Highest and lowest municipal debt

Analysis: why are some at the top and others at the bottom?

We compared net loan debt as a share of operating income with every other municipal figure we have, from Statistics Norway, NIPH and the Brønnøysund Register Centre. Below are the figures that go most closely together with net loan debt as a share of operating income across the country, and what marks the municipalities at the top and bottom on those figures.

The pattern across the country

• Municipalities that rank high on «Unrestricted reserves, share of operating revenue» most often rank low on net loan debt as a share of operating income (moderate association, rank correlation −0.35 across 357 municipalities; Statistics Norway table 12143).
• Municipalities that rank high on «Net operating expenditure per inhabitant» most often rank low on net loan debt as a share of operating income (moderate association, rank correlation −0.33 across 357 municipalities; Statistics Norway table 12137).
• Municipalities that rank high on «Share with upper secondary as highest education (16 and over)» most often rank low on net loan debt as a share of operating income (moderate association, rank correlation −0.32 across 357 municipalities; Statistics Norway table 09429).
• Municipalities that rank high on «Net operating result, share of operating revenue (municipal group)» most often rank low on net loan debt as a share of operating income (moderate association, rank correlation −0.32 across 357 municipalities; Statistics Norway table 12143).

The highest and the lowest

• No. 1 Båtsfjord (208.7%) Fits the pattern: «Unrestricted reserves, share of operating revenue» 0.2% (no. 343 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 12143); «Share with upper secondary as highest education (16 and over)» 35.8% (no. 316 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 09429). Most distinctive industry: fiske, fangst og akvakultur, 14% of the jobs, 17.8 times the national share (Statistics Norway table 13470, 2025).
• No. 2 Dyrøy (180.9%) Fits the pattern: «Net operating result, share of operating revenue (municipal group)» −5.5% (no. 343 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 12143); «Unrestricted reserves, share of operating revenue» 3.3% (no. 273 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 12143). Goes against the pattern: «Net operating expenditure per inhabitant» 124,907 kr (no. 56 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 12137). Most distinctive industry: produksjon av elektrisk utstyr, 7% of the jobs, 21.8 times the national share (Statistics Norway table 13470, 2025).
• No. 3 Karasjok (177.9%) Fits the pattern: «Share with upper secondary as highest education (16 and over)» 31.5% (no. 345 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 09429); «Unrestricted reserves, share of operating revenue» 0.2% (no. 343 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 12143); «Net operating result, share of operating revenue (municipal group)» −2.6% (no. 317 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 12143). Most distinctive industry: radio- og fjernsynskringkasting, 7% of the jobs, 36.2 times the national share (Statistics Norway table 13470, 2025).
• No. 357 Bykle (13.5%, among the lowest) Fits the pattern: «Net operating expenditure per inhabitant» 180,054 kr (no. 4 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 12137); «Net operating result, share of operating revenue (municipal group)» 10.3% (no. 7 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 12143); «Unrestricted reserves, share of operating revenue» 50.4% (no. 8 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 12143). Most distinctive industry: overnattingsvirksomhet, 7% of the jobs, 6.9 times the national share (Statistics Norway table 13470, 2025).
• No. 356 Lurøy (16.0%, among the lowest) Fits the pattern: «Unrestricted reserves, share of operating revenue» 62.8% (no. 4 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 12143); «Net operating result, share of operating revenue (municipal group)» 13.8% (no. 5 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 12143); «Net operating expenditure per inhabitant» 139,534 kr (no. 28 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 12137). Most distinctive industry: fiske, fangst og akvakultur, 28% of the jobs, 35.1 times the national share (Statistics Norway table 13470, 2025).
• No. 355 Fyresdal (16.3%, among the lowest) Fits the pattern: «Net operating result, share of operating revenue (municipal group)» 6.8% (no. 20 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 12143); «Share with upper secondary as highest education (16 and over)» 45.3% (no. 64 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 09429); «Net operating expenditure per inhabitant» 120,582 kr (no. 68 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 12137). Most distinctive industry: produksjon av drikkevarer, 6% of the jobs, 49.4 times the national share (Statistics Norway table 13470, 2025).

The analysis describes what goes together, not what causes what. Two figures can follow each other because both depend on something else, such as size, location or industry. The figures are from the latest year available for each source, so the years can differ. Rank correlation runs from −1 to 1; values near 1 mean the municipalities lie in roughly the same order on both measures.