Never before have fewer Norwegians wanted more immigrants to the country. Only 17 per cent want Norway to accept more, according to fresh figures from the Integration Barometer. That is the lowest level ever measured — and more than half now want fewer.

The figure comes from the Integration Barometer 2026, conducted by the Institute for Social Research (ISF) on behalf of the Directorate of Integration and Diversity (IMDi). In response to the question of whether Norway should accept more or fewer immigrants than today, only 17 per cent answer that they want more. In 2017 and 2021, three in ten — 30 per cent — gave the same answer.

It is the lowest level the researchers have measured since they began asking the question in 2017. ISF itself describes several of this year’s findings as “record low”.

The direction points one way. While the proportion wanting more immigrants is shrinking, the proportion wanting fewer is growing. More than five in ten now believe that Norway should accept fewer. The increase is strongest among those wanting “significantly fewer”: from 19 per cent in 2017 to 30 per cent in 2025.

The same tendency appears in another question. When the population was asked to take a position on the statement “We should not allow more immigrants into Norway”, the country split down the middle: 49 per cent agreed, 51 per cent disagreed. The proportion agreeing has increased by nearly ten percentage points since 2017.

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Norwegians for a short period became more positive towards immigration. That wave has now disappeared. On several questions, attitudes are back at the level from before the invasion — on some they are more restrictive than they were then.

The explanation is not difficult to find. By the end of 2025, Norwegian authorities had received more than 103,000 applications for residence from Ukrainian refugees. Around 85,000 of them were living in the country. ISF directly links the declining goodwill to the high arrival figures.

The scepticism is not only about volume. Increasingly more people connect immigration with crime. Seventy-two per cent now believe that increased immigration will lead to more crime in Norway — up from 63 per cent in 2019 and 2021, and 68 per cent in 2023.

For the first time, ISF also asked what people believe is the main reason for more brutal crime among young people. Of those who were presented with the explanation “excessively high immigration in recent years”, two out of three — 67 per cent — answered that it fit completely or fairly well. The explanation “lack of integration” received support from 80 per cent.

The direction is clear. The population increasingly distinguishes between types of immigration: labour immigration is perceived as useful, while the willingness to accept refugees, asylum seekers and family reunification immigrants is declining. Only one in three now believes that their own municipality should settle more refugees. Two out of three are opposed.