Prison capacity and number of persons held in Norway
Norway: Prison capacity and number of persons held was 3,631 Number in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
3,631 Number
Change on year
down 4.8%
World rank
33rd
of 46 countries
All-time high
3,916 Number
in 2014
All-time low
3,631 Number
in 2024
Years of data
11
2014–2024
Prison capacity and number of persons held in Norway, 2014–2024
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Number.
Analysis
In 2024, prison capacity and number of persons held in Norway stood at 3,631 Number. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.
That represents a change of down 4.8% on the previous year and down 7.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prison capacity and number of persons held in Norway peaked at 3,916 Number in 2014 and was at its lowest, 3,631 Number, in 2024.
That places Norway 33rd out of 46 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
Prison capacity and number of persons held in Norway, year by year
| Year | Number | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 3,916 Number | — |
| 2015 | 3,850 Number | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 3,880 Number | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 3,885 Number | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 3,877 Number | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 3,638 Number | -6.2% |
| 2020 | 3,816 Number | +4.9% |
| 2021 | 3,816 Number | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 3,816 Number | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 3,816 Number | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 3,631 Number | -4.8% |
Norway compared with similar countries
- Norway's 3,631 Number is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 7,404 Number, 49% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
- Norway's 3,631 Number is below the median for high income countries, which is 8,040 Number, 45% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 3,841 Number | 3,638 Number | 3,916 Number | 6 |
| 2020s | 3,779 Number | 3,631 Number | 3,816 Number | 5 |
Countries ranked near Norway
More urban development data for Norway
- Population in the largest city 23.8% (2025)
- Population density 15.3 people per sq. km of land area (2024)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 5.52 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 1.12 million (2025)
- 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, 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prison capacity and number of persons held in Norway?
- Prison capacity and number of persons held in Norway was 3,631 Number in 2024, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest prison capacity and number of persons held recorded in Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 3,916 Number in 2014.
- What is the lowest prison capacity and number of persons held recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 3,631 Number in 2024.
- How does Norway rank for prison capacity and number of persons held?
- Norway ranks 33rd out of 46 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prison capacity and number of persons held rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Norway data come from?
- The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Prison capacity and number of persons held. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).