NorwayCounty number 46
Vestland is a county in Norway with 43 municipalities. Vestland combines Bergen with fjord, island and rural communities from Sunnhordland to Nordfjord. Trade, seafood, energy, industry and education meet landscapes and cultural heritage with local identities extending far beyond the largest city.
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
Bryggen in Bergen and the great fjords
Vestland includes Sunnhordland, Hardanger, the Bergen area, Sogn, Sunnfjord and Nordfjord. Fjords and mountains make map distance different from actual travel time. Bergen is the largest city, while other centres serve their own surrounding areas. Nærøyfjord belongs to UNESCO’s West Norwegian Fjords site. Vestland names this county; Vestlandet is the broader western region extending beyond its boundaries.
Bergen’s trade connected the coast with Northern Norway and international markets; Bryggen documents this organisation. Gulatinget and older farming landscapes reveal other historical centres. Vestland was created on 1 January 2020 from Hordaland and Sogn og Fjordane, excluding Hornindal, which joined Volda in Møre og Romsdal. A new administrative name coexists with older local identities.
The Hanseatic League established an office in Bergen in 1350 and became central to northern Norway’s stockfish trade. Bryggen’s narrow passages and wooden buildings preserve traces of that trading community.
Vestland’s economy includes seafood, maritime suppliers, energy, industry, tourism and services. Bergen has major knowledge and service communities, while coastal and fjord municipalities combine production and local jobs differently. Skills development must reach several parts of the county. Natural resources create opportunities, but qualified workers, transport and electricity affect local economic development and transition.
Skyss provides information on buses, boats, ferries and Bergen Light Rail. Bergen has an extensive urban network, while many rural and island communities depend on particular sea or mountain connections. The Bergen Line links Bergen with Voss, the mountain crossing and Eastern Norway. Check connections and last departures: a short map line need not mean a short everyday journey.
The University of Bergen and HVL campuses in Bergen, Stord, Sogndal and Førde distribute higher education across the county. Heritage offers other learning routes, from Bryggen’s trade to Gulatinget’s landscape. Vestland’s place-name archive preserves names and local knowledge from oral sources. History is recorded in language, routes and resource use as well as famous visitor destinations.
The Bergen area and smaller municipalities have different housing markets, age profiles and workforce needs. Fjord and island communities may be close to a centre in a straight line but have demanding daily connections. Fjord visitors also generate seasonal use beyond registered population. Use municipality profiles for local trends, considering transport and services alongside population and area.
Grøn region Vestland was extended for three years from January 2026. Cooperation with Innovasjon Norge supports industrial transition, with the goals of creating jobs, increasing exports and reducing emissions.
Landscapes, heritage sites and buildings offer a concrete view of the county’s history. Continue to the guides to these places and their municipalities.
Herdla fort preserves coastal defence history at the northern end of Askøy. Its surviving torpedo battery gives visitors access to a once-secret military installation, where equipment, underground spaces and the shoreline explain how the fort operated during the Cold War.
Lyngheisenteret on Lygra explains a coastal heath landscape created through generations of farming. Sheep grazing, controlled heather burning and haymaking remain part of the place, linking an outdoor walk in Alver with the practical work needed to preserve cultural landscapes.
Vestland · 43 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.
An artistic interpretation, not a photograph or an exact record of the place.
Creation and publication dates are not documented.
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