The population with immigrant backgrounds in Norway

Immigration

How many immigrants are there in Norway?

At the start of 2024 there were approximately 931,000 immigrants residing in Norway. There were also just over 221,000 residents who were born in Norway to immigrant parents. Together, these two groups currently make up 20.8 per cent of the Norwegian population (Statistics Norway, 2024n).

Figure 2.1 shows developments in emigration from and immigration to Norway since 1997. Since that year there have been major changes in the immigrant groups that have come to Norway. In the 1970s, immigration to Norway primarily consisted of family reunification for labour immigrants. Up until the 2000s, immigration largely consisted of asylum seekers and refugees due to events such as the Vietnam War, the Balkan Wars and conflicts in the Middle East. The expansion of the EU in 2004 to include countries such as Poland and Lithuania saw a sharp increase in labour immigration, followed by family reunification. A
huge number Syrian refugees arrived during the refugee crisis in 2015-2016, and the wave of refugees from Ukraine in 2022 and 2023 produced a historic increase in the number of immigrants (Statistics Norway, 2024m).

Figure 2.1. Immigration, emigration and net immigration to Norway. 1997–2023. Percentage (Statistics Norway, 2024r).

The composition of the immigrant population is different to the rest of the population in terms of gender and age. Three of five people with immigrant backgrounds are aged 20-64, while three of five in the rest of the population is in the same age range. Immigrants have a lower percentage of older people than the population at large. People born in Norway to immigrant parents is a group consisting of a very high number of young people, and very few elderly people. Immigrants consists of both fewer older and younger people than the rest of the population (Statistics Norway, 2024x, 2024aw). It is expected that the immigrant
population of the future will consist of more elderly people and more people with a longer period of residence (Thomas, 2024).

Figure 2.2. People with immigrant backgrounds and the rest of the population, divided according to age. 2024. (Statistics Norway 2024x, 2024aw). 

At the start of 2024, 49 per cent of people with immigrant backgrounds were women, and 51 per cent were men. A majority of immigrants from European and African countries and Oceania are men, while women dominate in groups from Asia and North and South America (Statistics Norway, 2024v).

In terms of family and household composition, a higher proportion of immigrants live alone, while a majority of the rest of the population live in households consisting of two people. At the same time, immigrants more often live in large households with five or more people, and it is also more common for multiple families or generations to live in the same residence (Steinkellner, Krokedal and Andersen, 2023). 

People born in Norway to immigrant parents make up four per cent of the population (Statistics Norway, 2024ai). This is a relatively small percentage of the population, however this group is still very interesting to look at from an integration perspective. Due to the fact that they are born and raised in Norway, they will have a different skill set with which to succeed in Norway compared to their parents. Children born in Norway to immigrant parents tend to spend their entire childhood in Norway and to mostly be socialised in Norway.

This means that their childhoods are characterised by the same institutional frameworks as those of children who do not have immigrant backgrounds (Kirkeberg et al., 2019). The majority of this group is still quite young. At the start of 2024, nearly seven of ten people born in Norway to immigrant parents were below the age of 18 (Statistics Norway, 2024aw).

Immigrants by country of origin

Half of the immigrants come from European countries

At the start of 2024, about half of the immigrants in Norway were from a Nordic or European country. One of three immigrants come from countries in Asia, while 13 per cent are from countries in Africa. A relatively small proportion (just under 5 per cent) comes from countries in North, Central and South America and Oceania (Statistics Norway, 2024bc)

Figure 2.3 shows how the composition of the immigrant population by country of origin has changed over the past 20 years. Since the enlargement of the EU in 2004, the share of  immigrants from EU countries in Eastern Europe has increased significantly. At the start of 2024, 20 per cent of all immigrants in Norway were from one of these countries, compared to just six per cent in 2004. Immigrants from the Nordic countries on the other hand, make up an increasingly lower proportion of the immigrant population. This proportion has decreased from nearly 18 per cent to less than seven per cent.

Figure 2.3. Immigrants by country of origin (world region). 2004–2024. Number (Statistics Norway, 2024ax)

Broken down by individual country, immigrants from Poland make up the largest immigrant group in Norway. More than 109,600 Polish immigrants were residing in Norway at the start of 2024. The large increase in the number of Ukrainian refugees has resulted in people of Ukrainian national origin becoming the second largest immigrant group in Norway. More than 65,500 Ukrainians were residing in the country at the start of 2024 compared to about 6,500 Ukrainians just two years earlier (Haug, 2024). Other countries with large immigrant groups in Norway in 2024 are Lithuania (42,700 people), Syria (38,700 people), Sweden (36,200 people), and Somalia (27,800 people) (Statistics Norway, 2024bc).

