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Statistics on

Recipients of retirement pension

The statistics provide an overview of retirement pension recipients pursuant to the regulations of the National Insurance Scheme. A core part of the statistics is the description of retirement pension recipients according to various identifiers, as well as their attachment to the labour market.

Updated: 25 September 2025
Next update: Not yet determined

Selected figures from these statistics

  • Recipients of retirement pension, by sex and age
    Recipients of retirement pension, by sex and age
    2024
    Recipients of retirement pensionRecipients of retirement pension, per cent of population
    Both sexesMalesFemalesBoth sexesMalesFemales
    62 years12 3838 7233 66019.026.411.4
    63 years14 87010 3834 48723.432.314.2
    64 years16 21411 1795 03526.035.516.3
    65 years19 25812 8866 37231.141.320.7
    66 years20 15313 5036 65033.144.521.8
    67 years51 97625 84826 12888.288.288.2
    68 years56 18927 61628 57395.695.196.1
    69 years54 96627 11427 85296.996.797.1
    70-74 years256 320125 725130 59598.798.998.5
    75 years or older499 327223 913275 41499.299.499.0
    62 years or older1 001 656486 890514 76680.081.678.6
    Explanation of symbols
  • Recipients of retirement pension 62-66 years, by sex, age and education level
    Recipients of retirement pension 62-66 years, by sex, age and education level
    2024
    Recipients of retirement pensionRecipients of retirement pension, per cent of population
    Both sexesMalesFemalesBoth sexesMalesFemales
    Total82 87856 67426 20426.435.816.8
    Basic school level18 58412 2846 30024.734.216.0
    Upper secondary education44 25332 25212 00133.543.820.5
    Higher education19 78911 9287 86119.826.314.4
    Unknown or no completed education252210423.96.61.3
    Explanation of symbols
  • Recipients of retirement pension 62-66 years, by sex and country background
    Recipients of retirement pension 62-66 years, by sex and country background
    2024
    Recipients of retirement pensionRecipients of retirement pension, per cent of population
    Both sexesMalesFemalesBoth sexesMalesFemales
    Immigrants, total3 1692 4107597.510.93.8
    Nordic countries except Norway, EU/EFTA, UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand1 7171 24846910.312.76.9
    Europe except EU/EFTA/UK, Africa, Asia, America except USA and Canada, Oceania except Australia and New Zealand, polar regions1 4521 1622905.79.42.2
    The rest of the population79 70754 26225 44529.339.918.7
    Total population82 87856 67426 20426.435.816.8
    Explanation of symbols
  • New recipients of retirement pension, by sex and age
    New recipients of retirement pension, by sex and age
    2024
    New recipients of retirement pensionNew recipients of retirement pension, per cent of population
    Both sexesMalesFemalesBoth sexesMalesFemales
    62 years or older62 72231 19531 5275.05.24.8
    62 years12 3838 7233 66019.026.411.4
    63 years4 3192 7821 5376.88.64.9
    64 years2 5011 4391 0624.04.63.4
    65 years3 0511 5921 4594.95.14.8
    66 years2 0821 1299533.43.73.1
    67 years32 36612 63419 73254.943.166.6
    68 years4 1641 8102 3547.16.27.9
    69 years or older1 8561 0867700.20.30.2
    Explanation of symbols
  • Recipients of retirement pension, by sex, age and work-intensity
    Recipients of retirement pension, by sex, age and work-intensity
    2024
    Recipients of retirement pensionRecipients of retirement pension (per cent)
    Both sexesMalesFemalesBoth sexesMalesFemales
    62 years or older
    All intensity levels1 001 656486 890514 766100.0100.0100.0
    None834 856380 206454 65083.378.188.3
    Low45 19028 07517 1154.55.83.3
    HIgh26 45515 85910 5962.63.32.1
    Full95 15562 75032 4059.512.96.3
    62-66 years
    All intensity levels82 87856 67426 204100.0100.0100.0
    None24 26315 9188 34529.328.131.8
    Low6 3594 3611 9987.77.77.6
    HIgh5 3963 7011 6956.56.56.5
    Full46 86032 69414 16656.557.754.1
    67-74 years
    All intensity levels419 451206 303213 148100.0100.0100.0
    None332 199153 909178 29079.274.683.6
    Low27 90316 55411 3496.78.05.3
    HIgh17 4349 9137 5214.24.83.5
    Full41 91525 92715 98810.012.67.5
    75 years or older
    All intensity levels499 327223 913275 414100.0100.0100.0
    None478 394210 379268 01595.894.097.3
    Low10 9287 1603 7682.23.21.4
    HIgh3 6252 2451 3800.71.00.5
    Full6 3804 1292 2511.31.80.8
    Explanation of symbols

About the statistics

The information under «About the statistics» was last updated 28 June 2023.

Resident. The statistics cover persons who were registered in the Central Population Register as resident in Norway as of 31 December. The Act of Population Registration of 16 January 1970 (with subsequent amendments) and associated regulations from 1994 set out the criteria for classification as a resident in Norway. The total number of residents in an area is also referred to as the population.

