New research reveals that Finland forcibly sterilized more than 11,000 people - about eight times more than previously reported, Finland’s largest daily newspaper said Saturday.

In addition, the practice continued as late as 1970, the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper said. Previous reports had said the policy of involuntary sterilizations, which began in 1935, ended in 1955. About 4,000 involuntary abortions also were performed between 1950 and 1970.

The newspaper attributed its information to a researcher at Tampere University, Markku Mattila.

The report comes as several Nordic countries take a painful look at their history in the wake of reports that Sweden had forcibly sterilized 60,000 people.

Both Sweden and Denmark have announced government investigations of the sterilizations, which were done legally but go largely unmentioned in history books.