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Sweden · county

Västra Götaland population 2026

Västra Götaland has 1,772,821 people on the latest official figure, for 1 January 2025, 5,805 more than a year earlier (+0.33%). It is 2nd of Sweden’s 21 counties by population, home to 16.7% of Sweden’s people.

If last year’s change continues: about 1.8 million by 1 July 2026. That is our arithmetic, not an official figure.

Västra Götaland in numbers

Population
1.8 million 1 January 2025
Change in a year
+0.33% +5,805 people
Change since 2020
+2.72% from 1.7 million
Share of Sweden
16.7% 2nd of 21 counties
Population density
52per km² 34,331 km²

That is about as many people as North Macedonia (1.8 million).

Population of Västra Götaland by year

Population of Västra Götaland
1.8M
› Show the numbers as a table
YearPopulation
20121,590,604
20131,600,447
20141,615,084
20151,632,012
20161,648,682
20171,671,783
20181,690,782
20191,709,814
20201,725,881
20211,734,443
20221,744,859
20231,758,656
20241,767,016
20251,772,821
YearPopulationChange
2025 1,772,821 +5,805
2024 1,767,016 +8,360
2023 1,758,656 +13,797
2022 1,744,859 +10,416
2021 1,734,443 +8,562
2020 1,725,881 +16,067
2019 1,709,814 +19,032
2018 1,690,782 +18,999
2017 1,671,783 +23,101
2016 1,648,682 +16,670
2015 1,632,012 +16,928
2014 1,615,084 +14,637
2013 1,600,447 +9,843
2012 1,590,604 –

Västra Götaland among Sweden’s counties

Full ranking →
Counties of Sweden by population
#
1 Stockholm County2,473,307+0.75%
2 Västra Götaland1,772,821+0.33%
3 Skåne1,428,626+0.48%
4 Östergötland472,446+0.03%
5 Uppsala County407,912+0.82%
6 Jönköping County370,009+0.31%
7 Halland345,074+0.39%
8 Örebro County308,375+0.08%
9 Södermanland301,542−0.13%
10 Dalarna286,546−0.25%
11 Gävleborg284,558−0.38%
12 Värmland283,384−0.06%
13 Västmanland281,158+0.12%
14 Västerbotten281,138+0.86%
15 Norrbotten248,620+0.06%
16 Kalmar County246,352−0.13%
17 Västernorrland241,458−0.28%
18 Kronoberg203,351−0.16%
19 Blekinge157,223−0.47%
20 Jämtland132,839+0.20%
21 Gotland60,971−0.10%

Largest cities in Västra Götaland

City proper, not the wider metro area; latest figure in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), so years differ.

  1. Gothenburg608,462
  2. Borås71,700
  3. Mölndal59,430
  4. Trollhättan48,573
  5. Skövde36,842
  6. Uddevalla34,781

Air quality in Västra Götaland today

Hourly AQI and a 48-hour forecast.

Gothenburg

Questions

What is the population of Västra Götaland in 2026?
The latest official figure is 1,772,821, for 1 January 2025 (Eurostat). If last year’s change continues, Västra Götaland would have about 1.8 million people by 1 July 2026; that is our arithmetic, not an official figure. Eurostat updates regional populations once a year.

Is Västra Götaland’s population growing or shrinking?
It grew by 5,805 people (+0.33%) in the latest year, and has changed +2.72% since 2020.

How does Västra Götaland rank in Sweden?
Västra Götaland is 2nd of Sweden’s 21 counties, with 16.7% of the people. Stockholm County is the largest, with 2.5 million.

What is the population density of Västra Götaland?
About 52 people per km², on 34,331 km². Total area, Wikidata.

What is the largest city in Västra Götaland?
Gothenburg, with about 608 thousand people in the city proper. Metro areas are larger, and years differ (GeoNames).

Source and method

Eurostat, population on 1 January by NUTS 3 region (demo_r_pjanaggr3). Eurostat reuse policy (CC BY 4.0). Total area, Wikidata. Eurostat updates regional populations once a year. Ranks, shares and changes are our arithmetic on the published figures. National figures can differ from the UN’s projection for Sweden, which uses a different method. The 2026 figure above carries last year’s change forward; it does not come from the source.

Cite this page: Västra Götaland population, Eurostat, 1 January 2025. GlobeMetrics, https://globemetrics.org/world-population/sweden/vastra-gotaland/

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