Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Norway

Norway: Lakes and rivers permanent water area was 12,157 kmsq in 2022. β–² Rising

Latest (2022)
12,157 kmsq
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
13th
of 212 countries
All-time high
12,157 kmsq
in 2022
All-time low
4,961 kmsq
in 2000
Years of data
23
2000–2022

Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Norway, 2000–2022

02.5k5.0k7.5k10.0k12.5k2000201120222000: 5.0k kmsq2001: 7.3k kmsq2002: 9.6k kmsq2003: 11.5k kmsq2004: 11.3k kmsq2005: 11.5k kmsq2006: 11.6k kmsq2007: 11.6k kmsq2008: 11.6k kmsq2009: 11.4k kmsq2010: 11.4k kmsq2011: 11.4k kmsq2012: 11.3k kmsq2013: 11.1k kmsq2014: 11.4k kmsq2015: 11.5k kmsq2016: 11.6k kmsq2017: 11.6k kmsq2018: 11.9k kmsq2019: 11.9k kmsq2020: 11.9k kmsq2021: 12.0k kmsq2022: 12.2k kmsq

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in kmsq.

Analysis

In 2022, lakes and rivers permanent water area in Norway stood at 12,157 kmsq. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 7.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, lakes and rivers permanent water area in Norway peaked at 12,157 kmsq in 2022 and was at its lowest, 4,961 kmsq, in 2000.

Norway ranks 13th of 212 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 10,228 kmsq 4,961 kmsq 11,634 kmsq 10
2010s 11,506 kmsq 11,075 kmsq 11,928 kmsq 10
2020s 12,029 kmsq 11,908 kmsq 12,157 kmsq 3

Countries ranked near Norway

  1. 10 Finland 22,408 kmsq compare
  2. 11 Greenland 17,316 kmsq compare
  3. 12 Mongolia 13,861 kmsq compare
  4. 14 Peru 11,808 kmsq compare
  5. 15 Chile 11,251 kmsq compare
  6. 16 Nicaragua 9,326 kmsq compare

See the full ranking of 277 places β†’

More environment data for Norway

All data for Norway β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is lakes and rivers permanent water area in Norway?
Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Norway was 12,157 kmsq in 2022, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest lakes and rivers permanent water area recorded in Norway?
The highest recorded value was 12,157 kmsq in 2022.
What is the lowest lakes and rivers permanent water area recorded in Norway?
The lowest recorded value was 4,961 kmsq in 2000.
How does Norway rank for lakes and rivers permanent water area?
Norway ranks 13th out of 212 countries with data for 2022.
Is lakes and rivers permanent water area rising or falling in Norway?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Norway data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Lakes and rivers permanent water area (square kilometres). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Norway. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 19 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/lakes-and-rivers-permanent-water-area-square-kilometres/norway/

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About this data

Indicator
Lakes and rivers permanent water area (square kilometres)
Unit
kmsq
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
277 places, 6,369 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed