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Immigration For Members

IN NUMBERS: Norway's Indian community

Robin-Ivan Capar
Robin-Ivan Capar - [email protected]
IN NUMBERS: Norway's Indian community
In this article, we will look at the most popular Norwegian counties and municipalities among Indian immigrants. Photo by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash

Norway is well-known as a melting pot of people from diverse cultures and societies, and the country prides itself in being a popular destination for immigrants from all walks of life. In this article, we take a look at the Indian immigrant community in Norway.

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Norway has a large immigrant community. At the beginning of 2022, there were 819,400 immigrants living in the country, according to the national statistics bureau.

While India is not among the most numerous country groups in Norway – the top five include Poland, Lithuania, Sweden, Syria, and Somalia - when it comes to the number of immigrants, the Indian community in the country remains vibrant.

Statistics Norway (SSB) figures show a total of 19,839 Indian immigrants and Norwegian-born people with immigrant parents from India living in Norway in 2022. That amounts to 0.37 percent of the population.

In this article, we will look at the most popular Norwegian counties and municipalities among Indian immigrants.

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Viken and Oslo host largest Indian immigrant communities

The Indian immigrant population, which – for the purposes of this article – also includes Norwegian-born individuals with immigrant parents from India, is distributed throughout various Norwegian counties.

The majority of these individuals reside in Viken and Oslo, with 6,240 and 7,143 people, respectively. Other counties with significant Indian immigrant populations include Rogaland (2,276), Vestland (1,412), and Trøndelag (844).

In some counties, such as Innlandet and Nordland, the Indian immigrant population is relatively small, with 231 and 157 people, respectively.

It's interesting to note that, according to the SSB's statistics for 2022, Svalbard didn't have any Indian immigrants or Norwegian-born individuals with Indian immigrant parents.

Which municipalities are most popular among Indian immigrants?

At a more granular, municipal level, it seems that most Indian immigrants and Norwegian-born individuals with immigrant parents from India live in municipalities in the Oslo metropolitan area.

This is likely related to the fact that the capital and its surroundings are characterised by high economic activity, which often means more career opportunities for migrants.

Unsurprisingly, Oslo has the highest number of Indian immigrants and Norwegian-born individuals with immigrant parents from India, with 7,143 people registered in 2022. The Indian community in Oslo is one of the capital's fastest growing immigrant groups. Since 2010, the number of Indians in Oslo has almost doubled. 

READ MORE: How Oslo's immigrant population has changed over time

The capital is followed by Norway's second-largest city, Bergen, with a significantly lower but still substantial number of 1,235.

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Stavanger, located in southwestern Norway, has 1,174, while the cities of Drammen, Bærum, Asker, Trondheim, Sandnes, and Lillestrøm have 926, 925, 832, 779, 650, and 608 Indian immigrants, respectively.

Based on this distribution, it appears that the largest number of Indian immigrants and Norwegian-born individuals with immigrant parents from India are concentrated in Norway's larger and more affluent cities.

This is likely due to the fact that these locations offer more work-related opportunities. Additionally, these areas have more established Indian communities with access to more cultural and social capital, which could attract Indian immigrants and make their transition to life in Norway less challenging.

The 2022 SSB data also points to the fact that there are very few Indian immigrants in municipalities in the northern parts of Norway, which can be related to the remote location of these municipalities and the limited job opportunities available there. Both factors likely contribute to northern Norway being less attractive to Indian – and other – immigrants looking to move to Norway.

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