Land use over the long-term in Norway
Norway: Land use over the long-term was 174,229 hectares in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
174,229 hectares
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
144th
of 202 countries
All-time high
3.96 million hectares
in 1920
All-time low
94,000 hectares
in 1978
Years of data
108
1000–2025
Land use over the long-term in Norway, 1000–2025
Source: HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Norway recorded 174,229 hectares for land use over the long-term in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use over the long-term in Norway peaked at 3.96 million hectares in 1920 and was at its lowest, 94,000 hectares, in 1978.
Norway ranks 144th of 202 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Land use over the long-term in Norway, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1000 | 862,723 hectares | — |
| 1100 | 1.12 million hectares | +30.1% |
| 1200 | 1.36 million hectares | +20.8% |
| 1300 | 1.52 million hectares | +12.2% |
| 1400 | 720,854 hectares | -52.7% |
| 1500 | 1.35 million hectares | +87.3% |
| 1600 | 1.56 million hectares | +15.2% |
| 1700 | 1.67 million hectares | +7.7% |
| 1710 | 1.71 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 1720 | 1.75 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 1730 | 1.79 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 1740 | 1.82 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 1750 | 1.86 million hectares | +2.0% |
| 1760 | 1.90 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 1770 | 1.93 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 1780 | 1.97 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 1790 | 2.00 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 1800 | 2.03 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 1810 | 2.06 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 1820 | 2.20 million hectares | +7.0% |
| 1830 | 2.44 million hectares | +10.8% |
| 1840 | 2.67 million hectares | +9.6% |
| 1850 | 2.95 million hectares | +10.5% |
| 1860 | 3.24 million hectares | +9.7% |
| 1870 | 3.44 million hectares | +6.1% |
| 1880 | 3.53 million hectares | +2.6% |
| 1890 | 3.61 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 1900 | 3.83 million hectares | +6.3% |
| 1910 | 3.85 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1920 | 3.96 million hectares | +2.8% |
| 1930 | 3.82 million hectares | -3.5% |
| 1940 | 3.57 million hectares | -6.5% |
| 1950 | 3.08 million hectares | -13.9% |
| 1951 | 3.00 million hectares | -2.4% |
| 1952 | 2.92 million hectares | -2.9% |
| 1953 | 2.82 million hectares | -3.4% |
| 1954 | 2.70 million hectares | -4.1% |
| 1955 | 2.57 million hectares | -5.0% |
| 1956 | 2.40 million hectares | -6.3% |
| 1957 | 2.20 million hectares | -8.3% |
| 1958 | 1.94 million hectares | -11.9% |
| 1959 | 1.55 million hectares | -19.9% |
| 1960 | 177,000 hectares | -88.6% |
| 1961 | 177,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 176,000 hectares | -0.6% |
| 1963 | 175,000 hectares | -0.6% |
| 1964 | 168,000 hectares | -4.0% |
| 1965 | 162,000 hectares | -3.6% |
| 1966 | 158,000 hectares | -2.5% |
| 1967 | 155,000 hectares | -1.9% |
| 1968 | 151,000 hectares | -2.6% |
| 1969 | 159,000 hectares | +5.3% |
| 1970 | 140,000 hectares | -11.9% |
| 1971 | 125,000 hectares | -10.7% |
| 1972 | 115,000 hectares | -8.0% |
| 1973 | 114,000 hectares | -0.9% |
| 1974 | 108,000 hectares | -5.3% |
| 1975 | 106,000 hectares | -1.9% |
| 1976 | 101,000 hectares | -4.7% |
| 1977 | 99,000 hectares | -2.0% |
| 1978 | 94,000 hectares | -5.1% |
| 1979 | 124,000 hectares | +31.9% |
| 1980 | 119,000 hectares | -4.0% |
| 1981 | 108,000 hectares | -9.2% |
| 1982 | 101,000 hectares | -6.5% |
| 1983 | 96,000 hectares | -5.0% |
| 1984 | 99,000 hectares | +3.1% |
| 1985 | 99,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 100,000 hectares | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 101,000 hectares | +1.0% |
| 1988 | 102,000 hectares | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 109,000 hectares | +6.9% |
| 1990 | 112,000 hectares | +2.8% |
| 1991 | 118,000 hectares | +5.4% |
| 1992 | 120,000 hectares | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 123,000 hectares | +2.5% |
| 1994 | 129,000 hectares | +4.9% |
| 1995 | 135,000 hectares | +4.7% |
| 1996 | 132,000 hectares | -2.2% |
| 1997 | 136,000 hectares | +3.0% |
| 1998 | 144,000 hectares | +5.9% |
| 1999 | 151,000 hectares | +4.9% |
| 2000 | 158,000 hectares | +4.6% |
| 2001 | 161,000 hectares | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 163,000 hectares | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 164,000 hectares | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 166,000 hectares | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 169,000 hectares | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 172,000 hectares | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 174,600 hectares | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 175,100 hectares | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 174,800 hectares | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 175,800 hectares | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 176,600 hectares | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 176,500 hectares | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 176,389 hectares | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 175,630 hectares | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 175,873 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 175,503 hectares | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 180,605 hectares | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 179,998 hectares | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 179,108 hectares | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 178,299 hectares | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 177,000 hectares | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 177,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 175,850 hectares | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 175,039 hectares | -0.5% |
