Commuting in and out · 2024
10.6 % / 13.1 %
Commuting inCommuting outKolada N02276 / N02279
Share of the employed who cross the municipal border to get to work.
Norrbotten County
Pajala
Short answer: Pajala is in Norrbotten County. The municipality has 5,857 residents (Statistics Sweden 2024), making it Sweden's 262nd largest. The population has fallen by 1.9% over the past five years. The main town is Pajala along with 24 other towns and villages.
Facts
countyNorrbotten County
main townPajala
municipal tax34.7 %
municipality code2521
the localities
19 more on the map Localities in Pajala Municipality
Pajala1,962 inhabitantsKorpilombolo529 inhabitantsJunosuando322 inhabitantsKangos252 inhabitantsTärendö183 inhabitantsMuodoslompolo75 inhabitants
Urban areas, small localities and villages with their own page, by population.
At a glance
Key figures
- Residents
- 5,857
- Condominium
- 2,882 kr/m²
- Average age
- 49.0 yrs
- Growth 2021–2024
- -1.9 %
- Median income / yr
- 412 kSEK
- Population, ranking
- 262 /290
About
Pajala
Pajala is in Norrbotten County. The municipality has 5,857 residents (Statistics Sweden 2024), making it Sweden's 262nd largest. The population has fallen by 1.9% over the past five years. The main town is Pajala along with 24 other towns and villages.
Living here
What is it like to live in Pajala?
The median income is SEK 411,800 per year (2024). The average age is 49.0 years. The municipal tax rate is 34.74%. Unemployment was 1.9% in 2024.
Supply & price
What it costs to live here
Short answer: A house costs 811,000 SEK on average. That is the price actually paid in registered sales in 2024, not asking prices.
811,000 SEKis what a house costs on average here (2024)
The house price in Pajala is 811 thousand SEK. A flat costs 2,882 SEK per square metre. Over 3 years the price has changed by +6 %.
Price is rarely what decides whether a move is possible. Supply is: how many homes are on the market while you are looking. The calculation below the chart converts the average house price into a monthly cost on two median incomes, so the number can be compared with the rent you pay today.
How we count
The house price is Kolada N07915: average price for registered house sales, that is prices paid and not asking prices. The flat price is N07908, SEK per square metre. New construction is N07916, completed homes per thousand residents. The price change is measured between the two years closest to five years apart in the series, with both years spelled out.
Preschool & school
Where the children spend their days
Short answer: 82.3 % of ninth-graders qualified for upper secondary school in 2024. The median municipality is at 82.5 %.
82.3 %of pupils qualified for upper secondary school (2024)
Eligibility for upper secondary school is 82.3 % (2024). 26.9 % of residents aged 25–64 have post-secondary education.
The eligibility figure above is the municipality's aggregate, not the individual school's. It says something about the system and little about one child: the spread between schools within a municipality is routinely larger than the difference between two municipal averages. That is why the schools are listed one by one at the end of this chapter, with the figures the National Agency for Education actually publishes per unit — and with empty cells where it does not.
- Qualified for upper secondary
- 82.3 % of year 9 pupils
- below the median municipality
- the median municipality 82.5 %
- Post-secondary educated
- 26.9 % of 25–64-year-olds
- the median municipality 34.9 %
How we count
Upper-secondary eligibility is Kolada N15428: the share of year 9 pupils eligible for a vocational programme, all pupils of the home municipality regardless of provider. Post-secondary education is N01982. The institutions come from data/education_data.json. The school rows come from the National Agency for Education's open API (planned-educations) and carry the latest year with a value per school; preschools are OpenStreetMap points without quality data and are therefore not in the list.
Labour market
Who is hiring
Short answer: Unemployment is 1.9 %. If two of you are moving, both need to find something — that is where a move most often falls apart.
1.9 %unemployment among 16–64-year-olds (2024)
Unemployment among 16–64-year-olds is 1.9 % (2024). Median income is 412 thousand SEK per year. 13.6 % of those in work commute out of the municipality. There are 255 workplaces per 1,000 residents, and 82 % of them have no employees.
