Persons with refugee background, 1 January 2004

Almost 75 per cent of the refugee population were registered as principal applicants while 25 per cent came to Norway as dependants. Close to 65 per cent of the principal applicants were registered as asylum seekers and 25 per cent as transfer refugees.

Refugees from Iraq and Bosnia-Herzegovina made up the two largest groups of foreign nationals with 14 000 and 12 600 each. With an increase of 1 100 in 2003, the Somali refugee population had the strongest growth.

Around 75 per cent of the refugee population came from third world countries, while the rest came from Eastern Europe.

Half have less than ten years' residence

At the beginning of 2004, 51 per cent of the refugees had lived in Norway for less than ten years. Only 6 per cent had lived in the country for more than 20 years.

Few elderly refugees

The refugee population is younger than the Norwegian population: 24 per cent of the refugees were aged 20 or below compared with 26 per cent for the entire population. Only 5 per cent of the refugees belonged to the age group 60 years or older compared with 19 per cent for the entire population.

More men

There was an overweight of men among the refugees. The male surplus is particularly strong among refugees from third world countries, such as Iraq, Iran and Sri Lanka, while the gender balance is more equal among the Eastern European refugees, due to the fact that refugees from the Balkans often constitute whole families.

27 per cent live in Oslo

The refugee population increased in all Norwegian counties from 2003 to 2004, although Oslo is still home to most refugees. Around 27 000 refugees lived in Oslo, and they made up 5.2 per cent of the citys total population.

Finnmark and Nord-Trøndelag have the lowest number of refugees, with 750 and 1 200 respectively.

Majority are Norwegian citizens

At 1 January 2004, 51 per cent of the refugees had Norwegian citizenship. This percentage varies from below 10 for people from Russia and Afghanistan, to 80 per cent or higher for people from Vietnam and Sri Lanka.

Tables:

• Table 1 Different definitions of refugees, by country background and refugee status. 1 January 2003
• Table 2 Different definitions of refugees, by country background and refugee status. 1 January 2004
• Table 3 Refugees, by country background and duration of residence in Norway. 1 January 2003 (Corrected 25 June 2004)
• Table 4 Refugees, by country background and duration of residence in Norway. 1 January 2004 (Corrected 25 June 2004)
• Table 5 Different definitions of refugees, by country background and age. 1 January 2003 (Corrected 25 June 2004)
• Table 6 Different definitions of refugees, by country background and age. 1 January 2004
• Table 7 Refugees, by country background, citizenship and sex. 1 January 2003
• Table 8 Refugees, by country background, citizenship and sex. 1 January 2004
• Table 9 Refugees, by country background. 1998-2004