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Living in Arendal

In Arendal, unemployment is 2.3% (2026).

There were 4 doctors per 1,000 people in 2024. The unemployment rate was 2.3% in June 2026. Car density was 460 vehicles per 1,000 residents at the end of 2025. There were 400 physicians per 100,000 residents in 2024.

Last checked 2026-09-1922 sources

Population46,603people1 Jan 2026Official source · SSB table 11342: municipality population/area by region and year.
Median gross salary (region)4,656EUR/month31 Dec 2025Official source · data.ssb.no
Unemployment rate2.3%country median 1.7% — 35% aboveOfficial source · NAV HL301 — fully unemployed by county and municipality, June 2026
Recorded crime6,230incidents per 100,000country median 4,460 — 40% aboveOfficial source · data.ssb.no

Higher unemployment than 85% of Norwegian cities that publish it and more recorded crime than 84% of Norwegian cities that publish it.

Which Norway-wide rules apply when you move to Arendal?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Housing and cost

No city-level rent figure is published for Arendal. The available city-level cost figures remain below.

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month
Arendal recurring monthly costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€83
Mobile plan, 10 GB€28
Net rent across major citiesArendal highlighted among comparable cities
Net rent across major cities with Arendal highlighted

net rent, € / m² / month

Trondheim€21.79
Bergen€20.40
Stavanger€19.55
MetricValuePeriodSource
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited83.29 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Telenor fixed broadband11Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB27.7 EUR/month30 Sept 2026ice 18GB mobile plan3Official · national market
Dwellings21,183 dwellings31 Dec 2025Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB)9Official

Is Arendal a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile
Remote worker63%strong on work, weak on housing · range 53–73%
Skilled employee68%strong on work, weak on housing · range 58–78%
Student43%strong on education, weak on housing · range 32–54%
Family52%strong on family, weak on housing · range 42–62%
Retirement41%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 29–53%

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Arendal?

The unemployment rate is 2.3 % (June 2026). Source: NAV HL301 — fully unemployed by county and municipality, June 20266

Unemployment across cities in NorwayUnemployment in Arendal is 2.3%. Of 177 cities with data, 60 have unemployment of 1.5 to under 2%.

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Median gross salary (regional)4,656 EUR/month31 Dec 2025data.ssb.no1Official
Unemployment rate2.3 %country median 1.7%30 Jun 2026NAV HL301 — fully unemployed by county and municipality, June 20266Official

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Arendal. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

NAV employment service — Public employment service

Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV)

Job Search

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Arendal. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Family and education

MetricValuePeriodSource
International schools3 schools31 Dec 2025Utdanningsdirektoratet18Independent · fylke observation

School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 6 to 16. Newly arrived pupils get support in the school language: særskilt norskopplæring (adapted Norwegian language education). How to enrol a child (regjeringen.no).

A country-wide rule for Norway; Arendal's school authority applies it locally.

Sources: eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · 2025–2026.

Healthcare

MetricValuePeriodSource
Doctors per 1,000 residents4 per 1,00031 Dec 2024Helsedirektoratet14Independent · fylke observation
Physicians per 100,000 residents400 per 100,00031 Dec 2024Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB)17Independent · fylke observation

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Arendal when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide
Doctors per 1,000 residents4 per 1,000Verified 2026-06-12
Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Safety

How safe is Arendal?

Police recorded 6,230 incidents per 100,000 (2024-2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: data.ssb.no2

Recorded crime across major citiesArendal highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Arendal highlighted

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Oslo8,790
Kristiansand8,170
Trondheim6,890
Drammen6,870
Stavanger6,540
Bergen6,410
Fredrikstad6,280
Arendal6,230
Lillestrøm5,790
Sandnes5,270
Bærum5,170
Asker4,500
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents6,230 incidents per 100,000country median 4,46031 Dec 2024data.ssb.no2Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Arendal. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

Approved providers for Norwegian and social studies training — State Language Course

Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir)

For adult immigrants needing Norwegian and social studies training.

