Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands were already populated by about A.D. 500, but whether the original settlers were Celtic or early Norse (or someone else) has yet to be determined. Viking settlers arrived on the islands in the 9th century, and the islands served as an important stepping stone for medieval Viking exploration of the North Atlantic. The islands have been connected politically to Denmark since the 14th century, and today the Faroe Islands are a self-governing dependency of Denmark. The Home Rule Act of 1948 granted a high degree of self-government to the Faroese, who have autonomy over most internal affairs and external trade, while Denmark is responsible for justice, defense, and some foreign affairs. The Faroe Islands are not part of the European Union.

land

1,393 sq km

total

1,393 sq km

water

0 sq km (some lakes and streams)

eight times the size of Washington, DC

mild winters, cool summers; usually overcast; foggy, windy

1,117 km

highest point

Slaettaratindur 882 m

lowest point

Atlantic Ocean 0 m

62 00 N, 7 00 W

archipelago of 17 inhabited islands and one uninhabited island, and a few uninhabited islets; strategically located along important sea lanes in northeastern Atlantic; precipitous terrain limits habitation to small coastal lowlands

total

0 km

agricultural land

2.1% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 2.1% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)

forest

0.1% (2018 est.)

other

97.8% (2018 est.)

Northern Europe, island group between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about halfway between Iceland and Norway

Europe

continental shelf

200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line

exclusive fishing zone

200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line

territorial sea

12 nm

strong winds and heavy rains can occur throughout the year

fish, whales, hydropower, possible oil and gas

the island of Streymoy is by far the most populous with over 40% of the population; it has approximately twice as many inhabitants as Eysturoy, the second most populous island; seven of the inhabited islands have fewer than 100 people

rugged, rocky, some low peaks; cliffs along most of coast

0-14 years

20% (male 5,489/female 5,122)

15-64 years

61.5% (male 17,188/female 15,346)

65 years and over

18.5% (2024 est.) (male 4,723/female 5,065)

14.9 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

NA

NA

NA

34.8% (2023 est.)

8.6 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

elderly dependency ratio

29.1

potential support ratio

3.4 (2021)

total dependency ratio

62.8

youth dependency ratio

33.6

improved: rural

rural: NA

improved: total

total: 100% of population

improved: urban

urban: NA

unimproved: rural

rural: NA

unimproved: total

total: 0% of population (2020)

unimproved: urban

urban: NA

7.6% of GDP (2019 est.)

Faroese 83.8% (Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon descent), Danish 8.3%, Filipino 1.2%, other Nordic 0.9%, other 4.5% (includes Polish and Romanian) (2024 est.)

note

note: data represent respondents by country of birth

1.09 (2024 est.)

4.2 beds/1,000 population (2016)

female

5.1 deaths/1,000 live births

male

6.3 deaths/1,000 live births

total

5.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

Faroese 93.8% (derived from Old Norse), Danish 3.2%, other 3% (2011 est.)

note

note:  data represent population by primary language

female

84.4 years

male

79.2 years

total population

81.7 years (2024 est.)

female

NA

male

NA

total population

NA

21,000 TORSHAVN (capital) (2018)

female

36.8 years

male

36.9 years

total

36.8 years (2024 est.)

adjective

Faroese

noun

Faroese (singular and plural)

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

2.62 physicians/1,000 population (2016)

female

25,533 (2024 est.)

male

27,400

total

52,933

the island of Streymoy is by far the most populous with over 40% of the population; it has approximately twice as many inhabitants as Eysturoy, the second most populous island; seven of the inhabited islands have fewer than 100 people

0.63% (2024 est.)

Christian 87% (predominantly Evangelical Lutheran), other 0.9%, none 3.7%, unspecified 8.9% (2011 est.)

improved: rural

rural: NA

improved: total

total: NA

improved: urban

urban: NA

unimproved: rural

rural: NA

unimproved: total

total: NA

unimproved: urban

urban: NA

0-14 years

1.07 male(s)/female

15-64 years

1.12 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.93 male(s)/female

at birth

1.07 male(s)/female

total population

1.07 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

2.27 children born/woman (2024 est.)

rate of urbanization

0.89% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

43% of total population (2023)

part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark; there are 29 first-order municipalities (kommunur, singular - kommuna) Eidhi, Eystur, Famjin, Fuglafjordhur, Fugloy, Hov, Husavik, Hvalba, Hvannasund, Klaksvik, Kunoy, Kvivik, Nes, Porkeri, Runavik, Sandur, Sjovar, Skalavik, Skopun, Skuvoy, Sorvagur, Sumba, Sunda, Torshavn, Tvoroyri, Vagar, Vagur, Vestmanna, Vidhareidhi

daylight saving time

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

etymology

the meaning in Danish is "Thor's harbor"

geographic coordinates

62 00 N, 6 46 W

name

Torshavn

time difference

UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

see Denmark

amendments

see entry for Denmark

history

5 June 1953 (Danish Constitution), 23 March 1948 (Home Rule Act), and 24 June 2005 (Takeover Act) serve as the Faroe Islands' constitutional position in the Unity of the Realm

