The statistics on Church divisions are new statistics on the number of church units Norway has had over time. These statistics go back to 1070 for The diocese is the highest administrative unit in the Church of Norway. A diocese is the area led by a bishop. It is the largest ecclesiastical unit and consists of entire deaneries. and 1865 for A deanery is one of several administrative levels in the Church of Norway. Deaneries are led by a dean and are geographically defined areas subordinate to a diocese. After clerical districs were dissolved in Norway in 2004, deaneries now consist of several church councils with nearby congregations, also called parishes. The main church (traditionally the principal church within a parish from the 13th century onward) in a deanery is called the deanery church or dean's seat..
From 831 to 1103, Norway was considered a "mission field" and was administratively under the Archbishop of Reims in France. Until 1152, the Norwegian church was subordinate to Lund in Scania, which at the time was part of Denmark. In 1152/53, the Archdiocese of Nidaros (Trondheim) was established, encompassing the Kingdom of Norway. By 1070, before Norway had its own archbishop, three dioceses with bishoprics had been established: Oslo, Bjørgvin (Bergen), and Nidaros (Trondheim). Over time, this number grew to five, with the addition of Stavanger Diocese in 1125 and Hamar Diocese in 1153. These are recognized as the five historical dioceses of Norway. A diocese consists of multiple deaneries. The first deaneries likely emerged in the 12th century, though the first documented prostia in the Eidsivating Law District appears from 1223 onwards. During the Middle Ages, the church structure was primarily based on parishes, with each local community having its own church. By the 15th century, "parish" began to appear in sources as an administrative unit below the deanery, encompassing several local parishes. Parishes were not only vital ecclesiastically but also served as the basic administrative units in a secular sense. They fulfilled many functions later taken over by municipalities, and parish dues provided the foundation for the modern municipalities established by the Chairmanship Act of 1837.
Number of dioceses at its peak
In 1070, Norway had five dioceses. Between 1070 and 1154, this number gradually increased to 11, where it remained until the reformation in 1537. At that point, it decreased to seven and later to six in 1624. For the next centuries, the number fluctuated between five and six until it rose to seven in 1925.
Before 1845, this count also included dioceses outside mainland Norway, such as in Greenland, Iceland, and the British Isles. From 1925, the number of dioceses gradually grew again, reaching 11 in 1984. As of 2025, this number remains unchanged.
Decrease in the number of deaneries in the last 15 years
A deanery is the largest ecclesiastical administrative unit within a diocese, comprising several A clerical district was previously (abolished in 2004) a geographical and administrative area in the Church of Norway. Historically, the parish was the fundamental administrative unit in Norway, also in a secular sense, and the precursor to municipalities in 1838. A parish consisted of one or more church congregations. It was subordinate to a deanery and a diocese. that are further divided into A parish is the lowest geographical administrative unit in the Church of Norway. A parish can have one or more churches. In Norway, parishes were also a municipal administrative unit from 1837 to 1950. Previously, multiple parishes were grouped into a clerical district, and multiple clerical districts formed a deanery. Today, deaneries are directly divided into parishes, and the various priests employed in a deanery serve the different parishes. Each parish has a parish council. Thus, parishes play a role in the council structure of the church.. Each deanery is led by a dean, serving as the link between the church board and the clergy.
In 1865, there were 77 deaneries in Norway. This number gradually increased, reaching 91 during the period from 1925 to 1965. It continued to vary slightly over the decades, peaking at 106 deaneries between 2008 and 2012. Since then, the number has steadily declined, with 92 deaneries recorded in 2025.
