About the statistics

1. Administrative information

1.1. Name

Refugees

1.2. Subject group

02.01.10 - Population

1.3. Frequency and timeliness

Annually

1.4. Regional level

The nation and county

1.5. Responsible division

320 - Division for Population Statistics

1.6. Legal authority

Statistics Act of 16 June 1989 no. 54, Section 3-2.

1.7. Legal document(EU)

Not relevant.

1.8. International reporting

Not relevant.

2. Background and purpose

2.1. Purpose and history

The statistics shall, among other subjects, help show changes that take place and thus affect the composition of the population.

The statistics are compiled to distinguish persons with a refugee background from other immigrants, and were published for the first time in 1999 as Dagens statistikk (Daily Statistics), Refugees 1 January 1998. It is not meant to replace the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration's statistics on decisions and legal grounds. The figures are not necessarily in agreement with the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration's statistics on decisions and legal grounds.

2.2. Users and applications

Research institutes, public administration, the media and private persons

3. Statistics production

3.1. Population

Residents of Norway at 1 January this year, who at one time arrived in Norway as refugees (including families), without regard to whether the person has refugee status under the Geneva Convention. Children born to refugees after their arrival in Norway are not counted

3.2. Data sources

The data are based on linkage between the data from Norwegian Directorate og Immigration's database "Utlendingsbase" (UDB) and the data from Statistics Norway's population system. UDB is a database for all cases regarding applications about visits and stays in Norway included those who stay in reception centres for asylum seekers.

3.3. Sampling

Not relevant.

3.4. Collection of data

Not relevant.

3.5. Control and revision

Not relevant.

3.6. Estimation

Not relevant.

3.7. Confidentiality

Not relevant.

4. Concepts, variables and classifications

4.1. Definitions of the main concepts and variables

Resident: Who is regarded as a resident of Norway and where in Norway a person shall be counted as a resident, is stipulated in the Population Registration Act of 16 January 1970. The regulations to the act were last amended effective 1 October 1998.

Residence period: Shows residence period in whole years as of the date of the file.

National background: Own, or mother's, or father's foreign country of birth. Immigrant category A has only 000 (Norway) as a national background.

Simplified reason for immigration: Variable based on data from the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration, in which escape has been given as a reason for the application for asylum

4.2. Standard classifications

Citizenship is the refugee's citizenship as of date.

5. Sources of error and uncertainty

5.1. Measurement and processing errors

Some errors in connection with collecting and processing data are unavoidable and may include coding, revision and data processing errors.

5.2 Non-response errors

None because total figures rather than sample material is used.

5.3. Sampling errors

Not relevant.

5.4. Other sources of error

Not relevant.

6. Comparability and coherence

6.1. Comparability over time and space

Time: The figures are comparable from 1998, the first year the statistics were published.

Place: Because the population is small, the figures are little suited to analysis at the smallest geographical level. In many municipalities, particularly the small ones, the figures from year to year can vary considerably, often because of the location of the reception centres for asylum seekers.

Figures at the municipal level have to be specially ordered and meet privacy protection requirements.

6.2. Coherence with other statistics

Not relevant.

7. Availability

7.1. Publications and other links

Persons with refugees background

Statbank

7.2. Microdata

Data files at the individual level that are processed and stored long-term.


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