Västerbotten County

Västerbotten County (Swedish: Västerbottens län), sometimes called Westrobothnia, is a county or län in the north of Sweden. It shares the borders with the counties of Västernorrland, Jämtland, and Norrbotten, as well as the Norwegian county of Nordland and the Gulf of Bothnia. Its capital is Umeå, and the largest town in the northern part is Skellefteå. These two municipalities make up the majority of the population. Västerbotten County has vast wilderness areas, and a land area larger than Denmark, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

Västerbotten County Västerbottens län (Swedish)
County of Sweden
Flag Coat of arms
Västerbotten County in Sweden
Location map of Västerbotten County in Sweden
Coordinates: 64.85°N 17.9°E / 64.85; 17.9
Country	Sweden
Formed	1638
Capital	Umeå
Municipalities	15 Åsele Bjurholm Dorotea Lycksele Malå Nordmaling Norsjö Robertsfors Skellefteå Sorsele Storuman Umeå Vännäs Vilhelmina Vindeln
Government
• Governor	Helene Hellmark Knutsson (Social Democratic)
• Council	Region Västerbotten
Area
• Total	55,186.2 km2 (21,307.5 sq mi)
Population  (31 December 2023)[1]
• Total	278,729
• Density	5.1/km2 (13/sq mi)
GDP [2]
• Total	SEK 96 billion €10.257 billion (2015)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
ISO 3166 code	SE-AC
NUTS Region	SE331
Website	regionvasterbotten.se

Provinces

Map of the county circa 1796

For history, geography, and culture, see: Västerbotten, Lapland, and Ångermanland

Västerbotten County, also known as Västerbottens län in Swedish, is located in the northern part of Sweden. It shares borders with Västernorrland, Jämtland, and Norrbotten counties, as well as the Norwegian county of Nordland and the Gulf of Bothnia. The county's capital is Umeå, which is home to approximately half of the population when combined with the largest town in the northern part, Skellefteå. These two municipalities make up the majority of the population. The county boasts vast wilderness areas and has a land area larger than that of Denmark, the Netherlands or Switzerland.

Administration

The main aim of the County Administrative Board is to fulfil the goals set in national politics by the Riksdag and the Government, to co-ordinate the interests of the county, to promote the development of the county, to establish regional goals, and to safeguard the due process of law in the handling of each case. The County Administrative Board is a Government Agency headed by a Governor. See List of Västerbotten Governors.

Politics

The Regional Council of Västerbotten or Region Västerbotten.

Riksdag elections

The table details all Riksdag election results of Västerbotten County since the unicameral era began in 1970. The blocs denote which party would support the Prime Minister or the lead opposition party towards the end of the elected parliament.

Year	Turnout	Votes	V	S	MP	C	L	KD	M	SD	NyD	Left	Right
1970[3]	87.9	145,741	2.9	46.1		21.6	17.4	3.7	7.8			49.0	46.8
1973[4]	90.1	150,036	3.9	45.0		26.2	11.8	3.9	8.5			48.9	46.5
1976[5]	90.9	159,435	4.1	45.3		26.3	11.7	3.3	8.8			49.3	46.8
1979[6]	90.4	161,941	5.4	46.5		21.0	12.5	3.3	10.7			51.9	44.2
1982[7]	90.9	165,350	5.5	49.3	1.2	19.2	7.8	3.9	12.7			54.8	39.7
1985[8]	89.4	164,748	5.7	48.5	1.2	18.1	14.5		11.3			54.2	43.9
1988[9]	86.6	159,304	5.9	48.4	4.6	14.3	12.0	5.2	8.9			58.9	35.2
1991[10]	86.4	161,448	5.4	45.3	3.3	12.6	9.9	8.6	10.8		3.9	50.7	41.9
1994[11]	87.0	166,348	7.3	52.0	5.8	9.4	8.1	5.0	11.1		0.5	65.2	33.6
1998[12]	82.1	157,839	15.7	43.2	4.9	6.6	5.4	10.7	11.7			63.8	34.5
2002[13]	80.7	155,369	11.5	46.5	4.5	11.2	10.1	8.5	6.5	0.3		62.4	36.3
2006[14]	82.9	162,490	8.4	43.9	5.9	11.8	6.4	6.5	13.7	1.1		58.1	38.3
2010[15]	85.4	170,598	10.0	42.2	7.2	7.4	6.0	5.4	17.7	2.7		59.4	36.5
2014[16]	86.9	175,279	11.0	42.0	5.9	6.7	4.4	4.3	13.8	7.4		58.9	29.0
2018[17]	87.9	178,837	12.7	38.1	3.9	10.1	3.9	5.2	13.5	10.9		64.8	33.6
2022[18]	85.8	179,712	8.5	40.7	5.4	7.8	3.1	4.7	14.2	14.5		62.4	36.5

Governors

Main article: List of governors of Västerbotten County

Municipalities

In Lapland Province:

• Dorotea
• Lycksele
• Malå
• Sorsele
• Storuman
• Vilhelmina
• Åsele

In Västerbotten Province:

• Norsjö
• Robertsfors
• Skellefteå
• Umeå
• Vindeln
• Vännäs

In Ångermanland Province:

• Bjurholm
• Nordmaling

Demographics

Foreign background

SCB have collected statistics on backgrounds of residents since 2002. These tables consist of all who have two foreign-born parents or are born abroad themselves.^[19] The chart lists election years and the last year on record alone.

Location	2002	2006	2010	2014	2018	2019
Bjurholm	2.9	4.5	7.7	10.7	13.2	12.8
Dorotea	5.1	5.3	7.5	8.3	9.0	8.7
Lycksele	5.9	6.4	7.8	9.7	12.6	12.9
Malå	3.6	4.0	5.8	7.5	11.6	11.9
Nordmaling	3.8	4.3	6.0	8.5	10.8	11.0
Norsjö	3.0	3.8	7.0	9.6	11.4	11.2
Robertsfors	4.7	5.2	6.7	8.6	10.3	11.1
Skellefteå	4.4	5.6	6.6	8.2	10.0	10.3
Sorsele	3.1	5.4	10.2	12.3	13.4	13.3
Storuman	3.4	4.0	4.8	6.9	10.1	10.3
Umeå	9.4	10.3	11.7	12.7	14.9	15.5
Vilhelmina	3.2	3.5	6.2	8.5	9.5	9.4
Vindeln	3.7	4.5	6.4	9.1	12.2	12.8
Vännäs	4.0	4.1	5.7	8.3	9.4	9.6
Åsele	3.3	4.8	7.8	10.7	13.8	13.7
Total	6.4	7.3	8.6	10.4	12.6	13.0
Source: SCB [19]

Heraldry

The arms for Västerbotten County is a combination of the arms of Västerbotten, Swedish Lapland, and Ångermanland. When it is shown with a royal crown, it represents the County Administrative Board. Blazon: "Parted per fess, base parted per pale, the arms of Västerbotten, the arms of Lapland, and the arms of Ångermanland."

See also

• Duke of Västerbotten, a title for members of the royal family (see Duchies in Sweden)
• North Sweden European Office