Pajala is a locality and the seat of Pajala Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden, with 1,958 inhabitants in 2010. It is located in Swedish Lapland. Pajala is in part of the Meänmaa region and was in past times unilingually Meänkieli-speaking. While it is still spoken by many, after the Swedification policies of the 18- and 1900s Swedish has become the dominant language.