Altogether, there are over 1000 museums in Finland. One third of all the museums have at least one full-time employee.

The first collections were established by the Academy of Turku in the 1650s and the sculpture collections by the University of Helsinki during the 1830s. The Ethnographic Museum by the University of Helsinki was established in 1840. The first local museum was founded in 1862 in Raahe, located on the northwestern coast. The National Gallery, Ateneum, was opened in Helsinki in 1888 and the National Museum of Finland in 1916.

Museums run by professional museum workers:

Cultural history museums 50 %
Specialised museums 25 %
Art museums 20 %
Natural history museums 6 %

Ownership of Finnish museums:

Municipalities 62 %
State 12 %
Private (societies, foundations) 27 %

The funding of museums (Museums partially state aided (PSA)):

State funding 22 %
Municipal funding 55 %
Self-financed 15 %
Other 9 %

The national central museums in Finland are The Finnish Museum of Natural History, owned by the Helsinki University, The National Museum of Finland and the Finnish National Gallery. Their collections are nationally the most significant. In addition to managing their own collections, arranging exhibitions etc, these state-owned museums provide services to other museums.

At the regional level, there are 20 provincial museums of cultural history and 16 provincial art museums in Finland. They are responsible for promoting and guiding museum activities in their own area. In addition, they take care of the state's tasks in archaeology and built heritage as agreed with the National Board of Antiquities.

There are 15 national specialised museums. They collect, study and exhibit nationally significant data from their specific field and advise other museums in their specific fields. The Finnish Museum Act prescribes that provincial museums, provincial art museums and national specialised museums receive 10% more state aid than other museums. The provincial museums and provincial art museums are paid for taking care of the regional tasks. The allowance paid to the national specialised museums is for the promotion of the museum activities of their field.

Museum legislation:
- Act on Cultural Property Protection (1963)
- National Board of Antiquities Act and Degree (1972, 1992)
- The Museum Act and Degree (1992, 1996, 1998, 2005)

The Finnish Museums Association (founded in 1923)
Safeguards the interests of the museums sector and promotes co-operation between museums.
- Supports the development of museums.
- Disseminates information and acts as a publisher.
- Provides training for museum professionals.

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