Demographics of Norway

Demographics of Norway
Population pyramid 2017

Animated population pyramid of Norway since 1846. With Emigrants represented by lighter colors and immigrants represented in gray.

Population density map of municipalities in Norway from 2016.

Total population in Norway 1735–2017, in millions.^[1]

This article is about the demographic features of the population of Norway, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

Total population[]

The total population of Norway on 1 January 2021 was 5,391,369.^[3] Statistics Norway estimated that the 5,000,000 milestone was reached on 19 March 2012.^[4]

Population growth rate in 2020[]

• Norway: 0.4%
• Northern Norway: -0.4%
• Southern Norway: 0.5%
• Eastern Norway: 0.6%
• Trøndelag: 0.5%
• Western Norway: 0.4%

Total fertility rate from 1850 to 1899[]

The total fertility rate is the number of children born per woman. It is based on fairly good data for the entire period. Sources: Our World In Data and Gapminder Foundation.^[5]

A large size Norwegian nuclear family. Photo of 1890.

Annual population growth in Norway 1951–2016, in thousands.^[1]

Natural growth

Total growth

Vital statistics since 1900[]

Data according to Statistics Norway, which collects the official statistics for Norway.^[6]

Current vital statistics[]

^[8]

Period	Live births	Deaths	Natural increase
January - June 2020	27,039	20,560	+6,479
January - June 2021	28,304	19,571	+8,733
Difference	+1,265 (+4.68%)	-989 (-4.81%)	+2,254

Total fertility rate[]

Life expectancy at birth from 1846 to 2015[]

This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (June 2021)

Sources: Our World In Data and the United Nations.

1543–1950

1950-2015

Source: UN World Population Prospects^[10]

Ethnicity[]

Ethnically, the residents of Norway are predominantly Norwegians, a North Germanic ethnic group. In Northern Norway there is a population of Sami people, who claim descent from people who settled the area around 8,000 years ago, probably from continental Europe through the Norwegian coast and through Finland along the inland glaciers. As of 2020, an official government study shows that 75.2% of the total population are ethnic Norwegians (born in Norway with two parents also born in Norway).^[11] The national minorities of Norway include: Scandinavian Romani, Roma, Jews, and Kvener, as well as a small Finnish community.

In the last decades, Norway has become home to increasing numbers of immigrants, foreign workers, and asylum-seekers from various parts of the world. Norway had a steady influx of immigrants from South Asia (mostly Pakistanis and Sri Lankans), East Asia (mainly Chinese), and (e.g. Filipinos), Eastern Europe (e.g. Russians) and (Central Europe Poles), Southern Europe (Greeks, Albanians and people from former Yugoslavia etc.), and Middle East countries (especially Iraqis and Kurdish Iranians), as well as Somalis, Turks, Moroccans, and some Latin Americans. After ten Eastern European and Baltic countries joined the EU in 2004, there has also been a substantial influx of people from Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Immigrants constituted 14.7% of the population at the start of 2020, 3.5% were born in Norway to two immigrant parents, 5.2% to one foreign-born and one Norwegian-born parent and 75.2% born to two-Norwegian born parents.^[12] The same year, 19% of births in Norway were to immigrant parents.^[12] In 2006, non-Western immigrants constituted 75% of the total number of immigrants. They contribute much of the population growth. Among people of African descent in Oslo, almost 60% are younger than 30, compared to 20% of those of North American background.^[13]

As of 2020, an official government study shows that more than 1,333,620 people (24.8%) living in Norway are either first-generation immigrants or have one or two foreign-born parents.^[14]

Of these 979,254 immigrants and their descendants (born in Norway with two foreign born parents):

• 401,407 (41%)^[14] have a Western background (Australia, New Zealand, North America, elsewhere in Europe)
• 577,847 (59%)^[14] have a non-Western background.

