The population reached 5 328 200 at the turn of the year

The growth of 32 600 was the lowest since 2004 and slightly below that of 2005. In relation to the population, growth was nevertheless lower in most years between 1975 and 1996 than it was in 2018. During the period 2006-2016, population growth was particularly high, thus the level in 2018 was more normal.

Several counties with population decline

Akershus and Oslo had the largest population growth in 2018. These two counties accounted for just over half (54 per cent) of total growth.

The population fell in four counties in 2018: Sogn og Fjordane, Oppland, Finnmark and Telemark. This is the first time so many counties have shown a population decline since 2005. Since then, most years have shown no decline in any of the counties.

The number of municipalities with a population decline in 2018 was 227. This is a clear increase from the year before and particularly from the preceding years. However, the figures in the period 2004–2006 were about the same as in 2018.

Most Poles

In 2018, the number of foreign nationals in Norway grew by 16 500. This growth constitutes just over half of the total population growth. The Poles make up the largest group, with 105 200 people, which corresponds to 18 per cent of the 584 200 foreign nationals living in Norway. This group is thus well over twice the size of the next largest groups, in which Lithuanians and Swedes amount to 45 100 and 44 000 respectively.

An increasingly older population

On 1 January 2019, the average age in the population was 40.28 years. In all the years for which annual statistics on age distribution are available, the average age has increased slightly. In recent years, the rate of the annual increase has accelerated, reaching 0.19 years in 2017 and 0.23 years in 2018. This is the fastest ageing of the population that has been seen in Norway.