Want to live and work in Norway?

Norway has around 5.5 million inhabitants spread across a long, sparsely populated territory with low density. The majority live in the south, in Oslo and nearby cities. Bergen, Trondheim, and Stavanger are the other largest cities. The north, in the Arctic region, is vast with only small towns.

About 19% of the population are first-generation immigrants or children of immigrants. The largest communities come from Poland, Lithuania, Sweden, Syria, Somalia, the Philippines, and Pakistan. In Oslo, certain neighborhoods are defined by their diversity, with markets, restaurants, and cultural centers from around the world.

Norwegian is the national language, with Bokmål (more common) and Nynorsk (a regional variant). English is spoken by nearly everyone with high fluency. Sami is spoken by a minority in the north. Polish, Arabic, Urdu, and Somali appear in specific immigrant communities with their own media and schools.

The Norwegian labor market is small but highly skilled, with about 2.9 million workers. The oil and gas sector is the central engine: Equinor (formerly Statoil) is one of the world's largest oil companies, with operations in the North Sea and the Barents Sea. Cities such as Stavanger and Bergen rely on the oil industry, with Aker BP, Aker Solutions, Subsea 7, and service companies playing major roles. The Government Pension Fund Global, the world's largest sovereign wealth fund, is financed by oil revenues.

Aquaculture is enormous: Norway is the world's largest producer of farmed salmon, with Mowi, SalMar, Leroy, and Cermaq operating along the fjord coastline. The maritime industry (Wilh. Wilhelmsen, Stolt-Nielsen, Hurtigruten) and offshore equipment engineering (Kongsberg Gruppen) are also strong. Hydropower and wind energy (Statkraft) and technology in Oslo (Opera Software, Kahoot, Cognite, Schibsted) are growing sectors.

There are chronic shortages of doctors, nurses, teachers, civil engineers, electricians, and construction workers. Salaries are among the highest in the world: the average annual salary in Oslo exceeds NOK 650,000 gross (around USD 60,000). A junior engineer in the oil sector starts at NOK 600,000 to 750,000. There is no national minimum wage, but collective agreements set sector-specific floors, generally above NOK 200 per hour (around USD 3,000 to 3,500 per month). Major employers include Equinor, Telenor, DNB, Yara, Mowi, Statkraft, Norsk Hydro, and Kongsberg Gruppen.

Norway has a universal public healthcare system funded by taxes, covering all residents. It is considered one of the world's best for clinical quality, prevention, and treatment. Public hospitals operate on a waiting-list basis, but emergencies receive top priority.

Every resident is registered with a family doctor (fastlege), who serves as the gateway to the system. Consultations and tests involve a small co-payment up to an annual cap; after that, they are free. Children, pregnant women, and patients with serious illnesses receive fully free care. Maternity and child healthcare are models for the rest of the world.

A private healthcare network exists but is small, focused on non-urgent procedures and check-ups. Foreign nationals with regular residency have full access to the system. International retirees often combine this with private insurance for the first few months. Medications are progressively subsidized, with regulated pharmacies and long opening hours.

Norway has a varied climate due to its great north-south extent. The south (Oslo, Bergen) has a temperate coastal climate, with cold winters (between -5 and 3 degrees Celsius in January) and cool summers (between 15 and 22 degrees Celsius in July). Bergen is one of the rainiest cities in Europe, with precipitation year-round.

The interior experiences colder winters, with temperatures that can drop to -20 degrees Celsius. The north (Tromsø, Lofoten, Nordkapp) has long winters with nearly total darkness from December through January (polar night). The northern lights are visible from September through March. In summer, the sun does not set from May through July, with the midnight sun phenomenon.

Central heating is standard in apartments and houses. Technical winter clothing is part of daily life. People from tropical countries often find the lack of light in winter difficult, with a risk of vitamin D deficiency. Cities have good infrastructure for snow, with public transportation operating even in extreme conditions.

Norway is one of Europe's largest exporters of oil and natural gas, with production in the North Sea and the Arctic. The state-owned Equinor (formerly Statoil) is one of the world's largest petroleum companies. Revenues feed the Government Pension Fund Global, the world's largest sovereign wealth fund, with more than $1.5 trillion in assets.

Aquaculture is enormous: Norway is the world's largest producer of farmed salmon, with companies like Mowi and SalMar. Traditional fishing remains important in the north. Maritime transport, with giants like Wilh. Wilhelmsen and Stolt-Nielsen, also plays a significant role in the economy.

Hydroelectric power supplies nearly all of the country's electricity, making Norway one of the world's cleanest energy mixes. Offshore wind is expanding. Technology is growing in Oslo (home to companies like Opera, Kahoot, and Cognite) and Stavanger. Defense industry and maritime equipment manufacturing complete the economic picture.

Norway has around 5.5 million inhabitants, and approximately 19% of the population are first-generation immigrants or children of immigrants. The largest foreign community is Polish (around 110,000 people, working mainly in construction and services), followed by Lithuanians, Swedes (who arrive through Nordic mobility arrangements), Syrians and Somalis (who came as refugees), and also Eritreans, Filipinos, Pakistanis, Germans, Iraqis, and Iranians.

Citizens of the European Union, the European Economic Area (EEA), and Switzerland have free access to the labor market under the EEA agreement. Polish and Baltic workers transformed the construction sector and shipyards of western Norway over the past two decades. Workers from outside the EU need a Skilled Worker Permit, with qualification and salary requirements. Refugees and family reunification account for a significant share of arrivals from outside Europe.

Formal integration requires a Norwegian language course (introduksjonsprogrammet, for refugees) and a Norwegian language test for permanent residence and citizenship. Degree recognition is handled by NOKUT. Citizenship generally requires 7 years of regular residence in the last 10, or 3 years for those married to a Norwegian citizen, along with B1-level Norwegian and a citizenship test. Dual citizenship has been permitted since 2020.