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Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture-products) [time series]

oats, other grains; beef, milk; livestock output exceeds value of crops; among world's top 10 fishing nations; fish catch of 2.33 million metric tons in 1994

Budget [time series]

revenues: $48.6 billion expenditures: $53 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1994 est.)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

1 Norwegian krone (NKr) = 100 oere

Debt - external (Debt-external) [time series]

$NA

Economic aid [time series]

donor: ODA, $1.014 billion (1993)

Economic overview (Economy-overview) [time series]

Norway is a prosperous bastion of welfare capitalism. The economy consists of a combination of free market activity and government intervention. The government controls key areas, such as the vital petroleum sector (through large-scale state enterprises), and extensively subsidizes agriculture, fishing, and areas with sparse resources. Norway maintains an extensive welfare system that helps propel public sector expenditures to more than 50% of GDP and results in one of the highest average tax levels in the world. A small country with a high dependence on international trade, Norway is basically an exporter of raw materials and semiprocessed goods, with an abundance of small- and medium-sized firms, and is ranked among the major shipping nations. The country is richly endowed with natural resources-petroleum, hydropower, fish, forests, and minerals-and is highly dependent on its oil sector. Only Saudi Arabia exports more oil than Norway. Norway imports more than half its food needs. Oslo opted to stay out of the EU during a referendum in November 1994. Economic growth in 1998 should be about the same as in 1997. Inflation probably will move up toward 3% because of tightness in labor markets. Despite their high per capita income-outstripped among major nations only by the US-and their generous welfare benefits, Norwegians worry about that time in the 21st century when the oil and gas run out.

Electricity - capacity (Electricity-capacity) [time series]

26.431 million kW (1995)

Electricity - consumption per capita (Electricity-consumption per capita) [time series]

26,547 kWh (1995)

Electricity - production (Electricity-production) [time series]

121.375 billion kWh (1995)

Exchange rates [time series]

Norwegian kroner (NKr) per US$1-7.4875 (January 1998), 7.0734 (1997), 6.4498 (1996), 6.3352 (1995), 7.0576 (1994), 7.0941 (1993)

Exports [time series]

total value: $49.3 billion (f.o.b., 1996) commodities: petroleum and petroleum products 43%, metals and products 11%, foodstuffs (mostly fish) 9%, chemicals and raw materials 25%, natural gas 6.0%, ships 5.4% partners: EU 77.2% (UK 19.8%, Germany 12.7%, Netherlands 9.1%, France 7.8%, Sweden 9.8%), US 6.0% (1995)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year Communications

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

purchasing power parity-$120.5 billion (1997 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP-composition by sector) [time series]

agriculture: 2.9% industry: 34.7% services: 62.4% (1991)

Real GDP per capita (GDP-per capita) [time series]

purchasing power parity-$27,400 (1997 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (GDP-real growth rate) [time series]

3.5% (1997 est.)

Imports [time series]

total value: $35.1 billion (c.i.f., 1996) commodities: machinery and equipment and manufactured consumer goods 54%, chemicals and other industrial inputs 39%, foodstuffs 6% partners: EU 71.0% (Sweden 15.4%, Germany 13.8%, UK 9.7%, Denmark 7.5%, Netherlands 4.4%), US 6.6% (1995)

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

3% (1996 est.)

Industries [time series]

petroleum and gas, food processing, shipbuilding, pulp and paper products, metals, chemicals, timber, mining, textiles, fishing

Inflation rate (consumer prices) (Inflation rate-consumer price index) [time series]

2% (1997 est.)

Labor force [time series]

total: 2.13 million by occupation: services 71%, industry 23%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 6% (1993)

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 46, FM 493 (350 private and 143 government), shortwave 0

Radios [time series]

3.3 million (1993 est.)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

high-quality domestic and international telephone, telegraph, and telex services domestic: NA domestic satellite earth stations international: 2 buried coaxial cable systems; 4 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations-NA Eutelsat, NA Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note-Norway shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Sweden)

Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones) [time series]

2.39 million (1994 est.); 470,000 mobile phones in use in 1994

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

54 (repeaters 2,100)

Televisions [time series]

1.5 million (1993 est.)

