Pajala Municipality

Key figures

1. Municipal tax rate 23.4%7th highestSweden: 20.9%
2. Merit rating, year 9 234.7 pointsSweden: 224.1 points
3. Eligible for upper secondary school 84.1%Sweden: 83.9%
4. Unemployment 2%Sweden: 3.1%
5. Median income, age 20–64 SEK 411,800Sweden: SEK 405,393
6. Population 5,706Sweden: 199,284
7. Population change -2.6%4th lowestSweden: 0.2%
8. Children per adult in preschool 4.3 children per adultSweden: 5.1 children per adult
9. New businesses 12.3 per 1,000 residentsSweden: 11.4 per 1,000 residents
10. Business bankruptcies 1.1 per 1,000 residentsSweden: 1.6 per 1,000 residents
11. House price SEK 0.9 millionSweden: SEK 4.6 million
12. Net migration 5.8 per 1,000 residentsSweden: 2.8 per 1,000 residents
13. Job openings 3.5 per 1,000 residentsSweden: 4 per 1,000 residents
14. Temperature June 11.2 °CDecember -10.2 °C

Source: Kolada, Statistics Sweden (SCB), Swedish Public Employment Service (Jobtech), SMHI. "Sweden" is Kommunlotsen's own population-weighted average across all municipalities, not an official national figure. The "highest" and "lowest" labels mark the 10 highest and lowest of Sweden's municipalities and are not judgements of quality. Sources and licences: open data page (in Swedish). Last updated 21 September 2026.

Origin

16.7% have a foreign background (Sweden 27.5%), 15.1% are foreign-born (Sweden 20.8%), 2.5% of all residents were born outside Europe (Sweden 11.9%).

The most common countries of birth among foreign-born residents.

• Finland 7.1% of residents
• Thailand 1% of residents
• Afghanistan 0.6% of residents
• Syria 0.5% of residents
• Russia 0.5% of residents
• Germany 0.5% of residents
• Estonia 0.3% of residents
• Norway 0.3% of residents
• Ukraine 0.3% of residents
• Netherlands 0.3% of residents

Source: Statistics Sweden (SCB). "Foreign background" adds the foreign-born to people born in Sweden to two foreign-born parents. "Born outside Europe" follows the UN's regional classification. Shares and the national figure are Kommunlotsen's own calculations from SCB data.

Housing & leisure

1. Holiday homes 443.7 per 1,000 residentsSweden: 59.8 per 1,000 residents
2. Holiday home price SEK 5,977/m²8th lowestSweden: SEK 35,616/m²
3. Living space per resident 50 m²Sweden: 42 m²

Commuting

Self-contained job market

Share of employed residents who commute across the municipal border. A "bedroom community" sends at least 60% out and takes in under 50%; a "job hub" is the reverse; a "commuter hub" has at least 50% both ways.

People

1. Average age 49.2 yearsSweden: 42.4 years
2. Post-secondary education, age 25–44 24.8%5th lowestSweden: 50.7%
3. Turnout in the municipal election 77%Sweden: 80.4%

Everyday life & connectivity

1. Electric cars 7.4 per 1,000 residents4th lowestSweden: 40.7 per 1,000 residents
2. Gigabit broadband coverage 72.7%Lowest in SwedenSweden: 98.5%

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