Norway: Economy#
Norway's has a stable economy with a vibrant private sector, a large state sector, and an extensive social safety net. Norway opted out of the EU during a referendum in November 1994; nonetheless, as a member of the European Economic Area, it contributes sizably to the EU budget.The country is richly endowed with natural resources in addition to oil and gas, including hydropower, fish, forests, and minerals. The government manages the country’s petroleum resources through extensive regulation. The petroleum sector provides about 9% of jobs, 15% of GDP, and 39% of exports, according to official national estimates. Norway is one of the world's leading petroleum exporters, though oil production in 2015 was close to 50% below its peak in 2000; annual gas production, conversely, more than doubled over the same time period.
In anticipation of eventual declines in oil and gas production, Norway saves state revenue from petroleum sector activities in the world's largest sovereign wealth fund, valued at over $800 billion as of early 2016. The government allows itself to use up to 4% of the fund’s value, its annual expected real rate of return, to help balance the federal budget each year. After solid GDP growth in 2004-07, the economy slowed in 2008, and contracted in 2009, before returning to modest, positive growth from 2010 to 2015. Lower oil prices in 2015 caused growth to slow, increased unemployment, and weakened the Norwegian krone. The latter trend has mitigated the negative impact of lower oil and gas prices by making Norwegian exports cheaper for foreign buyers. The government has expressed willingness to increase public spending from the sovereign wealth fund to help prevent a recession.
Economic Facts#
GDP (purchasing power parity) | $364.7 billion (2016 est.) $361.7 billion (2015 est.) $356 billion (2014 est.) note: data are in 2016 dollars |
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GDP (official exchange rate) | $376.3 billion (2015 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 0.8% (2016 est.) 1.6% (2015 est.) 2.2% (2014 est.) |
GDP - per capita (PPP) | $69,300 (2016 est.) $69,500 (2015 est.) $69,100 (2014 est.) note: data are in 2016 dollars |
Gross national saving | 35.3% of GDP (2016 est.) 37.6% of GDP (2015 est.) 40.2% of GDP (2014 est.) |
GDP - composition, by end use | household consumption: 44% government consumption: 24.3% investment in fixed capital: 23.3% investment in inventories: 5.4% exports of goods and services: 36.1% imports of goods and services: -33.1% (2016 est.) |
GDP - composition, by sector of origin | agriculture: 1.8% industry: 34.7% services: 63.5% (2016 est.) |
Agriculture - products | barley, wheat, potatoes; pork, beef, veal, milk; fish |
Industries | petroleum and gas, shipping, fishing, aquaculture, food processing, shipbuilding, pulp and paper products, metals, chemicals, timber, mining, textiles |
Industrial production growth rate | -0.5% (2016 est.) |
Labor force | 2.794 million (2016 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 2.7% industry: 18.3% services: 79% (2015 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 4.8% (2016 est.) 4.4% (2015 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 3.8% highest 10%: 21.2% (2014) |
Distribution of family income - Gini index | 26.8 (2010) 25.8 (1995) |
Budget | revenues: $199.8 billion expenditures: $188.8 billion (2016 est.) |
Taxes and other revenues | 53.1% of GDP (2016 est.) |
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) | 2.9% of GDP (2016 est.) |
Public debt | 32.2% of GDP (2016 est.) 31.8% of GDP (2015 est.) note: data cover general government debt, and includes debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data exclude treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data exclude debt issued by subnational entities, as well as i |
Fiscal year | calendar year |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3.5% (2016 est.) 2.2% (2015 est.) |
Central bank discount rate | 6.25% (31 December 2010) 1.75% (31 December 2009) |
Commercial bank prime lending rate | 1.4% (31 December 2016 est.) 1.75% (31 December 2015 est.) |
Stock of narrow money | $206.1 billion (31 December 2016 est.) $200.3 billion (31 December 2015 est.) |
Stock of broad money | $323.9 billion (31 December 2014 est.) $310 billion (31 December 2013 est.) |
Stock of domestic credit | $549.2 billion (31 December 2016 est.) $527.7 billion (31 December 2015 est.) |
Market value of publicly traded shares | $193.9 billion (31 December 2015 est.) $219.4 billion (31 December 2014 est.) $265.4 billion (31 December 2013 est.) |
Current account balance | $26.23 billion (2016 est.) $35.04 billion (2015 est.) |
Exports | $92.4 billion (2016 est.) $102.9 billion (2015 est.) |
Exports - commodities | petroleum and petroleum products, machinery and equipment, metals, chemicals, ships, fish |
Exports - partners | UK 22.2%, Germany 17.9%, Netherlands 10.2%, France 6.6%, Sweden 6.1%, Belgium 5%, US 4.5% (2015) |
Imports | $73.02 billion (2016 est.) $75.79 billion (2015 est.) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals, foodstuffs |
Imports - partners | Sweden 12%, Germany 11.8%, China 10.9%, UK 6.7%, US 6.6%, Denmark 6% (2015) |
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | $57.46 billion (31 December 2015 est.) $64.8 billion (31 December 2014 est.) |
Debt - external | $642.3 billion (31 March 2016 est.) $640.1 billion (31 March 2015 est.) note: Norway is a net external creditor |
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | $206.2 billion (31 December 2016 est.) $201.1 billion (31 December 2015 est.) |
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad | $195.1 billion (31 December 2016 est.) $192.2 billion (31 December 2015 est.) |
Exchange rates | Norwegian kroner (NOK) per US dollar - 8.615 (2016 est.) 8.0646 (2015 est.) 8.0646 (2014 est.) 6.3021 (2013 est.) 5.82 (2012 est.) |