Land use in Norway
Norway: Land use was 806,000 hectares in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
806,000 hectares
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
118th
of 223 countries
All-time high
1.00 million hectares
in 1996
All-time low
790,000 hectares
in 1973
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in Norway, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for land use in Norway is 806,000 hectares, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Norway peaked at 1.00 million hectares in 1996 and was at its lowest, 790,000 hectares, in 1973.
That places Norway 118th out of 223 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 847,444 hectares | 827,000 hectares | 857,000 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 802,100 hectares | 790,000 hectares | 830,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 854,200 hectares | 817,000 hectares | 882,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 911,400 hectares | 864,000 hectares | 1.00 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 867,956 hectares | 839,460 hectares | 886,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 812,494 hectares | 804,506 hectares | 830,100 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 806,916 hectares | 806,000 hectares | 807,663 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Norway
More environment data for Norway
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 53.76 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 9.65 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 2.71 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.1993 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 4.27 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0356 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 8.82 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.0239 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.0367 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 1.45 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use in Norway?
- Land use in Norway was 806,000 hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use recorded in Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 1.00 million hectares in 1996.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 790,000 hectares in 1973.
- How does Norway rank for land use?
- Norway ranks 118th out of 223 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Norway data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).