Publications

Many Nordic municipalities are experiencing population decline, ageing, and uneven demographic trends, creating challenges for economic sustainability, service provision, and infrastructure development. While growth has traditionally been the policy focus, these shifts require a different approach. Smart adaptation offers a way to rethink resource allocation, adjust services, and foster innovation to build more resilient communities. This policy brief explores how policymakers and planners can develop adaptive strategies to manage demographic change effectively. It highlights key principles of smart adaptation and provides practical insights for national, regional, and local decision-makers. The policy brief outlines seven policy actions to support smart adaptation to population shrinkage in the Nordic region. Based on insights from a series of workshops with planners, policymakers, and experts, these recommendations highlight key pathways for managing demographic change effectively: This policy brief is part of the Smart Adaptation to Rural Realities: approaches and practices in Nordic municipalities and regions (2023–2025) project, which explores governance strategies for managing demographic decline in the Nordic region. The findings draw on a review of Nordic and European research, an analysis of regional and rural development policies, and a series of workshops with municipal, regional, and national representatives from Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland, and Denmark. The project aims to facilitate knowledge exchange and identify adaptive strategies that support long-term resilience in shrinking communities.

What drives young adults in the Nordic region to stay, move, or return to their place of origin? This working paper explores the migration patterns and settlement preferences of Nordic individuals aged 25-39—a key period for long-term relocation decisions. Grounded in the Competence Mobility II project, the study examines how career opportunities, social ties, and lifestyle aspirations influence mobility choices across the region.

Political discontent has been rising in many Western democracies, often linked to economic insecurities, spatial inequalities, and demographic shifts. While the Nordic countries generally maintain high levels of trust in institutions, growing rural-urban divides may contribute to dissatisfaction, particularly in areas facing economic stagnation or demographic imbalances. This project synthesis examines spatial disparities across the Nordic Region and their association with electoral behaviour, particularly voter turnout and support for populist parties. The findings indicate that while political discontent has not uniformly increased across the Nordic Region, rural areas consistently show lower voter turnout, while intermediate areas have higher support for populist parties. Socio-economic factors such as unemployment, lower education levels, and income stagnation correlate with higher populist voting, while areas with traditional, polluting industries show lower levels of discontent – suggesting the economic stability of these industries plays a role in maintaining trust. Based on these insights, the synthesis outlines key policy recommendations for addressing regional inequalities and fostering inclusive development: This publication is part of the “Ensuring inclusive economic growth in the transition to a green economy (EnIGG)” project. The project analyses how the Nordic countries can accelerate the green transition towards a climate-neutral economy. The policy brief is part of a working package that looks into the distributive effects of climate policies and analyses how gaps between richer and poorer population groups and regions have developed since the last economic crisis. See also a complementary visual guide with insights into Nordic spatial variations in demographic, social, and economic characteristics.

In recent years, feelings of being left behind have grown in some regions across Europe and the Western world, linked to economic, social, and demographic disparities. This visual guide provides an overview of spatial variations across the Nordic Region, illustrating key demographic, socio-economic, and environmental indicators through maps and charts. By comparing municipalities and regions, the visual guide highlights rural-urban differences and identifies statistically significant patterns at the Nordic level. It categorises municipalities based on Nordregio’s rural-urban typology, offering insights into how urban, intermediate, and rural areas differ in terms of population composition, income levels, green jobs, and greenhouse gas emissions. This visual guide complements the Nordregio policy brief Navigating Nordic Discontent, which explores the regional divides shaping political and economic trends in the Nordics. They are part of the project “Ensuring inclusive economic growth in the transition to a green economy (EnIGG)”. The project analyses how the Nordic countries can accelerate the green transition towards a climate-neutral economy. The publications are part of a working package that looks into the distributive effects of climate policies and analyses how gaps between richer and poorer population groups and regions have developed since the last economic crisis.

Gotland’s innovative biogas project turns organic waste into fuel for cars and buses, combating climate change and fostering a cleaner, sustainable society. With farmers, industries, households, and even the municipality contributing to biogas production, the initiative builds a collaborative spirit on the island. The sustainable initiative brings multiple benefits to the local community. While EU regulations restrict food crops for biofuel production, and a market skewed towards electric vehicles, local entrepreneurs address this by promoting biogas car sales and conversion of regular cars to biogas systems, demonstrating how local initiatives can address global sustainability challenges. Next up: biogas-fuelled ferries? Local ownership and collaboration are vital in renewable energy projects. Read more about how Biogas Gotland realised its plans and the lessons learned from successful local ownership of sustainable energy.

