Norway

Country profile

Norway is a constitutional monarchy in Northern Europe, with a population of a little below five million. The country is governed by a central government, along with nineteen administrative counties and 430 municipalities. Norway has a universal and public healthcare system, which is highly centralized.

Norway is a highly developed welfare state with comprehensive welfare arrangements, and thus a high level of equality. Norway has the highest GDP per capita after Luxembourg, and was in 2009 through 2011 ranked highest on the Human development index. Although keeping strong relations to the EU, Norway is not a member.

Policy responses

Health inequalities are high on the agenda of the Norwegian government, who started to focus on the issue in 2003, when a White Paper on Public Health Policies was published that included a specific chapter on the issue. A second White Paper (National Strategy to Reduce Social Inequalities in Health), which was published in 2007, was the second big step in addressing health inequalities in Norway. The trigger for the policy response may have been a publication by Prof Mackenbach in the late 90s, which paved the way to start collecting data on inequality issues.

The current policy response appropriate to the situation, as the measures taken have a broad scope and are oriented on the social determinants of health and their distribution across society. There is high level of cross-governmental collaboration on reducing health inequalities, and a Cross- Sectoral Body was set up during the development of the three White Papers.

An overview of policy responses addressing health inequalities in can be found in our Policy Database.

Good practices

Key actors

Please find below an overview of key actors in Norway working on health inequality issues:

• Norwegian Directorate of Health

• Ministry of Health and Care Services

• The Norwegian Institute of Public Health

Are you aware of any other key actors that should be added to this list? 
Please let us know!

Key resources

Please find below an overview of relevant documents addressing health inequality issues in Norway. Further publications can be found in our Publications Database.

• Annual Report from the Directorate of Health on the efforts to reduce social inequalities in health.

• Norwegian Board of Health’ Proposition for new public health policy (2011) Results of public consultation.

• Norwegian Directorate of Health annual report on measures to reduce social inequalities in health This is the first report based on the cross-sectoral reporting system monitoring measures to reduce social inequalities on social determinants like income, work, education and social inclusion. The Reporting system is the main follow-up mechanism of the National strategy to reduce social inequalities in health.

• Health Promotion – achieving good health for all This is the Norwegian Directorate of Health annual report on challenges and trends in the health services. 

• Website dedicated to health inequalities by the FHI

• Sosial ulikhet i helse: en faktarapport - Social inequalities in health: a factual report (2007) 

Are you aware of any other key resources that should be added to this list?
Please let us know!