# Pärnu County

Pärnu County (Estonian: Pärnu maakond or Pärnumaa; German: Kreis Pernau) is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is situated in the south-western part of the country, on the coast of Gulf of Riga, and borders Lääne and Rapla counties to the north, Järva and Viljandi counties to the east, and Latvia to the south. In 2022, Pärnu County had a population of 85,705 – constituting 6.4% of the total population of Estonia.
Pärnu County is the largest county of Estonia in terms of land area.

## History

In Pärnu county, there is the oldest known human settlement in Estonia, which is the town of Sindi, and it is 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) up the Pärnu River, near the village of Pulli. It dates back to 8500 BCE in the Mesolithic historical period.

## County government

The administrative reform in Estonia abolished county governments by the end of 2017. Before that, counties were led by a governor, who was appointed by the Government of Estonia for a term of five years.
Previous county governors:
* 1993–2009: Toomas Kivimägi
* 2010–2015: Andres Metsoja
* 2015–2017: Kalev Kaljuste

## Tourism

The city of Pärnu is a popular holiday resort for Estonians and increasingly for non-Estonians, e.g., from Sweden, Finland, Germany, and Russia.

## Municipalities

The county is subdivided into municipalities. There is one urban municipality (Estonian: linnad – towns) and six rural municipalities (Estonian: vallad – parishes) in Pärnu County.
| Rank | Municipality | Type | Population (2018) | Area km$^2$ | Density |
| 1 | Häädemeeste Parish | Rural | 4,985 | 494 | 10.1 |
| 2 | Kihnu Parish | Rural | 702 | 17 | 41.3 |
| 3 | Lääneranna Parish | Rural | 5,494 | 1,352 | 4.1 |
| 4 | Põhja-Pärnumaa Parish | Rural | 8,435 | 1,013 | 8.3 |
| 5 | Pärnu | Urban | 51,649 | 855 | 60.4 |
| 6 | Saarde Parish | Rural | 4,722 | 1,065 | 4.4 |
| 7 | Tori Parish | Rural | 11,694 | 611 | 19.1 |

## Religion

The following congregations of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church (EELC) operate in Pärnu County under Pärnu Deanery of EELC: Pärnu, Audru, Häädemeeste, Pärnu-St. Jacob's, Saarde, Sindi, Tahkuranna, Tori, Tõstamaa, Treimani, Vändra. The congregations of Hanila, Karuse, Kirbla, Lihula, Mihkli and Varbla are under the administration of the Lääne Deanery of the EELC.
Regarding Eastern Orthodoxy, there is under the administration of the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church Kergu, Uduvere, Uue-Virtsu and Vändra congreations. An Orthodox congregation in the city of Pärnu operates under the jurisdiction of the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.
Baptist congregations operating in Pärnu County: Pärnu Salem, Pärnu Immanuel's, Pärnu Salt and Light Congregation, Suigu and Kilingi-Nõmme.
A congregation belonging to the Catholic Church in Estonia operating in Pärnu County is the Congregation of St. John the Apostle in the city of Pärnu.
There are also congregations of other Christian churches in the county.
Religious affiliations in Pärnu County, census 2000–2021* :
| Religion | 2000 | 2000 | 2011 | 2011 | 2021 | 2021 |
| Religion | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % |
| Christianity | 17,466 | 23.7 | 13,425 | 19.2 | 12,850 | 17.8 |
| —Orthodox Christians | 5,473 | 7.4 | 5,008 | 7.2 | 5,030 | 7.0 |
| —Lutherans | 10,899 | 14.8 | 7,274 | 10.4 | 6,590 | 9.2 |
| —Catholics | 208 | 0.2 | 157 | 0.2 | 170 | 0.2 |
| —Baptists | 323 | 0.4 | 219 | 0.3 | 180 | 0.2 |
| —Jehovah's Witnesses | 159 | 0.2 | 198 | 0.2 | 170 | 0.2 |
| —Pentecostals | 216 | 0.2 | 151 | 0.2 | 140 | 0.1 |
| —Old Believers | 9 | 0.01 | 14 | 0.02 | - | - |
| —Methodists | 71 | 0.09 | 54 | 0.07 | 90 | 0.1 |
| —Adventists | 108 | 0.1 | 77 | 0.1 | 60 | 0.08 |
| —Other Christians | - | - | 273 | 0.3 | 420 | 0.5 |
| Islam | 28 | 0.03 | 32 | 0.05 | 150 | 0.2 |
| Buddhism | - | - | 81 | 0.1 | 150 | 0.2 |
| Other religions** | 359 | 0.4 | 576 | 0.2 | 1,020 | 1.4 |
| No religion | 30,849 | 42.0 | 45,062 | 64.7 | 49,220 | 68.4 |
| Not stated*** | 24,785 | 33.7 | 10,412 | 14.9 | 8,510 | 11.8 |
| Total population* | 73,487 | 73,487 | 69,587 | 69,587 | 71,950 | 71,950 |
| *The censuses of Estonia count the religious affiliations of the population older than 15 years of age. ". |||||||

## Gallery

* Pärnu-Jaagupi church
* Sindi railway station
* Laupa manor on the Pärnu river
* Monument to Estonian poet Lydia Koidula in Pärnu
* Pärnu mud baths and spa
* Liu lighthouse in Audru Parish
* Riisa bog in Soomaa National Park
* Downtown Pärnu at night
* Häädemeeste church
* Pärnu beach promenade
* Country road on the island of Kihnu
* Sauga river