Living in Birkenes

In Birkenes, unemployment is 1.4% (2026).

There were 4 doctors per 1,000 people in 2024. The unemployment rate was 1.4% in June 2026. Car density was 460 vehicles per 1,000 residents at the end of 2025. At the start of 2026, the foreign population was 832. There were 400 physicians per 100,000 residents in 2024.

Last checked 2026-09-1924 sources

Population5,447people1 Jan 2026Official source · SSB table 11342: municipality population/area by region and year.

Median gross salary (region)4,225EUR/month31 Dec 2025Official source · data.ssb.no

Unemployment rate1.4%country median 1.7% — 18% belowOfficial source · NAV HL301 — fully unemployed by county and municipality, June 2026

Recorded crime3,290incidents per 100,000country median 4,460 — 26% belowOfficial source · data.ssb.no

PM2.5, annual mean3µg/m³31 Dec 2024Nearest stationOfficial source · EEA air quality statistics — NO PM2.5 annual mean 2024 (station Birkenesobservatoriet)

Lower unemployment than 76% of Norwegian cities that publish it and less recorded crime than 86% of Norwegian cities that publish it.

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

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

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in NorwayNational rates and thresholds that apply in Birkenes.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

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

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€83

Mobile plan, 10 GB€28

Net rent across major citiesBirkenes highlighted among comparable cities

net rent, € / m² / month

Trondheim€21.79

Bergen€20.40

Stavanger€19.55

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	83.29 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Telenor fixed broadband¹³Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	27.7 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	ice 18GB mobile plan⁵Official · national market
Dwellings	2,476 dwellings	31 Dec 2025	Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB)¹¹Official

Is Birkenes 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 worker65%strong on work, weak on housing · range 55–75%

Skilled employee70%strong on work, weak on housing · range 60–80%

Student47%strong on education, weak on housing · range 36–58%

Family63%strong on family, weak on housing · range 53–73%

Retirement47%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 35–59%

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Birkenes?

The unemployment rate is 1.4 % (June 2026). Source: NAV HL301 — fully unemployed by county and municipality, June 2026⁸

Unemployment across cities in NorwayUnemployment in Birkenes is 1.4%. Of 177 cities with data, 60 have unemployment of 1.5 to under 2%.

0.5–11–1.51.5–22–2.52.5–33–3.5

Birkenes 1.4%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Median gross salary (regional)	4,225 EUR/month	31 Dec 2025	data.ssb.no¹Official
Unemployment rate	1.4 %country median 1.7%	30 Jun 2026	NAV HL301 — fully unemployed by county and municipality, June 2026⁸Official

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Birkenes. 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

Search jobs

Open the Norway service overview

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

Family and education

Metric	Value	Period	Source
International schools	3 schools	31 Dec 2025	Utdanningsdirektoratet²⁰Independent · 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; Birkenes's school authority applies it locally.

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

Healthcare

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Doctors per 1,000 residents	4 per 1,000	31 Dec 2024	Helsedirektoratet¹⁶Independent · fylke observation
Physicians per 100,000 residents	400 per 100,000	31 Dec 2024	Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB)¹⁹Independent · fylke observation

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Birkenes 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 Birkenes?

Police recorded 3,290 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 citiesBirkenes highlighted among comparable cities

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Oslo8,790

Kristiansand8,170

Trondheim6,890

Drammen6,870

Stavanger6,540

Bergen6,410

Fredrikstad6,280

Lillestrøm5,790

Sandnes5,270

Bærum5,170

Asker4,500

Birkenes3,290

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	3,290 incidents per 100,000country median 4,460	31 Dec 2024	data.ssb.no²Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Birkenes. 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

Open official information

Norwegian municipal introduction programme — Integration course

Municipalities under the national IMDi framework

For adult refugees and other eligible immigrants.

NorwegianIn Person

Open official information

Open the full Norway section

National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Birkenes.

