Kihnu Parish

Kihnu Parish Kihnu vald
Municipality of Estonia
Kihnu lighthouse
Flag Coat of arms
Kihnu Parish within Pärnu County.
Country	Estonia
County	Pärnu County
Administrative centre	Sääre
Area
• Total	16.88 km2 (6.52 sq mi)
Population  (2026)
• Total	490
• Density	29/km2 (75/sq mi)
ISO 3166 code	EE-303
Website	kihnu.ee

Kihnu Parish (Estonian: Kihnu vald) is a rural municipality of Estonia, in Pärnu County. The parish covers the 16.88 km² area of Kihnu island, making it one of the smallest parishes in Estonia. As of 1 January 2026, Kihnu Parish had a population of 490. In 2003, UNESCO named Kihnu Island's culture as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible History of Humanity, placing the island on the organization's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

Demographics

As of 1 January 2026, the parish had 490 residents, of which 242 (49.4%) were women and 248 (50.6%) were men.

Settlements

There are 4 villages in Kihnu Parish: Lemsi, Linaküla, Rootsiküla and Sääre.

Religion

Among residents of the parish above 15 years of age, 33.3 per cent declared themselves to be Orthodox, 2.1 33.3 per cent to be Lutheran, while 18.8 per cent left their beliefs undeclared. The largest demographic segment of the parish, 43.8 per cent, were religiously unaffiliated. 2.1 per cent of the population did not specify their religious affiliation.

Notable people

• Enn Uuetoa (1848 in Kihnu – 1913), a ship captain who command large ships without the use of either a compass or a sextant.
• Maaja Vadi (born 1955 in Kihnu), a management scholar and psychologist; Professor of Management at the University of Tartu and has been dean of the university’s economics and business faculty, 2011–2014
• Annely Akkermann (born 1972 in Linaküla), politician, Minister of finance, 2022 to 2023.

External links

• Official website (in Estonian)