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Faroe Islands

etymology

the archipelago's name may derive from the Old Norse word "faer," meaning sheep

local long form

none

local short form

Foroyar

part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1948

embassy

none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)

none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)

cabinet

Landsstyri appointed by the prime minister

chief of state

King FREDERIK X of Denmark (since 14 January 2024), represented by High Commissioner Lene Moyell JOHANSEN, chief administrative officer (since 15 May 2017) (2024)

elections/appointments

the monarchy is hereditary; high commissioner appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually elected prime minister by the Faroese Parliament; election last held on 8 December 2022 (next to be held in 2026)

head of government

Prime Minister Aksel V. JOHANNESEN (since 22 December 2022)

white with a red cross outlined in blue extending to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted toward the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag); referred to as Merkid, meaning "the banner" or "the mark," the flag resembles those of neighboring Iceland and Norway, and uses the same three colors - but in a different sequence; white represents the clear Faroese sky, as well as the foam of the waves; red and blue are traditional Faroese colors

note

note: the blue on the flag is a lighter blue (azure) than that found on the flags of Iceland or Norway

parliamentary democracy (Faroese Parliament); part of the Kingdom of Denmark

none (part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)

Arctic Council, IMO (associate), NC, NIB, UNESCO (associate), UPU

highest court(s)

Faroese Court or Raett (Rett - Danish) decides both civil and criminal cases; the Court is part of the Danish legal system

subordinate courts

Court of the First Instance or Tribunal de Premiere Instance; Court of Administrative Law or Tribunal Administratif; Mixed Commercial Court; Land Court

the laws of Denmark apply where applicable

description

unicameral Faroese Parliament or Logting (33 seats; members directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms)

election results

Faroese Parliament percent of vote by party - JF 26.6%, B 20%, A 18.9%, E 17.7%, F 7.5%, H 6.6%, seats by party - JF 9, B 7, A 6, E 6, F 3, H 2; composition - men 24, women 9; percentage women 27.3%Faroese seats in Danish Parliament - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - JF 1, B 1; composition - men 2, women 0; percentage women 0%

elections

Faroese Parliament - last held on 8 December 2022 (next to be held in 2026)Faroese seats in the Danish Parliament last held on 31 October 2022 (next to be held no later than 31 October 2026)

note

note: the Faroe Islands elect 2 members to the Danish Parliament to serve 4-year terms

lyrics/music

Simun av SKAROI/Peter ALBERG

name

"Mitt alfagra land" (My Fairest Land)

note

note: adopted 1948; the anthem is also known as "Tu alfagra land mitt" (Thou Fairest Land of Mine); as a self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark, the Faroe Islands are permitted their own national anthem

Olaifest (Olavsoka) (commemorates the death in battle of King OLAF II of Norway, later St. OLAF), 29 July (1030)

ram; national colors: red, white, blue

Center Party or H (Midflokkurin) People's Party or A (Folkaflokkurin) Progress Party or F (Framsokn) Republic or E (Tjodveldi)  (formerly the Republican Party)Self-Government Party or D (Sjalvstyri or Sjalvstyrisflokkurin) Social Democratic Party or JF (Javnadarflokkurin) or JF Union Party or B (Sambandsflokkurin) 

18 years of age; universal

milk, potatoes, lamb/mutton, sheepskins, sheep offal, beef, sheep fat, beef offal, cattle hides, beef suet (2022)

note

note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

high-income Danish territorial economy; party neither to the EU nor the Schengen Area; associate Nordic Council member; very low unemployment; unique foreign ownership allowance in fishing industry; known salmon exporter; growing IT industries

Currency

Danish kroner (DKK) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2019

6.669 (2019 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

6.542 (2020 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

6.287 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

7.076 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

6.89 (2023 est.)

Exports 2020

$1.552 billion (2020 est.)

Exports 2021

$1.923 billion (2021 est.)

Exports 2022

$2.219 billion (2022 est.)

note

note: GDP expenditure basis - exports of goods and services in current dollars

fish and fish products (2021)

Russia 26.4%, UK 14.1%, Germany 8.4%, China 7.9%, Spain 6.8%, Denmark 6.2%, US 4.7%, Poland 4.4%, Norway 4.1% (2017)

exports of goods and services

62.4% (2022 est.)

government consumption

27.4% (2022 est.)

household consumption

41.4% (2022 est.)

imports of goods and services

-62.5% (2022 est.)

investment in fixed capital

31.4% (2022 est.)

note

note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

agriculture

18.7% (2022 est.)

industry

18.1% (2022 est.)

note

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

services

52.3% (2022 est.)

