Maps

The map shows the geographical delimitation of cross-border regions and committees financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers as of December 2021.

The map shows the share of cross border commuters in the total employees with residence in a NUTS2 Nordic Region in 2015. The darker the blue, the higher the share. For the most NUTS2 regions in the Nordic, the percent is lower than 0,5%, indicating the commuting workers are the absolute minority in the total employed people. Åland (2,6%) and the South Sweden region (2,7%) stand out with more than 2% of employees in the region commuting cross-border for work. The destination country for Åland workers is Sweden, while for Swedish workers living in the south is Denmark. The commuting pattern is also apparent for the Swedish NUTS2 regions along the border line with Norway, with relatively higher percent of cross border workers commuting to Norway compared with other Nordic NUTS2 regions. At a finer scale (e.g., NUTS3) would show higher percentages in a number of regions, e.g., by taking only the NUTS 3 region – Skåne instead of the NUTS 2 region South Sweden (Skåne+Blekinge) or the border regions between NO and SE.

The map builds on statistics of cross-border commuters with residence in a NUTS2 Nordic region commute for work in 2015. For each NUTS2 region, the map shows the total number of commuters who commute to other Nordic countries for work. The number of commuters is categorised into three groups visualised in different shades: the darker, the higher the number of commuters. In addition, the most common country these commuters commute to from each region is identified by specific colours. For example, the darkest red indicates a region with at least 2,000 commuters working in another Nordic country, of which the largest group number of commuters works in Denmark. The most commuters were from the region of South Sweden (16 543) in 2015, and the majority of them commuted to Denmark for work. Norway is the most popular destination for work commuters in the Nordic Region, e.g., all Swedish regions except for the South Sweden region, all the regions in Denmark except for the Copenhagen region, and Iceland. Sweden is more attractive for work commuters living in Finland, Copenhagen region, and bordering regions in Norway.

The map shows the geographical delimitation of cross-border regions and committees financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers.

The travel times indicate the fastest morning connection outbound from Copenhagen Central Station or Malmö Central Station, departing after 6:30AMand arriving before 9:00AM. The station catchments are calculated by bicycle travel time for any time remaining beyond train travel. For instance, a 35-minute train ride and a 10-minute cycle ride results in a 45-minute total travel time. The shades of green indicate the travel time to other train stations and their surrounding areas in four main classes: up to 15 minutes, 16 to 30 minutes, 31 to 45 minutes and 46 to 60 minutes. The areas not highlighted in green on the map are further than one hour by train from either Copenhagen or Malmö main train stations. The map clearly shows that the vast majority of areas within the Capital Region of Denmark, a number of stations and areas which are part of the region of Zealand, for instance Slagelse and Næstved, as well as areas located along four main train corridors in Skåne (Malmö-Helsingborg, Malmö-Hässleholm, Malmö-Trelleborg and Malmö-Ystad) are within the one-hour travel time by train from/to Copenhagen and/or Malmö, thanks to the different train types (Öresund trains, regional trains and intercity trains). Areas of the GCR which are beyond the one-hour travel condition are the most northern part of the Capital Region of Denmark, the southern and western parts of Zealand (e.g. Kalundborg and Vordingborg) as well as most of the eastern half part of Skåne. In terms of population, the current situation provides this possibility to almost 3 million out of 4.3 million inhabitants, corresponding to 69% of the total population living in the Greater Copenhagen Region in 2020. The proportion of the total population increases to 75% when the region of Halland is excluded (as this was not initially part of the GCR when the…

This map shows the Greater Copenhagen Region, which constists of 85 municipalities and four regional authorities: the Capital Region of Denmark and Region Zealand on the Danish side, and the regions of Skåne and Halland on the Swedish side.

