Norway: immigration

How many immigrants live in Norway?

987,120 immigrants lived in Norway on 1 January 2026, 17.5% of the population, according to Statistics Norway. A further 238,507 people, 4.2%, were born in Norway to two immigrant parents.

SSB defines immigrants as people born abroad to two foreign-born parents and four foreign-born grandparents. 401,633 immigrants came from the Nordic countries, the EU and EFTA, the UK, North America, Australia and New Zealand, and 585,485 from the rest of the world.

Official sources: SSB: Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents

How many people move to Norway each year?

55,243 people moved to Norway in 2025 and 32,919 moved out, giving net migration of 22,324, according to Statistics Norway's population statistics. In the second quarter of 2026, net migration was negative: 10,095 people moved in and 11,685 left.

Norway's population was 5,636,904 at the end of June 2026. Migration counts people registered as moving to or from Norway for at least six months, including Norwegian citizens. Net migration has been the main source of population growth, though births still exceed deaths. The next update is due on 20 November 2026.

Official sources: SSB: Population

How many asylum seekers come to Norway?

3,320 first-time asylum applications were made in Norway in 2025, down from 4,800 in 2024 and 5,135 in 2023, according to Eurostat. In August 2026 there were 220 first-time applicants.

Eurostat rounds figures to the nearest five and counts only first-time applicants. People fleeing Ukraine are mostly given collective temporary protection instead of applying for asylum, so they are counted separately. UDI publishes its own monthly statistics on asylum applications and decisions.

Official sources: Eurostat: Asylum applicants, annual · Eurostat: Asylum applicants, monthly

How many Ukrainians have temporary protection in Norway?

86,545 people held temporary protection in Norway at the end of August 2026, according to Eurostat, almost unchanged from 86,575 at the end of July. Temporary collective protection in Norway applies to people fleeing the war in Ukraine.

SSB counts 342,245 people with a refugee background living in Norway on 1 January 2026, 6.1% of the population, according to its refugee statistics; that includes people granted protection over many decades and family members who joined them.

Official sources: Eurostat: Beneficiaries of temporary protection · SSB: Persons with refugee background

How many people become Norwegian citizens each year?

35,021 people became Norwegian citizens in 2025, 27.5% more than in 2024, according to Statistics Norway. 15,385 had previously held citizenship of a European country and 4,501 of an African country. Over 2016 to 2025, 258,763 people were naturalised.

Naturalisation means a foreign citizen living in Norway is granted Norwegian citizenship after meeting residence, language and other requirements. Applications are decided by UDI, so the annual numbers also reflect processing times and backlogs, not only the number of people applying.

Official sources: SSB: Naturalisations

How many immigrants live in Norway?

18.2%: that is the share of people born abroad in Norway for 2024, according to the UN Population Division. That compares with 14.4% in 2015. Europe & Central Asia median: 11.7%; Norway is 13th highest of 52. Worldwide: 31st of 193.

How many people move to Norway each year?

29,798: that is net migration in Norway for 2025, according to the UN Population Division. Its high point since 2005 was 2022, at 58,040; its low point was 2020, at 11,277. Europe & Central Asia median: 158; Norway is 11th highest of 52. World rank, highest first: 28th of 193.

How many refugees does Norway host?

124,006: that is the number of refugees in the country in Norway for 2025, according to UNHCR. No year since 2005 has been higher. Across Europe & Central Asia the middle value was 62,365, and Norway placed 19th highest of 50. Of 169 countries with 2025 data, 46th highest.

How many people from Norway are refugees?

The latest figure from UNHCR, for 2025, is 20. Its high point since 2005 was 2024, at 22; its low point was 2007, at 0. Across Europe & Central Asia the middle value was 533, and Norway placed 42nd highest of 49. Worldwide: 169th of 189.

How big are remittances in Norway's economy?

0.2% of GDP: that is personal remittances received in Norway for 2025, according to the World Bank. It is the top of the series, which starts in 2005. Europe & Central Asia median: 1.4% of GDP; Norway is 42nd highest of 47. World rank, highest first: 107th of 127.