12,200 become Norwegian citizens in 1996

Norwegian citizenship was granted to 12,200 foreign nationals in 1996. This is an increase of 500 from 1995, and 3,500 from 1994. Fully 95 per cent of the recipients were persons who were citizens of non-Western countries.

Nearly 7,100 or nearly 60 per cent of those receiving Norwegian citizenship in 1996 were Asians. The corresponding share was 18 per cent in 1977, the first year in which Statistics Norway published statistics on naturalization.

The record-high increase in naturalizations in the last two years is connected to the particularly large number of foreign citizens who immigrated into Norway in the latter part of the '80s. Long-term immigrants who now wish to become Norwegian citizens are also a factor.

Before 1994, the number of naturalizations varied from a low of 1,800 in 1983 to a high of 5,500 in 1993. The average for 1977-1988 was 2,600, while the average for 1989-1993 rose to nearly 5,000.

New Statistics

Population statistics. Naturalizations, 1996.
Statistics are published annually in the Weekly Bulletin of Statistics, Current Population Statistics and the Official Statistics of Norway (NOS) Population Statistics Volume III. More information: Kirsten Enger Dybendal, tel. +47 62 88 52 96, e-mail: kie@ssb.no or Irene Aamodt, tel. +47 62 88 52 64, e-mail: iaa@ssb.no.

Weekly Bulletin issue no. 15, 1997