$3.556 billion (2022 est.)

note

note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

Imports 2020

$1.597 billion (2020 est.)

Imports 2021

$1.906 billion (2021 est.)

Imports 2022

$2.223 billion (2022 est.)

note

note: GDP expenditure basis - imports of goods and services in current dollars

goods for household consumption, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, raw materials and semi-manufactures, cars

Denmark 33%, China 10.7%, Germany 7.6%, Poland 6.8%, Norway 6.7%, Ireland 5%, Chile 4.3% (2017)

4.3% (2014 est.)

note

note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

fishing, fish processing, tourism, small ship repair and refurbishment, handicrafts

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2015

-1.7% (2015)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2016

-0.3% (2016)

27,540 (2017 est.)

10% (2015 est.)

Public debt 2014

35% of GDP (2014 est.)

note

note: data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020

$3.407 billion (2020 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021

$3.603 billion (2021 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022

$3.798 billion (2022 est.)

note

note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real GDP growth rate 2020

-1.93% (2020 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2021

5.76% (2021 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2022

5.4% (2022 est.)

note

note: data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP per capita 2020

$65,000 (2020 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2021

$68,100 (2021 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$71,500 (2022 est.)

note

note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

Remittances 2020

4.86% of GDP (2020 est.)

Remittances 2021

4.33% of GDP (2021 est.)

Remittances 2022

4.45% of GDP (2022 est.)

30.2% (of GDP) (2014 est.)

Unemployment rate 2016

3.4% (2016 est.)

Unemployment rate 2017

2.2% (2017 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids

825,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

total emissions

825,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

imports

(2022 est.) less than 1 metric ton

consumption

394.337 million kWh (2022 est.)

installed generating capacity

178,000 kW (2022 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

25.063 million kWh (2022 est.)

electrification - rural areas

100%

electrification - total population

100% (2022 est.)

electrification - urban areas

99.9%

fossil fuels

62.6% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

hydroelectricity

26.2% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

wind

11.2% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

refined petroleum consumption

5,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

38 (2020 est.)

total

18,443 (2020 est.)

1 publicly owned TV station; the Faroese telecommunications company distributes local and international channels through its digital terrestrial network; publicly owned radio station supplemented by 3 privately owned stations broadcasting over multiple frequencies

.fo

percent of population

97.6% (2021 est.)

total

51,728 (2021 est.)

domestic

29 per 100 teledensity for fixed-line and nearly 110 per 100 for mobile-cellular (2021)

general assessment

the Faroe Islands have a highly developed communication network, which covers the whole country; from telecommunication and mobile phones to the internet and media, the Faroe Islands are at the forefront of modern communications technology; working within the special geographic circumstances of the Faroe Islands; companies have become world experts in providing digital communication solutions to remote and sparsely populated areas (2022)

international

country code - 298; landing points for the SHEFA-2, FARICE-1, and CANTAT-3 fiber-optic submarine cables from the Faroe Islands, to Denmark, Germany, UK and Iceland; satellite earth stations - 1 Orion; (2019)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

29 (2021 est.)

total subscriptions

15,000 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

112 (2021 est.)

total subscriptions

59,000 (2021 est.)

1 (2024)

OY-H

12 (2024)

by type

container ships 6, general cargo 45, other 40

total

91 (2023)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers

3 (registered in Denmark)

number of registered air carriers

1 (2020) (registered in Denmark)

key ports

Fuglafjordur, Klaksvik, Kongshavn, Runavik, Sorvagur, Torshavn, Tvoroyri, Vagur, Vestmanna

ports with oil terminals

5

total ports

9 (2024)

very small

9

note

note: those islands not connected by roads (bridges or tunnels) are connected by seven different ferry links operated by the nationally owned company SSL; 28 km of tunnels

paved

500 km

total

960 km

unpaved

460 km (2017)

the Government of Denmark has responsibility for defense; as such, the Danish military’s Joint Arctic Command in Nuuk, Greenland is responsible for coordinating the defense of the Faroe Islands; the Joint Arctic Command has a contact element in the capital of Torshavn

no regular military forces or conscription

carbon dioxide emissions

0.63 megatons (2016 est.)

mild winters, cool summers; usually overcast; foggy, windy

coastal erosion, landslides and rockfalls, flash flooding, wind storms; oil spills

agricultural land

2.1% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 2.1% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)

forest

0.1% (2018 est.)

other

97.8% (2018 est.)

0% of GDP (2017 est.)

0 cubic meters (2017 est.)

rate of urbanization

0.89% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

43% of total population (2023)

municipal solid waste generated annually

61,000 tons (2014 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually

40,870 tons (2012 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled

67% (2012 est.)