Sami Population

In the Nordic countries, the definition of who is Sami is based on language criteria. A person is considered Sami if he consideres himself Sami and either has himself learned Sami or has at least one parent or grandparent who has learned Sami as his mother tongue.

In Norway, there are more than 50,000, in Sweden more than 25,000, in Finland 7,500, and in Russia 2,000 Sami.

The area inhabited by the Sami reaches in Norway and Sweden south to the level of Vaasa, in the north to the Arctic Ocean, and in the east, to the Kola Peninsula. The southern border of the Sami Region in Finland is situated in the northern part of the municipality of Sodankylä. About a third of the Sami population in Finland lives outside the actual Sami Region.