WorldPop produces different types of gridded population count datasets, depending on the methods used and end application. Please make sure you have read our Mapping Populations overview page before choosing and downloading a dataset.

Datasets are available to download in Geotiff and ASCII XYZ format at a resolution of 30 arc-seconds (approximately 1km at the equator)

-Unconstrained individual countries 2000-2020: Population density datasets for all countries of the World for each year 2000-2020 – derived from the corresponding Unconstrained individual countries 2000-2020 population count datasets by dividing the number of people in each pixel by the pixel surface area. These are produced using the unconstrained top-down modelling method.
-Unconstrained individual countries 2000-2020 UN adjusted: Population density datasets for all countries of the World for each year 2000-2020 – derived from the corresponding Unconstrained individual countries 2000-2020 population UN adjusted count datasets by dividing the number of people in each pixel, adjusted to match the country total from the official United Nations population estimates (UN 2019), by the pixel surface area. These are produced using the unconstrained top-down modelling method.

Data for earlier dates is available directly from WorldPop.

WorldPop (www.worldpop.org - School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton; Department of Geography and Geosciences, University of Louisville; Departement de Geographie, Universite de Namur) and Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University (2018). Global High Resolution Population Denominators Project - Funded by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1134076). https://dx.doi.org/10.5258/SOTON/WP00674

In 2023, the region Viken was the most populated in Norway. The region, which contains large areas surrounding the capital Oslo, had a population of nearly 1.3 million people in 2023. Oslo had the second highest number of inhabitants with around 709,000, followed by Vestland. Meanwhile, the northern region of Nordland has the lowest number of inhabitants, counting 241,000 people. At the beginning of 2023, a total of 5.5 million people lived in Norway.

Norway population density for 400m H3 hexagons.

Built from Kontur Population: Global Population Density for 400m H3 Hexagons Vector H3 hexagons with population counts at 400m resolution.

Fixed up fusion of GHSL, Facebook, Microsoft Buildings, Copernicus Global Land Service Land Cover, Land Information New Zealand, and OpenStreetMap data.

The most inhabited county in Norway in 2022 was Viken, with nearly 1.3 million inhabitants. The capital Oslo had the second highest number of inhabitants with nearly 700,000, closely followed by Vestland. In comparison, the least inhabited county was Nordland, with roughly 240,000 inhabitants. This was slightly less than Troms og Finnmark.

Chart and table of Norway population density from 1950 to 2025. United Nations projections are also included through the year 2100.

Denmark has, by far, the highest population density of the Nordic countries. This is related to the fact that it is the smallest Nordic country in terms of land area. Meanwhile, Iceland, which has the smallest population of the five countries, also has the lowest population density. As the total population increased in all five countries over the past decade, the population density also increased.

VERSION 1.5. The world's most accurate population datasets. Seven maps/datasets for the distribution of various populations in Norway: (1) Overall population density (2) Women (3) Men (4) Children (ages 0-5) (5) Youth (ages 15-24) (6) Elderly (ages 60+) (7) Women of reproductive age (ages 15-49).

The share of urban population in Norway saw no significant changes in 2023 in comparison to the previous year 2022 and remained at around 84 percent. Nevertheless, 2023 still represents a peak in the share in Norway. A population may be defined as urban depending on the size (population or area) or population density of the village, town, or city. The urbanization rate then refers to the share of the total population who live in an urban setting. International comparisons may be inconsistent due to differing parameters for what constitutes an urban center.Find more key insights for the share of urban population in countries like Denmark and Sweden.

26.6 (Inhabitants per sq. km) in 2016.

Chart and table of SP.POP.1564.FE.IN population density from 1950 to 2025. United Nations projections are also included through the year 2100.

7.9 (Inhabitants per sq. km) in 2016.

129,3 (Inhabitants per sq. km) in 2016.

With 450,295 square kilometers, Sweden is the largest Nordic country by area size, followed by Finland and Norway. This makes it the fifth largest country in Europe. Meanwhile, Denmark is the smallest of the five Nordic countries with only 43,094 square kilometers, however, the Danish autonomous region of Greenland is significantly larger than any of the Nordic countries, and is almost double the size of the other five combined.

Population

Sweden is also the Nordic country with the largest population. 10.45 million people live in the country. Denmark, Finland, and Norway all have between five and six million inhabitants, whereas only 370,000 people live in Iceland. Meanwhile, Denmark has the highest population density of the five countries. Greenland is the most sparsely populated permanently-inhabited country in the world, followed by the regions of Svalbard and Jan Mayen.

Geography

The five Nordic countries vary geographically. While Denmark is mostly flat, its highest point only stretching around 170 meters above sea level, Norway's highest peak is nearly 2,500 meters high. Moreover, Finland is known for its many lakes and is often called the land of a thousand lakes, whereas Iceland is famous for its volcanoes.

6,5 (Inhabitants per sq. km) in 2016.

Prevalence (%, 95% CI)* of IOTF† overweight, obesity, and thinness among Norwegian 13-year-olds and mean IOTF z-score‡ (n = 1838).

6.6 (Inhabitants per sq. km) in 2016.

1,6 (Inhabitants per sq. km) in 2016.

Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and antimicrobial resistance in fluoroquinolone resistant Escherichia coli (n = 76) isolated by selective screening of faecal swab samples from wild red foxes in Norway in 2016.

No：人口密度：每平方公里人口在12-01-2017达14.462Person/sq km，相较于12-01-2016的14.332Person/sq km有所增长。No：人口密度：每平方公里人口数据按年更新，12-01-1961至12-01-2017期间平均值为11.573Person/sq km，共57份观测结果。该数据的历史最高值出现于12-01-2017，达14.462Person/sq km，而历史最低值则出现于12-01-1961，为9.883Person/sq km。CEIC提供的No：人口密度：每平方公里人口数据处于定期更新的状态，数据来源于World Bank，数据归类于全球数据库的挪威 – Table NO.World Bank.WDI：人口和城市化进程统计。

53,3 (Inhabitants per sq. km) in 2016.