Municipality · Møre og Romsdal

Ørsta: population and statistics

Ørsta has a population of 11,068 (2026) across 650.0 km², or 17.0 people per km². It ranks 105 of 357 municipalities by population. Its population is growing: +3.7% between 2016 and 2026.

11,068 residents
650.0 km²
17 people/km²
20 m

Key points

Among the 27 municipalities in Møre og Romsdal, Ørsta ranks No. 5 by population.

Share of population with immigrant background: 11.8% in Ørsta, compared with an average of 16.7% in Møre og Romsdal and 21.8% nationally.

Share of inhabitants under 18: 21.1% in Ørsta, compared with an average of 19.7% in Møre og Romsdal and 19.6% nationally.

Largest business sector: Agriculture, forestry and fishing, with 17.0% of the area's business sites.

A 1 kWp solar panel tilted at 35° generates about 639 kWh a year here.

Did you know?

Its area is roughly equal to 91,036 football pitches.
The nearest municipality is Volda, 6.8 km away.
The nearest more populous municipality is Ålesund (59,663 residents), 30 km away.
A 4 kWp rooftop solar system here would generate about 2,556 kWh a year, roughly what an average household uses.

Ørsta in numbers

Population

11,068

ranked 105 of 357 +3.7%

Population density

17people/km²

ranked 134 of 351

Area

650km²

ranked 167 of 357

Elevation

20m

ranked 305 of 357

Share of population with immigrant background

11.8%

ranked 291 of 351

Share of inhabitants under 18

21.1%

ranked 62 of 351

Passenger cars in own-account transport per 1,000 inhabitants

637per 1,000 inh.

ranked 62 of 351

Active businesses in the register per 1,000 inhabitants

139.3per 1,000 inh.

ranked 270 of 351

All indicators for Ørsta

Value for the municipality, then the regional average and the national median (for counts: regional and national totals). The gauge places the municipality between the lowest and highest value in the country.

Population

Indicator	Ørsta	Møre og Romsdal	National	Rank
Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (2025)	−1.4 per 1,000 inh.	2.1 per 1,000 inh.	4.1 per 1,000 inh.	ranked 276 of 351
Share of inhabitants aged 65 and over (2026)	22.6%	21.9%	23.7%	ranked 213 of 351
Share of inhabitants under 18 (2026)	21.1%	19.7%	18.7%	ranked 62 of 351

Housing

Indicator	Ørsta	Møre og Romsdal	National	Rank
Total dwellings (occupied and unoccupied) (2026)	5,582	138,587	2,760,619	ranked 105 of 357
Share of dwellings built before 1946 (2026)	12.9%	15.2%	16.4%	ranked 242 of 351
Share of dwellings built after 2000 (2026)	26.8%	24.0%	21.8%	ranked 110 of 351
Share of dwellings in detached, semi-detached and terraced houses (2026)	88.8%	82.9%	89.9%	ranked 193 of 351
Share of dwellings in blocks of flats (2026)	4.6%	11.2%	4.4%	ranked 165 of 351
Cabins and holiday homes per 1,000 inhabitants (2026)	70.7 per 1,000 inh.	66.5 per 1,000 inh.	153.1 per 1,000 inh.	ranked 260 of 351

Economy

Indicator	Ørsta	Møre og Romsdal	National	Rank
Establishments (2026)	1,200	30,396	656,492	ranked 119 of 357
Establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2026)	108.4 per 1,000 inh.	111.3 per 1,000 inh.	129.8 per 1,000 inh.	ranked 262 of 351
Median income before tax (gross income) (2024)	510,600 NOK	–	500,900 NOK	ranked 139 of 351
Active businesses in the Central Coordinating Register (2026)	1,542 per 1,000 inh.	38,655 per 1,000 inh.	915,761 per 1,000 inh.	ranked 118 of 357
Active businesses in the register per 1,000 inhabitants (2026)	139.3 per 1,000 inh.	141.5 per 1,000 inh.	167.1 per 1,000 inh.	ranked 270 of 351
Businesses registered in the last 12 months per 1,000 inhabitants (2026)	11.4 per 1,000 inh.	10.5 per 1,000 inh.	11.9 per 1,000 inh.	ranked 197 of 351