Find courses near Birkenes

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Birkenes?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 3 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline. Source: EEA air quality statistics — NO PM2.5 annual mean 2024 (station Birkenesobservatoriet)⁴

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

178

120

107

100

143

163

203

195

177

JFMAMJJASOND

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³

PM2.53WHO 5 · EU 25

PM105WHO 15 · EU 40

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM10 — annual mean	5 µg/m³	31 Dec 2024	EEA air quality statistics — NO PM10 annual mean 2024 (station Birkenesobservatoriet)³Official · nearest-station reading
PM2.5 — annual mean	3 µg/m³	31 Dec 2024	EEA air quality statistics — NO PM2.5 annual mean 2024 (station Birkenesobservatoriet)⁴Official · nearest-station reading
Average January temperature	0 °C	28 Aug 2026	MET Norway (Meteorologisk institutt)⁷Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by month	Jan 0.1 · Feb 0.1 · Mar 2.4 · Apr 6.4 · May 11.2 · Jun 14.8 · Jul 16.9 · Aug 16.1 · Sep 12.7 · Oct 8 · Nov 4.2 · Dec 1.2 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station LANDVIK¹⁴Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by month	Jan 177.7 · Feb 120.3 · Mar 106.9 · Apr 78.9 · May 86.6 · Jun 99.9 · Jul 100.1 · Aug 142.6 · Sep 163 · Oct 202.6 · Nov 194.6 · Dec 177.3 mm	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station SENUMSTAD¹⁵Official · nearest-station reading

Population and city profile

The city covered 637 km² in 2026. Population density was 9 people per km² in 2026.

How many people live in Birkenes?

The published population was 5,447 people in 2026. Source: SSB table 11342: municipality population/area by region and year.¹⁰

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport84.7%
Foreign residents15.3%

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Area	637 km²	1 Jan 2026	Kartverket⁶Official · kommune observation
Cars per 1,000 residents	460 per 1,000	31 Dec 2025	Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB)¹⁸Independent · fylke observation
City area	637 km²	1 Jan 2026	SSB 11342 ArealKm2¹⁰Official
Foreign residents	832 people	1 Jan 2026	SSB 09817 B-C / country background Total / Persons⁹Official
Population density	9 people/km²	1 Jan 2026	SSB 11342 ArealKm2¹⁰Official
Population	5,447 people	1 Jan 2026	SSB table 11342: municipality population/area by region and year.¹⁰Official

International community in Birkenes

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

Ancestry or ethnicity

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

Published group	People	Share
Total	671	12.3%
Europe except EU/EFTA/UK, Africa, Asia, America except USA and Canada, Oceania except Australia and New Zealand, polar regions	406	7.4%
Nordic countries except Norway, EU/EFTA, UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand	265	4.9%
Ukraine	103	1.9%
Poland	76	1.4%
Germany	75	1.4%
Syria	46	0.8%
Kosovo	35	0.6%
Denmark	21	0.4%
Eritrea	19	0.3%
Afghanistan	19	0.3%

Show 52 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Sweden	16	0.3%
Iraq	15	0.3%
United Kingdom	14	0.3%
Philippines	13	0.2%
Thailand	12	0.2%
Netherlands	11	0.2%
Russia	10	0.2%
Iran	9	0.2%
Romania	8	0.1%
Sudan	8	0.1%
United States	8	0.1%
Chile	8	0.1%
Ethiopia	7	0.1%
Iceland	6	0.1%
Lithuania	6	0.1%
Cambodia	6	0.1%
Latvia	5	0.1%
Bosnia-Herzegovina	5	0.1%
North Macedonia	5	0.1%
Palestine	5	0.1%
Qatar	5	0.1%
Côte d'Ivore	4	0.1%
Brazil	4	0.1%
Guyana	4	0.1%
Albania	3	0.1%
Ireland	3	0.0%
Croatia	3	0.0%
Italy	3	0.0%
Spain	3	0.1%
Türkiye	3	0.0%
Hungary	3	0.1%
Czech Republic	3	0.0%
Serbia	3	0.1%
Egypt	3	0.1%
Kenya	3	0.0%
Congo	3	0.1%
Rwanda	3	0.0%
South Sudan	3	0.0%
South Africa	3	0.0%
Tunisia	3	0.1%
Azerbaijan	3	0.0%
Sri Lanka	3	0.0%
United Arab Emirates	3	0.0%
Indonesia	3	0.1%
Kuwait	3	0.0%
Lebanon	3	0.1%
Vietnam	3	0.1%
Canada	3	0.0%
Cuba	3	0.0%
Dominican Republic	3	0.0%
Colombia	3	0.0%
Ecuador	3	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁹

