Brando"/>
2018– Black Lightning The CW Anissa Pierce Nafessa Williams last1=Jackman|first1=Josh|title=Meet the black lesbian superhero ready to take over TV on The CW's Black Lightning|url=http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/01/05/meet-the-black-lesbian-superhero-ready-to-take-over-tv-on-the-cws-black-lightning/%7Cwebsite=PinkNews|date=5 January 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Bergado|first1=Gabe|title="Black Lightning" Star Nafessa Williams Talks Why Representation Matters and Bringing Thunder to Life|url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/black-lightning-nafessa-williams-anissa-pierce%7Cwebsite=Teen Vogue|date=January 23, 2018}}</ref>
Grace Choi Chantal Thuy last1=Riese|title=Winter 2017/2018 TV Preview: Some Lesbian and Bisexual Content for Y'all|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/winter-2017-2018-tv-preview-some-lesbian-and-bisexual-content-for-yall-403491/%7Cwebsite=Autostraddle|date=December 5, 2017}}</ref>
Chenoa Shein Mompremier last1=Love|first1=Tirhakah|title=Black Lightning reveals its stakes: superheroes are bad at love|url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/black-lightning-reveals-its-stakes-superheroes-are-bad-at-love%7Cwebsite=Syfy Wire|date=January 24, 2018}}</ref>
2018– Burden of Truth CBC Molly Ross Sara Thompson Molly is lesbian. Luna is lesbian and a First Nation native. Molly and Luna are in a relationship and attend the same high school. In season 1 episode "Witch Hunt" they go to the prom as a couple, holding hands as they enter and afterwards dance together.<ref>{{cite web |title=Boobs on Your Tube: Canada Out-Gays Itself Again With Burden of Truth |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/boobs-on-your-tube-canada-out-gays-itself-again-with-burden-of-truth-430281/ |website=Autostraddle |date=24 August 2018}}</ref>
Luna Spence Star Slade
2018 'Cause You're My Boy GMM One Mork Drake Sattabut Mork and Tee are the main gay couple. Morn and Gord are the supporting gay couple. A Thai romance drama depicting relationships between male characters, known as boys love, it tells the love story of four young boys in a high school setting.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ferrer |first1=Louise |title=7 Thai Boys Love Shows To Watch If You're Obsessed With 2gether: The Series |url=https://www.cosmo.ph/entertainment/thai-boys-love-series-a1213-20200830 |website=Cosmopolitan |date=August 30, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Nugroho |first1=Johannes |title=Why Thailand's erotic Boys Love TV are a hit with both gay and straight |url=https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3104852/thailands-erotic-boys-love-tv-dramas-are-hit |website=South China Morning Post|date=11 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=GMMTV|title=Trailer อาตี๋ของผม|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHa8wMfsIms%7Cwebsite=YouTube|date=June 13, 2018}}</ref>
Tee Frank Thanatsaran
Morn Phuwin Tangsakyuen
Gord Neo Trai Nimtawat
2018– Charmed The CW Melanie "Mel" Vera Melonie Diaz Melanie "Mel" Vera is a lesbian witch. She's a Women's Studies graduate student. Niko Hamada is lesbian and a police detective. Mel and Nico are in a relationship.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Gallagher|first1=Caitlin|title=How Is The New 'Charmed' Connected To The Original Series? The Reboot Is Casting Its Own Spell|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/how-is-the-new-charmed-connected-to-the-original-series-the-reboot-is-casting-its-own-spell-12247468%7Cwebsite=Bustle|date=October 14, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Phillips|first1=Carmen|title="Charmed" Review: Come for the Kickass Lesbian Witch, Stay For the Sisterhood|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/charmed-review-come-for-the-kickass-lesbian-witch-stay-for-the-sisterhood-435785/%7Cwebsite=Autostraddle|date=October 15, 2018}}</ref>
Nico Hamada Ellen Tamaki
2018- Class T1T5 YouTube Melissa Melissa Poh title=Class T1T5 |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/class-t1t5/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
2018 Collateral BBC Two
Netflix		 Jane Oliver Nicola Walker Jane is a vicar in a lesbian relationship with an illegal immigrant, Linh Xuan Huy.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Sweeting|first1=Adam|title=Collateral, BBC Two review - a lecture or a drama?|url=http://www.theartsdesk.com/tv/collateral-bbc-two-review-lecture-or-drama%7Cwebsite=The Arts Desk|date=13 February 2018}}</ref>
Linh Xuan Huy Kae Alexander
2018– Condor Audience Sarah Tan Ellen Wong title=All 214 Dead Lesbian and Bisexual Characters On TV, And How They Died {{!}} Page 4 of 4 |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/all-65-dead-lesbian-and-bisexual-characters-on-tv-and-how-they-died-312315/4/ |website=Autostraddle |date=11 March 2016}}</ref>
Sharla Shepard Christina Moses title=Sharla Shepard, Condor (TV series) |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sharla-shepard/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
2018–2019 Counterpart Starz Nadia/Baldwin Sara Serraiocco last1=Kayvon |first1=Shervin |title=Sara Serraiocco Is A Leather-Wearing, Lesbian Assassin on Starz's Counterpart |url=https://www.intomore.com/culture/sara-serraiocco-is-a-leatherwearing-lesbian-assassin-on-starzs-counterpart/ |website=INTO |date=29 January 2018}}</ref>
Clare Nazanin Boniadi Clare is a lesbian.<ref name="Sara Serraiocco"/>
Greta Liv Lisa Fries title=Counterpart |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/counterpart/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
2018 Deutschland 86 SundanceTV Tim Avery Chris Veres Tim Avery is a closeted gay American G.I.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Fernandez|first1=Matt|title=Chris Veres Lands Series Regular Role on 'Deutschland 86' |url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/chris-veres-deutschland-86-1202610215/%7Cwork=Variety|date=November 10, 2017}}</ref> Rose Seithathi is lesbian and in a relationship with Lenora Rauch. Lenora is openly bisexual, having been seen kissing a man in the previous season. Alex Edel is gay. He slept with Tobias Tischbier in the previous season.<ref name=Hughes_83ep5>{{cite web|last1=Hughes|first1=Sarah|title=Deutschland 83 recap, episode five – Cold Fire |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2016/jan/31/deutschland-83-recap-episode-five-cold-fire%7Cwork=The Guardian|date=31 January 2018|access-date=24 October 2018}}</ref> Tobias Tischbier is gay. He tries to make a move on Alex in the first season, and later becomes sexually involved with him even though he was in a relationship with a man named Felix.<ref name=Hughes_83ep6/>
Rose Seithathi Florence Kasumba
Lenora Rauch Maria Schrader
Alex Edel Ludwig Trepte
Tobias Tischbier Alexander Beyer
2018– Dogs of Berlin Netflix Erol Birkan Fahri Yardim Erol Birkan is gay. Guido Mack is gay and Erol's partner.<ref>{{cite web|last1=ul-Haq|first1=Farid|title=Recommendation: "Dogs of Berlin" On Netflix Offers Crime & Well-Written Queer Representation|url=https://thegeekiary.com/dogs-berlin-netflix-queer/60255%7Cwebsite=The Geekiary|date=February 8, 2019|access-date=4 May 2020}}</ref>
Guido Mack Sebastian Achilles
2018– Druck ZDF Matteo Florenzi Michelangelo Fortuzzi last1=Johnstone |first1=Beth |title=Why Druck is the best version of Skam |url=https://jonosrantsandreviews.com/2021/03/11/why-druck-is-the-best-version-of-skam/ |date=11 March 2021}}</ref>
David Schreibner Lukas von Horbatschewsky last1=Barwenczik |first1=Lucas |title=A little flippant and imperfect |url=https://www.goethe.de/en/kul/flm/21657771.html |website=Goethe Institut |date=September 2019}}</ref>
Mia Winter Milena Tscharntke Mia is bisexual.<ref name="druck tv"/>
Victoria Tijan Marei title=Victoria |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/victoria-4/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
Fatou Jallow Sira-Anna Faal Fatou is lesbian.<ref name="druck tv"/>
Kieu My Vu Nhung Hong Kieu is bisexual.<ref name="druck tv"/>
2018– Élite Netflix Ander Muñoz Arón Piper Ander Muñoz is gay and in a relationship with Omar Shanaa. Omar is gay but has to hide his sexuality from his parents due to their Muslim faith. Polo Benavent is bisexual and polyamorous. He has a relationship with Carla and Christian in season 1 and later has a relationship with Cayetana and Valerio in season 3. He has also hooked up with Ander in season 2. Rebeka "Rebe" de Bormujo is bisexual. She confesses to Ander that she is attracted to girls and guys. She was attracted to Samuel and dated him, but also said she was sexually attracted to Carla. Valerio Montesinos is bisexual and polyamorous. He has a relationship with Cayetana and Polo.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Solari|first1=Bruno|title=Netflix's 'Elite' is a Hidden Queer Gem|url=https://www.out.com/popnography/2018/10/10/netflixs-elite-hidden-queer-gem%7Cwebsite=Out|date=October 10, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Street|first1=Mikelle|title=Polo From Elite Reveals a Much-Needed Conversation About Consent|url=https://www.out.com/television/2019/10/06/polo-elite-reveals-much-needed-conversation-about-consent%7Cwebsite=Out|date=October 6, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Reilly |first1=Kaitlin |title=The Gay Relationship On "Elite" Has Netflix Sharing Rainbows |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2018/10/214264/elite-netflix-homophobia-response |website=refinery29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Watch the official trailer for season 2 of LGBTQ-inclusive Netflix drama Elite |url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/watch-the-official-trailer-for-season-2-of-lgbtq-inclusive-netflix-drama-elite/ |date=20 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Opie |first1=David |title=Élite season 3 continues to celebrate queerness better than any other show |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a31431744/elite-season-3-lgbtq-queer-omander-netflix/ |website=Digital Spy |date=13 March 2020}}</ref> Malick was gay.
Omar Shanaa Omar Ayuso
Polo Benavent Álvaro Rico
Rebeka "Rebe" de Bormujo Claudia Salas
Valerio Montesinos Jorge López
Malick D Leïti Sène
2018 Everything Sucks! Netflix Kate Messner Peyton Kennedy Kate Messner spends the season struggling with her sexual identity, before coming to terms that she's a lesbian. Emaline Addario might be bisexual. She is seen dating a male classmate, but then she and Kate reveal their attraction towards one another and later share a kiss.<ref>{{Cite news|last= Romero|first= Ariana|url=https://www.refinery29.com/2018/02/191052/netflix-everything-sucks-kate-lesbian-teen-coming-out%7Ctitle=Why Everything Sucks' Coming Out Story Matters|website=Refinery29|date=February 16, 2018}}</ref>
Emaline Addario Sydney Sweeney
2018– For the People ABC Kate Littlejohn Susannah Flood Kate Littlejohn is lesbian and a prosecutor. Anya Ooms is lesbian and an ATF agent. Kate and Anya are involved romantically.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Vick |first1=Megan |title=For the People Exclusive: Is Kate Getting Cold Feet With Her ATF Girlfriend? |url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/for-the-people-exclusive-kate-girlfriend/ |website=TV Guide |date=May 15, 2018}}</ref>
Anya Ooms Caitlin Stasey
2018 Here and Now HBO Ramon Bayer-Boatwright Daniel Zovatto Ramon Bayer-Boatwright and Henry are a gay couple.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Goodman|first=Tim|title='Here and Now': TV Review|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/review-1080645%7Cwork=The Hollywood Reporter|date=February 1, 2018}}</ref>
Henry Andy Bean
Navid Shokrani Marwan Salama title=Here and Now - Marwan Salama's Navid Doesn't Need Validation |url=https://www.hbo.com/here-and-now/season-1/3-if-a-deer-shts-in-the-woods/marwan-salamas-navid-doesnt-need-validation |website=HBO}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Morton|first1=Ashley|title=Marwan Salama's Navid Doesn't Need Validation|url=https://www.hbo.com/here-and-now/season-1/3-if-a-deer-shts-in-the-woods/marwan-salamas-navid-doesnt-need-validation%7Cwebsite=HBO|date=February 25, 2018}}</ref>
2018–2020 The House of Flowers Netflix Julián de la Mora Darío Yazbek Bernal Julián de la Mora is bisexual. He was in a relationship with a woman while secretly dating Diego Olvera. Diego is gay. María José (formerly José María Riquelme) is a transgender woman that was married to Paulina de la Mora before transitioning. She remarried Paulina in the final episode of season 3. Paulina is pansexual. She was married to María José before she transitioned. After splitting up, she dated Alejo Salvat before reuniting with, and remarrying, María José. Pato Lascuraín is a gay man and a drag queen. He is murdered for his sexuality. Kim is pansexual. She starts a relationship with María José. Agustín Corcuera is a closeted gay man. He kills Pato after the latter tries to expose their relationship.<ref>{{cite web|title='La casa de las flores': Pareja gay te enseña lo importante que es 'salir del clóset'|url=https://peru21.pe/cheka/casa-flores-escena-gay-permite-hablar-miedo-salir-closet-420271?foto=2%7Cwebsite=Perú21%7Clanguage=es%7Cdate=11 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Ibarra|first1=Marlene Pérez|title=Paco de León conoce su transformación en mujer de la serie La casa de las flores|url=https://www.show.news/series/Paco-de-Leon-conoce-su-transformacion-en-mujer-de-la-serie-La-casa-de-las-flores-20191020-0016.html%7Cwebsite=Show!%7Cdate=20 October 2019|language=es}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=La Casa de las Flores is a Turning Point for Modern-Day Mexican Television |url=https://instinctmagazine.com/la-casa-de-las-flores-is-a-turning-point-for-modern-day-mexican-television/ |website=Instinct Magazine |date=19 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=House of Flowers Creator Shares What to Expect in Final Season |url=https://www.etonline.com/house-of-flowers-creator-manolo-caro-explores-lgbtq-issues-in-final-season-exclusive-145399 |website=Entertainment Tonight}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=La Casa de las Flores |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/la-casa-de-las-flores/}}</ref>
Diego Olvera Juan Pablo Medina
María José Riquelme Paco León
Paulina de la Mora Cecilia Suárez
Pato Lascuraín Christian Chávez
Kim Cristina Umaña
Agustín Corcuera Emilio Cuaik
2018–2019 Impulse YouTube Premium Jenna Faith Hope Sarah Desjardins Jenna comes to term with the realization that she's lesbian, then is outed to her parents by her friend (season 2). Kate is a young woman that Jenna meets at a college party during a poetry performance and Kate kisses Jenna afterwards. Megan Linderman is queer.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Anne|first=Valerie|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/impulse-season-2-makes-good-on-its-gay-promise/%7Ctitle="Impulse" Season 2 Makes Good on its Gay Promise|date=October 25, 2019|website=Autostraddle|access-date=27 March 2020}}</ref>
Kate Sarah Swire
Megan Linderman Lauren Collins
2018 The Innocents Netflix Lil Sabrina Bartlett Lil kisses June. (She may be lesbian or bisexual.) Kam has a boyfriend, but is also involved with women. (She appears to be bisexual.) Sigrid has feelings for a woman back home. (She may be lesbian or bisexual.)<ref>{{cite web|last1=Reilly|first1=Kaitlin|title=The Innocents Binge Club|url=https://www.refinery29.com/2018/08/207974/the-innocents-recap-season-1-episodes-summary-netflix%7Cdate=August 24, 2018|website=Refinery29}}</ref>
Kam Abigail Hardingham
Sigrid Lise Risom Olsen
2018– Insatiable Netflix Bob Barnard Christopher Gorham Bob Barnard claims to enjoy sex with women but self-identifies as gay. He has been in love with Bob Armstrong since they were teenagers.<ref name="insatiable"/>
Bob Armstrong Dallas Roberts title=Netflix's Insatiable sparks outrage by saying bi people 'don't exist' |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/08/16/netflix-insatiable-bisexual-outrage-exist/ |website=PinkNews |date=16 August 2018}}</ref>
Nonnie Thompson Kimmy Shields last1=Bryan |first1=Scott |title=13 Ways "Insatiable" Is Really Fucking Problematic |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/scottybryan/problematic-insatiable-moments |website=BuzzFeed}}</ref>
Deborah "Dee" Marshall Ashley D. Kelley last1=Sarrubba |first1=Stefania |title=Is new Netflix show Insatiable really homophobic, biphobic and fat-shaming? |url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/insatiable-netflix-fat-shaming-homophobia/ |website=Gay Star News |date=13 August 2018}}</ref>
2018– Instinct CBS Dylan Reinhart Alan Cumming Dylan Reinhart is gay. A former CIA operative-turned-university professor and best-selling author now helping the New York Police Department. Andy Wilson is gay. Dylan and Andy are married.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/why-cbs-instinct-history-making-gay-lead-matters-guest-column-1091642%7Ctitle=Why CBS' 'Instinct,' With Its History-Making Gay Lead, Matters|last=Rauch|first= Michael|date=March 14, 2018|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=March 21, 2018}}</ref>
Andy Wilson Daniel Ings
2018– Killing Eve BBC America Villanelle Jodie Comer Villanelle is a bisexual assassin. She has sex with women and men, had a brief relationship with her neighbor Sebastian, married a woman, and is in love with Eve. In episode "You're Mine" (season 2, episode 8), Villanelle asks Eve to run away with her. When Eve rejects her, Villanelle shoots Eve and leaves her for dead. The character of Villanelle was modeled on a real-life terrorist.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Harrison |first1=Ellie |title=Killing Eve: The real-life 'psychopath' who murdered 23 people and inspired Villanelle character |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/killing-eve-villanelle-real-inspiration-jodie-comer-idoia-lopez-riano-la-tigresa-luke-jennings-a9513881.html |work=The Independent |date=14 May 2020}}</ref> Eve Polastri appears to be bisexual. She reveals an attraction towards Villanelle, even though they are bitter rivals and that their cat-and-mouse relationship contains violence and obsession. In episode "Meetings Have Biscuits" (season 3, episode 3), Eve finally kisses Villanelle for the first time, then head-butts her. Bill Pargrave is bisexual. He chose to enter into a heterosexual marriage by arrangement because he wanted to father a child, and occasionally has sex with his wife who knows about his history with men.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Baugher|first1=Lacy|title=Killing Eve: We need to know more about Villanelle's past|url=https://culturess.com/2018/05/03/killing-eve-we-need-to-know-more-about-villanelles-past/%7Cwebsite=Culturess%7Cpublisher=FanSided|date=May 3, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Roberson |first1=Jennie |title=The Unicorn Scale: Killing Eve |url=https://bi.org/en/articles/the-unicorn-scale-killing-eve |website=Bi.org |date=April 17, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Cook |first1=Elisabeth |title=I Think About You, Too: "Killing Eve" & Bisexual Representation |url=https://thespool.net/features/killing-eve/ |website=The Spool |date=June 26, 2019}}</ref>
