Education and qualifications

Education provides people with opportunities to utilise their potential, to understand and assert their rights, and provides the possibility of social and financial mobility. For immigrants and their Norwegian-born children, the foundations that are laid through school and education provide opportunities to participate in the labour force and acquire more resources for which to create a good life in Norway. It is therefore important that children and young people with immigrant backgrounds do not fall behind in the school system. For their part, adult immigrants need to have the opportunity to develop and use their skills in line with their own needs and labour market requirements.

It is also important to have knowledge about the path taken by immigrants and people born in Norway to immigrant parents through the educational and qualifications systems in order to develop measures to ensure a good transition from education to work. For example, we know that a lack of education is an important cause of the disparities in employment rates between immigrants and the rest of the population. This is especially evident for refugees (Olsen, 2020). Immigrants who have completed their education in Norway also have higher rates of employment than immigrants whose education is from another country. This applies irrespective of the level of education, but the difference is greatest for refugees who have completed higher education (Bye 2021; Official Norwegian Report – NOU, 2021).

Kindergarten attendance

Kindergarten attendance is increasing most among the youngest children

Attending kindergarten is good for the language development, school results and integration of children who speak minority languages. A number of Norwegian studies have found positive effects of kindergarten attendance and schemes such as “early start” and “free core hours” (Bråten et al. 2014; Drange 2018, 2021; Drange and Havnes, 2015).

The proportion of minority language children aged 1–5 years attending kindergarten increased from 78 per cent to 87 per cent in the period 2015–2023 (Statistics Norway, 2024ap). This share is still lower than the share of children in this age group who do not speak a minority language, but the differences have declined since 2015.

How are children who speak a minority language in kindergarten defined? 

In this report, children who speak a minority language are defined as children who have a first language other than Norwegian, Sami, Swedish, Danish or English. There are no available statistics about kindergarten attendance that make it possible to distinguish between immigrant children, children born in Norway to immigrant parents and children without immigrant backgrounds.

The proportion of children with a minority language background in the figure refers to the number of children with a minority language background in kindergarten, divided by the total number of children with immigrant backgrounds. The proportion of children with a non-minority language background refers to the number of children with a non-minority language background in kindergarten, divided by the total number of children who do not have an immigrant background.

Figure 3.1. Kindergarten attendance, children aged 1–5, broken down by language background. 2015–2023. Percentage(IMDi 2024c; Statistics Norway, 2024ap).

Research has identified several possible reasons for lower kindergarten attendance among children with immigrant backgrounds (Bove and Sharmahd, 2020; Van Lancker and Pavolini, 2023). The financial situation and level of education of parents may be reasons for some of the differences in kindergarten attendance (Drange and Telle, 2015; Van Lancker and Pavolini, 2023). More conservative gender norms may also partially explain the differences in kindergarten use between families with and without immigrant backgrounds (Seibel and Hedegaard, 2017; Van Lancker and Pavolini, 2023). Other explanations are that kindergarten is an institution that some immigrant groups have had little or no knowledge of. Access to information, language barriers and different and unknown cultural codes thus contribute towards further complicating the picture (Lund 2022; Sønsthagen, 2020).

Results in primary and lower secondary school

Stable differences in primary and lower secondary school results

What is the difference between primary and lower secondary school points and grades?

Grades are assessments of student performance in some subjects on a scale of 1 to 6. Primary and lower secondary school points are calculated by adding together all the final grades on the diploma (final assessment and exam grades), and dividing this by the number of grades. The average is then multiplied by 10. Primary and lower secondary school points provide an overall picture of how a student is performing at school and form the basis for admission to upper secondary school.

Primary and lower secondary school points are used as an indicator of results achieved from primary and secondary education and formal qualification to upper secondary school. The grades achieved in primary and lower secondary school have a positive correlation with completion of upper secondary education (Perlic, Stolpe Foss and Moafi, 2020).

There are systematic differences in average primary and lower secondary school points for children with different immigrant backgrounds. On average, immigrants have lower grades on completion of compulsory primary and lower secondary schooling than the rest of the population. In 2023, the difference was just over 4 points, i.e. a difference of close to half a grade. There are also significant differences in grade levels achieved within the immigrant population. Immigrants from Country Group 1 and people born in Norway to immigrant parents have an average of about 4 primary and lower school points more than immigrants from Country Group 2 (Statistics Norway, 2023n). Similar differences are also found when looking at results from national tests in English, reading and arithmetic. In particular, children with backgrounds from Country Group 2 have lower average scores in all three tests than students from the rest of population (Statistics Norway, 2023i). Figure 3.2 shows that the primary and lower secondary school results also vary according to gender. Girls attain more primary and lower secondary school points than boys, regardless of the immigrant category and country of origin.