Ancestry or ethnicity

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

Published group	People	Share
Total	832	15.3%
Europe except EU/EFTA/UK, Africa, Asia, America except USA and Canada, Oceania except Australia and New Zealand, polar regions	492	9.0%
Nordic countries except Norway, EU/EFTA, UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand	340	6.2%
Poland	108	2.0%
Ukraine	106	1.9%
Germany	95	1.7%
Syria	52	0.9%
Kosovo	49	0.9%
Eritrea	27	0.5%
Denmark	26	0.5%
Afghanistan	24	0.4%

Show 54 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Iraq	20	0.4%
Philippines	18	0.3%
Sweden	16	0.3%
United Kingdom	15	0.3%
Chile	15	0.3%
Netherlands	13	0.2%
Sudan	12	0.2%
Thailand	12	0.2%
Romania	11	0.2%
Russia	11	0.2%
Lithuania	10	0.2%
Iran	10	0.2%
United States	9	0.2%
Bosnia-Herzegovina	8	0.1%
Cambodia	8	0.1%
Iceland	7	0.1%
Latvia	7	0.1%
Ethiopia	7	0.1%
Côte d'Ivore	6	0.1%
Lebanon	6	0.1%
Palestine	6	0.1%
Qatar	6	0.1%
Vietnam	6	0.1%
Spain	5	0.1%
North Macedonia	5	0.1%
Serbia	5	0.1%
Congo	5	0.1%
Indonesia	5	0.1%
Egypt	4	0.1%
Tunisia	4	0.1%
Brazil	4	0.1%
Guyana	4	0.1%
Albania	3	0.1%
Belgium	3	0.0%
Italy	3	0.1%
Portugal	3	0.0%
Moldova	3	0.0%
Türkiye	3	0.1%
Hungary	3	0.1%
Czech Republic	3	0.0%
Burundi	3	0.0%
Rwanda	3	0.0%
Somalia	3	0.0%
South Sudan	3	0.0%
South Africa	3	0.0%
Tanzania	3	0.0%
Azerbaijan	3	0.0%
Sri Lanka	3	0.0%
United Arab Emirates	3	0.0%
Jordan	3	0.0%
Kuwait	3	0.0%
Cuba	3	0.0%
Dominican Republic	3	0.0%
Colombia	3	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁹

Ancestry or ethnicity

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

Published group	People	Share
Total	161	3.0%
Europe except EU/EFTA/UK, Africa, Asia, America except USA and Canada, Oceania except Australia and New Zealand, polar regions	86	1.6%
Nordic countries except Norway, EU/EFTA, UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand	75	1.4%
Poland	32	0.6%
Germany	20	0.4%
Kosovo	14	0.3%
Eritrea	8	0.1%
Chile	7	0.1%
Syria	6	0.1%
Denmark	5	0.1%
Afghanistan	5	0.1%

Show 19 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Philippines	5	0.1%
Iraq	5	0.1%
Lithuania	4	0.1%
Sudan	4	0.1%
Iceland	3	0.0%
Belgium	3	0.0%
Latvia	3	0.0%
Romania	3	0.1%
Spain	3	0.0%
Russia	3	0.0%
Ukraine	3	0.1%
Bosnia-Herzegovina	3	0.1%
Serbia	3	0.0%
Côte d'Ivore	3	0.0%
Indonesia	3	0.0%
Cambodia	3	0.0%
Lebanon	3	0.1%
Vietnam	3	0.1%
United States	3	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁹

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Registered cars	3,050 vehicles	31 Dec 2025	Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB)¹⁸Official
Universities	1 institutions	31 Dec 2025	HK-dir (DBH)¹⁷Independent · fylke observation

Alternatives for people set on Birkenes

Nothing here reaches an argued comparison yet: no other published city shares enough metrics with Birkenes from the same source, period and grain. What is collected is below.

