Country or area · Northern Europe · Europe · UN WPP 2024

Norway population

Norway population now

5,658,082

A projection read at this second, not a count: the UN's totals for 1 January 2026 and 2027, joined by a straight line. 95% range for 31 December 2026: 5.6–5.7 million.

Mid-2023, UN estimate: 5,519,167

Year: 2026; projection · medium
Population, mid-2026: 5.65299 million; 95% range, 31 Dec: 5.6–5.7 million
Median age: 41.1
Aged 65+: 19.4%

Move through time, 1950–2100

2023 | 2024 peak 2050

male female projection · one cell = 1,000 people

How to read this: one row for each age, newborns at the bottom; men on the left, women on the right.

Verified 2026-09-30 · 73 canaries

NOR · 1950–2100 · in brief

Norway in numbers

Norway had 5,519,167 people in mid-2023, the 118th-largest population of the 236 countries and areas the UN reports, and 0.07% of the world's people. That is 1.7 times its 1950 population of 3.3 million.

The UN's medium projection has it peaking in 2050 at 5.9 million, then falling to 5.4 million by 2100. The projection is uncertain: on 1 January 2100 the UN's 95% range runs from 2.8 million to 13.7 million.

Births stay ahead of deaths until 2036; in the medium projection, deaths are ahead every year after it. The population still grows until 2050, because more people arrive than leave.

The median age was 32.5 in 1950 and 40.5 in 2023; the projection has 50.3 in 2100. 18.5% of people were 65 or older in 2023, against 33.1% projected for 2100. The working-age population (15–64) is projected to peak in 2029 at 3.7 million.

By size it is the 118th country in 2023; the projection puts it 122nd in 2050 and 125th in 2100. In the medium projection it overtakes Finland in 2026, Bulgaria in 2041 and Serbia in 2043. It is overtaken by Liberia in 2024, the Central African Republic in 2026 and Oman in 2026.

Population, mid-2023: 5,519,167
Rank by population, 2023: 118 of 236
Share of the world, 2023: 0.07%
Change in a year, mid-2022 to mid-2023: +1.14% · +62,365 people
People per km² of land, 2023: 15
Land area, 2023: 364,270 km²
Births, 2023: 51,545
Deaths, 2023: 44,143
Net migration, 2023: +53,806
Children per woman, 2023: 1.41
Median age, 2023: 40.5 years
Life expectancy at birth, 2023: 83.3 years
In a city, 2025: 29 of every 100
Population, mid-1950: 3,265,191
Projected, mid-2050: 5,899,829
Projected, mid-2100: 5,413,618

NOR · 1950–2100 · total population

Population, 1950–2100

peak 2050estimates | projections02.5 m5 m7.5 m10 m12.5 m15 m1950197520002025205020752100

estimate projection, up to the bottom of the 95% range 95% range medium projection. One column is one year's population, read on 1 January; the paper rules divide it into equal cells.

