Telemark: population, economy and official figures
Telemark is a county in Agder og Sør-Østlandet, Norway. Telemark had 177,863 residents on 1 January 2025, 23.5% of Agder og Sør-Østlandet and 3.18% of Norway; 13th largest of 17 counties in Norway.
In depth
- Economy, jobs and prices in Telemark: The median household in Telemark had an income after tax of NOK 645,800 in 2024, below the national figure of NOK 676,100; that is the 3rd lowest among Norway's 15 counties.
- Health in Telemark: Municipalities in Telemark had 13.7 doctor man-years per 10,000 residents in 2025, above the national figure of 13.0; that is the 8th highest among Norway's 15 counties, up from 13.5 in 2024.
- Education in Telemark: 91.2% of 16- to 18-year-olds living in Telemark were in upper secondary education in 2025, below the national figure of 91.7%; that is the 6th lowest among Norway's 15 counties, up from 91.1% in 2024.
- Poverty and living standards in Telemark: 14.3% of residents aged 18 to 66 in Telemark received disability benefit (uføretrygd) in 2025, above the national figure of 10.3%; that is the joint 2nd highest among Norway's 15 counties, up from 14.1% in 2024.
- Government budget and revenue in Telemark: The county authority of Telemark had unrestricted revenues, mainly tax income and the general block grant, of NOK 17,137 per resident in 2025; that is the 6th lowest among the 14 county authorities, up from NOK 15,790 in 2024.
- Government and politics in Telemark: The county council (fylkesting) of Telemark elected in 2023 has 41 members, the 3rd smallest among the 14 county councils.
Is the population of Telemark growing?
That is 3.4% more people than in 2015 (171,953).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is the median age in Telemark?
The median age was 44.7 years in 2025, against 40.9 for Norway; 2nd highest of 15 counties in Norway.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow old is the population of Telemark?
22.7% of residents were 65 or older and 15.2% were under 15 in 2025.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many births and deaths are there in Telemark?
In 2024 there were 1,428 live births and 1,757 deaths, a natural decrease of 329.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many immigrants live in Telemark?
17.7% of the population of Telemark were immigrants or born in Norway to immigrant parents in 2025, below the national figure of 21.8%; that is the 8th highest among Norway's 15 counties.
Source: Statistics Norway (SSB) · saved copyHow many people live in towns in Telemark?
About 78.7% of the people of Telemark lived in urban settlements (tettsteder) at the start of 2025, against 83.4% nationally.
Source: Statistics Norway (SSB) · saved copyAre people moving to Telemark?
Net migration added 6.2 people per 1,000 residents in 2024, while births minus deaths gave a natural change of -1.9 per 1,000.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyFigures come from Norway's own official statistics and from Eurostat's regional statistics for NUTS 3 areas. Comparisons with the EU average use purchasing power standards (PPS), which adjust for price differences.
Other county in Agder og Sør-Østlandet
Up a level: Agder og Sør-Østlandet · all regions of Norway · how local power works in Norway
Sources
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_pjangrp3: Population on 1 January (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 4c748d3cba3a…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_pjanind3: Median age of the population (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7bf6ade55a0d…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_pjanind3: Share of people aged 65 or over (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 17aa0d08ab9c…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_fagec3: Live births (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 cfda9b5f4ebd…)
- Statistics Norway (SSB): Table 11820: Selected key figures, population profile, by county and municipality (KOSTRA), 2015-2025, read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 81b324c873b0…)
- Statistics Norway (SSB): Table 12609: Key numbers for upper secondary education by county authority (KOSTRA), 2015-2025, read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 96ea1c5af232…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_gind3: Population change: demographic balance and crude rates by NUTS 3 region, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7548e948e15c…)
- Statistics Norway (SSB): Table 12133: Financial key figures for county authorities (KOSTRA), 2015-2025, read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 8336bb1d8e77…)
- Statistics Norway (SSB): Table 01183: County council election, representatives by sex and party, counties of 2024, 2019 and 2023, read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 8a2a5a89449d…)
- Statistics Norway (SSB): Table 06946: Household income by type of household and county, number of households and median, 2014-2024, read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 5d79eb28821b…)
- Statistics Norway (SSB): Table 12209: Selected key figures for municipal health and care services by county and municipality (KOSTRA), 2015-2025, read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 557815baf4f9…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.