Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Norwegian people
The term Norwegians may refer to:
- People with a Norwegian ancestral or ethnic identity, whether living in Norway, emigrants, or the descendents of emigrants.
- Anyone whose mother tongue is Norwegian.
- Nationals or citizens of Norway, which also includes Samic and Ethnic Finnish minorities as well as recent non-European immigrants and their descendents (see: Demographics of Norway).
This article refers to the first definition, ethnic Norwegians and their descendents.
Norwegian Population Worldwide | ||
| Total population: | 7.8 million | |
| Significant populations in: | Norway: 4.5 million USA: 3 million (primary ancestry only) | |
| Language | Norwegian | |
| Related Languages | Danish, Faroese, Icelandic, Swedish, and to a lesser extent, all Germanic languages | |
| Religion | The vast majority of Norwegians are Lutherans. | |
| Related ethnic groups | Danes, Swedes, Icelanders, Faroese, and to a lesser extent, all Germanic ethnic groups | |
| Contents |
Norwegians in Norway
There are nearly 4.5 million ethnic Norwegians living in Norway today. The Norwegians are a Scandinavian ethnic group, and the descendents of the Norse (along with the Swedes, Danes, Icelanders and Faroese). See also History of Norway.
The Norwegians enjoy a high quality of life. In this century, the UN has ranked Norway "The world's best place to live" in its annual Human Development Index (HDI) report, which is essentially a composite of quality of life, in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004.
Norwegians in the Rest of the World
Norwegian citizens abroad
See also: List of Norwegian citizens abroad
As with many of the people from smaller European countries, Norwegians are spread throughout the world. There are more than 100,000 Norwegian citizens are living abroad permanently, mostly in the USA, the UK and in the other Scandinavian countries.
United States of America
See the complete article on Norwegian-Americans
Many Norwegians immigrated to the USA between the 1850s and the 1920s. Today, the descendants of these people are known as Norwegian-Americans. According to the 2000 US Census, 3 million Americans consider Norwegian to be their sole or primary ancestry. It is estimated that as many as 3 million more are of partial Norwegian ancestry.
Norwegian-Americans represent between 2 and 3% of the white non-Hispanic population in the US. They mostly live in the Upper Midwest.
Canada
During the same time period as Norwegian immigration to the USA, some Norwegians also immigrated to Canada. According to the 2001 Canadian census, 360,000 Canadians reported Norwegian ancestry. Approximately 180,000 of these consider Norwegian to be their sole or primary ancestry, and another 180,000 are of partial Norwegian ancestry.
Norwegians represent 1.5% of the total white Canadian population.
External links
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