An unemployment figure says how many are looking, not how broad the offering is. Out-commuting says more: if many commute out, the labour market is larger than the municipality, but you may also have to count on travel time every day. The vacancies card is fetched live from the Swedish Public Employment Service and shows the situation right now.
- Unemployment
- 1.9 % of the labour force aged 16–64
- Kolada N02280, 2024
- Median income
- 412 thousand SEK per year
- Kolada N00906, 2024
- Municipal tax
- 34.74 % municipality + region
- the median municipality 33.53 %
- Commute out
- 13.6 % of those in work
- Kolada N02279, 2023
- Workplaces
- 255 per 1,000 residents
- own processing of Statistics Sweden data 2025
- No employees
- 82 % of workplaces
- Statistics Sweden business register 2025
How we count
Unemployment is Kolada N02280: openly unemployed and jobseekers in programmes, aged 16–64, as a share of the register-based labour force. Median income is N00906, aggregate earned income. Out-commuting is N02279. Workplaces come from Statistics Sweden's business register (2025); the per 1,000 residents figure is our own processing using Statistics Sweden's population for the same year.
Distance & commuting
How you get here and away
Short answer: 288 departures on an ordinary weekday. Weekends are thinner, and weekend service is what decides whether you can manage without a car.
288departures on an ordinary weekday
61 stops and stations on 12 lines. No rail service within the municipality.
Frequency is what makes a difference day to day, not whether a line exists on the map. A line with three departures a day cannot be planned around. The journey planner computes door to door by train, bus and car, so you can test the trip you would actually make.
How we count
Stops, lines and departures are counted from Samtrafiken's GTFS feed for a normal week. A stop is counted once even if several lines call there. Travel times in the journey planner are computed by our own MOTIS instance on the same GTFS data plus OpenStreetMap's road network. The airport at the bottom is the one with the most domestic routes among those at most 50 km farther than the nearest, measured as the crow flies from the main town. It is not necessarily the fastest to reach, and the route list is scheduled domestic traffic, without charter or international routes.
Commuting
Commuting and public transport over time
Short answer: 10.6 % of those working in Pajala commute in, and 13.1 % of working residents commute out (2024).
Close to public transport · 2024
20.8 %
+8.4 percentage points since 2014
Share of residentsKolada N07418
Share of residents with a stop within 500 metres, counting stops with at least one departure an hour on weekdays 06 to 20. It measures access, not how much traffic runs, so it has its own chart.
How we count
Commuting is Kolada N02276 and N02279, share of the employed. Departures are counted from KoDa's archive of GTFS timetables in the same ISO week each year, for operators present throughout; departures are stop calls, not trips. Access is Kolada N07418, in percentage points.
Oil shock
How hard does a higher oil price hit households in Pajala?
Short answer: If pump prices rise 20 %, a household in Pajala pays roughly SEK 2,880 more a year for petrol and diesel, against SEK 2,620 in the median municipality (2025, model).
Extra cost if fuel gets 20 % dearer · 2025
2,880 SEK per household a year
Median municipality: 2,620 SEK per household a year
PajalaNational medianModel on Trafikanalys and SCB data
A model, not statistics: cars per household × the county's mileage × 0.065 litres per km × SEK 17 per litre × 20 %. Linear, so 40 % gives twice as much.
The oil shock on the mapPetrol, diesel and hybrid cars · 2025
1.19 per household
Median municipality: 1.03 per household
PajalaNational medianTrafikanalys
Passenger cars in traffic at year end that run on petrol or diesel, divided by the number of households. Leased and company cars count where the company is registered.
Mileage per car in the county · 2025
1,096 Swedish miles a year
Median municipality: 1,150 Swedish miles a year
PajalaNational medianTrafikanalys
Only available per county and for all passenger cars, so municipalities in the same county share the figure. A Swedish mile is 10 km.
Heating oil in homes · 2024
9 kWh per household a year
Median municipality: 19 kWh per household a year
PajalaNational medianSCB EN0203
Fossil liquid fuel in houses and blocks of flats. Statistics Sweden withholds some municipalities.