Figure 2.4. Immigrants and people born in Norway to immigrant parents by country of origin. 2024. Number (Statistics Norway, 2024bc)

The majority in the relatively young group of people born in Norway to immigrant parents have a background from Asia (40 per cent), while almost the same number (38 per cent) have parents who migrated from a European country. One of five people born in Norway to immigrant parents has parents from countries in Africa (Statistics Norway, 2024ax). When divided according to country of origin, most of those born in Norway to immigrant parents have backgrounds from Pakistan, Poland, Somalia, Iraq and Vietnam. Three of ten people born in Norway to immigrant parents have backgrounds from one of these five countries (Statistics Norway, 2024bc).

Settlement pattern

Trends towards decentralisation

As shown in figure 2.5, almost three of ten immigrants live in one of the seven most central municipalities in the country. The corresponding proportion for the population as a whole is almost two of ten (Statistics Norway, 2024u).

The number of immigrants who live centrally also varies between different national groups.

How is the centrality of the municipalities calculated?

A centrality index has been formulated for all municipalities in Norway. Centrality is measured by looking at travel time to workplaces and service functions from all inhabited constituencies in the municipality. Based on the index, Norwegian
municipalities are divided into six groups, ranging from the most central to the least central. The seven municipalities that are the most central are Oslo, Lørenskog, Skedsmo, Bærum, Rælingen, Asker and Drammen.

Immigrants from European countries are less concentrated in the most central municipalities. One of four European immigrants live in the most central municipalities in Norway, compared to one of three in the other immigrant groups.

Figure 2.5. Distribution according to the centrality classification of the municipality of residence for the population as a whole and for immigrants. 2024. Percentage (Statistics Norway, 2024v, 2024x)

The differences between the groups described above have decreased over the past decades, and we can see trends towards clear decentralization in immigrant settlement patterns in Norway since 2000. There are several possible reasons for this. Among other things, recent arrival cohorts of immigrants have, in part, spent their initial period of residence in Norway in less central locations. There is also an increasing trend towards immigrants remaining in their first municipality of residence. In addition, fewer immigrants than before are moving to more central areas (Tønnessen, 2022).

The settlement pattern is linked to reasons for immigration. Since one of the goals of integration policy is managed and dispersed settlement, refugees are settled in municipalities across the country. Since the outbreak of war in February 2022, Ukrainian refugees have been settled in all but one of the country’s municipalities. Immigrants who have come to Norway due to education most often reside in more central municipalities where university colleges and universities are located. Newly arrived resettlement refugees are often settled at less central locations. Labour immigrants are particularly inclined to settle in coastal municipalities in Northern and Western Norway. There is often a correlation between the proportion of family immigrants in the municipality and the proportion of labour immigrants and/or refugees living in the same municipality (Guldbrandsen et al., 2021).

When compared with other immigrant groups, we also see that the settlement pattern among refugees changes to a greater extent in line with their period of residence. As a starting point, refugees are settled in less central regions compared to the settlement pattern of the rest of the population. However, within five years of settlement some choose to move, in particular to the most central municipalities in Norway. Among refugees settled in 2011 and 2012, around 20 per cent moved away from their first municipality of residence within five years of settlement. This is still a lower share than for refugees settled prior to 2011, as Statistics Norway’s monitor for secondary migration shows (Strøm, Kirkeberg and Epland, 2020). The trend since 2011 is that refugees are increasingly remaining in the municipality that they were settled in. One explanation for this is that the Introduction Programme for new arrivals in Norway appears to give people with refugee backgrounds a stronger connection to the municipality they first settle in (Strøm, Kirkeberg and Epland, 2020).

Period of residence

Higher proportion with short period of residence in 2024

Integration is a time-consuming process. It will take some time for most immigrants who settle in Norway to acquire relevant skills, find a job, learn the language and form social ties. It is therefore not surprising that there is often a positive correlation between period of residence and several of the integration indicators in this report. Both employment and participation in voluntary organisations increase with the period of time spent in Norway, and immigrants with a longer period of residence often have both higher incomes and better living conditions.

