Labor force, total in Norway
Norway: Labor force, total was 3.09 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force, total in Norway, 1990–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
Analysis
The most recent figure for labor force, total in Norway is 3.09 million, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and up 9.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force, total in Norway peaked at 3.09 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 2.12 million, in 1990.
That places Norway 106th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.24 million | 2.12 million | 2.37 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.52 million | 2.40 million | 2.66 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.80 million | 2.67 million | 2.91 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.01 million | 2.93 million | 3.09 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Norway
More education data for Norway
- Population ages 15-64 65.0% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 15.9% (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 98.5% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 51,889 (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 98.5% (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, male 98.5% (2024)
- Labor force, female 47.1% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index 1 GPI (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force, total in Norway?
- Labor force, total in Norway was 3.09 million in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
- What is the highest labor force, total recorded in Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 3.09 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest labor force, total recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.12 million in 1990.
- How does Norway rank for labor force, total?
- Norway ranks 106th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force, total rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Norway data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database, published as part of Labor force, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Labor force comprises people ages 15 and older who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period. It includes people who are currently employed and people who are unemployed but seeking work as well as first-time job-seekers. Not everyone who works is included, however. Unpaid workers, family workers, and students are often omitted, and some countries do not count members of the armed forces. Labor force size tends to vary during the year as seasonal workers enter and leave.