Data on homelessness and housing exclusion 2026: Norway

Summary of key data and information

	Summary of key data and information
Official statistical definition of homelessness (Table 1)	Homelessness is defined as: people who do not have their own owned or rented accommodation and are referred to random and temporary accommodation, live temporarily with friends, acquaintances or relatives, are in an institution or under correctional facilities and are to be discharged/released within two months without having their own accommodation, as well as people who sleep outside/don’t have a place to sleep.
Latest national estimates of homelessness (Table 2, Table 3)	3 325 individuals, representing 0.06% of the total population (2022)
	29% are women, 71% are men
	Point-in-time count, based on the Nationwide Mapping Study of Homelessness
	ETHOS Light groups included	Included: ETHOS Light 1: Living on the streets, in public spaces ETHOS Light 2: Emergency accommodation (e.g. shelters) ETHOS Light 3: Accommodation for the homeless (e.g. hostels and women’s refuges) ETHOS Light 4: People in institutions ETHOS Light 5: People in non-conventional dwellings (e.g. caravans, cars or tents) ETHOS Light 6: Living temporarily with others in conventional housing (e.g. sofa-surfing)
	Notes: Each ETHOS Light group includes one or more sub-categories of living situations. ETHOS Light groups are considered as “included” in the data collection approach if at least one of the sub-categories is counted.
Legal framework to collect data on homelessness (Table 4)	There is no legal obligation to collect data on homelessness in Norway.
Homelessness Strategy (Table 5)	There is no national homelessness strategy in Norway. Other (e.g. anti-poverty, housing) national strategy addressing homelessness: White Paper, Meld. St. 13 (2023-2024) The Housing White Paper – A comprehensive and active housing policy for the whole country
Approaches to collect data on homelessness (Table 6)	Nationwide mapping study on homelessness: municipalities, institutions and services collect homelessness information over a week (Table 6.1) Annual data on the number of homeless: Estimating of homelessness statistics using administrative data (Table 6.2)

Table 1. Official statistical definition of homelessness

Statistical definition

Homelessness

In the nationwide mapping study on homelessness, it is specified that homelessness is defined in terms of positions ‘’in and out’’ of the market. Homelessness is defined as it follows: “People who do not have their own owned or rented accommodation and are referred to random and temporary accommodation, live temporarily with friends, acquaintances or relatives, are in an institution or under correctional facilities and are to be discharged/released within two months without having their own accommodation, as well as people who sleep outside/don't have a place to sleep.”

Table 2. Data on people experiencing homelessness: Headline estimate, by living situation

Presented according to ETHOS Light Typology

Year	Headline estimate of homelessness (Individuals)	% of total population	ETHOS Light 1 People living rough	ETHOS Light 2 People in emergency accommodation	ETHOS Light 3 People in accommodation for the homeless	ETHOS Light 4 People living in institutions	ETHOS Light 5 People living in unconventional dwellings	ETHOS Light 6 People staying with family/friends
2016	3 909	0.08%	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
2022	3 325	0.06%	66	1 330	Included under ETHOS 2	600	Included under ETHOS 2	997
Metadata: Type of count: Point-in-time Data are comparable across years: Yes Included in headline estimate: Children: No Temporary accommodation for: Asylum seekers: No Refugees: Yes Victims/survivors of domestic violence: Yes

Note: Data extracted from percentages; therefore, values are subject to minor differences in rounding. 332 people experiencing homelessness did not disclose, were not sure or did not fit in any ETHOS category.

Source: OECD Questionnaire on Affordable and Social Housing (QuASH); Norwegian State Housing Bank and Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research (2020), Nationwide Mapping Study on Homelessness.

