Kalmar län

Last updated: 2/12-2022

Kalmar county, the eastern parts of Småland and Öland, is divided up into twelve municipalities with around 243,000 inhabitants. The county is stretched out and varied. Here you can find archipelagos and coastal meadows, the forests of the interior, the open agricultural landscape of the Kalmar coast and the unique cultural landscape of Öland. There is the proximity and charm of small towns, with a varied range of cultural and leisure activities.

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Municipalities in Kalmar län

Choose the municipality in Kalmar län that you want to read more about below.

Housing situation

On the whole, there is a balance between supply and demand for housing. Few flats for rent are being built, although several municipalities have a shortage of this type of housing. In some locations, easy-access housing in locations close to services are being built for the elderly and disabled, in order to meet a changed demography. New housing aimed at young people, students, new arrivals, newly separated, etc. are only built exceptionally. The main obstacles to housing construction in the county are high production costs and a falling population.

Population

Kalmar County has twelve municipalities: Västervik, Vimmerby, Hultsfred, Högsby, Oskarshamn, Mönsterås, Nybro, Emmaboda, Torsås, Mörbylånga, Borgholm and Kalmar. Högsby is the county's smallest municipality, with just over 5,700 inhabitants, and Kalmar is the largest, with just over 64,000 inhabitants and also the fastest rate of population growth in the county. The county overall has seen a population increase in recent years.​

Business and employers

There is a long tradition of entrepreneurship in the county, and the business community is characterised by engineering industry, small enterprises, and farming and forestry. The biggest employer is Region Kalmar with almost 6,000 employees, followed by the county's larger municipalities. The biggest private employer is Scania SV AB. Compared with the rest of the country, only a small share of the population has post-upper secondary education.

Associations and organisations – civil society

In 2013 a joint integration strategy for the county was adopted by 27 partners with the aim of improving the prospects for people born abroad to want to live and work in Kalmar County: ALMI Företagspartner, Arbetsförmedlingen, Företagarna, Försäkringskassan, Hushållningssällskapet (the Rural Economy and Agricultural Societies), Region Kalmar County, the Federation of Swedish Farmers, Linnæus University, the County administrative board, the Migration Agency, Regionförbundet (now part of Region Kalmar County), all of the county's municipalities, the Swedish Tax Agency, the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise and the Swedish Police. The Red Cross, Smålandsidrotten (the Småland Athletics Association) and the adult education associations also participate in the county's efforts with integration.

Schools and education

The Linnaeus University has its campuses in Växjö and Kalmar, and has 60 educational programmes and further courses, and in total more than 1,200 courses are offered in more than 50 subjects. Kalmar has a strong emphasis on natural science research. There is also an internationally renowned maritime university and a highly ranked design programme in Pukeberg, Nybro.

Links to other websites

Medical care

The county has three hospitals. Kalmar County Hospital has 18 different specialist clinics and 350 beds, while Oskarshamn Hospital has five clinics and around 80 beds, and Västervik Hospital has 16 clinics and around 150 beds. Primary care comprises 28 health centres run by the region and 11 private doctors' surgeries.

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Culture and leisure

The county is marketed by the region as the "health county" and offers a wide selection of culture and leisure activities, interesting nature and cultural heritage areas and popular visitor destinations including Astrid Lindgren's World, Glasriket (the Kingdom of Crystal), and Ottenby on Öland's southern tip. In many communities the libraries are cultural meeting places for encounters between people of different backgrounds and ages. Kalmar County Museum, Konstmuseet, Länsmusiken, handicrafts and the county theatre all work to involve culture in the integration process, in order to create a more dynamic cultural life.