Introduction
You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Finnish.  (June 2023) Click [show] for important translation instructions. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must follow the LLM translation guideline, revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Finnish Wikipedia article at [[:fi:Kouvola]]; see its history for attribution. You may also add the template {{Translated|fi|Kouvola}} to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation. City in Kymenlaakso, FinlandKouvolaCityKouvolan kaupunkiKouvola stadCity of KouvolaAerial photo of Kuusankoski area of Kouvola Coat of armsMotto: Näköisesi paikka (The place you look like)Location of Kouvola in FinlandInteractive map of KouvolaCoordinates: 60°52′05″N 026°42′15″E / 60.86806°N 26.70417°E / 60.86806; 26.70417Country FinlandRegion KymenlaaksoSub-regionKouvolaCharter1922City rights1960Government • City managerMarita ToikkaArea (2018-01-01) • City2,883.30 km2 (1,113.25 sq mi) • Land2,557.63 km2 (987.51 sq mi) • Water325.06 km2 (125.51 sq mi) • Rank22nd largest in FinlandPopulation (2025-12-31) • City77,625 • Rank12th largest in Finland • Density30.35/km2 (78.6/sq mi) • Urban55,372 • Metro60,776 • Metro density267/km2 (690/sq mi)Population by native language • Finnish93.4% (official) • Swedish0.4% • Others6.2%Population by age • 0 to 1413% • 15 to 6458.4% • 65 or older28.6%Time zoneUTC+02:00 (EET) • Summer (DST)UTC+03:00 (EEST)Postal code45100ClimateDfbWebsitewww.kouvola.fi/en/ Kouvola (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈkou̯ʋolɑ]) is a city in Finland and the administrative capital of Kymenlaakso. It is located in the southeastern interior of the country. The population of Kouvola is approximately 78,000. It is the 12th most populous municipality in Finland, and the 17th most populous urban area in the country. Kouvola is located along the Kymijoki River in the region of Kymenlaakso, 62 kilometres (39 mi) kilometers east of Lahti, 87 kilometres (54 mi) west of Lappeenranta and 134 kilometres (83 mi) northeast of the capital, Helsinki. With Kotka, Kouvola is one of the capital centers and is the largest city in the Kymenlaakso region. The urban area of Kouvola in the city centre itself is home to about 47,000 people. The city covers an area of 2,883.30 square kilometres (1,113.25 sq mi) of which 325.06 km2 (125.51 sq mi) is water. The population density is 30.35 inhabitants per square kilometre (78.6/sq mi). Kouvola is bordered by the municipalities of Hamina, Heinola, Iitti, Kotka, Lapinjärvi, Loviisa, Luumäki, Miehikkälä, Mäntyharju, Pyhtää and Savitaipale. Kouvola has over 450 lakes and, together with Mäntyharju, the Kouvola area includes the Repovesi National Park. Kouvola, which had population growth as late as the 1980s, has suffered a loss of population due to migration since the 1990s. Over time, the loss has only deepened, so that at the end of the 2010s Kouvola had the highest rate of population loss by migration in Finland. Natural demographics have also trended downward; in 2017, more than 450 more people died in the city than new ones were born. Currently, the population of Kouvola is decreasing annually by about 800 inhabitants. The reasons for the emigration are thought to be largely due to job losses in the region. The city has placed expectations for economic recovery on various projects, such as the TikTok data center planned for Koria village.