Norwegian

Norwegian municipal introduction programme — Integration course

Municipalities under the national IMDi framework

For adult refugees and other eligible immigrants.

NorwegianIn Person
National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Arendal.

Find courses near Arendal

Climate and air quality

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
MetricValuePeriodSource
Average January temperature0 °C28 Aug 2026MET Norway (Meteorologisk institutt)5Official · nearest-station reading
Average daytime high by monthJan 3.7 · Feb 3.3 · Mar 5.2 · Apr 8.4 · May 13.1 · Jun 17 · Jul 19.3 · Aug 19.2 · Sep 15.9 · Oct 11.3 · Nov 7.4 · Dec 4.7 °C1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station TORUNGEN_FYR13Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by monthJan -0.3 · Feb -0.8 · Mar 0.6 · Apr 3.7 · May 8 · Jun 11.9 · Jul 14.2 · Aug 14.2 · Sep 11.4 · Oct 7.2 · Nov 3.6 · Dec 0.7 °C1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station TORUNGEN_FYR13Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by monthJan 1.6 · Feb 1.1 · Mar 2.6 · Apr 5.8 · May 10.4 · Jun 14.2 · Jul 16.6 · Aug 16.6 · Sep 13.5 · Oct 9.2 · Nov 5.4 · Dec 2.6 °C1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station TORUNGEN_FYR13Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by monthJan 118.4 · Feb 77.9 · Mar 72.4 · Apr 56.4 · May 76.2 · Jun 78.7 · Jul 75.6 · Aug 112.1 · Sep 128.6 · Oct 154.3 · Nov 145 · Dec 117.3 mm1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station ARENDAL_BRANNSTASJON_II12Official · nearest-station reading

Similar climate. In Norway: Stavanger ±0.9 °C. Elsewhere: Gentofte (Denmark) ±1.2 °C, Lyngby-Taarbæk (Denmark) ±1.2 °C, Rudersdal (Denmark) ±1.2 °C, Heide (Germany) ±1.4 °C, Meldorf (Germany) ±1.4 °C. Twenty closest, compared month by month

Monthly highs and lows against the 1991–2020 station normals of the nearest station; ± is the average monthly difference.

Population and city profile

The city covered 270 km² in 2026. Population density was 173 people per km² in 2026.

How many people live in Arendal?

The published population was 46,603 people in 2026. Source: SSB table 11342: municipality population/area by region and year.8

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Area270 km²1 Jan 2026Kartverket4Official · kommune observation
Cars per 1,000 residents460 per 1,00031 Dec 2025Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB)16Independent · fylke observation
City area270 km²1 Jan 2026SSB 11342 ArealKm28Official
Foreign residents8,381 people1 Jan 2026SSB 09817 B-C / country background Total / Persons7Official
Population density173 people/km²1 Jan 2026SSB 11342 ArealKm28Official
Population46,603 people1 Jan 2026SSB table 11342: municipality population/area by region and year.8Official

International community in Arendal

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Ancestry or ethnicity

Norwegian-born to immigrant parents; official SSB table 09817; reference date 1 January 2026 · 2026-01-01