Information on place of residence, gender and age are retrieved from the Central Population Register. Information on place of residence and age relates to the end of the statistical year.

Retirement pension paid through the National Insurance Scheme provides financial support to the elderly population, and enables a gradual transition from work to retirement. The amount of retirement pension paid depends on previous income and the number of years the recipient has lived in Norway. Everyone is guaranteed a minimum pension level, including those who have not worked. After the introduction of the pension reform on 1 January 2011, different rules apply depending on when a recipient was born. For more information on these rules, see https://www.nav.no/en/Home/Benefits+and+services/Pensions+and+pension+application+from+outside+Norway#chapter-1.

Recipients of retirement pension are persons who, following a positive decision, are in receipt of a retirement pension from the National Insurance Scheme for at least one month during a given year. The vast majority of the tables in the statistics only cover recipients of retirement pension who are residents of Norway (see separate definition). Two of the tables include recipients of retirement pension who are not resident and give breakdowns that distinguish between resident and non-resident. Persons receiving retirement pensions from other schemes, such as occupational pensions in the private or public sector, are only included if they also have a positive decision concerning a retirement pension from the National Insurance Scheme.

New recipients if retirement pension are persons with a decision on retirement pension in month m during the year, but without a decision in month m-1. In cases where m represents January, m-1 will represent December in the preceding year.

Work-intensity is a measure of the degree of employment as a wage earner whilst receiving retirement pension. The measurement requires receipt of retirement pension and employment as a wage earner to have occurred in the same month and is calculated as ‘the number of months in which income from work and retirement pension is received / the number of months that retirement pension is received’. The results are shown as None (no months where both conditions occur), Low (employed for at least one but less than half of the months when retirement pension was received), High (employed for more than half but not all months when retirement pension was received) and Full (employed in all months when retirement pension was received).

Wage earners are defined as persons who performed paid work, with compensation in the form of wages or similar, for at least one hour in the reference week, as well as persons who had such work but were temporarily absent due to illness, holiday leave, paid leave or similar. Persons undertaking military or civilian national service are considered to be in employment. Persons on government employment initiatives who receive wages from an employer are also classified as employees. This follows the recommendations of the International Labour Organization (ILO). Statistics Norway’s statistics use the terms ‘employee’ and ‘wage earners’ interchangeably. Note that the self-employed are not therefore measured in terms of work intensity in these statistics.

See also About the statistics at https://www.ssb.no/en/arbeid-og-lonn/statistikker/arblonn/kvartal

Pension level reflects the percentage of retirement pension drawn. Persons born after 1943 – and some born in 1943 – have the option to draw 20, 40, 50, 60, 80 or 100 per cent of their pension. Some tables also distinguish between the percentage drawn by recipients of retirement pension with a graduated retirement pension and persons without a graduated retirement pension. The percentage drawn can be changed throughout the year, and where this is the case, the tables show the highest registered percentage drawn throughout the year.

Immigrants are persons born abroad to two foreign-born parents and four foreign-born grandparents. Country of birth is normally the mother’s country of residence at the time of the person’s birth.

EU/EEA, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand include immigrants with the following countries of birth: Denmark, Greenland, Finland, Faroe Islands, Iceland, Sweden, Belgium, Bulgaria, Andorra, Estonia, France, Gibraltar, Greece, Ireland, Croatia, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Lithuania, Spain, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany, Slovenia, Hungary, Austria, Vatican City, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Canada, USA, Australia and New Zealand.

Asia, Africa, Latin America, Oceania, except Australia and New Zealand and Europe except EU/EEA include immigrants born in the following: Albania, Belarus, Moldova, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Asia, Africa, America excluding USA and Canada and Oceania excluding Australia and New Zealand. Persons who were stateless at birth and with an unknown country of birth are also included.

At-risk-of poverty (EU-scale). At-risk-of poverty thresholds are set as 50 and 60 per cent of median income after tax per consumption unit in the entire population.

For definitions of income per consumption unit and Consumpion units calculated according to the EU-scale, see About the statistics under http://www.ssb.no/en/ifhus

Average income account. The composition of total income for persons and after-tax income by selected income components, as well as median after-tax income and median household equivalent income (EU-scale). For definitions of income components and household equivalent income, see About the statistics under http://www.ssb.no/en/ifhus

Data on education relates to 1 October in the statistical year. In these statistics, a variant of the Classification of education is used, where the highest completed education is classified as follows: https://www.ssb.no/en/klass/klassifikasjoner/36/varianter/843

The Norwegian Standard Classification of Education 2016 forms the basis for this classification:

https://www.ssb.no/en/utdanning/artikler-og-publikasjoner/norwegian-standard-classification-of-education-2016

https://www.ssb.no/en/klass/klassifikasjoner/36/

The classification of municipalities is in line with the list of municipalities as of 31 December in the relevant year.

Classification of municipalities: https://www.ssb.no/en/klass/klassifikasjoner/131

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