2020 update: A total of 238,300 people with refugee background are living in Norway

At the start of 2020, 4,500 more refugees were living in Norway than the year before.

A total of 238,300 people with refugee backgrounds were living in Norway at the beginning of the year, according to Statistics Norway (SSB).

People with a refugee background now comprise 4.4% of the entire Norwegian population, the same proportion as in 2019.

The majority, 173,500 persons, had the status of refugee, which applies, among other things, to people with residence or asylum on humanitarian grounds.

The number represents 73% of all people with refugee backgrounds.

Decline of asylum applications

A total of 40,700 people, or 17%, are quota refugees.

The weak growth in refugee numbers in Norway reflects the decline in asylum applications, according to SSB.

Of all the people with refugee backgrounds, the number of Syrians has experienced the greatest growth in recent years.

As of January 1, 2020, there were 30,600 residents of Syria with a refugee background in Norway. 

That constitutes the largest group of refugees, followed by people from Somalia.

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today