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Norway

Kingdom of Norway · Northern Europe

Position of Norway on a world map

At a glance

CapitalOslo
Most common first languageNorwegian87% speak it as a mother tongue
Official languageNorwegian
CurrencyNorwegian krone
Drives on theright
Highest pointGaldhøpiggen2,468 m
Biggest category of goods exportedfuel66% of goods exports, 2024
Services share of exports26.4%of everything sold abroad, 2025
Internet domain.no

Facts about Norway

Norway runs the largest sovereign wealth fund in the world, built on oil it mostly does not burn itself.

Source: Norges Bank Investment Management, >$2tn in 2026 · checked 2026-08-08

Norway sells the highest share of its new cars as electric.

Source: iea.org · checked 2026-08-08

Norway exports the most salmon, by value.

Source: en.seafood.no · checked 2026-08-08

Norway’s shoppers use cash the least, with only about 3% of in-store payments made in notes and coins.

Source: norges-bank.no · checked 2026-08-08

Norway by the numbers

Rank is out of the countries with data for that measure. Every figure is the latest year the source publishes.

MeasureValueRank
PopulationEveryone living in the country, all ages, counted mid-year.5.61m (2025)118th
of 209
GDPThe total value of everything the country produces in a year, at current prices.$531bn (2025)31st
of 203
Land areaTotal land area, excluding inland water and offshore territory.364k km² (2023)63rd
of 209
Military spending, totalWhat the government spends on its armed forces in a year — pay, equipment and operations.$10.4bn (2024)28th
of 151
Exports of goods & servicesThe value of everything the country sells abroad in a year, goods and services combined.$241bn (2025)34th
of 180
Mobile subscriptionsActive mobile phone subscriptions — NOT the same as people. Many people hold two, so a country can have more subscriptions than residents.6.10m (2024)119th
of 205
Forest areaLand under natural or planted trees, whether or not it is productive.122k km² (2023)50th
of 203
Agricultural landCropland, land under permanent crops, and permanent pasture.9.82k km² (2023)141st
of 206
CO₂ emissionsCarbon dioxide released in a year, in millions of tonnes.40 Mt (2024)59th
of 198
Urban populationThe number of people living in urban areas, as each country defines them.4.69m (2025)103rd
of 209
Life expectancyHow long a baby born today would live if death rates never changed.83.2 years (2024)19th
of 209
GDP per personEverything the country produces in a year, divided by its population.$94,594 (2025)10th
of 205
Internet useThe share of people who have used the internet in the last three months.99.0% (2024)8th
of 191
InflationHow much prices rose over the year, measured on a basket of consumer goods.3.1% (2025)92nd
of 182
UnemploymentThe share of people who want a job and are looking for one but do not have one.4.6% (2025)107th
of 185
Urban shareThe share of the population living in urban areas.83.6% (2025)44th
of 209
Births per womanHow many children a woman would have across her life at current birth rates.1.45 (2024)159th
of 209
Military spending, share of GDPWhat the country spends on its armed forces, as a share of everything it produces.2.09% of GDP (2024)54th
of 155
Trade opennessImports plus exports as a share of GDP. Above 100% is normal for small trading economies.79.1% of GDP (2025)98th
of 183
CO₂ per personCarbon dioxide from fuel and industry, divided by the population.7.13 t (2024)34th
of 198
Human Development IndexThe UN’s combined measure of health, education and income, on a scale from 0 to 1.0.970 (2023)2nd
of 193

Land borders

🇫🇮 Finland🇷🇺 Russia🇸🇪 Sweden

Norway shares these with other countries

Drives on the right 149Has a coast and land neighbours 115Is a constitutional monarchy 40Is a member of nato 30Is a member of the schengen area 28Is a member of the nordic council 5Mainly exports fuel 27Is in northern europe 12

Norway in the Daily Ceteris

Questions from the daily puzzle where the answer is Norway.

Which country sells the highest share of its new cars as electric?

About 97% of Norway's new cars were electric in 2025 — it has all but stopped selling petrol and diesel. It got there through decades of tax breaks that made electric cars the cheaper choice, not through a ban. source

Which country has saved its oil money into the world's largest national piggy bank?

Norway's fund is worth well over $1.7 trillion — roughly $300,000 for every Norwegian — and it is invested almost entirely abroad, in about 1.5% of every listed company on earth. Keeping the money outside the country is deliberate: spending it at home would push up prices and wages and hollow out everything that is not oil. source

Which country exports the most salmon, by value?

Salmon farming along sheltered fjords generated NOK 123 billion of exports in 2024 — 70% of all this country's seafood sales, and nearly double its closest rival, Chile. source

Which country's shoppers use cash the least, with only about 3% of in-store payments made in notes and coins?

Norway is now so nearly cashless that its central bank has had to argue the other way, reminding households to keep some notes at home in case the payment networks go down. A payment system with no fallback is efficient right up until the moment it is not. source

Keep going

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Country data from the World Bank (CC BY 4.0) and the UNDP Human Development Report (CC BY 3.0 IGO)
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