Bill Pargrave David Haig
Eve Polastri Sandra Oh
2018– Krypton SyFy Adam Strange Shaun Sipos Adam Strange is quite likely bisexual. In season 1, episode "House of Zod", Adam Strange appreciates the view of the bare ass of a tattooed male Sagitari.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Melrose|first1=Kevin|title=Wait, Did Krypton Just Hint That Adam Strange Is Gay?|url=https://www.cbr.com/krypton-adam-strange-gay-bisexual/%7Cwebsite=Comic Book Resources|date=April 18, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Krypton: The Decision to Make Adam Strange Bisexual |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/krypton-the-decision-to-make-adam-strange-bisexual/ |website=Den of Geek |date=28 July 2018}}</ref>
Nyssa-Vex Wallis Day last1=Burlingame|first1=Russ|title='Krypton': Nyssa-Vex Reveals She Is Bisexual|url=https://comicbook.com/dc/2018/05/03/krypton-nyssa-vex-is-bisexual/%7Cwebsite=ComicBook.com%7Cpublisher=Pop Culture Media|date=May 2, 2018}}</ref>
2018– Legacies The CW Josie Saltzman Kaylee Bryant last1=Nouri |first1=Sefket |title=Legacies recap: Series premiere delivers romance, drama, and magic |url=https://hiddenremote.com/2018/10/26/legacies-series-premiere-recap/ |website=Hidden Remote |publisher=FanSided Network |date=October 26, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Zalben|first1=Alex|title=Dear 'Legacies': You Can Keep Your Josie/Landon Romance, Thanks!|url=https://decider.com/2019/10/10/legacies-season-2-premiere-spoilers-landon-josie/%7Cwebsite=Decider|date=October 10, 2019}}</ref>
Penelope Park Lulu Antariksa last=Palmer|first=Catherine|url=https://theseriesregulars.com/legacies-a-revolutionary-approach-to-identity-and-relationships/%7Ctitle='Legacies': A Revolutionary Approach to Identity And Relationships|website=The Series Regulars|date=March 5, 2019|access-date=April 27, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Drum|first1=Nicole|title='Legacies' Creator Teases Fan-Favorites Returning in Season 2|url=https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/legacies-season-2-julie-plec-kai-parker-chris-wood-the-cw/%7Cwebsite=Comicbook.com |date=April 2, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Fleenor |first1=S.E. |title=The queer witches from TV who make us proud |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/queer-witches-tv-make-us-proud |website=Syfy Wire |date=July 15, 2020}}</ref>
Hope Mikaelson Danielle Rose Russell last1=Swift |first1=Andy |title=Legacies' Danielle Rose Russell Reacts to Hope's Romantic Confession About Josie: 'That Didn't Shock Me' |url=https://tvline.com/2019/12/01/legacies-season-2-hope-josie-relationship-new-interview/ |website=TVLine |date=December 1, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Neetha K|title='Legacies' Season 2: Is the show queerbaiting viewers with minor hints about Hope and Josie ship?|url=https://meaww.com/legacies-season-2-queerbaiting-viewers-minor-hints-hosie-hope-josie-penelope-maya%7Cwebsite=MEAWW (Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide)|date=January 30, 2020}}</ref>
Jade Giorgia Whigham last1=MacDonald|first1=Lindsay|title=Legacies Boss Says Josie and Jade's Romance 'Felt Right|url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/legacies-boss-jade-josie-romance-felt-right/%7Cmagazine=TV Guide|date=March 12, 2020}}</ref>
2018 Life Sentence The CW Ida Abbott Gillian Vigman Ida is bisexual. She leaves her husband to be with her friend, Poppy.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Reiher|first1=Andrea|title=Life Sentence' Premiere Recap: Introducing the Abbotts, Your New Fave TV Family|url=https://www.brit.co/life-sentence-premiere-recap-lucy-hale/%7Cwebsite=Brit + Co|date=March 8, 2018}}</ref>
Poppy Claudia Rocafort
2018– Light as a Feather Hulu Alex Portnoy Brianne Tju last1=Nicolaou|first1=Elena|title=A Complete Rundown Of The Death Predictions On Light As A Feather|url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2018/10/213652/light-as-a-feather-violet-death-predictions#slide-3%7Cwebsite=Refinery29|date=October 12, 2018}}</ref>
Peri Adriyan Rae last1=Block|first1=Rosemarie|title="Light as a Feather" Season 2 Lifts Its Lesbian Character Into the Spotlight|url=https://scoopsquare24.com/light-as-a-feather-season-2-lifts-its-lesbian-character-into-the-spotlight/%7Cwebsite=Scoop Square24|date=August 5, 2019}}</ref>
2018– Manifest NBC Bethany Collins Mugga title=Bethany Collins, Manifest (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/bethany-collins/}}</ref>
Georgia Collins Eva Kaminsky title=Georgia Collins, Manifest (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/georgia-collins/}}</ref>
Thomas Sheldon Best last1=Wilson |first1=Samantha |title='Manifest' Recap: A Stowaway On Flight 828 Could Be The Answer To Michaela & Saanvi's Problems |url=https://hollywoodlife.com/2018/10/15/manifest-stowaway-on-flight-828-season-1-episode-4-recap/ |website=Hollywood Life |date=16 October 2018}}</ref>
2018– McMafia BBC One
AMC		 Semiyon Kleiman David Strathairn title=TV review: McMafia Episode 5 |url=https://www.thejc.com/culture/tv/tv-review-mcmafia-episode-5-1.457058}}</ref>
2018– New Amsterdam NBC Iggy Frome Tyler Labine Iggy Frome and Martin McIntyre are married and have adopted three children from Bangladesh.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Blu |first1=Jasmine |title=New Amsterdam Season 2 Episode 10 Review: Code Silver |url=https://www.tvfanatic.com/2020/01/new-amsterdam-season-2-episode-10-review-code-silver/ |website=TV Fanatic |date=14 January 2020}}</ref>
Martin McIntyre Mike Doyle
2018 The Novelist Fuji TV Kazumi Haruhiko Izuka Kenta Kazumi Haruhiko and Kijima Rio are a gay couple.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Novelist|url=https://www.viki.com/tv/36852c-the-novelist%7Cwebsite=Viki|date= February 2020}}</ref>
Kijima Rio Takezai Terunosuke
2018 Origin YouTube Premium Agnes "Lee" Lebachi Adelayo Adedayo Agnes "Lee" Lebachi is a lesbian.<ref name="Origin TV series"/>
Evelyn Rey Nora Arnezeder title=Origin |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/origin/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
2018 Picnic at Hanging Rock Showcase (AU) Michael Fitzhubert Harrison Gilbertson Michael Fitzhubert is in love with Albert Crundall. Irma Leopold kisses Miranda Reid. Greta McGraw is a geography teacher whose father exiled her from home for being a lesbian. Marion Quade is lesbian. Greta and Marion are in a relationship.<ref>{{cite web|first=Holly|last=Byrnes|title=Foxtel's Picnic At Hanging Rock turns up the homoerotic heat in saucy new series|url=https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/foxtels-picnic-at-hanging-rock-turns-up-the-homoerotic-heat-in-saucy-new-series/news-story/151d918b1b755d4b0107219f1e2e4957%7Cdate=5 May 2018|access-date=11 July 2018|website=News.com.au}}</ref>
Irma Leopold Samara Weaving
Miranda Reid Lily Sullivan
Greta McGraw Anna McGahan
Marion Quade Madeleine Madden
2018– Playing for Keeps Network Ten Rusty O'Reilly Ethan Panizza Rusty O'Reilly is gay. He and Jack Davies were having an affair before Jack's death.<ref>{{cite web |title=Playing For Keeps: The Most WTF Moments Of The Season |url=https://10play.com.au/10-play-trending/articles/playing-for-keeps-the-most-wtf-moments-of-the-season/tpa190614wlnzo |website=10 play |date=9 November 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Woolford |first1=Lisa |title=Ethan's AFL 360 |url=https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/entertainment/confidential/playing-for-keeps-ethan-panizzas-afl-360/news-story/0cd0338b14bb79522f80811e5d4f992f |date=14 October 2018}}</ref>
Jack Davies James Mason
Tahlia Woods Olympia Valance title=Tahlia Woods, Playing for Keeps (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/tahlia-woods/}}</ref>
Hayley Fawkner Alexandra Adornetto title=Hayley Fawkner, Playing for Keeps (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/hayley-fawkner/}}</ref>
2018– Pose FX Blanca Rodriguez-Evangelista Mj Rodriguez last1=Upadhyaya |first1=Kayla Kumari |title=Pose presents a stylish, radical celebration of queer joy |url=https://tv.avclub.com/pose-presents-a-stylish-radical-celebration-of-queer-j-1826518546 |website=The A.V. Club |date=June 6, 2018 |access-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref>
Angel Evangelista Indya Moore Angel is a transgender woman.<ref name="AV-Pose-S1E1"/>
Elektra Abundance Dominique Jackson last1=Rude |first1=Mey |title=How 'Pose' Is Changing Media Representation of Gender Confirmation Surgery |url=https://www.them.us/story/pose-gender-confirmation-surgery |website=them. |publisher=Condé Nast |date=June 18, 2018 |access-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref>
Pray Tell Billy Porter Pray is gay.<ref name="them-Pose-blackgaylove"/>
Damon Richards-Evangelista Ryan Jamaal Swain Damon is gay.<ref name="AV-Pose-S1E1"/>
Ricky Evangelista Dyllón Burnside last1=Cuby |first1=Michael |title=Why Pose Is the Best Representation of Black Gay Love Since Moonlight |url=https://www.them.us/story/pose-black-gay-love-representation |website=them. |publisher=Condé Nast |date=July 23, 2018 |access-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref>
Candy Abundance Angelica Ross last1=Cooper |first1=Michael |title=Why Pose Is the Most Groundbreaking LGBTQ TV Show Ever |url=https://www.laweekly.com/arts/why-pose-is-the-most-ground-breaking-lgbtq-tv-show-ever-9673296 |work=LA Weekly |date=July 19, 2018 |access-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref>
Lulu Abundance Hailie Sahar title=The Fever |series=Pose |date=June 24, 2018 |network=FX |season=1 |number=4 |last=Mock |first=Janet}}</ref>
2018 Rise NBC Simon Saunders Ted Sutherland Simon Saunders is a closeted gay student raised by a very conservative religious family. Jeremy is Simon's co-star in the play, and potential love interest. Michael Hallowell is transgender.<ref>{{Cite news|last= Rudolph|first= Christopher|title=Why NBC Changed The Lead Character On "Rise" From Gay To Straight|url=http://www.newnownext.com/rise-nbc-musical-gay-teacher-straight/01/2018/%7Cwebsite=NewNowNext|date=January 11, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Altmann|first1=Alana|title=Who Plays Michael On 'Rise'? Ellie Desautels Plays An Important Role|url=https://www.elitedaily.com/p/who-plays-michael-on-rise-ellie-desautels-plays-important-role-8552262%7Cwebsite=Elite Daily|date=March 20, 2018}}</ref>
Michael Hallowell Ellie Desautels
Jeremy Sean Grandillo
2018– The Rookie ABC Jackson West Titus Makin Jackson West is gay. He's a rookie police officer and the son of a high-ranking police official. Gino Brown is gay. He is a nurse and in a relationship with Jackson West.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gomez |first1=Adrian |title=Timely topic: 'The Rookie' actor honored as series takes on issues of racial injustice |url=https://www.abqjournal.com/2353396/timely-topic.html |website=Albuquerque Journal |date=January 28, 2021 |url-access=subscription|quote=Titus Makin stars as Jackson West in the ABC series The Rookie. He's gay. He's Black. He's a rookie.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Orlando |first1=Christine |title=This Is Us Season Finale Delayed Following State of the Union Switch |url=https://www.tvfanatic.com/2019/01/this-is-us-season-finale-delayed-following-state-of-the-union-sw/ |website=TV Fanatic |date=30 January 2019}}</ref>
Gino Brown Cameron J. Armstrong
2018– Safe Canal 8
Netflix		 Pete Mayfield Marc Warren last1=Michael |title=Safe (saison 1) |url=http://mika03-nouvellesgays.over-blog.com/2018/05/safe-saison-1.html |website=Nouvelles gays |language=fr|date=20 May 2018}}</ref>
2018 Seven Seconds Netflix Kadeuce Porter Corey Champagne Kadeuce Porter and Brenton Butler were in a relationship before Brenton was killed by a white cop who ran over him in a hit and run.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mangum |first1=Trey |title='Seven Seconds' Breakout Star Corey Champagne On How His Character Adds To Diverse Representation On Television |url=https://shadowandact.com/netflix-seven-seconds-corey-champagne |website=Shadow and Act}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Bringing Diverse Representation to "Seven Seconds"– Corey Champagne Interview |url=https://gemmamagazine.com/2018/05/24/diverse-representation-with-corey-champagne-of-seven-seconds/ |website=gemma magazine |date=24 May 2018}}</ref>
Brenton Butler Daykwon Gaines
2018– Siren Freeform Ryn Eline Powell Ryn is a bisexual mermaid. She is attracted to both Maddie and her boyfriend Ben. Maddie Bishop is revealed to be bisexual, as she is receptive to Ryn's attraction for her.<ref>{{cite web|title='Siren' is Serving us Intersectional—and Interspecific—Bisexual Romance|url=https://www.intomore.com/culture/siren-is-serving-us-intersectionaland-interspecificbisexual-romance%7Cwebsite=INTO%7Cdate=20 April 2018}}</ref>
Maddie Bishop Fola Evans-Akingbola
2018– SKAM Austin Facebook Watch Shay Dixon La'Keisha Slade
Shay Dixon is a lesbian. Tyler Nunez is gay and Shay's best friend.<ref>{{cite web |title=Help I've Fallen For SKAM Austin (and its Black Lesbian Character) and Can't Get Up |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/help-ive-fallen-for-skam-austin-and-its-black-lesbian-character-and-cant-get-up-424342/ |website=Autostraddle |date=26 June 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Priya |first1=Kanu |title=Skam Austin Season 3: Release Date, Cast, New Season/Cancelled |url=https://thecinemaholic.com/skam-austin-facebook-watch/ |website=The Cinemaholic |date=14 January 2020}}</ref>
Tyler Nunez Giovanni Niubo
2018– Station 19 ABC Travis Montgomery Jay Hayden last1=Roschke |first1=Ryan |title=Jay Hayden as Travis Montgomery |url=https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/photo-gallery/44531044/image/44531045/Jay-Hayden-Travis-Montgomery |website=Popsugar Entertainment |date=22 March 2018}}</ref>
Maya Bishop Danielle Savre last1=Bastidas|first1=Jose|title='Station 19': Twitter Applauds Bisexual Main Character|url=https://popculture.com/tv-shows/2018/03/30/station-19-maya-bishop-bi-character-abc/%7Cwebsite=Popculture.com%7Cdate=March 29, 2018}}</ref>
2018– Step Up: High Water YouTube Premium Tal Baker Petrice Jones
(Keiynan Lonsdale)		 title=YouTube Red's 'Step Up: High Water' Is Like A More Dramatic 'Glee' But With Dancing |url=https://decider.com/2018/02/02/step-up-high-water-review-youtube-red/ |website=Decider |date=2 February 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Cuby |first1=Michael |title=Keiynan Lonsdale Will Dance His Way Into Your Heart in "Step Up" Spinoff |url=https://www.them.us/story/keiynan-lonsdale-step-up-tv-spinoff |website=them}}</ref>
2018– Sweetbitter Starz Ariel Eden Epstein Ariel is a lesbian and a womanizer.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Dickie|first1=George|title=A small-town girl seeks herself and finds trouble in the big city in Starz's 'Sweetbitter'|url=https://ontvtoday.com/a-small-town-girl-seeks-herself-and-finds-trouble-in-the-big-city-in-starzs-sweetbitter%7Cwebsite=ONTVtoday%7Cpublisher=Gracenote|date=May 1, 2018}}</ref> Sasha is a gay Russian immigrant.<ref>{{cite web|last=Rudolph|first=Christopher|title=Daniyar On Playing A Gay Russian Reveler On Starz's "Sweetbitter"|url=http://www.newnownext.com/sweetbitter-starz-daniyar-sasha/05/2018/%7Cwebsite=NewNowNext|date=May 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180505002635/http://www.newnownext.com/sweetbitter-starz-daniyar-sasha/05/2018/%7Carchive-date=May 5, 2018}}</ref>
Sasha Daniyar
2018– This Close SundanceNow Michael Josh Feldman Michael is a graphic novelist, and Ryan is a real estate agent. The series starts after their engagement to be married is broken.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Friess |first1=Steve |title='This Close' Is the Groundbreaking (And Very Adult) Show About Deafness We NEED |url=https://www.them.us/story/this-close-is-a-groundbreaking-show-about-deafness |website=them}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Wong |first1=Curtis M. |title=With 'This Close,' Josh Feldman Puts Deaf, Gay Lives In The Spotlight |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/josh-feldman-this-close-sundance-now_n_5aac9824e4b0c33361b09882 |website=HuffPost |date=26 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title='This Close' gets even more up close and personal for dramatic and guest star-filled second season |url=https://www.glaad.org/blog/this-close-gets-even-more-close-and-personal-dramatic-guest-star-filled-second-season |website=GLAAD |date=9 September 2019}}</ref>
Ryan Colt Prattes
2018– Vida Starz Emma Hernandez Mishel Prada last1=Villarreal|first1=Vanessa Angélica|title="Vida" Lets Its Latinx Characters Experience Sex And Pleasure|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/olliphant/vida-starz-latinx-queer-sex-and-love%7Cwebsite=BuzzFeed|date=July 18, 2018}}</ref>
Eddy Martínez Ser Anzoategui Eddy is a lesbian.<ref name="vida tv"/>
Cruz Maria-Elena Laas Cruz is lesbian.<ref name="vida tv"/>
Sam Michelle Badillo last1=Fernandez|first1=Maria Elena|title=The Making of Vida's 'Radical' Queer Sex Scene |url=https://www.vulture.com/2018/05/vida-making-of-queer-latina-sex-scene.html%7Cwebsite=Vulture|date=May 21, 2018}}</ref>
2018– You Lifetime Peach Salinger Shay Mitchell

