Sweden runs two maps at once. The brochure says Småland; your bus app, hospital bill and fire-ban notice name a county. Here’s which map matters for what, and where the two don’t line up.
When you need this
You’ve booked a cabin “in Småland” and can’t find a Småland bus ticket. A Swede says they’re from Hälsingland and you can’t find it as an authority anywhere. Two maps of “Lapland” disagree. Or a park sign, a fire ban or a healthcare bill names a län and you want to know how it relates to the region in your guidebook.
Two maps of Sweden
The administrative map has 21 counties (län) and 290 municipalities (kommuner). Statistics Sweden (SCB) keeps the official list and codes, and the number has been 21 since 1998.
The older map has 25 provinces (landskap). They lost their administrative role when the counties were created under the 1634 Instrument of Government, but they never went away. A county board describes a province today as “a geographic unit without an administrative function”. It adds that people identify more with their province than with their county.
| Province (landskap) | County (län) | |
|---|---|---|
| Number | 25 | 21 |
| Administrative role | None | County board + elected region |
| What it decides | Nothing | Healthcare, regional transport, parks, fishing, some fire bans |
| Where you meet it | Brochures, dialects, symbols, “where are you from?” | Signs, tickets, bills, official decisions |
| Example | Småland, Hälsingland, Uppland | Kronobergs län, Stockholms län |
The provinces are grouped into three lands (landsdelar): 10 in Götaland in the south, 6 in Svealand in the middle and 9 in Norrland in the north. Like the provinces, the lands have no authority of their own.
Counties do the work
Swedish law divides the country into municipalities and regions, and each region covers one county. Every county has two bodies you may meet:
- The county administrative board (länsstyrelse) is the state in the county, led by a governor (landshövding). Its tasks include nature conservation, fishing, elections and protection against accidents, which is why park rules are signed “Länsstyrelsen i … län”.
- The region is elected and runs healthcare. It must give immediate care to anyone staying in the region without living there, which covers a tourist’s emergency treatment. Together with the municipalities it also runs regional public transport.
Many older English guides call the regions “county councils” (landsting). That is the old name: the law now speaks of regions, and every county had one by 2019. Gotland is the special case. The island is one province, one county and a single municipality, and that municipality does the regional job too, under the name Region Gotland.
Provinces carry the identity
Ask Swedes where they’re from and you’ll usually hear a province: Värmland, Småland, Hälsingland. Dialects, folk costume, sports federations and local heritage societies are often organised by province. Tourism marketing uses province names too. Identity is weaker in Norrbotten, Västerbotten, Stockholm and Gothenburg, where the county or city matters more.
Every province also has its symbols:
| Symbol | Swedish | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Coat of arms | landskapsvapen | Officially set arms |
| Royal title | hertig / hertiginna av … (duke / duchess of) | Members of the royal family carry province titles |
| Flower | landskapsblomma | Proposed in a Stockholm newspaper in 1908 |
| Animal | landskapsdjur | Announced in 1988 after a reader vote |
| Rock | landskapssten | Chosen by the Geological Survey of Sweden in 1989: Skåne’s flint, Gotland’s Hoburg limestone, Småland’s red Växjö granite |
Where the maps don’t match
Some provinces fit a county closely. Many don’t, and these are the ones travellers meet:
| Area | Province(s) | County or counties |
|---|---|---|
| Småland | Småland | All of Kronoberg; larger parts of Jönköping and Kalmar; small edges in Halland and Östergötland |
| Öland | Öland, its own province | Kalmar county |
| Uppland | Uppland | Uppsala (centre and north), Stockholm (east and south); a slice of Västmanland; some Mälaren islands in Södermanland |
| Lappland | Lappland | Large part of Norrbotten; southern Västerbotten |
| Västra Götaland | Bohuslän, Dalsland, Västergötland | One county since 1998, 49 municipalities |
| Gotland | Gotland | Gotland, also one municipality |
County borders move only rarely. Skåne county was formed in 1997, Västra Götaland in 1998, and Heby municipality moved from Västmanland to Uppsala county in 2007. Province borders are treated as fixed.
Watch out: Öland belongs to Kalmar county but is not part of Småland. It’s a province of its own.
Lappland, Swedish Lapland and the two Bottens
The far north has the most confusing names in Sweden. Two of them name both a province and a county, with different borders:
- Norrbotten county = the province of Norrbotten + a large part of the province of Lappland.
- Västerbotten county = the province of Västerbotten + southern Lappland + part of Ångermanland.
Norrbotten is also a young province. The county was split off in 1810, the part outside Lappland gradually came to be seen as a province, and its coat of arms was only approved in 1995.
Then there’s Swedish Lapland, a tourism brand and not the province. It covers all 14 municipalities of Norrbotten county plus Skellefteå and Sorsele in Västerbotten. So two maps of “Lapland” can disagree and both be right. Our Swedish Lapland guide uses the brand area.
