Population changes in the municipalities, 1951-2002

It has now become easier to study population changes in the individual municipalities by using the historical statistical series with annual figures on population, population growth, excess of births over deaths, net migration, live births, deaths, in-migration and out-migration.

Various reasons for growth

Long time series with annual figures for each municipality provide a retrospective look at periods with changing conditions for growth and development, making development trends more distinct. Population trends are presented and population growth and decline can be studied, including breakdowns by excess of births over deaths and migration balance. The time series can answer whether a higher excess of births over deaths is due to more births or fewer deaths, and whether less favourable migration balances are because of less in-migration or more out-migration.

What the time series show

The historical material shows how - for several decades since 1950 - a large number of municipalities in the northern and western Norway have been loosing population to the rest of the country. This net loss was at times just as large or larger than in the last couple of decades, but many municipalities nevertheless had considerable population growth because of high birth figures. Not until the 1970s, when births fell dramatically in all parts of the country, the excess of births over deaths became too small to compensate for out-migration.

The figure series for the City of Oslo, whose boundaries have remained virtually unchanged since 1948, show that the population growth has fluctuated considerably during the last 50 years. The population has nevertheless not increased more than 19 per cent. The direction and strength of migration flows have changed. Never have more children - in absolute figures - been born as in recent years. Oslo is therefore now experiencing a solid excess of births over deaths compared with the early 1980s, when there was a considerable deficit.

Changing borders a problem

The figures presented are for the municipal boundaries in effect at any one time. The numerous and extensive redrawing of municipal boundaries during the period, particularly in the 1960s, make comparisons over time extremely difficult in a number of municipalities. Because no figures exist for births, deaths and migration for areas smaller than entire municipalities, no attempt has been made in this publication to compute time series for current municipal units previously affected by boundary changes. Breaks in the number series are marked in the tables and information about boundary changes and population in transferred areas are given.

Useful Excel tables

Many of the 434 currently existing municipalities are composed for the most part of several previous municipalities. Trondheim, Harstad, Fredrikstad and Gjøvik are examples. As the available material in the form of Excel tables also includes 310 separate tables for no longer existing municipalities, a number of exact or approximate figures for current municipal units can be made. Most county figures are comparable, as the counties have been affected very little by boundary changes during the period.