Peach Salinger is a lesbian. Lucy is lesbian and a literary agent in L.A. married to Sunrise. Sunrise, wife of Lucy, is lesbian and a stay at home lifestyle blogger.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hogan|first1=Heather |title=Lifetime's "You" Knows Ezra Fitz and Dan Humphrey Are the Fucking Worst|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/lifetimes-you-knows-ezra-fitz-and-dan-humphrey-are-the-fucking-worst-431861/%7Cwebsite=Autostraddle|date=September 10, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Mallikarjuna |first1=Krutika |title=Every Character on YOU Is Trash, but I Would Still Die for Peach Salinger |url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/you-peach-salinger-queer-appreciation/ |website=TV Guide |date=January 14, 2019 |access-date=April 14, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Joshua|first1=Seth|title=Lifetime Network's, "You," Actually Improves Upon the Source Material|url=https://medium.com/@jschonhaut/lifetime-networks-you-actually-improves-upon-the-source-material-547acee27253%7Cwebsite=Medium|date=October 26, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/03/you-casts-marielle-scott-georgina-reilly-city-on-a-hill-1202568811/%7Ctitle='You' Casts Marielle Scott; Georgina Reilly Joins 'City On A Hill'|work=Deadline Hollywood|first=Denise|last=Petski|date=March 4, 2019|access-date=March 4, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/04/you-melanie-field-magda-apanowicz-to-recur-in-series-second-season-on-netflix-1202588662/%7Ctitle='You': Melanie Field & Magda Apanowicz To Recur In Series' Second Season On Netflix|work=Deadline Hollywood|first=Denise|last=Petski|date=April 4, 2019|access-date=April 4, 2019}}</ref>
Lucy Marielle Scott
Sunrise Melanie Field

