Municipalities of the Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands are administratively divided in 29 municipalities (kommunur), with about 120 cities and villages. Until December 31, 2008, there were 34 municipalities, and until December 31, 2004, there were 48 municipalities. In the coming years the number of Faroese municipalities is expected to drop to somewhere between 7 and 15, as there is currently a rationale towards municipal amalgamation and a decentralization of public services. In 1998 it was suggested that no municipality should have fewer than 2,000 inhabitants, but whether this will be true is a political question. The Faroese government has furthermore decided not to conduct forced, top-down amalgamation, but to leave the process to the free will of the municipalities. In many small municipalities there is some resistance to the amalgamation process, and as a result two kinds of municipalities are being created: large municipalities (town-municipalities) that are eager to attract smaller municipalities into amalgamation, and small municipalities which are either trying to avoid amalgamation or seek to amalgamate with other small municipalities. The geographically large Sunda municipality is an example of this. The larger municipalities are organized in Kommunusamskipan Føroya (KFS) and the smaller are organized in Føroya Kommunufelag (FKF).

Municipalities of the Faroe Islands since 2017

List of municipalities

As of June 1, 2019, there were 29 municipalities in the Faroe Islands.

Name of Municipality	Population (January 2020)	Inhabitants per km2	Area (in km2)	Markatal	Island(s)	Region
Tórshavn	21,926	127	173	327	Streymoy, Nólsoy, Hestur, Koltur	Tórshavn[1]
Klaksvík	5,247	45	116.4		Borðoy, Svínoy, Kalsoy	Klaksvík[2]
Runavík	4,157	42	99.9		Eysturoy	Southern Eysturoy
Eystur	2,156	51	42		Eysturoy	Southern Eysturoy
Vágar	2,130	21	102.8		Vágar	Vágar
Sunda	1,810	11	158	152	Eysturoy, Streymoy	Northern Eysturoy; Northern Streymoy
Tvøroyri	1,714	40	43	60	Suðuroy	Suðuroy
Fuglafjørður	1,589	69	23	32	Eysturoy	Northern Eysturoy
Vágur	1,351	64	21	61	Suðuroy	Suðuroy
Nes	1,338	96	14	40	Eysturoy	Southern Eysturoy
Vestmanna	1,245	24	52	56	Streymoy	Streymoy
Sørvágur	1,236	15	84	124	Vágar, Mykines	Vágar
Sjóvar	1,089	33	33	70	Eysturoy	Southern Eysturoy
Eiði	761	21	37	49	Eysturoy	Northern Eysturoy
Hvalba	679	17	40	99	Suðuroy, Lítla Dímun	Suðuroy
Kvívík	597	12	49	75	Streymoy	Streymoy
Sandur	532	11	48	97	Sandoy	Sandoy
Skopun	440	49	9	0	Sandoy	Sandoy
Hvannasund	416	13	33	38	Viðoy and Borðoy	Klaksvík
Sumba	358	14	25	64	Suðuroy	Suðuroy
Viðareiði	346	12	30	48	Viðoy	Norðoyggjar
Porkeri	318	23	14	37	Suðuroy	Suðuroy
Kunoy	156	4	35.5	65	Kunoy	Norðoyggjar
Skálavík	144	5	29	24	Sandoy	Sandoy
Húsavík	115	4	26	66	Sandoy	Sandoy
Hov	99	10	10	24	Suðuroy	Suðuroy
Fámjin	83	6	13	24	Suðuroy	Suðuroy
Skúvoy	40	4	10	73	Skúvoy, Stóra Dímun	Sandoy
Fugloy	38	3	11.2	14	Fugloy	Norðoyggjar

History

Municipalities from 1 January 2005 until 31 December 2008

• On 1 January 2017 (30 municipalities reduced to 29):
  • Húsar fused with Klaksvík
• On 1 January 2009 (34 municipalities reduced to 30):
  • Funningur fused with Runavík.
  • Gøta and Leirvík fused into Eystur.
  • Miðvágur and Sandavágur fused into Vágar.
  • Svínoy fused with Klaksvík.
• On 1 January 2005 (38 municipalities reduced to 34):
  • Elduvík, Oyndarfjørður and Skála fused with Runavík.
  • Gjógv, Haldarsvík, Hósvík, Hvalvík and Saksun fused with Sunda municipality.
  • Hestur, Kirkjubøur and Nólsoy fused with Tórshavn.
  • Mikladalur fused with Klaksvík.
  • Mykines fused with Sørvágur.
• On 1 January 1997
  • Argir and Kaldbak fused with Tórshavn.
• On 1 August 1948
  • Funningur split into Funningur and Gjógv.

See also

• List of towns in the Faroe Islands
• Regions of the Faroe Islands
• List of islands of the Faroe Islands
• Subdivisions of Norden
• Politics of the Faroe Islands

Notes

^ Hagstova Føroya - information from 2007.
^ Tórshavn is both the capital of the Streymoy region and its own region, the latter being identical with Tórshavn municipality, but not including the area of the former Kollafjarðar kommuna.
^ Klaksvík both capital of the Norðoyggjar region as well of its own region, which constitute of the two municipalities Klaksvík and Hvannasund.

References

• Hagstova Føroya - Municipalities by size and width, population growth and density, age and sex - December 31, 2002 (in PDF)
• Hagstova Føroya - Municipalities by size and width, population growth and density, age and sex - December 31, 2002 (in PDF)
• Population by municipalities. 1 Jan. 2015 - PDF page 11