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Moving to Norway

Norway country facts, largest cities, hub labels and reports.

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Across 198 passports, 93 passports enter visa-free and 105 passports need a visa for Norway. Check your passport below.

Visa-free
93
Visa required
105

198 accepted passport rules · rules effective as of 2026-09-03

Visa and entry rules

Short stay and entry198 source-backed passport answersHighly SkilledNorway’s skilled-worker residence permit is for someone with completed vocational training or higher education whose proposed work requires skilled-worker qualifications.Self EmployedNorway’s skilled self-employed route is for a skilled worker running a qualifying business in Norway; the business is normally a sole proprietorship and the permit is granted one y.FamilyA person seeking to live with a family member in Norway may use family immigration; common eligible relationships are a spouse, cohabitant or child, while other categories have sep.Permanent ResidenceApplicants normally need three years of continuous residence with qualifying Norwegian permits, or five years for some permits, plus income, conduct, absence and current permit con.CitizenshipApplicants with a valid Norwegian residence permit who live there permanently can qualify; identity must be verified, and applicants aged 18–67 generally need an oral Norwegian B1.WorkOfficial route overview and current conditions.

Sources checked through 3 Sept 2026.

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Norway?

The national unemployment rate was 4.5 % in 2025. Source: Eurostat — Unemployment by sex and age — annual data (une_rt_a)11

This is the Eurostat labour-force survey series used as the canonical national answer. Other published definitions exist and are shown in the table below.

What is the median gross salary in Norway?

The median gross salary was about 4,600 EUR/month in 2024.

Half of employees earn less than this. Mean gross and national-accounts averages use different definitions and are shown in the table below. national-accounts average — shown in the table below.

  • Median gross salary, monthly: 4,600 EUR/month · Statistics Norway (SSB), table 12852 — national median monthly earnings37
  • Average gross salary, monthly: 5,170 EUR/month · 2026-07-25 · Average annual wages1
MetricValuePeriodSource
Median gross salary, monthly4,600 EUR/month30 Nov 2024Statistics Norway (SSB), table 12852 — national median monthly earnings37Official · national figure
National unemployment rate4.5 %31 Dec 2025Eurostat — Unemployment by sex and age — annual data (une_rt_a)11Official · national figure
Unemployment across cities in NorwayOf 176 cities with data, 59 have unemployment of 1.5 to under 2%.

Typical city (median): about 1.7%

unemployment rate, % · measured cities in Norway per band4 cities: 0.5% to under 1%40.5–152 cities: 1% to under 1.5%521–1.559 cities: 1.5% to under 2%591.5–248 cities: 2% to under 2.5%482–2.510 cities: 2.5% to under 3%102.5–33 cities: 3% to under 3.5%33–3.5

Unemployment rate (%)

Recorded crime across cities in NorwayOf 176 cities with data, 105 report 2500 to under 5000 incidents per 100,000 residents.

Typical city (median): about 4,460 incidents per 100,000 residents

recorded incidents per 100k residents · measured cities in Norway per band9 cities: 0 incidents per 100,000 residents to under 2500 incidents per 100,000 residents90–2500105 cities: 2500 incidents per 100,000 residents to under 5000 incidents per 100,000 residents1052500–50002.5k–5k51 cities: 5000 incidents per 100,000 residents to under 7500 incidents per 100,000 residents515000–75005k–7.5k10 cities: 7500 incidents per 100,000 residents to under 10000 incidents per 100,000 residents107500–100007.5k–10k1 city: 12500 incidents per 100,000 residents to under 15000 incidents per 100,000 residents112500–1500012.5k–15k

Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents

Public employment service in Norway

Official job-search, registration, counselling and training routes. Private recruitment agencies are not included.

NAV employment service — Public employment service

Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV)

Job Search
Search jobs

A national service does not prove that an office exists in every city. City pages show an office only after an exact address is linked to that city. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Taxes in Norway

National rates and comparable published scenarios. Personal tax depends on income, household and residence circumstances.

Top income-tax rate39.7 %
Corporate tax rate22 %
Employee income tax, yearly12,431 EUR/year
Employee social contributions, yearly10,170 EUR/year
Verified from the linked official or intergovernmental records. Open the primary source. Sources checked through 7 Aug 2026.

Benefits newcomers may qualify for in Norway

Public schemes where an official source defines an eligible migration or residence status. Amounts and conditions are kept in their native terms.

ProgrammePublished amountSource and application

Child benefit (barnetrygd) — Family and child support

512 NOK / Monthly

Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV)

Open official application
Eligibility and amount details

Finnmark and Svalbard supplement: NOK 512 per child per month in addition to ordinary child benefit.