On the popular holiday island of Gotland, off Sweden’s southeast coast, community-driven initiative Austerland Energi is building a solar energy park, enabling local energy generation, storage, sharing, and use. The sparsely populated Östergarnslandet has 3,700 households, but only one-third are occupied by permanent residents, and the rest belong to second home owners. Austerland Energi is a community-driven energy project that just established its solar energy park as a local manifestation of the Paris Agreement. The initiative builds on previous successful local projects, such as a water and sewage system, a fibre network, and a community centre conversion. Learn how engaged residents are shaping their community’s future through this local energy transition, beginning with their community-owned solar park.

In an evolving risk landscape characterised by extreme weather events, natural disasters, as well as geopolitical turmoil and hybrid threats, it is essential to build and maintain robust and resilient societies capable of withstanding and managing both environmental disasters and human-made crises. This policy brief analyses how regional policy can contribute to civil preparedness and robustness in Nordic rural areas. This policy brief examines how regional policy can enhance civil preparedness and resilience by strengthening cooperation, ensuring access to critical resources, and supporting sustainable transitions. Key aspects include crisis prevention, emergency services, food and energy security, and access to essential public services. The findings highlight the role of strategic regional planning in building more resilient and adaptable Nordic communities. The policy brief has been drafted as a part of the ‘Robust Regional Preparedness‘ project. You can also download the policy brief in Swedish.

Den här rapporten är del av ett nordiskt projekt vars övergripande syfte har varit att undersöka hur regionalpolitik på bästa sätt kan bidra till att tillgodose civil beredskap och robusthet i nordiska landsbygder under perioder av kris. I det nya risklandskapet är ett robust samhälle, med kapacitet att stå emot och hantera både miljökatastrofer och mänskligt orsakade kriser, högst eftersträvansvärt. Regioner och kommuner kan bidra till robusthet och civil beredskap genom att upprätthålla samarbetsförmåga och utveckla innovativa lösningar för en hållbar omställning, tillika säkra tillgången till mat, råmaterial, energi och service för sina invånare, både i fredstid och i perioder av kris. Inom ramen för studien definieras civil beredskap genom följande aspekter: förebyggande och trygghetsskapande åtgärder i samhället, räddningstjänst och krisberedskap, matsäkerhet inklusive livsmedelsförsörjning, energiförsörjning, försörjning av råmaterial (främst mineraler och metaller), samt tillgång till (offentlig) service. This policy brief is part of a Nordic project ‘Robust Regional Preparedness‘ analysing how regional policy can contribute to civil preparedness and robustness in Nordic rural areas during periods of crisis. In the current risk landscape characterised by both environmental disasters and man-made crises, regions and municipalities can also contribute to robustness and civil preparedness by maintaining cooperation and developing innovative solutions for a sustainable transition, while also securing access to food, raw materials, energy and services for their residents, both in peacetime and in periods of crisis. The policy brief is also available in English. For more, see the additional resources (linked below) from the project for details.

Nordic rural areas are facing complex, interconnected challenges, from labour shortages and shrinking populations to green, digital, and remote work transitions. At the same time, these challenges offer an opportunity to recognise the diversity of Nordic rural areas and at even leverage and build on local specificities to pave the way towards the future. The Roadmap for Nordic Rural Development builds on and summarises the work of the Nordic Thematic Group on Green and Inclusive Rural Development (2021–2024). Drawing from discussions, workshops, and project results, the roadmap highlights the Nordic added value of recent initiatives, outlines overarching themes for rural development, and proposes future thematic areas and projects for exploration. Explore the interactive storymap to discover innovative policy solutions for mobile living and working, place-based approaches, strengthened administrative capacity, and genuine stakeholder involvement—all designed to foster sustainable and inclusive rural development. The roadmap outlines strategies and solutions for the future, as well as the key findings and recommendations from projects focused on rural development and points towards remaining challenges and questions to be addressed going forward. The roadmap is also available in:

