Norway’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 4.6% in January 2026 from 4.3% in the previous month, marking the highest level since September 2025. The number of unemployed persons increased by 8 thousand month-on-month to 138 thousand. Meanwhile, the employment rate fell to 69.1% from 69.5%, as the number of employed individuals declined by 17 thousand to 2.890 million. The labor force participation rate also edged down to 72.4% from 72.6% in December. At the same time, the youth unemployment rate, which measures job seekers aged 15 to 24, rose to 14.1% from 12.7% in the prior month. source: Statistics Norway

Unemployment Rate in Norway increased to 4.60 percent in January from 4.30 percent in December of 2025. Unemployment Rate in Norway averaged 4.08 percent from 1983 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 6.80 percent in March of 1993 and a record low of 2.10 percent in November of 1986. This page provides the latest reported value for - Norway Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. Norway Unemployment Rate - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on March of 2026.

Unemployment Rate in Norway increased to 4.60 percent in January from 4.30 percent in December of 2025. Unemployment Rate in Norway is expected to be 4.50 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the Norway Unemployment Rate is projected to trend around 4.10 percent in 2027 and 3.80 percent in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-01-22 07:00 AM
Unemployment Rate
Dec 4.3% 4.5% 4.5%
2026-02-25 07:00 AM
Unemployment Rate
Jan 4.6% 4.3% 4.3%
2026-03-27 07:00 AM
Unemployment Rate
Feb 4.6%


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Employed Persons 2890.00 2907.00 Thousand Jan 2026
Employment Rate 69.10 69.50 percent Jan 2026
Job Vacancies 74000.00 82600.00 Dec 2025
Job Vacancy Rate 2.60 3.00 percent Sep 2025
Labor Force Participation Rate 72.40 72.60 percent Jan 2026
Population 5.59 5.55 Million Dec 2025
Productivity 108.75 107.73 points Sep 2025
Registered Jobless Rate 2.20 2.30 percent Feb 2026
Unemployment Rate 4.60 4.30 percent Jan 2026
Wage Growth 4.90 5.48 percent Dec 2025
Wages 61090.00 59250.00 NOK/Month Dec 2025
Wages in Manufacturing 61360.00 59650.00 NOK/Month Dec 2025
Youth Unemployment Rate 14.10 12.70 percent Jan 2026


Norway Unemployment Rate
In Norway, the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
4.60 4.30 6.80 2.10 1983 - 2026 percent Monthly
SA

News Stream
Norway Jobless Rate Rises to 4-Month High
Norway’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 4.6% in January 2026 from 4.3% in the previous month, marking the highest level since September 2025. The number of unemployed persons increased by 8 thousand month-on-month to 138 thousand. Meanwhile, the employment rate fell to 69.1% from 69.5%, as the number of employed individuals declined by 17 thousand to 2.890 million. The labor force participation rate also edged down to 72.4% from 72.6% in December. At the same time, the youth unemployment rate, which measures job seekers aged 15 to 24, rose to 14.1% from 12.7% in the prior month.
2026-02-25
Norway Jobless Rate Falls to 10-Month Low
Norway’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 4.3% in December 2025 from 4.5% in November. This marked the lowest jobless rate since February, as the number of unemployed persons decreased by 8 thousand from a month earlier to 129 thousand. Meanwhile, the employment rate picked up to 69.5% from 69.0% in the previous month, with the number of employed individuals rising by 25 thousand to 2.909 million. The labor force participation rate went up to 72.6% from 72.3% in the November. The youth unemployment rate, which measures the number of job-seekers aged 15 to 24, dropped to an eleven-month low of 12.8% from 15.2% in the previous month.
2026-01-22
Norway Jobless Rate Ticks Up in November
Norway’s seasonally adjusted unemployment edged up to 4.5% in November 2025 from a downwardly revised 4.4% in October, in line with market expectations. The number of unemployed persons remained at 135 thousand. Meanwhile, the employment rate went down to 69.1% from 69.8% in the previous month, with the number of employed individuals falling by 28 thousand to 2.887 million. The labor force participation rate dropped to 72.3% from 73% in October. The youth unemployment rate, which measures the number of job-seekers aged 15 to 24, rose to 15.4%, the highest in three months, from 14.1% in the prior month.
2025-12-22