| 2025 | 174,229 hectares | -0.5% |
Norway compared with similar countries
- Norway's 174,229 hectares is below the median for high income countries, which is 395,224 hectares, 44% of the median. (68 countries reporting)
- Norway's 174,229 hectares is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.16 million hectares, 15% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Land use over the long-term in Norway changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | -88.6% | 1.55 million hectares | 177,000 hectares |
| 1500 | +87.3% | 720,854 hectares | 1.35 million hectares |
| 1400 | -52.7% | 1.52 million hectares | 720,854 hectares |
| 1979 | +31.9% | 94,000 hectares | 124,000 hectares |
| 1100 | +30.1% | 862,723 hectares | 1.12 million hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 862,723 hectares | 862,723 hectares | 862,723 hectares | 1 |
| 1100s | 1.12 million hectares | 1.12 million hectares | 1.12 million hectares | 1 |
| 1200s | 1.36 million hectares | 1.36 million hectares | 1.36 million hectares | 1 |
| 1300s | 1.52 million hectares | 1.52 million hectares | 1.52 million hectares | 1 |
| 1400s | 720,854 hectares | 720,854 hectares | 720,854 hectares | 1 |
| 1500s | 1.35 million hectares | 1.35 million hectares | 1.35 million hectares | 1 |
| 1600s | 1.56 million hectares | 1.56 million hectares | 1.56 million hectares | 1 |
| 1700s | 1.67 million hectares | 1.67 million hectares | 1.67 million hectares | 1 |
| 1710s | 1.71 million hectares | 1.71 million hectares | 1.71 million hectares | 1 |
| 1720s | 1.75 million hectares | 1.75 million hectares | 1.75 million hectares | 1 |
| 1730s | 1.79 million hectares | 1.79 million hectares | 1.79 million hectares | 1 |
| 1740s | 1.82 million hectares | 1.82 million hectares | 1.82 million hectares | 1 |
| 1750s | 1.86 million hectares | 1.86 million hectares | 1.86 million hectares | 1 |
| 1760s | 1.90 million hectares | 1.90 million hectares | 1.90 million hectares | 1 |
| 1770s | 1.93 million hectares | 1.93 million hectares | 1.93 million hectares | 1 |
| 1780s | 1.97 million hectares | 1.97 million hectares | 1.97 million hectares | 1 |
| 1790s | 2.00 million hectares | 2.00 million hectares | 2.00 million hectares | 1 |
| 1800s | 2.03 million hectares | 2.03 million hectares | 2.03 million hectares | 1 |
| 1810s | 2.06 million hectares | 2.06 million hectares | 2.06 million hectares | 1 |
| 1820s | 2.20 million hectares | 2.20 million hectares | 2.20 million hectares | 1 |
| 1830s | 2.44 million hectares | 2.44 million hectares | 2.44 million hectares | 1 |
| 1840s | 2.67 million hectares | 2.67 million hectares | 2.67 million hectares | 1 |
| 1850s | 2.95 million hectares | 2.95 million hectares | 2.95 million hectares | 1 |
| 1860s | 3.24 million hectares | 3.24 million hectares | 3.24 million hectares | 1 |
| 1870s | 3.44 million hectares | 3.44 million hectares | 3.44 million hectares | 1 |
| 1880s | 3.53 million hectares | 3.53 million hectares | 3.53 million hectares | 1 |
| 1890s | 3.61 million hectares | 3.61 million hectares | 3.61 million hectares | 1 |
| 1900s | 3.83 million hectares | 3.83 million hectares | 3.83 million hectares | 1 |
| 1910s | 3.85 million hectares | 3.85 million hectares | 3.85 million hectares | 1 |
| 1920s | 3.96 million hectares | 3.96 million hectares | 3.96 million hectares | 1 |
| 1930s | 3.82 million hectares | 3.82 million hectares | 3.82 million hectares | 1 |
| 1940s | 3.57 million hectares | 3.57 million hectares | 3.57 million hectares | 1 |
| 1950s | 2.52 million hectares | 1.55 million hectares | 3.08 million hectares | 10 |
| 1960s | 165,800 hectares | 151,000 hectares | 177,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1970s | 112,600 hectares | 94,000 hectares | 140,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 103,400 hectares | 96,000 hectares | 119,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 130,000 hectares | 112,000 hectares | 151,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 167,750 hectares | 158,000 hectares | 175,100 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 177,201 hectares | 175,503 hectares | 180,605 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 176,236 hectares | 174,229 hectares | 178,299 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Norway
- 141 Gambia 187,000 hectares compare
- 142 Guinea-Bissau 175,200 hectares compare
- 143 New Caledonia 174,330 hectares compare
- 145 Fiji 173,000 hectares compare
- 146 Israel 170,200 hectares compare
- 147 East Timor 150,000 hectares compare
More environment data for Norway
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 0.9857 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 0.8118 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.738 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.52 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -3.08 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate -0.28 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use over the long-term in Norway?
- Land use over the long-term in Norway was 174,229 hectares in 2025, according to HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use over the long-term recorded in Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 3.96 million hectares in 1920.
- What is the lowest land use over the long-term recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 94,000 hectares in 1978.
- How does Norway rank for land use over the long-term?
- Norway ranks 144th out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
- Is land use over the long-term rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Norway data come from?
- The figures come from HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use over the long-term. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 108 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total grazingland area for each separate country over time.