Immigration to Norway

According to Statistics Norway, Norway's immigrant population makes up 16.3% of the country's total population. This includes immigrants and children born in Norway to two immigrant parents. The five largest immigrant groups in Norway are in turn Polish, Lithuanian, Swedish, Somali, and Pakistani.

At the beginning of 1992, the immigrant population in Norway was 183,000 people (4.3% of the total population). At the beginning of 2015, this number had risen to 815,000 people (15.6% of the total population). Immigration to Norway has increased drastically in recent years, with net immigration exceeding 40,000.

The Viking Age introduced the practice of Royal intermarriage common in and elsewhere. Norwegian kings used to seek their wives from other Royal houses, in order to foster ties with foreign countries. See the Kings of Norway family tree.

Other historical fields linked to migrations were trade and academia, bringing workforce and innovation respectively. The Hanseatic League introduced large scale trade in Bergen and Northern Norway. Mining in Kongsberg, Røros and other places was made possible by immigrants from nearby countries. During the 19th century the evolution of dairies and the industrial exploitation of waterfalls depended on immigrants. Before the University was established in Christiania in 1811, almost all civil servants from up to circa 1500, were migrants.

The Prime Minister of Norway Erna Solberg stated in an interview that in Norwegian work environments it is essential to see each other's faces and therefore anyone wearing a niqab will be less attractive on the job market. Solberg also views the wearing of the niqab as a challenge to social boundaries in the Norwegian society, a challenge that would be countered by Norway setting boundaries of its own. Solberg also stated that anyone may wear what they wish in their spare time and that her comments applied to professional life but that any immigrant has the obligation to adapt to Norwegian work life and culture.

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Wikipedia