Demographics of Western Norway

(2010 estimate)
0–14 years: 18.9% (male 470,253; female 447,472)
15–64 years: 66.2% (male 1,641,821; female 1,575,980)
65 years and over: 14.9% (male 314,678; female 407,995)

(2010 estimate)
0–14 years: 19.9% (male 128,405; female 123,094)
15–64 years: 65.8% (male 429,302; female 401,410)
65 years and over: 14.3% (male 79,008; female 102,245)

• • 1,159,176 (1 January 2000)
  • 1,263,464 (1 January 2010)
• Population growth
  • 104,288 (8.9%)
  • 1,263,464 (1 January 2010)
  • 1,397,393 (1 January 2020)
• Population growth
  • 133,929 (10.6%)
  • 1,397,393 (1 January 2020)
  • 1,525,853 (1 January 2030)
• Population growth
  • 128,460 (9.1%)

Slightly larger than East Timor and Swaziland, but slightly smaller than Hawaii and Estonia.

1.44% (in 2010)

Slightly larger than El Salvador and Iran, but slightly smaller than India.

(2008)
total population: 80.4 years
male: 77.8 years
female: 83.0 years

Western Norway has a higher fertility rate than Iran, Iceland, France and the United States, and it is the highest in Norway.

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 100%
male: NA%
female: NA%

Christianity is the largest religious group. Although more and more ethnic Norwegians are less religious, Christian immigrants have increased the population. Many known Christian missionaries came from Western Norway, for example Torill Selsvold Nyborg, who is now the county mayor of Hordaland.

Year	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Members of the Church of Norway	1,062,634	1,051,209	1,053,114	1,054,573	1,051,762
Percent of total population	89.0%	87.4%	86.8%	85.8%	84.4%

Statue of Saint Sunniva, the patron saint of the Norwegian Diocese of Bjørgvin. According to legend, Sunniva was the heir of an Irish kingdom, but had to flee when a heathen king, who wanted to marry her, invaded. At the Norwegian island of Selja, in the present-day municipality of Selje, she and her followers took refuge in a cave. The locals suspected the foreigners of stealing their sheep, and the ruler Håkon Jarl was sent for. Sunniva and her followers prayed to God that they should not fall into the hands of the heathens, upon which rocks fell down blocking the entrance to the cave.

Protestantism is the majority religion in Norway. Most Norwegians are Lutheran and members of the Church of Norway. Over 85% of the population is member here. Every municipalities have Protestant churches. Many municipalities, for example Austevoll, a small municipality with around 4,000 inhabitants, have over 13 church buildings. Most Norwegians are not active in the church. Nevertheless, there are many who participate to worship at Christmas Eve. People outside the cities are often more religious than the population in the cities, although there are many religious Christians immigrants in the cities.

Catholicism increased its members in Western Norway due to immigration from Poland, the Philippines, Chile, and other Latin American and European countries. There are six Catholic churches (as of 2004), in Bergen (4,925 members), Stavanger (2,863 members), Haugesund (822 members), Ålesund (595 members), Molde (289) and Kristiansund (212). The largest church is St. Paul church in Bergen. The number of Catholics increased rapidly from 2005, because of immigration (mainly Polish). The capacity in the region is too small for all Catholics, and it is therefore planned to build several Catholic churches in the region, in addition to Orthodox churches.[5]

There are only two Orthodox congregations in Western Norway, in Bergen and Stavanger. 368 people are members in Stavanger, but not all of them live in Rogaland. Congregations in some churches in Bergen have Orthodox worship in different languages. The numbers of Orthodox Christians in the region due to increased immigration from countries such as Russia and the rest of Eastern Europe.[5]

• 9,803 people are Pentecostalists.[5]
• 3,876 people are Jehovah's Witnesses,[5] up from 3,872 in 2003.
• 3,692 people are Methodists.[5]
• 1,949 people are Baptists,[5] up from 1,880 in 2003.
• 1,314 people are members in the Norwegian Mission Association.[5]
• 1,086 people are members in the Seventh-day Adventist Church.[5]

The mosque of The Islamic Association of Bergen (Det Islamske Forbundet i Bergen), like most Norwegian mosques situated in a regular town house.

While as many as 7.2% of Oslo's population are Muslims, this figure is only 0.85% in Western Norway. There are two mosques, one in Bergen and Stavanger. In total, 10,685 people members of this religious community.[6]

Buddhism increased its number of adherents from 0 in 2004 to 2,082 in 2009.

Western Norway has a small Jewish community. There has never been a synagogue in this part of the country, but before World War II, there was one congregation in Bergen and one in Kristiansund.