This map shows the expected population change in Nordic municipalities by looking at the change between 2017 and 2040. The colours on the main map indicates the percentage of population change at municipal level between 2017 and 2040. Shades of red indicate a population decline, whereas shades of blue indicate a population increase. The colours on the regional map (bottom-right corner) indicates the type of region according to the Eurostat’s urban-rural typology (see: http://nordregio.org/maps/urban-rural-typology-of-nordic-regions/): shades of red indicate predominantly urban regions, yellow for intermediate regions and shades of green for predominantly rural regions. In the two types of regions classified as predominantly rural (“light green” and „dark green“ regions), population growth largely remains concentrated in larger towns and their suburbs. This is particularly the case in Sweden and Finland. For instance, the regional capitals Östersund in Jämtland (SE) and Seinäjoki in South Ostrobothnia (FI) are expected to have larger populations in 2040 than today, while most other municipalities in these regions will decline. In Norway and Iceland, a somewhat more nuanced pattern applies. Here population growth is not only expected in regional capitals and other larger towns, but also in some smaller and more remote municipalities. In Denmark, finally, population growth is expected for large parts of the country until 2040, in more rural and urban areas alike. Population loss is only expected in some of the most remote municipalities at the Northern, Eastern and Southern borders of the country. While the population loss in rural regions is hence expected to continue across the Nordic Region, it appears to be more pronounced in some countries than in others. In the predominantly urban (“red”) regions, the opposite pattern applies: With very few exceptions, municipalities in these regions are expected to experience a growth in population numbers until 2040.

This map shows the projected working age population change at municipal level during the period 2019-2040 While the total population of the Nordic Region is projected to grow by 8% to 29.5 million by 2040, the growth of the working-age population (15–64 years) is expected to be more modest at 1.5%. The working-age population also referred to as the potential labour supply, refers to all people in the population aged 15–64 years. It is a potential supply because it includes all those who fit the age requirement, despite some not actually being available for the labour market (e.g. full-time students, those with long-term illnesses or disabilities that affect their ability to work). The potential labour supply at the local level is constantly shifting due to trends such as ageing, migration and urbanisation. The red areas on the map indicate a projected working-age population decline and blue areas an increase. The yellow areas indicate a stable development. On a national level Greenland (-16.2%), the Faroe Islands (-6.6%), Finland (-3%) and Denmark (-2%) are projected to see a decrease in the working-age population, while increases are projected in Sweden (4%), Norway (4.6%), Åland (9.1%) and Iceland (10.9%). It is worth noting that, even in the parts of the Nordic Region where the working-age population is expected to shrink, the projections are less severe than the EU28 average (-6.5%). Greenland and Faroe Islands are the only exceptions. At the municipal level, the variation is even more striking with the majority (72%) of Nordic municipalities projected to experience a decrease in the size of the working-age population. As Figure 6.2 shows, this trend is most pronounced in Finland (decline of the working-age population in 90% of the municipalities) and Denmark (81%) and less apparent in Sweden (67%), Iceland (64%) and Norway (61%). Most of…

Co-operation Committees funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2018 The Nordic countries have a long history of cross-border co-operation. In parts, this co-operation has been carried out through regional cross-border committees which cooperate across the state borders. The activities of some of these committees have been going on since the 1960’s. The aim of the committees are increasing growth and development of the actual border region, building on the concept that bigger, dynamic and well-integrated regions will be able to retain and attract companies and people for further growth and development. The cross-border regions are geographically delimited by their member institutions, which consist of government organisations on either regional or municipal level in neighbouring countries. These can be municipalities, counties, local authority associations or other organisations that deal with regional development. In some cases, the same regional body might be involved in several cross-border committees. Such areas are hatched in the map.

The map shows the members’ location of the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (NIAS).

Members of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and non-NATO members as of 2015

Transnational Cross-border Programmes in Northern Europe for the period 2014-2020 (Interreg V B). The map shows the geography of the cooperation regions and areas in the implementation of the programmes, i.e. North Sea Region, Baltic Sea Region, and Northern Periphery and Arctic Region.

Create, share and print customised maps

Member states of European Union (EU), European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and Eurasian Economic Union as of 2015

Co-operation Committees funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2015 The Nordic countries have a long history of cross-border co-operation. In parts, this co-operation has been carried out through regional cross-border committees which cooperate across the state borders. The activities of some of these committees have been going on since the 1960’s. The aim of the committees are increasing growth and development of the actual border region, building on the concept that bigger, dynamic and well-integrated regions will be able to retain and attract companies and people for further growth and development.

Interreg V-B Northern Periphery and Arctic Region Programme area for the period 2014-2020

Interreg V-B North Sea Region Programme area for the period 2014-2020

Interreg V-B Baltic Sea Region Programme area for the period 2014-2020