Facts about Norway

Facts about Norway
  1. Clothes drying: In Norway, Sunday is literally considered a public holiday – therefore it is forbidden (in some places) to hang laundry out to dry on Sundays
  2. Prime ministers: Several Norwegian prime ministers have behaved scandalously in public; one was drunk on TV, another had to leave his position temporarily because he felt slandered by the media and a third called an African president “Bongo from Congo”
  3. Record-breaking cold: It can get very cold in Norway; the record is -51.4 degrees!
  4. Longest road tunnel: The Lærdal Tunnel in Norway is the longest road tunnel in the world. It is 24,509 km long!
  5. Football: Many Norwegians are proud of the fact that the Norwegian national team has never lost a match to the Brazilian national team. In total, the two teams have played 3 matches, of which Norway has won 2 and the last one was a draw
  6. Helgafylla: Just like the Swedes and Danes, Norwegians like to get drunk. That’s why they have the word full-capacitywhich literally and directly translated means “weekend drunk”
  7. EU: Norway is not a member of the EU, but of other inter-European cooperation agreements such as the EEA. Norway’s non-membership of the EU is a frequently debated topic in Norwegian politics and many Norwegians find it strange that Norway in many areas adapts to EU politics and economics, even though they do not want to be members of the union.
  8. Line of kings: The Norwegian royal line became extinct in 1387, after which Norway entered into a sort of communion with Denmark
  9. Denmark and Sweden: In 1397, Norway was occupied by Denmark. During the Napoleonic Wars (1804 – 1815), Denmark-Norway lost its navy and had to cede Norway to the King of Sweden. On May 17, 1814, Norway became an independent state by signing the Eidsvold Constitution (i.e. the Norwegian constitution)
  10. National Day: Norway’s national day is May 17th, when people dress up in the country’s national costume (“bunad”) and celebrate the signing of the constitution in 1814

Read about working in Norway here.

Norway's landscape is characterized by mountains, fjords and mountains
Attribution: Les Haines – Flickr.com

Geographic facts

  • Location: Northern Europe. North Sea to the south, Norwegian Sea to the west, Barents Sea to the north and Sweden to the east
  • Country borders: Finland (709 km), Sweden (1,666 km) and Russia (191 km)
  • Coastline: 25,148 km (100,915 km if all fjords and islands are included)
  • Climate: The coastal areas are temperate and heavily influenced by the sea (especially the North Atlantic Current). Inland, winters are colder
  • Landscape: Ice-covered mountains and high plateaus broken by fertile valleys. In addition, small scattered plains and tundra in the north. The coastline is characterized by the characteristic fjords
  • Lowest point: 0 m (Norwegian Sea)
  • Highest point: 2,469 (Galdhøpiggen)
  • Natural resources: Petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, titanium, pyrite, nickel, timber and hydropower
  • Largest city: Oslo
  • Capital city: Oslo
  • Total area (square kilometers): 624.500,00 (2021)
  • Land areas (km2): 306.188,46 (2015)
  • Urban areas (km2): 2.007,78 (2015)
  • Agricultural land (km2): 9.850,00 (2021)
  • Agricultural area (% of total area): 2,70 (2021)
  • Forest area (% of land area): 33,46 (2021)
  • Plant species (higher), endangered: 10,00 (2018)
  • CO2 emissions (metric tons per capita): 6,73 (2020)

Demographic facts

Population

  • Population density (people per km2 total area): 1.085.992,00 (2023)
  • Population of largest city: 1,14 (2023)
  • Population growth (annual %): 5.519.594,00 (2023)
  • Population, total: 12,20 (2021)
  • Population growth in urban areas (annual %): 1,53 (2023)
  • Population in urban areas (% of total population): 95,41 (2022)
  • Population in rural areas (% of total population): 16,01 (2023)
  • Population growth in rural areas (annual %): -0,91 (2023)
  • Etniske grupper: 86.2% Norwegians, 13.8% others
  • Sprog: Norwegian (Bokmål and Nynorsk)
  • Religioner: 82.1% Protestant Lutheran (Church of Norway), 3.9% other Christians, 2.3% Muslims, 1.8% Roman Catholics, 2.4% other, 7.5% unspecified
  • Net immigration: 9,17 (2022)

Birth and death rates

  • Fertility rate, total (births per woman): 1,41 (2022)
  • Birth rate, gross (per 1,000 inhabitants): 9,40 (2022)
  • Teenage mothers (% of women aged 15-19 who have had children or are pregnant): 7,38 (2020)
  • Death rate, gross (per 1,000 people): 8,40 (2022)
  • Life expectancy at birth, women (years): 84,20 (2022)
  • Life expectancy at birth, men (years): 81,00 (2022)
  • Life expectancy at birth, all (years): 82,56 (2022)
  • Mortality caused by traffic accidents (per 100,000 inhabitants): 38,29 (2022)
  • Mortality, women (per 1,000 adult women): 61,95 (2022)
  • Mortality, male (per 1,000 adult males): 7,70 (2019)
  • Suicide rate, women (per 100,000 women): 15,80 (2019)
  • Mortality, infant (per 1,000 live births): 27.998,00 (2023)

