NorwayCounty number 56
Finnmark is a county in Norway with 18 municipalities. Finnmark combines Barents Sea coastal communities with Finnmarksvidda and borders with Finland and Russia. Sámi, Kven and Norwegian histories, seafood, reindeer husbandry and post-war reconstruction explain a county of long distances and strong local identities.
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
The North Cape and reindeer on Finnmarksvidda
Finnmark has extensive coasts, fjords, islands and plateau areas. Alta, Hammerfest, Vadsø and Kirkenes serve different parts of the county; Karasjok and Kautokeino have important inland roles. Borders with Finland and Russia give a distinctive geographical position. Large area does not mean evenly distributed settlement. Consider service distances and connections alongside population density and municipal maps.
Sámi, Kven and Norwegian communities developed livelihoods through fishing, reindeer husbandry, trade and cross-border contact. Norwegianisation put languages under pressure. Forced evacuation and destruction affected much of Finnmark and Nord-Troms in autumn 1944; reconstruction changed housing, services and everyday life. Finnmark merged with Troms in 2020 and separated on 1 January 2024. Wartime destruction was extensive but uneven.
Rock art around Altafjorden depicts hunting, fishing, boats and prehistoric social life. Listed as World Heritage in 1985, its oldest carvings lie highest in the terrain because of post-glacial land uplift.
Fishing, seafood processing and aquaculture are important coastal industries; reindeer husbandry has economic and cultural significance inland. Energy, industry and public services provide other jobs. Finnmark employment statistics classify industries by workplace, which differs from workers’ residence. A business and skills plan is being developed; planning is distinct from completed projects. Research labour markets by municipality and occupation.
Snelandia provides bus, boat and ferry information in Finnmark. Transport connects coastal settlements, islands and inland areas across long distances; not every journey has one direct departure. Plan education, work and service journeys with all connections and current service alerts. County boundaries help orientation but do not alone describe how accessible two communities are to each other.
UiT has study sites including Alta, Hammerfest and Kirkenes. Sámi University of Applied Sciences in Kautokeino provides Sámi education and research; the Sámi Parliament in Karasjok is an elected body for Sámi people in Norway. Alta’s rock art and Hammerfest’s Reconstruction Museum offer other historical perspectives. Education, languages and culture illuminate Indigenous peoples, national minorities and Norwegian social development.
Finnmark municipalities have different age profiles, labour markets and recruitment needs. Long distances make local education, housing and services particularly important. Sámi, Kven and Norwegian language and cultural communities are present-day societies, not only historical subjects. Compare municipal population and trends using matching years, considering workplaces and travel alongside residence. Extensive county area can conceal strong local differences.
Finnmark is developing a regional resilience plan focused on cooperation and public preparedness. The source schedules consultation for autumn 2026; final adoption of the plan 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.
Grenselandmuseet in Kirkenes explores Sør-Varanger as a border region and meeting place. Industrial development, war and everyday life appear together, showing how international events affected local communities.
Hjemmeluft is the publicly accessible heart of Alta's World Heritage rock art. Carvings around the bay show hunting, fishing and boat journeys while the landscape explains how people used the prehistoric shoreline.
Kväänin institutti – Kvensk institutt in Pyssyjoki/Børselv is a national centre for Kven language and culture. Its distinctive building combines a place for cultural experiences with the continuing work of documenting and strengthening a living language.
Finnmark · 18 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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Find a place to take the social studies test, with addresses and contact details.
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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