Population in Norway

Statistically the Norwegian people have plenty of space, as there are only 16 inhabitants per Square kilometres of land.

The population growth in 2010 is so far 50.000, or an increase of 1,2%. The total of Live births in 2009 was 61 800, the highest number since 1972.The total number of deaths was 41.449.

With a medium growth rate in the years to come, it is expected that the population will increase from 4.908.000 in 2010 to 5.367.000 in 2030, and will reach 6.061.000 in 2060.

One big challenge is that the number of people in the group of younger people will be near constant (0-5 years, 6-15 years and 16-66 years), while the group of citizens at 67 years of age or older will double.

Life duration has increased steadily for some 200 years. During the last 20 years, the increase has been particularly strong, and especially for men. In 2009 a new born girl could expect to live for 83 years and new born boys for 78.5 years. Twenty years ago the corresponding figures were 79 and 73 years respectively.

Counties in the northern Norway have experienced a zero to negative growth rate over the past decade, while the southern counties and especially areas surrounding Oslo have had up to 15 % population growth. Major centres of population include the capital Oslo (597,000), Bergen (230,000), Trondheim (151,000), Stavanger (109,000), Kristiansand (74,000), Fredrikstad (69,000) and Tromsø (60,000).

Particularly the larger metropolitan centres, has become increasingly multicultural. The Norwegian Statistisk Sentralbyrå (http://www.ssb.no) monitors these changes and divides the Norwegian population into Non-Immigrant, Immigrant Western (the Nordic countries, Western Europe, North America and Oceania) and Immigrant Non-Western (Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, South and Central American and Turkey).

These groups are populations both from other European countries (190.000) , Asia (148.990), Africa (51.598), North- and Central America (11.018), South America (12.360) and Oceania (1.253).

Immigrants and those born in Norway by immigrant parents constituted 11.4 per cent of the population as per 1 January 2010, totalling 552 000 persons. Immigrants live in all municipalities in the county, and Oslo has the largest share with 160 000 persons or 27 per cent of the capital's population.


Approximately 46 per cent of the immigrant population have Norwegian citizenship, but this varies between groups.

Oslo has the largest share of immigrants, with 160 000 persons or 27 per cent of the capital's population. These are mainly Pakistani, Somali, Swedish and Sri Lankan origin.


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