Immigration drives highest growth in Norway's population since 2012
Increased immigration driven by refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine contributed to the highest population growth in Norway for over a decade, the latest figures show.
At the beginning of the year, Norway's population was 5,489,000 people, according to the latest figures from the national data agency Statistics Norway (SSB).
Over the past 12 months, Norway's population has grown by 63,700. This is the sharpest growth in the country's population since 2012.
Immigration due to the war in Ukraine was one of the main contributing factors behind the increase in Norway's population in 2022, according to the SSB.
Some 32,600 Ukraine nationals immigrated to Norway in 2022. Following the outbreak of the war, the government introduced temporary collective protection for Ukrainian citizens fleeing the war, which allows refugees to be granted asylum-seeker status for a year before being able to extend their status for up to a further three years.
READ MORE: Why do people move to Norway, and where do they come from?
The increased immigration helped to make up for a significant fall in the number of births, which hit the lowest level since 1985. In 2022, there were 51,500 children born in Norway, a fall of 4,500 compared to the year before.
"The increase in births in 2021 was probably an exception. In 2022, the trend from previous years will continue, and the birth rate is now the lowest in 40 years," Anders Sønstebø from Statistics Norway said of the figures.
Still, the number of births was greater than the number of deaths- even though the number of deaths increased sharply compared to 2021. Overall, the birth surplus fell significantly compared to the year before.
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At the beginning of the year, Norway's population was 5,489,000 people, according to the latest figures from the national data agency Statistics Norway (SSB).
Over the past 12 months, Norway's population has grown by 63,700. This is the sharpest growth in the country's population since 2012.
Immigration due to the war in Ukraine was one of the main contributing factors behind the increase in Norway's population in 2022, according to the SSB.
Some 32,600 Ukraine nationals immigrated to Norway in 2022. Following the outbreak of the war, the government introduced temporary collective protection for Ukrainian citizens fleeing the war, which allows refugees to be granted asylum-seeker status for a year before being able to extend their status for up to a further three years.
READ MORE: Why do people move to Norway, and where do they come from?
The increased immigration helped to make up for a significant fall in the number of births, which hit the lowest level since 1985. In 2022, there were 51,500 children born in Norway, a fall of 4,500 compared to the year before.
"The increase in births in 2021 was probably an exception. In 2022, the trend from previous years will continue, and the birth rate is now the lowest in 40 years," Anders Sønstebø from Statistics Norway said of the figures.
Still, the number of births was greater than the number of deaths- even though the number of deaths increased sharply compared to 2021. Overall, the birth surplus fell significantly compared to the year before.
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