Map of Norway | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Two centuries of Viking raids into Europe tapered off following the adoption of Christianity by King Olav TRYGGVASON in 994; conversion of the Norwegian kingdom occurred over the next several decades. In 1397, Norway was absorbed into a union with Denmark that lasted more than four centuries. In 1814, Norwegians resisted the cession of their country to Sweden and adopted a new constitution. Sweden then invaded Norway but agreed to let Norway keep its constitution in return for accepting the union under a Swedish king. Rising nationalism throughout the 19th century led to a 1905 referendum granting Norway independence. Although Norway remained neutral in World War I, it suffered heavy losses to its shipping. Norway proclaimed its neutrality at the outset of World War II, but was nonetheless occupied for five years by Nazi Germany (1940-45). In 1949, Norway abandoned neutrality and became a member of NATO. Discovery of oil and gas in adjacent waters in the late 1960s boosted Norway's economic fortunes. In referenda held in 1972 and 1994, Norway rejected joining the EU. Key domestic issues include immigration and integration of ethnic minorities, maintaining the country's extensive social safety net with an aging population, and preserving economic competitiveness.


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Location: Northern Europe, bordering the North Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Sweden

Geographic coordinates: 62 00 N, 10 00 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 323,802 km²
Land: 304,282 km²
Water: 19,520 km²
Rank: 69
Comparative: slightly larger than twice the size of Georgia; slightly larger than New Mexico

Land boundaries
Total: 2,566 km
Border countries: (3) Finland 709 km; , Sweden 1666 km; , Russia 191 km

Coastline: 25,148 km
Note: (includes mainland 2,650 km as well as long fjords numerous small islands and minor indentations 22,498 km; length of island coastlines 58,133 km)

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Contiguous zone: 10 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm

Climate: temperate along coast, modified by North Atlantic Current; colder interior with increased precipitation and colder summers; rainy year-round on west coast

Terrain: glaciated; mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken by fertile valleys; small, scattered plains; coastline deeply indented by fjords; arctic tundra in north

Elevation
Mean elevation: 460 m
Lowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m
Highest point: Galdhopiggen 2,469 m

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, titanium, pyrites, nickel, fish, timber, hydropower

Land use
Agricultural land: 2.7% (2011 est.)
Forest: 27.8% (2011 est.)
Other: 69.5% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 900 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: rockslides, avalanchesvolcanism: Beerenberg (2,227 m) on Jan Mayen Island in the Norwegian Sea is the country's only active volcano

Geography
Note: about two-thirds mountains; some 50,000 islands off its much-indented coastline; strategic location adjacent to sea lanes and air routes in North Atlantic; one of the most rugged and longest coastlines in the world


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Population
Distribution: most Norweigans live in the south where the climate is milder and there is better connectivity to mainland Europe; population clusters are found all along the North Sea coast in the southwest, and Skaggerak in the southeast; the interior areas of the north remain sparsely populated: 5,467,439 (July 2020 est.)
Rank: 119
Growth rate: 0.85% (2020 est.)
Growth rate rank: 122
Below poverty line note: NA

Nationality
Noun: Norwegian(s)
Adjective: Norwegian

Ethnic groups: Norwegian 83.2% (includes about 60,000 Sami), other European 8.3%, other 8.5% (2017 est.)

Languages: Bokmal Norwegian (official), Nynorsk Norwegian (official), small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities
Note: Sami has three dialects: Lule, North Sami, and South Sami; Sami is an official language in nine municipalities in Norway's three northernmost counties: Finnmark, Nordland, and Troms

Religions: Church of Norway (Evangelical Lutheran - official) 70.6%, Muslim 3.2%, Roman Catholic 3%, other Christian 3.7%, other 2.5%, unspecified 17% (2016 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 17.96% (male 503,013/female 478,901)
15-24 years: 12.02% (male 336,597/female 320,720)
25-54 years: 40.75% (male 1,150,762/female 1,077,357)
55-64 years: 11.84% (male 328,865/female 318,398)
65 years and over: 17.43% (male 442,232/female 510,594) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 53.3
Youth dependency ratio: 26.5
Elderly dependency ratio: 26.9
Potential support ratio: 3.7 (2020 est.) data include Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands

