Persons with refugee background, 1 January 2001

Bosnians and Yugoslavians are still the largest groups of refugees in Norway. On 1 January 2001 approximately 11 500 refugees from Bosnia and 10 700 from Yugoslavia were resident in Norway, making up one fourth of all refugees in the country.

The 84 000 persons with refugee background comprise everyone who at some point has come to Norway due to flight. 66 000 were registered as principal applicants while the rest, 18 100, came to Norway as relatives of refugees.

Few old people among the refugees

Half the refugee population is between 20 and 39 years old. Only 2 per cent are 67 years or older. In the rest of the population 28 per cent are between 20 and 39 years old and 14 per cent are 67 or older.

57 per cent of the refugees are men. A larger surplus of men is found among refugees from Asia, Africa, South and Central America and Turkey, especially among the refugees with country background from Iraq, Iran and Sri Lanka. Among the Eastern European refugees there is more balance between women and men, due to the fact that refugees from the Balkans often constitute whole families.

Approximately one fourth lives in Oslo

The refugee population increased in all Norwegian counties from 2000 to 2001, with Oslo still having the higher number. Roughly 22 500 persons lived in Oslo, which accounts for 27 per cent of the total number of refugees in Norway. Refugees in Oslo made up 4.4 per cent of the total population in the capital.

The lowest number of refugees is found in Nord-Trøndelag and Finnmark with 1 000 and 900 persons respectively.

Differences in duration of residence

One third of the refugee population has lived here less than five years, while another one in three has lived in Norway from five to nine years. 4 per cent of the refugees came in 1981 or earlier.

Of the refugees from Chile 95 per cent have at least ten years of residence, while 75 per cent of the Vietnamese refugees are in the same situation. Among those with the shortest durations of stay, that is less than five years, are the Croatian and Iraqi refugees, with 90 and 76 per cent respectively.

Almost 50 per cent are Norwegian citizens

46 per cent of the refugees were registered with Norwegian citizenship on 1 January 2001. The percentage varies from below 10 for those who have come from Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia, to 90 per cent or more for refugees from Viet Nam and Hungary.

Tables:

• Table 1 Different definitions of refugees, by country background and refugee status. 1 January 2001 (Corrected 26 June 2003)
• Table 2 Refugees, by country background and duration of residence in Norway. 1 January 2001
• Table 3 Different definitions of refugees, by country background and age. 1 January 2001
• Table 4 Refugees, by country background, citizenship and sex. 1 January 2001