Norway has a population of 4 525 000, with an annual growth rate of 0.57%. As in many other European countries, Norway is currently undergoing a period of low birth rate following a long period of strong population growth. The growth in population reached up to 1% immediately following WWII, but began to drop in the 1970s and continued to fall throughout the 1980s. Since 1995, the population has begun to rise once more, although this is as much due to net immigration as to net births.
The birth rate for ethnic Norwegian women has been steadily sinking. The number of live births per 1000 inhabitants has been greatly reduced since the late 1800s, in all likelihood due to the implementation of family planning measures. The reduction first appeared in urban and central regions. The decline in birth rate has led to such a low net reproduction figure (under 1%) that population levels in the long-term will not be maintained without immigration.
In 1769, Norway’s first complete census showed 700 000 inhabitants. The first million was reached in 1822, the next in 1890, the third in 1942, and the fourth in 1975. In October 2000, the population of Norway exceeded 4.5 million, with calculations indicating that it will exceed five million in around 2030.
In the past, Norway’s mortality rate fluctuated rapidly as a result of natural disasters, war and epidemics. National economic and social development and, not least, improvements in health and medical conditions, have resulted in dramatically reduced overall mortality rates, largely due to reductions in infant mortality and the eradication of tuberculosis. The mean life expectancy has increased steadily from 1830 to today’s figure of 78.7 years, which is among the highest in the world.
Edited from Aschehoug and Gyldendal's Norwegian Encyclopedia / Geir Thorsnæs