Watch out: a “Västerbotten” ticket or map may not cover what a “Västerbotten” brochure means. Check whether it means the county or the province.
What it means for your trip
The working rule: tourism and identity speak province; rules, tickets and authorities speak county and municipality.
- Buses and regional trains are organised per county, so fares, apps and tickets change at county borders, not province borders. Småland alone has three transport companies.
- Healthcare is run by the region you’re in. See healthcare as a visitor.
- Fire bans come from a county board or a municipality, never a province. County boards often ban fires in only some municipalities, so look up the municipality you’re standing in on the national map at krisinformation.se. Our guide to how fire bans work has the detail.
- Parks and fishing: national parks and nature reserves are managed through the county board, so the county name on the sign is the authority to check.
For the whole three-level system, read how Sweden is governed.
Mistakes to avoid
- Looking for “the Småland authority” or “Dalarna’s rules”. Rules come from the county board, the region or the municipality.
- Counting Öland as part of Småland because it’s in Kalmar county.
- Treating Lappland and Swedish Lapland as the same area.
- Calling regions “county councils”. The name changed; every county had a region by 2019.
- Thinking Norrland is a county. It’s one of three lands grouping nine provinces, with no authority of its own.
- Expecting a province border to change your bus ticket. Only county borders do.
Practical information
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Provinces (landskap) | 25: 10 in Götaland, 6 in Svealand, 9 in Norrland; no administrative role |
| Counties (län) | 21 since 1998; each has a county board and a region |
| Municipalities (kommuner) | 290 |
| Official list | SCB, “Län och kommuner” (free, in Swedish) |
| Fire-ban lookup | krisinformation.se map, per municipality (free) |
| Regional transport fares | Set by each county’s region; not published here, so check the county’s transport company |
| Gotland | One province, one county, one municipality (Region Gotland) |
FAQ
What is the difference between a province and a county in Sweden?
A province (landskap) is a historic region with no administrative function today; it lives on in identity, dialects, tourism and symbols. A county (län) is the working unit: it has a state county board and an elected region that runs healthcare and, with the municipalities, regional public transport. Rules, tickets and fire bans follow counties and municipalities, never provinces.
How many provinces and counties does Sweden have?
Sweden has 25 provinces and 21 counties, plus 290 municipalities. The provinces are grouped into three lands: Götaland (10), Svealand (6) and Norrland (9). The number of counties has been 21 since 1998, when Västra Götaland was formed; Skåne county was created a year earlier. Province borders are treated as fixed.
Is Lapland a province or a county?
Lappland is a province with no administrative function. It covers a large part of Norrbotten county and the southern part of Västerbotten county. “Swedish Lapland” is something else: a tourism brand covering all 14 municipalities of Norrbotten county plus Skellefteå and Sorsele. So two maps of Lapland can disagree, and both are correct for their purpose.
Which county is Småland in?
Three, mainly. All of Kronoberg county is Småland, as are the larger parts of Jönköping and Kalmar counties, with small edges in Halland and Östergötland. Each county runs its own buses and regional trains, so there is no single Småland ticket. Öland belongs to Kalmar county but is a province of its own.
Do fire bans follow provinces or counties?
Neither exactly. A fire ban is issued by a county administrative board or a municipality, and county boards often cover only some of their municipalities. So look up the municipality you are standing in on the national map at krisinformation.se, on the day you plan to light anything. A province name on a brochure tells you nothing about the ban.
Why do Swedes say they come from a province, not a county?
Because provinces are centuries older and carry the identity: dialects, folk costume, sports federations and local heritage societies are often organised by province. A county board itself notes that people identify more with their province than with their county. The exceptions are Norrbotten, Västerbotten, Stockholm and Gothenburg, where the county or the city matters more.
Is Norrland a county?
No. Norrland is one of Sweden’s three lands (landsdelar), grouping nine provinces from Gästrikland and Hälsingland to Lappland and Norrbotten. It has no authority, no county board and no region of its own. Svealand and Götaland, the other two lands, work the same way. Rules in the north come from the counties there, such as Norrbotten and Jämtland.
Related guides
- How Sweden is governed: the national, regional and municipal levels in full
- Småland: one province, three counties, and how to travel between them
- Swedish Lapland: the brand area, and how it differs from the province
- Bohuslän and the west coast: a province inside Västra Götaland county
- How fire bans work: the county and municipal levels every summer
Facts verified 2026-10-06. Sources: Statistics Sweden (SCB), the county administrative boards of Skåne, Norrbotten, Västerbotten and Västra Götaland, the Geological Survey of Sweden (SGU), Sveriges riksdag (statute texts), Krisinformation.se, Government.se. The full register is in this topic’s source file. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.