# Västerbotten County

Västerbotten County (Swedish: Västerbottens län), sometimes called Westrobothnia, is a county or län in the north of Sweden. It shares the borders with the counties of Västernorrland, Jämtland, and Norrbotten, as well as the Norwegian county of Nordland and the Gulf of Bothnia. Its capital is Umeå, and the largest town in the northern part is Skellefteå. These two municipalities make up the majority of the population. Västerbotten County has vast wilderness areas, and a land area larger than Denmark, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

## Provinces

For history, geography, and culture, see: Västerbotten, Lapland, and Ångermanland
Västerbotten County, also known as Västerbottens län in Swedish, is located in the northern part of Sweden. It shares borders with Västernorrland, Jämtland, and Norrbotten counties, as well as the Norwegian county of Nordland and the Gulf of Bothnia. The county's capital is Umeå, which is home to approximately half of the population when combined with the largest town in the northern part, Skellefteå. These two municipalities make up the majority of the population. The county boasts vast wilderness areas and has a land area larger than that of Denmark, the Netherlands or Switzerland.

## Administration

The main aim of the County Administrative Board is to fulfil the goals set in national politics by the Riksdag and the Government, to co-ordinate the interests of the county, to promote the development of the county, to establish regional goals, and to safeguard the due process of law in the handling of each case. The County Administrative Board is a Government Agency headed by a Governor. See List of Västerbotten Governors.

## Politics

The Regional Council of Västerbotten or Region Västerbotten.

## Riksdag elections

The table details all Riksdag election results of Västerbotten County since the unicameral era began in 1970. The blocs denote which party would support the Prime Minister or the lead opposition party towards the end of the elected parliament.
| Year | Turnout | Votes | V | S | MP | C | L | KD | M | SD | NyD | Left | Right |
| 1970 | 87.9 | 145,741 | 2.9 | 46.1 | | 21.6 | 17.4 | 3.7 | 7.8 | | | 49.0 | 46.8 |
| 1973 | 90.1 | 150,036 | 3.9 | 45.0 | | 26.2 | 11.8 | 3.9 | 8.5 | | | 48.9 | 46.5 |
| 1976 | 90.9 | 159,435 | 4.1 | 45.3 | | 26.3 | 11.7 | 3.3 | 8.8 | | | 49.3 | 46.8 |
| 1979 | 90.4 | 161,941 | 5.4 | 46.5 | | 21.0 | 12.5 | 3.3 | 10.7 | | | 51.9 | 44.2 |
| 1982 | 90.9 | 165,350 | 5.5 | 49.3 | 1.2 | 19.2 | 7.8 | 3.9 | 12.7 | | | 54.8 | 39.7 |
| 1985 | 89.4 | 164,748 | 5.7 | 48.5 | 1.2 | 18.1 | 14.5 | | 11.3 | | | 54.2 | 43.9 |
| 1988 | 86.6 | 159,304 | 5.9 | 48.4 | 4.6 | 14.3 | 12.0 | 5.2 | 8.9 | | | 58.9 | 35.2 |
| 1991 | 86.4 | 161,448 | 5.4 | 45.3 | 3.3 | 12.6 | 9.9 | 8.6 | 10.8 | | 3.9 | 50.7 | 41.9 |
| 1994 | 87.0 | 166,348 | 7.3 | 52.0 | 5.8 | 9.4 | 8.1 | 5.0 | 11.1 | | 0.5 | 65.2 | 33.6 |
| 1998 | 82.1 | 157,839 | 15.7 | 43.2 | 4.9 | 6.6 | 5.4 | 10.7 | 11.7 | | | 63.8 | 34.5 |
| 2002 | 80.7 | 155,369 | 11.5 | 46.5 | 4.5 | 11.2 | 10.1 | 8.5 | 6.5 | 0.3 | | 62.4 | 36.3 |
| 2006 | 82.9 | 162,490 | 8.4 | 43.9 | 5.9 | 11.8 | 6.4 | 6.5 | 13.7 | 1.1 | | 58.1 | 38.3 |
| 2010 | 85.4 | 170,598 | 10.0 | 42.2 | 7.2 | 7.4 | 6.0 | 5.4 | 17.7 | 2.7 | | 59.4 | 36.5 |
| 2014 | 86.9 | 175,279 | 11.0 | 42.0 | 5.9 | 6.7 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 13.8 | 7.4 | | 58.9 | 29.0 |
| 2018 | 87.9 | 178,837 | 12.7 | 38.1 | 3.9 | 10.1 | 3.9 | 5.2 | 13.5 | 10.9 | | 64.8 | 33.6 |
| 2022 | 85.8 | 179,712 | 8.5 | 40.7 | 5.4 | 7.8 | 3.1 | 4.7 | 14.2 | 14.5 | | 62.4 | 36.5 |

## Municipalities

In Lapland Province:
* Dorotea
* Lycksele
* Malå
* Sorsele
* Storuman
* Vilhelmina
* Åsele
In Västerbotten Province:
* Norsjö
* Robertsfors
* Skellefteå
* Umeå
* Vindeln
* Vännäs
In Ångermanland Province:
* Bjurholm
* Nordmaling

## Demographics
### Foreign background

SCB have collected statistics on backgrounds of residents since 2002. These tables consist of all who have two foreign-born parents or are born abroad themselves. The chart lists election years and the last year on record alone.
| Location | 2002 | 2006 | 2010 | 2014 | 2018 | 2019 |
| Bjurholm | 2.9 | 4.5 | 7.7 | 10.7 | 13.2 | 12.8 |
| Dorotea | 5.1 | 5.3 | 7.5 | 8.3 | 9.0 | 8.7 |
| Lycksele | 5.9 | 6.4 | 7.8 | 9.7 | 12.6 | 12.9 |
| Malå | 3.6 | 4.0 | 5.8 | 7.5 | 11.6 | 11.9 |
| Nordmaling | 3.8 | 4.3 | 6.0 | 8.5 | 10.8 | 11.0 |
| Norsjö | 3.0 | 3.8 | 7.0 | 9.6 | 11.4 | 11.2 |
| Robertsfors | 4.7 | 5.2 | 6.7 | 8.6 | 10.3 | 11.1 |
| Skellefteå | 4.4 | 5.6 | 6.6 | 8.2 | 10.0 | 10.3 |
| Sorsele | 3.1 | 5.4 | 10.2 | 12.3 | 13.4 | 13.3 |
| Storuman | 3.4 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 6.9 | 10.1 | 10.3 |
| Umeå | 9.4 | 10.3 | 11.7 | 12.7 | 14.9 | 15.5 |
| Vilhelmina | 3.2 | 3.5 | 6.2 | 8.5 | 9.5 | 9.4 |
| Vindeln | 3.7 | 4.5 | 6.4 | 9.1 | 12.2 | 12.8 |
| Vännäs | 4.0 | 4.1 | 5.7 | 8.3 | 9.4 | 9.6 |
| Åsele | 3.3 | 4.8 | 7.8 | 10.7 | 13.8 | 13.7 |
| Total | 6.4 | 7.3 | 8.6 | 10.4 | 12.6 | 13.0 |
| Source: SCB |||||||

## Heraldry

The arms for Västerbotten County is a combination of the arms of Västerbotten, Swedish Lapland, and Ångermanland. When it is shown with a royal crown, it represents the County Administrative Board. Blazon: "Parted per fess, base parted per pale, the arms of Västerbotten, the arms of Lapland, and the arms of Ångermanland."