General Information about Malax
Malax is a bilingual municipality in Swedish-speaking Ostrobothnia, and its center is 25 kilometers from the city of Vaasa. It was founded in its current form on 1 January 1973 when the municipalities of Malax, Bergö and Petalax merged. The northern parts of Pörtom municipality were transferred to Malax in 1975. Malax became an independent parish in 1607, and the municipality celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2007.
The municipality wishes to be a vibrant community where all residents have access to good services and opportunities to work and earn a living, regardless of where they live in the municipality. Malax currently has circa 5,500 residents.
The municipality’s total area is 1,954 km² (land 522 km², fresh water 4 km², and sea water 1,429 km²), with a shoreline of 338,7 km.
| Population | 5,479 |
| Language distribution | Swedish 84,9 %, Finnish 9,6 %, and others 5,5 % |
| Age distribution | 0 to 15 years old 15,7 %, 15 to 64 years old 55 % and 65 and older 29,3 % |
| Unemployment rate | 4,5 % |