NorwayCounty number 18
Nordland is a county in Norway with 41 municipalities. Nordland stretches from Helgeland through Salten to Lofoten, Vesterålen and Ofoten. Coastal communities, fishing, power-intensive industry and the cities of Bodø and Narvik connect marine resources with northern Norwegian society.
Content updated:
SSB · 2026
See how many people live in the county, how many homes it has, and which municipalities have the most residents. Figures are from Statistics Norway (SSB).
Ranked by municipal population, rather than the size of cities or urban settlements. A municipality may contain several settlements and extensive rural areas.
2026 · SSB
Choose a municipality to open its profile. Small island municipalities are marked with a dot.
Known for
Lofoten’s fishing villages and coastal peaks
Nordland combines a long coast of islands and fjords with mountains and valleys towards Sweden. Helgeland, Salten, Lofoten, Vesterålen and Ofoten are useful regional names. Bodø, Narvik, Mo i Rana and Mosjøen have different service, transport and industrial roles. The county straddles the Arctic Circle. Long distances and a fragmented coastline mean low average density includes both urban areas and dispersed settlements.
Nordland’s history includes people combining fishing, farming and trade. Vegaøyan documents links between fishing farmers, landscape and eiderdown, with women’s work an important part of its World Heritage value. Power-intensive industries and new transport links later broadened employment. Nordland continued as a county in 2020, while Tjeldsund moved to Troms og Finnmark and now belongs to Troms. Historical figures must account for this boundary change.
Nordland combines seafood production and energy-based industry with tourism, including Lofoten. The county also identifies critical minerals and space industry as areas for development.
Fishing, aquaculture and seafood processing matter along the coast, while Helgeland has strong power-intensive industries. Tourism meets fishing heritage in places such as Lofoten. The county authority also identifies minerals and space industry as development areas. These industries require different skills; a planned initiative is not equivalent to established jobs. Municipality profiles show the local population and labour-market context.
Reis Nordland brings together county buses, express boats and ferries. The Nordland Line connects Bodø with Trøndelag, while the Ofoten Line runs from Narvik towards Sweden; Narvik is not connected to Norway’s rail network through Bodø. Boats and regional flights supplement coastal roads. Plan the complete journey, especially boat–bus connections and long distances to schools or public services.
Nord University has campuses including Bodø, Mo i Rana, Nesna and Vesterålen. UiT has a study location in Narvik. Education is distributed across the county, with local connections to health, teacher education and technology. Vegaøyan shows another kind of knowledge: practical skills and landscape stewardship passed between generations. Modern education and coastal culture complement one another in understanding Nordland.
Nordland includes traditional Southern, Ume, Pite, Lule and Northern Sámi language areas. Árran Lule Sámi Centre in Hamarøy makes part of this history and contemporary community life visible. Sámi languages and local knowledge show why the county cannot be understood only through coastal towns and industry. Cultural work documents history while strengthening living languages and participation.
Access to work, education and services is a local question in Nordland. An island municipality, a Helgeland industrial community and a Salten urban area can have very different daily journeys. Population alone does not show connections to a regional centre. Compare municipal statistics and transport, and distinguish permanent settlement from seasonal visitor activity when assessing tourism-intensive areas.
Two regional draft plans address land use and viable communities, including settlement, skills and nature. Consultation closed on 30 September 2026; final adoption has not been confirmed.
Landscapes, heritage sites and buildings offer a concrete view of the county’s history. Continue to the guides to these places and their municipalities.
Bodø Cathedral is a striking part of the city's postwar rebuilding. Its open concrete bell tower and spacious church interior express a modern approach to a building that also serves an active congregation.
Hålogalandsbrua spans the fjord just north of Narvik. Its slender deck and tall A-shaped towers make a major transport link part of the mountain landscape rather than a separate monument to engineering.
Lofotr Vikingmuseum at Borg reconstructs a chieftain’s longhouse beside the place where archaeologists uncovered its remains. The museum combines evidence from excavation with a full-scale interpretation of domestic life, feasting, crafts and power in the Viking Age.
Nordland · 41 municipalities
Find local figures, history, education, housing and public services. Each municipality’s population figure refers to the stated period.
Residents · Q2 2026 · SSB
Norway has three elected levels of government: the state, county authorities and municipalities. A county is both a geographical area and the territory of an elected regional authority.
Responsibilities include upper secondary education, county roads, public transport, public dental services and regional development. These tasks connect municipalities.
Local responsibilities include primary and lower secondary schools, kindergartens, health and care services and land-use planning. Kommuneportal explains these at municipal level.
The County Governor represents the state regionally. This is a separate institution from the elected county authority. Oslo has both municipal and county responsibilities.
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A county total is shown only when every municipality has comparable figures from the same source and period. Land area excludes freshwater and sea. Density uses population and land area from the same year.
The same municipality membership is used; changes across a documented geographical break are withheld.
An artistic interpretation, not a photograph or an exact record of the place.
Creation and publication dates are not documented.
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