Public corporations, structural business statistics (discontinued), 2004

The most common type of business organization is limited companies.

By the end of 2004 the number of such companies amounted to approximately 1 420 local government owned enterprises, or 64.5 per cent of the recorded local government owned companies. Other common forms of companies are municipal/county municipal enterprises, inter municipal companies and local government companies incorporated by the local government Act. The later used to contribute a high proportion but has been reduced between 1999 and 2004. On the other hand, the reverse is the case for the other two. One explanation for the recent development is that the municipal business companies have been reorganized either as municipal/county municipal enterprises or inter-municipal companies.

Mostly, the central government owned enterprises are organized as limited companies or public limited companies. About 484 enterprises, in other words 94.7 per cent of the central government companies were organized like this by the end of 2004, and the figure has remained stable over the past five years.

Five major industrial classification areas

In general, local government enterprises operate in five major industrial classification areas. These are real estate activities (24 per cent), health and social service (17.1 per cent), energy and water supply (15.8 per cent), other social and personal services (15.4 per cent) and transport and communication (11.5 per cent).

Looking at the absolute figures, the most dominating central government owned enterprises are real estate activities (42.5 per cent), transport and communication (22.7 per cent), mining and extraction of oil and gas (9.2 per cent), industry (7.2 per cent) and energy and water supply (6.5 per cent).

Geographical concentration

Looking at the absolute figures, the counties of Oslo, Akershus, Rogaland and Sør-Trøndelag had the highest numbers of the central government owned enterprises in 2004 by 133, 97, 68 and 64 respectively. Generally, about 70 per cent of the central government owned enterprises are geographically located in these four counties. About 45 per cent of the total population was registered in Oslo and Akershus.

The basis of the computation

The statistics comprises public owned non-financial enterprises. An enterprise is defined a public owned if the majority shareholder in the enterprise directly or indirectly belongs to the central government or the local government. A local government enterprise can be owned by a municipality or by a county municipality.

The statistics also covers municipal and county municipal companies, inter-municipal companies and companies incorporated by the local government Act. One or more local government wholly owns these business entities. Inter municipal companies belong in the municipality where the head office is located. Changes in Statistics Norway's information about ownership structure in the enterprises in 2004 and 2005 affected the increase in the number of local government owned enterprises from 2004.

Tables:

• Table 1 Central government-owned enterprises. Number. 1999-2004
• Table 2 Local government-owned enterprises. Number. 1999-2004
• Table 3 Local government-owned enterprises, by organizational structure. Number and per cent. 1999-2004
• Table 4 Central government-owned enterprises, by organizational structure. Number and per cent. 1999-2004
• Table 5 Local government-owned enterprises, by industrial classification. Number and per cent. 1999-2004
• Table 6 Central government-owned enterprises, by industrial classification. Number and per cent. 1999-2004
• Table 7 Central government-owned enterprises, by county. Number and per cent. 1999-2004
• Table 8 Local government-owned enterprises, by county. Number and per cent. 1999-2004