Largest Cities and Communes by Population in Norway (2026)

70 cities and communes in Norway with 20,000 or more inhabitants, ranked by population estimates for January 1, 2026 (by Statistics Norway).

Rank	City or Commune	Population
1	Oslo	728,714
2	Bergen	294,860
3	Trondheim	218,460
4	Stavanger	151,669
5	Bærum	133,228
6	Kristiansand	119,287
7	Drammenincl. Nedre Eiker	106,013
8	Askerincl. Røyken	101,509
9	Lillestrøm	96,771
10	Fredrikstad	86,243
11	Sandnes	85,785
12	Tromsø	79,943
13	Sandefjord	67,062
14	Nordre Folloincl. Ski, Oppegård	65,381
15	Sarpsborg	60,614
16	Tønsberg	60,246
17	Ålesund	59,663
18	Skien	56,906
19	Bodø	53,638
20	Moss	53,207
21	Lørenskog	51,511
22	Larvik	49,022
23	Indre Østfoldincl. Askim	47,943
24	Arendal	46,603
25	Ullensakerincl. Jessheim	45,982
26	Karmøyincl. Åkrehamn	43,990
27	Øygardenincl. Fjell, Sund	40,641
28	Haugesund	38,663
29	Porsgrunn	37,435
30	Ringsaker	36,199
31	Hamar	33,817
32	Molde	33,291
33	Halden	32,082
34	Ringerikeincl. Hønefoss	31,942
35	Gjøvik	31,350
36	Askøy	30,600
37	Alverincl. Knarvik	30,285
38	Lillehammer	29,669
39	Sola	29,541
40	Kongsberg	29,169
41	Lier	28,797
42	Eidsvoll	28,739
43	Horten	28,173
44	Færderincl. Nøtterøy, Tjøme	27,743
45	Holmestrand	27,086
46	Bjørnafjordenincl. Osøyro	26,753
47	Nittedal	26,032
48	Ranaincl. Mo i Rana	25,844
49	Grimstad	25,569
50	Harstad	25,204
51	Stjørdalincl. Stjørdalshalsen	25,108
52	Nes	24,948
53	Kristiansund	24,479
54	Steinkjer	24,007
55	Lindesnesincl. Mandal	23,702
56	Sunnfjordincl. Førde	22,804
57	Ås	22,725
58	Alta	22,074
59	Elverum	21,937
60	Stange	21,839
61	Narvik	21,647
62	Klepp	21,444
63	Nesoddenincl. Nesoddtangen	21,005
64	Øvre Eiker	20,965
65	Rælingen	20,904
66	Levanger	20,807
67	Time	20,461
68	Vestby	20,167
69	Hå	20,087
70	Vadsø	5,808

Source: Statistics Norway (2026 estimate), via City Population by Thomas Brinkhoff.

Why don't these match official city populations?Official figures typically count only the population within administrative boundaries. UN urban area figures cover the entire built-up area, which can include multiple cities and towns.Show moreShow less

Tokyo

33,338,852

Urban area

9,953,160

23 wards

Essen

2,709,375

Urban area

573,618

City of Essen

Ankara

3,630,865

Urban area

5,186,002

Metropolitan municipality

What counts as an urban area? The UN uses satellite imagery to map built-up land, and treats each continuous stretch of built-up land as an urban area. This means that urban areas can extend beyond official city boundaries, and may include multiple cities and towns within a single urban area.

Can an urban area be smaller than its city? Yes. While most cities have urban areas larger than their administrative boundaries, some cities have extensive administrative limits that include sparsely populated areas.

9 urban areas in Norway with 50,000 or more inhabitants, ranked by the UN's population estimates for 2026.

Rank	Urban Area	Population Estimate (2026)	Yearly Change	Land Area (km²)	Density (P/km²)	World Rank	Projections (2030)	Projections (2050)
1	Oslo	878,052	+0.35%	250	3,515	599	890,295	960,481
2	Stavanger	208,375	+0.79%	85	2,440	2,901	214,972	232,332
3	Trondheim	141,931	+0.08%	57	2,490	4,338	142,379	142,524
4	Bergen	135,629	+0.25%	48	2,826	4,545	136,974	143,619
5	Drammen	54,359	+0.34%	19	2,861	11,454	55,091	56,639
6	Fredrikstad	54,138	+0.89%	22	2,417	11,511	56,061	57,474
7	Tromsø	54,129	−0.21%	31	1,746	11,513	53,676	–
8	Lagunen	53,937	+4.15%	23	2,345	11,548	62,899	65,653
9	Kristiansand	51,922	+1.14%	26	1,982	11,912	54,282	60,848

Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025). World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision, Online Edition.

Data topics

Reference

Tools

Largest Cities and Communes by Population in Norway (2026)

See also