Stable population in Svalbard

LongyearbyenLongyearbyen in Svalbard.Photo:svalbardblues.com

The populations of Longyearbyen and Ny-Ålesund in Svalbard dropped somewhat in the second half of last year, but are still the second highest ever. One in three are foreigners.

A total of 2,258 people were resident in the two settlements on Svalbard as of January 1st, down from 2,310 in the first half of the previous year Statistics Norway (SSB) reported.

In total, 799 foreign citizens have been registered in Longyearbyen and Ny-Ålesund, which make up 35% of the inhabitants.

Among the foreigners in Svalbard there are 131 citizens from Thailand, 128 from Sweden, 88 from the Philippines, 54 from Denmark, and 52 from Germany.

If the 458 inhabitants of the predominantly Russian settlement in Barentsburg and the ten who live in Hornsund – where there is a Polish research station – are included, the proportion of foreign citizens in Svalbard increases to 43%.

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today