2019

Year Show Network Character Actor Notes
2019 3 Will Be Free One 31
Line TV		 Shin Tay Tawan Shin is gay.<ref name="3 Will Be Free"/>
Neo Joss Way-ar Neo is bisexual.<ref name="3 Will Be Free"/>
Mae Jennie Panhan title=3 Will Be Free |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/3-will-be-free/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
2019– All Rise CBS Judge Lisa Benner Marg Helgenberger title=Boobs On Your Tube: Grace Choi Is Back On "Black Lightning," Celebrates With Cute Queer Bed Cuddling |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/boobs-on-your-tube-grace-choi-is-back-on-black-lightning/ |website=Autostraddle |date=25 October 2019}}</ref>
2019– Another Life Netflix Zayne JayR Tinaco title=How Starring in a Netflix Show Helped This Nonbinary Actor Thrive |url=https://www.out.com/television/2019/9/12/how-starring-netflix-show-helped-nonbinary-actor-thrive |date=12 September 2019}}</ref>
2019– Batwoman The CW Kate Kane Ruby Rose Kate Kane is the lesbian cousin of Bruce Wayne / Batman.<ref name=Schager>{{cite web|last1=Schager|first1=Nick|title=Ruby Rose's Kickass, Lesbian Batwoman Shows Plenty of Promise|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/ruby-roses-kickass-lesbian-batwoman-shows-plenty-of-promise%7Cwebsite=The Daily Beast|date=October 6, 2019}}</ref>
Sophie Moore Meagan Tandy last1=Fierra|first1=Ariana|title='Batwoman's' Meagan Tandy talks importance of Sophie Moore, season 2|url=https://www.hypable.com/batwoman-meagan-tandy-interview/%7Cwebsite=Hypable%7Cdate=April 25, 2020}}</ref>
Julia Pennyworth Christina Wolfe last1=Ng|first1=Philiana|title='Batwoman' Sneak Peek: Kate Kane Gets a Pep Talk from Her Ex Julia Pennyworth (Exclusive)|url=https://www.etonline.com/batwoman-sneak-peek-kate-kane-gets-a-pep-talk-from-her-ex-julia-pennyworth-exclusive-145361%7Cwebsite=Entertainment Tonight|date=April 23, 2020}}</ref> Batwoman is the first lesbian superhero to forefront a prime time series.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bentley|first=Jean|title='Batwoman' Star Ruby Rose Hopes Groundbreaking Lesbian Superhero Appeals to Everyone|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/ruby-rose-batwoman-1229120%7Cwork=The Hollywood Reporter|date=August 4, 2019}}</ref>
Ryan Wilder Javicia Leslie title=What The DC Comics Can Tell Us About The CW's New 'Batwoman' Ryan Wilder |url=https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/ryan-wilder-batwoman-comics |website=Bustle}}</ref>
Angelique Martin Bevin Bru last1=Gomez |first1=Emmanuel |title=Cuban Actress Bevin Bru Introduces Us To Angelique Martin Ryan's Ex In The CW's Batwoman [Exclusive Interview] |url=https://lrmonline.com/news/cuban-actress-bevin-bru-introduces-us-to-angelique-martin-ryans-ex-in-the-cws-batwoman-exclusive-interview/ |website=Latino Review Media |date=21 February 2021}}</ref>
Safiyah Sohail Shivani Ghai Safiyah Sohail is a lesbian. She is Queen of the pirate nation of Coryana.<ref name="tatiana and safiyah"/>
Tatiana Leah Gibson title=Batwoman Episode 203 Recap: Bat Girl Magic! |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/batwoman-203-recap-bat-girl-magic/ |website=Autostraddle |date=1 February 2021}}</ref>
Evan Blake Lincoln Clauss title=Batwoman Writer Explains the Importance of the Show's New Nonbinary Character |url=https://www.cbr.com/batwoman-nonbinary-evan-blake-writer-coments/ |website=CBR |date=22 February 2021}}</ref>
Reagan title="Batwoman" Keeps Getting Gayer and Queering Superhero Tropes |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/batwoman-keeps-getting-gayer-and-queering-superhero-tropes/%7Cwebsite=Autostraddle%7Cdate=28 October 2019}}</ref>
Gina Favour Onosemuede title=Gina, Batwoman (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/gina-5/}}</ref>
Parker Torres Malia Pyles title=Parker Torres, Batwoman (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/parker-torres/}}</ref>
Sara Lance Caity Lotz Sara Lance is bisexual. She had a guest appearance in 2019, episode "Crisis on Infinite Earths".<ref>{{cite web|title=Sara Lance, Batwoman (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/sara-lance/}}</ref>
2019– Bluff City Law NBC Della Bedford Jayne Atkinson last1=Bandyopadhyay|first1=Alakananda|title='Bluff City Law' star Jayne Atkinson on Della's coming out story and the backlash she faces: 'It's not a deliberate mess'|url=https://meaww.com/bluff-city-law-jayne-atkinson-della-coming-out-lesbian-age-backlash-condemned-lgbtq-hollywood%7Cwebsite=MEAWW (Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide)|date=October 28, 2019}}</ref>
2019– Bonding Netflix Pete Brendan Scannell last1=Bachchan |first1=Vrinda |title=Is Bonding Based on a True Story? Is the Netflix Show Based on Real Life? |url=https://thecinemaholic.com/is-bonding-based-on-a-true-story/ |website=The Cinemaholic |date=27 January 2021}}</ref>
Josh Theo Stockman title=Netflix's Bonding: How Josh's Coming Out Was Ruined by [SPOILER] |url=https://www.cbr.com/netflixs-bonding-josh-coming-out-ruined-pete/ |website=CBR |date=4 February 2021}}</ref>
2019– The Boys Amazon Prime Video Ezekiel Shaun Benson last1=Kuchera |first1=Ben |title=The Boys is a great show at the worst time |url=https://www.polygon.com/2019/8/6/20747593/the-boys-amazon-politics-hard-to-watch |website=Polygon |date=6 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Amazon's The Boys Flips The Comic's Approach To Homophobia |url=https://screenrant.com/boys-amazon-comic-homosexuality-representation-changes/ |website=Screen Rant |date=10 November 2019}}</ref>
Queen Maeve Dominique McElligott last1=Tallerico|first1=Brian|title=The Boys Recap: Dancing With Myself|url=https://www.vulture.com/amp/article/the-boys-season-2-episode-4-recap-nothing-like-it-in-the-world.html%7Cwebsite=Vulture.com|date=September 11, 2020}}</ref>
Elena Nicola Correia-Damude last1=Damshenas|first1=Sam|title=The Boys tackles bi-erasure and lack of LGBTQ+ superheroes in Hollywood|url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/the-boys-tackles-bi-erasure-and-lack-of-lgbtq-superheroes-in-hollywood/amp/%7Cwebsite=gaytimes.co.uk%7Cdate=22 September 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Opie|first1=David|title=The Boys season 2 calls out queer erasure in Marvel and DC movies|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a34359719/the-boys-season-2-lgbtq-queer-maeve-marvel-dc/%7Cwork=digitalspy.com%7Cdate=October 14, 2020}}</ref>
2019– Carnival Row Amazon Prime Video Vignette Stonemoss Cara Delevingne Vignette Stonemoss is bisexual and a fairy. Tourmaline Larou is either bisexual or lesbian, and a fairy. Vignette and Tourmaline were once lovers and are now close friends.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Stevens|first1=Michael|title=Cara Delevingne In "Marie Claire"|url=http://www.sneakpeek.ca/2019/07/cara-delevingne-in-marie-claire.html%7Cwebsite=Sneak Peek|date=July 2, 2019|quote=I play this fairy called 'Vignette Stonemoss' who is a survivor, a really strong female lead. I'm a bisexual fairy – what else would you want to be in life?}}</ref>
Tourmaline Larou Karla Crome
Costin Finch Gregory Gudgeon Costin Finch was a closeted gay and the Headmaster of an orphanage. Dr. Morange was a closeted gay and the coroner for the Constabulary. Costin and Morange were longtime lovers and would meet in secret at the fairy brothel.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Shaw-Williams|first1=Hannah|title=Amazon's Carnival Row Cast & Character Guide|url=https://screenrant.com/carnival-row-amazon-series-cast-characters-guide/%7Cwebsite=Screen Rant|date=August 29, 2019}}</ref>
Dr. Morange John Malafronte
2019– The Club Netflix Santiago Caballero Alejandro Puente Santiago is gay. Max is gay. Santiago and Max are dating.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kramer |first1=Gary |title=Spanish-language series to stream during isolation |url=https://epgn.com/2020/03/23/spanish-language-series-to-stream-during-isolation/ |website=Philadelphia Gay News |date=23 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Quién es Max, novio de Santiago en El Club, serie de Netflix |url=https://www.desdelacuna.net/series/max-el-club-serie-martin-saracho-actor-quien-es/ |language=es |date=2 December 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Gay clip {{!}} El club Netflix: Santiago y Max |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCwJgS482S4}}</ref>
Max Martin Saracho
2019– Coroner CBC Ross Khalighi Ehren Kassam Ross Khalighi is gay and the teenage son of coroner Jenny Cooper. Matteo is gay and Ross's boyfriend. Ross and Matteo are dating.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Mazzeo|first1=Esme|title=Coroner Review: Scattered (Season 1 Episode 3)|url=https://telltaletv.com/2020/08/coroner-review-scattered-season-1-episode-3/%7Cwebsite=Tell-Tale TV|date=August 19, 2020}}</ref>
Matteo Graeme Jokic
Alison Trent Tamara Podemski last1=Wilson|first1=A.R.|title=Coroner: Tamara Podemski on Alison's backstory and why landing the role was a "huge triumph" for her|url=https://www.tv-eh.com/2019/02/08/coroner-tamara-podemski-on-alisons-backstory-and-why-landing-the-role-was-a-huge-triumph-for-her/%7Cwebsite=TV, eh?|date=February 8, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Liszewsk |first1=Bridget|title=Coroner: Noelle Carbone and Sean Reycraft Talk "All's Well" |url=https://thetvjunkies.com/coroner-noelle-carbone-sean-reycraft-talk-alls-well/%7Cwebsite=The TV Junkies|date=February 4, 2019}}</ref>
Sabina Jeananne Goossen title=Coroner: Characters: Alison Trent|url=https://www.cbc.ca/coroner/characters/alison-trent%7Cwebsite=CBC|date=2019}}</ref>
Taylor Kim Alli Chung author=Heather M.|title=Morwyn Brebner and Adrienne Mitchell Talk Coroner's Season 1 Finale|url=https://thetelevixen.com/morwyn-brebner-and-adrienne-mitchell-talk-coroners-season-1-finale/%7Cwebsite=The Televixen|date=February 25, 2019}}</ref>
2019 Dark Blue Kiss GMM 25
Line TV		 Pete Tay Tawan Pete and Kao are boyfriends. Non has a same-sex crush on Kao. Sun and Mork are gay love interests. Thai boys' love series.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Antonio |first1=Josiah |title=Series review: ’Dark Blue Kiss’ teaches people to accept queer family members, friends |url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/10/27/20/bl-series-dark-blue-kiss-review-tay-tawan-new-thitipoon-teaches-people-to-accept-their-queer-family-members-friends |website=ABS-CBN News |date=27 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Tamayo |first1=Olivier |title=What Keeps Me Calm: Watching ‘Dark Blue Kiss’ |url=https://metro.style/culture/spotlight/what-keeps-me-calm-watching-dark-blue-kiss/26271 |website=Metro.Style |date=July 24, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=GMMTV|title=Dark Blue Kiss |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRr2QTHukzo%7Cwebsite=YouTube|date=September 27, 2019}}</ref>
Kao New Thitipoom
Non AJ Chayapol
Sun Podd Suphakorn
Mork Fluke Gawin
2019– David Makes Man OWN Mx. Elijah Travis Coles last1=Cuby |first1=Michael |title=David Makes Man Is the Kind of Show That Can Make Oprah Cry |url=https://www.them.us/story/david-makes-man |website=them |date=August 13, 2019}}</ref>
Femi Trace Lysette Femi is a trans woman.<ref name="david makes man"/>
Star Child Logan Rozos Star Child is a trans man.<ref name="david makes man"/>
2019– Dickinson Apple TV+ Emily Dickinson Hailee Steinfeld Emily Dickinson is lesbian and an aspiring poet. She is in love with Sue Gilbert, her best friend, who is bisexual.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dickinson |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/dickinson/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
Sue Gilbert Ella Hunt
2019– Doom Patrol DC Universe Larry Trainor Matt Bomer last1=Thorne |first1=Will |title=Matt Bomer on Playing a Gay Superhero in DC Universe Show ‘Doom Patrol’ |url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/matt-bomer-playing-gay-superhero-in-dc-universe-doom-patrol-1203150639/ |website=Variety |date=27 February 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Opie |first1=David |title=Doom Patrol's Matt Bomer on season 2 and the "cost" of playing a gay hero |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a32933658/doom-patrol-matt-bomer-larry-trainor-gay-lgbtq/ |website=Digital Spy |date=26 June 2020}}</ref>
John Bowers Kyle Clements title=Doom Patrol's Matt Bomer on Playing a Gay Superhero |url=https://www.themarysue.com/doom-patrol-matt-bomer-gay-superhero/ |date=3 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Matt Bomer on Bringing Queer Representation to Prestige Superhero TV (Exclusive) |url=https://www.kmov.com/matt-bomer-on-bringing-queer-representation-to-prestige-superhero-tv-exclusive/article_57495363-ccf6-53e6-bb21-b2d31a95d846.html |website=KMOV}}</ref>
Maura Lee Karupt Alan Mingo Jr. last1=Hill |first1=Kennedy |title=Doom Patrol Is a Refreshing Ally For the Queer Community, and We Love It |url=https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/how-doom-patrol-represents-queer-community-47627217 |website=Popsugar |date=26 July 2020}}</ref>
Danny the Street N/A}} Danny the Street is a sentient gender-queer street with the power to teleport themselves and their residents to any location in the world. They communicate through street signs, napkins, neon signs, and anything else they can create letters on.<ref name="Doom Patrol Popsugar"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Doom Patrol's Genderqueer Street Episode Is the Queerest Thing on TV |url=https://www.pride.com/geek/2019/4/09/doom-patrols-genderqueer-street-episode-queerest-thing-tv |date=9 April 2019}}</ref>
2019– Euphoria HBO Rue Bennett Zendaya last1=Henderson|first1=Taylor|url=https://www.pride.com/tv/2019/4/11/drakes-new-hbo-teen-drama-euphoria-will-feature-trans-character%7Ctitle=Drake's New HBO Teen Drama Euphoria Will Feature a Trans Character|website=Pride.com|date=April 11, 2019}}</ref>
Jules Hunter Schafer Jules is a transgender young woman.<ref name="euphoria"/>
Cal Jacobs Sean Martini Cal Jacobs is bisexual. He is married but has a secret Grindr profile.<ref name=Pape>{{cite web |last1=Pape |first1=Allie |title=Euphoria Recap: A Very Narrow Window of Cool |url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/06/euphoria-recap-season-1-episode-1-and-2.html |website=Vulture |date=June 23, 2019}}</ref>
TC Bobbi Salvör Menuez TC is non-binary.<ref name="trippy hookup"/>
Anna Quintessa Swindell last1=Romero|first1=Ariana|title=WTF Happened During Jules' Trippy Hookup On Euphoria?|url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/07/239094/jules-anna-nate-sex-scene-euphoria-episode-7%7Cwebsite=Refinery29|date=July 29, 2019}}</ref>
2019– Five Bedrooms Network Ten Harry Roy Joseph title='Five Bedrooms' star Roy Joseph finds his mojo |url=https://www.if.com.au/five-bedrooms-star-roy-joseph-finds-his-mojo/ |website=IF Magazine |date=24 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Five play house in Ten’s new drama |url=https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/entertainment/confidential/five-play-house-in-tens-new-drama/news-story/89f370361aa5b0ecaf0b499ea110668a}}</ref>
Pete Portelli Adam Fiorentino title=In Bed With |url=https://pocketmags.com/dna-magazine/234-july-the-hot-bodies-issue/articles/596924/in-bed-with}}</ref>
