Updated numbers on immigrants 2001

Immigrant population has grown by 22 000 persons since 1999

In early 2000 the immigrant population in Norway numbered 282 500 persons, around 22 000 more than a year earlier, and thus accounted for 6.3 per cent of the countrys entire population. Fully 65 per cent of the immigrant population are from non-Western countries, while 35 per cent have a Western background.

Persons with a background from Sweden made up the largest immigrant group in Norway in 2000, followed by Pakistanis and Danes. Among second-generation immigrants, Pakistanis are the largest group, with 9 604 persons. This means that more than one in five second-generation immigrants has a Pakistani background. Swedish second-generation immigrants (865 persons) fell to 13th place when ranked by size of nationality group.

 

High immigration, stable emigration

In 1999 immigration to Norway was up 14 per cent from the year before. Net immigration increased from 13 800 to 19 000 persons. Immigration from Eastern Europe was particularly high. Net immigration from EEA countries fell in the course of the year because many people particularly from Sweden moved out of the country. Before, until the late 1960s, there was net emigration from Norway. See the table on immigration and emigration 1951-1999 (http://www.ssb.no/emner/02/02/20/flytting/tab-2000-08-16-02.html).

8 500 were granted protection

The number of persons granted protection by the Directorate of Immigration also increased considerably in 1999; a total of 14 294 were registered, against 4 221 the year before. The increase in 1999 must be seen in light of the many refugees from the war in Kosovo, who were accorded protection by the Directorate following a collective evaluation. In 2000 a total of 8 578 persons were accorded protection, which also includes temporary residence for 2 019 Iranian asylum seekers.

Most of those who become Norwegian citizens are non-Western immigrants

Since the first surveys were conducted by Statistics Norway in 1977, 127 500 persons have been naturalized. Just over 80 per cent of the new citizens were from non-Western countries. In 2000, a total of 9 517 persons were granted Norwegian citizenship. This was a change from 1999, while the number was higher in 1995-97. The largest single groups to receive Norwegian citizenship in 2000 were former Yugoslavians, Bosnians and Pakistanis. Before 2000, very few Bosnians had been in Norway long enough to receive Norwegian citizenship. See the table on naturalizations 1977-2000 (http://www.ssb.no/statsborger/tab-2001-04-05-07.html)

Fewer go to upper secondary school

Enrolment in upper secondary school among 16-18 year-olds fell slightly from 1998 to 1999 (from 91.4 to 90.9 per cent) for the entire population, but for first-generation immigrants it fell by all of 7 percentage points, to 62.6 per cent. The year before, nearly 70 per cent of them were in upper secondary school. Enrolment of second-generation immigrants is far higher, with 83.6 per cent registered pupils, and this share has remained stable in the last three years. As with the rest of the population, school enrolment is slightly higher for young women than for young men. Enrolment in university and college is also considerably more widespread among second-generation immigrants than among first-generation immigrants. In 1998 and 1999 a larger share of women than men aged 19-24 were enrolled in higher education, including among first-generation immigrants.

Labour force participation among first-generation immigrants is stable

For first-generation immigrants, overall employment has remained stable at 50.9 per cent from 1998-2000. This is nevertheless around 10 percentage points lower than entire population aged 16-74 years. If we take into consideration the fact that immigrants are overrepresented in the most economically active age groups, the differences are even greater. Labour force participation among persons with a background from Eastern Europe has increased the most in recent years, by 3.5 percentage points from 4th quarter 1999 to 4th quarter 2000.

From 1999 to 2000, unemployment rose slowly both for the population as a whole and for first-generation immigrants. Unemployment was markedly higher for first-generation immigrants (6.8 per cent) than for the entire population (2.5 per cent). The percentage of registered unemployed persons in 2000 varied greatly among the various immigrant groups, from 2.7 per cent among those from Nordic countries, to 12.8 per cent among those with an African background.

Western Europeans have the highest incomes

There are also major differences among the various immigrant groups with respect to income. While families with a background from Western Europe had an average income after taxes of NOK 411 500 in 1998, which is considerably above the average for families in general, those with a background from countries in the Third World had the lowest incomes. The average for this group was NOK 284 200 in 1998. The figures presented here cannot be compared with previous years because the definition of families is different. Because singles and cohabitants without children are no longer included in this statistic, the average figures are higher than they were in 1998 and previous years.

Citizenship a factor in participation in local elections

Only 39 per cent of non-Western immigrants participated in local elections in 1999. This is just over 20 percentage points lower than the voting population in general. As before, Western immigrants had a higher participation rate than non-Westerners. Only 33 per cent of non-Westerners without Norwegian citizenship voted in the election. This was a slight decline compared to the two previous elections. Election participation among those granted Norwegian citizenship was higher; half of the non-Westerners voted, while the share among Westerners was fully 66 per cent. See also the table on election participation among immigrants in 1999 (http://www.ssb.no/samfunnsspeilet/utg/200102/8-2t.txt).

Small changes in attitudes towards immigration and immigrants

Surveys by Statistics Norway show that attitudes towards immigration and immigrants have changed little from 1999 to 2000. More than 90 per cent believe that immigrants should have the same opportunity as Norwegians to work, while there is somewhat increasing scepticism as to whether Norway should accept as many refugees and asylum seekers as today. Viewing the changes in 1990s as a whole, the results of the surveys show that attitudes towards immigration and immigration policy have become generally more positive. See table on attitudes towards immigration and immigration policy (http://www.ssb.no/emner/00/01/30/innvhold/tab-2000-10-30-01.html).