Portuguese in Norway

Norwegian Portuguese
Luso-noruegueses (Portuguese)
portugisiske nordmenn (Norwegian)
Norway Portugal
Total population
4,524 to 9,000 [1]
0.08%-0.16% of the Norwegian population
Regions with significant populations
Oslo[2]
Languages
Norwegian, Portuguese
Religion
Predominantly Christianity (Roman Catholicism), Irreligion
Related ethnic groups
Other Portuguese people, Portuguese in Denmark, Portuguese in Finland, Portuguese in Iceland, Portuguese in Sweden

Portuguese in Norway (Norwegian: portugisiske nordmenn) are citizens and residents of Norway and its external territories who are of Portuguese descent.

Portuguese map from the 16th century depicting Norway. National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London

Portuguese in Norway (also known as Portuguese Norwegians/ Norwegian-Portuguese Community or, in Portuguese, known as Portugueses na Noruega / Comunidade portuguesa na Noruega / Luso-noruegueses) are the citizens or residents of Norway whose ethnic origins lie in Portugal.

Portuguese Norwegians are Portuguese-born citizens with a Norwegian citizenship or Norwegian-born citizens of Portuguese ancestry or citizenship.

Demographics

According to official Portuguese estimates, 9,000 Portuguese people live in Norway as of 2020. On the other hand, according to official Norwegian estimates, there were 4,524 Portuguese in Norway in 2023. The discrepancy in numbers could be due to the fact that many Portuguese hold multiple citizenship, for instance, they are Portuguese-Brazilians or Luso-Indians.[3][4] They thus represent between 0.08% and 0.16% of the country's population.[5]

New Year card from Portugal dating from 1896. National Archives of Norway (Riksarkivet)

History

Map showing the location of the two countries within Europe

The Portuguese community in Norway has experienced considerable growth, especially after Brexit. Portuguese emigrants are in fact leaving the United Kingdom for Nordic countries: most of them are highly qualified and aged between 20 and 40, looking for better quality of life and economic stability.[6]

Many Portuguese are opting for Norway especially after 2009, even though integration is often difficult because of cultural differences, language requirements and lack of job opportunities. Most Portuguese leaving for Norway are highly educated.[7][8][9][10][11]

The two countries enjoy friendly relationships and mutual trust, witnessing increasing trade as well.[12]

Footballers

Portuguese embassy in Oslo

In recent years many Portuguese international footballers have moved to Norway to play for Norwegian clubs: in 2023 these included Nelsinho Correira (Elverum), Jorge Vieira (Fram), Rafael Veloso (Gjøvik-Lyn), Bernardo Morgado (IL Hødd), Cláudio Braga (Moss), Samuel Pedro (FK Jerv).[13][14][15][16]

Remittances

Signing of the Norema Agreements by the Portuguese State Secretary and the Norwegian Ambassador in Lisbon in 1981

The Portuguese community in Norway retains strong ties with its homeland and, between 2000 and 2021, it has sent approximately 78.43 million euros (€) to Portugal in remittances. In the same timeframe, Norwegians in Portugal (numbering around 1,100 individuals)[17] have sent approximately €11.21 million to Norway.[18]

Portuguese language

Portuguese group Oquestrada. From the Nobel Peace Prize Concert 2012, in Oslo

As of today, the Portuguese are part of a wider Portuguese-speaking community in Norway, comprising around 1,600 people from PALOP countries (the majority being from Angola and Cape Verde), Timor-Leste or Macau and around 11,060 Brazilians.[19][20][21][22]

People from CPLP countries thus number around 25,300 people, accounting for 0.45% of the population of Norway.

The immigrant community of people coming from CPLP countries in Norway is the second largest found amongst the Nordic countries: in Finland there are a little more than 5,000 CPLP nationals (0.09% of the country's population),[23][24] in Denmark there are around 11,000 CPLP nationals (0.19% of the country's population)[25][26][27] while in Iceland there are around 2,000 CPLP nationals (0.52% of the country's population),[28][29][30][31][32] and in Sweden 26,700 (0.25% of the population).[33][34][29][35]

Notable people

Further information: Category:Norwegian people of Portuguese descent

See also

References

  1. ^ "Portugisere i Norge".
  2. ^ "KommuneProfilen" (in Norwegian).
  3. ^ Pisco, Paulo (13 March 2020). "Os portugueses na Noruega". BOM DIA (in Portuguese). Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  4. ^ "Brexit: Fewer Goans giving up passports for Portugal entry". The Times of India. 21 April 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  5. ^ "Portugisere i Norge"."Population figures".
  6. ^ Ferreira, Marta Leite (28 June 2023). "Novos emigrantes portugueses trocam o Reino Unido pelos países nórdicos: "Parece uma redistribuição", diz Observatório". PÚBLICO (in Portuguese). Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  7. ^ "Emigrantes portugueses optam cada vez mais por países nórdicos e do Benelux". Dinheiro Vivo (in European Portuguese). 11 January 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  8. ^ DIA, BOM (22 March 2022). "Quase 600 portugueses escolheram a Noruega em 2021". BOM DIA (in Portuguese). Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  9. ^ "Países nórdicos estão a atrair mais portugueses". Jornal Expresso (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  10. ^ "Isto não é um mar de rosas". Jornal Expresso (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  11. ^ Gomes, Filipe Morato (28 July 2013). "Longyearbyen por quem lá vive: Nuno Cruz". Alma de Viajante (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  12. ^ "Croatia". Diplomatic Portal. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  13. ^ "Nelsinho". Elverum Fotball (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  14. ^ "292 portugueses jogam em 45 países diferentes. Wall Street Journal enaltece academias de futebol em Portugal (Desporto )". A Bola (in Portuguese). Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  15. ^ "Kjetil Holand Tøsse og Bernardo Morgado klar for Hødd". Hødd (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  16. ^ "Cláudio Rafael Soares Braga". Moss FK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  17. ^ "Sefstat" (PDF).
  18. ^ "Observatório da Emigração". observatorioemigracao.pt (in Portuguese). Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  19. ^ "Immigrants in Norway".
  20. ^ Pisco, Paulo (13 March 2020). "Os portugueses na Noruega". BOM DIA (in Portuguese). Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  21. ^ "Statistics Norway". SSB. 19 July 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  22. ^ "Brasileiros no exterior" (PDF).
  23. ^ "Finnish citizens with dual nationality by Second nationality, Year, Sex, Age and Information". PxWeb. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  24. ^ "Population 31.12. by Region, Nationality, Age, Sex, Year and Information". PxWeb. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  25. ^ "Population figures". www.dst.dk. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  26. ^ "Statistikbanken". www.statbank.dk. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  27. ^ "Dinamarca". Portal Diplomático (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  28. ^ "Population by country of birth, sex and age 1 January 1998–2022". PxWeb. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  29. ^ a b "Brasileiros no exterior" (PDF).
  30. ^ "Observatório da Emigração". observatorioemigracao.pt (in Portuguese). Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  31. ^ "Foreign citizens gaining Icelandic citizenship by former citizenship, sex and age 1991–2021". PxWeb. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  32. ^ "Statistics Iceland: Overview". Statistics Iceland. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  33. ^ "Population by country of birth, age and sex. Year 2000 – 2022". Statistikdatabasen. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  34. ^ "Statistics Sweden". Statistiska Centralbyrån. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  35. ^ "Observatório da Emigração". observatorioemigracao.pt (in Portuguese). Retrieved 23 July 2023.