2019– For All Mankind Apple TV+ Larry Wilson Nate Corddry last1=Brownworth |first1=Victoria A. |title=Space, grace, erased: The Lavender Tube on Pose, For All Mankind & trans erasure in news |url=https://www.ebar.com/arts_&_culture/television//302663 |website=The Bay Area Reporter |date=March 9, 2021}}</ref>
Ellen Waverly Jodi Balfour last1=Surrey |first1=Miles |title=For All Mankind Continues to Make Giant Leaps in Season 2 |url=https://www.theringer.com/tv/2021/2/18/22288277/for-all-mankind-season-2-apple-tv |website=The Ringer |date=18 February 2021}}</ref>
Pam Horton Meghan Leathers last1=Miller |first1=Liz Shannon |title=For All Mankind Season Finale Recap: Everybody Wants to Rule the Moon |url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/12/for-all-mankind-finale-recap-season-1-episode-10-a-city-upon-a-hill.html |website=Vulture |date=20 December 2019}}</ref>
Elise Mele Ihara title=Elise, For All Mankind (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/elise-2/}}</ref>
2019– Four More Shots Please! Amazon Prime Video Umang Singh Bani J last1=Desai|first1=Ketaki|title=They're putting the B in LGBT|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-times/theyre-putting-the-b-in-lgbt/articleshow/76238210.cms%7Cwork=The Times of India|date=June 7, 2020|access-date=9 September 2020}}</ref>
2019– The Game of Keys Amazon Prime Video Valentín Lombardo Horacio Pancheri date=2021 |title=Where We Are on TV: 2020-2021 |url=https://www.glaad.org/sites/default/files/GLAAD%20-%20202021%20WHERE%20WE%20ARE%20ON%20TV.pdf |website=GLAAD |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115060919/https://www.glaad.org/sites/default/files/GLAAD%20-%20202021%20WHERE%20WE%20ARE%20ON%20TV.pdf |archive-date=2021-01-15 |page=39}}</ref>
Daniel Manuel Vega title=Christian Ramos, rompe esquemas con El juego de las Llaves |url=https://www.bogartmagazine.mx/noticias/christian-ramos-rompe-esquemas-con-el-juego-de-las-llaves/ |language=es |date=September 9, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Horacio Pancheri |url=http://adelantemagazine.com/horacio-pancheri/ |website=Adelante Magazine |language=es}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Daniel & Valentin {{!}} El Juego De Las Ilaves {{!}} Horacio Pancheri {{!}} Manuel Vega |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AN9ZmuRCFEE}}</ref>
2019– Gentleman Jack BBC One Anne Lister Suranne Jones Anne Lister and Ann Walker are a couple. Ann admits that she loves Anne.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Stuever |first1=Hank |title=HBO’s grand ‘Gentleman Jack’ gives a 19th-century lesbian landowner the respect she deserved |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/hbos-grand-gentleman-jack-gives-a-19th-century-lesbian-landowner-the-respect-she-deserved/2019/04/21/d81c5df0-621f-11e9-9412-daf3d2e67c6d_story.html |work=The Washington Post |date=April 21, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Dolinh |first1=Aline |title="Gentleman Jack’s" Warm, Irreverent Take on 19th-Century Lesbian Desire |url=https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/gentleman-jack-lesbian-desire-onscreen |work=Bitch |date=May 29, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Bent |first1=Lloyd |title=Anne Lister: the true story behind Gentleman Jack, based on trailblazing diaries of the ‘first modern lesbian’ |url=https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/anne-lister-gentleman-jack-true-story-diaries-lesbian-shibden-hall-suranne-jones-292550 |work=i |date=July 7, 2019}}</ref>
Ann Walker Sophie Rundle
2019– Girls from Ipanema Netflix Thereza Soares Mel Lisboa Set in the 1950s, Thereza Soares is bisexual and married to Nelson, with whom she has an open relationship. She has an affair with female journalist Helô. Helô is lesbian.<ref>{{cite web |title='Girls from Ipanema' Season 2: Writers did wrong by Ligia say fans but Adélia's developed plotline wins favor |url=https://meaww.com/netflix-girls-from-ipanema-season-2-fan-reactions-writers-did-ligia-death-wrong-adelia-complex-plot}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Coisa Mais Linda |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/coisa-mais-linda/}}</ref>
Helô Thaila Ayala
2019– Good Trouble Freeform Alice Kwan Sherry Cola last1=Gilchrist|first1=Tracy E.|title=Good Trouble's Diversity Includes Groundbreaking Bisexual Character|url=https://www.advocate.com/television/2019/1/08/good-troubles-diversity-includes-groundbreaking-bisexual-character%7Cwebsite=The Advocate|date=January 8, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title='Good Trouble' star Sherry Cola on a mission to break stereotypes, empower Asian queer girls |url=https://abc7chicago.com/freeform-good-trouble-sherry-cola-the-fosters/6311670/ |website=ABC7 Chicago |date=10 July 2020}}</ref>
Gael Tommy Martinez last=Smyth|first=Tom|title="Good Trouble" Shows Bisexual Men in a Way We Rarely See Them|url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/good-trouble-bisexual-men-representation%7Cwebsite=Teen Vogue}}</ref>
Bryan Michael Galante last1=Gelman |first1=Vlada |title=Good Trouble Boss Talks [Spoiler]'s Sexuality — Plus, Grade the Premiere! |url=https://tvline.com/2019/01/08/good-trouble-recap-season-1-premiere-gael-bisexual/ |website=TV Line |date=9 January 2019}}</ref>
Elijah Adrieux Denim Richards last1=Gelman |first1=Vlada |title=Good Trouble Boss Talks [Spoiler]'s Big L-Bomb, Previews Gael's New Guy |url=https://tvline.com/2019/06/18/good-trouble-recap-season-2-premiere-jamie-says-i-love-you-callie/ |website=TV Line |date=19 June 2019}}</ref>
Jazmin Martinez Hailie Sahar title=Good Trouble |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/good-trouble/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
Joey Daisy Eagan title='Good Trouble's' Women Are Bringing So Much Queer Visibility to TV |url=https://www.advocate.com/exclusives/2020/5/14/good-trouble-actors-speak-importance-queer-love-stories |date=14 May 2020}}</ref>
Lena Adams Foster Sherri Saum title=Sherri Saum on Being Back With Her Enduring Fosters/Good Trouble Fam |url=https://www.advocate.com/television/2021/3/10/sherri-saum-being-back-her-enduring-fostersgood-trouble-fam |date=11 March 2021}}</ref>
Lindsay Brady Rhea Butcher title="Good Trouble" Episode 205 Recap: Happy Heckling |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/good-trouble-episode-205-recap-happy-heckling/ |website=Autostraddle |date=17 July 2019}}</ref>
Meera Mattei Briana Venskus title="Good Trouble" Episode 102 Recap: The Coterie |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/good-trouble-episode-102-recap-the-coterie-446023/ |website=Autostraddle |date=16 January 2019}}</ref>
Stef Adams Foster Teri Polo last1=Andreeva |first1=Nellie |title=‘Good Trouble’: ‘The Fosters’ Stars Teri Polo and Sherri Saum To Reprise Roles On Spinoff Series |url=https://deadline.com/2018/07/good-trouble-the-fosters-teri-polo-and-sherri-saum-cast-reprise-roles-spinoff-series-1202430355/ |website=Deadline |date=20 July 2018}}</ref>
Sumi Kara Wang last1=Ferber |first1=Lawrence |title=Sherry Cola on Coming Out and Her Big Queer TV Love Triangle |url=http://www.newnownext.com/sherry-cola-on-good-trouble-big-queer-love-triangle-season-2/08/2019/}}</ref>
Shaun Kye Tamm Shaun is a trans man.<ref name="Good Trouble lgbt"/>
Ruby Shannon Chan-Kent last1=Ramos |first1=Dino-Ray |title=‘Marvel’s Helstrom’ Adds Daniel Cudmore; Shannon Chan-Kent Joins ‘Good Trouble’ |url=https://deadline.com/2019/11/marvel-helstrom-hulu-daniel-cudmore-shannon-chan-kent-good-trouble-freeform-1202779179/ |website=Deadline |date=6 November 2019}}</ref>
Sydney Caitlin Kimball Sydney is a lesbian.<ref name="Good Trouble lgbt"/>
Shai Floraz Anisha Jagannathan Shai Floraz is queer.<ref name="Good Trouble lgbt"/>
2019– Grand Hotel ABC Yolanda ("Yoli") Renna Justina Adorno last1=Lennon|first1=Mads|title=Grand Hotel: 5 shockers from Season 1, Episode 5|url=https://hiddenremote.com/2019/07/16/grand-hotel-s1e5-recap/2/%7Cwebsite=Hidden Remote|date=July 16, 2019}}</ref><ref name="tv series grand hotel">{{cite web|last1=Coombs|first1=Alexa|title=The Grand Hotel--I'm not Gay, I'm Queer|url=https://www.mrctv.org/videos/grand-hotel-im-not-gay-im-queer%7Cwebsite=MRCTV|date=July 30, 2019}}</ref>
Sky Garibaldi Arielle Kebbel Sky Garibaldi is a lesbian and cook at the hotel. She was murdered during a hurricane.<ref name="grand hotel"/><ref name="tv series grand hotel"/>
Marisa Sabrina Texidor Marisa is a lesbian and also works at the hotel.<ref name="grand hotel"/><ref name="tv series grand hotel"/>
2019– The I-Land Netflix Blair Sibylla Deen last1=Brockington |first1=Ariana |title=Everyone Who's Not Kate Bosworth On The I-Land |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/09/8379363/netflix-the-i-land-series-cast-actors}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=‘The I-Land’ Cast Guide: Who’s Who in Netflix’s New Sci-Fi Thriller |url=https://decider.com/2019/09/12/the-i-land-cast-on-netflix/ |website=Decider |date=12 September 2019}}</ref>
2019– In the Dark The CW Jess Damon Brooke Markham Jess is a lesbian veterinarian. She's the roommate and best friend of Murphy Mason. Jess and Vanessa are in a romantic relationship and they admit that they love each other. Vanessa is either lesbian or bisexual. They break up after Jess cheats on Vanessa.<ref name="in the dark">{{cite web|last1=Bark|first1=Ed|title=Blindly Going Forth With CW Network's 'In The Dark'|url=http://www.tvworthwatching.com/post/Blindly-Going-Forth-With-CW-Networks-In-The-Dark.aspx |website=TV Worth Watching|date=April 4, 2019|access-date=19 April 2019}}</ref><ref name="pilot in the dark">{{cite web|last1=Hicks|first1=Aimee|title=In The Dark - Pilot - Advanced Preview: Honest New Series|url=https://www.spoilertv.com/2019/03/in-dark-pilot-advanced-preview-honest.html%7Cwebsite=SpoilerTV%7Cdate=March 30, 2019|access-date=20 April 2019}}</ref>
Vanessa Humberly Gonzalez
Sam Cortni Vaughn Joyner Sam is a butch lesbian henchwoman and liquidator.<ref name="in the dark"/><ref name="pilot in the dark"/>
Sterling Natalie Liconti Sterling is lesbian and Sam's girlfriend. She infiltrates Guiding Hope as a kennel assistant and dates Jess to gain her trust while keeping an eye on everyone.<ref name="in the dark"/><ref name="pilot in the dark"/>
2019– The InBetween NBC Tom Hackett Paul Blackthorne title=The InBetween series premiere recap: Breaking down the episode |url=https://hiddenremote.com/2019/05/30/the-inbetween-series-premiere-recap/ |website=Hidden Remote |date=30 May 2019}}</ref><ref name="tv series inbetween">{{cite web |title=Review: She sees dead people... again. Psychic crime stopping in NBC’s ‘The InBetween’ |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-the-inbetween-nbc-review-20190527-story.html |website=Los Angeles Times |date=27 May 2019}}</ref>
Brian Currie Michael B. Silver Brian Currie is a gay therapist, married to Tom Hackett.<ref name="the inbetween"/><ref name="tv series inbetween"/>
2019– The L Word: Generation Q Showtime Bette Porter Jennifer Beals last1=Vincentelli|first1=Elisabeth|title='The L Word: Generation Q' Review: New Vision, Old Blind Spots|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/05/arts/television/l-word-generation-q-review.html%7Cwork=The New York Times|date=December 5, 2019|access-date=6 December 2019}}</ref><ref name="lword q">{{cite web|last1=Martin|first1=Rachel|title='The L Word' Returns, Rebooted For 'Generation Q'|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/12/06/785262220/the-l-word-returns-rebooted-for-generation-q%7Cwebsite=NPR|date=December 6, 2019|access-date=6 December 2019}}</ref><ref name="The L Word: Generation Q">{{cite web |title=The L Word: Generation Q |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/the-l-word-generation-q/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
Shane McCutcheon Katherine Moennig Shane is lesbian.<ref name="lword q"/>
Alice Pieszecki Leisha Hailey Alice is bisexual.<ref name="lword q"/>
Dani Núñez Arienne Mandi title=The L Word: Generation Q Cast - All Characters & Cast by Season {{!}} SHOWTIME |url=https://www.sho.com/the-l-word-generation-q/cast |website=SHO.com}}</ref>
Sophie Suarez Rosanny Zayas Sophie is lesbian. Dani and Sophie are engaged.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="SHO.com"/>
Gigi Ghorbani Sepideh Moafi Gigi is lesbian.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="SHO.com"/>
Micah Lee Leo Sheng Micah is a trans man.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="November 26, 2019"/>
Sarah Finley Jacqueline Toboni Sarah is lesbian.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="SHO.com"/>
José Freddy Miyares title='The L Word: Generation Q' star Leo Sheng dishes on THAT steamy swimming pool scene |url=https://meaww.com/the-l-word-generation-q-exclusive-interview-leo-sheng-micah-lee-swimming-pool-jose-freddy-miyares-398454}}</ref>
Angelica Porter-Kennard Jordan Hull last1=Prahl |first1=Amanda |title=All the New and Returning Faces in The L Word: Generation Q Cast |url=https://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/l-word-generation-q-cast-46974741?stream_view=1#photo-46974824 |website=Popsugar |date=8 December 2019}}</ref>
Felicity Adams Latarsha Rose title='The L Word: Generation Q' casts Bette and Tina's daughter |url=https://ew.com/tv/2019/07/26/the-l-word-generation-q-bette-tina-daughter-angie/ |website=Entertainment Weekly}}</ref>
Jordi Sophie Giannamore title="The L Word: Generation Q" Casts Trans Actress Jamie Clayton as Tess, Which Is a Gay Name |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/l-word-generation-q-casts-trans-actress-jamie-clayton-as-tess-which-is-a-gay-name/ |website=Autostraddle |date=31 July 2019}}</ref>
Lena Mercedes Mason last1=Esposito |first1=Cameron |title=The L Word: Generation Q Recap: Oh Come, All Ye Faithful |url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/12/the-l-word-generation-q-recap-season-1-episode-3-lost-love.html |website=Vulture |date=22 December 2019}}</ref>
Natalie Bailey Stephanie Allynne Natalie Bailey is a lesbian.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="Popsugar lword"/>
Pierce Williams Brian Michael Smith last1=Bendix |first1=Trish |title=‘The L Word’ got trans men wrong. The sequel plans to make it right |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/tv/ct-ent-the-l-word-generation-q-trans-men-20191126-zlkxmyprzbardpsl4egdrhrvbm-story.html |website=Chicago Tribune |date=November 26, 2019}}</ref>
Quiara Thompson Lex Scott Davis last1=Petski |first1=Denise |title=‘The L Word: Generation Q’ Trailer: Extended Look At Showtime Sequel Series |url=https://deadline.com/video/the-l-word-generation-q-trailer-showtime-sequel-series-jennifer-beals/ |website=Deadline |date=24 October 2019}}</ref>
Rebecca Olivia Thirlby Rebecca is bisexual.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="Deadline the lword"/>
Tess Van De Berg Jamie Clayton Tess Van De Berg is a lesbian.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="Autostraddle lword"/>
Heather Fortune Feimster title=The L Word: Gen Boring |url=https://archermagazine.com.au/2020/02/the-l-word-gen-boring/ |website=Archer Magazine |date=7 February 2020}}</ref><ref name="megan rapinoe">{{cite web |title=Megan Rapinoe set to guest star on new 'The L Word: Generation Q' |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/topics/pride/fast-lane/article/2019/12/20/megan-rapinoe-set-guest-star-new-l-word-generation-q}}</ref>
