Norway

Norway is a constitutional parliamentary monarchy of about 5.4 million inhabitants, bordering its Nordic neighbors Sweden and Finland, as well as Russia. Norway is rated as having the second highest Human Development Index (HDI) in the world, according to the most recent data published in 2023.[ref]https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/country-insights#/ranks[/ref]

Constitution and government Education and children’s rights Family, community, society, religious courts and tribunals Freedom of expression advocacy of humanist values
State-funding of religious institutions or salaries, or discriminatory tax exemptions
There is a nominal state church with few privileges or progress is being made toward disestablishment
Official symbolic deference to religion
State-funded schools provide religious education which may be nominally comprehensive but is substantively biased or borderline confessional
No religious tribunals of concern, secular groups operate freely, individuals are not persecuted by the state
No fundamental restrictions on freedom of expression or advocacy of humanist values
Constitution and government
State-funding of religious institutions or salaries, or discriminatory tax exemptions
There is a nominal state church with few privileges or progress is being made toward disestablishment
Official symbolic deference to religion
Education and children’s rights
State-funded schools provide religious education which may be nominally comprehensive but is substantively biased or borderline confessional
Family, community, society, religious courts and tribunals
No religious tribunals of concern, secular groups operate freely, individuals are not persecuted by the state
Freedom of expression advocacy of humanist values
No fundamental restrictions on freedom of expression or advocacy of humanist values
Use of Conscientious Objection clauses resulting in the denial of lawful services to women and LGBTI+ people
Religious or ideological instruction is mandatory in all or most state-funded schools with no secular or humanist alternative
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report

Countries: Kazakhstan

The state is secular, with separation of religious and political authorities, not discriminating against any religion or belief
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report
No fundamental restrictions on freedom of expression or advocacy of humanist values
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report

Countries: no countries relate to this boundary condition

No condition holds in this strand
No condition holds in this strand

Countries: Andorra

No condition holds in this strand
Religious courts or tribunals rule directly on some family or ‘moral’ matters; it is legally an opt-in system, but the possibility of social coercion is very clear
No condition holds in this strand

Countries: no countries relate to this boundary condition

Localised or infrequent but recurring and widespread social marginalisation or prejudice against the non-religious

This condition is unusual in that it is applied in cases where there is some social discrimination, but it is not pervasive or nationwide. This condition is applied when there is sufficient background evidence to warrant the assertion that discrimination is not anomalous but widespread, and this condition may be applied for example even where if there is no legislative discrimination or where the non-religious may have legal recourse against such discrimination. However, societal discrimination (i.e. discrimination by peers, as opposed to state or legal discrimination) is not easily measured, and for this reason the Report does not currently have similar more severe boundary conditions to capture higher levels of social discrimination per se. In principle these may be introduced in future. However, we consider that countries with actual higher levels of social discrimination against the non-religious will generally already meet other higher level (more severe) boundary conditions under this thematic strand.

Countries: Botswana, Greece, Serbia, United States of America

The dominant influence of religion in public life undermines the right to equality and/or non-discrimination

Applied when the influence of religion on public life undermines others’ rights, such as SRHR, women’s rights, LGBTI+ rights.

May be applied when the influence is overt (i.e. when religious laws are applied to undermine others’ rights) or covert (i.e. where religious pressure groups exert influence to affect policy)

Countries: Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brunei Darussalam, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Croatia, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Eswatini, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Liberia, Lithuania, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Mozambique, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Oman, Paraguay, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, Zambia

The non-religious are persecuted socially or there are prohibitive social taboos against atheism, humanism or secularism
Complete tyranny precludes all freedoms of expression and thought, religion or belief

Applied when overriding acts of oppression by the State are extreme, to the extent that the question of freedom of thought and expression is almost redundant, because all human rights and freedoms are quashed by authorities.

