Eight out of ten new Norwegian citizens from Asia or Africa

Almost nine out of ten of the around 13,200 foreigners who were granted Norwegian citizenship last year are from countries outside Europe.

Last year, almost 3,000 more Norwegian citizenships were granted than in 2018.

A majority, 78 per cent, had previous citizenship in African or Asian countries, according to figures from Statistics Norway (SSB) published on Tuesday.

From Africa, it was mainly citizens from countries on and around the Horn of Africa who were granted Norwegian citizenship.

Somalia and Eritrea top the list with 3,000 and 1,400 people respectively.

Filipinos and Thais were, with 700 and 600 people, the third and fifth largest groups. Afghans were in fourth place with 650 new citizens.

There were also a significant number of people from Ethiopia and Sudan who were granted Norwegian citizenship last year with 400 for each of the countries.

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today