More than one in three people living in Oslo are either immigrants themselves or were born in Norway to two immigrant parents.
In the rest of the country, the proportion is well below one in five.
The figure is mentioned in passing in an article on diversity on Oslo City Council’s boards, in Utrop.
But this is worth pausing to consider. Because twenty years ago, the proportion was 23 per cent. In 2013, it was three in ten. Now, it is over a third.
Oslo City Council itself states that roughly one in four residents has immigrated from another country. Added to this are their children who were born here.
Out in the city districts, the figures are far higher. At the start of this year, 43 per cent of residents in Stovner were immigrants. In Søndre Nordstrand and Grorud the figure was 40 per cent, and in Alna 39 per cent. This does not include those born in Norway to immigrant parents. As early as ten years ago, over half of the residents of Stovner, Alna and Søndre Nordstrand had an immigrant background, according to SSB.
Nationwide, there were 987,100 immigrants at the start of the year: 17.5 per cent of the population. In addition, there are 238,500 Norwegian-born people with immigrant parents. Together, they account for 21.7 per cent.
Pakistanis are the oldest major immigrant group in Oslo, and consequently have the highest number of children born here. Among those born in Norway to immigrant parents, Poles and Somalis are the next two largest groups.
It is no coincidence that Oslo is where it is all happening. Three out of four people of Pakistani background in Norway live in the capital, according to Statistics Norway.
