Active hunters

Updated: 1 September 2023

Next update: 2 September 2024

Hunted moose in the hunting year
Hunted moose in the hunting year
2022-2023
57 300
Active hunters
Active hunters
2022-20232021-2022 - 2022-2023
Number of huntersPer cent
Hunted, in total134 100-2.0
Small game hunting76 400-2.3
Grouse hunting43 900-1.8
Hunting on cervids90 500-2.4
Moose hunting57 300-3.0
Red deer hunting50 900-1.2
Wild reindeer hunting7 200-10.0
Roe deer hunting43 700-1.6
Explanation of symbols

Selected tables and charts from this statistics

  • Number of hunters, by type of hunting, sex and age
    Number of hunters, by type of hunting, sex and age1
    Active huntersSmall game huntingGrouse huntingHunting of cervidsMoose huntingRed deer huntingWild reindeer huntingRoe deer hunting
    2022-2023
    Males122 28070 45040 08082 84052 04047 2106 62040 420
    Females11 5405 8903 8007 4905 1303 6706203 210
    Age of hunter
    -20 years3 7602 4901 4402 6001 7201 4102401 420
    20-29 years15 98010 2006 02010 4606 6905 9601 0105 690
    30-39 years22 83014 2908 08014 8308 8208 4801 2707 690
    40-49 years26 21015 7209 10017 29010 5109 9101 4808 640
    50-59 years31 49017 08010 11021 54013 65012 3301 6809 990
    60-69 years22 36011 3606 56015 54010 2408 7101 1106 880
    70 years or older11 1905 2002 5708 0705 5404 0804503 320
    1Comprise persons with Norwegian personal identity number including Norwegians living abroad.
    Explanation of symbols
  • Number of hunters, by type of hunting. County of residence
    Number of hunters, by type of hunting. County of residence
    Active huntersSmall game huntingGrouse huntingHunting on cervidsMoose huntingRed deer huntingWild reindeer huntingRoe deer hunting
    The whole country
    2017-2018141 76082 83045 21094 43060 93048 2209 92043 010
    2018-2019139 77083 99047 90091 27059 34048 0307 62042 530
    2019-2020135 66078 33043 23092 08059 88049 4708 22043 360
    2020-2021140 30083 50048 50092 70059 80050 7007 90044 800
    2021-2022136 90078 20044 70092 70059 10051 5008 00044 400
    2022-2023134 10076 40043 90090 50057 30050 9007 20043 700
    2022-2023
    Viken25 10016 2006 40015 50010 2005 7001 1009 800
    Oslo7 1005 4003 7002 8001 5001 2005001 300
    Innlandet16 7008 9003 40012 0009 7005 1001 5005 700
    Vestfold og Telemark10 2005 2001 7008 0005 6005 3009005 400
    Agder9 1004 7001 7007 8006 0005 8007006 300
    Rogaland5 8003 1001 7004 3001 1003 5005002 700
    Vestland13 7005 2003 40011 2001 30010 800900800
    Møre og Romsdal7 0002 8001 9005 8001 7005 5005002 700
    Trøndelag - Trööndelage20 50012 4009 30013 40011 0007 4006007 700
    Nordland - Nordlánnda8 8005 6004 7005 1004 80030001 000
    Troms og Finnmark - Romsa ja Finnmárku9 5006 6006 0004 3004 2001000100
    Foreigners20010002001001000100
    Other30020010010010010000
    Explanation of symbols

About the statistics

The purpose of the statistics is to provide information about active hunters and which species they hunt.

Hunter

A person that has paid hunting tax for the hunting season.

Small game

The species included in the statistics on small game hunting. Includes36 species of birds, mammals and roe deer.

Cervid hunters
Persons hunting the following cervid species: moose, red deer, wild reindeer and roe deer.

Small game hunters
Persons hunting the following small game species: capercaillie, black grouse, willow ptarmigan, common ptarmigan, hazel grouse, wood pigeon, European golden-plover, raven, crow, magpie, jay, thrush, woodcock, snipe, mallard, common teal, wigeon, golden eye, merganser, tufted duck, common eider, long-tailed duck, common scoter, greylag goose, Canadian goose, pink-footed goose, shag, cormorant, gulls, beaver, mountain hare, red squirrel, red fox, badger, American mink, pine marten and stoat.

The hunting year
One hunting year runs from 1 April to 31 March the following year.

Hunting licence fee
Persons intending to hunt in Norway must pay a hunting licence fee to the Wildlife Fund. The fee is for the full hunting year. Payment of the fee is a prerequisite for hunting, but does not confer the right to hunt in any specific area.