Cities near Birkenes

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

Alternative cities in Norway

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

All Norway cities

Sel5,469 residents Luster5,478 residents Hareid5,411 residents Nord-Fron5,493 residents Austevoll5,515 residents Tinn5,515 residents

How does Birkenes compare?

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Put Birkenes's key facts on your site — a card with this page's figures and a link back, free under CC BY 4.0.

Common questions

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

How many people live in Birkenes?

The published population was 5,447 people in 2026. Source: SSB table 11342: municipality population/area by region and year..

Is the air quality good in Birkenes?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 3 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline. Source: EEA air quality statistics — NO PM2.5 annual mean 2024 (station Birkenesobservatoriet).

How safe is Birkenes?

Police recorded 3,290 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 Birkenes?

The unemployment rate is 1.4 % (June 2026). Source: NAV HL301 — fully unemployed by county and municipality, June 2026.

What is the typical salary around Birkenes?

The median gross salary is 4,225 EUR/month. Source: data.ssb.no.

How many foreign residents live in Birkenes?

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

Is Birkenes a good place to live?

Birkenes 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 Birkenes?

Grimstad, Lillesand, Froland are near Birkenes. 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 Birkenes?

The official ancestry or ethnicity distribution records 406 people (7.4%) 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). Birkenes, Norway: population, salary, cost of living, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; version b8383debe3fdbde7c41b3c805df83ab0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/no/birkenes/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_birkenes-norway-population-salary-cost-of-living-jobs_f79872d65c38,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Birkenes, Norway: population, salary, cost of living, jobs},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {b8383debe3fdbde7c41b3c805df83ab0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/no/birkenes/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Birkenes, Norway: population, salary, cost of living, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/no/birkenes/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version b8383debe3fdbde7c41b3c805df83ab0; 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

data.ssb.no data.ssb.no · checked 2026-08-27
data.ssb.no data.ssb.no · checked 2026-08-27
EEA air quality statistics — NO PM10 annual mean 2024 (station Birkenesobservatoriet) EEA air quality statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-31
EEA air quality statistics — NO PM2.5 annual mean 2024 (station Birkenesobservatoriet) EEA air quality statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-31
ice 18GB mobile plan ice.no · checked 2026-09-15
Kartverket kartverket.no · checked 2026-07-14
MET Norway (Meteorologisk institutt) frost.met.no · checked 2026-06-12
NAV HL301 — fully unemployed by county and municipality, June 2026 NAV HL301 · nav.no · checked 2026-07-26
SSB 09817 B-C / country background Total / Persons data.ssb.no · checked 2026-07-15
SSB table 11342: municipality population/area by region and year. data.ssb.no · checked 2026-07-14

Show 14 more sources

Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB) data.ssb.no · checked 2026-06-12
Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB) data.ssb.no · checked 2026-06-12
Telenor fixed broadband telenor.no · checked 2026-09-15
WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station LANDVIK WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 · ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-31
WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station SENUMSTAD WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 · ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-31
Helsedirektoratet helsedirektoratet.no · checked 2026-07-14
HK-dir (DBH) dbh.hkdir.no · checked 2026-07-14
Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB) data.ssb.no · checked 2026-07-14
Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB) data.ssb.no · checked 2026-07-14
Utdanningsdirektoratet udir.no · checked 2026-07-14
Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q88802 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q88810 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q90590 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q90593 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05

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