Published groupPeopleShare
Total1,5593.4%
Europe except EU/EFTA/UK, Africa, Asia, America except USA and Canada, Oceania except Australia and New Zealand, polar regions1,0992.4%
Nordic countries except Norway, EU/EFTA, UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand4601.0%
Poland1830.4%
Syria1340.3%
Afghanistan990.2%
Eritrea900.2%
Iraq850.2%
Lithuania790.2%
Kosovo700.1%
Somalia610.1%
Show 70 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Bosnia-Herzegovina500.1%
Vietnam500.1%
Iran480.1%
Germany410.1%
Congo300.1%
Russia290.1%
Ukraine220.1%
Sudan210.1%
Lebanon210.1%
Morocco200.0%
India200.0%
Romania190.0%
Ethiopia170.0%
Palestine170.0%
Serbia160.0%
Latvia150.0%
Netherlands140.0%
Türkiye140.0%
China140.0%
Pakistan140.0%
Iceland130.0%
Philippines130.0%
Sweden120.0%
United States110.0%
Denmark100.0%
Croatia100.0%
Hungary100.0%
United Kingdom90.0%
Thailand90.0%
Libya80.0%
United Arab Emirates80.0%
Portugal70.0%
Rwanda70.0%
Israel70.0%
Burundi60.0%
South Sudan60.0%
Jordan60.0%
Yemen60.0%
Albania50.0%
Czech Republic50.0%
Algeria50.0%
Zambia50.0%
Finland40.0%
Belarus40.0%
Egypt40.0%
Nigeria40.0%
Sri Lanka40.0%
Mexico40.0%
Faroe Islands30.0%
Belgium30.0%
Bulgaria30.0%
Greece30.0%
Austria30.0%
North Macedonia30.0%
Côte d'Ivore30.0%
Kenya30.0%
Liberia30.0%
South Africa30.0%
Armenia30.0%
Azerbaijan30.0%
Myanmar30.0%
Indonesia30.0%
Kyrgyzstan30.0%
Nepal30.0%
Saudi Arabia30.0%
Canada30.0%
Cuba30.0%
Jamaica30.0%
Brazil30.0%
Chile30.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source7

Ancestry or ethnicity

Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents; official SSB table 09817; reference date 1 January 2026 · 2026-01-01

Published groupPeopleShare
Total8,38118.0%
Europe except EU/EFTA/UK, Africa, Asia, America except USA and Canada, Oceania except Australia and New Zealand, polar regions5,16911.1%
Nordic countries except Norway, EU/EFTA, UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand3,2126.9%
Poland1,0202.2%
Syria6421.4%
Ukraine5341.1%
Lithuania3920.8%
Afghanistan3470.7%
Eritrea2890.6%
Germany2570.6%
Iraq2430.5%
Show 119 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Sweden2150.5%
Iran2140.5%
Philippines2090.5%
Denmark2000.4%
Kosovo1860.4%
Bosnia-Herzegovina1790.4%
Russia1760.4%
Somalia1750.4%
Thailand1680.4%
Vietnam1530.3%
India1470.3%
United Kingdom1430.3%
Romania1140.2%
Congo1140.2%
Netherlands1080.2%
United States970.2%
Iceland920.2%
China910.2%
Türkiye860.2%
Serbia860.2%
Pakistan750.2%
Latvia710.1%
Palestine680.1%
Lebanon630.1%
Sudan620.1%
Finland550.1%
Portugal550.1%
Ethiopia550.1%
Spain520.1%
Brazil500.1%
Croatia450.1%
Morocco370.1%
Italy350.1%
Hungary340.1%
Canada280.1%
Bulgaria240.1%
Libya240.1%
Zambia240.1%
South Korea240.1%
France230.1%
Greece220.1%
Belgium210.1%
Mexico210.1%
Algeria200.0%
Egypt200.0%
Rwanda200.0%
Uganda200.0%
United Arab Emirates200.0%
Indonesia190.0%
Peru190.0%
North Macedonia180.0%
South Africa180.0%
Myanmar180.0%
Belarus170.0%
Switzerland170.0%
Jordan170.0%
Yemen170.0%
Malaysia160.0%
Australia160.0%
Czech Republic150.0%
Burundi150.0%
Chile150.0%
Kenya140.0%
Sri Lanka140.0%
Cuba140.0%
Albania130.0%
Moldova130.0%
Nigeria130.0%
Saudi Arabia130.0%
Slovakia120.0%
Israel120.0%
Japan120.0%
Colombia120.0%
Austria110.0%
Tanzania110.0%
Tunisia110.0%
Hong Kong110.0%
Jamaica110.0%
Estonia100.0%
Zimbabwe100.0%
Azerbaijan100.0%
Nepal100.0%
Ireland90.0%
South Sudan90.0%
Armenia90.0%
Taiwan70.0%
Kazakhstan70.0%
Nicaragua70.0%
Venezuela70.0%
Faroe Islands60.0%
Liberia50.0%
Kyrgyzstan50.0%
Montenegro40.0%
Côte d'Ivore40.0%
Gambia40.0%
Mozambique40.0%
Bangladesh40.0%
Kuwait40.0%
Mongolia40.0%
Singapore40.0%
New Zealand40.0%
Greenland30.0%
Malta30.0%
Slovenia30.0%
Namibia30.0%
Sierra Leone30.0%
Georgia30.0%
Cambodia30.0%
Macao30.0%
Uzbekistan30.0%
Dominican Republic30.0%
Panama30.0%
El Salvador30.0%
Trinidad and Tobago30.0%
Argentina30.0%
Bolivia30.0%
Ecuador30.0%
Uruguay30.0%
French Polynesia30.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source7

