Languages spoken in Norway
Europe · Capital: Oslo · Population 5.5 million
The official language of Norway is Norwegian. An estimated 100% of the population speaks it as a first or additional language, or roughly 5.5 million people. The only other recorded language is English, at 90% of the population. Norwegian belongs to the Indo-European language family. Norwegian is not recorded in any of Norway's three neighbours. In total, two languages are recorded in Norway, and their shares add up to 190% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.9 of them.
What languages are spoken in Norway?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| NorwegianIndo-European | 100% | Official | 5.5 million |
| EnglishIndo-European | 90% | Spoken | 5 million |
Percentages are the share of the population that speaks each language, including as a second language, so they add up to well over 100% in multilingual countries. Speaker counts are estimates derived from the percentage and the country's population, not counted figures.
What is the official language of Norway?
The official language of Norway is Norwegian. Norwegian is spoken by an estimated 100% of the population, or roughly 5.5 million people, counting both first-language and additional speakers.
Official status comes from Unicode CLDR. It distinguishes languages that are official nationwide, those used as de facto official without being named in law, and those official only in particular regions or territories.
How many people speak Norwegian in Norway?
An estimated 100% of Norway's 5.5 million people speak Norwegian, which works out at roughly 5.5 million speakers. That figure is derived from the population and the reported share, and it counts second-language speakers, so it is an estimate rather than a census count.
Key facts about Norway
- Capital
- Oslo
- Population
- 5.5 million
- Continent
- Europe
- Area
- 323,802 km²
- Currency
- NOK
- Languages recorded
- 2
- Land borders
- 3
- ISO codes
- NO / NOR / 578
Which countries border Norway?
Norway shares a land border with three countries: Finland, Russia, and Sweden. None of them records Norwegian, the most widely spoken language in Norway, so the land borders here are also language borders.
Explore more
Language shares, population, and official status: Unicode CLDR. Capital, area, borders, and currency: mledoze/countries (ODbL 1.0). Flag image: flagcdn.com. Speaker counts are estimates derived from population and reported share.