Åland FAQ

How many people live in Åland?

Åland had 30,359 residents as of December 31, 2022, comprised of 11,757 residents in Mariehamn, 16,557 in the country, and 2,045 in the archipelago.

How many islands does Åland have?

There are 6,757 islands with a size of at least 0.25 hectares. In addition, there are around 20,000 smaller islands and skerries.

How many tourists visit Åland?

2022 saw over 447,000 guest nights in Åland’s hotels, guest homes, campsites and holiday villages. Not included is the significant amount of stays in smaller facilities and private cottages.

How high is unemployment in Åland?

Relative unemployment rate normally sits at two-four per cent, but during the Covid-19-pandemic unemployment increased considerably. In 2020, the relative unemployment rate was 9.5 per cent. In 2022, it amounted to 4.5 per cent.

How dependent is Åland on shipping?

In 2019, shipping accounted for 16 per cent of Åland’s GDP, but in 2020 the share dropped to 6 percent as a result of the covid-19 pandemic. Almost 5 percent of all employed people on Åland worked in shipping at the end of 2020 (7 percent in 2019). 

What proportion of Åland’s population were born outside of Åland?

Over a third of the inhabitants were born outside of Åland. Most come from Finland and Sweden, but with time more are moving in from non-Nordic countries. Åland has migrants from more than 100 different countries.

How high is Åland’s voter turnout?

2019’s election saw a turnout of 69.7 percent. This is low from a Nordic perspective, lowest if one compares the latest parliamentary votes in the North.

How many cars are there in Åland?

There are over 25,800 private cars, or 850 cars per 1,000 people. This gives Åland the highest car density in the Nordic countries.

How large is Åland’s GDP?

In 2020, the gross domestic product’s value in current market prices amounted to about 1.15 billion euros, which constitutes 38,500 euro/capita. In comparison to 2019, this translates to a decrease of about 190 million euros.

Where do Ålanders study?

In the fall of 2022, Åland had almost 1,100 students at upper secondary level, along with almost 500 students at the Åland University of Applied Sciences and about 25 students in Folk High School. Throughout 2022, there were over 200 Ålanders studying at upper secondary level outside of Åland, as well as about 1,150 pursuing higher learning and just over 50 receiving other education. Of those studying outside Åland, 57 per cent went to Sweden, 39 per cent to Finland, and the remaining 4 per cent were divided over about fifteen other countries.

How does the housing standard look in Åland?

Only seven per cent of the households in Åland are overcrowded. The average housing area per person is 48 square metres. Two thirds of the residences were constructed in or after 1970. During the 21st century, almost 200 new residences have been built annually.

What does electricity supply look like in Åland?

Of the total electricity acquisition of 329 GWh in 2022, 52 per cent was imported from Sweden, 4 per cent from Finland and 44 per cent was produced on Åland stemming mainly from wind power.

What does the consumption of culture look like on Åland?

The statistics show, for example, that 353,000 loans occurred from the 16 municipal libraries in 2022. This translates to almost twelve loans per inhabitant. 40-60 books are published in Åland every year, of which 10-20 per cent are fiction. In 2022, over 236,000 visits were made to the eight bigger museums.

Is the archipelago being depopulated?

The six archipelago municipalities show a somewhat depleting population trend. The number of inhabitants in the 21st century has increased certain years and decreased other years. On average, the archipelago population in the period of 2000-2019 has decreased each year by 15 people, or 0.6 per cent. In 2022, the archipelago population decreased by 10 persons.