The proportion of immigrants with a short period of residence decreased in the years up to 2022 in line with the continually decreasing number of new immigrants settling in Norway. In January 2022, one of five immigrants had lived in Norway for less than five years. This situation has changed markedly as a result of the large influx of refugees from Ukraine. As of the present date, more than one in four immigrants (26 per cent) has resided in Norway for less than five years. In addition, 23 per cent have resided in Norway for between five and ten years, and about half (51 per cent), have resided in Norway for eleven years or more (Statistics Norway, 2024aj).

Figure 2.6. Immigrants from select countries, by period of residence. 2023. Percentage (Statistics Norway, 2024aj).

There are significant variations in the distribution by period of residence between immigrants from different countries. Figure 2.6 shows this distribution for the six countries with the highest number of immigrants in Norway. 69 per cent of immigrants from Sweden and 74 per cent of immigrants from Somalia have lived in Norway for 11 years or more. The equivalent shares for immigrants from Poland and Lithuania are 50 and 46 per cent, respectively. Immigrants from Ukraine stand out as having a very high proportion with a short period of residence in Norway. 92 per cent of all Ukrainian immigrants in Norway have lived in the country for less than five years, and 98 per cent have lived in the country for less than two years.

Reason for immigration

Escape the biggest cause of immigration last year

Immigrants come to Norway for a variety of reasons. While some come to work, study or be reunited with their family, others are fleeing, for example, war or humanitarian crises. Since 1990, 32 per cent of all immigrants who have arrived in Norway have come to work. Ten per cent have come to study, 23 per cent have come as refugees, while 34 per cent have come for family reunification or family establishment. Two per cent have immigrated for other or unknown reasons (Statistics Norway, 2024h).

The gender and age composition varies between immigrant groups with different reasons for immigration. It is predominantly women who come to Norway because of family (66 per cent) or to study (60 per cent). For labour immigrants, as many as three in four are men. There is also a preponderance of men among refugees in Norway, despite the proportion of women having risen slightly over the past five years. The vast majority of children under the age of 18 come to Norway as refugees or to be reunited with their families (Statistics Norway, 2024h). 

In 2023, about 71,800 non-Nordic citizens immigrated to Norway. Escape was the biggest cause of immigration last year, which was primarily attributed to the arrival of almost 32,400 refugees from Ukraine. Other national groups with high refugee arrivals in 2023 were Syrians (2,190 people), Congolese (670 people) and Afghans (310 people) (Kirkeberg, 2024). In total, refugees from Ukraine now make up the largest refugee group in Norway. Other large refugee groups come from Syria, Somalia, Eritrea and Iraq (Strøm, 2024).

Figure 2.7. Immigration to Norway, by reason for immigration. 2004–2023. Number (Statistics Norway, 2024w).

Figure 2.7 also shows that the number of immigrants with unknown reasons for immigrating has been relatively high in recent years. This is primarily due to the fact that the reason for immigration is not registered for EEA nationals, who often come because of work or family reunification (Kirkeberg, 2024). Pursuant to the EU directive on the right to free movement, EEA citizens and their families can freely enter and stay in other member states (Norwegian Government, 2011). In other words, immigrants from these countries do not have to register with the police or immigration authorities when entering Norway. The largest national groups for which there is sparse information about their reasons for immigration are Poland, Lithuania, Spain and Romania (Kirkeberg, 2024).

Educational level

Significant differences in education between different immigrant groups

Compared to the rest of the population, there is a larger share of immigrants who have no education or only have primary and lower secondary school education. In 2023, 29 per cent of immigrants had either not completed schooling or primary and lower secondary school were the highest levels completed, compared to 22 per cent among the rest of the population. However, the proportion with a university or university college education was slightly higher among immigrants than the rest of the population, at 41 and 37 per cent, respectively (Figure 2.8).

Figure 2.8. Educational attainment, by immigration category and reason for immigration. 2023. Percentage (Statistics Norway, 2024ac, 2024c).

The figure also shows that there are significant differences in educational attainment between immigrants with different reasons for immigration. Four of five who have come to Norway to study have post-secondary education. Among labour immigrants, 46 per cent have post-secondary education, which is a relatively large share. The distribution according to educational attainment among labour immigrants has remained unchanged since 2022. 

The proportion of refugees with an upper secondary school education or higher increased from 47 per cent in 2021 to 56 per cent in 2023. This increase was most probably due to the arrivals from Ukraine.