Demographic Profile of Syrians in Norway

Abstract

The number and composition of Syrians in Norway changed dramatically from 2011 to 2018. Most notably, the size of the Syrian immigrant population increased from less than 1500 to 27,400 – more than an 18-fold growth. The composition also changed in several ways. The share of children is much higher than it was in 2011, and much higher than for immigrants in Norway in general. Also, a higher share of the Syrian immigrants are unmarried young adult men, and a higher share are registered as refugees. More than two thirds of the adult Syrian immigrants who arrived after 2011 have educational attainment below the upper secondary level. Geographically, the Syrian immigrants’ distribution in Norway is much more rural and less central than in 2011, and it is actually also less central than for the Norwegian population in general, which may be due to the Norwegian settlement policy for refugees.