5 per cent more with refugee background

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A total of 228 200 persons with a refugee background were living in Norway on 1 January 2018. This represented 31 per cent of all migrants, and 4.3 per cent of the total population.

Written by: Frøydis Strøm

During 2017, the number of persons with a refugee background increased by 10 900. This is a growth of 5 per cent since 1 January 2017, according to updated figures from Persons with refugee background.

Persons with a Somalian background make up the largest group of persons with a refugee background, with a total of 27 600. Persons with a refugee background from Syria however, have had the strongest growth in recent years – 26 200 persons were settled in Norway by 1 January 2018. This is 6 200 more than at the start of 2017. Now Syrians represent the second largest group of persons with a refugee background, followed by Iraqis (21 400). Eritreans make up the fourth largest group (21 000), and Afghans constitute the fifth largest group, with 16 300 persons with a refugee background.

More resettlement refugees from Syria

There were 166 600 principal applicants by the beginning of 2018, which is 73 per cent of all persons with a refugee background. The remaining 61 600 persons came through family reunification with a refugee. The number of resettlement refugees by the start of 2018 was 35 500, which is 16.6 per cent of all persons with a refugee background. This is 2 200 more than in the beginning of 2017 and represents an increase of 6.6 per cent. Syrian resettlement refugees represent almost the whole increase from last year – 1 900 more. A total of 7 000 resettlement refugees were settled in Norway by 1 January 2018.

One out of five come due to a relative in Norway

By the beginning of 2018 there were 61 600 residents who had come to Norway through a family connection with a refugee – 44 600 through family reunification and 16 900 through marriage (family enlargement). Among the 10 biggest groups, Somalia and Sri Lanka have the greatest shares with family connections.

Figure 1. Persons with refugee background 1 January 2018

Principal applicants, Resettlement refugees Principal applicants, Unspecified Principal applicants, Other refugees Principal applicants, Asylum Family immigration, Family reunification Family immigration, Family enlargement
Sri Lanka 1.5 4.6 0.0 50.2 20.1 23.5
Kosovo 1.3 0.4 7.6 70.2 5.1 15.5
Vietnam 33.2 32.8 0.0 7.3 13.6 13.1
Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.3 0.9 76.1 11.1 2.6 8.0
Iran 36.6 2.7 0.0 44.6 7.6 8.5
Afghanistan 13.2 0.8 0.0 61.5 17.6 7.0
Eritrea 3.6 0.5 0.0 73.5 20.5 2.0
Iraq 16.8 1.7 0.1 46.5 27.8 7.0
Syria 26.4 0.1 0.0 54.7 17.7 1.1
Somalia 2.7 0.7 0.1 55.4 38.1 3.0
All persons with refugee background 15.6 3.6 4.3 49.5 19.5 7.4

Duration of residence varies

Persons with a refugee background from Vietnam and Bosnia-Herzegovina have the largest shares of long term residence, with 87 and 81 per cent respectively. Ninety-four per cent of the Syrians with a refugee background, and 56 per cent of the Eritreans, have been resident for less than 5 years.

Figure 2. Proportion of persons with refugee background. Duration of residence. 2018

20 years and longer 10-19 years 5-9 years 0-4 years
Sri Lanka 70 23 5 2
Kosovo 41 49 6 4
Vietnam 87 11 1 1
Bosnia and Herzegovina 81 15 2 2
Iran 44 29 12 15
Afghanistan 2 38 30 30
Eritrea 4 6 34 56
Iraq 15 61 17 8
Syria 1 2 2 94
Somalia 12 38 29 22
Alle 26 30 17 27

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