The Swedish capital Stockholm has the largest population of the five Nordic capitals with 2.46 million inhabitants. This is unsurprising as Sweden also is the Nordic country with the largest population. The capital area of Copenhagen is slightly larger than that of Helsinki, whereas Iceland's capital Reykjavik had the smallest population with 244,000 inhabitants. Oslo's rapid population decline in 2024 is explained by only the numbers for Oslo municipality being reported.
Population in the capital areas in the Nordic countries from 2014 to 2024
(in 1,000s)
For this statistic, the values reported by the source have been rounded.
The capital area of Copenhagen includes Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Albertslund, Brøndby, Gentofte, Gladsaxe, Glostrup, Herlev, Hvidovre, Lyngby-Taarbæk, Rødovre, Tårnby and Vallensbæk municipalities and urban parts of Ballerup, Rudersdal, Furesø, Ishøj and Greve Strand.
The capital area of Helsinki includes Helsinki, Espoo (Esbo), Kauniainen (Grankulla) and Vantaa (Vanda).
The capital area of Reykjavik includes Reykjavik, Kópavogur, Seltjarnarnes, Gardóbµr, Hafnarfjöróur, Mosfellsbµr and Kjósarhreppur.
The capital area of Oslo includes Oslo municipality and Akerhus county.
The capital area of Stockholm includes Stockholm, Upplands Väsby, Vallentuna, Österåker, Värmdö, Järfälla, Ekerö, Huddinge, Botkyrka, Salem, Haninge, Tyresö, Upplands-Bro, Nykvarn, Täby, Danderyd, Sollentuna, Södertälje, Nacka, Sundbyberg, Solna, Lidingö, Vaxholm, Norrtälje, Sigtuna and Nynäshamn.
*For 2024, only the population of the municipality of Oslo was reported.
**Sweden reports its population figures as of December 31.
Profit from the additional features of your individual account
Currently, you are using a shared account. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set
statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account.
If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again.
Learn more about how Statista can support your business.
Nordic Statistics database. (June 19, 2024). Population in the capital areas in the Nordic countries from 2014 to 2024 (in 1,000s) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved October 26, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1296312/nordics-total-population-capital-area/
Nordic Statistics database. "Population in the capital areas in the Nordic countries from 2014 to 2024 (in 1,000s)." Chart. June 19, 2024. Statista. Accessed October 26, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1296312/nordics-total-population-capital-area/
Nordic Statistics database. (2024). Population in the capital areas in the Nordic countries from 2014 to 2024 (in 1,000s). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: October 26, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1296312/nordics-total-population-capital-area/
Nordic Statistics database. "Population in The Capital Areas in The Nordic Countries from 2014 to 2024 (in 1,000s)." Statista, Statista Inc., 19 Jun 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1296312/nordics-total-population-capital-area/
Nordic Statistics database, Population in the capital areas in the Nordic countries from 2014 to 2024 (in 1,000s) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1296312/nordics-total-population-capital-area/ (last visited October 26, 2024)
Population in the capital areas in the Nordic countries from 2014 to 2024 (in 1,000s) [Graph], Nordic Statistics database, June 19, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1296312/nordics-total-population-capital-area/