Østfold: population, economy and official figures

Østfold is a county in Oslo og Viken, Norway. Østfold had 314,407 residents on 1 January 2025, 15.3% of Oslo og Viken and 5.62% of Norway; 8th largest of 17 counties in Norway.

In depth

• Economy, jobs and prices in Østfold: The median household in Østfold had an income after tax of NOK 648,000 in 2024, below the national figure of NOK 676,100; that is the 4th lowest among Norway's 15 counties.
• Health in Østfold: Municipalities in Østfold had 12.6 doctor man-years per 10,000 residents in 2025, below the national figure of 13.0; that is the 5th lowest among Norway's 15 counties, up from 12.5 in 2024.
• Education in Østfold: 92.6% of 16- to 18-year-olds living in Østfold were in upper secondary education in 2025, above the national figure of 91.7%; that is the joint 2nd highest among Norway's 15 counties, up from 91.5% in 2024.
• Poverty and living standards in Østfold: 13.9% of residents aged 18 to 66 in Østfold received disability benefit (uføretrygd) in 2025, above the national figure of 10.3%; that is the 4th highest among Norway's 15 counties, unchanged from 2024.
• Government budget and revenue in Østfold: The county authority of Østfold had unrestricted revenues, mainly tax income and the general block grant, of NOK 13,259 per resident in 2025; that is the 2nd lowest among the 14 county authorities, up from NOK 12,610 in 2024.
• Government and politics in Østfold: The county council (fylkesting) of Østfold elected in 2023 has 43 members, the 5th smallest among the 14 county councils.

Figures 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 Oslo og Viken

• Akershus 740,680
• Oslo 724,290
• Buskerud 271,248

Up a level: Oslo og Viken · 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.