Work, income and education

  • Wage earners, total (% of total labor force): n/a
  • Income share of the highest 10%: 22,40 (2019)
  • Income share of the lowest 10%: 3,40 (2019)
  • Unemployment, total (% of total labor force): 3,57 (2023)
  • Labor force, total: 3.009.339,00 (2023)
  • Workforce with basic education (% of the workforce): 50,05 (2023)
  • Labor force with medium education (% of labor force): 62,00 (2023)
  • Number of poor cf. national poverty limits (% of the population): n/a
  • Proportion of the population with moderate or severe food insecurity (%): 5,20 (2021)
  • School enrolments, primary school (gross %): 98,97 (2021)
  • Youth unemployment, all young people (% of total labor force aged 15 - 24): 84,00 (2023)
  • Young people not in education, employment or training, total (% of all young people): 5,43 (2023)
  • Literacy/literacy, total adults (% of population over 15): 8,00 (2018)

    Spending

  • Household (and NPIS) consumption expenditure (US$): 200.930.259.758,43 (2023)
  • Electricity consumption (kWh per inhabitant): 22.999,93 (2014)
  • Inhabitants using the Internet (% of the population): 99,00 (2023)
  • Mobile subscriptions (per 100 people): 2,10 (2019)
  • Number of smokers, total (over 15 years): 16,20 (2020)
  • Alcohol consumption per capita (litres of pure alcohol, expected estimates, +15 years): 11,01 (2023)

Business and tourism

  • Employers, total (% of total labor force): 0,74 (2022)
  • New companies (number of registrations): 18,89 (2021)
  • New businesses (new registrations per 1,000 inhabitants aged 15 - 64): 32.439,00 (2022)
  • Listed companies, total: 180,00 (2017)
  • Business conditions (0 = lowest grade to 100 = highest grade): 3.885,00 (2021)
  • International tourism, number of arrivals: 1.397.000,00 (2020)
  • International tourism, number of departures: 1.690.000,00 (2020)
  • Railway lines (total route kilometers): 3.885,00 (2021)
  • Railways, number of passengers transported (million passenger-kilometres): 1.780,00 (2021)

Health

  • Hospital beds (per 1,000 inhabitants): 3,40 (2020)
  • Suicide rate, men (per 100,000 men): 1,80 (2022)
  • Nurses and midwives (per 1,000 inhabitants): 5,17 (2021)
  • Doctors (per 1,000 inhabitants): 14,85 (2021)
  • Prevalence of HIV, total (% of population aged 15 - 49): 140,68 (2023)

Facts Norway's economy

GDP and GNI

  • BNP (US$): 2,39 (2023)
  • GDP growth (annual %): 82,63 (2019)
  • GDP per capita (US$): 485.513.316.503,63 (2023)
  • GDP, KPP (US$): 0,51 (2023)
  • BNI (US$): 87.961,78 (2023)
  • GNI growth (annual %): 576.575.751.130,19 (2023)
  • Gross savings (% of GDP): 505.660.428.429,27 (2023)

Inflation, interest rates and consumer prices

  • Deposit rate (%): 17,82 (2022)
  • Lending rate (%): 5,52 (2023)
  • Inflation, consumer prices (annual %): 38,98 (2023)
  • Consumer Price Index (2010 = 100): 140,68 (2023)

Trade and production

  • Trade (% of GDP): 0,99 (2017)
  • Vareeksport (US$): 6,07 (2023)
  • Vareimport (US$): 29.455.096.244,87 (2023)
  • Food exports (% of merchandise exports): 9,75 (2023)
  • Food imports (% of goods imports): 10,79 (2023)
  • Food Production Index (2004 - 2006 = 100): 102,72 (2022)
  • Index of animal production (2004 - 2006 = 100): 15,90 (2019)

Industry

  • Industry (including construction), value added (% of GDP): 4,31 (2022)
  • Industry (including construction), value added (US$): 43,24 (2023)
  • Industry, value added (% of GDP): 5,31 (2023)
  • Industry, value added (US$): 102,79 (2022)

Military

  • Armed forces, total: 25.000,00 (2020)
  • Military expenditure (% of GDP): 173.906.000.000,00 (2023)
  • Military Expenditure (US$): 95.292.000.000,00 (2023)

Others

  • Current health expenditure (% of GDP): 17,82 (2022)
  • Labor tax and contribution (% of company profit): 189.229.283.685,71 (2023)
  • Development Assistance (ODA) received per capita (US$): 1,64 (2022)
  • Social contributions (% of income): 8.388.363.488,19 (2022)