News
News overview. News published prior to 2019 can be accessed on our old website.
Population approaching 52,600
13. jul. 2020On 1 June 2020, the Faroese population was 52,562, which is an increase of 830 (1.6%) on May 2019. This growth is made up of net migration (563) and an excess of births (267).
PopulationFish catch statistics now feature all species and all types of processing methods
FisheryEconomic barometer is falling
06. jul. 2020The latest business survey from June 2020 shows a significant decline in consumer confidence compared to the previous survey in January 2020.
Economic sentiment indicatorSales of clothing and footwear down by almost 10%
26. jun. 2020Q1 retail sales figures (sales converted to volume) show growth in two out of three main commodity groups, compared to Q1 2019. ‘Groceries and non-alcoholic drinks’ increased by 12%, ‘Furnishings and household equipment’ went up by 7%, but ‘clothing and footwear’ decreased by 10%.
Retail trade indexAn average of 3 annual GP visits per person last year
25. jun. 2020The total number of GP visits in 2019 was just over 166,000, which is a 4% increase on 2018. About 4,000 of these visits were made by people residing abroad.
General practitioners and dentistsEmployee numbers still far from pre-corona figures
16. jun. 2020There were 25,700 employees in May, which is a slight increase on April but far less than before the corona crisis.
EmployeesFewer cardiovascular deaths– cancer figures unchanged
12. jun. 2020The past 20 years have seen a big increase in life expectancy and major changes in cause of death.
Causes of deathPopulation approaching 52,500
10. jun. 2020On 1 May 2020, the Faroese population was 52,484, which is an increase of 834 (1.6%) on May 2019. This growth is made up of net migration (567) and an excess of births (267).
PopulationImports decreased in April
09. jun. 2020There was a 23% decrease in imports of goods from April 2019 to April 2020
Imports of goodsExports down by one third in April
09. jun. 2020Total exports of goods in April 2020 went down by a third compared with April 2019
Exports of goodsSummary of income brackets in 2018
25. may. 2020The graphs below provide an overview of the various income brackets featuring everyone aged 15 and over.
Income distibutionIncome distribution unchanged
19. may. 2020The Faroe Islands had the lowest Gini coefficient in the Nordic region in 2018.
Income distibutionOne in ten citizens at risk of poverty in 2018
18. may. 2020Some 5,000 Faroese citizens had a median income in 2018 low enough to be at risk of poverty.
Risk of povertyIncome statistics updated
14. may. 2020Figures and analyses of income statistics have been updated for 2018.
Income distibutionBig drop in exports to China in Q1
13. may. 2020Total exports of goods fell by DKK 100 million in March 2020 compared with March 2019. Fish exports saw a particularly big drop, with DKK 50 million, or 8 percent, less than in March 2019
Exports of goodsImports in March worth DKK 719 million
13. may. 2020March 2020 saw a 9% increase in imports of goods on March 2019
Imports of goodsBig drop in employee numbers in April
12. may. 2020The number of employees fell to about 25,300 in April. The biggest drop was in the private service sector.
EmployeesWage expenditure growth comes to a halt
04. may. 2020DKK 4 million on April 2019. The general increase in wage expenditures in recent years has come to a standstill. The private service sector has seen a particularly big drop in wage payments.
Wage expendituresWhile fewer people have been imprisoned and held in custody in the past two decades, there has been an increase in drug and weapons violations.
The policeExports worth DKK 9.7 billlion
17. apr. 2020Total exports of goods in March 2019-Feb. 2020 amounted to DKK 9.7 billion, which is an increase of DKK 1.2 million in the past 12-month period. The total amount of exported fish products increased by 4%.
Exports of goodsTotal imports at DKK 8.4 billion
17. apr. 2020Imports of goods in Mar. 2019-Feb. 2020 amounted to DKK 8.4 billion, which is DKK 700 million more than the previous 12-month period.
Imports of goodsPopulation reaches 52,337
14. apr. 2020At 52,337 on March 1, the Faroese population grew by 841 (1.6%) in the 1 March 2019-1 March 2020 period. This growth consists of net migration (568) and an excess of births (273).
PopulationCourt cases over the past 20 years
07. apr. 2020There were about 2,000 court cases last year in the Faroese Court, about 2,400 cases in the bailiff’s court and about 550 in the probate and bankruptcy court.
The Faroese CourtCapital’s house prices continue to soar
31. mar. 2020In the last year, less than a third of all residential house sales took place in Tórshavn. But the average price in the capital was more than twice that of a house outside the capital region.
Number of sold houses and pricesUnemployment rate in January 2020 was 1.1%
30. mar. 2020Unemployment went down by 0.2% from January 2019 to January 2020.
UnemploymentThis article outlines the developments in agricultural production over the past 10 years.
AgricultureGrocery retail sales show biggest growth
26. mar. 2020The retail sales figures (value converted to volume) for Q4 2019 show growth in two out of three commodity groups.
Retail trade indexWhale hunts shrinking in size and frequency
25. mar. 2020The number of whale hunts is on a steady decline and they are also becoming smaller. Last year’s hunts yielded about 200 tonnes of meat and 180 tonnes of blubber.
Whale huntBelow is an analysis of changes within each industry sector over the past five years.
EmployeesTotal imports at DKK 8.4 billion
17. mar. 2020Imports in Feb. 2019-Jan. 2020 amounted to DKK 8.4 billion, which is DKK 500 million more than the previous 12-month period.
Imports of goodsExports approaching DKK 10bn
17. mar. 2020Total exports of goods in Feb. 2019-Jan. 2020 amounted to DKK 9.8 billion. This is an increase of DKK 1.4bn (17%) on the previous 12-month period.
Exports of goodsWage expenditures on a steady rise
16. mar. 2020Just over DKK 890 million were paid out in wages in February, which is an increase of DKK 55 million on February last year.
Wage expendituresGrowth in number of employees slowing down
11. mar. 2020The number of employees is still growing, but the growth appears to be slowing down.
EmployeesSteady population rise continues
10. mar. 2020On 1. February 2020, the Faroese population was 52,199, which is 835 (1.6%) more than on 1 February 2019. This number consists of net migration (562) and an excess of births (273).
PopulationFaroese labour force remains the most active in Europe
18. feb. 2020The Faroe Islands have an activity rate of 85.4 percent, which is the highest in Europe. Out of almost 37,100 people aged 15-74, just under 31,700 make up the labour force.
Labour forceHotels experience big growth
18. feb. 2020Faroese hotels registered 168,000 overnight stays in 2019, an increase of 16,500 (11%) on the previous year. This is the biggest increase since records began seven years ago. With 30% of all overnight stays, Danish residents featured most prominently in this statistic.
TourismSalmon exports exceed DKK 4 billion
17. feb. 2020Last year’s total figures for exports of goods hit an all-time high of DKK 9.5 billion, which is a 19% increase on 2018.
Exports of goodsImports have doubled since 2009
17. feb. 2020In 2019, Faroese imports of goods exceeded DKK 8 billion for the first time. The Faroe Islands imported goods worth more than DKK 8.1 billion in 2019, which is a 5% increase on 2018.
Imports of goodsWage expenditures were close to DKK 890 million in October. This is DKK 75 million more than compared to October 2018. The trend show a steady rise in wage expenditures since 2014.
Wage expenditures