Employment

Indicator	Ørsta	Møre og Romsdal	National	Position	Rank
Employed persons as a percentage of the population aged 15–74 (2025)	69.3%	68.8%	67.5%		ranked 113 of 351
Registered unemployed as a share of the population aged 15–74 (2025)	1.1%	0.9%	0.9%		ranked 97 of 351

Tourism

Indicator	Ørsta	Møre og Romsdal	National	Position	Rank
Overnight stays at hotels, campsites and cabin villages (2025)	67,053	–	112,411		ranked 67 of 103

Transport

Indicator	Ørsta	Møre og Romsdal	National	Position	Rank
Passenger cars in own-account transport per 1,000 inhabitants (2025)	637 per 1,000 inh.	582 per 1,000 inh.	591 per 1,000 inh.		ranked 62 of 351
Share of electric cars among passenger cars in own-account transport (2025)	21.0%	27.5%	19.7%		ranked 148 of 351

Society

Indicator	Ørsta	Møre og Romsdal	National	Position	Rank
Share of population with immigrant background (2025)	11.8%	16.7%	15.2%		ranked 291 of 351

Health

Indicator	Ørsta	Møre og Romsdal	National	Position	Rank
Life expectancy at birth (average of women and men) (2025)	83.6 years	83.6	82.8		ranked 64 of 351

Education

Indicator	Ørsta	Møre og Romsdal	National	Position	Rank
Share with university or university college education (2025)	30.1%	32.4%	27.5%		ranked 105 of 351

Population of Ørsta over time

Ørsta had 10,677 residents in 2016 and 11,068 in 2026.

Year	Population
2021	10,830
2022	10,833
2023	10,929
2024	10,958
2025	11,055
2026	11,068

Where is Ørsta?

Neighbouring municipalities

All municipalities in Møre og Romsdal

Business sectors: Ørsta

Share of each sector in total business sites; “×1.5” means the sector is 1.5 times more common than nationally.

Agriculture, forestry and fishing17.0% ×1.7
Wholesale and retail trade12.4% ×1.1
Real estate11.9% ×1.1
Construction11.9% ×1.1
Professional, scientific and technical8.7% ×0.7
Health and social work8.0% ×0.8
Manufacturing5.2% ×1.5
Arts, entertainment and recreation4.1% ×0.8

Sunshine and temperatures: Ørsta

Annual solar output

639kWh

for 1 kWp tilted at 35°

Warmest month

12.8°C

July

Coldest month

−3.4°C

January

Most productive month

112kWh

May

Monthly solar output (kWh per 1 kWp)Average temperature (°C)

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Ørsta?

Ørsta has 11,068 residents (2026), ranking 105 of 357 municipalities.

How big is Ørsta?

Ørsta covers 650.0 km², with a density of 17 people per km².

Is the population of Ørsta growing?

Between 2016 and 2026, the population of Ørsta went from 10,677 to 11,068, a change of +3.7%.

Where is Ørsta?

Ørsta is in Møre og Romsdal. Latitude 62.200, longitude 6.132.

Share of population with immigrant background: what is the figure for Ørsta?

In Ørsta, “Share of population with immigrant background” stands at 11.8% (2025), ranking 291 of 351 municipalities; the national median is 15.2%.

Share of inhabitants under 18: what is the figure for Ørsta?

In Ørsta, “Share of inhabitants under 18” stands at 21.1% (2026), ranking 62 of 351 municipalities; the national median is 18.7%.

How much electricity does a solar panel produce in Ørsta?

In Ørsta, a 1 kWp south-facing system tilted at 35° produces about 639 kWh a year.

Which municipalities border Ørsta?

The nearest to Ørsta are Volda (6.8 km), Hareid (19 km), Ulstein (23 km), Sula (25 km), Ålesund (30 km).