How we count
Extra cost is a model, not statistics: the municipality's petrol, diesel and hybrid cars in traffic (Trafikanalys) divided by the number of households (Statistics Sweden), times the county's average mileage per passenger car (Trafikanalys, not available per municipality), 0.065 litres per km, SEK 17 per litre and a price rise of 20 %. The model does not account for people driving less when prices rise, for company cars or for leased cars being registered where the company is. Heating oil is Statistics Sweden's final use of fossil liquid fuel in homes. The sub measures are shown separately; we do not combine them into an index. Our own processing, not official Trafikanalys statistics.
Nature & outdoor life
The nature around you
Short answer: 53 nature reserves within the municipal boundary, 445 km² of protected land in total.
53nature reserves in the municipality
Protected land, lakes, trails and the national parks within reach of Pajala.
Distances are as the crow flies from the main locality, which is the most honest we can be without knowing where in the municipality you would live. A national park 120 km away is a weekend trip, not a Sunday walk — the figures are there to tell the two apart.
How we count
Nature reserves and protected area come from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency's open data, lakes and watercourses from Lantmäteriet's map data, trails from OpenStreetMap and bathing spots from the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management's bathing site register. Distances to national parks are as the crow flies from the municipality's largest locality.
Natural hazards
Natural hazards in Pajala
Short answer: The county boards have mapped 100 flood areas in Pajala between 1901 and 2011. The Swedish Forest Agency has mapped 24 forest fires in Pajala since 2018.
Past floods
100 mapped areas
Most in 1984 (50)
County administrative boards 1901 to 2011, CC0
One point per mapped flood and place in the county boards' national register. A single large flood can give many areas, and older events are less well documented, so a municipality with no hits may still have flooded.
Show the floods on the mapForest fires since 2018
24 fires
383.3 ha burnt, latest 2025
Swedish Forest Agency, CC0
Burnt areas of at least 0.5 hectares, mapped by the Swedish Forest Agency from satellite images and rescue service alarms. Fires with an unknown year are included.
Show the fires on the mapSatellite fire detections since 2021
103 detections
of which 47 strong (over 10 MW), latest 2026-10-17
SMHI, CC BY 4.0
A detection is a heat anomaly seen by a satellite, usually a fire but not a confirmed one. Cloud hides most of it, so the figure is a lower bound.
Show the detections on the mapGroundwater
1 station
SGU
SGU measures the groundwater level at stations across the country. How the level compares with earlier years keeps changing, so it is shown on the map, not here.
Show the levels on the mapFire bans
Live on the map
County administrative board decisions
County administrative boards, CC BY 4.0
The county administrative board decides on fire bans in dry periods, and the situation changes several times a week. That is why it is shown live on the map instead of in a page that is rebuilt now and then.
Show the fire bans on the mapHow we count
The figures are our own counts from the sources' map data: points and burnt areas belong to the municipality they lie in, zones and coastlines are clipped to the municipal border. Landslide risk and coastal erosion are only mapped in some areas, so a municipality with no figure there is unmapped, not risk free. SGU's landslide mapping, flood mapping, ground movement and groundwater aquifers exist as map layers but are not counted per municipality here. The sources are coarse and show where the risk should be investigated, not that it exists.
Through the year
The light, the snow and the wind
Short answer: It snows on 51 days a year here. But it is the December darkness people underestimate, not the cold.
51days with snowfall a year
51 days with snowfall a year. 4.5 hours of sunshine per day on average across the year.
How we count
Daylight is derived from the municipality's latitude using the standard sunrise/sunset formula, ignoring clouds and horizon. Snowfall days and sunshine hours come from SMHI: a snowfall day is a day with at least 1 mm of precipitation and a below-freezing daily mean at the nearest station, median over the 1991-2020 normal period, which is not the same as how many days snow lies on the ground. Sunshine hours are SMHI's STRÅNG radiation model 2020-2024. The wind curves come from SMHI station observations 1991-2020, one file per municipality; when it is missing the cards are hidden rather than showing zeroes.
Population
How many live here, and which way it is heading
Short answer: 5,857 residents, −1.9 % over five years. The pace decides whether schools, care and services expand or shrink.