NAV states that foreign nationals resident in Norway, registered in the National Population Register and holding a residence permit or other legal residence may qualify; EEA citizens and family members who work in Norway may also qualify under the EEA rules.

Financial assistance — Minimum-income support

4,050–13,800 NOK / Monthly

Municipality / Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV)

Open official application
Eligibility and amount details

NAV's official state guidelines, valid from 1 January 2026, give indicative monthly rates of NOK 8,300 for singles, NOK 13,800 for married or cohabiting couples, NOK 6,950 for shared accommodation and NOK 4,050–5,400 for children by age; the actual amount is individually assessed.

NAV states that everyone may apply for an individual assessment, but normally a person must have legal residence in Norway to qualify for financial assistance; the page also requires a valid residence permit where requested.

Financial support for asylum reception centre residents — Arrival and reception support

634–8,052 NOK / Monthly

Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) / reception authority

Open official application
Eligibility and amount details

The current UDI 2026 basic-support table gives monthly amounts that vary by reception-centre type, food service, protection-application status, age and household: NOK 634–8,052 for the listed child/adult household categories, with NOK 4,241 for a single adult in an ordinary self-catering centre and NOK 1,355 for an adult in an ordinary centre with a canteen; supplemental benefits are separately assessed.

Everyone who applies for asylum in Norway is entitled to live at an asylum reception centre; you must live at a reception centre to be entitled to financial assistance. This is the bounded profile of an asylum seeker living in a Norwegian asylum reception centre, subject to the case-status, centre-type, household and income conditions.

Housing allowance (bostøtte) — Housing support

Amount set per household by formula / Monthly

Norwegian State Housing Bank (Husbanken) / municipality

Open official application
Eligibility and amount details

Husbanken's current 2026 calculation page states: approved housing expenses within the upper limits minus the personal contribution, multiplied by 73.7%; the amount depends on household income and housing expenses, and the minimum payment is NOK 61 per month.

The current Norwegian Housing Allowance Act applies to persons registered in the National Population Register and legally settled in Norway; this is the bounded residence profile for a foreign national registered and lawfully settled in Norway, subject to the age, household, income, housing and other statutory conditions.

Unemployment benefit (dagpenger) — Unemployment support

Percentage-based

Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV)

Open official application
Eligibility and amount details

NAV calculates dagpenger as 62.4% of previous income; income over NOK 819,294 (6 G) is excluded. The current 6 G basis is the 2026 amount shown by NAV after the 1 May 2026 regulation.

NAV requires an applicant for unemployment benefit to apply, register as a job seeker, be resident in Norway and have Norwegian National Insurance coverage; country-of-residence and EEA rules are set out on the same official page.

ImmigrationDB shows published rules; it does not decide personal eligibility. Confirm your status, contribution record and household circumstances with the responsible authority before applying. Sources checked through 12 Aug 2026.

Can migrants receive medical care in Norway?

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

Verified 2026-08-03. Open the official coverage rules.

Language courses and integration in Norway

Government programmes, public integration services and exact provider records. The section expands only from fields present in the source; missing prices, refunds or contacts are not replaced with estimates.

8verified programmes
5cities with exact local records
8verified location records
8listed providers

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

Bergen introduction and inclusion centre route — Newcomer Adaptation

Bergen municipality / Bergen Inclusion Centre

For newly arrived immigrants and programme participants.

In Person
Open official information

Bergen Learning Centre Norwegian and social studies — Municipal language course

Bergen Learning Centre for Norwegian and social studies

For adult immigrants.

NorwegianIn Person
Open official information

Norwegian and social studies for adult immigrants in Tromsø — Integration course

Tromsø kommune / Voksenopplæringa Tromsø

For adult immigrants, adults over 16 in adult education.

NorwegianIn Person
Open official information

Norwegian, social studies and qualification training in Stavanger — Integration course

Stavanger kommune / Johannes læringssenter

For adult immigrants, participants entitled to free Norwegian training.

NorwegianIn Person
Open official information
Country programmes describe the national or named local framework. Availability in a city is shown only when a source names that place exactly. Sources checked through 2026-08-10.

Living and moving context for Norway

Norway had GDP per capita of US$89,889 and life expectancy of 83.2 years. There were 4.975 doctors per 1,000 people. The national unemployment rate was 4.5% in 2025. Average gross salary was €5,170 per month in 2025, while national median net income was €2,744 per month in 2024. The 2024 groceries price-level index was 130.5 on an EU27=100 basis. Monthly estimates were €418 for groceries and €58 for utilities; household electricity was €0.290/kWh. A separate household model estimated monthly net income at €3,418 for one person, €3,982 for a couple and €4,577 for a family. The national crime rate was 6,150 offences per 100,000 people in 2024; this is a country-level measure rather than a city-level figure. For 2024, the employee calculation gave €12,431 a year in income tax and €10,170 in social contributions.

