Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised May 16, 2026

Põlva County

Põlva County is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is located in the southeastern part of the country and borders Tartu, Valga, and Võru counties. 23,989 people live in Põlva County, constituting 1.8% of the total population of Estonia.

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May 16, 2026
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Põlva County
Põlvamaa
County
Central part of Põlva County, Põlva Parish
Central part of Põlva County, Põlva Parish
Flag of Põlva County
Flag
Coat of arms of Põlva County
Coat of arms
Location of Põlva County
CountryEstonia
CapitalPõlva
Area
 • Total
2,164.77 km2 (835.82 sq mi)
Population
 (20221)
 • Total
23,989
 • Rank13th
 • Density11.082/km2 (28.701/sq mi)
Ethnicity
 • Estonians95%
 • other5%
GDP
2
 • Total€347 million (2022)
 • Per capita€14,450 (2022)
ISO 3166 codeEE-64
Vehicle registrationO
Websitewww.polvamaa.ee

Põlva County (Estonian: Põlva maakond or Põlvamaa) is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is located in the southeastern part of the country and borders Tartu, Valga, and Võru counties. 23,989 people live in Põlva County, constituting 1.8% of the total population of Estonia (as of 2022).1

Government

The County Government (Estonian: Maavalitsus) is led by the Governor (Estonian: maavanem), who is appointed by the Government of Estonia for a term of five years. Since 2007, the governor position has been held by Priit Sibul.

Municipalities

The county is subdivided into municipalities. There are three rural municipalities (Estonian: vallad 'parishes') in Põlva County.

Municipalities of Põlva County source ↗
Rank Municipality Type Population
(2018)3		 Area
km23		 Density3
1 Kanepi Parish Rural 4,864 525 9.3
2 Põlva Parish Rural 14,273 706 20.2
3 Räpina Parish Rural 6,518 591 11.0

Demographics

27,028 people live in Põlva County – constituting 2.1% of the total population in Estonia (as of January 2013).1

Culture

1951–2019, the county had its newspaper: Koit. The last chief editor (since 2000) was Kauno Kõima.4

Religion

The Lutheran congregations in the county are under Võru Deanery of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church.5

Eastern Orthodoxy congregations in the county are under the jurisdiction of the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church.6

The independent Estonian Charismatic Church of Fellowship also operates in the county.

Other Christian congregations such as Baptists, Methodists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and others operate in the county.

There is also a congregation of the Estonian Neopagan religion operating in the county.

Religious affiliations in Põlva County census 2000–2021*7
Religion 2000 2011 2021
Number % Number % Number %
Christianity 8,318 31.9 6,021 25.6 3,990 19.4
—Orthodox Christians 2,080 8.0 1,841 7.8 1,170 5.7
—Lutherans 5,891 22.6 3,835 16.3 2,550 12.4
—Catholics 42 0.1 15 0.06 30 0.1
—Baptists 51 0.2 49 0.2 50 0.2
—Jehovah's Witnesses 132 0.5 157 0.6 90 0.4
—Pentecostals 57 0.2 24 0.1 - -
—Old Believers 18 0.06 17 0.7 - -
—Methodists 33 0.1 15 0.06 - -
—Adventists 14 0.05 18 0.06 - -
—Other Christians - - 50 0.2 100 0.4
Islam 4 0.1 6 0.02 - -
Buddhism - - 11 0.04 - -
Other religions** 89 0.3 221 0.9 370 1.8
No religion 10,706 41.1 13,801 58.7 13,480 65.6
Not stated*** 6,937 26.6 3,461 14.7 2,610 12.7
Total population* 26,054 23,501 20,530
*The censuses of Estonia count the religious affiliations of the population older than 15 years of age.7
".7
References

References

  1. "Population by sex, ethnic nationality and County, 1 January". stat.ee. Statistics Estonia. 1 January 2009. Retrieved 18 October 2009.
  2. "GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT BY COUNTY". stat.ee.
  3. "Elanike demograafiline jaotus maakonniti". Kohaliku omavalitsuse portaal. Archived from the original on 2 March 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  4. "Koit - Eesti Entsüklopeedia". entsyklopeedia.ee. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  5. "The Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church. Congregations". Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  6. "Eesti Apostlik-Õigeusu Kirik. Kogudused". Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  7. Official census data from Statistics Estonia:
External links

58°05′N 27°05′E / 58.083°N 27.083°E / 58.083; 27.083