In 2012, of the total 660 000 with immigrant background, 407,262 had Norwegian citizenship (62.2 percent).^[15]

Immigrants were represented in all Norwegian municipalities. The cities or municipalities with the highest share of immigrants in 2012 was Oslo (26 percent) and Drammen (18 percent).^[16] The share in Stavanger was 16%.^[16] According to Reuters, Oslo is the "fastest growing city in Europe because of increased immigration".^[17] In recent years, immigration has accounted for most of Norway's population growth.^[13]

Rank	Country of origin[18]	Population (2021)[19]
1.	Poland	117,331
2.	Lithuania	48,564
3.	Somalia	43,593
4.	Pakistan	39,257
5.	Sweden	39,031
6.	Syria	37,581
7.	Iraq	34,671
8.	Eritrea	30,213
9.	Germany	28,639
10.	Philippines	26,337
11.	Vietnam	23,811
12.	Iran incl. Kurdistan province	23,765
13.	Thailand	22,707
14.	Russia	22,561
15.	Afghanistan	22,361
16.	Denmark	20,833
17.	Turkey	20,679
18.	India	19,282
19.	Bosnia-Herzegovina	18,738
20.	Romania	18,291

Genetics of the native people of Norway[]

Y-chromosome DNA[]

Y-Chromosome DNA (Y-DNA) represents the male lineage, The Norwegian Y-chromosome pool may be summarized as follows where haplogroups R1 & I comprise generally more than 85% of the total chromosomes.^[20]

• I – 55%
• R1 – 35%
• NOP ~ 5%
• Other Haplogroups ~ 5%

Mitochondrial DNA[]

Mitochondrial DNA mtDNA represents the female lineage, Haplogroup H represent about 40% of the Norwegian mitochondrial DNA lineages^[21]

• H ~ 40%
• JT ~ 23%
• UK ~ 22%
• IWX ~ 5%
• V ~ 5%
• Other lineages ~ 5%

Immigration[]

As of January 1st, 2020, official data shows that the quotient of the total population that is either born outside Norway, or has one or two parents born abroad abroad is 1,333,620 to 5,367,580 (which equals 24.8%).^[14]

About a half million of these, however, identify as ethnic Norwegians who may have, for example, Swedish or Danish ancestors. As of 2020, an official government study shows that 75.2%^[14] of the total population are ethnic Norwegians and more than 1,333,620 individuals (24.8%) are migrants and their descendants (790,497 are first-generation immigrants i.e. foreign-born, 277,085 are Norwegian-born with one foreign-born parent and 188,757 are Norwegian-born with two foreign-born parents).

Of these 979,254 immigrants and their descendants (foreign-born or Norwegian-born with two foreign-born parents):

• 401,407 (41%) have a Western background (Australia, New Zealand, United States, Canada, countries in the European Union, and EFTA states)
• 577,847 (59%) have a non-Western background.

Other demographic statistics[]

Birth and death rates of Norway in 1950–2008.

Persons with immigrant background by immigration category and country background. Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents. Statistics Norway. 1 January 2010.

The following demographic statistics are from the World Population Review.^[22]

• One birth every 8 minutes
• One death every 13 minutes
• One net migrant every 19 minutes
• Net gain of one person every 10 minutes

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.^[7]

Population

5,372,191 (July 2018 est.)

3,570,554 (1960)

2,376,952 (1910)

1,583,525 (1860)

Population – comparative

Slightly greater than British Columbia, but slightly less than Singapore and Eritrea.

Population pyramid for Norway in 2017.

Age structure

0–14 years: 18.0% (male 495,403 /female 471,014) (2018 est.)

15–24 years: 12.4% (male 340,672 /female 324,088)

25–54 years: 41.0% (male 1,136,373 /female 1,065,138)

55–64 years: 11.7% (male 318,898 /female 310,668)

65 years and over: 16.9% (male 420,178 /female 489,759)

0–14 years: 18.0% (male 490,915/female 466,515) (2017 est.)

