Norway: cities by population
Norway has a population of 5,652,989 (UN estimate, 2026), with Oslo as its capital. The 50 largest of its 510 recorded towns and cities, ranked.
+26%
since 2000 (4,490,867)
+4%
projected by 2050 (5,899,829)
19
people per km²
Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.
Largest cities in Norway
| # | Place | Region | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oslo | Oslo | 1,082,575 |
| 2 | Bergen | Vestland | 294,029 |
| 3 | Trondheim | Trøndelag | 216,518 |
| 4 | Stavanger | Rogaland | 151,669 |
| 5 | Kristiansand | Agder | 117,237 |
| 6 | Drammen | Buskerud | 106,013 |
| 7 | Lillestrøm | Akershus | 89,684 |
| 8 | Sandnes | Rogaland | 85,386 |
| 9 | Fredrikstad | Østfold | 83,761 |
| 10 | Sandefjord | Vestfold | 64,345 |
| 11 | Asker | Akershus | 61,906 |
| 12 | Sarpsborg | Østfold | 59,038 |
| 13 | Tønsberg | Vestfold | 55,387 |
| 14 | Ålesund | Møre og Romsdal | 52,626 |
| 15 | Skien | Telemark | 50,595 |
| 16 | Moss | Østfold | 49,668 |
| 17 | Tromsø | Troms | 41,915 |
| 18 | Haugesund | Rogaland | 40,321 |
| 19 | Nesttun | Vestland | 35,638 |
| 20 | Porsgrunn | Telemark | 34,377 |
| 21 | Bodø | Nordland | 34,073 |
| 22 | Arendal | Agder | 30,916 |
| 23 | Sola | Rogaland | 29,541 |
| 24 | Hamar | Innlandet | 29,479 |
| 25 | Lillehammer | Innlandet | 29,011 |
| 26 | Horten | Vestfold | 27,178 |
| 27 | Grimstad | Agder | 24,017 |
| 28 | Kristiansund | Møre og Romsdal | 24,013 |
| 29 | Larvik | Vestfold | 23,113 |
| 30 | Molde | Møre og Romsdal | 22,410 |
| 31 | Halden | Østfold | 21,970 |
| 32 | Harstad | Troms | 20,953 |
| 33 | Levanger | Trøndelag | 20,171 |
| 34 | Time | Rogaland | 19,781 |
| 35 | Mo i Rana | Nordland | 18,866 |
| 36 | Tromsdalen | Troms | 18,291 |
| 37 | Kongsberg | Buskerud | 17,667 |
| 38 | Gjøvik | Innlandet | 17,596 |
| 39 | Stjørdalshalsen | Trøndelag | 15,693 |
| 40 | Alta | Finnmark | 15,094 |
| 41 | Narvik | Nordland | 14,141 |
| 42 | Leirvik | Vestland | 14,126 |
| 43 | Hønefoss | Buskerud | 13,678 |
| 44 | Strand | Rogaland | 13,474 |
| 45 | Steinkjer | Trøndelag | 13,060 |
| 46 | Stjørdal | Trøndelag | 13,032 |
| 47 | Vennesla | Agder | 12,816 |
| 48 | Ski | Akershus | 12,513 |
| 49 | Elverum | Innlandet | 12,490 |
| 50 | Askim | Østfold | 12,482 |
Twenty years earlier: Norway in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 4,606,363.
Common questions
What is the population of Norway?
Norway has a population of 5,652,989, the UN World Population Prospects estimate for 2026. The UN's medium-variant projection for 2050 is 5,899,829 — a forecast, not a measurement.
What is the capital of Norway?
Oslo.