Countries: North Korea

Expression of core Humanist principles on democracy, freedom and human rights is brutally repressed
Expression of non-religious views is severely persecuted, or is rendered almost impossible by severe social stigma, or is highly likely to be met with hatred or violence
There is significant social marginalisation of the non-religious or stigma associated with expressing atheism, humanism or secularism
Religious or ideological indoctrination is utterly pervasive in schools
There is a nominal state church with few privileges or progress is being made toward disestablishment

Countries: Bulgaria, Norway, Peru, Rwanda

The non-religious are barred from some government offices (including posts reserved for particular religions or sects)
‘Apostasy’ is outlawed and punishable with a prison sentence

Countries: Bahrain, Comoros, Jordan, Kuwait

‘Apostasy’ or conversion from a specific religion is outlawed and punishable by death
Some religious courts rule in civil or family matters on a coercive or discriminatory basis
Religious authorities have supreme authority over the state

Countries: Iran

State legislation is partly derived from religious law or by religious authorities
Preferential treatment is given to a religion or religion in general

This condition is applied where there are miscellaneous indicators that organs of the state offer various forms of support for a religion, or to religion in general over non-religious worldviews, suggesting a preference for those beliefs, or that the organs of that religion are privileged.

Countries: Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Burundi, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Finland, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Montenegro, Mozambique, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Tunisia, Turkey, Tuvalu, United Kingdom, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zimbabwe

There is a pattern of impunity or collusion in violence by non-state actors against the nonreligious
State-funded schools provide religious education which may be nominally comprehensive but is substantively biased or borderline confessional
Religious or ideological instruction in a significant number of schools is of a coercive fundamentalist or extremist variety

This condition highlights countries where schools subject children to fundamentalist religious instruction with no real opportunity to question fundamentalist tenets, or where lessons routinely encourage hatred (for example religious or ethnic hatred). The wording “significant number of schools” is not given a rigid quantification (sometimes the worst-offending schools are unregistered, illegal, or otherwise uncounted); however the condition is not applied in cases where only a small number of schools meet the description and may be anomalous, as opposed to being indicative of a widespread problem.

Countries: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia

State legislation is largely or entirely derived from religious law or by religious authorities
Anomalous discrimination by local or provincial authorities, or overseas territories
Religious or ideological instruction is mandatory in at least some public schools (without secular or humanist alternatives)
‘Blasphemy’ or criticism of religion is outlawed and punishable by death
Government figures or state agencies openly marginalize, harass, or incite hatred or violence against the non-religious
Government authorities push a socially conservative, religiously or ideologically inspired agenda, without regard to the rights of those with progressive views
It is illegal to advocate secularism or church-state separation, or such advocacy is suppressed
Prohibitive interreligious social control (including interreligious marriage bans)
Quasi-divine veneration of a ruling elite is enforced, or a single-party regime holds uncontested power, subject to severe punishment
Legal or constitutional provisions exclude non-religious views from freedom of belief
It is illegal to register an explicitly Humanist, atheist, secularist or other non-religious NGO or other human rights organization, or such groups are persecuted by authorities
There is a religious tax or tithing which is compulsory, or which is state-administered and discriminates by precluding non-religious groups
The non-religious are barred from holding government office
Some concerns about children's right to specifically religious freedom

This condition may apply if specifically religious education, religious materials, or specific religious denominations are so tightly controlled that children are in fact over-protected from exposure to religion and are likely unable to explore or construct their own worldview in accordance with their evolving capacities. This condition helps us to classify states (perhaps with secular constitutions) which have criminalized specifically religious beliefs or practices. This condition is not applied if the restricted beliefs or practices are found to be outlawed due to their being of an extremist variety. While this condition does not directly reflect discrimination against non-religious persons or non-religious ideas, it does represent an overall threat to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief; such restrictions could spill over to affect non-religious beliefs later; and they pose a risk of backlash against over-zealous secular authorities or even against non-religious individuals by association.

