Västerbotten County
- 🏛️ County seat: Umeå
- 🌍 Region: Norrland,
Upper Norrland (national area) - 📍 Location: borders Västernorrland County, Jämtland County and Norrbotten County;
Norway to the west, the Gulf of Bothnia to the east - 📐 Area: 55,013 km² (land area)
- 👥 Population: 279,028 (Dec 31, 2025)
- ⛰️ Relief: mountains in the west, forest and mires inland, coastal plain in the east
- 🗣️ Official language: Swedish
- ⏰ Time zone: CET (UTC +1, DST CEST +2)
- 💰 Currency: Swedish krona (SEK)
- 🌧️ Climate: cold, with long winters, mountain climate in the west
Answers to frequently asked questions
What is the population of Västerbotten County?
Västerbotten County had 279,028 residents on December 31, 2025, up 5,836 (2.1%) from December 31, 2020 (Statistics Sweden).
What is the largest municipality in Västerbotten County?
The largest is Umeå with 135,273 residents, followed by Skellefteå (75,405) and Lycksele (12,159). Figures are for the municipalities on December 31, 2025 (Statistics Sweden).
How many municipalities are there in Västerbotten County?
Västerbotten County has 15 municipalities (Statistics Sweden, 2026). The smallest is Dorotea with 2,241 residents (Dec 31, 2025).
What is the county seat of Västerbotten County?
The county seat is Umeå, home of the County Administrative Board. Health care, public transport and regional development are run by Region Västerbotten.
How many businesses are there in Västerbotten County?
In 2024 there were 30,353 local business units in Västerbotten County, 2.8% of the national total. The Statistics Sweden figure covers all industries except finance and insurance and public administration.
How large is Västerbotten County?
The land area is 55,013 km², 13.4% of Sweden's land area (Statistics Sweden, 2025). Population density is 5.1 residents per km².