This Policy Brief presents WANO (Waste Management in the High North) project activities in 2024 and summarizes the major results and findings. The WANO project group suggests recommendations for  further development of municipal waste management in north Norway. WANO (Waste Management in the High North) is a research project in 2021-2024 funded by the Norwegian Research Council (NFR) and includes the partners NORCE Norwegian Research Centre (the lead partner), Nordregio, Remiks Miljøpark AS, and Hålogaland Ressursselskap (HRS) IKS. The project generates new research-based knowledge on the conditions for innovation-driven, cross-border cooperation in the northernmost regions of Norway, Sweden, and Finland.

Could electric aviation contribute to mitigating the climate impact of aviation? If so, what open questions and challenges need to be addressed before electric aviation can become a reality in the Nordic Region? This policy brief outlines the main obstacles to implementing electric aviation in the Nordic region and introduces actionable solutions and a roadmap with steps towards making electric aviation reality in the coming years. The policy brief is also available in Finnish, Icelandic and Swedish, browse the digital edition or download a pdf version with the links below: In this policy brief, you will find: This policy brief has been produced as a part of the Electric aviation and the effects on the Nordic regions project that looks into the effects of electric aviation on Nordic regional development. The project is funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers. The partners include Nordregio, Nordic Energy Research and the University of Akureyri.

Latest research and implications for planners and policymakers This report examines how remote work is reshaping urban and regional development in the Nordic Region, highlighting remote work’s influence on residential preferences, mobility, workforce distribution, and the attractiveness of rural areas. Six thematic areas are identified as having a spatial impact: transportation, urban-rural linkages, digital nomadism, co-working spaces, housing, urban cores, and polycentric cities. Exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work has changed how people live and work. Since 2021, Nordregio has studied the tools and policies used in Nordic countries to support remote work. This report aims to discuss the research results within Nordregio’s Remote work and multilocality post-pandemic project and the latest international literature exploring the spatial implications of remote work. In doing so, we understand how remote work can be integrated into urban and regional development, planning, and policymaking within the Nordic Region. We identified six thematic areas in which remote work practices are making a spatial influence on urban, rural, and regional development: (1) challenges and opportunities for transportation, (2) urban-rural linkages, (3) digital nomadism, co-working spaces, and third places, (4) attractive and affordable housing fit for work-live arrangements, (5) impacts on urban cores, and (6) polycentric cities and the 15-minute city ideal. The report provides a discussion of planning and policy implications, categorised under three areas: transportation, the built environment, and sustainability. The report highlights several recommendations, such as to safeguard public transport, support investments in measures to boost small-town and rural attractiveness, encourage development according to work-live (mixed-use) designs and 15-minute city principles, promote a diverse and affordable housing supply, enable access to digital infrastructure, plan for residents who also do not have the possibility to work remotely, and reconsider research frameworks and data collection based on the unique spatial patterns of remote work.

This report explores strategies to alleviate rural labour shortages across Denmark, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Åland. It includes an overview of trends driving rural labour shortages, country-specific national outlooks, and a thematic review that highlights commonalities and differences in rural workforce challenges across the Nordic region. In addition to the full report (links above), you can download an extended summary of the report in Nordic languages. The key questions tackled in the report include: Based on the analyses, the report introduces six strategies for addressing rural labour shortages in the Nordic region: These strategies emphasise the need for tailored, region-specific approaches to meet varying local labour market needs. The report is an outcome of the Nordic ‘Strategies to Address Nordic Rural Labour Shortage‘ project, which aims to fill knowledge gaps concerning strategies for addressing rural labour shortages, their regional variations, and the sectors particularly affected by such shortages. The project has been carried out in the framework of the Nordic Thematic Group on Green and Inclusive Rural Development (2021-2024). Strategies to address rural labour shortages and the key insights from the report are also discussed in a webinar on 15 January: Tackling rural labour shortages: challenges, strategies and solutions. Register to participate live or catch up with a video recording afterwards.

