Population density in Norway
Norway: Population density was 15.15 people per sq. km of land area in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
15.15 people per sq. km of land area
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
199th
of 215 countries
All-time high
15.15 people per sq. km of land area
in 2023
All-time low
9.88 people per sq. km of land area
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Population density in Norway, 1961–2023
Source: FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in people per sq. km of land area.
Analysis
In 2023, population density in Norway stood at 15.15 people per sq. km of land area. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 8.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population density in Norway peaked at 15.15 people per sq. km of land area in 2023 and was at its lowest, 9.88 people per sq. km of land area, in 1961.
That places Norway 199th out of 215 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Population density in Norway, year by year
| Year | people per sq. km of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 9.88 people per sq. km of land area | — |
| 1962 | 9.96 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 1963 | 10.04 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 1964 | 10.11 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 1965 | 10.19 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 1966 | 10.28 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 1967 | 10.36 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 1968 | 10.45 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 1969 | 10.53 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 1970 | 10.61 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 1971 | 10.69 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 10.77 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 1973 | 10.84 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 1974 | 10.91 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 1975 | 10.97 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 11.02 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 11.07 people per sq. km of land area | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 11.11 people per sq. km of land area | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 11.15 people per sq. km of land area | +0.3% |
| 1980 | 11.19 people per sq. km of land area | +0.3% |
| 1981 | 11.22 people per sq. km of land area | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 11.27 people per sq. km of land area | +0.4% |
| 1983 | 11.3 people per sq. km of land area | +0.3% |
| 1984 | 11.34 people per sq. km of land area | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 11.37 people per sq. km of land area | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 11.41 people per sq. km of land area | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 11.46 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 11.53 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 11.57 people per sq. km of land area | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 11.61 people per sq. km of land area | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 11.67 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 11.74 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 11.81 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 11.87 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 11.94 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 12 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 12.06 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 12.13 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 12.22 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 12.3 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 12.36 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 12.43 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 12.5 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 12.57 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 12.66 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 12.76 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 12.89 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 13.05 people per sq. km of land area | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 13.22 people per sq. km of land area | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 13.39 people per sq. km of land area | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 13.56 people per sq. km of land area | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 13.74 people per sq. km of land area | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 13.91 people per sq. km of land area | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 14.07 people per sq. km of land area | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 14.21 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 14.34 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 14.45 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 14.55 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 14.65 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 14.77 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 14.85 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 14.98 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 15.15 people per sq. km of land area | +1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 10.2 people per sq. km of land area | 9.88 people per sq. km of land area | 10.53 people per sq. km of land area | 9 |
| 1970s | 10.91 people per sq. km of land area | 10.61 people per sq. km of land area | 11.15 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 1980s | 11.37 people per sq. km of land area | 11.19 people per sq. km of land area | 11.57 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.9 people per sq. km of land area | 11.61 people per sq. km of land area | 12.22 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.67 people per sq. km of land area | 12.3 people per sq. km of land area | 13.22 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.09 people per sq. km of land area | 13.39 people per sq. km of land area | 14.65 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.94 people per sq. km of land area | 14.77 people per sq. km of land area | 15.15 people per sq. km of land area | 4 |
Countries ranked near Norway
- 196 Saudi Arabia 15.68 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 197 Turkmenistan 15.67 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 198 Chad 15.34 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 200 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 11.3 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 201 Gabon 9.64 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 202 Russian Federation 8.78 people per sq. km of land area compare
More urban development data for Norway
- Population in the largest city 23.8% (2025)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 5.52 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.1988 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 1.12 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual 1.34 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per unit 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per square 2.98 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 1.12 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 0.95 Tonnes (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 250.46 Hectares (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population density in Norway?
- Population density in Norway was 15.15 people per sq. km of land area in 2023, according to FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest population density recorded in Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 15.15 people per sq. km of land area in 2023.
- What is the lowest population density recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.88 people per sq. km of land area in 1961.
- How does Norway rank for population density?
- Norway ranks 199th out of 215 countries with data for 2023.
- Is population density rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Norway data come from?
- The figures come from FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Population density (people per sq. km of land area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Population density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.