The register of hunters
The Register of Hunters contains hunters licensed to hunt game in Norway. The register also provides an overview of the payment of the hunting licence fee; an annual fee for those who wish to engage in hunting. For more information, see the homepage.

License hunting

License hunting involves the use of lethal control to kill a specific number of individual of a given wildlife species motivated by the desire to reduce conflict or depredation. It is authorised under The Norwegian Nature Diversity Act. It is a requirement that hunters are registered as license hunters in the Hunter's register. Registration is made for each large carnivore species, for each separate hunting year.

Name: Active hunters
Topic: Agriculture, forestry, hunting and fishing

2 September 2024

Division for Housing, Property, Spatial and Agricultural Statistics

Municipality.

Annually, the statistics are published five months after the hunting year has ended.

Not relevant

Collected and revised data are stored securely by Statistics Norway in compliance with applicable legislation on data processing.

Statistics Norway can grant access to the source data (de-identified or anonymised microdata) on which the statistics are based, for researchers and public authorities for the purposes of preparing statistical results and analyses. Access can be granted upon application and subject to conditions. Refer to the details about this at Access to data from Statistics Norway.

The purpose of the statistics is to obtain an overview of the hunting practice in Norway. The statistics date back to the hunting year 1971/1972. From 1971/1972 to1985/1986 the hunters were asked what type of hunting they intended to carry out. For 1994/1995 and as from 1997/1998 the hunters are asked what type of hunting they have actually carried out. As from 2001/2002, the response rate has been high enough to produce statistics on the hunter's participation in different kinds of hunting.

From the hunting season 2008/2009 figures are published at the municipal level.

The statistics are commissioned by The Norwegian Environment Agency, and are an important tool in the national management of small game. Major users are central and local wildlife management, research and educational institutions, the media, interest groups and interested hunters.

No external users have access to statistics before they are released at 8 a.m. on ssb.no after at least three months’ advance notice in the release calendar. This is one of the most important principles in Statistics Norway for ensuring the equal treatment of users.

The statistics are developed, produced and disseminated pursuant to Act no. 32 of 21 June 2019 relating to official statistics and Statistics Norway (the Statistics Act).

The statistics are developed, produced and disseminated pursuant to Act no. 32 of 21 June 2019 relating to official statistics and Statistics Norway (the Statistics Act).

Not relevant

The population is defined by the Register of Hunters, and includes all hunters who have paid the hunting tax. The analysis unit is felled small game and the collection unit are the hunters.

Everyone who has paid the hunting tax for the relevant hunting year must report for the same year.

Every single hunter must submit a report to Statistics Norway by 1 May on the report form provided or by the Internet.

Regular control and revision steps are carried out on the incoming material. During optical scanning all forms are tested against the Register of hunters. The forms are checked for absolute and possible errors, and errors are correct during the revision of the forms. Examples of possible errors include abnormally high felling numbers and data on species outside their normal range.

Number of felled small game and roe deer are summarized and distributed by county and municipality.

Not relevant

Interviewers and everyone who works at Statistics Norway have a duty of confidentiality. Statistics Norway has its own data protection officer.

Statistics Norway does not publish figures where there is a risk of identifying individual data about persons or households [enter the correct unit here, where applicable].

The ‘uppression and rounding up/down method is used in these statistics to ensure this.

More information can be found on Statistics Norway’s website under Methods in official statistics, in the ‘Confidentiality’ section.

From 1971/1972 to1985/1986, the hunters were asked what type of hunting they intended to carry out. For 1994/1995 and from 1997/1998, the hunters were asked what type of hunting they actually carried out.

Hunters are required to report on the main type of hunting they have carried out. In some cases the hunters either incorrectly report that they have hunted moose, red deer and wild reindeer, or they forget to report. For small game and roe deer hunting, this information can be checked against animals felled. If no animals are felled, however, this information cannot be verified. Other sources of error include missing or incorrectly filled out information from the respondent, and errors during the optical reading of the report form.

Since the hunting year 2001/2002, the response rate has been higher than 90 per cent, and corrections due to non-response have not been carried out. There is reason to believe that the number of hunters without yield, or with very limited yield, is considerably higher among the hunters not reporting than those reporting. Consequently, the effect of non-response for the number of animals felled should be less than for non-reporting hunters.

Until the hunting year 2000/2001, the yield was estimated using different methods. The county level can have variations that are partly due to the calculation routines employed.

In addition, the figures may be affected by errors caused by incorrect and missing data.

Not relevant

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