Median age
Total: 39.5 years
Male: 38.8 years
Female: 40.2 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 57

Population growth rate: 0.85% (2020 est.)
Rank: 122

Birth rate: 12.2 births/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 158

Death rate: 8.1 deaths/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 89

Net migration rate: 4 migrant(s)/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 28

Population distribution: most Norweigans live in the south where the climate is milder and there is better connectivity to mainland Europe; population clusters are found all along the North Sea coast in the southwest, and Skaggerak in the southeast; the interior areas of the north remain sparsely populated

Urbanization
Urban population: 83% of total population
Note:
Rate of urbanization: 1.4% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 1.041 million OSLO (capital) (2020)

Environment
Current issues: water pollution; acid rain damaging forests and adversely affecting lakes, threatening fish stocks; air pollution from vehicle emissions
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 29.3 years (2017 est.)
Note: data is calculated based on actual age at first births

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 2.5 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 2.8 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 2.2 deaths/1000 live births (2020 est.)
Rank: 222

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 82.1 years
Male: 80 years
Female: 84.4 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 23

Total fertility rate: 1.84 children born/woman (2020 est.)
Rank: 140

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source
Urban: 0% of population
Rural: 0% of population
Total: 0% of population (2017 est.)

Current health expenditure: 10.4% (2017)

Physicians density: 2.83 physicians/1000 population (2017)

Hospital bed density: 3.6 beds/1000 population (2017)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 0% of population
Rural: 0% of population
Total: 0% of population (2017 est.)

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2018 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 128
People living with hivaids: 5,800 (2018 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 119
Deaths note: <100 (2018 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 23.1% (2016)
Rank: 68

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 7.9% of GDP (2017)
Rank: 5

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 18 years
Male: 18 years
Female: 19 years (2018)

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Kingdom of Norway
Conventional short form: Norway
Local long form: Kongeriket Norge
Local short form: Norge
Etymology: derives from the Old Norse words nordr and vegr meaning northern way and refers to the long coastline of western Norway

Government type: parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Capital
Name: Oslo
Geographic coordinates: 59 55 N, 10 45 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October: etymology: the medieval name was spelt 'Aslo'; the 'as' component refered either to the Ekeberg ridge southeast of the town ('as' in modern Norwegian), or to the Aesir (Norse gods); 'lo' refered to 'meadow,' so the most likely interpretations would have been either 'the meadow beneath the ridge' or 'the meadow of the gods'; both explanations are considered equally plausible

Administrative divisions: 18 counties (fylker, singular - fylke); Akershus, Aust-Agder, Buskerud, Finnmark, Hedmark, Hordaland, More og Romsdal, Nordland, Oppland, Oslo, Ostfold, Rogaland, Sogn og Fjordane, Telemark, Troms, Trondelag, Vest-Agder, Vestfold

Dependent areas: (3) Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard

Independence: 7 June 1905 (declared the union with Sweden dissolved); 26 October 1905 (Sweden agreed to the repeal of the union); notable earlier dates: ca. 872 (traditional unification of petty Norwegian kingdoms by HARALD Fairhair); 1397 (Kalmar Union of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden); 1524 (Denmark-Norway); 17 May 1814 (Norwegian constitution adopted); 4 November 1814 (Sweden-Norway union confirmed)

National holiday: Constitution Day, 17 May (1814)

Constitution
History: drafted spring 1814, adopted 16 May 1814, signed by Constituent Assembly 17 May 1814
Amendments: proposals submitted by members of Parliament or by the government within the first three years of Parliaments four-year term; passage requires two-thirds majority vote of a two-thirds quorum in the next elected Parliament; amended over 400 times, last in 2020 (2020)

Legal system: mixed legal system of civil, common, and customary law; Supreme Court can advise on legislative acts

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Norway
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 7 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: King HARALD V (since 17 January 1991); Heir Apparent Crown Prince HAAKON MAGNUS (son of the monarch, born 20 July 1973)
Head of government: Prime Minister Erna SOLBERG (since 16 October 2013)
Cabinet: Council of State appointed by the monarch, approved by Parliament
Electionsappointments: the monarchy is hereditary; following parliamentary elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the monarch with the approval of the parliament

