204 731 foreign citizens were residents in Norway at the beginning of 2004, 4.5 per cent of the population. This year there were 7 000 more foreign citizens than at the same time last year – an increase of 3.6 per cent.

At the beginning of 2004 almost 25 450 Swedish and 20 000 Danish citizens were residents in Norway, 22 per cent of all foreign citizens. Iraqis made up the third largest group, 13 370 persons and British the fourth largest with 11 000 persons.

The increase in 2003 was largest for Somalis, 1 485 persons, Afghanis, 1 395 persons and Russians, 1 375. The increase for Afghanis was 47 per cent, while the figures for Somalis and Russians were 18 and 29 per cent respectively. The increase for Asians and Africans came to 3 545 and 2 705 persons, 88 per cent of the total increase among foreign citizens. The largest decline occurred for citizens from Bosnia-Herzegovina with 1 900, 24 per cent.

Changes in the number of foreign citizens are particularly influenced by immigration and emigration, and that people receive Norwegian citizenship. The past years have shown a large immigration of Iraqis, Somalis, Afghanis and Russians, while many from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Turkey, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Iraq and Somalia have become Norwegian citizens. The number of foreign citizens shows a different picture of the immigrant population than the standard classification from Statistics Norway . There were for instance 1 580 Vietnamese citizens in Norway at the beginning of 2004, while figures from 1.1.2003 show that there were 11 700 people born in Vietnam and 5 250 born in Norway with two parents born in Vietnam.

52 265 of the foreign citizens live in Oslo, 10 per cent of the population. The county Akershus has the second largest number of foreign citizens, 25 680, 5.3 per cent of the population. The lowest proportion of foreign citizens is in the county Nord-Trøndelag, 2.1 per cent.

45 per cent of the foreign citizens are aged 20-39 years, while 28 per cent of the total population is in this age group. The percentage of children aged 0-5 years for all foreign citizens is almost the same as in the entire population.

Compared with the population at large, there are relatively few elderly among the foreign citizens. 4 per cent of the foreign citizens are older than 66 years, while 13 per cent of the entire population is in this age group. Among citizens from Africa only 1 per cent were older than 66 years. Only citizens from North America show the same percentage of elderly as the Norwegian population. The small portion of elderly among foreign citizens is mainly due to a relatively recent immigration, and that many immigrants who settle in Norway after a while receive Norwegian citizenship.

There are almost an equal number of men and women among the foreign citizens. Among citizens from Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia and Great Britain there are a lot more men than women, while the opposite is true for citizens from Russia, Thailand, The Philippines, Sri Lanka, Poland and Finland.

The statistics can also to be found in StatBank where the users may produce their own tables.

For more information, please contact: tanja.seland.forgaard@ssb.no, telephone +47 62 88 52 24, or oppdragbefolkning@ssb.no, telephone +47 62 88 54 00.

Tables

• Table 1 Foreign citizens. Number and as a percentage of population. County. 1 January 1976-2004
• Table 2 Foreign citizens, by citizenship per 1 January 1975-2004
• Table 3 Foreigen citizens, by sex, age and citizenship. 1 January 2004
• Table 4 Foreigen citizens, by sex, marital status and citizenship. 1 January 2004
• Table 5 Foreigen citizens, by citizenship and county. 1 January 2004

Published 18 March 2004 © Statistics Norway