Statistical grouping of municipalities

Statistics Finland introduced a new statistical grouping of municipalities in 1989. The classification groups municipalities according to their degrees of urbanisation and rurality. The municipal classification divides municipalities into three categories according to the proportion of people living in urban settlements and the population of the largest urban settlement: urban municipalities, semi-urban municipalities, rural municipalities.

Urban municipalities include those municipalities in which at least 90 per cent of the population lives in urban settlements or in which the population of the largest urban settlement is at least 15,000.

Semi-urban municipalities are municipalities in which at least 60 per cent but less than 90 per cent of the population lives in urban settlements and in which the population of the largest urban settlement is at least 4,000 but less than 15,000.

Rural municipalities include those municipalities in which less than 60 per cent of the population lives in urban settlements and in which the population of the largest urban settlement is less than 15,000; and those municipalities in which at least 60 per cent but less than 90 per cent of the population lives in urban settlements and in which the population of the largest settlement is less than 4,000.

A list of all municipalities, types of municipality and the changes that have occurred in them are included in Statistics Finland's Regional Divisions Based on Municipalities publication.