Birth rate in Norway
Norway: Birth rate was 9.34 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
9.34 births per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
181st
of 236 countries
All-time high
35 births per 1,000 people
in 1859
All-time low
9.34 births per 1,000 people
in 2023
Years of data
178
1846–2023
Birth rate in Norway, 1846–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for birth rate in Norway is 9.34 births per 1,000 people, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 178 years on record.
The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 18.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate in Norway peaked at 35 births per 1,000 people in 1859 and was at its lowest, 9.34 births per 1,000 people, in 2023.
Norway ranks 181st of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 178 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1840s | 31.03 births per 1,000 people | 29.83 births per 1,000 people | 32.19 births per 1,000 people | 4 |
| 1850s | 32.86 births per 1,000 people | 31.08 births per 1,000 people | 35 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1860s | 31.39 births per 1,000 people | 28.9 births per 1,000 people | 33.47 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1870s | 30.88 births per 1,000 people | 29.2 births per 1,000 people | 32.34 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1880s | 30.86 births per 1,000 people | 29.72 births per 1,000 people | 31.75 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1890s | 30.3 births per 1,000 people | 29.66 births per 1,000 people | 30.89 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1900s | 27.96 births per 1,000 people | 26.37 births per 1,000 people | 30.01 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1910s | 24.87 births per 1,000 people | 22.97 births per 1,000 people | 25.87 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1920s | 21.12 births per 1,000 people | 17.33 births per 1,000 people | 26.5 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1930s | 15.41 births per 1,000 people | 14.33 births per 1,000 people | 17.09 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1940s | 19.32 births per 1,000 people | 15.34 births per 1,000 people | 22.75 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1950s | 18.34 births per 1,000 people | 17.49 births per 1,000 people | 19.24 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 17.42 births per 1,000 people | 16.99 births per 1,000 people | 17.83 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 14.57 births per 1,000 people | 12.6 births per 1,000 people | 16.82 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 12.68 births per 1,000 people | 12.1 births per 1,000 people | 14.03 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 13.81 births per 1,000 people | 13.17 births per 1,000 people | 14.36 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.47 births per 1,000 people | 12.18 births per 1,000 people | 13.18 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.28 births per 1,000 people | 10.15 births per 1,000 people | 12.4 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.73 births per 1,000 people | 9.34 births per 1,000 people | 10.36 births per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Norway
- 178 Switzerland 9.44 births per 1,000 people compare
- 180 Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba 9.36 births per 1,000 people compare
- 182 Sweden 9.28 births per 1,000 people compare
- 183 Netherlands 9.28 births per 1,000 people compare
- 184 Mauritius 9.27 births per 1,000 people compare
More population data for Norway
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.2% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 224,990 people (2100)
- Population density 14.86 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.2% (2100)
- Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate 1.45 births per woman (2024)
- Refugees by country of asylum 123,981 people (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception 1.45 births per woman (2024)
- Total fertility rate vs. contraceptive prevalence 1.45 births per woman (2024)
- Natural population growth rate 0.1% (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.41 live births per woman (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is birth rate in Norway?
- Birth rate in Norway was 9.34 births per 1,000 people in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest birth rate recorded in Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 35 births per 1,000 people in 1859.
- What is the lowest birth rate recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.34 births per 1,000 people in 2023.
- How does Norway rank for birth rate?
- Norway ranks 181st out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is birth rate rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Norway data come from?
- The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Birth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 178 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The total number of births per 1,000 people in a given year.