Social conditions
Norway is one of the countries with the highest material living standards in the world, and the UN development agency UNDP has for many years ranked Norway as the best country to live in. and elderly care and unemployment benefits. Life expectancy is among the highest in the world.
The foundation of the welfare system was laid in political agreement after the end of the Second World War and a summary social legislation, the National Insurance Scheme, was also added in political consensus in 1966.
- Countryaah Official Site: Official statistics for population in Norway, including population growth, density, and estimation in next 50 years.
Health care is technically advanced, but has had inadequate resources in primary care. The compensation for illness is generous with a sick pay of 100 percent of the salary for a year without waiting days. As the population grows older, a debate is being held on how to limit spending on security systems.
A pension reform was adopted with broad political support in 2009. The retirement age is 67, but you can choose to take a pension between the ages of 62 and 75 and also how much you take out. Since 2006, compulsory occupational pension has been provided. Many Norwegians save in private pension funds.
A child support grant, cash support, is available for those who take care of their one-year-olds at home. There are also child allowances similar to Swedish.
In 2009 it became possible for same-sex couples to marry, but one exception to the law says that the priests in the Norwegian church must adhere to the church’s liturgy and not wed homosexuals.
- AbbreviationFinder Website: Provides commonly used acronyms, history, politics and geography of country Norway.
FACTS – SOCIAL CONDITIONS
Infant Mortality: 2 per 1000 births (2018)
Percentage of HIV infected: 0.1 percent (2018)
Proportion of HIV infected among young women
0.1 percent (2018)
Proportion of HIV infected among young men: 0.1 percent (2018)
Proportion of population with access to clean water: 100.0 percent (2015)
Proportion of the population having access to toilets: 98.1 percent (2017)
Public expenditure on health care as a percentage of GDP: 10.0 percent (2015)
Public expenditure on health care per person: US $ 7,478 (2016)
Proportion of women in parliament: 41 percent (2018)
2019
November
Spy convicted Norwegian released by Russia
November 15
A 64-year-old Norwegian, who was imprisoned in Russia for espionage, is released by the Russian government in a prisoner exchange between Lithuania, Russia and Norway. The man was arrested in Moscow in December 2017 and sentenced in April this year to 14 years in prison for espionage. He denied the accusations but acknowledged contacts with the Norwegian intelligence service.
October
Norway stops arms exports to Turkey
October 10
Norway suspends all exports of war materials to Turkey following the offensive against Kurdish forces in northern Syria. Norway will not “process any new applications for export licenses of defense materials and goods for military use to Turkey for the time being,” states Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide.
Important oil field opens
October 5
The Johan Sverdrup oil field opens for production. The field is Norway’s third largest and is located approximately 16 land miles west of Stavanger. The project is very large and includes investments in excess of SEK 100 billion. When the field is fully developed, it will produce nearly 660,000 barrels of oil per day. About two-thirds of the deposits are estimated to have been mined by 2030.
August
Man arrested for mosque attack
10th August
A 21-year-old man is arrested by police after injuring a man in connection with an attack on a mosque in Bärum, just west of Oslo. The man is said to have stated his support for perpetrators of mass shootings in New Zealand and the United States. The attack is therefore investigated as a possible terrorist act.
January
Four-party government formed
January 17
After lengthy negotiations, the coalition government between Høyre, the Progress Party and the Venstre is expanded with the Christian Democratic Christian People’s Party. In order to join the Christian Democrats in the collaboration, the other parties agreed to change abortion legislation so that so-called fetal reduction, also called twin abortion, should no longer be allowed. The new government controls a majority of the seats in the parliament (88 out of 169 seats). Already this autumn (see November 2018), the Christian People’s Party decided to work for a regular collaboration with Erna Solberg’s right-wing government. With the formation of the government, the party leader of the Christian People’s Party, Knut Arild Hareide, resigns, who advocated a collaboration with the Labor Party.