Show the numbers: Norway, 1950–2100

Norway: population on 1 January, births, deaths, fertility and life expectancy, 1950–2100
Year	Kind	Population, 1 Jan	95% range	Births	Deaths	Children per woman	Life expectancy
1950	estimate	3,250,001		62,833	29,561	2.52	71.6
1951	estimate	3,280,381		60,692	27,608	2.47	72.5
1952	estimate	3,311,540		62,419	28,349	2.58	72.7
1953	estimate	3,344,135		62,692	28,349	2.64	73.2
1954	estimate	3,377,920		62,303	29,082	2.67	73.2
1955	estimate	3,410,860		63,113	29,087	2.76	73.4
1956	estimate	3,446,191		63,872	29,778	2.83	73.5
1957	estimate	3,475,940		62,360	30,492	2.82	73.4
1958	estimate	3,508,020		62,450	31,394	2.87	73.4
1959	estimate	3,537,987		62,142	31,639	2.88	73.5
1960	estimate	3,567,647		60,834	32,457	2.85	73.6
1961	estimate	3,594,595		61,932	33,246	2.92	73.6
1962	estimate	3,624,718		61,828	34,240	2.89	73.5
1963	estimate	3,652,964		62,826	36,810	2.90	73.1
1964	estimate	3,680,032		65,263	35,121	2.96	73.6
1965	estimate	3,708,608		65,928	35,270	2.92	73.7
1966	estimate	3,737,736		66,918	35,927	2.89	74.0
1967	estimate	3,767,841		66,183	36,116	2.79	74.1
1968	estimate	3,800,379		67,265	37,609	2.75	73.9
1969	estimate	3,831,797		67,716	38,923	2.70	73.7
1970	estimate	3,862,811		64,789	38,682	2.51	74.1
1971	estimate	3,887,880		65,656	38,956	2.49	74.2
1972	estimate	3,917,623		64,327	39,352	2.39	74.3
1973	estimate	3,948,194		61,299	39,920	2.23	74.4
1974	estimate	3,972,992		59,601	39,443	2.13	74.8
1975	estimate	3,997,567		56,333	40,052	1.99	74.8
1976	estimate	4,017,164		53,518	40,193	1.87	75.0
1977	estimate	4,035,275		50,949	39,813	1.76	75.4
1978	estimate	4,051,248		51,752	40,718	1.77	75.4
1979	estimate	4,066,099		51,562	41,606	1.75	75.4
1980	estimate	4,078,901		50,991	41,355	1.72	75.7
1981	estimate	4,092,306		50,627	41,902	1.70	75.9
1982	estimate	4,107,037		51,122	41,474	1.71	76.0
1983	estimate	4,122,435		49,934	42,247	1.66	76.1
1984	estimate	4,134,236		50,197	42,584	1.66	76.3
1985	estimate	4,145,708		50,997	44,341	1.68	75.9
1986	estimate	4,159,091		52,328	43,619	1.71	76.3
1987	estimate	4,175,414		53,864	44,951	1.74	76.1
1988	estimate	4,198,234		57,395	45,299	1.84	76.3
1989	estimate	4,220,705		59,319	45,178	1.89	76.5
1990	estimate	4,233,121		60,908	46,085	1.93	76.6
1991	estimate	4,249,758		60,775	45,003	1.92	77.0
1992	estimate	4,273,487		60,051	44,710	1.89	77.3
1993	estimate	4,299,034		59,669	46,589	1.86	77.2
1994	estimate	4,324,690		60,080	44,106	1.87	77.8
1995	estimate	4,348,244		60,327	45,179	1.87	77.8
1996	estimate	4,369,741		60,911	43,782	1.89	78.2
1997	estimate	4,392,528		59,748	44,577	1.86	78.2
1998	estimate	4,417,445		58,349	44,133	1.82	78.4
1999	estimate	4,445,181		59,164	45,101	1.85	78.4
2000	estimate	4,478,393		59,170	44,031	1.85	78.7
2001	estimate	4,503,341		56,679	43,945	1.79	78.9
2002	estimate	4,523,973		55,283	44,482	1.76	79.0
2003	estimate	4,552,055		56,304	42,463	1.80	79.5
2004	estimate	4,577,283		56,726	41,221	1.83	80.0
2005	estimate	4,606,202		56,454	41,196	1.83	80.2
