Norway | HCRW

Norway regularly reports hate crime data to ODIHR. In 2021, the Norway Police established a National Expertise Group on Hate Crime. The Group is part of the Oslo Police District and is a reinforcement of the Oslo Police District's Hate Crime Unit. The mandate of the Group is to build the capacities of the regional police districts through training and guidance and, if necessary, to provide assistance in specific cases.

The Attorney General's Annual Circular, which sets out goals and priorities for the year for police and prosecution services, has included hate crime as a priority area for over 20 years. This means that hate crime cases, whatever the severity, are given priority and cannot be dismissed due to capacity or other reasons within police districts.

SELECT YEAR

Download the 2023 hate crime report for Norway

OFFICIAL DATA REPORTED BY STATES

Year	Hate crimes recorded by police	Prosecuted	Sentenced
2023	1,090	310	250
2022	923	263	203
2021	959	54	17
2020	744	804	67
2019	761	70	37
2018	624	60	37
2017	549	Not available	Not available
2016	466	Not available	Not available
2015	347	Not available	Not available
2014	223	Not available	Not available
2013	238	Not available	Not available
2012	216	Not available	Not available
2011	218	Not available	Not available
2010	307	Not available	Not available
2009	236	Not available	Not available

About 2023 Data

The figures presented above include incidents of hate speech and discrimination, which fall outside the OSCE's definition of hate crime.

Hate crime recorded by police

The breakdown below excludes the offences of discrimination, harassing conduct and hate speech, which fall outside the OSCE's hate crime definition.

By bias motivation
By type of crime

Download official data

National developments

In 2023, Norway introduced a new Action Plan on Gender and Sexuality diversity. The Action Plan is a continuation of the Action Plan against Discrimination based on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression, 2021-2023. In 2023, the following Action Plans continued to be implemented:

Action Plan against Antisemitism, 2021-2023;
Action Plan against Racism and Discrimination based on Ethnicity and Religion, 2020-2023;
Action Plan against Discrimination and Hatred towards Muslims, 2020-2023; and
Action Plan against Racism and Discrimination based on Ethnicity and Religion, 2020-2023.

In a notable case, a man with a cognitive disability was struck in the face by a 15-year-old boy, causing him to fall and hit his head on the ground. This resulted in significant injuries, including multiple facial and skull fractures and a brain hemorrhage. The court concluded that the defendant was aware of the victim's disability, and also that the attack was at least partially motivated by his disability. This was the first verdict involving a disability motive in Norway. In August 2023, the court convicted the perpetrator of the charges and sentenced him to three years of juvenile punishment. He was also ordered to pay a total of 1,400,000 Norwegian kroner to the victim.

KEY OBSERVATION

ODIHR recognizes Norway's efforts to introduce strategic policy frameworks to address discrimination and the hate crime victimization of selected communities. However, based on the available information, it observes that Norway's hate crime recording and statistics do not sufficiently distinguish hate crimes from other crimes. In addition, ODIHR observes that Norway would benefit from ensuring that hate crimes are addressed in a comprehensive manner, including by introducing an inter-agency co-ordination mechanism.

ODIHR recalls that in Ministerial Council Decision 9/09, OSCE participating States agreed to a common definition of hate crime and committed to collecting reliable data and statistics on hate crimes. To that end, hate crimes need to be distinguished throughout the recording and data collection process from discrimination and other crimes. In Ministerial Council Decisions 9/09 and 13/06, participating States also committed to ensuring a comprehensive approach to hate crimes. The authorities are therefore required to co-ordinate among themselves while collaborating closely with civil society.

ODIHR stands ready to support Norway in meeting its relevant commitments through the provision of comprehensive resources and tailored assistance in the area of hate crime recording and data collection, as well as by providing further resources in the area of addressing hate crimes comprehensively.

Our methodology

🛈 Please note that the total number of incidents may be lower than the sum of incidents presented in the breakdown chart above, as some incidents involve multiple bias motivations.

🛈 ODIHR no longer presents descriptions of property attacks in the incident tables below. Data on property attacks are presented in the breakdown charts above. One property attack may target multiple properties or involve multiple types of attack.

🛈 Please note that the total number of incidents may be lower than the sum of incidents presented in the breakdown chart above, as some incidents involve multiple bias motivations.

Racist and xenophobic hate crime

Date	Type of incident	Source	Description
2023-09	Violent attacks against people	Norwegian Centre against Racism	Show info
2023-07	Violent attacks against people	Norwegian Centre against Racism	Show info
2023-10	Violent attacks against people	Norwegian Centre against Racism	Show info
2023-05	Violent attacks against people	Norwegian Centre against Racism	Show info

Anti-Christian hate crime

Date	Type of incident	Source	Description
2023-10	Threats/Harassment	Jehovah's Witnesses	Show info
2023-04	Threats/Harassment	Jehovah's Witnesses	Show info
2023-05	Threats/Harassment	Jehovah's Witnesses	Show info
2023-10	Threats/Harassment	Jehovah's Witnesses	Show info
2023-03	Threats/Harassment	Jehovah's Witnesses	Show info

Disability hate crime

Date	Type of incident	Source	Description
2023-08	Violent attacks against people	Stop Discrimination	Show info

INTERNATIONAL REPORTS

No information is available.