Fear of war drives a global rush to build bunkers, as crowds come to see Finland's model

In Finland's capital Helsinki, about 25 metres underground, sits a huge shelter called Merihaka. In normal times it is used as a sports field, a gym and even a children's play area. But in an emergency it can be converted into a bunker within just 72 hours. A Reuters report in May 2026 said about 800 foreign delegations have visited the shelter, including city mayors, government officials and businesspeople from around the world, and even mayors of Ukrainian cities.

War is one of the main reasons behind the growing interest in building bunkers worldwide. After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, interest grew in many European countries in building private bunkers under homes. The Ukraine war has since dragged on and conflict has also increased in the Middle East; discussion has grown about Russia-NATO tensions and fears of nuclear war.

An Euronews report in April 2025 said several firms in the sector reported that private bunker construction in Spain has risen by 200 percent since the Ukraine war began. Interest in shelters is also growing in Germany, France and the Baltic countries. Many families are creating safe shelters inside their own homes; some are stocking dry food and essentials so they can manage for a few days in an emergency without going outside.

But war is not the only reason. People are also concerned about situations such as power systems collapsing, cyber attacks, pandemics or social unrest. The European Union has also told citizens to be prepared for emergencies. In 2025 the European Commission advised stocking food, water and essentials to last at least 72 hours. Several European countries have published guidelines telling citizens what to do in an emergency.

Finland's experience of building bunkers goes back a long way. During the Second World War, fear of attack by the neighbouring Soviet Union taught the country to take underground shelters seriously. In Finland, shelters are mandatory under residential and commercial buildings larger than 1,200 square metres.

Helsinki's Merihaka shelter was built in 2003. Its volume is about 71,000 cubic metres, close to that of a seven-storey office building, and 6,000 people can take shelter there at once. In an emergency, beds, water tanks and portable toilets can be installed to use it as a shelter. Helsinki has 48 such large shelters and about 5,500 smaller ones; across Finland there are about 50,500 shelters of this kind. Finland also has an underground swimming pool cut into solid rock: normally used for swimming, in an emergency its water can be removed and the space turned into a shelter for about 3,800 people.

Like Finland, other countries are turning their attention to building shelters. Ukraine and Poland have made shelters mandatory in some new buildings. Poland allocated 5.8 billion zloty in 2025 and 2026 combined to renovate and rebuild shelters; the report valued one zloty at 31.45 Bangladeshi taka. An official of the country's interior ministry said new shelter construction there had largely stopped after the mid-1990s and is now starting again.

Germany faces a shelter shortage. The country once had about 2,000 bunkers, but by 2025 figures only 579 remained operational, with space for about 478,000 people — very limited compared with the country's population. Plans are therefore being made to use tunnels, underground rail stations, car parks and government building basements as shelters. Switzerland's provision is broader: since the 1960s the country has had a rule to keep a protected shelter place near home for every resident. By 2023 figures, the country had about 370,000 government and privately owned shelters in total, with space for about 9 million people.

New business is also growing around this public interest. Several Finnish firms are exporting bunker-building technology to other countries, with experience in making and maintaining bunker doors, ventilation systems, emergency power, communications and drainage. Government and private organisations from various countries, including Saudi oil producer Saudi Aramco, have shown interest in learning about the technology. In Spain, a basic private bunker can cost about 150,000 euros, and a luxury bunker can exceed 350,000 euros. Spain is thought to have about 400 private bunkers, while the number of government nuclear shelters is only four.

Building an effective bunker takes more than digging a room underground. The Euronews report said a bunker needs to be at least 10 metres deep, with strong walls, air and water purification systems and doors that can withstand impact; special materials are also needed for protection against nuclear radiation. A shelter built by one Spanish bunker maker holds 1,000 litres of drinking water and multiple backup power systems; in the makers' words, it is a safe apartment where people can stay for months. Not everyone can afford a bunker, so many people are instead creating a safe space inside their own homes and keeping dry food, water, medicine and emergency essentials there.