Shares and dividend payments, 2010, preliminary figures

In total about 621 000 people resident in Norway held shares in Norwegian limited companies at the end of 2010. Two-thirds of those shareholders were men and accounted for 17 per cent of the male population. Among women, only 8 per cent held shares. Men in their sixties were the keenest shareholders. In this group almost every third man held shares. In comparison, the proportion of women in the same age group who held shares was only 15 per cent, which was still the largest share among women.

Most shareholders in Oslo

Most people who held shares were resident in Oslo, with over 84 000 shareholders. These accounted for 14 per cent of Oslo's population. However it was in Sogn og Fjordane, where 15 per cent of the residents had invested in shares, where shareholding was highest. At the bottom of the list was Finnmark, where less than 9 per cent held shares.

Increased dividends to individuals

Norwegian limited companies paid out NOK 163 billion in dividends to their shareholders in 2010. Of this, people resident in Norway received over NOK 27 billion, which was an increase of 19 per cent compared with the year before. With NOK 22.6 billion, men took the loin’s share, while women received NOK 4.7 billion.

Less dividends to foreign shareholders

Foreign shareholders received NOK 57 billion in dividends. This was NOK 13 billion or 19 per cent less than the year before. Dutch shareholders, who receiving nearly NOK 16 billion, secured the better part of the dividends distributed to foreign shareholders. Shareholders from the USA experienced the largest decrease in dividends and saw their dividends diminish by half compared to 2009, receiving only NOK 6.4 billion.

Tables:

• Table 1 Limited companies, nominal share capital and dividend payments, by main industry
• Table 2 Nominal share capital and received dividends, by receiving sector. NOK million
• Table 3 Individuals who owned shares, nominal share capital, received dividends and received previously paid in share capital and share premium, by sex and age
• Table 4 Individuals who owned shares, nominal share capital and received dividends, by county, sex and age. 2010
• Table 5 Nominal share capital and received dividend payments for foreign shareholders, by selected countries. NOK million