Figure 3.2. Primary and lower secondary school points, by immigrant category and gender. 2023 (Statistics Norway, 2023n).

The grade level attained in primary and lower secondary school has increased at the same pace over time for both immigrants and the rest of the population (Statistics Norway, 2023h). This means that the distance between these groups has remained virtually unchanged since 2009.

The socioeconomic background of students, such as their parents’ level of education or household income, appears to be strongly correlated with primary and lower secondary school results. Grades are, on average, lower among students who have parents with a lower level of education or who live in a low-income household than among students with highly educated parents or parents with high incomes (Ekren and Arnesen, 2022). This is the case for students both with and without immigrant backgrounds. If socioeconomic characteristics are taken into account, the differences between students in different immigrant categories are significantly reduced (Statistics Norway, 2023n).

Upper secondary school completion rate

Four out of ten immigrant boys do not complete upper secondary school

Young people with immigrant backgrounds completing or failing to complete upper secondary school can have a major impact on their future participation in the workforce and integration into society. According to the OECD (2018), dropping out of upper secondary school is an important risk factor for exclusion among young people in Norway. Young people who do not complete upper secondary school are seven times more likely to end up outside of work and education than their peers (OECD, 2018).

How are upper secondary school completion rates measured?

To measure upper secondary school completion rates, Statistics Norway looks at the completion status for pupils at a particular point in time after they started upper secondary school. Pupils who started in one of the general studies programmes, where the stipulated time to completion is three years, are followed for five years in the statistics. Pupils who started one of the vocational programmes, where the stipulated time to completion generally is four years, are followed for six years from their start date.

The proportion of immigrants, people born in Norway to immigrant parents and the rest of the population that complete upper secondary school in the five or six-year period after starting upper secondary school increased in the period from 2014-2023. During this entire period, the completion rate among immigrants was at a lower level than among people born in Norway to immigrant parents and the rest of the population, and was 67 per cent in 2023 compared to 82 per cent, and 85 per cent, respectively.

Figure 3.3. Share of pupils who have completed upper secondary education or training within five/six years after starting school, by immigrant category, 2014-2023. Percentage (Statistics Norway, 2024au).

For immigrants, people born in Norway to immigrant parents and the rest of the population, the completion rate is generally lower among boys than among girls. This proportion is lowest for immigrant boys (Figure 3.4). In 2023, 61 per cent of male immigrants completed upper secondary school within five or six years, compared to 49 per cent in 2015. The corresponding share among boys in the rest of the population was 82 per cent in 2023 and 72 per cent in 2015. The difference between boys in the rest of the population and immigrant boys decreased by 3 percentage points during this period.

In addition to girls having a higher completion rate, there were also smaller differences between girls with and without immigrant backgrounds. In 2023, girls born in Norway to immigrant parents had the same completion rate as girls without immigrant backgrounds (88 per cent).

Figure 3.4. Share of pupils who have completed upper secondary education or training within five/six years, by gender and immigrant category 2023. Percentage (Statistics Norway, 2024au).

In addition to gender, there appears to be a positive correlation between the rate of completion and period of residence in Norway. Among students who had been living in Norway for three to five years, 61 per cent completed upper secondary school. The corresponding share for students with a period of residence of ten or more years was 77 per cent in 2023 (Statistics Norway, 2024av).

Immigrants have a lower completion rate than people born in Norway to immigrant parents and the rest of the population, and this includes both those who choose vocational programmes, and those who take general studies programmes. In 2023, 57 per cent of immigrants completed their vocational programmes. For people born in Norway to immigrant parents the completion rate was 66 per cent, while the figure was 74 per cent for the rest of the population. For general studies programmes, the completion rates in these three groups were 82, 88 and 92 per cent respectively (Statistics Norway, 2024au). Students who live centrally are more likely to choose a general studies programme. Immigrants, on the other hand, more often choose vocational programmes, irrespective of how central they may live (Lervåg, Ye and Steffensen, 2024). Selecting general studies programmes is most common among Norwegian-born girls with immigrant parents (76 per cent), while the majority of immigrants (60 per cent) choose vocational programmes. General studies programmes are chosen by a larger proportion of girls than boys, with the exception of girls who immigrated when they were six years or older (Kalcic and Jiaying, 2023).