Table 3. Data on people experiencing homelessness: Headline estimate, by sub-group and living situation

Presented according to ETHOS Light Typology, 2022

	Single adults	Men	Women	Youth (under 25)	Older people (aged 65 and over)	Families with children (# of households)
Headline estimate of homelessness	NA	2 361	964	532	NA	112
As percentage of total population experiencing homelessness	NA	71%	29%	16%	NA	3.37%
ETHOS Light 1: People living rough	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
ETHOS Light 2: People in emergency accommodation	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
ETHOS Light 3: People in accommodation for the homeless	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
ETHOS Light 4: People living in institutions	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
ETHOS Light 5: People living in unconventional dwellings	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
ETHOS Light 6: People staying with family/friends	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
Metadata: Type of count: Point-in-time Included in headline estimate: Children: No Temporary accommodation for: Asylum seekers: No Refugees: Yes Victims/survivors of domestic violence: Yes

Note: Sub-groups are not mutually exclusive Data extracted from percentages; therefore, values are subject to minor differences in rounding.

Source: OECD Questionnaire on Affordable and Social Housing (QuASH); Norwegian State Housing Bank and Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research (2020), Nationwide Mapping Study on Homelessness.

Table 4. Legal framework to collect data on homelessness

	Legal framework
Law that governs data collection on homelessness	None.
Legal obligations	None.

Table 5. Homelessness strategy

	Homelessness strategies in place
National Homelessness Strategy	There is no national homelessness strategy in Norway. Other (e.g. anti-poverty, housing) national strategy addressing homelessness: White Paper, Meld. St. 13 (2023-2024) The Housing White Paper – A comprehensive and active housing policy for the whole country
Regional and/or local homelessness strategies exist	No.

Table 6. Approaches to collect data on homelessness

6.1. Nationwide mapping study on homelessness
Description There are no legal requirements to conduct a nationwide mapping of homelessness, but The Norwegian State Housing Bank (in partnership with the Oslo Metropolitan University and the Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research) conducts its nationwide mapping on homelessness over a week every fourth year. Municipal service employees, the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV), health institutions and prisons, as well as NGOs and other private agencies collect information from people experiencing homelessness over a week in autumn.
Type of count generated Point-in-time	Methods Service‑based method
Lead authority(ies) Norwegian State Housing Bank Oslo Metropolitan University Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research	Source(s) of information Service providers interview people experiencing homelessness directly and then report the data to Oslo Metropolitan University, which analyses the results and publishes them. This is intermediated (allowed) by the Norwegian State Housing Bank.
Scope National level	Depth of data Sociodemographic characteristics are taken into account and results are disaggregated by: gender, age, marital status, place of birth, etc).
Frequency Every four years.
ETHOS Light groups included: ETHOS Light 1: Living on the streets, in public spaces ETHOS Light 2: Emergency accommodation (e.g. shelters) ETHOS Light 3: Accommodation for the homeless (e.g. hostels and women’s refuges) ETHOS Light 4: People in institutions ETHOS Light 5: People in non-conventional dwellings (e.g. caravans, cars or tents) ETHOS Light 6: Living temporarily with others in conventional housing (e.g. sofa-surfing) Note: Each ETHOS Light group includes one or more sub-categories of living situations. ETHOS Light groups are considered as “included” in the data collection approach if at least one of the sub-categories is counted.
Notes and sources Official report
6.2. Annual data on the number of homeless
Description The Norwegian State Housing Bank uses data from shelters, social services, evictions, and a selection of municipalities to estimate the number of people experiencing homelessness every year.
Type of count generated Flow (period)	Methods Administrative Data
Lead authority(ies) Norwegian State Housing Bank	Source(s) of information Shelters, social services and municipalities
Scope National level	Depth of data Enumeration
Frequency Annual
ETHOS Light groups included: ETHOS Light 2: Emergency accommodation (e.g. shelters) ETHOS Light 3: Accommodation for the homeless (e.g. hostels and women’s refuges) Note: Each ETHOS Light group includes one or more sub-categories of living situations. ETHOS Light groups are considered as “included” in the data collection approach if at least one of the sub-categories is counted.

Please refer to the OECD Affordable Housing Database, indicator HC3.1.Population experiencing homelessness, https://www.oecd.org/content/oecd/en/data/datasets/oecd-affordable-housing-database.html.

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