What are the regional environmental impacts of the next generation electric aircraft in the Nordic Region? Transport – and more specifically, aviation – is a key to fostering connectivity and accessibility, as well as promoting integration across the Nordic Region. But with what kind of environmental impact? Could electric aviation be a solution towards more sustainable transport? This storymap takes stock of the environmental impacts of aviation and explores how electric aviation could contribute to making flying more sustainable. Electric aviation is an emerging sector in the Nordic countries, showing great potential as a key element in connecting the region’s diverse and remote areas. The development of electric planes marks a significant step toward more sustainable aviation. Besides connectivity, electric aviation can offer social benefits, such as improved access to healthcare and education, while increasing the region’s appeal to young people and potential migrants. It can also spark opportunities for technological innovation and high-tech advanced in local industries. However, challenges still remain, as both the production and charging phases still carry an environmental impact. As technology advances, more analysis is needed to better grasp the long-term implications of electric aviation. This storymap has been produced as a part of the Electric aviation and the effects on the Nordic regions project that looks into the effects of electric aviation on Nordic regional development. The project is funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers. The partners include Nordregio, Nordic Energy Research and the University of Akureyri.

This policy brief explores the current status, key characteristics, and distribution of peripheral higher education institutions located in smaller towns and rural regions across the Nordic countries. It aims to increase knowledge about the types of students who are attracted to these institutions and the factors influencing their choices. The analysis in this policy brief draws on statistical data, a literature review, results from focus group discussions, and a survey conducted among young adults in the Nordic countries.    The policy brief from the EDYNORA project highlights the vital role of Peripheral higher education institutions (PHEIs) in local and regional development, highlighting their influence as shapers of places and culture. PHEIs complement major university towns and capital regions by enabling rural youth to access education close to home or with minimal travel, ensuring they are not left behind in accessing quality education and opportunities. The findings emphasize that strategic planning for PHEIs must account for the distinct demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the Nordic regions where they operate.

This working paper analyses the territorial differences in household wealth across the Nordic Region. It examines the distribution and development of income inequality across the Nordics between 2005 and 2022, focusing especially on disparities at the municipal level and offers insights into the complex dynamics of income inequality in the Nordic Region. This working paper presents empirical evidence on the development of income inequalities in the Nordic countries and self-governing territories during the first decades of the 21st century (2005-2022). The analysis focuses on the social and territorial expressions of socio-economic inequalities, considering income differentials within and between territorial units. The exploration builds on data collected at themunicipal level in Åland, Denmark, Finland, Greenland, Norway and Sweden, at the regional level in the Faroe Islands and for Statistical Output Areas in Iceland. The analysis pays particular attention to the development of household income in rural and urban areas since the pre-2007 financial crisis. The discussion also sheds light on the relationship between average income levels and living standards in the various municipalities, as well as their respective levels of income inequality, exploring whether those two dimensions reinforce each other, meaning that greater levels of affluence lead to greater levels of inequality. The contribution of income inequalities within and between municipalities to inequality at societal level is also addressed. The paper is a part of the project “Ensuring inclusive economic growth in the transition to a green economy (EnIGG)”. The project analyses how the Nordic countries can accelerate the green transition towards a climate-neutral economy. The paper is part of a working package that looks into the distributive effects of climate policies and analyses how gaps between richer and poorer population groups and regions have developed since the last economic crisis.

What does it take to build a robust society that can withstand crises? Draw inspiration from a selection of good practice examples on civil preparedness and crisis response in the Nordics. Take a tour across the Nordic Region and learn more about inspiring initiatives in different parts of the Nordics to enhance civil preparedness, resilience and crisis response capacities at the local level. The examples cover measures ranging from dealing with extreme weather, to addressing food security, energy provision, raw materials, as well as access to public services and essential infrastructure.  The storymap showcases a selection of 24 examples of civil preparedness and crisis response in the Nordics. The examples illustrate the broad scope of regional civil preparedness initiatives in the Nordic Region and highlight the diversity of contributions from public authorities at the level of the state, regions and municipalities, as well as private businesses and civil society organisations. They also emphasise the key role of cooperation between individuals, colleagues, sectors in a municipality, between municipalities, between sectors in the region, between regions, within the state, as well as between states. This storymap has been produced as a part of the Robust Regional Preparedness project that explores how regional policies in the Nordic countries can enhance civil preparedness and resilience during crises.