Roxane Gay Roxane Gay Roxane Gay is bisexual. Guest character.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="Deadline the lword"/><ref name="gen boring"/>
Maya Stevenson Tamara Taylor Maya Stevenson is not straight. Guest character.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="Deadline the lword"/><ref name="gen boring"/>
Tina Kennard Laurel Holloman Tina Kennard is bisexual. Guest character.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="Deadline the lword"/><ref name="gen boring"/>
Megan Rapinoe Megan Rapinoe Megan Rapinoe is a lesbian. Guest character.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="Deadline the lword"/><ref name="megan rapinoe"/>
Zoe Ashley Gallegos Zoe is a lesbian. Guest character.<ref name="The L Word: Generation Q"/><ref name="Deadline the lword"/><ref name="gen boring"/>
2019– Limetown Facebook Watch Lia Haddock Jessica Biel Lia is a lesbian journalist investigating the disappearance of the population of a small Appalachian town. Lia's girlfriend is lesbian.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Piccoli|first1=Dana|title=A lesbian crime reporter falls deep into a dangerous mystery in "Limetown" series|url=https://www.bellamediachannel.com/a-lesbian-crime-reporter-falls-deep-into-a-dangerous-mystery-in-limetown-series/%7Cwebsite=Bella Media |publisher=Bella Books|date=October 22, 2019}}</ref>
Lia's girlfriend Kandyse McClure
2019– Made In Heaven Amazon Prime Video Karan Mehra Arjun Mathur last1=Ramachandran |first1=Naman |title=International Emmy Nominee Arjun Mathur Talks ‘Made In Heaven’, Freedom (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2020/streaming/news/emmy-actor-nominee-arjun-mathur-made-in-heaven-1234836561/ |website=Variety |date=20 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Arora |first1=Priya |title=An Indian TV Show Points the Way for a New Generation |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/09/arts/television/amazon-india-made-in-heaven.html |website=The New York Times |date=9 April 2019}}</ref>
2019– Merlí: Sapere Aude Movistar+ Pol Rubio Carlos Cuevas Pol Rubio comes out as bisexual. Bruno Bergeron is gay. Pol and Bruno have a complicated romance, extended from the previous TV series, Merlí.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Dios|first=Marisa de|url=https://www.elperiodico.com/es/tele/20191204/merli-sapere-aude-filosofia-bisexualidad-7762415%7Ctitle='Merlí. Sapere aude': de la filosofía a la bisexualidad|work=El Periódico de Catalunya|date=December 4, 2019|access-date=22 December 2019|language=es}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Jiménez|first=Adrián|url=https://www.ecartelera.com/noticias/carlos-cuevas-maria-pujalte-entrevista-merli-sapere-aude-58066/%7Ctitle=Carlos Cuevas ('Merlí: Sapere Aude'): "Es un logro que Pol sea un protagonista bisexual"|website=eCartelera|date=December 4, 2019|access-date=22 December 2019|language=es}}</ref>
Bruno Bergeron David Solans
Otilia Clàudia Vega Otilia is a lesbian. Amy O'Connor is a lesbian. Otilia and Amy hook up at a party.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Maltz|first=Diego|url=http://affinitymagazine.us/2017/04/09/why-is-no-one-talking-about-merli/%7Ctitle=Why Is No One Talking About Merlí?|website=Affinity Magazine|date=April 9, 2017|access-date=22 December 2019}}</ref>
Amy O'Connor Lesley Grant
2019– Nancy Drew The CW Bess Marvin Maddison Jaizani Bess Marvin is a lesbian and a waitress at The Bayside Claw. She develops a romantic interest in Lisbeth.<ref name="nancy drew"/>
Lisbeth Katie Findlay last1=Hay|first1=Carla|title=The "Batwoman" and "Nancy Drew" TV Series Are Getting Even Queerer|url=http://www.newnownext.com/batwoman-nancy-drew-gay-characters-storylines-cw/11/2019/%7Cwebsite=NewNowNext|date=November 19, 2019}}</ref>
2019 No Good Nick Netflix Jeremy Thompson Kalama Epstein last1=Ermac|first1=Raffy|title=Jeremy's Coming Out in No Good Nick Is Emotional AF|url=https://www.pride.com/comingout/2019/8/07/jeremys-coming-out-no-good-nick-emotional-af%7Cwebsite=Pride.com|date=August 7, 2019|access-date=July 31, 2020}}</ref>
Eric Gus Kamp Eric is gay. He tells Jeremy that his family already knew he was gay before coming out to them.<ref name="no good nick"/>
2019 Now Apocalypse Starz Ulysses Zane Avan Jogia title=5 queerest moments in the first episode of Now Apocalypse |url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/5-queerest-moments-in-the-first-episode-of-now-apocalypse/ |website=Gay Times |date=13 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Swift |first1=Andy |title=Now Apocalypse's Avan Jogia Knows His Sex Scenes With Tyler Posey Are 'Going to Be Gif'd to Death' |url=https://tvline.com/2019/03/10/now-apocalypse-sex-scenes-avan-jogia-tyler-posey-interview/ |website=TV Line |date=10 March 2019}}</ref>
Gabriel Tyler Posey last1=Taylor 3/15/2019 |first1=Jeff |title=Tyler Posey Talks "Intense" Gay Hookup Scenes in "Now Apocalypse," Calls Avan Jogia a Good Kisser |url=http://www.newnownext.com/tyler-posey-avan-jogia-sex-scenes-now-apocalypse/03/2019/ |website=NewNowNext |date=March 15, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Tyler Posey & Avan Jogia Loved Playing Gay in 'Now Apocalypse' |url=https://www.pride.com/tv/2019/3/06/tyler-posey-avan-jogia-loved-playing-gay-now-apocalypse |website=Pride |date=6 March 2019}}</ref>
Isaac Jacob Artist last1=Ellwood-Hughes |first1=Pip |title=Now Apocalypse 1×07 Anywhere Out of the World recap |url=https://entertainment-focus.com/2019/04/28/now-apocalypse-1x07-anywhere-out-of-the-world-recap/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Petski |first1=Denise |title=‘Now Apocalypse’: Jacob Artist & Chris Aquilino Set To Recur On Starz Comedy Series |url=https://deadline.com/2018/06/now-apocalypse-jacob-artist-chris-aquilino-recur-starz-comedy-series-1202412596/ |website=Deadline |date=19 June 2018}}</ref>
2019– Osmosis Netflix Lucas Apert Stéphane Pitti last1=Berlatsky |first1=Noah |title=Netflix's Osmosis is Black Mirror without the tech paranoia |url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/26/18281474/netflix-osmosis-review-french-black-mirror-nanotechnology-romance |website=The Verge|date=26 March 2019}}</ref>
Billie Tual Yuming Hey title=The Voice of Reason in 'Osmosis' is Gender Non-conforming: Looking Towards the Future of the Queer Identity |url=https://www.wussymag.com/all/2019/4/18/the-voice-of-reason-in-osmosis-is-gender-non-conforming-looking-towards-the-future-of-the-queer-identity}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Osmosis: Season 1 – Review {{!}} French Netflix Series |url=https://www.heavenofhorror.com/reviews/osmosis-netflix-season-1/ |website=Heaven of Horror |date=29 March 2019}}</ref>
2019– Pandora The CW Jacqueline "Jax" Zhou Priscilla Quintana Jax is bisexual.<ref name="pandora tv series"/>
Cordelia Fried Isabelle Bonfrer title=Pandora (TV series) |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/pandora/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
Atria Nine Raechelle Banno Atria Nine is pansexual.<ref name="pandora tv series"/>
Aleka Elizabeth Hammerton Aleka is pansexual.<ref name="pandora tv series"/>
2019– The Politician Netflix Payton Hobart Ben Platt Payton Hobart is bisexual. Initially identifies as straight and dates his classmate Alice Charles but develops a romantic relationship with his male classmate River Barkley and even has a threesome with River and his girlfriend Astrid Sloan. He and Alice later enter a short lived polyamorous relationship with Astrid before getting married.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Phillips |first1=Carmen |title="The Politician" Is a Stunningly Gay Ryan Murphy Roller Coaster |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/the-politician-is-a-stunningly-gay-ryan-murphy-roller-coaster/ |website=Autostraddle |date=October 1, 2019}}</ref>
River Barkley David Corenswet
Astrid Sloan Lucy Boynton title=Astrid Sloan |url=https://bi.org/en/bi-characters/astrid-sloan |website=Bi.org}}</ref>
Georgina Hobart Gwyneth Paltrow In season 1 Georgina leaves her husband Keaton for her female horse trainer, Brigitte. She later has relationships with Alison and Tino McCutcheon.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gilchrist |first1=Tracy E. |title='The Politician' Pits Ben Platt Against Judith Light and Bette Midler |url=https://www.advocate.com/television/2020/6/16/politician-pits-ben-platt-against-judith-light-and-bette-midler |website=Advocate |date=16 June 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Georgina Hobart |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/georgina-hobart/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
Brigitte Martina Navratilova
McAfee Westbrook Laura Dreyfuss title=McAfee Westbrook |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/mcafee-westbrook/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
Skye Leighton Rahne Jones title=Skye Leighton, The Politician (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/skye-leighton/}}</ref>
James Sullivan Theo Germaine title=James Sullivan, The Politician (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/james-sullivan/}}</ref>
Marcus Standish Joe Morton last1=Nichols |first1=Lynn |title=Anti-Blackness and Biphobia in Netflix’s "The Politician" |url=https://www.thevindi.com/post/anti-blackness-and-biphobia-in-netflix-s-the-politician |website=The Vindicator |date=4 October 2020}}</ref>
William Ward Teddy Sears For over ten years Teddy was engaged in a polyamorous relationship with married couple Marcus and Dede Standish, but eventually leaves them for a woman named Hadassah Gold.<ref name="the vindi"/>
Alice Charles Julia Schlaepfer last=Sorren|first=Martha|url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/09/8488292/who-is-alice-payton-girlfriend-the-politician%7Ctitle=We Need To Talk About Alice, From The Politician|date=September 28, 2019|website=Refinery29|access-date=February 8, 2021|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210208142052/https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/09/8488292/who-is-alice-payton-girlfriend-the-politician%7Carchive-date=February 8, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=VanDerWerff|first=Emily|url=https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/9/27/20886425/the-politician-netflix-review-ryan-murphy-ben-platt%7Ctitle=Netflix’s The Politician is a mess. But it may be a deeply meaningful one.|date=September 28, 2019|website=Vox|access-date=February 8, 2021|archive-date=July 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731053058/https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/9/27/20886425/the-politician-netflix-review-ryan-murphy-ben-platt%7Curl-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Witter|first=Brad|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/how-alice-paytons-politician-relationship-could-change-in-a-potential-season-3-22988822%7Ctitle=How Alice & Payton's Relationship Will Change If 'The Politician' Returns For Season 3|date=June 22, 2020|website=Bustle|access-date=February 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200722080244/https://www.bustle.com/p/how-alice-paytons-politician-relationship-could-change-in-a-potential-season-3-22988822%7Carchive-date=July 22, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>
Andi Mueller Robin Weigert title=Andi Mueller, The Politician (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/andi-mueller/}}</ref>
Susan Liv Mai title=Susan, The Politician (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/susan-2/}}</ref>
2019– Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists Freeform Alison DiLaurentis Sasha Pieterse Alison is bisexual. She was in a relationship with Emily Fields in the first series.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Warner|first1=Sam|title=Pretty Little Liars spin-off reveals what happened to Alison and Emily after the series ended|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a26893855/pretty-little-liars-the-perfectionists-alison-emily-emison/%7Cwebsite=Digital Spy|date=21 March 2019}}</ref>
Dylan Walker Eli Brown title=The ‘Pretty Little Liars’ Spinoff Is Unhinged Queer Camp |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/bjqq9z/pretty-little-liars-the-perfectionist-queer-show}}</ref><ref name="hidden pretty liars">{{cite web |title=PLL: The Perfectionists Season 1 finale recap: Who is the Professor? |url=https://hiddenremote.com/2019/05/22/pll-the-perfectionists-s1-finale-recap/ |website=Hidden Remote |date=22 May 2019}}</ref>
Andrew Villareal Evan Bittencourt title=Dylan Walker is the weakest link on 'The Perfectionists' |url=https://www.hypable.com/dylan-walker-weakest-link-the-perfectionists/ |website=Hypable |date=28 May 2019}}</ref>
Nolan Hotchkiss Chris Mason Nolan is bisexual.<ref name="vice pretty liars"/><ref name="hidden pretty liars"/>
2019 Proven Innocent Fox Madeline Scott Rachelle Lefevre Madeline is bisexual. She was with Wren during her time in prison. Wren is a lesbian.<ref>{{cite web|last=Byrd|first=Chris|title=A legal team takes on cases involving wrongful convictions in Fox's 'Proven Innocent'|url=https://catholiccourier.com/articles/a-legal-team-takes-on-cases-involving-wrongful-convictions-in-foxs-proven-innocent/%7Cwebsite=Catholic Courier|date=February 12, 2019}}</ref>
Wren Candice Coke
2019 The Red Line CBS Dr. Harrison Brennan Corey Reynolds Dr. Harrison Brennan is gay. He is married to Daniel Calder. He is shot, while unarmed, by a White cop.<ref name="the red line"/><ref name="daniel calder"/>
Daniel Calder Noah Wyle last1=Schwartz |first1=Ryan |title=CBS' The Red Line: Grade the Premiere |url=https://tvline.com/2019/04/28/the-red-line-recap-season-1-episode-1-series-premiere-noah-wyle-cbs/ |website=TV Line |date=29 April 2019}}</ref><ref name="daniel calder">{{cite web |last1=Stuever |first1=Hank |title=Review {{!}} Noah Wyle gives a must-see performance in CBS’s occasionally clunky ‘Red Line’ |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/noah-wyle-gives-a-must-see-performance-in-cbss-occasionally-clunky-red-line/2019/04/25/79fc0694-6611-11e9-8985-4cf30147bdca_story.html |website=Washington Post}}</ref>
Liam Bhatt Vinny Chhibber title=‘The Red Line’ Actor Vinny Chhibber: ‘We Still Struggle with Stepping Outside of Stereotypical Architypes Placed Upon Us’ |url=https://www.indiawest.com/entertainment/global/the-red-line-actor-vinny-chhibber-we-still-struggle-with-stepping-outside-of-stereotypical-architypes/article_96a75b66-6c35-11e9-991c-234a0d49369b.html |website=India West}}</ref>
Riley Hooper J.J. Hawkins title=JJ Hawkins Is a Trans Actor Playing a Trans Role on ‘The Red Line’ |url=https://www.out.com/television/2019/5/03/jj-hawkins-trans-actor-playing-trans-role-red-line |date=3 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Ramos |first1=Dino-Ray |title=J.J. Hawkins To Play First Transgender Character On ‘Charmed’ |url=https://deadline.com/2020/11/j-j-hawkins-charmed-the-cw-transgender-actor-lgbtq-diversity-representation-inclusion-1234616731/ |website=Deadline |date=17 November 2020}}</ref>
2019– Roswell, New Mexico The CW Michael Guerin Michael Vlamis

