Norway

Norway

Northern Europe

EuropeNon-EUSchengenEFTA
80
Overall score
Excellent overall
Language
Norwegian
Currency
NOK
Citizenship
8 of the last 11 years
Personal tax
22% ordinary income plus bracket tax
Cost of living
€2,400 / mo (single)

A high-income Schengen-area country with a top-tier passport, widely spoken English and world-class universities, but a long 11-year naturalisation wait.

Pros

  • A top-tier passport
  • Widely spoken English
  • World-class universities

Cons

  • A long 11-year naturalisation wait

Best for

FoundersStudentsEnglish speakers

Score profile

Status & mobility
Passport
95
Citizenship
66
Residence
68
Money & business
Taxes
50
Corporate tax
37
Business
64
Investment
79
Economy
86
Wealth building
69
Living, study & work
Education
94
Salary & work
78
Cost of living
39
Buying power
81
Quality of life
Safety
87
Healthcare
91
Infrastructure
85
HDI
97

Status & mobility

Passport

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any travel or visa decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Passport power
Excellent
95

Passport-index style mobility for the Norway passport. The score above is its world reach: the share of 198 destinations reachable without a prior visa.

188 / 198
Mobility
#7
Global rank
Yes
Biometric
  • Visa-free141
  • On arrival38
  • eTA9
  • Visa required10

Passport Index style mobility data (2024–2025 estimate). Placeholder figures; verify current entry rules with each destination’s authority before travelling.

Citizenship

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any citizenship decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Citizenship accessibility
Good
66
Years required8 of the last 11 years
Dual allowedtrue
LanguageCheck the current naturalisation rules for the selected route
ResidenceTypical headline route: 8 of the last 11 years; qualifying residence and absence rules apply
NotesRules depend on status and circumstances; verify the current requirements with the competent authority before acting.
Residence

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any residence / visa decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Openness to residents
Good
68
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines how international the population already is (migrant stock at 45%), governance quality (regulatory quality at 25%), and the curated residence-pathway signal (30%). Available indicators are reweighted; the published values are shown below.

Migrant stock18.2% of population (2024)
Regulatory quality1.67 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Main pathways
EmploymentStudyFamily reunificationBusiness or investment where eligible
StudentRules depend on status and circumstances; verify the current requirements with the competent authority before acting.
WorkRules depend on status and circumstances; verify the current requirements with the competent authority before acting.
Self-employedRules depend on status and circumstances; verify the current requirements with the competent authority before acting.
PermanentRules depend on status and circumstances; verify the current requirements with the competent authority before acting.

Money & business

Taxes

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Tax friendliness
Moderate
50
Personal22% ordinary income plus bracket tax
Corporate22%
Capital gainsTreatment varies by asset, holding structure, residence, and treaty position
DividendsRates and withholding depend on residence and treaty eligibility
Exit taxCheck current domestic rules before changing tax residence
Foreign cosManagement, permanent-establishment, CFC, and reporting rules may apply
Personal tax

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Personal tax
Moderate
60
Personal22% ordinary income plus bracket tax
FreelanceRegistration, immigration permission, tax, and social contributions may apply
Capital gainsTreatment varies by asset, holding structure, residence, and treaty position
DividendsRates and withholding depend on residence and treaty eligibility
Exit taxCheck current domestic rules before changing tax residence
Corporate tax

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Corporate tax
Limited
37
Corporate22%
Capital gainsTreatment varies by asset, holding structure, residence, and treaty position
DividendsRates and withholding depend on residence and treaty eligibility
Foreign cosManagement, permanent-establishment, CFC, and reporting rules may apply
Business
Business friendliness
Moderate
64
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score leans on the two things founders ask about most: the tax burden (headline corporate rate at 20%, broader tax friendliness at 15%, and freedom from exit-tax / CFC rules at 10%) plus the regulatory and bureaucratic environment (regulatory quality 15%, government effectiveness 15%), on top of the curated company-rules signal (25%). Available indicators are reweighted; the values are shown below.