Ancestry or ethnicity

Immigrants; official SSB table 09817; reference date 1 January 2026 · 2026-01-01

Published groupPeopleShare
Total6,82214.6%
Europe except EU/EFTA/UK, Africa, Asia, America except USA and Canada, Oceania except Australia and New Zealand, polar regions4,0708.7%
Nordic countries except Norway, EU/EFTA, UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand2,7525.9%
Poland8371.8%
Ukraine5121.1%
Syria5081.1%
Lithuania3130.7%
Afghanistan2480.5%
Germany2160.5%
Sweden2030.4%
Eritrea1990.4%
Show 117 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Philippines1960.4%
Denmark1900.4%
Iran1660.4%
Thailand1590.3%
Iraq1580.3%
Russia1470.3%
United Kingdom1340.3%
Bosnia-Herzegovina1290.3%
India1270.3%
Kosovo1160.3%
Somalia1140.2%
Vietnam1030.2%
Romania950.2%
Netherlands940.2%
United States860.2%
Congo840.2%
Iceland790.2%
China770.2%
Türkiye720.1%
Serbia700.1%
Pakistan610.1%
Latvia560.1%
Finland510.1%
Spain510.1%
Palestine510.1%
Portugal480.1%
Brazil480.1%
Lebanon420.1%
Sudan410.1%
Ethiopia380.1%
Croatia350.1%
Italy340.1%
Canada250.1%
Hungary240.1%
South Korea240.1%
France230.1%
Bulgaria210.1%
Greece200.0%
Uganda200.0%
Zambia190.0%
Belgium180.0%
Indonesia180.0%
Morocco170.0%
South Africa170.0%
Mexico170.0%
Peru170.0%
Switzerland160.0%
Egypt160.0%
Libya160.0%
Myanmar160.0%
Malaysia160.0%
Australia160.0%
North Macedonia150.0%
Algeria150.0%
Belarus130.0%
Rwanda130.0%
Chile130.0%
Moldova120.0%
Slovakia120.0%
Kenya120.0%
United Arab Emirates120.0%
Japan120.0%
Colombia120.0%
Tanzania110.0%
Hong Kong110.0%
Jordan110.0%
Saudi Arabia110.0%
Yemen110.0%
Cuba110.0%
Estonia100.0%
Czech Republic100.0%
Zimbabwe100.0%
Sri Lanka100.0%
Ireland90.0%
Austria90.0%
Burundi90.0%
Nigeria90.0%
Tunisia90.0%
Albania80.0%
Azerbaijan80.0%
Nepal80.0%
Jamaica80.0%
Nicaragua70.0%
Armenia60.0%
Taiwan60.0%
Kazakhstan60.0%
Venezuela60.0%
Israel50.0%
Faroe Islands40.0%
Montenegro40.0%
Liberia40.0%
Mozambique40.0%
Bangladesh40.0%
Kuwait40.0%
Mongolia40.0%
Singapore40.0%
New Zealand40.0%
Greenland30.0%
Malta30.0%
Slovenia30.0%
Côte d'Ivore30.0%
Gambia30.0%
Namibia30.0%
Sierra Leone30.0%
South Sudan30.0%
Togo30.0%
Georgia30.0%
Cyprus30.0%
Kyrgyzstan30.0%
Macao30.0%
Uzbekistan30.0%
Dominican Republic30.0%
Panama30.0%
Trinidad and Tobago30.0%
Argentina30.0%
Bolivia30.0%
Ecuador30.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source7

