Norway’s overseas pension population has reached a record 62,500, new figures from the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV) have revealed, with one in 20 of the country’s old-age pension recipients now living abroad.

NAV said the number of pensioners living abroad has increased, with an almost 6 per cent rise compared to the same period last year and 52 per cent since 2015.

“Among pensioners abroad, foreign-born individuals who have lived or worked in Norway for a period and later moved abroad make up 37,900 people. This includes individuals with an unknown country of birth, who we believe are mostly born abroad,” NAV department director, Ole Christian Lien, explained.

In total, Norwegian-born individuals who have emigrated number 24,600.

The highest number of pensioners abroad lives in Sweden. In September 2025, 23,600 people living in Sweden received an old-age pension from NAV. This represents an increase of 5 per cent from the same period last year, and a rise of 54 per cent over the past 10 years.

A relatively high number also live in Denmark and the USA. But while the number living in Denmark has increased by over 48 per cent since September 2015, the number living in the USA has decreased by almost 25 per cent.

Of the 23,600 people living in Sweden, 8,900 were born in Norway. Of the 7,300 people living in Denmark, 3,300 were born in Norway, while the corresponding figure for the 4,100 people living in the USA is 2,700.

There has also been a significant rise in the number of pensioners living in Poland over the past 10 years. In September 2015, the number was 200, while in September 2025 it had risen to 3,500, 14 times more than in 2015. Only 2 per cent of the pensioners living in Poland were born in Norway.

“Norway has had substantial labour immigration from Poland, and many have therefore accumulated pension rights in Norway. Some of these choose to return to their home country. We therefore expect this number to continue rising,” Lien said.

Lithuania and Slovakia have also seen large percentage increases over the past 10 years, but the number of pensioners living in these countries remains relatively low.

In September 2025, 600 pensioners were living in Lithuania and 200 in Slovakia. This corresponds to an increase of 19 per cent and 16 per cent, respectively, compared to September 2015.

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