Language:NO / EN
Statistics

Highest and lowest municipal debt

The municipality's net loan debt compared with its annual operating income.

Båtsfjord has the highest net loan debt as a share of operating income of Norway's municipalities at 208.7% (2025). The lowest is Bykle at 13.5%. Source: SSB (KOSTRA), table 12143, processed by Morning Analytics 3 November 2026.

Download the table (CSV) Sharing image (PNG)

208.7%Highest: Båtsfjord
84.9%Median of the municipalities
13.5%Lowest: Bykle

The picture in figures

The bars show the ten highest and the ten lowest of 357 municipalities. The dashed line is the median of all municipalities.

Highest 10
BåtsfjordBåtsfjord208.7%DyrøyDyrøy180.9%KarasjokKarasjok177.9%HitraHitra173.9%HammerfestHammerfest167.4%BerlevågBerlevåg149.7%LørenskogLørenskog149.1%HjartdalHjartdal146.6%HarstadHarstad143.3%HareidHareid140.1%
Lowest 10
BykleBykle13.5%LurøyLurøy16.0%FyresdalFyresdal16.3%MasfjordenMasfjorden28.5%FedjeFedje29.3%IvelandIveland34.6%ModalenModalen36.4%ÅlÅl37.0%SandefjordSandefjord37.4%ÅseralÅseral38.5%
How 357 municipalities spread
13.5% – 29.8%: 529.8% – 46.0%: 946.0% – 62.3%: 4162.3% – 78.6%: 8878.6% – 94.8%: 8694.8% – 111.1%: 72111.1% – 127.4%: 33127.4% – 143.6%: 15143.6% – 159.9%: 3159.9% – 176.2%: 2176.2% – 192.4%: 2192.4% – 208.7%: 113.5%208.7%net loan debt as a share of operating income →

Each bar is the number of municipalities in a range of values. The dashed line is the median. Hover over a bar to see the range.

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.

What explains the placing?

  • 1. Båtsfjord 208.7% Small municipality (2,104 inhabitants): one company or a few people can move the figure a lot. 146% above the median of the municipalities.
  • 2. Dyrøy 180.9% Small municipality (1,077 inhabitants): one company or a few people can move the figure a lot. 113% above the median of the municipalities.
  • 3. Karasjok 177.9% Small municipality (2,524 inhabitants): one company or a few people can move the figure a lot. 110% above the median of the municipalities.
  • 355. Fyresdal 16.3% Small municipality (1,274 inhabitants): one company or a few people can move the figure a lot. 81% below the median of the municipalities.
  • 356. Lurøy 16.0% Small municipality (1,953 inhabitants): one company or a few people can move the figure a lot. 81% below the median of the municipalities.
  • 357. Bykle 13.5% Small municipality (1,057 inhabitants): one company or a few people can move the figure a lot. 84% below the median of the municipalities.
#Municipality County Inhabitants net loan debt as a share of operating income
101 Folldalsmall municipality Innlandet 1,525 99.3%
102 Kåfjordsmall municipality Troms 1,939 99.3%
103 Alstahaug Nordland 7,489 99.1%
104 Andøysmall municipality Nordland 4,525 99.1%
105 Gloppen Vestland 5,976 99.0%
106 Midtre Gauldal Trøndelag 6,088 98.9%
107 Nærøysund Trøndelag 9,920 98.5%
108 Kragerø Telemark 10,378 98.4%
109 Lomsmall municipality Innlandet 2,239 98.0%
110 Eidsvoll Akershus 28,739 97.9%
111 Birkenes Agder 5,447 97.8%
112 Rauma Møre og Romsdal 7,195 97.6%
113 Ringerike Buskerud 31,942 97.4%
114 Orkland Trøndelag 18,840 97.1%
115 Sør-Varanger Finnmark 9,947 97.0%
116 Nordreisasmall municipality Troms 4,863 96.9%
117 Averøy Møre og Romsdal 6,007 96.6%
118 Heim Trøndelag 6,075 96.6%
119 Smølasmall municipality Møre og Romsdal 2,141 96.4%
120 Ås Akershus 22,725 96.4%
121 Vardøsmall municipality Finnmark 1,969 96.4%
122 Asker Akershus 101,509 96.3%
123 Lunner Akershus 9,463 96.3%
124 Holtålensmall municipality Trøndelag 2,037 96.2%
125 Stange Innlandet 21,839 96.0%
126 Kvinnherad Vestland 13,236 95.9%
127 Stor-Elvdalsmall municipality Innlandet 2,239 95.2%
128 Herøy (Nordland)small municipality Nordland 1,874 95.0%
129 Sortland Nordland 10,748 94.3%
130 Bodø Nordland 53,638 94.2%
131 Randaberg Rogaland 11,841 93.4%
132 Kautokeinosmall municipality Finnmark 2,886 93.2%
133 Grongsmall municipality Trøndelag 2,292 93.1%
134 Porsgrunn Telemark 37,435 92.9%
135 Vestvågøy Nordland 11,606 92.6%
136 Tvedestrand Agder 6,430 92.4%
137 Storfjordsmall municipality Troms 1,848 92.4%
138 Lier Buskerud 28,797 92.1%
139 Rennebusmall municipality Trøndelag 2,514 92.1%
140 Stad Vestland 9,616 92.0%
141 Stjørdal Trøndelag 25,108 91.9%
142 Tjeldsundsmall municipality Troms 4,144 91.7%
143 Hyllestadsmall municipality Vestland 1,275 91.5%
144 Ringebusmall municipality Innlandet 4,497 91.4%
145 Larvik Vestfold 49,022 90.7%
146 Øystre Slidresmall municipality Innlandet 3,347 90.6%
147 Indre Østfold Østfold 47,943 90.4%
148 Loppasmall municipality Finnmark 846 90.4%
149 Trondheim Trøndelag 218,460 90.3%
150 Gjøvik Innlandet 31,350 90.2%