Regulation & bureaucracy
Regulatory quality1.67 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)
Government effectiveness1.84 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Rules & taxes
Foreign co.Generally possible, subject to sector, registration, tax, and substance rules
Local co.Available company forms and capital requirements vary
FreelanceRegistration, immigration permission, tax, and social contributions may apply
Corporate tax22%
Capital gainsTreatment varies by asset, holding structure, residence, and treaty position
Exit taxCheck current domestic rules before changing tax residence
Foreign cosManagement, permanent-establishment, CFC, and reporting rules may apply
Investment

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any investment / tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Investing environment
Good
79
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score is mostly the investor-tax signal (capital-gains treatment, broker access, wealth tax, and ETF or other taxes on investment, 70%), lightly contextualised by equity-market depth (market cap / GDP at 18%) and credit depth (domestic credit to the private sector / GDP at 12%). Available indicators are reweighted.

Market cap72% of GDP (2019)
Private credit129% of GDP (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Capital gainsTreatment varies by asset, residence, holding period, and treaty position
DividendsData not available yet
ETFs & fundsData not available yet
Wealth taxCheck current national and subnational rules
BrokersLocal and international availability varies by residency and compliance checks
Foreign accessData not available yet
Tax-advantagedData not available yet
Economy
Economic strength
Excellent
86
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines income level (GDP and GNI per capita, output per worker), growth momentum (real GDP growth), price stability (inflation) and labour utilisation (unemployment). Available indicators are reweighted; the sector split and industry profile below are descriptive, not scored.

Output & income
GDP$483.6B (2024)
GDP / person$86,785 (2024)
GNI / person$106,830 PPP (2024)
GDP growth2.1% / yr (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Stability & labour
Inflation3.1% / yr (2024)
Unemployment4.6% (2025)
Output per worker$171,996 PPP (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Sector composition
Agriculture2.1% of GDP (2024)
Industry37.0% of GDP (2024)
Services51.8% of GDP (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Main industries
Oil & gasShipping & maritimeFishing & aquacultureHydropowerMetals
Top exports
Crude oil & natural gasFish & salmonMachineryAluminium
TypeHigh-income, energy- and maritime-led
Key sectorsOffshore energy, Sovereign wealth fund, Aquaculture
SummaryA wealthy economy built on North Sea oil and gas, aquaculture and the world's largest sovereign wealth fund.
CurrencyNorwegian krone (oil-linked)
Wealth building

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax / investment decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Wealth accumulation
Good
69
How this score is calculated

How favourable Norway is for building wealth: earnings and business/investment upside, tax drag, and how much a typical income keeps after living costs. Estimated from the factors below.

Salary & work
Excellent
90
Business
Good
69
Investment
Excellent
86
Tax friendliness
Moderate
50
Cost of living
Limited
39

Living, study & work

Education
Education score
Excellent
94
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines attainment (expected schooling at 30% and mean schooling at 25%) with participation (tertiary enrolment at 25%) and public investment (government education spending at 20%). Available indicators are reweighted; tuition and study rules remain separate profile fields below.

Attainment
Expected schooling18.8 years (2023)
Mean schooling13.1 years (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Participation & investment
Tertiary enrolment95% gross (2024)
Education spending5.4% of GDP (2022)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

TuitionPublic tuition varies; non-EU fees may apply
Public uniVaries by institution, programme, and student nationality
LanguagesNorwegian
Student workRules depend on status and circumstances; verify the current requirements with the competent authority before acting.
Salary & work
Labour-market strength
Good
78
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines output per worker (a proxy for wage potential at 40%), unemployment (35%) and labour-force participation (25%). Available indicators are reweighted; the curated profile fields remain below.