Unemployment rate [time series]

2.6% (yearend 1997)

Geography

Area [time series]

total: 324,220 sq km land: 307,860 sq km water: 16,360 sq km

Area - comparative (Area-comparative) [time series]

slightly larger than New Mexico

Climate [time series]

temperate along coast, modified by North Atlantic Current; colder interior; rainy year-round on west coast

Coastline [time series]

21,925 km (includes mainland 3,419 km, large islands 2,413 km, long fjords, numerous small islands, and minor indentations 16,093 km)

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

lowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m highest point: Glittertinden 2,472 m

Environment - current issues (Environment-current issues) [time series]

water pollution; acid rain damaging forests and adversely affecting lakes, threatening fish stocks; air pollution from vehicle emissions

International environmental agreements (Environment-international agreements) [time series]

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geographic coordinates [time series]

62 00 N, 10 00 E

Geography - note (Geography-note) [time series]

about two-thirds mountains; some 50,000 islands off its much indented coastline; strategic location adjacent to sea lanes and air routes in North Atlantic; one of most rugged and longest coastlines in world; Norway only NATO member having a land boundary with Russia

Irrigated land [time series]

970 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries [time series]

total: 2,515 km border countries: Finland 729 km, Sweden 1,619 km, Russia 167 km

Land use [time series]

arable land: 3% permanent crops: NA% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 27% other: 70% (1993 est.)

Location [time series]

Northern Europe, bordering the North Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Sweden

Map references [time series]

Europe

Maritime claims [time series]

contiguous zone: 10 nm continental shelf: 200 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 4 nm

Natural hazards [time series]

Natural resources [time series]

petroleum, copper, natural gas, pyrites, nickel, iron ore, zinc, lead, fish, timber, hydropower

Terrain [time series]

glaciated; mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken by fertile valleys; small, scattered plains; coastline deeply indented by fjords; arctic tundra in north

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

19 provinces (fylker, singular-fylke); Akershus, Aust-Agder, Buskerud, Finnmark, Hedmark, Hordaland, More og Romsdal, Nordland, Nord-Trondelag, Oppland, Oslo, Ostfold, Rogaland, Sogn og Fjordane, Sor-Trondelag, Telemark, Troms, Vest-Agder, Vestfold

Constitution [time series]

17 May 1814, modified in 1884

Country name [time series]

conventional long form: Kingdom of Norway conventional short form: Norway local long form: Kongeriket Norge local short form: Norge

Data code [time series]

Dependent areas [time series]

Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador David HERMELIN embassy: Drammensveien 18, 0244 Oslo mailing address: PSC 69, Box 1000, APO AE 09707 telephone: [47] 22 44 85 50

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Tom-Erik VRAALSON chancery: 2720 34th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 333-6000

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: King HARALD V (since 17 January 1991); Heir Apparent Crown Prince HAAKON MAGNUS (born 20 July 1973) head of government: Prime Minister Kjell Magne BONDEVIK (since 15 October 1997) cabinet: State Council appointed by the king with the approval of the Parliament elections: none; the king is a hereditary monarch; following parliamentary elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the king with the approval of the Parliament

Diplomatic representation in the US (FAX) [time series]

[1] (202) 337-0870 consulate(s) general: Houston, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, and San Francisco

Diplomatic representation in the US (FAX) [time series]

[47] 22 44 33 63

Flag (Flag description) [time series]

red with a blue cross outlined in white that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)

Government type [time series]

constitutional monarchy

Independence [time series]

26 October 1905 (from Sweden)

International organization participation [time series]

AfDB,AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CCC,CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUA, MTCR, NAM (guest), NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCRO, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNPREDEP, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (associate), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court or Hoyesterett, justices appointed by the king

Legal system [time series]

mixture of customary law, civil law system, and common law traditions; Supreme Court renders advisory opinions to legislature when asked; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Legislative branch [time series]

modified unicameral Parliament or Storting which, for certain purposes, divides itself into two chambers (165 seats; members are elected by popular vote by proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 15 September 1997 (next to be held NA September 2001) election results: percent of vote by party-Labor 35%, Center Party 7.9%, Conservatives 14.3%, Christian People's 13.7%, Socialist Left 6%, Progress 15.3%, Liberal Party 4.4%, other parties 1.6%; seats by party-Labor 65, Center Party 11, Conservatives 23, Christian People's 25, Socialist Left 9, Progress 25, Liberal Party 6, other parties 1 note: for certain purposes, the Parliament divides itself into two chambers and elects one-fourth of its membership to an upper house or Lagting; the 39-member Saami assembly has advisory functions on regional control of natural resources and decision-making capacity on matters relating to the preservation of the Saami culture