Measuring sustainable tourism doesn’t just mean looking at the natural environment. Travel destinations have to be livable and functional for the permanent residents who help make them so attractive in the first place. This report examines the integration of social sustainability within the national tourism policies of the Nordic countries, focusing on how these policies address the social dimensions of sustainable tourism. As tourism continues to grow in the Nordic region, the economic benefits of tourism have to be balanced with the environmental and social impacts, to ensure the well-being of local communities and the preservation of cultural heritage. Tourism plays a crucial role in the development of the Nordic region, offering significant opportunities for growth and job creation. However, the rapid expansion of the tourism industry has also brought challenges such as overtourism, environmental degradation, and social disruptions. The project this report belongs to, aims to explore how the Nordic countries are addressing these challenges by integrating social sustainability into their tourism policies. The concept of socially sustainable tourism encompasses various aspects, including community engagement, cultural preservation, social equity, and the well-being of local populations. By examining the national tourism policies of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and Åland, this report seeks to identify common themes and specific strategies employed by these countries to promote socially sustainable tourism. The analysis is based on a comprehensive literature review, policy review, and case studies, providing a holistic understanding of the current state of social sustainability in Nordic tourism. The findings highlight the importance of community involvement in tourism planning and development, the need for equitable distribution of tourism benefits, and the role of cultural preservation in maintaining the unique identity of the Nordic region. This report serves as a foundational document for further research on the more…

State of the Nordic Region 2024 takes stock of the latest trends and developments in demography, labour market and economy in the Nordic countries, regions, municipalities, and cities. This year’s report marks the 20th edition of the State of the Nordic Region, a bi-annually published report that provides a Nordic panorama of regional development trends in the Nordic countries based on the latest statistical data, maps and analyses. Watch the video from the online launch event (19 June) to get an overview of the report highlights. The State of the Nordic Region 2024 presents a collection of maps, figures and analysis within three core areas: demography, labour market, and economy, as well as a newly updated Regional Potential Index. DEMOGRAPHY What are the latest demographic trends in the Nordic Region? What kind of impact did the pandemic have on different aspects of demographic development? The demography section compiles insights from population statistics on mortality and birth, population change and migration in the Nordic Region based on the most recent available data.   Ch 1: Population change beyond the pandemic Ch 2: Fertility decline in the Nordic Region Ch 3: The Nordic geography of diversity LABOUR MARKET What kind of labour market trends are the most prevalent in the Nordic Region at the moment? How has the labour market recovered since the pandemic? Do we have the necessary skills and compe­tences to remain competitive in the future? And how is the green transition shaping the labour market? The labour market section tackles the latest developments of the labour market from different perspectives. Ch 4: The Nordic labour market after the pandemic Ch 5: Challenges of labour shortages and skills provision Ch 6: Green transition of the labour market ECONOMY Achieving sustainable, long-term regional development requires that economic, environmental, and social aspects are…

This working paper explores the factors driving political discontent and changes in the electoral behaviour across the Nordic Region. It serves as a conceptual overview of the topic by taking stock of the combination of factors that are driving discontent and geographies of discontent in the Western liberal democracies and in the Nordic Region specifically. The 2010s have seen a rise of the age of discontent, including political and anti-government protests, as well as changes in the electoral behaviour. While voter turnout has continued to decline throughout the recent years in the West, there has also been a rise in votes cast for non-traditional and in some cases new parties. This has often been referred to as the most distinct expression of political discontent. The root causes and drivers of the anti-government sentiment are complex. The driving forces include the economic and structural changes that have increased the vulnerability of individuals and territories. The resulting inequalities and socio-cultural divides between people and places give rise to discontent and dissatisfaction, particularly within places that feel left behind. While the key factors driving geographies of discontent elsewhere in the West can also be found in the Nordic Region, further analysis is required to ascertain whether discontent in the region is primarily driven by territorial or interpersonal inequality. The paper is a part of the project “Ensuring inclusive economic growth in the transition to a green economy (EnIGG)”. The project analyses how the Nordic countries can accelerate the green transition towards a climate-neutral economy. The paper is part of a working package that looks into the distributive effects of climate policies and analyses how gaps between richer and poorer population groups and regions have developed since the last economic crisis.