Higher education participation and completion rates

Nearly half of people born in Norway to immigrant parents enrol in higher education

The proportion of people aged 19–24 who enrol in higher education has increased steadily since 2012, both among young people with immigrant backgrounds and in the rest of the population. People born in Norway to immigrant parents stand out by virtue of the fact that 47 per cent were enrolled in higher education in 2023. The corresponding figures for immigrants and the rest of the population were significantly lower at 24 and 38 per cent respectively.

Figure 3.5. Proportion of students aged 19-24 in higher education in Norway, as a percentage of registered cohort, by immigrant category. 2012–2023. Percentage (Statistics Norway, 2024y, 2024l).

People born in Norway to immigrant parents are overrepresented in higher education (ISF, 2019). However, there are major differences between people born in Norway to immigrant parents based on their parents’ countries of origin, both in terms of commenced and completed higher education. People born in Norway to immigrant parents from India, China, Sri Lanka or Vietnam are particularly likely to pursue higher education. A lower proportion of people born in Norway to immigrant parents from Turkey, Iraq, Chile and Morocco enrol in higher education (Kirkeberg et al., 2019). There are also differences between men and women, even if their parents have the same countries of origin. Among people born in Norway to immigrant parents from Somalia, 41 per cent of women are enrolled in higher education, compared to 26 per cent of men (Kirkeberg et al., 2019). In terms of educational attainment, 56 per cent of people born in Norway to immigrant parents aged 30 to 34 have higher education, compared to 53 per cent in the rest of the population (Statistics Norway, 2024ac).

Several studies have examined why people born in Norway to immigrant parents are overrepresented in higher education and often take more prestigious education, even when they have more difficult starting points than people without immigrant backgrounds (Borgen and Hermansen, 2023; Friberg, 2019; Kindt, 2017, 2018; Ljunggren and Orupabo, 2020; Orupabo, Drange, and Abrahamsen, 2020). These explanations indicate that there is not only encouragement and support from family, but also explicit expectations regarding children’s educational choices that are based on the parents’ perception of higher education as being the only “correct” choice. It may also be about stronger family orientation, and that the children feel they owe it to their parents to work hard to realise the opportunities they have been given.

However, many also state that their educational choices are less about pressure, and more about interests and self-realisation. A final interpretation is that the high level of ambition among people born in Norway to immigrant parents is also a means of achieving acceptance and counteracting low expectations that the majority population may have of them. 

Students with immigrant backgrounds have lower higher education completion rates than the rest of the population. 45 per cent of immigrants who start a three-year bachelor’s programme complete their bachelor’s degree at the stipulated time. As the figure below shows, the equivalent share for the rest of the population is 59 per cent. For five-year master’s programmes, the completion rate is also the lowest among immigrants and the highest in the rest of the population.

Figure 3.6. Number of students who completed their education at the stipulated time, by type of educational programme and immigrant category. 2016–2023. Percentage (Statistics Norway, 2024ay, 2024az).

Like upper secondary school, the share that completes bachelor’s and master’s degrees is generally higher for women than for men. For immigrants, the completion rate also varies somewhat in line with the reason for immigration. Those who have immigrated to study or work are most likely to complete their degree at the stipulated time. Refugees who have started a programme in higher education complete their programme at lower rates than other immigrants (Statistics Norway, 2024ba).

Participation in the Introduction Programme (introduksjonsprogrammet)

Record-high participation in the Introduction Programme

A key objective of integration policy is for immigrants to participate more in the labour market and civil society (Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion, 2024). To achieve this, it is crucial that recently arrived immigrants and refugees are offered and complete qualification initiatives that can help give them stable ties to the labour market. The purpose of these qualification initiatives is to close the gap between the skills immigrants and refugees bring from their home countries and the skills the Norwegian labour market requires. Qualification services such as the Introduction Programme, Norwegian language and social studies training and other training, follow-up and work-oriented measures are important in this context.

Approximately 32,500 people participated in the Introduction Programme in 2023. That figure is significantly higher than the previous year, when there were about 17,900 registered participants in the programme (IMDi, 2024b). The proportion of women among programme participants has increased significantly in recent years. In 2017, there was a clear preponderance of men in the Introduction Programme (63 per cent), while the proportion of female participants was 37 per cent. Six years later, in 2023, women made up the majority – nearly two-thirds of the participants in the programme (IMDi 2024a). The age composition among participants also changed slightly during the same period, with an increasing proportion of older participants aged 46 and over (Statistics Norway, 2024ad).

Who participates in the Introduction Programme?

The Introduction Programme is a training programme designed to prepare refugees for participation in the Norwegian labour market and civil society. All refugees between the ages of 18 and 55 who arrive in Norway will participate in the Introduction Programme. The same applies to family members who arrive in the country later. Displaced persons from Ukraine with collective protection have the right, but not the obligation, to participate in the Introduction Programme. 

