Sodankylä: population and statistics
Sodankylä has a population of 8,095 (2025) across 11,704.0 km², or 0.7 people per km². It ranks 117 of 308 municipalities by population. Its population is falling: −7.8% between 2015 and 2025.
- 8,095 residents
- 11,704.0 km²
- 1 people/km²
- 187 m
Sodankylä in numbers
Key points
Among the 21 municipalities in Lapland, Sodankylä ranks No. 4 by population.
Share of Swedish speakers: 0.1% in Sodankylä, compared with an average of 0.3% in Lapland and 5.0% nationally.
Largest business sector: Mining and quarrying, with 18.0% of the area's jobs.
A 1 kWp solar panel tilted at 48° generates about 771 kWh a year here.
Did you know?
- “Share of dwellings built before 1940”: lower than in 96% of municipalities.
- “Share of Swedish speakers”: lower than in 93% of municipalities.
- “Unemployed as a share of the labour force”: lower than in 92% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 1,639,221 football pitches.
- Its population density is 26.6 times lower than the national average.
- The nearest municipality is Pelkosenniemi, 52.2 km away.
- The nearest more populous municipality is Rovaniemi (66,191 residents), 108 km away.
Population of Sodankylä over time
Sodankylä had 8,782 residents in 2015 and 8,095 in 2025.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 8,266 |
| 2021 | 8,187 |
| 2022 | 8,134 |
| 2023 | 8,126 |
| 2024 | 8,127 |
| 2025 | 8,095 |
All indicators for Sodankylä
Value for the municipality, then the regional average and the national median (for counts: regional and national totals). The gauge places the municipality between the lowest and highest value in the country.
Population
| Indicator | Sodankylä | Lapland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of people aged under 15 (2025) | 12.4% | 13.5% | 13.3% | ranked 181 of 302 | |
| Share of people aged 65 and over (2025) | 31.0% | 28.1% | 31.2% | ranked 158 of 302 | |
| Mean age of the population (2025) | 48.6 years | 46.2 | 48.5 | ranked 147 of 302 | |
| Share of Swedish speakers (2025) | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.3% | ranked 222 of 302 | |
| Share of foreign nationals (2025) | 2.9% | 4.3% | 3.4% | ranked 176 of 302 |
Housing
| Indicator | Sodankylä | Lapland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total dwellings (2025) | 4,995 no. | 109,438 no. | 3,258,449 no. | ranked 108 of 308 | |
| Share of dwellings built before 1940 (2025) | 1.1% | – | 8.2% | ranked 289 of 302 | |
| Share of dwellings built after 2000 (2025) | 14.7% | – | 14.5% | ranked 145 of 302 | |
| Share of dwellings in detached and semi-detached houses (2025) | 58.0% | – | 64.5% | ranked 201 of 302 | |
| Share of dwellings in blocks of flats (2025) | 13.7% | – | 11.1% | ranked 129 of 302 | |
| Share of dwellings not permanently occupied (2025) | 18.5% | – | 16.9% | ranked 126 of 302 | |
| Free-time residential buildings per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 281.8 /1,000 inh. | 202.2 /1,000 inh. | 186.3 /1,000 inh. | ranked 111 of 302 |
Energy
| Indicator | Sodankylä | Lapland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of residential buildings heated with district heating (2025) | 8.9% | – | 3.9% | ranked 69 of 302 | |
| Share of residential buildings heated with electricity (2025) | 46.3% | – | 39.8% | ranked 72 of 302 | |
| Share of residential buildings heated with geothermal heat (2025) | 4.1% | – | 5.5% | ranked 199 of 302 | |
| Share of residential buildings heated with oil or gas (2025) | 11.5% | – | 17.1% | ranked 245 of 302 | |
| Share of residential buildings heated with wood or peat (2025) | 29.2% | – | 29.1% | ranked 150 of 302 |
Economy
| Indicator | Sodankylä | Lapland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business establishments (2024) | 1,063 no. | 19,780 no. | 600,547 no. | ranked 120 of 308 | |
| Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2024) | 130.8 /1,000 inh. | 112.3 /1,000 inh. | 141.7 /1,000 inh. | ranked 179 of 302 | |
| Median disposable cash income per consumption unit (2024) | 31,390 €/year | – | 29,044 €/year | ranked 57 of 302 | |
| Price per m² of old dwellings in housing companies (2025) | 1,089 €/m² | – | 1,110 €/m² | ranked 113 of 220 | |
| Active companies in the business register (excluding sole traders) (2026) | 429 per 1,000 inh. | 10,110 per 1,000 inh. | 335,854 per 1,000 inh. | ranked 124 of 308 | |
| Active companies in the register per 1,000 inhabitants (excluding sole traders) (2026) | 53.0 per 1,000 inh. | 57.4 per 1,000 inh. | 53.9 per 1,000 inh. | ranked 158 of 302 | |
| Companies registered in the last 12 months per 1,000 inhabitants (2026) | 3.2 per 1,000 inh. | 4.0 per 1,000 inh. | 2.7 per 1,000 inh. | ranked 106 of 302 |
Employment
| Indicator | Sodankylä | Lapland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Persons employed in the area (jobs) (2024) | 3,940 no. | 74,760 no. | 2,423,433 no. | ranked 89 of 308 | |
| Unemployed as a share of the labour force (2024) | 6.0% | 10.1% | 10.8% | ranked 278 of 302 | |
| Employment rate (aged 20–64) (2024) | 81.6% | 75.5% | 75.4% | ranked 34 of 302 |
Tourism
| Indicator | Sodankylä | Lapland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beds in accommodation establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 277.5 /1,000 inh. | 191.7 /1,000 inh. | 36.4 /1,000 inh. | ranked 13 of 136 |
Transport
| Indicator | Sodankylä | Lapland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 551 /1,000 inh. | 535 /1,000 inh. | 580 /1,000 inh. | ranked 212 of 302 |
Society
| Indicator | Sodankylä | Lapland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| At-risk-of-poverty rate (2024) | 9.9% | 13.6% | 14.3% | ranked 248 of 302 |
Education
| Indicator | Sodankylä | Lapland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of people aged 15 and over with a tertiary-level qualification (2024) | 26.3% | 29.3% | 24.1% | ranked 111 of 302 |
Business sectors: Sodankylä
Share of each sector in total jobs; “×1.5” means the sector is 1.5 times more common than nationally.
- Mining and quarrying18.0% ×68.6
- Health and social work16.0% ×0.8
- Public administration and defence11.0% ×2.2
- Accommodation and food services7.6% ×2.1
- Wholesale and retail trade7.2% ×0.7
- Administrative and support services6.8% ×0.9
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing5.8% ×2.4
- Professional, scientific and technical5.8% ×0.9
Sunshine and temperatures: Sodankylä
Where is Sodankylä?
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Sodankylä?
Sodankylä has 8,095 residents (2025), ranking 117 of 308 municipalities.
How big is Sodankylä?
Sodankylä covers 11,704.0 km², with a density of 1 people per km².
Is the population of Sodankylä growing?
Between 2015 and 2025, the population of Sodankylä went from 8,782 to 8,095, a change of −7.8%.
Where is Sodankylä?
Sodankylä is in Lapland. Latitude 67.415, longitude 26.591.
Share of dwellings built before 1940: what is the figure for Sodankylä?
In Sodankylä, “Share of dwellings built before 1940” stands at 1.1% (2025), ranking 289 of 302 municipalities; the national median is 8.2%.
Share of Swedish speakers: what is the figure for Sodankylä?
In Sodankylä, “Share of Swedish speakers” stands at 0.1% (2025), ranking 222 of 302 municipalities; the national median is 0.3%.
How much electricity does a solar panel produce in Sodankylä?
In Sodankylä, a 1 kWp south-facing system tilted at 48° produces about 771 kWh a year.
Which municipalities border Sodankylä?
The nearest to Sodankylä are Pelkosenniemi (52 km), Savukoski (69 km), Kittilä (76 km), Kemijärvi (86 km), Rovaniemi (108 km).
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