15–24 years: 12.6% (male 343,103/female 326,053)

25–54 years: 41.0% (male 1,125,334/female 1,056,330)

55–64 years: 11.7% (male 315,223/female 307,639)

65 years and over: 16.1% (male 409,057/female 479,876)

0–14 years: 18.8% (male 472,060; female 449,649) (2011 est)

15–64 years: 66.2% (male 1,662,852; female 1,593,501)

65 years and over: 15.0% (male 325,937; female 416,306)

0–14 years: 26.0% (male 476,748; female 452,559) (1960 est)^{[citation needed]}

15–64 years: 63.0% (male 1,125,525; female 1,123,206)

65 years and over: 11.0% (male 175,485; female 214,184)

0–14 years: 35.0% (male 423,253; female 408,204) (1910 est)^{[citation needed]}

15–64 years: 57.3% (male 640,835; female 722,443)

65 years and over: 7.7% (male 82,312; female 99,905)

0–14 years: 35.9% (male 288,510; female 280,249) (1860 est.)^{[citation needed]}

15–64 years: 58.0% (male 446,391; female 472,405)

65 years and over: 6.1% (male 42,130; female 53,840)

Median age

total: 39.3 years. Country comparison to the world: 55th

male: 38.6 years

female: 40 years (2018 est.)

total: 39.2 years Country comparison to the world: 57th

male: 38.4 years

female: 40 years (2017 est.)

total: 39.7 years (2010 est.)

male: 38.8 years

female: 40.5 years

Birth rate

12.2 births/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 160th

Death rate

8 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 90th

Total fertility rate

1.85 children born/woman (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 143rd

Net migration rate

5.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 24th

5.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth

28.9 years

Note: data is calculated based on actual age at first births (2015 est.)

Population growth rate

0.9% (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 117th

1.0% (2017 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 82 years. Country comparison to the world: 22nd

male: 79.9 years

female: 84.1 years (2018 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 2.5 deaths/1,000 live births Country comparison to the world: 221st

male: 2.8 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 2.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2017 est.)

Ethnic groups

Norwegian 83.2% (includes about 60,000 Sami), other European 8.3%, other 8.5% (2017 est.)

Languages

Norwegian and Sami

Bokmål (official written only), Nynorsk (official written only), North Sami, Lule Sami, and South Sami

Note: There is no standardized spoken Norwegian. Sami is an official language in nine municipalities in Norway's three northernmost counties: Finnmark, Nordland, and Troms. There are also Finnish-speaking minorities.

Religions

Church of Norway (Evangelical Lutheran) 69.9%, Roman Catholic 3.0%, other Christians 3.8%, Muslim 3.3%, other religions 0.8%, unaffiliated and humanism 19.2% (2018)^[23][24][25]

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 52.1 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio: 27.3

elderly dependency ratio: 24.8

potential support ratio: 4

Note: data include Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands

Urbanization

urban population: 82.2% of total population (2018)

rate of urbanization: 1.4% annual rate of change (2015–20 est.)

Note: data include Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 18 years

male: 17 years

female: 19 years (2016)

Unemployment, youth ages 15–24

total: 10.4%. Country comparison to the world: 125th

male: 11.7%

female: 9% (2017 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.1 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female

15–64 years: 1.0 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female

total population: 1.0 male(s)/female

Religion[]

The Lutheran Church of Norway is the former state church and the vast majority remain at least nominal members. Other religions do, however, enjoy religious freedom and have prospered with immigration in recent years, particularly Islam and Roman Catholicism. Saint Olaf is the patron saint of Norway. He is regarded by some as the eternal king and has a reputation and place in history unchallenged by any other Norwegian King for the last 1000 years.

Official languages[]

Norwegian (the written standards Bokmål and Nynorsk).
Uralic languages – South Sami, Lule Sami, North Sami and Kven – are additional official languages of some municipalities.

See also[]

• Demographics of Svalbard
• Aging of Europe

Notes[]

References[]

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