Capital (National capital) [time series]

Oslo

National holiday [time series]

Constitution Day, 17 May (1814)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

Labor Party [Thorbjorn JAGLAND]; Conservative Party [Jan PETERSEN]; Center Party [Anne ENGER LAHNSTEIN]; Christian People's Party [Valgerd HAUGLAND]; Socialist Left [Kjellbjoerg LUNDE]; Norwegian Communist [Kare Andre NILSEN]; Progress Party [Carl I. HAGEN]; Liberal [Odd Einar DORUM]; Left Party; Red Electoral Alliance [Erling FOLKVORD]

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Military

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

Norwegian Army, Royal Norwegian Navy (includes Coast Artillery and Coast Guard), Royal Norwegian Air Force, Home Guard

Military expenditures - dollar figure (Military expenditures-dollar figure) [time series]

$3.7 billion (1995)

Military expenditures (Military expenditures-percent of GDP) [time series]

2.9% (1995)

Military manpower - availability (Military manpower-availability) [time series]

males age 15-49: 1,107,727 (1998 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service (Military manpower-fit for military service) [time series]

males: 921,368 (1998 est.)

Military manpower - military age (Military manpower-military age) [time series]

20 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually (Military manpower-reaching military age annually) [time series]

males: 27,406 (1998 est.)

People

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 20% (male 444,373; female 420,940) 15-64 years: 65% (male 1,454,733; female 1,407,395) 65 years and over: 15% (male 288,056; female 404,458) (July 1998 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

12.9 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate [time series]

10.17 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Ethnic groups [time series]

Germanic (Nordic, Alpine, Baltic), Lapps (Sami) 20,000

Infant mortality rate [time series]

5.01 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Languages [time series]

Norwegian (official) note: small Lapp- and Finnish-speaking minorities

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 78.23 years male: 75.42 years female: 81.21 years (1998 est.)

Literacy [time series]

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% (1976 est.) male: NA% female: NA%

Nationality [time series]

noun: Norwegian(s) adjective: Norwegian

Net migration rate [time series]

1.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Population [time series]

4,419,955 (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

0.44% (1998 est.)

Religions [time series]

Evangelical Lutheran 87.8% (state church), other Protestant and Roman Catholic 3.8%, none 3.2%, unknown 5.2% (1980)

Sex ratio [time series]

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

1.8 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international (Disputes-international) [time series]

territorial claim in Antarctica (Queen Maud Land); Svalbard is the focus of a maritime boundary dispute in the Barents Sea between Norway and Russia

Illicit drugs [time series]

minor transshipment point for drugs shipped via the CIS and Baltic states for the European market; increasing domestic consumption of cannabis and amphetamines OMAN

Transportation

Airports [time series]

102 (1997 est.)

Airports - with paved runways (Airports-with paved runways) [time series]

total: 65 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 28 (1997 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways (Airports-with unpaved runways) [time series]

total: 37 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 32 (1997 est.)

Heliports [time series]

1 (1997 est.)

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

total: 91,323 km paved: 65,753 km (including 106 km of expressways) unpaved: 25,570 km (1996 est.)

Merchant marine [time series]

total: 762 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 21,042,709 GRT/33,839,476 DWT ships by type: bulk 102, cargo 128, chemical tanker 91, combination bulk 9, combination ore/oil 38, container 18, liquefied gas tanker 91, multi-function large load carrier 1, oil tanker 145, passenger 13, passenger-cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 13, roll-on/roll-off cargo 52, short-sea passenger 23, vehicle carrier 37 note: the government has created an internal register, the Norwegian International Ship register (NIS), as a subset of the Norwegian register; ships on the NIS enjoy many benefits of flags of convenience and do not have to be crewed by Norwegians (1997 est.)

Pipelines [time series]

refined products 53 km

Ports (Ports and harbors) [time series]

Bergen, Drammen, Floro, Hammerfest, Harstad, Haugesund, Kristiansand, Larvik, Narvik, Oslo, Porsgrunn, Stavanger, Tromso, Trondheim

Railways [time series]

total: 4,023 km standard gauge: 4,023 km 1.435-m gauge (2,422 km electrified; 96 km double track) (1996)

Waterways [time series]

1,577 km along west coast; 2.4 m draft vessels maximum