Output per worker$171,996 PPP (2024)
Unemployment4.6% (2025)
Participation65.6% of 15+ (2025)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Mean monthly earnings of employees
Overall$5,448 · $5,238 PPP (2024)
Tech (IT & comms)$6,536 · $6,284 PPP (2024)

Source: ILOSTAT (International Labour Organization)

FreelanceMarket access depends on language, sector, and work authorisation
Job marketUse current local vacancy and salary data for role-specific decisions.
Cost of living
Affordability
Limited
39

Our 0–100 affordability score is derived from the local consumer price level (World Bank, US = 100): the cheaper everyday prices are, the higher it scores. Lower price level means your money goes further here.

Price level89 (US = 100) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

RentVaries substantially by city and neighbourhood
Monthly€2,400 / mo (single)
CitiesOslo, Bergen, Trondheim
Buying power
Purchasing power score
Excellent
81
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score estimates how far money goes for the typical person here. It combines GNI per capita at PPP (30%) and actual household consumption per person at PPP (15%) with a price-advantage term from the local price level (25%) that rewards lower prices, then adjusts for income equality via the Gini index (20%), so unequal economies don't ride a high average, plus price stability via consumer inflation (10%). Available indicators are reweighted; it is a comparison, not a personal budget estimate.

GNI / person$106,830 PPP (2024)
Consumption / person$36,812 PPP (2023)
Price level89 (US = 100) (2024)
Income inequality26.5 Gini (2023)
Inflation3.1% / yr (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Quality of life

Safety
Safety & stability
Excellent
87
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines personal safety (intentional homicide rate at 35%), institutional quality (rule of law at 25% and control of corruption at 20%), and political stability and absence of violence (20%). Available indicators are reweighted; the published values are shown below. Always check current government travel and security advice before relocating.

Personal safety
Homicide rate0.7 per 100,000 (2023)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Institutions & stability
Rule of law1.95 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)
Control of corruption1.96 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)
Political stability0.90 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Healthcare
Healthcare score
Excellent
91
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines health outcomes (life expectancy at 25% and under-5 mortality at 20%) with system capacity (physicians at 20% and hospital beds at 15% per 1,000 people) and health spending per capita (20%). Available indicators are reweighted; the published values are shown below.

Outcomes
Life expectancy83.2 years (2024)
Under-5 mortality2.5 per 1,000 births (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Capacity & resourcing
Physicians4.97 per 1,000 (2023)
Hospital beds3.30 per 1,000 (2023)
Health spending$9,523 PPP / person (2023)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

System & costs
SystemPublic/private mix varies by eligibility and residence status
InsuranceCheck residence-permit and local coverage requirements
Avg costDepends on eligibility, income, insurer, and chosen coverage
Infrastructure
Infrastructure score
Excellent
85
How this score is calculated

The score combines digital access, resilience and download performance (30%), electricity access and network losses (30%), and transport infrastructure covering rail, logistics and aviation (40%). Available inputs are reweighted, but a country needs both digital and transport data to receive a score.

Digital infrastructure
Internet use99.0% (2024)
Internet resilience80 / 100 (2026)
Fixed speed85 / 100 download index (2026)
Mobile speed78 / 100 download index (2026)

Sources: World Bank World Development Indicators · Internet Society Pulse Internet Resilience Index

Utilities
Electricity access100.0% (2023)
Grid losses4.9% of output (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Transport
Transport quality3.90 / 5 (2022)
Rail density10.7 km / 1,000 km² (2021)
Air connectivity45,591 departures / million people (2004)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

HDI
Human development score
Excellent
97
How this score is calculated

The UN Human Development Index is the geometric mean of three dimension indices (a long and healthy life, knowledge, and a decent standard of living), shown on a 0–100 map scale (HDI × 100). The 2023 UNDP inputs behind each dimension are listed below.

HDI0.970 (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Long & healthy life
Life expectancy83.3 years (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Knowledge
Expected schooling18.8 years (2023)
Mean schooling13.1 years (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Standard of living
GNI / person$112,710 PPP (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Resources

Mock data for demonstration only. Not legal or tax advice.