2006	estimate	4,640,046		58,056	41,211	1.90	80.4
2007	estimate	4,680,942		57,832	41,815	1.90	80.5
2008	estimate	4,737,078		59,691	41,640	1.95	80.7
2009	estimate	4,799,124		61,036	41,361	1.97	80.9
2010	estimate	4,858,121		60,651	41,438	1.94	81.0
2011	estimate	4,920,203		59,454	41,376	1.88	81.3
2012	estimate	4,985,733		59,462	41,896	1.85	81.5
2013	estimate	5,051,182		58,331	41,129	1.78	81.7
2014	estimate	5,109,067		58,538	40,411	1.75	82.1
2015	estimate	5,165,723		58,610	40,756	1.73	82.3
2016	estimate	5,213,819		58,544	40,639	1.71	82.4
2017	estimate	5,258,147		56,370	40,713	1.62	82.6
2018	estimate	5,295,458		54,921	40,805	1.57	82.8
2019	estimate	5,328,047		54,260	40,591	1.53	83.0
2020	estimate	5,367,414		53,029	40,591	1.48	83.2
2021	estimate	5,391,133		56,033	41,915	1.56	83.2
2022	estimate	5,425,048		51,078	45,614	1.42	82.6
2023	estimate	5,488,555		51,545	44,143	1.41	83.3
2024	estimate	5,549,779		52,516	43,095	1.41	83.5
2025	projection	5,603,541	5.6–5.6 million	52,978	43,717	1.42	83.6
2026	projection	5,642,601	5.6–5.7 million	53,084	44,359	1.42	83.8
2027	projection	5,663,376	5.6–5.7 million	52,847	45,128	1.42	83.9
2028	projection	5,683,722	5.6–5.8 million	52,661	45,922	1.43	84.0
2029	projection	5,702,771	5.6–5.8 million	52,470	46,770	1.43	84.2
2030	projection	5,720,622	5.6–5.9 million	52,372	47,695	1.44	84.3
2031	projection	5,737,567	5.6–5.9 million	52,273	48,624	1.44	84.4
2032	projection	5,753,736	5.6–6.0 million	52,302	49,579	1.44	84.6
2033	projection	5,768,643	5.6–6.0 million	52,394	50,586	1.45	84.7
2034	projection	5,782,523	5.5–6.1 million	52,587	51,595	1.45	84.8
2035	projection	5,795,387	5.5–6.1 million	52,734	52,678	1.45	85.0
2036	projection	5,807,447	5.5–6.2 million	53,003	53,599	1.46	85.1
2037	projection	5,819,142	5.5–6.2 million	53,315	54,544	1.46	85.2
2038	projection	5,830,003	5.5–6.3 million	53,473	55,303	1.47	85.3
2039	projection	5,840,385	5.4–6.4 million	53,658	56,132	1.47	85.5
2040	projection	5,849,796	5.4–6.4 million	53,790	56,898	1.47	85.6
2041	projection	5,857,943	5.4–6.5 million	53,811	57,602	1.48	85.7
2042	projection	5,865,960	5.3–6.5 million	53,757	58,250	1.48	85.8
2043	projection	5,872,805	5.3–6.6 million	53,522	58,850	1.48	86.0
2044	projection	5,878,343	5.3–6.7 million	53,249	59,410	1.48	86.1
2045	projection	5,883,482	5.3–6.7 million	52,951	59,945	1.48	86.2
2046	projection	5,888,553	5.2–6.8 million	52,650	60,469	1.49	86.3
2047	projection	5,892,258	5.2–6.9 million	52,253	61,024	1.49	86.4
2048	projection	5,895,315	5.2–7.0 million	51,918	61,482	1.49	86.5
2049	projection	5,898,226	5.1–7.0 million	51,511	62,007	1.50	86.6
2050	projection	5,899,639	5.1–7.1 million	51,105	62,514	1.50	86.8
2051	projection	5,900,019	5.1–7.2 million	50,703	63,055	1.50	86.9
2052	projection	5,899,565	5.0–7.3 million	50,281	63,598	1.50	87.0
2053	projection	5,898,412	5.0–7.3 million	49,977	64,208	1.51	87.1
2054	projection	5,895,411	5.0–7.4 million	49,579	64,668	1.51	87.2
2055	projection	5,891,401	4.9–7.5 million	49,246	65,177	1.51	87.3
