March 14, 2025

Percentage of People Living On An Island In Every European Country – Brilliant Maps

Percentage of People Living On An Island In Every European Country

The
map
above
looks
at
what
share
of
the
population
of
each
European
country
lives
on
an
island.
For
some
countries
like
the
UK
or
Ireland
it’s
pretty
obvious
the
number
is
going
to
be
100%
as
they
are
island
nations.

However
for
some
like
Denmark
at
55%
it’s
bit
less
obvious
(Copenhagen
is
built
on
the
islands
of
Zealand
and
Amager).

Here’s
the
list
below
by
country
with
a
little
explanation
for
some
countries:

Island
Countries
100%

  • Cyprus:
    100%
  • Iceland:
    100%
  • Ireland:
    100%
  • Malta:
    100%
  • United
    Kingdom:
    100%

Countries
With
10%+

  • Denmark:
    ~55%
    (as
    noted
    above
    Copenhagen
    is
    located
    on
    two
    main
    islands)
  • Greece:
    ~15%
    (Greece
    has
    6,000+
    islands,
    but
    only
    227
    are
    inhabited,
    Crete
    being
    the
    most
    populous)
  • Italy:
    ~11%
    (Italy
    has
    450+
    islands
    including
    Sardinia
    and
    Sicily)

Countries
With
1%

10%

  • Spain:
    ~7%
    (Main
    ones
    are
    the
    Canary
    and
    Balearic
    Islands)
  • Sweden:
    ~6%
    (despite
    claiming
    to
    have
    the
    most
    islands
    in
    the
    world
    at
    267,570,
    relatively
    few
    people
    live
    on
    them;
    Södertörn
    was
    not
    included
    even
    though
    it
    is
    considered
    an
    island
    by
    Sweden.)
  • Netherlands:
    ~5%
    (Mostly
    on
    IJsselmonde)
  • Portugal:
    ~5%
    (Mostly
    living
    on
    Madeira
    and
    the
    Azores)
  • Estonia:
    ~3%
    (Saaremaa
    is
    the
    biggest)
  • France:
    ~4%
    (Main
    islands
    are 
    Réunion,
    Martinique
    and
    Corsica)
  • Russia:
    ~4%
    (Sakhalin
    is
    the
    most
    populous
    Russian
    island)
  • Slovakia
    ~4%
    (The
    island
    of
    Žitný
    ostrov)
  • Croatia:
    ~3%
    (most
    populous
    are
    Krk
    and
    Korčula)
  • Norway:
    ~2%
    (Tromsøya
    and
    Hinnøya
    have
    the
    most
    people)
  • Hungary
    ~2%
    (Mostly
    on
    Csepel
    Island)
  • Finland:
    ~1%
    (mostly
    on
    the
    Åland
    Islands)

Countries
with
less
than
1%

  • Albania
  • Andorra
  • Austria
  • Belarus
  • Belgium
  • Bosnia
    and
    Herzegovina
  • Bulgaria
  • Czech
    Republic
    (Czechia)
  • Germany
  • Kosovo
  • Latvia
  • Liechtenstein
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Moldova
  • Monaco
  • Montenegro
  • North
    Macedonia
  • Poland
  • Romania
  • San
    Marino
  • Serbia
  • Slovenia
  • Switzerland
  • Turkey
  • Ukraine
  • Vatican
    City
  • Tunisia
  • Morocco
  • Algeria

Also
see:

Top
10
Countries
With
The
Most
Islands

What
do
you
think
would
like
to
live
on
an
island?

Go to Source
Author: Brilliant Maps