New statistics show there are almost 4,500 fewer ethnic Norwegians in the country than there were a decade ago, meaning Norway’s rapidly growing population has been entirely driven by immigration.

Statistics Norway (Statistisk sentralbyrå, SSB) has found that between 2004 and 2013, the population has increased from 4.6 million to 5.1 million inhabitants. At the same time the number of ethnic Norwegians, classified as someone whose parents and grandparents were all born in Norway, fell by 4,400. People with immigrant backgrounds now make up 23 percent of the population.

Over the nine years, 300,000 immigrants have arrived in Norway. Over half have come from Europe, with 77,000 Poles making up the largest immigrant group. Asian migrants account for 29 percent and Africans 11 percent of the whole. The number of second generation Norwegians, children born to immigrant parents, has doubled to 2.3 percent of the population over the period.

“This means that among ethnic Norwegians, there are more who die or emigrate than are born or move back to Norway again,” SSB researcher Minja Dzamarija has told newspaper Aftenposten. “There is significant immigration. It will be interesting to see how it develops further. There are some signs the pace is slowing somewhat.”

newsinenglish.no staff