2056	projection	5,886,427	4.9–7.6 million	48,906	65,606	1.51	87.4
2057	projection	5,880,490	4.9–7.7 million	48,632	66,147	1.51	87.5
2058	projection	5,874,108	4.8–7.8 million	48,406	66,572	1.51	87.6
2059	projection	5,868,245	4.8–7.9 million	48,256	66,964	1.51	87.8
2060	projection	5,861,724	4.7–8.0 million	48,147	67,288	1.51	87.9
2061	projection	5,854,021	4.7–8.1 million	48,037	67,562	1.51	88.0
2062	projection	5,846,000	4.6–8.2 million	47,997	67,708	1.51	88.1
2063	projection	5,836,885	4.6–8.3 million	47,965	67,915	1.52	88.2
2064	projection	5,827,460	4.6–8.4 million	47,998	67,924	1.52	88.3
2065	projection	5,817,747	4.5–8.5 million	48,034	67,950	1.52	88.4
2066	projection	5,807,989	4.5–8.5 million	48,042	67,861	1.52	88.5
2067	projection	5,798,044	4.4–8.6 million	48,075	67,818	1.52	88.6
2068	projection	5,788,164	4.4–8.7 million	48,085	67,692	1.52	88.7
2069	projection	5,778,913	4.3–8.8 million	48,165	67,576	1.52	88.8
2070	projection	5,770,201	4.3–8.9 million	48,234	67,481	1.53	88.9
2071	projection	5,760,764	4.2–9.0 million	48,271	67,425	1.53	89.0
2072	projection	5,751,976	4.2–9.2 million	48,240	67,481	1.53	89.1
2073	projection	5,742,362	4.1–9.3 million	48,197	67,520	1.53	89.2
2074	projection	5,732,443	4.1–9.4 million	48,078	67,623	1.53	89.3
2075	projection	5,722,420	4.0–9.5 million	47,969	67,707	1.53	89.5
2076	projection	5,712,738	4.0–9.6 million	47,871	67,895	1.53	89.5
2077	projection	5,703,024	3.9–9.8 million	47,781	68,055	1.53	89.7
2078	projection	5,692,904	3.9–9.9 million	47,545	68,360	1.53	89.8
2079	projection	5,682,280	3.8–10.0 million	47,344	68,466	1.53	89.9
2080	projection	5,671,207	3.8–10.1 million	47,195	68,744	1.54	90.0
2081	projection	5,659,483	3.7–10.3 million	46,932	68,796	1.54	90.1
2082	projection	5,647,589	3.7–10.5 million	46,734	68,820	1.54	90.2
2083	projection	5,635,198	3.6–10.7 million	46,504	68,852	1.54	90.3
2084	projection	5,622,322	3.6–10.9 million	46,342	68,871	1.54	90.4
2085	projection	5,608,675	3.5–11.0 million	46,133	68,713	1.54	90.5
2086	projection	5,595,251	3.5–11.1 million	45,900	68,428	1.55	90.6
2087	projection	5,581,531	3.4–11.2 million	45,603	68,205	1.54	90.7
2088	projection	5,567,476	3.4–11.4 million	45,411	67,925	1.55	90.8
2089	projection	5,554,198	3.3–11.7 million	45,228	67,495	1.55	90.9
2090	projection	5,541,578	3.3–11.8 million	45,077	67,112	1.55	91.0
2091	projection	5,528,758	3.2–12.0 million	44,951	66,674	1.55	91.2
2092	projection	5,516,806	3.2–12.1 million	44,841	66,273	1.55	91.3
2093	projection	5,504,857	3.1–12.3 million	44,736	65,979	1.55	91.4
2094	projection	5,492,331	3.1–12.6 million	44,631	65,684	1.55	91.5
2095	projection	5,480,201	3.0–12.7 million	44,592	65,410	1.55	91.6
2096	projection	5,467,843	3.0–12.9 million	44,536	65,322	1.55	91.7
2097	projection	5,456,054	2.9–13.0 million	44,458	65,197	1.55	91.8
2098	projection	5,444,596	2.9–13.2 million	44,427	65,180	1.55	91.9
2099	projection	5,432,559	2.8–13.4 million	44,361	65,180	1.55	92.0
2100	projection	5,419,882	2.8–13.7 million	44,291	65,239	1.55	92.1

