Government and politics in Etelä-Pohjanmaa (Länsi-Suomi, Finland): official figures
Health, social and rescue services in the South Ostrobothnia region have been run since 2023 by the South Ostrobothnia wellbeing services county (hyvinvointialue), governed by a 59-seat county council (aluevaltuusto) elected in the 2025 county elections.
Which party won the county election in South Ostrobothnia?
The Centre Party (KESK) became the largest group on the South Ostrobothnia county council in 2025 with 24 of the 59 seats (41%), up from 23 in 2022.
Source: Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus), from the election results of the Ministry of Justice · saved copyWhat is the make-up of the county council in South Ostrobothnia?
The seats on the South Ostrobothnia county council after the 2025 election were divided KESK 24, KOK 15, SDP 7, PS 6, KD 4, VAS 2; 7 parties or lists won representation.
Source: Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus), from the election results of the Ministry of Justice · saved copyHow many women are on the county council in South Ostrobothnia?
Women won 42.4% of the county council seats in the South Ostrobothnia region in 2025, 2nd lowest of the 18 areas that hold county elections (Finland: 57.4%).
Source: Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus), from the election results of the Ministry of Justice · saved copyWhat was the turnout in the county elections in South Ostrobothnia?
Turnout in the 2025 county elections was 53.4% in Etelä-Pohjanmaa (South Ostrobothnia), 5th highest of the 18 areas that hold county elections (Finland 51.7%), up from 50.4% in 2022.
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyWhat is the budget of the wellbeing services county in South Ostrobothnia?
In 2025 the county services in the South Ostrobothnia region spent a net €1,248 per resident on older people, the largest social care item, and earned €122.90 per resident of state funding through the health and wellbeing promotion (HYTE) coefficient.
Source: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet · saved copyHow Etelä-Pohjanmaa compares with other regions in Finland
Voter turnout in the 2025 county (wellbeing services county) elections (%) (2025)
Etelä-Pohjanmaa ranks 5 of 18, highest first. Helsinki and Åland do not hold county elections.
| Rank | Area | Voter turnout in the 2025 county (wellbeing services county) elections (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Keski-Pohjanmaa | 54.9% |
| 3 | Pirkanmaa | 54.7% |
| 4 | Varsinais-Suomi | 54.2% |
| 5 | Etelä-Pohjanmaa | 53.4% |
| 6 | Lappi | 52.4% |
| 7 | Kanta-Häme | 52.0% |
| 8 | Keski-Suomi | 51.6% |
Women as a share of county councillors elected in 2025 (%) (2025)
Etelä-Pohjanmaa ranks 17 of 18, highest first. Seats on the county councils of the wellbeing services counties in the area; Helsinki and Åland have none.
| Rank | Area | Women as a share of county councillors elected in 2025 (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Satakunta | 55.1% |
| 13 | Pirkanmaa | 53.2% |
| 14 | Etelä-Karjala | 50.9% |
| 15 | Lappi | 50.9% |
| 16 | Keski-Pohjanmaa | 47.5% |
| 17 | Etelä-Pohjanmaa | 42.4% |
| 18 | Kainuu | 37.3% |
More on Etelä-Pohjanmaa: overview · economy and jobs · health · education and schools · poverty and living standards · government budget · Länsi-Suomi · Finland
Sources
- Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus), from the election results of the Ministry of Justice: Numbers and proportions of elected councillors by party, sex and wellbeing services county in County elections, 2022-2025 (table 153i, PxWeb API POST query, json-stat2), read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 36eb52231311…)
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sotkanet: Sotkanet indicator bank, REST API 1.1: 32 indicators (one exact JSON response per indicator, e.g. indicator=5761, plus the region list) on morbidity, primary care, lifestyle, social assistance, homelessness, county election turnout and the net operating costs of wellbeing services counties, 2015-2025, bundled in one zip, read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 e5b01db4f1e9…)
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