More and more people in Norway are relying on social assistance. Over half are immigrants

In 2024, about 166,400 people in Norway received economic social assistance. Compared to 2023, this was nearly 14,000 more people in need of support. The total value of payments reached NOK 11.864 billion, an increase of about NOK 2.1 billion compared to the previous year, at current prices. The number of beneficiaries increased by about nine percent, while the payout amounts rose by 21 percent.

In 2024, immigrants accounted for 56 percent of those receiving social assistance. In 2015, it was about 40 percent. Among beneficiaries for up to six months, men were the majority (53 percent), while among those receiving support for 10–12 months, women dominated. The difference was about 10 percentage points.

Among people under 30, only 16 percent received assistance for 10–12 months. In the 50–66 age group, this was 33 percent of beneficiaries.

The increase in the number of people receiving assistance and the amount of payments was moderate in the years before and during the pandemic, but since 2022 there has been a significant rise. In 2023, high inflation contributed to increased living costs, forcing the government to raise benefit rates – in July, reference rates were increased by 10 percent.

Although in 2024 the number of beneficiaries and the amounts paid continued to rise, the growth rate was lower than in the previous year. The increase in the number of people was seven percentage points lower, and the increase in payments was 11 percentage points lower compared to the growth in 2023.