Municipal and county council election, persons entitled to vote will from April 2021 be published with Storting election, persons entitled to vote as Persons entitled to vote.
Updated
Key figures
4.2
million have the right to vote
2011 | 2015 | 20191 | |
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1Per 7. august 2019 | |||
2New votees who have reached legal age since last Storting election. | |||
3New votees who have reached legal age since last local election. | |||
Persons entitled to vote. Estimated figures | 3 798 561 | 4 016 624 | 4 202 016 |
New persons entitled to vote 18-19 years2 | 127 161 | 130 642 | 127 799 |
New persons entitled to vote 18-21 years3 | 258 155 | 251 566 | 258 551 |
Norwegians citizens with immigrant background, entitled to vote | 181 800 | 226 800 | 293 500 |
Foreign citizens entitled to vote | 207 000 | 313 000 | 388 998 |
See all figures from this statistics
About the statistics
The statistics give estimated figures on the number of people having the right to vote in the municipal and county elections. The figures are grouped by age, gender, country of origin and county of residence. Time series from 1999.
Definitions
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Persons entitled to vote: The right to vote is stipulated in Norway's constitution and the Election Act. Norwegian citizens aged 18 or over in the election year and who have resided in Norway for the last ten years will automatically be included in the electoral register. In addition, Norwegian citizens who have lived abroad continuously for the last ten years, may apply to be included in the electoral register.
Foreign nationals who have resided in Norway for the last three years are entitled to vote in county and municipal elections provided that they fulfil the conditions applicable to Norwegian nationals. Pursuant to an amendment of the Election Act, Recommendation to the Odelsting no. 61 (1998-99), Odelsting Proposition no. 37 (1998-99), all Nordic citizens were entitled to vote in county and municipal elections provided that they had moved to Norway before 1 March in the election year. This came into effect in the 1999 election year.
As from the 2003 county and municipal election, all Nordic citizens are entitled to vote if they have moved to Norway before 31 May in the election year. Nordic citizens are entitled to vote in the 2007 county and municipal election if they have moved to Norway before 30 June in the election year.
Norwegian citizens with an immigrant background: Citizens with two foreign born parents.
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Standard for country and citizenship Standard for county divisions Standard for classification of municipalities
Administrative information
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Name: Municipal and county council election, persons entitled to vote
Topic: Elections
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Division for Population Statistics
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Estimated numbers: County. Foreign citizens and Norwegian citizens with immigrant background at the municipal level, selected municipalities.
Final numbers: Eligible voters by constituency, county and continent.
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Every fourth year.
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Not relevant
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Norwegian, English.
Background
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The purpose is to produce estimated numbers of persons entitled to vote in the next local election. Estimated numbers has been produced since the local election in 1999. Final numbers will be published when the date for the local election is approching.
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Municipalities, counties, media and researchers use the statistics and the analyses.
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Not relevant
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Not relevant
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Statistics Act § 2-1, 2-2, 3-2
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Not relevant
Production
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All eligible voters in the local election.
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Since 1970, the Central Population Register has provided the base for the statistics. Since 1946, all local authorities have held a local national register of all residents in the individual municipalities in accordance with legislation and directives related to national registration. The national registration offices receive details of births, deaths, marriages, divorces, immigration etc. from various sources for the municipalities they cover.
The National Population Register (DSP) was built up from 1964 to 1966 on the basis of the 1960 census, at the same time as the 11-digit national identity number was introduced as identification. The register consisted of those who took park in the census, and subsequently everyone that has been resident in Norway from 1 October 1964. In 1995, the Central Population Register (DSF) at the Directorate of Taxes took over as the official register. The Office of the National Registrar, which administrates the DSF (and previous DSP), was transferred in 1991 from Statistics Norway to the Directorate of Taxes.
The updating of the Central Population Register is partly carried out by the local population registries, which are connected to the DSF via terminals, and partly by the Directorate of Taxes centrally. The basis of the statistics on changes in the population is electronic copies to Statistics Norway of all such reports of events that update the register. The reports are also used to update a separate Statistics Norway population database kept for statistical purposes. This database forms the basis of the population statistics.
The distributor for the Directorate of Taxes (EDB Business Partner), provides SSB with the basis for the final numbers of eligible voters when the date for the local election is approaching.
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Since January 1998, reports (electronic copies) that were previously transferred on a monthly basis have been transferred from the Central Population Register to Statistics Norway daily. Prior to May 1995, Statistics Norway received the reports on a magnetic tape each month.
Data from previous years provide the basis for calculating changes from the time of calculating and to the election is arranged. The accuracy of this data decides the quality.
The basis is data from the population statistics, people who resides in Norway. In addition to this, eligible Norwegian voters who resides abroad. Data concerning deaths, emmigration, immigration and changes in citizenship from the previous year. The country of birth file is used to calculate the number of Norwegian citizens with an immigrant background.
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Not relevant
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Comparative statistics from the election in 1999.
Accuracy and reliability
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Not relevant
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Not relevant
Analyses, articles and publications
![Lower voter turnout than Sweden and Denmark](/en/valg/statistikker/stemmerettkomm/hvert-4-aar/_image/126414.png?_encoded=2f66666666666678302f35382f29303831202c303932286b636f6c62656c616373&_ts=13f89b01610)
Lower voter turnout than Sweden and Denmark
Published 7 March 2016Voter turnout in local elections has been falling in Norway and most of Europe in recent decades. Four years ago, the number going to the polls in Norway increased, from 62 to 65 per cent. The share of the Norwegian electorate that exercises its right to vote is, however, still lower than for our Scandinavian neighbours, and particularly Sweden.
Read this article![](/en/valg/statistikker/stemmerettkomm/hvert-4-aar/_image/198087.png?_encoded=2f66666666666678302f35382f29303831202c303932286b636f6c62656c616373&_ts=148a7d967a0)
Do refugees get involved in local politics?
Published 23 January 2017Municipal election statistics for 2015 show that immigrants have a lower voter turnout than other voters in Norway, and that refugees are generally no more politically engaged than the majority of immigrants. Two per cent of municipal council representatives are immigrants, three in ten of whom came to Norway as refugees.
Read this articleContact
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Statistics Norway's Information Centre