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
Registered cars26,308 vehicles31 Dec 2025Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB)16Official
Universities1 institutions31 Dec 2025HK-dir (DBH)15Independent · fylke observation

Alternatives for people set on Arendal

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Cities near Arendal

Published cities within 25 km, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.

Alternative cities in Norway

Other cities in Norway to compare with Arendal, nearest in population first.

All Norway cities

How does Arendal compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Arendal's.

Arendal in rankings

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Arendal?

The published population was 46,603 people in 2026. Source: SSB table 11342: municipality population/area by region and year..

How safe is Arendal?

Police recorded 6,230 incidents per 100,000 (2024-2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: data.ssb.no.

What is the unemployment rate in Arendal?

The unemployment rate is 2.3 % (June 2026). Source: NAV HL301 — fully unemployed by county and municipality, June 2026.

What is the typical salary around Arendal?

The median gross salary is 4,656 EUR/month. Source: data.ssb.no.

How many foreign residents live in Arendal?

8,381 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: SSB 09817 B-C / country background Total / Persons.

Is Arendal a good place to live?

Arendal may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

Which cities are near Arendal?

Froland, Grimstad, Tvedestrand are near Arendal. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.

How many people are in the Europe except EU/EFTA/UK, Africa, Asia, America except USA and Canada, Oceania except Australia and New Zealand, polar regions ancestry or ethnicity group in Arendal?

The official ancestry or ethnicity distribution records 1,099 people (2.4%) in the source-defined population for 2026-01-01. This is a ancestry or ethnicity measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation
ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 16). Arendal, Norway: population, salary, cost of living, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; version a3a34014043e92d80bdbb334b25e9c60]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/no/arendal/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_arendal-norway-population-salary-cost-of-living-jobs_e0f9f3fd02b4,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Arendal, Norway: population, salary, cost of living, jobs},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {a3a34014043e92d80bdbb334b25e9c60},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/no/arendal/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Arendal, Norway: population, salary, cost of living, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/no/arendal/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version a3a34014043e92d80bdbb334b25e9c60; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown
  1. data.ssb.no data.ssb.no · checked 2026-08-27
  2. data.ssb.no data.ssb.no · checked 2026-08-27
  3. ice 18GB mobile plan ice.no · checked 2026-09-15
  4. Kartverket kartverket.no · checked 2026-07-14
  5. MET Norway (Meteorologisk institutt) frost.met.no · checked 2026-06-12
  6. NAV HL301 — fully unemployed by county and municipality, June 2026 NAV HL301 · nav.no · checked 2026-07-26
  7. SSB 09817 B-C / country background Total / Persons data.ssb.no · checked 2026-07-15
  8. SSB table 11342: municipality population/area by region and year. data.ssb.no · checked 2026-07-14
  9. Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB) data.ssb.no · checked 2026-06-12
  10. Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB) data.ssb.no · checked 2026-06-12
Show 12 more sources
  1. Telenor fixed broadband telenor.no · checked 2026-09-15
  2. WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station ARENDAL_BRANNSTASJON_II WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 · ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-31
  3. WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station TORUNGEN_FYR WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 · ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-31
  4. Helsedirektoratet helsedirektoratet.no · checked 2026-07-14
  5. HK-dir (DBH) dbh.hkdir.no · checked 2026-07-14
  6. Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB) data.ssb.no · checked 2026-07-14
  7. Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB) data.ssb.no · checked 2026-07-14
  8. Utdanningsdirektoratet udir.no · checked 2026-07-14
  9. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q57919 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
  10. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q88810 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
  11. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q90590 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
  12. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q90597 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.