DS Coastal, island and outermost regions > Methodology >EN > REVAMP

Coastal regions in the EU are based on the nomenclature of territorial units for statistics (NUTS) level 3 and are defined as

  • having a border with a coastline or
  • having more than half their population within 50 km of the coastline, based on population data for 1 km2 grid cells or
  • having a strong maritime influence (the region of Hamburg in Germany).

The basic coastal typology classifies 2 categories: Coastal regions and Non-coastal regions.

For the full list of coastal regions, please consult the  NUTS 2021 file and select the spreadsheet named ‘coastal regions’.

Island regions are NUTS 3 regions that are entirely composed of 1 or more islands. In this context, islands are defined as territories having:

  • a minimum surface of 1 km2
  • a minimum distance between the island and the mainland of 1 km
  • a resident population of more than 50 inhabitants
  • no fixed link (e.g. a bridge, a tunnel or a dyke) between the island and the mainland.

For the full list of island regions, please consult the  NUTS 2021 file and select the spreadsheet named ‘island regions’.