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Parliament or Storting (169 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms)
Elections: last held on 11 September 2017 (next to be held on 13 September 2021)
Election results: percent of vote by party - Ap 27.4%, H 25%, FrP 15.2%, SP 10.3%, SV 6%, V 4.4%, KrF 4.2%, MDG 3.2%, R 2.4%, other/invalid 1.9%; seats by party - Ap 49, H 45, FrP 27, SP 19, SV 11, V 8, KrF 8, MDG 1, R 1; composition - men 99, women 70, percent of women 41.4%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court or Hoyesterett (consists of the chief justice and 18 associate justices)
Judge selection and term of office: justices appointed by the monarch (King in Council) upon the recommendation of the Judicial Appointments Board; justices can serve until mandatory retirement at age 70
Subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal or Lagmennsrett; regional and district courts; Conciliation Boards; ordinary and special courts; note - in addition to professionally trained judges, elected lay judges sit on the bench with professional judges in the Courts of Appeal and district courts

Political parties and leaders: Center Party or Sp [Trygve Slagsvold VEDUM]Christian Democratic Party or KrF [Kjell Ingolf ROPSTADT]Conservative Party or H [Erna SOLBERG]Green Party or MDG [Rasmus HANSSON and Une Aina BASTHOLM]Labor Party or Ap [Jonas Gahr STORE]Liberal Party or V [Trine SKEI GRANDE]Progress Party or FrP [Siv JENSEN]Red Party or R [Bionar MOXNES]Socialist Left Party or SV [Audun LYSBAKKEN]

International organization participation: ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CD, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EFTA, EITI (implementing country), ESA, FAO, FATF, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSMA, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMISS, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Anniken Ramberg KRUTNES (since 17 September 2020)
In the us chancery: 2,720 34th Street NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 333-6,000
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 469-3,990
In the us consulate: Houston, New York, San Francisco
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge dAffaires Richard RILEY (since 17 September 2018)
From the us telephone: [47] 21-30-85-40
From the us embassy: Morgedalsvegen 36, 0378 Oslo
From the us mailing address: PO Box 4,075 AMB 0244 Oslo
From the us FAX: [47] 22-44-33-63, 22-56-27-51

Flag description: red with a blue cross outlined in white that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag); the colors recall Norway's past political unions with Denmark (red and white) and Sweden (blue)

National symbols: lion; national colors: red, white, blue

National anthem
Name: Ja, vi elsker dette landet (Yes, We Love This Country)
Lyricsmusic: lyrics/music: Bjornstjerne BJORNSON/Rikard NORDRAAK
Note: adopted 1864; in addition to the national anthem, 'Kongesangen' (Song of the King), which uses the tune of 'God Save the Queen,' serves as the royal anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview

Real gdp purchasing power parity
Real:
Real note: data are in 2010 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 176

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2010 dollars
Rank: 6

Gross national saving:
Rank: 18

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 44.8% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 24% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 24.1% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 4.8% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 35.5% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -33.2% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 2.3% (2017 est.)
Industry: 33.7% (2017 est.)
Services: 64% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: barley, wheat, potatoes; pork, beef, veal, milk; fish

Industries: petroleum and gas, shipping, fishing, aquaculture, food processing, shipbuilding, pulp and paper products, metals, chemicals, timber, mining, textiles

Industrial production growth rate: 1.5% (2017 est.)
Rank: 143

Labor force: 2.699 million (2020 est.)
Rank: 110
By occupation agriculture: 2.1%
By occupation industry: 19.3%
By occupation services: 78.6% (2016 est.)