5,857residents in 2024
5,857 residents in 2024. The population has changed by −1.9 % over five years.
The direction matters more than the level. A growing municipality builds out schools, care and shops; a shrinking one closes them, and it shows first in the smaller town. The only projection on this entire page is Statistics Sweden's population forecast — we never draw a trend line through gaps in the data.
- Residents
- 5,857 on 31 December 2024
- Growth 5 yrs
- −1.9 % change in population
- shrinking
- Average pension
- 247,458 kr total pension per year
- women 221,545 kr, men 269,880 kr
- Source: Swedish Pensions Agency 2025
- State pension
- 188,087 kr average per year
- Source: Swedish Pensions Agency 2025
How we count
Population is Kolada N01951, Statistics Sweden's register-based population on 31 December. The five-year change is measured between the two years in the series closest to five years apart, with both years spelled out. The projection is Statistics Sweden's regional population forecast and exists only for population.
Time analysis
How Pajala has developed
Short answer: Pajala had 10,752 residents in 1970 and 5,706 in 2025. Statistics Sweden projects 5,314 by 2035.
Population · 2025
5,706
−46.9 % since 1970
Observed 1970 to 2025Statistics Sweden projection to 2035: 5,314Kolada N01951
Compared with Sweden: Pajala has changed −46.9 % since 1970, Sweden as a whole +31.2 %.
That would mean residents in 2035. Your own what if, not a forecast.
Milestones
- 1970First year in the series: 10,752 residents
- 1974Largest fall in one year: −342
- 1983Largest rise in one year: +41
- 2025Latest figure: 5,706 residents
- 2035Statistics Sweden projection: 5,314 residents
Kolada N01951 · SCB
House price · 2025
904 kSEK
+555.1 % since 1981
Observed 1981 to 2025National medianKolada N07915
Median income · 2024
411,800 kr
+146.7 % since 1998
Observed 1998 to 2024National medianKolada N00906
Unemployment · 2025
3.0 %
−74.2 % since 2010
Observed 2010 to 2025Kolada N03920
Unemployment benefit · 2025
4.3 %
−86.7 % since 1999
Observed 1999 to 2025Kolada N02890
How we count
Observed population from Statistics Sweden via Kolada. The projection is Statistics Sweden's own official population projection; we do not calculate it ourselves. Average price for registered house purchases. Housing prices are deliberately NOT projected: they revert strongly to the mean over five years, so a linear trend often gets the sign wrong in exactly the interval you want to predict. Total earned income, MEDIAN for residents aged 20–64 (Kolada N00906). No projection; we show outcomes only. Unemployment over time is Kolada N03920: unemployed registered with the Public Employment Service as a share of the whole population aged 18 to 65, not of the labour force, and therefore lower than the figure under Jobs (N02280, only available from 2020). No projection, because the business cycle drives it and it is not linear. Unemployment benefit is Kolada N02890: share of residents aged 20 to 64 who received unemployment insurance at some point during the year, from IAF. It is the longest series, from 1999, but only counts those entitled to benefit. The national median is the median of all municipalities in the same year, from the same Kolada series. The what if slider only scales Statistics Sweden's own path.
Politics and finances
Who governs Pajala, and how are its finances?
Short answer: Governance in Pajala in 2025: cross-bloc coalition. The balanced budget result was 0.0 % in 2025. In 2026 the municipality received 36,133 SEK per resident in equalisation.
Governance · 2025
Cross-bloc coalition
Executive board chair: S, with KD, Sjukvårdspartiet
- 2018 to 2025Cross-bloc coalition
- 2006 to 2017Left of centre
- 2002 to 2005Cross-bloc coalition
- 1994 to 2001Left of centre
SKR via Kolada N05829
Every municipality's governance on the mapMunicipal election · 2026
V 31.5 %
Largest party on the municipal council
- V31.5 %
- S17.4 %
- C16.5 %
- KD14.7 %
- SD8.2 %
- M6.0 %
- MP0.3 %
- L0.1 %
- Others5.2 %
Valmyndigheten
Every municipal election since 1973 on the mapBalanced budget result · 2025
0.0 %
National median 1.5 %
PajalaNational medianKolada N03139
The year's result excluding capital gains, as a share of tax, state grants and equalisation. The law requires it to be positive, and about 2 % is usually seen as sound management.
