Faroe Islands People - 2024

Population

52,600 (2023 est.)

Nationality

noun: Faroese (singular and plural)

adjective: Faroese

Ethnic groups

Faroese 85.3% (Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon descent), Danish 8.3%, other Nordic 1.4%, other 4.5% (includes Filipino, Poland, Romanian) (2022 est.)

note: data represent respondents by country of birth

Languages

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

note:  data represent population by primary language

Religions

Christian 89.3% (predominantly Evangelical Lutheran), other 1%, none 3.8%, unspecified 6% (2011 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 19.9% (male 5,415/female 5,053)

15-64 years: 61.94% (male 17,211/female 15,367)

65 years and over: 18.16% (2023 est.) (male 4,621/female 4,933)

2023 population pyramid:

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 62.8

youth dependency ratio: 33.6

elderly dependency ratio: 29.1

potential support ratio: 3.4 (2021)

Median age

total: 36.8 years (2023 est.)

male: 36.8 years

female: 36.8 years

Population growth rate

0.63% (2023 est.)

Birth rate

14.9 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

8.6 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

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

Urbanization

urban population: 43% of total population (2023)

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

Major urban areas - population

21,000 TORSHAVN (capital) (2018)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.07 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.12 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female

total population: 1.08 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 5.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)

male: 6.5 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 5.2 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 81.5 years (2023 est.)

male: 79 years

female: 84.2 years

Total fertility rate

2.28 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

1.1 (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

N/A

Drinking water source

improved: urban: N/A

rural: N/A

total: 100% of population

unimproved: urban: N/A

rural: N/A

total: 0% of population (2020)

Current health expenditure

N/A

Physicians density

2.62 physicians/1,000 population (2016)

Hospital bed density

4.2 beds/1,000 population (2016)

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: N/A

rural: N/A

total: N/A

unimproved: urban: N/A

rural: N/A

total: N/A

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

N/A

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

34.8% (2023 est.)

Education expenditures

7.6% of GDP (2019 est.)

Literacy

total population: NA

male: NA

female: NA