Population and population change, 1 July 2001

Whilst emigration from Norway was higher in the first half of 2001 than the previous year, there was a significant reduction of immigration. 11 900 emigrations and 14 500 immigrations were registered in the first half of 2001. Figures for the same period last year was 11 400 and 18 500 respectively.

Net immigration so far this year is 2 600, 4 500 lower than the corresponding figure in the same period in 2000. Yugoslavs (mainly Kosovo Albanians who returned home after their temporal protection permits expired) are the largest group of net emigrants; 1 000 more persons left Norway than those who came in. Swedes are the largest group of both emigrants and immigrants, and there was a small net emigration in the first half of 2001. The migration balance with Europe shows that 20 per cent of the net migration is accounted for by citizens of Western European countries, while the remaining 80 per cent are from Eastern Europe.

Largest in-migration to Oslo and Akershus

Migration to counties Oslo and Akershus is the largest so far this year with 15 400 and 10 500 respectively. Out-migration is also temporally high in these counties. The net migration to Oslo from other counties, that is, internal migration, showed a net gain of 1 300 in addition to a net immigration of 500 from abroad. The net internal migration to Akershus was 700 in the first six months of this year.

The largest net gain in internal migration for the first half of the year 2001 was recorded in Oslo. Last year Oslo lost 900 persons in the same period. In addition to Oslo and Akershus, only Østfold and Vestfold recorded some level of positive net migration.

Nordland loses people

Nordland had the largest internal out-migration in the first half of 2001. Northern Norway's migration balance with other counties is still negative, a recorded net loss of 1 500. Due to surplus migration from abroad to Nordland, Troms and Finnmark, the total net migration loss was reduced to 900 in the first half of this year. Net migration for the same period last year was - 1 300. Twelve out of the nineteen counties (inland Eastern Norway and the long coastal line from Telemark to Finnmark, with Vest-Agder, Hordaland and Sør-Trøndelag as small exceptions) had greater out-migration to other counties than in-migration.

Lower population growth

There has been a significantly lower population growth in the first part of this year than usual in recent years. The population growth declined to 9 500, a reduction of 5 000 from last year, and the lowest since 1990. The lower population growth can be explained mainly by the decline in immigration to Norway. Net migration declined from 7 100 in the first half of 2000 to 2 600 in the first six months of 2001. Natural increase (births minus deaths) contributed more to the population growth than net migration, about 73 per cent of the growth is due to natural increase. During the last three years the balance of natural increase/net migration has been almost 50/50.

Preliminary total population per 1st July 2001 was 4 513 000.