Asikkala (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈɑsikːɑlɑ]) is a municipality of Finland. Its seat is in Vääksy, at the shores of the Lake Päijänne. It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Päijänne Tavastia region. Asikkala's neighboring municipalities are Hämeenlinna, Heinola, Hollola, Lahti, Padasjoki and Sysmä.

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Asikkala
Municipality
Asikkalan kunta Asikkala kommun
Vääksy Canal
Coat of arms
Location of Asikkala in Finland
Coordinates: 61°10′20″N 025°32′50″E
Country	Finland
Region	Päijänne Tavastia
Sub-region	Lahti sub-region
Charter	1848
Seat	Vääksy
Government
• Municipal manager	Rinna Ikola-Norrbacka
Area  (2018-01-01)[1]
• Total	755.55 km2 (291.72 sq mi)
• Land	563.39 km2 (217.53 sq mi)
• Water	192.13 km2 (74.18 sq mi)
• Rank	151st largest in Finland
Population  (2023-12-31)[2]
• Total	7,970
• Rank	120th largest in Finland
• Density	14.15/km2 (36.6/sq mi)
Population by native language [3]
• Finnish	97.2% (official)
• Swedish	0.1%
• Others	2.6%
Population by age [4]
• 0 to 14	13.3%
• 15 to 64	52.7%
• 65 or older	34%
Time zone	UTC+02:00 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Website	asikkala.fi

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The municipality has a population of 7,970 (31 December 2023)^[5] and covers an area of 755.55 square kilometres (291.72 sq mi) of which 192.13 km² (74.18 sq mi) is water.^[1] The population density is 14.15 inhabitants per square kilometre (36.6/sq mi).

The municipality is unilingually Finnish, by law since 1996.

The oldest prehistoric objects discovered in Asikkala, primarily tools, are presumed to date back to approximately 3000 BCE. The island of Kotasaari in the village of Kalkkinen has been a significant source of finds as well; the settlement on the island dates back to the Stone Age. In the Middle Age, the hunters populating the area of Asikkala made excursions towards the north on the Päijänne. The oldest villages in the municipality are presumed to be Kalkkinen as well as Anianpelto, the former of which also housed the largest estate in the area, known as Iisakkila or Kalkkinen.^[6]

Asikkala is mentioned in writing for the first time in a document concerning a border dispute with Sysmä in 1443. It is mentioned in 1445 as an administrative parish, whose subordinates in taxation included the villages of Viitaila, Asikkala and Urajärvi, and later Ruuhijärvi in modern-day Nastola. In the early 1600s, Asikkala became an independent chapel parish from the mother parish of Hollola.^[6]

In 2020, 13.3% of the population of Asikkala was under the age of 15, 52.7% were aged 15 to 64, and 34.0% were over the age of 64. The average age was 49.9, above the national average of 43.4 and regional average of 46.1. Speakers of Finnish made up 97.4% of the population and speakers of Swedish made up 0.2%, while the share of speakers of foreign languages was 2.4%. Foreign nationals made up 1.8% of the total population.^[10]

The chart below, describing the development of the total population of Asikkala from 1975-2020, encompasses the municipality's area as of 2021.

Results of the 2011 Finnish parliamentary election in Asikkala:

• True Finns 26.8%
• Centre Party 20.8%
• National Coalition Party 20.5%
• Social Democratic Party 15.2%
• Christian Democrats 8.1%
• Left Alliance 4.0%
• Green League 3.7%

In 2018, 9.6% of the workforce of Asikkala worked in primary production (agriculture, forestry and fishing), 28.7% in secondary production (e.g. manufacturing, construction and infrastructure), and 58.6% in services. In 2019, the unemployment rate was 9.2%, and the share of pensioners in the population was 37.4%.^[14]

The ten largest employers in Asikkala in 2019 were as follows:^[15]

• Päijänne Tavastia Aviation Museum