Where most people live in crowded homes

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

We compared share living in overcrowded homes 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 share living in overcrowded homes 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 «Share with upper secondary as highest education (16 and over)» most often rank low on share living in overcrowded homes (strong association, rank correlation −0.53 across 357 municipalities; Statistics Norway table 09429).
• Municipalities that rank high on «Detached houses, share of all dwellings» most often rank low on share living in overcrowded homes (moderate association, rank correlation −0.35 across 357 municipalities; Statistics Norway table 06265).
• Municipalities that rank high on «Share in households with persistent low income (EU60)» most often also rank high on share living in overcrowded homes (weak association, rank correlation 0.29 across 357 municipalities; NIPH indicator 403).
• Municipalities that rank high on «Job coverage (jobs per employed resident)» most often also rank high on share living in overcrowded homes (weak association, rank correlation 0.29 across 357 municipalities; Statistics Norway table 11618).

The highest and the lowest

• No. 1 Oslo (20.4%) Fits the pattern: «Share with upper secondary as highest education (16 and over)» 22.7% (no. 357 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 09429); «Detached houses, share of all dwellings» 7.9% (no. 357 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 06265); «Share in households with persistent low income (EU60)» 14.4% (no. 1 of 357 from the top; NIPH indicator 403). Most distinctive industry: tjenester tilknyttet informasjonsteknologi, 6% of the jobs, 2.6 times the national share (Statistics Norway table 13470, 2025).
• No. 2 Lørenskog (16.0%) Fits the pattern: «Detached houses, share of all dwellings» 23.8% (no. 355 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 06265); «Share with upper secondary as highest education (16 and over)» 32.8% (no. 343 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 09429); «Share in households with persistent low income (EU60)» 10.5% (no. 29 of 357 from the top; NIPH indicator 403). Most distinctive industry: post og distribusjonsvirksomhet, 6% of the jobs, 10.4 times the national share (Statistics Norway table 13470, 2025).
• No. 3 Ås (15.5%) Fits the pattern: «Share with upper secondary as highest education (16 and over)» 30.0% (no. 350 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 09429); «Detached houses, share of all dwellings» 41.1% (no. 341 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 06265); «Share in households with persistent low income (EU60)» 9.8% (no. 47 of 357 from the top; NIPH indicator 403). Most distinctive industry: forskning og utviklingsarbeid, 8% of the jobs, 12.3 times the national share (Statistics Norway table 13470, 2025).
• No. 357 Kvitsøy (1.6%, among the lowest) Fits the pattern: «Detached houses, share of all dwellings» 84.9% (no. 55 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 06265); «Share with upper secondary as highest education (16 and over)» 44.9% (no. 74 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 09429). Goes against the pattern: «Share in households with persistent low income (EU60)» 10.4% (no. 30 of 357 from the top; NIPH indicator 403). Most distinctive industry: spesialisert bygge- og anleggsvirksomhet, 40% of the jobs, 8.5 times the national share (Statistics Norway table 13470, 2025).
• No. 356 Bokn (1.8%, among the lowest) Fits the pattern: «Share with upper secondary as highest education (16 and over)» 49.0% (no. 10 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 09429); «Job coverage (jobs per employed resident)» 63.5% (no. 319 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 11618). Most distinctive industry: fiske, fangst og akvakultur, 18% of the jobs, 22.6 times the national share (Statistics Norway table 13470, 2025).
• No. 355 Åseral (2.8%, among the lowest) Fits the pattern: «Share with upper secondary as highest education (16 and over)» 51.8% (no. 1 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 09429); «Detached houses, share of all dwellings» 90.2% (no. 5 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 06265). Goes against the pattern: «Share in households with persistent low income (EU60)» 11.9% (no. 7 of 357 from the top; NIPH indicator 403). Most distinctive industry: jordbruk og tjenester tilknyttet jordbruk, jakt og viltstell, 33% of the jobs, 25.6 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.