Show the numbers: Norway, mid-2026, by single year of age

Norway: population by single year of age, mid-2026
Age	Male	Female
0	27,516	25,954
1	27,794	26,242
2	27,848	26,316
3	27,794	26,353
4	29,107	27,758
5	29,636	28,402
6	29,343	28,016
7	30,002	28,364
8	30,600	28,826
9	31,686	29,770
10	32,330	30,416
11	32,337	30,616
12	32,335	30,898
13	32,882	31,444
14	33,686	31,888
15	34,322	32,547
16	35,210	33,448
17	35,763	33,750
18	35,635	33,706
19	35,824	34,104
20	36,045	34,514
21	36,203	34,699
22	36,358	34,872
23	35,838	34,606
24	35,896	34,474
25	37,054	35,070
26	37,838	35,524
27	37,630	35,496
28	37,900	35,908
29	38,847	36,900
30	39,362	37,498
31	39,438	37,671
32	39,668	38,076
33	40,439	38,611
34	41,174	39,300
35	41,534	40,050
36	41,450	40,110
37	41,044	39,634
38	40,024	38,815
39	39,245	37,817
40	38,974	37,134
41	38,174	36,626
42	37,812	36,106
43	37,890	35,890
44	37,260	35,716
45	36,986	35,454
46	36,964	35,202
47	36,443	34,735
48	35,719	34,173
49	35,552	34,038
50	36,296	34,828
51	37,276	36,072
52	38,038	36,552
53	38,677	36,933
54	39,065	37,550
55	38,684	37,298
56	38,717	37,320
57	38,742	37,370
58	37,840	36,611
59	37,172	35,720
60	36,702	35,022
61	35,799	34,389
62	34,364	33,511
63	33,037	32,334
64	32,251	31,432
65	31,493	30,881
66	31,020	30,496
67	30,431	30,271
68	29,474	29,724
69	28,874	29,354
70	28,246	28,897
71	27,123	28,020
72	26,118	27,347
73	25,367	26,594
74	24,339	25,270
75	23,508	24,504
76	23,054	24,364
77	22,569	23,945
78	22,108	23,824
79	21,742	23,940
80	19,885	22,391
81	17,435	20,048
82	15,302	17,818
83	12,880	15,494
84	10,596	13,343
85	9,113	11,942
86	8,161	11,158
87	6,924	9,942
88	5,724	8,644
89	4,624	7,375
90	3,650	6,236
91	2,875	5,256
92	2,275	4,406
93	1,789	3,757
94	1,350	3,134
95	982	2,478
96	689	1,836
97	458	1,304
98	294	911
99	186	621
100+	252	1,003

NOR · 1950–2100 · every age, every year

Norway, every age in every year

Each column is a year and each row an age; the denser the ink in a cell, the more people. Everyone born in the same year climbs one 45° diagonal, so famines, baby booms and migration show up as streaks. Select a cell to follow its generation.

NOR · ages 15–64

Who does the work in Norway

On the UN's projection, Norway will have the most working-age people it ever has in 2029: 3,680,200 people aged 15–64. In 2023 it had 3,585,220.

100 aged 15–64

25 children

29 aged 65+

aged 15–64 children under 15 aged 65 and over

How to read this: the orange squares are 100 people aged 15–64 in 2023, and the rows below are how many children (teal) and how many people aged 65 or older (violet) lived alongside them.

At no point between 1950 and 2100 do fewer than 50 dependants live alongside every 100 people aged 15–64 here.

fewer than 50 dependants per 100 the same, projected 50 or more

How to read this: 1950 on the left, 2100 on the right; coloured in the years with fewer than 50 dependants per 100 working-age people, grey in the rest, hatched where that is a projection.

How every country compares

NOR · arrivals minus departures

Who arrives in Norway, and who leaves

In 2020–2025 Norway gains 39,309 people a year: everyone who arrives, minus everyone who leaves. The age at which that happens most is 20–24, at 7,084 a year more arriving than leaving.

one square = 1,000 people a year

020406080+

more arrive than leave more leave than arrive

How to read this: left to right is age, from babies to 100. Blue squares above the line are ages at which more people arrive than leave; orange squares below it, ages at which more leave than arrive. These are the UN's projection for 2020–2025. There is no record of migration by age before 2020.

In the years that were counted, 1950–2023, the most it gained in one year was 58,040 (2022) and the most it lost was 4,355 (1956).

In 2024, 1,012,404 people living in Norway had been born in another country, 18 of every 100 people there, against 5 in 1990.

How migration works everywhere

NOR · births by the mother's age · 1950–2100

Who has the babies in Norway

Of every 100 babies born in Norway in 2023, 76 a mother aged 20 to 34 and 24 a mother aged 35 or older. In 1950 it was 3 under 20 and 21 aged 35 or older.

1950
3 · 76 · 21

2023
0 · 76 · 24

2050 · projected
0 · 72 · 28

The mother's age: under 20 20 to 34 35 or older projected

How to read this: each block is 100 babies born in that year, one square each, coloured by how old the mother was. The numbers under a block are the three groups, youngest mothers first.