last1=Radish|first1=Christina|title='Roswell, New Mexico' Star Michael Vlamis on Season 2 and Exploring His Character's Bisexuality|url=https://collider.com/roswell-new-mexico-michael-vlamis-interview/%7Cwebsite=Collider|date=April 6, 2020}}</ref>
Alex Manes Tyler Blackburn title=Pilot|series=Roswell, New Mexico|first=Julie|last=Plec|network=The CW|season=1|number=1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Smith |first1=Chloe |title=Roswell, New Mexico is set to improve disability representation in season 3 |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a33364504/roswell-new-mexico-alex-manes-disabled-representation/ |website=Digital Spy |date=20 July 2020}}</ref>
Isobel Evans Lily Cowles title=Isobel Evans-Bracken, Roswell, New Mexico (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/isobel-evans-bracken/}}</ref>
Charlie Cameron Jamie Clayton title=Charlie Cameron, Roswell, New Mexico (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/charlie-cameron/}}</ref>
Blair Sarah Minnich title=Blair, Roswell, New Mexico (TV series)|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/character/blair-3/}}</ref>
2019– Sex Education Netflix Eric Effiong Ncuti Gatwa last1=Maidment|first1=Adam|title=Sex Education on Netflix: Viewers praise show's LGBT+ representation|url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2019/01/12/sex-education-netflix-lgbt-representation/%7Cwebsite=PinkNews|date=January 12, 2019}}</ref>
Anwar Chaneil Kular last1=Brathwaite |first1=Lester Fabian |title=The "Sex Education" Douching Episode Is Required Gay Viewing |url=http://www.newnownext.com/sex-education-season-2-douching-lesson-episode-6/01/2020/ |website=NewNowNext |date=January 31, 2020}}</ref>
Adam Groff Connor Swindells last=Allah|first=Amari|url=https://wherever-i-look.com/tv-series/sex-education-season-1-episode-8-season-finale-recap-review-with-spoilers%7Ctitle=Sex Education: Season 1/ Episode 8 [Season Finale] - Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)|website=Wherever I Look|date=January 13, 2019}}</ref>
Ruthie Lily Newmark Ruthie is lesbian.<ref name="Sex Education"/>
Tanya Alice Hewkin Tanya is lesbian.<ref name="Sex Education"/>
Sofia Marchetti Hannah Waddingham Sofia and Roz Marchetti are Jackson's lesbian mothers.<ref name="Sex Education"/>
Roz Marchetti Sharon Duncan-Brewster
Rahim Sami Outalbali last=Clarke|first=Emma|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/stayingin/tvfilm/sex-education-actor-sami-outalbali-eric-boyfriend-rahim-a4335836.html%7Ctitle=Who is the new 'French guy' in Sex Education? Meet the actor who plays Eric's boyfriend Rahim|work=Evening Standard|date=17 January 2020}}</ref>
Florence Mirren Mack last=Dodgson|first=Lindsay|url=https://www.insider.com/best-sex-and-relationship-lessons-from-netflix-sex-education-season-2-2020-1%7Ctitle=The 11 best lessons season 2 of Netflix's 'Sex Education' teaches you about real-life sex and relationships|website=Insider|date=January 18, 2020}}</ref>
Ola Nyman Patricia Allison last=Upadhyaya|first=Kayla Kumari|url=https://tv.avclub.com/every-character-comes-to-life-in-sex-education-s-horny-1840877590%7Ctitle=Every character comes to life in Sex Education's horny and heartfelt 2nd season|website=The A.V. Club|date=January 9, 2020}}</ref>
Lily Iglehart Tanya Reynolds title=Sex Education |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/sex-education/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
2019– The Society Netflix Sam Sean Berdy Sam is gay and hearing impaired. Grizz is gay and learns sign language so he can communicate with Sam. They are romantically and sexually involved with each other.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dominick |first1=Nora |title=27 "The Society" Moments That Prove Grizz Is One Of The Best New Characters Of 2019 |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/noradominick/netflix-the-society-grizz-best-character |website=BuzzFeed}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Grizz and Sam's relationship on The Society already has fans feeling emotional |url=https://www.popbuzz.com/tv-film/the-society/grizz-and-sam-relationship/ |website=Pop Buzz}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sam + Grizz's Love Needs to Be Protected {{!}} The Society {{!}} Netflix |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me7GvzZJSkc |publisher=Netflix|via=YouTube}}</ref>
Grizz Jack Mulhern
2019– Special Netflix Ryan Hayes Ryan O'Connell title=Ryan O'Connell 'levels up' 'Special' for season 2 — and with it, Hollywood |url=https://ew.com/tv/ryan-oconnell-netflix-special-season-2/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ryan O'Connell and Netflix announce that season 2 of Special is back in production |url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/ryan-oconnell-and-netflix-announce-that-season-2-of-special-is-back-in-production/ |date=4 October 2020}}</ref>
Carey Augustus Prew title=Carey |url=https://www.stage13.com/shows/special/talent/carey/ |website=Stage 13}}</ref>
2019 The Stranded Netflix Krit Perth Tanapon Krit and Jack are a gay couple.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wheeler |first1=Greg |title=The Stranded – Season 1 Episode 5 Recap & Review |url=https://www.thereviewgeek.com/thestranded-s1e5review/ |website=The Review Geek |date=15 November 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Stranded (Netflix) Season 1, Episode 5 recap: "The Mutiny" {{!}} RSC |url=https://readysteadycut.com/2019/11/16/the-stranded-season-1-episode-5-recap-netflix/ |website=Ready Steady Cut |date=16 November 2019}}</ref>
Jack Mark Siwat
Arisa Chaleeda Gilbert title=The Stranded |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/the-stranded/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
Ying Ticha Wongtipkanon Ying is bisexual.<ref name="The Stranded"/>
2019– Stumptown ABC Dexadrine "Dex" Parios Cobie Smulders last1=Dorwart|first1=Laura|title=Cobie Smulders Plays A Bisexual Detective With PTSD In ABC's New Fall Series 'Stumptown'|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/lauradorwart/2019/08/26/cobie-smulders-plays-a-bisexual-detective-with-ptsd-in-abcs-new-fall-series-stumptown/#7148e5b7576a%7Cmagazine=Forbes|date=August 26, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Bernardini|first1=Gabrielle|title=Fans Will Get to Meet Dex's Ex-Girlfriend in New 'Stumptown' Episode|url=https://www.distractify.com/p/is-dex-stumptown-bisexual%7Cwebsite=Distractify%7Cdate=November 6, 2019}}</ref>
2019 Tales of the City Netflix Shawna Hawkins Elliot Page title=Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/armistead-maupins-tales-of-the-city/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
Michael 'Mouse' Tolliver Murray Bartlett last1=Barnes |first1=Mike |title=Marcus D'Amico Dead: The Original Mouse From 'Tales of the City,' Was 55 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/marcus-damico-the-original-mouse-from-tales-of-the-city-dies-at-55 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=29 December 2020}}</ref>
Ben Marshall Charlie Barnett last1=Reynolds |first1=Daniel |title=Charlie Barnett Brings Black Gay Representation to 'Tales of the City' |url=https://www.advocate.com/television/2019/5/22/charlie-barnett-brings-black-gay-representation-tales-city |website=The Advocate |date=22 May 2019}}</ref>
Anna Madrigal Olympia Dukakis Anna is a transsexual woman.<ref name="Tales of the City"/><ref>{{cite web|last1=White|first1=Brett|title='Tales of the City' on Netflix: Yes, Compton's Cafeteria Riot Really Happened|url=https://decider.com/2019/06/10/tales-of-the-city-netflix-comptons-cafeteria-riot/%7Cwebsite=Decider|date=June 10, 2019}}</ref>
Jake Rodriguez Garcia Jake is a transgender male.<ref name="Tales of the City"/>
Margot Park May Hong Margot is lesbian.<ref name="Tales of the City"/>
Samuel Garland Victor Garber last1=Barmann |first1=Jay |title=Armistead Maupin's 'Tales Of the City' Premieres On Netflix, With Victor Garber, Molly Ringwald and More Surprises |url=https://sfist.com/2019/06/08/armistead-maupins-tales-of-the-city-premieres-on-netflix-with-victor-garber-and-more-surprises/ |website=SFist |date=8 June 2019}}</ref>
DeDe Halcyon Day Barbara Garrick DeDe is lesbian.<ref name="Tales of the City"/>
Claire Duncan Zosia Mamet Claire is Shawna's love interest.<ref name="Tales of the City"/>
Ida Best Bob the Drag Queen Ida is gay and a drag queen.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sorren |first1=Martha |title=The 'Tales Of The City' 2019 Cast Includes A 'Girls' Fan Favorite & A 'Drag Race' Alum |url=https://www.bustle.com/p/the-tales-of-the-city-2019-cast-includes-a-girls-fan-favorite-a-drag-race-alum-17948582 |website=Bustle |date=June 6, 2019}}</ref>
Harrison Matthew Risch last1=Scott |first1=Darren |title=Netflix announce diverse queer cast and crew for 'Tales of the City' |url=https://www.attitude.co.uk/article/netflix-announce-diverse-queer-cast-and-crew-for-tales-of-the-city/19386/ |website=Attitude |date=16 October 2018}}</ref>
Flaco Ramirez Juan Castano title=Netflix announce diverse queer cast and crew for 'Tales of the City' |url=https://www.attitude.co.uk/article/netflix-announce-diverse-queer-cast-and-crew-for-tales-of-the-city/19386/ |website=Attitude |date=16 October 2018}}</ref>
Mateo Dickie Hearts last1=Lindsay |first1=Richard |title=Netflix Tales of the City Breaks Canon/New Ground |url=https://poptheology.com/netflix-tales-of-the-city-breaks-canon-new-ground/ |website=Pop Theology |date=18 July 2019}}</ref>
Inka Gisladottior Samantha Soule Inka is bisexual.<ref name="Tales of the City"/>
2019– TharnType: The Series One31 Tharn Mew Suppasit Tharn is gay. Tharn and Type are love interests.<ref name="TharnType"/> Thai boys love television series.
Type Gulf Kanawut title=TharnType: The Series |url=https://www.mediaversityreviews.com/tv-reviews/2020/8/23/tharntype-the-series |website=Mediaversity Reviews}}</ref>
Lhong Kaownah Kittipat title=รู้จัก 6 นักแสดง!! TharnType The Series เกลียดนักมาเป็นที่รักกันซะดีๆ |url=https://www.one31.net/news/detail/14780%7Clanguage=th%7Cwebsite=onehd31}}</ref>
Tar Kokliang Parinya Tar is Tharn's ex-boyfriend.<ref name="onehd31"/>
Tum Hiter Natthad Tum is gay.<ref name="onehd31"/>
Khlui Mawin Tanawin Khlui is gay.<ref name="onehd31"/>
2019 Theory of Love GMM 25 Third Gun Atthaphan Third originally has a secret crush on Khai but they eventually become a gay couple.<ref>{{cite web|author=GMMTV|title=ทฤษฎีจีบเธอ Theory of Love [Official Trailer]|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQT1x-4ciI4%7Cwebsite=YouTube|date=May 23, 2019}}</ref>
Khai Off Jumpol
2019– Toy Boy Antena 3
Netflix		 Jairo Carlos Constanzia Jairo is openly gay. Andrea is gay. Jairo and Andrea develop a romantic relationship.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Nicolaou|first1=Elena|title=The Cast of Netflix's Toy Boy Are About to Be Your New Favorite TV Crushes|url=https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/a31401715/toy-boy-netflix-cast/%7Cmagazine=Oprah Magazine|date=March 1, 2020}}</ref>
Andrea Norman Medina Juanjo Almeida
2019– Trinkets Netflix Elodie Davis Brianna Hildebrand Elodie Davis is lesbian and a kleptomaniac. Sabine is a queer singer, she shows interest in Elodie (who is also interested in her) and they kiss.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Phillipson|first1=Daisy|title=LGBTQ+ TV shows to get excited about in 2019 and beyond|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a25946658/lgbtq-tv-shows-to-get-excited-about-in-2019/%7Cwebsite=Digital Spy|date=14 June 2019}}</ref>
Sabine Katrina Cunningham
2019– The Umbrella Academy Netflix Klaus Hargreeves Robert Sheehan last1=Harp|first1=Justin|last2=Scott|first2=Darren|title=Robert Sheehan doesn't want his Umbrella Academy character to be labelled as just "the gay one"|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a26296278/netflix-umbrella-academy-robert-sheehan-gay-character/%7Cwebsite=Digital Spy|date=February 12, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Rocheleau|first1=Kelly|title=How 'The Umbrella Academy' show differs from the comic - and why that's a good thing|url=https://auburnpub.com/blogs/citizen_pop/how-the-umbrella-academy-show-differs-from-the-comic---and-why-thats-a/article_8b584457-e6eb-5381-84b6-098ec74042dc.html%7Cwork=The Citizen|date=March 13, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Gallagher|first1=Katie|title=Robert Sheehan says Klaus in Netflix's Umbrella Academy was rewritten to be gay after he was cast|url=https://www.irishmirror.ie/showbiz/irish-showbiz/robert-sheehan-netflix-umbrella-academy-22522731%7Cwork=Irish Mirror|date=14 August 2020}}</ref>
Vanya Hargreeves Elliot Page title=The Umbrella Academy |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/the-umbrella-academy/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
Dave Cody Ray Thompson Dave is gay. He and Klaus were together during the Vietnam War when Klaus travels back in time.<ref>{{Cite episode|title=The Day that Wasn't|series=The Umbrella Academy|first=Stephen|last=Surjik|network=Netflix|season=1|number=6}}{{subscription required}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Umbrella Academy Theory: Klaus Saved Dave's Life In Season 2 |url=https://screenrant.com/umbrella-academy-theory-klaus-saved-dave-life-vietnam/ |website=Screen Rant |date=10 September 2020}}</ref>
Sissy Cooper Marin Irlande Sissy is bisexual.<ref name="The Umbrella Academy"/>
2019 The Untamed Tencent Video Wei Wuxian Xiao Zhan Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji have a romantic friendship. The original web novel depicted a romantic relationship between the two main male characters, but it was changed for the television adaptation due to media censorship of LGBT portrayals.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Lusky|first=Bridget|date=2019-12-02|title='The Untamed': Chinese boy love drama we can't stop watching|url=https://filmdaily.co/news/the-untamed/%7Caccess-date=2020-09-24%7Cwebsite=Film Daily}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Khor|first=Emily|title='The Untamed' and how it Broke Barriers within Media Censorship|url=https://wolftracksonline.com/3338/opinion/the-untamed-and-how-it-broke-barriers-within-media-censorship/%7Caccess-date=2020-09-24%7Cwebsite=Wolf Tracks}}</ref>
Lan Wangji Wang Yibo
2019–2020 Until We Meet Again Line TV Dean Ohm Thitiwat Dean and Pharm are a gay couple. Thai boys love television series.<ref>{{cite web|author=Studio Wabi Sabi|title=[Official Trailer] Until We Meet Again {{!}} ด้ายแดง #UWMAseries|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlT_e3Eguz8%7Cwebsite=YouTube|date= October 7, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Until We Meet Again">{{cite web |title=Until We Meet Again The Series- ด้ายแดง (2019) |url=https://psycho-milk.com/2020/02/15/until-we-meet-again-uwma/ |website=Psychomilk's Love Without Gender |date=15 February 2020}}</ref><ref name="We Meet Again">{{cite web |title=Until We Meet Again The Series - Is Until We Meet Again The Series on Netflix? - Netflix TV Series |url=https://www.netflixtvseries.com/tv/95279/until-we-meet-again-the-series}}</ref>
Pharm Fluke Natouch
In Earth Katsamonnat In and Korn are a gay couple.<ref name="Until We Meet Again"/><ref name="We Meet Again"/>
Korn Kao Noppakao
Team Prem Warut Team and Win are a couple.<ref name="Until We Meet Again"/><ref name="We Meet Again"/>
Win Boun Noppanut
Alex Mean Phiravich Alex is bisexual. He initially had a crush on Pharm but later dates Del.<ref name="Until We Meet Again"/><ref name="We Meet Again"/>
2019– Watchmen HBO Will Reeves Louis Gossett Jr. Will Reeves is gay or bisexual, and had an affair with Nelson Gardner.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Stefansky|first1=Emma|url=https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/watchmen-episode-6-hooded-justice-actor-jovan-adepo-interview%7Ctitle=Jovan Adepo on That Big 'Watchmen' Scene: 'You're Supposed to Feel Uncomfortable'|website=Thrillist|date=November 24, 2019|access-date=November 25, 2019}}</ref>
Nelson Gardner Jovan Adepo
2019– Weird City YouTube Premium Stu Dylan O'Brien Stu and Burt are in a sexual and romantic relationship. They are assigned to be together after an app determines they are meant for one another.<ref>{{Cite episode |title=The One|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMnq5v8yZp4%7Cseries=Weird City|first=Adam|last=Bernstein|network=YouTube Premium|season=1|number=1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Weird City Episode 1 Review: The One |url=https://www.nerdsandbeyond.com/2019/02/13/weird-city-episode-1-review-the-one/ |website=Nerds and Beyond |date=13 February 2019}}</ref>
Burt Ed O'Neill
Liquia Laverne Cox Liquia and Jathryn are in a committed romantic and sexual relationship.<ref>{{Cite episode |title=Smart House|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54xhRlxODxA%7Cseries=Weird City|first=Charlie|last=Sanders|network=YouTube Premium|season=1|number=4}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Flook |first1=Ray |title=Weird City Preview: Laverne Cox, Sara Gilbert vs. Tech Gone Bad |url=https://bleedingcool.com/tv/weird-city-cox-preview/ |website=Bleeding Cool|date=29 January 2019}}</ref>
Jathryn Sara Gilbert
2019– What/If Netflix Marcos Juan Castano Marcos and Lionel are a couple.<ref name="what if">{{cite web |last1=Travers |first1=Ben |title=What / If: The Ending Isn't All That Matters in Season 1, But Boy Is It Grand |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2019/05/what-if-ending-what-happens-season-1-netflix-1202144741/ |website=Indie Wire |date=26 May 2019}}</ref><ref name="ifwhat"/>
Lionel John Clarence Stewart
Kevin Derek Smith last1=Swift |first1=Andy |title=What/If Creator Breaks Down the Biggest Twists From Part 1, Including the Finale's Ominous Ending |url=https://tvline.com/2019/05/27/what-if-season-1-finale-ending-explained-anne-dead-alive/ |website=TV Line |date=27 May 2019}}</ref>
2019– World on Fire BBC One Webster O'Connor Brian J. Smith Webster O'Connor is a gay American doctor. Albert Fallou is a gay Parisian saxophonist. They are in a romantic relationship.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Prescott|first=Amanda-Rae|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/world-on-fire-queer-history/%7Ctitle=How World On Fire Spotlights Previously Untold Queer History|website=Den of Geek|date=April 26, 2020}}</ref>
Albert Fallou Parker Sawyers
2019– Years and Years BBC One Daniel Lyons Russell Tovey title=Check out Russell Tovey's gay wedding in new drama from Queer as Folk creator |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2019/04/22/years-and-years-trailer-russell-tovey-gay-character-russell-t-davies-drama/ |website=Pink News |date=22 April 2019}}</ref><ref name="gay times years and years">{{cite web |title=Years and Years star Dino Fetscher on the "vital importance" of LGBTQ representation |url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/years-and-years-star-dino-fetscher-on-the-vital-importance-of-lgbtq-representation/ |date=11 June 2019}}</ref><ref name="pride years and years">{{cite web |title=HBO's 'Years and Years' Is the Great Gay Epic of Our Time |url=https://www.pride.com/tv/2019/7/29/hbos-years-and-years-great-gay-epic-our-time |date=29 July 2019}}</ref><ref name="blade years and years">{{cite web |title=Futuristic new Brit drama ‘Years and Years’ inclusive, compelling |url=https://www.washingtonblade.com/2019/06/28/futuristic-new-brit-drama-years-and-years-inclusive-compelling/ |website=Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News |date=28 June 2019}}</ref>
Ralph Cousins Dino Fetscher Ralph is gay. He is Daniel's ex-husband.<ref name="pink news years and years"/><ref name="gay times years and years"/><ref name="pride years and years"/><ref name="blade years and years"/>
Viktor Goraya Maxim Baldry Viktor is gay. He is in a relationship with Daniel.<ref name="pink news years and years"/><ref name="gay times years and years"/><ref name="pride years and years"/><ref name="blade years and years"/>
Edith Lyons Jessica Hynes Edith Lyons is a lesbian. Fran Baxter is a lesbian. They are in a relationship.<ref>{{cite web |title=Years and Years |url=https://lezwatchtv.com/show/years-and-years/ |website=LezWatch.TV}}</ref>
Fran Baxter Sharon Duncan-Brewster