#1 by populationOslo728,714 residents · Capital hub#2 by populationBergen294,860 residents#3 by populationTrondheim218,460 residents

Norway cities by population

The largest published cities appear first. Population is taken from the reusable official city layer; hub labels come from the existing city taxonomy.

Open city finder
CityPopulationNet rent, €/m²/monthMedian gross salary, €/month
OsloCapital hub728,714Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Bergen294,860Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Trondheim218,460Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Stavanger151,669Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Bærum133,228Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Kristiansand119,287Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Drammen106,013Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Asker101,509Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Lillestrøm96,771Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Fredrikstad86,243Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Sandnes85,785Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Tromsø79,943Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Sandefjord67,062Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Nordre Follo65,381Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Sarpsborg60,614Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Tønsberg60,246Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Ålesund59,663Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Skien56,906Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Bodø53,638Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Moss53,207Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
All published cities in Norway

Reports with this country

Accepted report pages with a row for this country.

All reports
Cities with the highest published monthly salaries Cities meeting the WHO PM2.5 annual guideline Cities with the largest foreign populations Cities with the lowest annual PM2.5 City hubs with the lowest published recorded-crime rate Cities with the highest physician coverage
Population5,572,279 people31 Dec 2024Official source · World Bank
Median gross salary, monthly4,600 EUR/month30 Nov 2024Official source · Statistics Norway (SSB), table 12852 — national median monthly earnings
National unemployment rate4.5 %31 Dec 2025Official source · Eurostat — Unemployment by sex and age — annual data (une_rt_a)
Public healthcare access for foreign residentsConditional3 Aug 2026Official source · Helsenorge (Norwegian eHealth Authority)
Area624,500 km²31 Dec 2023Official source · World Bank
Barnetrygd Eur Month151 EUR/month27 Aug 2026Official source · NAV
77 country facts · 181 cities · Last checked 2026-09-06

Norway facts

Current source-backed observations, grouped the way the city pages are, with geographic scope and observation periods.

Population and profile

How many people live in Norway?

The published population was 5,572,279 people in 2024. Source: World Bank43

National, resident population scope. Foreign-resident and migration-background figures are separate metrics in the table below.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Population5,572,279 people31 Dec 2024World Bank43Official · national figure

Legal, tax and other context

MetricValuePeriodSource
Public healthcare access for foreign residentsConditional3 Aug 2026Helsenorge (Norwegian eHealth Authority)18Official · national figure
Area624,500 km²31 Dec 2023World Bank44Official · national figure
Barnetrygd Eur Month151 EUR/month27 Aug 2026NAV23Official · national figure
Bureaucracy Sla Days90 days27 Aug 2026UDI (Utlendingsdirektoratet)39Official · national figure
Cost level against the capital130.5 index (EU27=100)31 Dec 2024Eurostat — Comparative price levels and HICP (prc_ppp_ind, prc_hicp_midx)8Official · national
Gross-to-net pay for a sample householdsingle person no children — 801,695 gross → 576,239 net a year (2025, national currency)31 Dec 2025Taxing Wages 2026 — labour taxation decomposition38Official · country household scenario
Population by year5,367,580 people (2020)1 Jan 2020Population on 1 January by age and sex (DEMO_PJAN)33Official · country annual series
Salary by professionClerical support workers — 4,355 EUR/month (2022)31 Dec 2022Mean monthly earnings by sex, occupation and size class of the enterprise (2022)21Official · country occupation
Doctors per 1,000 residents4.98 per 1,000Not statedPhysicians (per 1,000 people), World Development Indicators32Official · national figure
Household electricity price0.29 EUR/kWh31 Dec 2024Eurostat — Household energy prices (nrg_pc_204 electricity, nrg_pc_202 gas)10Official · national
Employer social contribution rate14.1 %3 Aug 2026Skatteetaten (Norwegian Tax Administration)35Official · national figure
People employed in agriculture, forestry and fishing70,000 people2025ec.europa.eu2Official · national figure
People employed in mining and quarrying73,000 people2025ec.europa.eu2Official · national figure
People employed in manufacturing235,000 people2025ec.europa.eu2Official · national figure
People employed in electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning19,000 people2025ec.europa.eu2Official · national figure
People employed in water supply, sewerage and waste management20,000 people2025ec.europa.eu2Official · national figure
People employed in construction249,000 people2025ec.europa.eu2Official · national figure
People employed in wholesale and retail trade; motor vehicle and motorcycle repair372,000 people2025ec.europa.eu2Official · national figure
People employed in transportation and storage151,000 people2025ec.europa.eu2Official · national figure
People employed in accommodation and food services118,000 people2025ec.europa.eu2Official · national figure
People employed in information and communication118,000 people2025ec.europa.eu2Official · national figure
People employed in finance and insurance54,000 people2025ec.europa.eu2Official · national figure
People employed in real estate30,000 people2025ec.europa.eu2Official · national figure
People employed in professional, scientific and technical services164,000 people2025ec.europa.eu2Official · national figure

Common questions

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

What is the unemployment rate in Norway?