- Equity ratio 2025
- 36.9 % national median 40.0 %
- Tax revenue 2025
- 59,888 SEK/resident national median 54,834 SEK/resident
- Cost level vs. structure 2025
- 15.5 % national median 3.5 %
Equalisation · 2026
36,133 SEK per resident
receives · 206 million SEK
PajalaSCB OE0115
What the municipality receives (plus) or pays (minus) in the municipal equalisation system. LSS equalisation is a separate system and not included. Income equalisation is the largest part, and the latest year is Statistics Sweden's estimate for the current year.
Equalisation part by part on the mapHow we count
Governance is SKR's classification via Kolada (N05829). SKR counts MP as a left party only from 2022, so a municipality can change category between 2018 and 2022 without its governance changing. The election result is the municipal council election from SCB ME0104, not the general election. Finances refer to the municipality as an organisation, from Statistics Sweden's accounts via Kolada; the national median is the median of all municipalities in the same year.
The municipality's money
How Pajala spends its money
Short answer: Of every 100 kronor, 36 go to schools and 53 to care (2025). That is 8 % more per resident than in similar municipalities. Debt is 35,114 kr per resident.
Out of 100 tax kronor · 2025
36 kr to schools
and 53 kr to care
91,850 krper resident
- Compulsory school20 kr
- Preschool and after school8 kr
- Upper secondary school6 kr
- Adult education2 kr
- Elderly care41 kr
- Disability support9 kr
- Social services2 kr
- Streets, parks and rescue7 kr
- Culture and leisure2 kr
- Labour market and refugees0 kr
- Politics and audit2 kr
- Other, incl. primary care and mobility service1 kr
SCB OE0107
Kronor of every 100 the services cost net, i.e. what is paid with tax, state grants and equalisation. Click the ring for the row.
Every municipality's costs on the mapVersus similar municipalities · 2025
91,850 kr
per resident, similar municipalities 84,731 kr
- Compulsory school
- 18,563 kr +3 %similar 17,960 kr
- Preschool and after school
- 7,388 kr −8 %similar 7,999 kr
- Upper secondary school
- 5,101 kr −16 %similar 6,106 kr
- Adult education
- 1,738 kr +103 %similar 855 kr
- Elderly care
- 37,658 kr +35 %similar 27,964 kr
- Disability support
- 8,669 kr +31 %similar 6,628 kr
- Social services
- 2,004 kr −53 %similar 4,279 kr
- Streets, parks and rescue
- 5,991 kr −19 %similar 7,440 kr
- Culture and leisure
- 2,258 kr −46 %similar 4,203 kr
- Labour market and refugees
- 84 kr +664 %similar 11 kr
Similar municipalities are RKA’s seven most alike: Ragunda, Bjurholm, Sorsele, Dorotea, Arjeplog, Överkalix, Övertorneå.
Cost level versus structure · 2025
+16 %
more than its structure justifies
- Compulsory school
- +20 %
- Preschool
- −12 %
- Upper secondary
- −5 %
- Elderly care
- +31 %
- LSS
- +5 %
- Social services
- −39 %
RKA via Kolada
How much more (+) or less (−) the municipality spends than ages, distances and socio-economics justify under cost equalisation. Plus is not wrong: it can be a choice to invest.
What a place costs per year · 2025
179,155 kr
per compulsory school pupil
- Per compulsory school pupil
- 179,155 kr +23 %Sweden 145,505 kr
- Per preschool child
- 227,427 kr +16 %Sweden 195,903 kr
- Per care home resident
- 1,102,914 kr −2 %Sweden 1,125,650 kr
- Per home care recipient
- 549,523 kr +43 %Sweden 384,970 kr
Kolada (RKA)
Net cost per resident · 2025
91,850 kr
+39.1 % since 2015
PajalaSwedenSCB OE0107
Current prices: part of the increase is wages and prices, not more services.
