Kainuu has the greatest demographic imbalance between young women and men in Finland, and the impacts ripple across society from individuals to the entire region.
For 36-year-old Teemu Ikonen, finding a partner in Kainuu is challenging, and he is not alone. In this part of the country, there are far more men than women in his age group.
"Wherever you go, there's always more men," he told Yle, saying that while he hasn't given up hope on finding a partner, he's given up actively searching for one.
Instead, he's channelling his energy into exercise.
"The older I get, the more it feels like the opportunities are running out. This has caused me some anxiety, but I've tried to cope with it, and I think I've managed," he said.
Ikonen has also tried his luck on dating apps, though they usually suggest matches from further afield. Dating a woman living somewhere else presents challenges like changing jobs.
Ikonen's situation is not unique and is explained by the fact that every single municipality in Kainuu has significantly more young men than women.
Kainuu's gender disparity is the largest in Finland.
For example, in Kuhmo, there were 251 men and 150 women between the ages of 20 and 30 living in the village at the start of the year, according to Statistics Finland.
What's happened to this part of northern Finland?
In recent years, Kainuu's economic growth has been the strongest in the country. However, most of the region's jobs are in male-dominated, industry-focused sectors. This means there are not as many opportunities for young, educated women. At the same time, the region lacks educational programmes typically attractive to women.
This imbalance is now impacting the region's appeal, economic structure, relationships as well as birth rate.
Kainuu is aware of the issues and strives for a gender balance, according to the region's mayor, Riikka Pirkkalainen. However, addressing this problem is challenging.
"How can we identify measures that municipalities can implement that will achieve results? It's complicated. After all, it ultimately comes down to people's own choices," Pirkkalainen explained.
Janne Antikainen from the consultancy firm MDI, which produces population forecasts, said Kainuu's gender imbalance is rooted in educational opportunities, with university towns drawing more women since the 1990s.
That said, the proportion of women is often higher in major university cities.
The situation in Helsinki is the exact opposite of that in Kainuu: there are about 8,600 more young women than men in the 20–30 age range in the capital.
"The farther you go into remote areas, the more skewed the demographics get," Antikainen explained.
Population forecasts for Kainuu don't look promising.
Improving the gender balance hinges on the region having more jobs for highly educated women. Remote working opportunities could attract more women, while more women should be encouraged to enter male-dominated fields, according to Antikainen.
Immigration is also seen as a part of the solution. As immigrant families settle in the region, the situation gradually improves, Pirkkalainen said.
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