Nordic Countries 2026

The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic. The Nordic countries are made up of the historical territories of Scandinavia, sharing a common culture and history. This collection is also known as Norden, which translates to “the North.”

The Nordic countries share a common way of life. Much of their history, religion, social structure, and languages are the same or similar. The countries have formed close relationships with each other and have engaged in political unions throughout their history.

The combined area of all of the Nordic countries is 1.32 million square miles. If combined, this would make the countries the seventh-largest nation in the world by area. However, it’s important to note that about half of the area comprises icecaps and glaciers and is uninhabitable. The collective population of all of the Nordic countries is 26 million people. The countries have many similarities in that they rank highly worldwide in such areas as education, civil liberties, quality of life, and economic competitiveness.

There are eight total states and territories that make up the Nordics. These are Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Greenland, Faroe Islands, and Aland Islands. The largest population of people living in the Nordics are Scandinavians, making up over three-quarters of the total population. Finns are the second largest group across all countries and the most considerable ground in Finland. There are also indigenous minorities that live in the Nordic countries, including the Sami people and the Greenlandic Inuit.

There are a total of 18 languages spoken throughout these countries. The native Germanic languages include Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic, and Faroese. Native non-Germanic languages include Greenlandic, Finnish and Sami languages. The dominant religion observed throughout the Nordic countries is Lutheran Christianity. The most populous of the Nordic countries is Sweden, which has over 10 million people. The least populous is the Aland Islands, which has a population of 29,489 people. The largest country by area is Greenland, which is also one of the least populous. However, its population growth has been the strongest over the last century. The smallest by area is the Faroe Islands.