The map shows population change 2008-2017 at a statistical grid level of 1,000 x 1,000 meters. In this map, the data is localised through the grid cell midpoints to create visual homogeneity across national borders. The map is part of the report ‘Population change dynamics in Nordic municipalities - grid data as a tool for studying residential change at local level’, which is the main output from the Thematic Group for Sustainable Cities and Urban Development -project ‘Small and medium-sized cities in the Nordic and Arctic regions’.

The report seeks to form a more nuanced understanding of the population developments occurring in the Nordics that may be less apparent, or not evident at all, at more general territorial levels. The intention of the study is to shed light on the following questions: What types of population dynamics occurred in the Nordic countries at the municipal and grid levels during 2008–2017? To what degree do changes at the local level correspond to more general population development at the municipal level? What types of changes can be seen within municipalities, especially in small and medium-sized cities? Findings from the project demonstrate that population data at the grid level are well-suited for identifying demographic change processes and trends occurring within regions and municipalities.

While this study concentrates on changes in population size over time, it is evident that gridded statistics offer further potential for uncovering trends that are concealed at more general levels of analysis. To fully realise the potential of grid level data at the Nordic level, further harmonisation of data processing and availability is required.

The map was produced through the project Small and Medium-sized Cities in the Nordic Countries and has also been published in Nordregio Report 2019:1: Population Change Dynamics in Nordic Municipalities – Grid data as a tool for studying residential change at local level which can be found here: http://doi.org/10.30689/R2019:1.1403-2503