A key prerequisite for producing this type of report is access to statistical information. For trade in goods, data availability has improved significantly following the release of historical time series in the statistical database. In addition, publications on Norway’s foreign trade in goods have been digitised and are now readily accessible for reading and download. The report aims to increase awareness of the extensive statistical material available from Statistics Norway.
Describing developments in trade in goods over a period of 160 years is challenging. It is therefore necessary to make choices regarding which goods and product groups to include, and how these should be analysed. The report identifies goods that have been most significant, measured by their shares of total import and export values. For selected goods, developments in value are further analysed by decomposing changes into price and volume components.
Chapter 4 examines imports of goods. In the 19th century, imports were dominated by food products, particularly cereals and cereal products. In 1866, more than half of total imports, measured by value shares, consisted of cereals and cereal products. The importance of food imports declined rapidly during the first half of the 20th century. Since around 1950, the share of food in total imports has remained relatively stable at approximately 10 per cent. Imports of other consumer goods have increased, and total imports of consumer goods have remained relatively stable at around 30 per cent of total import value since the 1950s.
In simplified terms, households accounted for approximately 70 per cent of imports in 1866, measured by value shares, while the production sector accounted for 30 per cent. Since the 1950s, this relationship has been reversed, with households accounting for around 30 per cent and producers for around 70 per cent. The increase in imports of goods used in production reflects a broad range of products, including machinery, equipment and chemical products. This shift in the composition of imports from the 19th to the 20th century is closely linked to the process of industrialisation.
With regard to exports, the period 1866–2025 can be divided into three sub-periods. The first extends from 1866 to around the turn of the 20th century, when exports were dominated by fish and fish products, and by timber and wood products. In 1866, these goods accounted for almost 80 per cent of total exports.
The second period begins with industrial development in the early 20th century, characterised by the establishment of major industries, particularly in wood processing, metal production and fertiliser manufacturing. A common feature of these industries was the use of abundant hydropower resources to electrify production. These industries became dominant in exports throughout the 20th century, alongside continued significant exports of fish. This period was later succeeded by the “oil age”.
The emergence of the oil and gas sector occurred rapidly in a historical context, following the start of production from fields in the North Sea in the late 1960s. By the early 1980s, exports of oil and gas accounted for approximately half of total export value. With the exception of some periods of volatility, the share of exports from this sector has increased further and today accounts for well over 60 per cent of total export value, although these shares vary from year to year.
