NorwayCounty number 34
Innlandet is a county in Norway with 46 municipalities. Innlandet is Norway’s only county without a coastline. Around Mjøsa, through the valleys and towards the high mountains, farming, forestry, industry and tourism meet, with Hamar, Gjøvik, Lillehammer and Elverum as important centres.
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
Jotunheimen’s mountains and Skibladner on Lake Mjøsa
Innlandet stretches from farming districts around Mjøsa to Gudbrandsdalen, Valdres, Østerdalen and western and northern mountain areas. It borders Sweden and has no seacoast. Extensive forests and high mountains produce very different settlement patterns around the Mjøsa towns and valley communities. Hamar, Gjøvik, Lillehammer and Elverum serve different surrounding municipalities; total area alone cannot describe access to services.
Innlandet was created on 1 January 2020 from Hedmark and Oppland, excluding Jevnaker and Lunner, which joined Viken and now belong to Akershus. Older valley and district names continue alongside the new county name. Summer farming, iron production, forestry and agriculture shaped the landscape. The history also includes Southern Sámi communities and Romani/Tater life, beyond the largest farms and towns.
Innlandet has Norway’s largest forest area and highest timber production. Dairy farming, potatoes and cereals are important, with local raw materials processed into food and wood products.
Innlandet has strong farming and forestry industries, processing raw materials into food and wood products. Manufacturing and research create varied jobs around Mjøsa, while mountain areas host tourism and many holiday homes. These activities require different vocational skills and transport. A resource-rich county also needs expertise and local services to retain economic activity and thriving communities.
Innlandstrafikk provides local buses, with information and tickets also covering some connections to Lunner and Jevnaker. The Mjøsa towns and valley districts have different travel patterns. Buses and railways may offer strong main connections, but travel from home to a stop and from a station to the destination also matters. Research the complete journey when choosing education or housing, especially beyond the larger centres.
The University of Inland Norway gained university status in November 2024, and NTNU offers education in Gjøvik. Higher education creates several knowledge communities, while heritage records older skills through summer farming, crafts and resource use. Southern Sámi heritage and Romani/Tater history broaden the county’s story. Local museums and historic landscapes teach work, minority histories and social change as well as offering places to visit.
Innlandet plans for urban development, dispersed settlement and differing age structures. Distance to school, work and health or care services affects mountain communities differently from places around Mjøsa. Large holiday-home areas may serve far more people than registered population suggests. Municipality profiles provide local figures and reference years, allowing nature, housing and services to be assessed together without treating the county as uniform countryside.
The regional electricity-grid planning programme is under consultation until 11 November 2026. Work with Statnett aims to clarify land-use and nature concerns earlier; it does not authorise new power lines.
Landscapes, heritage sites and buildings offer a concrete view of the county’s history. Continue to the guides to these places and their municipalities.
Christiansfjeld is a former fortress within walking distance of central Elverum. Surviving masonry and wooded paths connect its seventeenth-century defensive role with the park and recreation area now used by the town.
Domkirkeodden connects Hamar's medieval city with the shoreline of Mjøsa. Cathedral ruins enclosed by the glass Hamardomen are its best-known image, but the wider archaeological site and museum park preserve a much broader historical landscape.
Gjøvik gård preserves a house at the heart of the city's industrial beginnings. Its pale exterior, historic rooms and central park connect the glassworks founder's household with later family life and the growth of Gjøvik around manufacturing.
Innlandet · 46 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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Registry date: · Content updated:
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.
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Creation and publication dates are not documented.
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