Information sector, business statistics (discontinued), 1995-1999

Data processing and telecommunications have been the strongest growth areas.

Production in the ICT sector is growing more rapidly than in the economy as a whole. According to preliminary calculations, ICT sales went up by 12.0 per cent in 1999. The upswing in the mainland economy except public administration was at 2.9 per cent according to preliminary figures from the national accounts. Sales in the ICT sector in current prices have increased by an average of 11.4 per cent annually in the period 1995-99, while the mainland economy (except public administration) has surged 5.8 per cent in the same period.

The ICT sector's importance in the economy has thus increased. In 1995 this industry comprised 5.7 per cent of total production and 7.1 per cent of mainland production except public administration. In 1999 the figures went up by 6.9 and 8.7 percent, respectively.

Figure 3 compares the ICT sector with other industries. In terms of sales, the ICT sector in 1999 was larger than, e.g., construction and more than equal to the shipping and other transport industries together. On the other hand, sales in the ICT sector were less than in oil and gas and considerably less than in the total industry. (See "About the Statistics" regarding the sales terms in wholesale and retail trading.)

From 1995 to 1998, sales in the ICT sector rose more sharply than in the manufacturing industry and a bit faster than in the construction sector. However, preliminary figures for 1999 indicate that the ICT sector has had significantly stronger growth than both those areas. From 1995 to 1999 it appears that the ICT sector had about the same growth as the business services sector, etc., and a bit stronger growth than oil and gas. However, price fluctuations make current trends in oil and gas special.

Wholesale and retail trade in ICT totalled nearly NOK 73 billion, comprising 39.8 per cent of the total ICT turnover. For telecommunications, sales for 1999 are calculated at almost NOK 56 billion, or 30.6 per cent of the ICT sector. Sales in the data processing industry amounted to more than NOK 35 billion or 19.5 per cent of the sector as a whole. In the ICT industry, sales in 1999 were over NOK 18 billion, comprising 10.1 per cent of the total turnover in that sector.

The data processing and telecommunications industries have clearly had the fastest growth in sales in recent years. For data processing, sales in current prices went up all of 23.9 per cent annually on average in the period 1995-99. For telecommunications the annual increase has been an average 14.2 per cent in the same period. These industries have thereby also increased their share of sales in the ICT sector. In 1999, data processing had a share of 19.5 per cent as opposed to 12.7 per cent in 1995. For telecommunications the share went up from 27.7 per cent in 1995 to 30.6 per cent in 1999.

With an average annual sales growth of "only" 6.2 percent, the wholesale and retail trade in ICT, on the other hand, has seen a reduction in its relative importance since 1995. This industry comprised 48.3 per cent of ICT sales in 1995, but fell to 39.8 per cent in 1999. The ICT industry constituted 11.3 per cent of ICT sales in 1995 as opposed to 10.1 per cent in 1999. On average, the ICT industry has grown by 8.4 per cent in current prices since 1995.

OECD definition

The ICT sector is here defined on the basis of a recommendation by the OECD. Conferring with the other Nordic countries, however, we have used a rather more precise definition than that used by the OECD regarding wholesaling in ICT. Using the international definition as a basis, the ICT sector in 1999 would have had a turnover of NOK 220 billion. That is 8.3 per cent of the total economy and 10.5 per cent of the mainland economy except public administration. This definition, however, includes wholesaling activities that have little to do with ICT. (See About the Statistics.)

All sales in this article exclude VAT.