Investment per resident · 2025
4,295 kr
Sweden 9,335 kr
SCB OE0107
Yearly average 2023 to 2025 by area below. Investment through municipal companies is excluded.
- Water, energy, housing and ports
- 3,099 kr
- Shared premises and IT
- 727 kr
- Health and care
- 706 kr
- Schools and preschools
- 607 kr
- Streets, parks and rescue
- 290 kr
- Culture and leisure
- 177 kr
Largest investments · 2025
Avloppsreningsverk Kainulasjärvi
4.7 mnkr outcome 2025, project
- Avloppsreningsverk Kainulasjärvi4.7 mnkr
- Bredband Peräjävaara, Kengis1.8 mnkr
- Gator och vägar1.4 mnkr
- Pumpstationer1.4 mnkr
- Ledningsnät1.1 mnkr
- Hårdvara IT0.4 mnkr
- Stadsnät investering0.4 mnkr
- Inventarier barn och utbildning0.3 mnkr
Årsredovisning 2025, Pajala kommun
From the municipality's own report (in Swedish); each row links to its page. Amounts are the whole project where reported, otherwise the year's spend.
The full annual report (PDF, Swedish)Where the money comes from · 2025
50 kr of 100 is tax
116,391 kr in per resident
- Municipal tax50 kr
- State grants and equalisation34 kr
- Earmarked state grants5 kr
- Fees and charges9 kr
- Rents and leases2 kr
SCB OE0107
State grants in the central government budgetLong term debt per resident · 2025
35,114 kr
Sweden 62,738 kr
PajalaSwedenSCB OE0107
The municipality as an organisation. A jump is usually an internal bank: the municipality borrows and lends on to its companies.
- Pension liability on the balance sheet
- 1,791 krSweden 8,913 kr
- Interest cost per year
- 991 krSweden 1,707 kr
How we count
Net cost is what services cost after fees, rents and earmarked state grants, i.e. what is paid with tax, general state grants and equalisation. It comes from Statistics Sweden's municipal accounts (OE0107), in current prices, divided by the population on 31 December. Business operations such as water and municipal companies are excluded, so a municipality that runs schools or premises through a company looks cheaper in investments. Similar municipalities are RKA's seven most structurally similar ones (Kolada). Cost level is RKA's net cost deviation: how much more or less the municipality spends than its structure justifies according to cost equalisation. Long term debt also includes loans passed on to municipal companies.
Questions
Common questions about Pajala
What is it like to live in Pajala?
Pajala has 5,857 residents and is in Norrbotten County. The average age is 49.0 years. The median income is SEK 411,800 per year. The mean annual temperature is 0.5 °C.
How many people live in Pajala?
5,857 people lived in Pajala Municipality in 2024 according to Statistics Sweden, making it Sweden's 262nd largest municipality. The population has fallen by 1.9% in five years.
What does it cost to live in Pajala?
A condominium costs on average SEK 2,882 per m² (2021). A detached house costs on average SEK 0.8 million. The municipal tax rate is 34.74%.
What is the job market like in Pajala?
Unemployment in Pajala was 1.9% in 2024. The median income is SEK 411,800 per year. 26.9% of residents have post-secondary education.
What is it like to be a student in Pajala?
26.9% of residents have post-secondary education. Condominium prices are SEK 2,882 per m².
What is Pajala like for families with children?
82.3% of pupils in Pajala qualify for upper secondary school (2024). The municipality spends SEK 142,458 per child per year on preschool.
What is the weather and climate like in Pajala?
The mean annual temperature in Pajala is 0.5 °C. In a typical year the warmest day reaches 27 °C and the coldest night -33 °C. 637 mm of precipitation falls each year, spread over 111 rainy days and 51 of them below freezing. The sun shines an average of 4.5 hours a day.
Is Pajala a safe place to live?
Reported violent crimes stand at 398 per 100,000 residents.
Which towns are in Pajala Municipality?
The largest towns in Pajala Municipality are Pajala, Korpilombolo, Junosuando, Kangos, Tärendö, Muodoslompolo, Ohtanajärvi, Airivaara, Antinrova, Anttis, Kaunisvaara, Kieksiäisvaara and 13 more.
The county