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 54

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line
Note: NA

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 3.8%
Highest 10: 21.2% (2014)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: 217.1 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 199.5 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: 4.4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 8

Taxes and other revenues: 54.4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 9

Public debt:
Note: data cover general government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data exclude treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data exclude debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions
Rank: 146

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 113

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance:
Rank: 18

Exports:
Rank: 35
Partners: UK 21.1%, Germany 15.5%, Netherlands 9.9%, Sweden 6.6%, France 6.4%, Belgium 4.8%, Denmark 4.7%, US 4.6% (2017)
Commodities: petroleum and petroleum products, machinery and equipment, metals, chemicals, ships, fish

Imports:
Rank: 38
Commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals, foodstuffs
Partners: Sweden 11.4%, Germany 11%, China 9.8%, US 6.8%, South Korea 6.7%, Denmark 5.4%, UK 4.7% (2017)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 34

Debt external:
Note: Norway is a net external creditor
Rank: 17

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2020)
Production: 147.7 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 29
Consumption: 122.2 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 29
Exports: 15.53 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Exports rank: 12
Imports: 5.741 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 34
Installed generating capacity: 33.86 million kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 30
Generation sources fossil fuels: 3% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 207
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 159
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 93% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 8
Generation sources other renewable sources: 4% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 115

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 1.517 million bbl/day (2018 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 15
Crude oil exports: 1.383 million bbl/day (2017 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 10
Crude oil imports: 36,550 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 58
Crude oil proven reserves: 6.376 billion bbl (1 January 2018)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 20

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 371,600 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products production rank: 38
Products consumption: 205,300 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products consumption rank: 57
Products exports: 432,800 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products exports rank: 20
Products imports: 135,300 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products imports rank: 43

Natural gas
Production: 123.9 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 7
Consumption: 4.049 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 65
Exports: 120.2 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 3
Imports: 5.663 million m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 77
Proven reserves: 1.782 trillion m³ (1 January 2018 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 20

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 39.8 million Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 65

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 571,958
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 10.55 (2019 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 90
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 5,810,113
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 107.17 (2019 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 113

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .no
Users total: 5,183,627
Users percent of population: 96.49% (July 2018 est.)
Users rank: 82

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 2,206,519
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 41 (2018 est.)
Rank: 53


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Military expenditures:
Rank: 63

Military and security forces: Norwegian Armed Forces: Norwegian Army (Haeren), Royal Norwegian Navy (Kongelige Norske Sjoeforsvaret; includes Coastal Rangers and Coast Guard (Kystvakt)), Royal Norwegian Air Force (Kongelige Norske Luftforsvaret), Home Guard (Heimevernet, HV) (2020)

Military service age and obligation: 19-35 years of age for male and female selective compulsory military service; 17 years of age for male volunteers (16 in wartime); 18 years of age for women; 19-month service obligation; conscripts first serve 12 months from 19-28, and then up to 4-5 refresher training periods until age 35, 44, 55, or 60 depending on rank and function. (2019)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 8 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 125

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: LN (2016)

Airports: 95 (2013)
Rank: 61
With paved runways total: 67 (2017)
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 14 (2017)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 10 (2017)
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 22 (2017)
With paved runways under 914 m: 21 (2017)
With unpaved runways total: 28 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 6 (2013)
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 22 (2013)

Heliports: 1 (2013)

Pipelines: 8,520 km gas, 1304 km oil/condensate (2017)

Railways
Total: 4,200 km (2019)
Standard gauge: 4,200 km
Note: 1.435-m gauge (2,480 km electrified) (2019)
Rank: 45

Roadways
Total: 94,902 km
Note: (includes 455 km of expressways) (2018)
Rank: 52

Waterways: 1577 km (2010)
Rank: 51

Merchant marine
Total: 1576
By type: bulk carrier 98, general cargo 216, oil tanker 87, other 1,175 (2019)
Rank: 18

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Bergen, Haugesund, Maaloy, Mongstad, Narvik, Sture
LNG terminal:


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Disputes international: Norway asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Queen Maud Land and its continental shelf); Denmark (Greenland) and Norway have made submissions to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) and Russia is collecting additional data to augment its 2001 CLCS submission; Norway and Russia signed a comprehensive maritime boundary agreement in 2010

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 14,359 (Syria), 14,038 (Eritrea), 6,518 (Somalia), 5,108 (Afghanistan) (2019)
Stateless persons: 2,272 (2019)

Illicit drugs