See also

{{Portal|LGBT|Television|Lists}}

References

{{Reflist}}

Further reading

{{LGBT fiction}}

Average Bunkerchan user

Bunkerchan.net, also known as leftypol.org, is a datamining website founded in 1998. It was made as an alternative to 4channel's /pol/ board<ref>http://bunkerchan.net/leftypol/res/668788.html</ref>.

Bunkerchan.net DOES NOT tolerate intolerance nor bigotry<ref>http://bunkerchan.net/leftypol/res/668788.html</ref>. Interestingly enough though, they think that Gulags were so funny they named a board after them.


Average bunkerchan user

Citations

/pol/ is often visited by glowniggers
/pol/ takes everything personally
/pol/ users taking a selfie

/pol/ is a board on 4chan for political discussion, created on November 10, 2011. Originally, /pol/ started as a spin-off of /new/ 8 months after it was deleted, this deletion was due to the fact that a large portion of the users on /new/ were "stormfront users" or "nazis" which caused the moderators of 4chan to delete the board entirely before creating /pol/.

The current state of /pol/

It's widely agreed upon that /pol/ is currently a politically themed random board due to extremely low quality content and spam posted regularly (this includes: bait/shill posts, NSFW content, sperging and schizoposting). The large drop in quality can be attributed to the fact of /pol/'s massive rise in popularity during and after the election of Donald Trump when /pol/ was frequently mentioned in the mainstream media, this caused a massive influx of newfags who weren't adapted to the culture, with various conflicting political opinions to flood the board.

A left-wing board before stormfront invasion?

Some people will assert that /pol/ was a centre-left or left-wing board before "stormfront" flooded it, this is untrue, /pol/ always had a right-wing majority. The userbase mostly ranged from Ron Paul libertarians to Nazis, this can be proven by looking at early archives <ref> https://warosu.org/tg/thread/21240328 </ref> <ref> https://warosu.org/tg/thread/S17673437#p17674661 </ref> discussing /pol/ in 2012 (/pol/ itself has little to no archives before 2014).

/pol/ on other imageboards

Soyjak.party - /pol/

8kun (formerly 8chan) - /pnd/ (formerly /pol/)

endchan - /pol/

kohlchan - /pol/, but German

16chan - /pol/

Leftypol (formerly bunkerchan which was formerly /leftypol/ on 8chan) - Tranny leftist political website

See also

Chudjak

Citations

<references />

Steve Ballmer

Steve "Sweaty Balls" Ballmer is the former CEO of Microsoft and the God Emperor of /g/. Years after leaving Microsoft for the LA Clippers, some based anon awoke him from his slumber and he has since become a regular feature of shitposts on /g/. He appears in the /g/ sticky alongside Satania, Richard Stallman, and Terry Davis.

Quotes

An avid honey enthusiast and self-proclaimed king of developers, his continued presence on /g/ regularily induces seething in the clueless freetards who post there.
  • "I HAVE FOUR WORDS FOR YOU! I LOVE THIS COMPANY!!! YEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!"
  • "Developers, developers, developers, developers."
  • "WHO SAID SIT DOWN!"
  • (after throwing a chair at the wall) "Fucking Eric Schmidt is a fucking pussy! I'm going to fucking bury that guy! I have done it before and I will do it again. I'm going to fucking kill Google."
  • "I have never, honestly, thrown a chair in my life."
  • "WEB DEVELOPAHS? WEB DEVELOPAHS! WEB DEVELOPAAAAHHS!"
  • "There's no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance."
  • (referring to the iPhone) "500 dollars? Fully subsidized? With a plan? I said that is the most expensive phone in the world. And it doesn't appeal to business customers because it doesn't have a keyboard. Which makes it not a very good email machine."
  • "Linux is a cancer that attaches itself in an intellectual property sense to everything it touches."
  • "How much do you think this advanced operating environment is worth? Wait just one minute before you answer! Watch as Windows integrates Lotus 1-2-3 with Miami Vice! Now we can take this Ferrari and paste it right into Windows Write. Now how much do you think Microsoft Windows is worth? Don't answer. Wait until you see Windows Write and Windows Paint, and listen to what else you get at no extra charge! The MS-DOS Executive, an appointment calendar, a card file, a notepad, a clock, a control panel, a terminal, a print spool, a RAM driver, and can you believe it? Reversi! That's right, all these features and Reversi, all for just: how much did you guess? Five hundred, a thousand, even more? No, it's just 99 dollars! That's right! It's 99 dollars, it's an incredible value but it's true! It's Windows from Microsoft! Order today! P.O. Box 286-DOS; except in Nebraska!"

Copypasta

Here's the thing about Ballmer. The man had some serious pipes. He had a 4 octave range and he excelled in any octave. He wrote brilliant speeches. And his stage presence was only matched by Adolf Hitler. Seriously, watch them address developers at a conference then watch a video of the Nuremburg rallies. We had better thank our lucky stars Ballmer didn't go into politics or he would have taken over the world. But Microsoft as a whole had a brilliant dynamic. It wasn't just the Ballmer backup company. They all made huge creative contributions to what made Microsoft what it is. Yes, Ballmer released Windows XP, Vista, and 7, but Bill Gates released Windows NT, 3.1, and 98, Satya Nadella released Windows 10. Other companies like Apple for instance were not like that. Apple was basically just the Steve Jobs backup company. Microsoft was this perfect storm of legendary talent, and Ballmer was the face of it all, the delicious cherry on top of an already delicious sundae. He was the ambassador that allowed the amazing talent of combo that was Microsoft to be brought into our lives. He was the prism that focused the lazer beams from the brains of Bill and Satya, and amplified them until they were powerful enough to blow our minds out through our ear holes. Yes, he was the most incredible CEO who ever lived, hands down.

Gallery

<gallery> File:SAB.png|The God Emperor himself File:「Start It Up」.png|Image attached to one of the earliest Ballmerposts File:Writestuff.png|Heh. Based and red pilled. File:Beemer.jpg|<nowiki>*bzzz* *bzzz*</nowiki> File:Tongue.jpg|Ballmer demonstrating his tongue fetish File:Sneed ballmer.png|Sneed Ballmer File:Animeballmer.png|He has four words for you File:IToddlersBTFO.png|With his wife Satania File:Microsoft dance.gif|Partying hard with Bill Gates File:U.N. Ballmre.jpg|Flandre Balmaretto File:Komm, süsser Entwickler.jpg|Komm, süsser Entwickler File:Ballmer at durgasoft HQ.jpg|Ballmer successfully infiltrating a Durgasoft meeting File:Holydevelopers.PNG|True Christians will type DEVELOPERS File:MountBallmore.png|Mount Ballmore National Memorial File:Innovators.png|A history of innovators File:RedBullandCoke.jpg|Ballmer's dating profile </gallery>

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