One in five Faroese people leave the country permanently, new figures show

Nearly one in five people in the Faroe Islands emigrates permanently, with around 40% of each age cohort living abroad at some point in their lives, according to a new report by the Faroese statistics agency Hagstova Føroya.

The figures reveal that 20% of individuals from Faroese families leave the country and do not return. This rate is higher than in Iceland, where around 10% leave permanently, but lower than in Åland, where one in four people emigrates for good.

The report also highlights that Faroese people tend to live abroad during their late twenties, with 40% of each age group residing outside the country at some point. In Åland, a similar pattern emerges, though emigration occurs slightly earlier in life. In contrast, Iceland sees far lower rates, with only 5–15% of each age cohort living abroad during their twenties.

Hagstova Føroya has compared the Faroe Islands with Åland for the first time in this study.