Babies born, 2023: 51,545
Average age when women have a baby: 31.6 years; 29.6 in 1950
Babies a year per 1,000 girls aged 15–19: 1; 22 in 1950

Babies by the mother's age, 1950–2100

Babies born in Norway by the mother's age
Mother's age	1950	1975	2000	2023	2050 projected	2100 projected
10–14	2	8	3	0	1	1
15–19	2,200	6,013	1,525	224	141	125
20–24	13,008	19,704	9,168	3,530	2,966	2,757
25–29	18,946	19,431	20,964	15,232	14,223	12,893
30–34	15,590	8,123	18,938	20,460	19,773	17,145
35–39	9,415	2,490	7,400	9,918	11,054	9,033
40–44	3,427	513	1,129	2,024	2,691	2,119
45–49	243	51	43	155	254	216
50–54	2	0	0	2	2	2
All babies	62,833	56,333	59,170	51,545	51,105	44,291

The UN's births for each year, split by the mother's age in the UN's own proportions.

NOR · healthy years · 2021

Years in good health in Norway

A baby born in Norway in 2021 could expect 82.9 years of life, 71.2 of them in full health (95% range 70.5–72.1). That leaves 11.7 years in less than full health, more than the world's 9.5: a longer life usually brings a longer stretch of illness near its end.

Women

71.1 in full health, 13.2 not: 84.3 years

Men

71.2 in full health, 10.3 not: 81.5 years

a year in full health a year in less than full health

How to read this: each square is a year of life, each row ten years; filled squares are years in full health, rounded to whole years.

Women: 71.1 healthy years of 84.3. Men: 71.2 of 81.5.

NOR · forced from home · end of 2025

Displacement in Norway

At the end of 2025, Norway was hosting 130,286 people who had crossed a border into it, about 23 of every 1,000 people living there.

hosted from abroad130,286
Norway nationals abroad52

stayed inside their own country crossed a border

How to read this: each square is 5,000 people, so the rows can be compared with one another. The last row is people from Norway living in another country, wherever they are. An outlined square means fewer people than one square stands for.

In 2025, 3,329 people asked for asylum in Norway for the first time; 10 people from Norway asked for asylum in another country. Who asks for asylum, and who is given it

How the world's displacement is counted

NOR · of every 100 people

How people live in Norway

Of every 100 people in Norway in 2025, 29 lived in a city, 37 in a town or suburb and 34 in the countryside.

cities towns and suburbs rural areas

Nearly everyone has electricity at home (2024). 1 of every 100 do not use the internet (2024).

How to read this: 100 squares, one for every 100th person, coloured by where they live, as the key says. The same rule is used in every country.

How the world's people live

NOR · adults 25 and over · 2020

How far people in Norway went in school

Almost every adult in Norway went to school: of every 100 in 2020, 79 finished upper secondary or went further.

21 finished lower secondary 38 finished upper secondary 41 studied after school

The middle projection has its working-age people most numerous in 2030; those among them who finished upper secondary are most numerous later, in 2095.

How to read this: every adult here as one of 100 squares. The stronger the colour, the further that person went in school (the Wittgenstein Centre, 2020).

How far the world's people went in school

NOR · cities · 2025

Cities in Norway

Norway had 9 cities in 2025, home to 1.6 million people. The largest, Oslo, holds 16 of every 100 people in Norway.

Oslo874,991
Stavanger206,726
Trondheim141,819
Bergen135,293
Tromsø54,242
Drammen54,176
Fredrikstad53,657
Lagunen51,696
Kristiansand51,332

How to read this: one bar for each of the 9 largest cities, 2025, all on the same scale. "City" here means the built-up area the UN measures, not the boundary the city draws itself.

All the world's cities

Apparatus

Sources and method

Every figure on this page comes from the UN's World Population Prospects 2024: the annual country tables (estimates to 2023, projections with 95% intervals from 2024), and the population by single year of age and sex for the pyramid.

The censuses, surveys and registers behind the UN's estimates for Norway are listed, source by source, on the UN's own data sources page.

Sources: UN WPP 2024 · World Bank · UNHCR · country code lists · UN WUP 2025 · Wittgenstein Centre · WHO GHO · flag-icons · Natural Earth. Every source, its licence and how to cite it →

Checked before it was drawn

Verified 2026-09-30 · 73 canaries The pyramid for every year was checked against the published total. What that stamp counts, and what every page here has to pass before it can be built: how this site checks its figures.