1 About Norway – population, topography and transport infrastructure

Population

• Population: 5 258 317 inhabitants as of 1 January 2017

• Inhabitants per sq. km land area: 17.3

• Population growth rate (2016): 0.9 per cent

Norway has the lowest population density in Europe after Iceland. However, more than 80 per cent of the population live in urban areas, where the population density is 1 947 per sq. km (2016).

Mainland topography (2016)

• Area (mainland): 323 781 sq. km

• Length of coastline (mainland, including fjords and bays): 28 953 km

• Built-up area: 2 per cent

• Agriculture: 3 per cent

• Marsh/wetland: 5 per cent

• Freshwater and glaciers: 7 per cent

• Forest: 37 per cent

• Mountain and mountain plateau: 45 per cent

A large part of the country is unsuitable for settlement or agriculture due to harsh climatic conditions, poor soil quality and difficult terrain.

Transport infrastructure (2016)

• Public roads, total: 94 600 km

• National roads: 10 700 km

• County roads: 44 500

• Local roads: 39 400

• Total number of road tunnels: more than 1 100

• Railway network, total: 4 208 km

• Electrified railway network: 2 459 km

• Double railway track: 269 km

• Airports with scheduled flights: 49

• Seaports with connection to the national transport grid: 32

• Fishing ports: 700

Broadband coverage/availability in Norway:

• 99.95 per cent of Norwegian households have a broadband coverage of at least 10 Mbit/s (on commercial terms).

• 82 per cent of Norwegian households have a broadband coverage of at least 30 Mbit/s (on commercial terms).

• 78 per cent of Norwegian households have a broadband coverage of at least 100 Mbit/s (on commercial terms).

• Mobile broadband (4G) covers all main roads and most households in Norway.