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Minor growth in urban settlements
statistikk
2009-06-16T10:00:00.000Z
Population;Nature and the environment
en
beftett, Population and land area in urban settlements, densely populated areas, sparsely populated areas, residents, population, population density, population size, centre zones, geo-referenced addressArea , Population count, Population, Nature and the environment
false

Population and land area in urban settlements, 1 January 2009

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Minor growth in urban settlements

The number of residents in urban settlements increased by 57 300, or 1.5 per cent, in 2008. The increase is 15 per cent, or 10 000 people less than the corresponding increase in urban settlements in 2007.

On 1 January 2009, the total number of residents in urban settlements was 3 780 000 divided between 919 urban settlements, or 79 per cent of the total population of Norway. In the period 1990 to 2009, the population in urban settlements increased by more than 800 000. In the same period, the population in sparsely populated areas decreased by 126 000.

While the number of residents in urban settlements increased by 57 300 in 2008, the total population of Norway increased by 62 100 people the same year. More than 90 per cent of the growth occurred in urban settlements.

Figures also show that the number of residents in sparsely populated areas increased by 8 500 in 2008.This represents a break with the development in the last three years where there has been a decrease in the number of residents in sparsely populated areas.

Major regional differences

Numbers living in urban settlements vary between the counties. In the county of Oslo, almost 100 per cent live in urban settlements, while in the counties of Hedmark, Oppland, Sogn og Fjordane and Sør-Trøndelag, less than 60 per cent of the population lives in urban settlements.

In Oslo, almost 30 per cent of the total area is urban settlements´ area, while in Finnmark only 0.09 per cent of the total area is urban settlements’ area.

The urban settlements Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger/Sandnes, Trondheim and Fredrikstad/Sarpsborg all have more than 100 000 inhabitants. The population of these five urban settlements increased by 32 100 in 2008, or 56 per cent of the total increase in urban settlements. Figures show that a total of about 1 555 700 live in these five urban settlements and this figure constitutes 32 per cent of the country’s population and 40 per cent of the total population in urban settlements as of 1 January 2009.

Residents in and areas of urban settlements, by population size
  2009 Change from 2008 to 2009
  Residents Area. km2 Residents per km2 Number of urban settlements Residents Area. km2 Residents per km2 Number of urban settlements
Total 3 780 068       2 339,83 1 615  919       57 282 6,10 20 -3
200-499 residents  114 305  165.62  690  334 -3 421 -4.50 -2 -10
500-999 residents  153 653  189.68  810  221  833 -0.70 7 3
1 000-1 999 residents  209 059  210.39  994  148 2 198 1.30 5 2
2 000-19 999 residents 1 055 914  791.44 1 334  196 -3 935 -5.18 4 1
20 000-99 999 residents1  691 396  396.35 1 744 15 29 521 13.19 17 1
100 000 or more residents 1 555 741  586.35 2 653 5 32 086 1.99 46 0
1  Lillehammer is now included in the sizegroup 20 000-99 999 residents.

Larger urban settlements in minority

Only 95 of Norway’s 919 urban settlements have 5 000 residents or more as per 1 January 2009. These urban settlements accounted for 78 per cent of the urban settlements’ population and 62 per cent of the total urban settlements’ area.

Three urban settlements were omitted last year.

The growth in urban settlements’ area diminishes

The total land area of the urban settlements now amounts to 2 340 square kilometres: an increase of 6 square kilometres or 0.3 per cent from 2008 to 2009. By comparison, the change in urban settlements’ area was 40 square kilometres from 2007 to 2008.

Increase in population density

The increase in the number of residents in urban settlements was larger than the increase in urban settlements’ area in 2008, which shows an increasing efficiency in land use. The population density for urban settlements in Norway is averaged to 1 615 as per 1 January 2009, compared to 1 595 on 1 January 2008.

People live most densely in the largest urban settlements and more sparsely in the smaller urban settlements, but here the variations are large. Some smaller urban settlements are among the most densely populated. These urban settlements are housing estates (commuter villages) without any special central functions or commodity trade, and with a larger urban settlement in the vicinity.

The population density for urban settlements in the group size 100 000 or more residents is averaged to 2 653, while the population density in the group size 200 to 499 residents is averaged to 690.

Urban settlement

A hub of buildings is to be registered as an urban settlement if it is inhabited by at least 200 persons. The distance between the buildings must not exceed 50 metres. Exceptions are allowed for areas that cannot/are not to be occupied, for example parks, sports facilities, industrial areas or natural barriers such as rivers or arable land. Agglomerations that naturally belong to the urban settlement with up to a distance of 400 metres from the centre of the urban settlement are also included.

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