Bergen - Demographics

Demographics

Ethnic Norwegians make up 88.8% of Bergen's residents. Of these, 2.1% were first or second generation immigrants with Western backgrounds and 6.6% were first or second generation immigrants with non-Western backgrounds. The population grew by 4,549 people in 2009, a growth rate of 1,8%. Ninety-six percent of the population live in urban areas. As of 2002, the average gross income for men above the age of 17 is 426,000 Norwegian krone (NOK), the average gross income for women above the age of 17 is NOK 238,000, with the total average gross income being NOK 330,000 . In 2007, there were 104.6 men for every 100 women in the age group of 20–39. 22.8% of the population were under 17 years of age, while 4.5% were 80 and above.

The immigrant population (those with two foreign-born parents) in Bergen, includes 23,682 individuals with backgrounds from 164 countries representing 9.56% of the city's population (2008). Of these, 40.8% have background from Europe, 36.0% from Asia, 12.4% from Africa, 7.8% from Latin America, 2.5% from North America and 0.5% from Oceania. The immigrant population in Bergen in the period 1993–2008 increased by 119.7%, while the ethnic Norwegian population has grown by 8.1% during the same period. The national average is 138.0% and 4.2%. The immigrant population has thus accounted for 43.6% of Bergen's population growth and 60.8% of Norway's population growth during the period 1993–2008, compared with 84.5% in Oslo.

The immigrant population in Bergen has changed a lot since 1970. As of 1 January 1986, there were 2,870 persons with non-Western immigrant background in Bergen. In 2006, this figure had increased to 14,630, so the non-Western immigrant population in Bergen was five times higher than in 1986. This is a slightly slower growth than the national average, which has sextupled during the same period. Also in relation to the total population in Bergen, the proportion of non-Western increased significantly. In 1986, the proportion of the total population in the municipality of non-Western background was 3.6%. In January 2006, persons with non-Western immigrant background accounted for 6 percent of the population in Bergen. The share of Western immigrants has remained stable at around 2% in the period. The number of Poles in Bergen rose from 697 in 2006 to 3,128 in 2010.

The Church of Norway is the largest denomination in Bergen, with 201,006 (79.74%) adherents in 2012. Bergen is the seat of the Diocese of Bjørgvin with Bergen Cathedral as its centerpiece, which St John's Church is the city's most prominent. The state church is followed by 52,059 (13.55%) irreligious 12,000 Catholics belonging to Saint Paul Catholic Church 4,947 members of various protestant free churches, 2,707 Muslims, 816 Hindus, 255 Russian Orthodox Russian Orthodox and 147 and Oriental Orthodox.