Norway at its true size
Norway covers 385,207 km², number 61 of 194 countries by area. Home to 5,610,870 people (2025). A Mercator map draws it about 6.22× too large.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50mRemote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
| Area | 385,207 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 5,610,870 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 15 per km² |
| Capital | Oslo |
| Local time in Oslo | |
| Time zone | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 IANA |
| Currency | Norwegian krone (NOK) Wikidata |
| Languages | Norwegian, Sámi, Nynorsk, Bokmål |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Northern Europe, Europe |
| Status | Independent state |
| Member of | NATOSchengen AreaOECD |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +47 |
| Codes | NO · NOR · 578 |
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Where Norway ranks
Among the independent states, in 44 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#118 of 1945.6 million people#24 of 44 in Europe
- Population density#179 of 19415 people per km²#42 of 44 in Europe
- Urban population#34 of 19284% urban#12 of 43 in Europe
- Fertility rate#146 of 1921.45 births per woman#15 of 43 in Europe
- Population growth#115 of 192+0.69% a year#12 of 43 in Europe
- Birth rate#147 of 1929.7 births per 1,000 people#7 of 43 in Europe
- Death rate#72 of 1927.9 deaths per 1,000 people#36 of 43 in Europe
- Children under 15#151 of 19215.9% under 15#11 of 43 in Europe
- People over 65#34 of 19219.1% aged 65 and over#31 of 43 in Europe
- Net migration#19 of 192+5.3 per 1,000 people#9 of 43 in Europe
- Refugees abroad#174 of 1900.00 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#32 of 41 in Europe
Health & education
- Life expectancy#13 of 19283.2 years#9 of 43 in Europe
- Infant mortality#182 of 1912.0 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#34 of 42 in Europe
- Doctors#11 of 1784.97 doctors per 1,000 people#7 of 41 in Europe
- University enrolment#10 of 14595.5% gross enrolment#3 of 43 in Europe
- Human Development Index#2 of 190an index of 0.970#2 of 42 in Europe
Economy
- GNI per capita#2 of 185$97,310 a person#2 of 41 in Europe
- Internet users#7 of 18499% online#3 of 43 in Europe
- GDP per capita (PPP)#5 of 184$104,044 a person#3 of 41 in Europe
- GDP growth#152 of 187+1.1% a year#28 of 42 in Europe
- Inflation#90 of 176+3.0% a year#22 of 40 in Europe
- Unemployment#102 of 1784.6% of the labour force#26 of 39 in Europe
- Extreme poverty#121 of 1490.2% under $3.00 a day#24 of 39 in Europe
- Income inequality (Gini)#139 of 149a Gini index of 26.5#33 of 39 in Europe
- Jobs in agriculture#152 of 1782.5% of jobs#28 of 39 in Europe
- Jobs in industry#108 of 17817.8% of jobs#32 of 39 in Europe
- Jobs in services#15 of 17879.7% of jobs#7 of 39 in Europe
- Foreign investment#174 of 184-1.3% of GDP#35 of 41 in Europe
- Exports#55 of 16845.4% of GDP#24 of 40 in Europe
- Military spending#22 of 1553.3% of GDP#6 of 39 in Europe
- Mobile subscriptions#112 of 191109 subscriptions per 100 people#38 of 43 in Europe
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#30 of 1857.18 tonnes a person#7 of 37 in Europe
- Forest area#93 of 19233% forest#25 of 43 in Europe
- Renewable energy#36 of 19061.4% renewable#2 of 41 in Europe
- Access to electricity#1 of 192100.0% with electricity#1 of 43 in Europe
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#180 of 1915.5 µg/m³#39 of 42 in Europe
- Protected land#94 of 19117.8% of the land protected#30 of 42 in Europe
- Arable land#159 of 1902.2% of the land arable#39 of 42 in Europe
- Water stress#148 of 1762.0% of its available fresh water#35 of 38 in Europe
- Precipitation#64 of 1801,414 mm a year#4 of 37 in Europe
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Norway’s area, lit up on the map →
- Zimbabwe0.99×Norway and Zimbabwe are almost exactly the same size.
- Japan1.02×Norway and Japan are almost exactly the same size.
- Paraguay0.95×Norway is 5% smaller than Paraguay.
- Germany1.08×Norway is 8% larger than Germany.
- Philippines1.12×Norway is 12% larger than Philippines.
- Congo1.13×Norway is 13% larger than Congo.
How many times does Norway fit into…
- Russia: about 44 times
- Canada: about 26 times
- United States: about 26 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Norway shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Glomma604 km
- Vorma30 km
Summits
- Galdhøpiggen2,469 m
- Beerenberg2,277 m
- Oksskolten1,916 m
- Newtontoppen1,713 m
- Halti1,361 m
Lakes
- Femunden203 km²
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Norway. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Norway
- How big is Norway?
- Norway covers 385,207 km², which makes it number 61 of 194 countries by area. About 5,610,870 people live there (2025), 15 per km².
- Is Norway bigger than Zimbabwe?
- Norway and Zimbabwe are almost exactly the same size. Norway: 385,207 km²; Zimbabwe: 390,757 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Norway?
- At about 66° latitude, Mercator stretches Norway to roughly 6.22× its true area relative to a country on the equator. Kartavera draws it in the Equal Earth projection, where areas are exact.
- Which countries border Norway?
- Norway shares a land border with Russia, Sweden, Finland.