Participants in the Introduction Programme are given the opportunity to learn Norwegian and gain basic insights into Norwegian civil society. Participants also receive training in and knowledge about the Norwegian labour market, and education if they so require. The aim is that the participants will be able to commence employment or education once they have completed the programme (IMDi, 2021).

In total, 65 per cent of the people who completed the Introduction Programme in 2021 were working or studying one year later. This is four percentage points higher than those who completed the programme 2020 (Statistics Norway, 2023j).

The composition of the participant group correlates with results after the completion of the Introduction Programme, because the proportion that transitions to work or education varies significantly with gender and age. Figure 3.7 illustrates this. The proportion that transitioned to work or education one year after completing the programme is highest among the youngest participants and decreases with age for both men and women.

Figure 3.7. Share in work or education one year after completing the Introduction Programme, by gender and age. 2022. Percentage (Statistics Norway, 2024ak).

A significantly higher proportion of men transition to work or education one year after completing the Introduction programme. Among men who completed the programme in 2021, 75 per cent were working or studying the following year, compared to 58 per cent of women. The transition to work or education in 2021 increased from the previous year for both genders. Over the past five years there has been a higher percentage increase in the proportion of women who are working or studying than for men, i.e. the gender disparities when concerning status in the labour market one year after completion of the Induction Programme have decreased(Statistics Norway, 2023j).

Research shows that female refugees and reunified family members who have participated in the Introduction Programme are somewhat more likely to find employment in both the short and long term than those who have not participated. At the same time, we do not see better wage development among women who participate in the Introduction Programme when compared with those who have not participated (Ugreninov and Turner, 2023).

Norwegian language test results

Better Norwegian language test results among women

Norwegian language skills are an important prerequisite for immigrants being able to participate in different arenas in Norwegian society. Among other things, the research literature shows a positive correlation between immigrants’ language skills and health, income and employment (Chiswick and Miller, 2015; Djuve et al., 2017; Kindt and Bjørnset, 2023; Kjøllesdal, Gerwing and Indseth, 2023; Lunde and Lysen, 2022).

Pursuant to the Norwegian Integration Act, immigrants aged 18 to 67 with a residence permit that provides grounds for a permanent residence permit have a right and obligation to participate in Norwegian language training and social studies.(Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion, 2021). Examples of groups included under the scheme are refugees, their reunified family members and reunified family members of Norwegian citizens. In other words, the target group for Norwegian language training is larger than the target group for the Introduction Programme. In 2023, just over 47,000 people participated in Norwegian language training – making this the highest ever number of participants. One in two participants was from Ukraine. Other large groups included immigrants from Syria, Eritrea, Afghanistan and Congo (Lunde, 2024).

Approximately 34,200 Norwegian language tests were taken during 2022. The proportion of women among those who take Norwegian language tests has increased significantly over the past few years in line with a higher proportion of women among participants in the Introduction Programme. In 2022, two-thirds of Norwegian language tests were taken by women. In comparison, approximately 50 per cent of the tests in 2017 were taken by female participants. Half of the candidates were under the age of 36 in 2022. At the same time,  there has been an increasing proportion in older age groups among those taking the tests
(Statistics Norway, 2022b).

How is the proficiency level measured after the Norwegian language test is taken?

The Norwegian language test consists of four segments in listening comprehension, reading comprehension, written presentation and oral communication. It is possible for a person to take the test segments multiple times during a calendar year. The results of the Norwegian language test are evaluated based on a framework that divides language skills into three overall levels: basic user (A), independent user (B) and advanced user (C). Each of these levels consists of two sub-levels (A1 and A2, B1 and B2, C1 and C2).

The results from the test segments indicate that immigrants have the greatest difficulty in acquiring writing skills. On the whole, the share that achieved the independent user level (B1 or higher) on the tests increased from 32 per cent in 2019 to 44 per cent in 2022. 

Figure 3.8. Share of Norwegian language tests achieving proficiency level B1 or higher, by test segment. 2016–2022. Percentage (Statistics Norway, 2022b).

Participants receiving Norwegian language training who have completed higher education more often achieve proficiency level B1 or higher. Furthermore, the Norwegian test results vary by gender and age. Just under half (46 per cent), of the tests completed by women were graded at independent user (B1 or higher) compared to 40 per cent of the tests completed by men. The cohort aged 26-35 has the largest share of tests graded at level B, at 51 per cent. Thereafter, the share of tests at this level declines with age (Statistics Norway, 2022b).