The national unemployment rate was 4.5 % in 2025. Source: Eurostat — Unemployment by sex and age — annual data (une_rt_a).

How many people live in Norway?

The published population was 5,572,279 people in 2024. Source: World Bank.

What is the median gross salary in Norway?

The median gross salary was about 4,600 EUR/month in 2024. Source: Statistics Norway (SSB), table 12852 — national median monthly earnings.

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, September 12). Moving to Norway: salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/countries/norway/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_moving-to-norway-salary-cost-of-living_01714a21063f,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Moving to Norway: salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/countries/norway/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Moving to Norway: salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/countries/norway/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; retrieved 2026-09-12; built 2026-09-12.

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

Every number above comes from one of these records. Open the original source for its geographic scope and publication date.

  1. Average annual wages stats.oecd.org · checked 2026-07-26
  2. ec.europa.eu ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-12
  3. EF EPI ef.com · checked 2026-08-03
  4. European Medicines Agency ema.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-03
  5. Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-07
  6. Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-05
  7. Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-05
  8. Eurostat — Comparative price levels and HICP (prc_ppp_ind, prc_hicp_midx) Eurostat · ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-14
  9. Eurostat — Distribution of income by household composition (ilc_di04) Eurostat · ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-26
  10. Eurostat — Household energy prices (nrg_pc_204 electricity, nrg_pc_202 gas) Eurostat · ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-14
Show 40 more sources
  1. Eurostat — Unemployment by sex and age — annual data (une_rt_a) Eurostat · ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-26
  2. Eurostat crim_off_cat (ICCS0101, NR) ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-05
  3. Eurostat demo_pjan ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-05
  4. Eurostat hbs_exp_t121 ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-06
  5. Eurostat ilc_di03 ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-06
  6. GDP per capita (current US$), World Development Indicators api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-07-14
  7. Globalization and World Cities (GaWC), Loughborough University gawc.lboro.ac.uk · checked 2026-08-03
  8. Helsenorge (Norwegian eHealth Authority) helsenorge.no · checked 2026-08-03
  9. Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) data.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-13
  10. Life expectancy at birth, total (years), World Development Indicators api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-07-14
  11. Mean monthly earnings by sex, occupation and size class of the enterprise (2022) ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-30
  12. MIPEX mirovni-institut.si · checked 2026-08-03
  13. NAV nav.no · checked 2026-06-12
  14. OECD sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-07
  15. OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-03
  16. OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-07
  17. OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-07
  18. OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-07
  19. OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-07
  20. OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-05
  21. Physicians (per 1,000 people) data.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-13
  22. Physicians (per 1,000 people), World Development Indicators api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-07-14
  23. Population on 1 January by age and sex (DEMO_PJAN) ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-29
  24. Skatteetaten skatteetaten.no · checked 2026-06-12
  25. Skatteetaten (Norwegian Tax Administration) skatteetaten.no · checked 2026-08-03
  26. Statistics Norway data.ssb.no · checked 2026-07-29
  27. Statistics Norway (SSB), table 12852 — national median monthly earnings Statistics Norway (SSB), table 12852 · data.ssb.no · checked 2026-07-29
  28. Taxing Wages 2026 — labour taxation decomposition Taxing Wages 2026 · sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-07-29
  29. UDI (Utlendingsdirektoratet) udi.no · checked 2026-06-12
  30. UDI (Utlendingsdirektoratet) udi.no · checked 2026-06-12
  31. WHO GHO RS_196/RS_198 ghoapi.azureedge.net · checked 2026-09-05
  32. WHO GHO RS_196/RS_198 ghoapi.azureedge.net · checked 2026-09-05
  33. World Bank api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-02
  34. World Bank api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-02
  35. World Bank api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-02
  36. World Bank Open Data api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-07
  37. World Bank Open Data api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-07
  38. World Bank SP.POP.TOTL api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-09-05
  39. www.skatteetaten.no skatteetaten.no · checked 2026-08-03
  40. OECD — Taxing Wages (DF_TAXINGWAGES) tax wedge and net income OECD · oecd.org · checked 2026-07-14