Countries: China, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guyana, Italy, Kazakhstan, Laos, Madagascar, Mexico, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Tajikistan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Zimbabwe

It is illegal or unrecognised to identify as an atheist or as non-religious
It is made difficult to register or operate an explicitly Humanist, atheist, secularist or other non-religious NGO or other human rights organization
Legend
 
Systemic Discrimination
Mostly Satisfactory
Free and Equal
More information about rating table

Constitution and government

Freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression are protected by the Constitution of the Kingdom of Norway (Articles 16 and 100, respectively).[ref]https://lovdata.no/dokument/NLE/lov/1814-05-17?q=grunnloven[/ref] Successive amendments made between 2012-2014 assert the close relationship between Church and State, and adopt a human rights framework. Articles 2, 4 and 16 grant Christianity and the Church of Norway a privileged position:

Article 2 states: “Our values will remain our Christian and humanist heritage. This Constitution shall ensure democracy, a state based on the rule of law and human rights.”

Under Article 4 the monarch is required to at all times profess the Evangelical-Lutheran religion.”  Additionally, under Article 9, the monarch is required to invoke “God, the Almighty and Omniscient” in the oath of accession.

Article 16 of the Constitution prominently refers to Christianity, but affirms freedom of religion for all:

“All inhabitants of the realm shall have the right to free exercise of their religion. The Church of Norway, an Evangelical-Lutheran church, will remain the Established Church of Norway[ref]A more literal translation of the original Norwegian reads “the Norwegian Peoples’ Church” [/ref] and will as such be supported by the State. Detailed provisions as to its system will be laid down by law. All religious and belief communities should be supported on equal terms.”

In its concluding remarks to Norway’s periodic review – held in April 2018 – the UN Human Rights Committee raised concerns regarding the privileged position held by the Church of Norway (see more below) and made recommendations that the State include freedom of religion or belief in its chapter on human rights within the Constitution instead of under the section about the State and the monarchy.[ref]5th of April 2018 – CCPR/C/NOR/C=//, online: https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/treatybodyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=CCPR%2FC%2FNOR%2FCO%2F7&Lang=en[/ref]

Church of Norway

The process to separate Church and State in Norway remains ongoing. In 2012, the ties between the Church of Norway (CoN) and the state were partly dissolved. However, the Evangelical-Lutheran Church (Den norske kirke) is still conceived of as “the Established Church of Norway” (Norges Folkekirke), the Parliament continues to decide law that regulates even some internal matters of the CoN. This can both be seen as a restriction of the religious freedom of the CoN, as well as a privileged position towards other religious and life stance communities.

From January 2017, the CoN was given status as a legal entity and the clergy are no longer “state officials” but employed by the Church itself. However, funding for their salaries is still provided by the State.

Even though there is an ongoing process to separate State and Church on the national level, at the local level the situation remains partially unchanged. By law local municipalities are required to build and take care of church buildings, while there is no such obligation to provide other belief communities with facilities like assembly halls or venues for ceremonial activities.

While the Norwegian state supports the Evangelical-Lutheran Church financially, other groups (religious or secular) may also register with the government to receive financial support. The degree of financial support is provided to all groups in proportion to their formally registered membership. In practice, however, some of the government financial support is exclusively reserved for the CoN, as the Norwegian State continues to finance tasks that the State used to fund when the CoN was an official entity. In contrast to other belief communities, the CoN does not receive a reduction in funding if its numbers decline.

Under the new common law (effective from 2021) on the CoN and other faith and life stance communities, the CoN will be funded both from the State and the local municipalities, while the others will have their funding altogether from the State. This will make it hard to decide whether the requisition in the Constitution to treat all belief communities equally actually is met, as the funding per member is supposed to be equal.[ref]https://www.stortinget.no/no/Saker-og-publikasjoner/Saker/Sak/?p=76670[/ref]

In 2023, the government proposed to revise some parts of the law on faith and lifestance communities. According to HEF, minority religion or belief communities have raised concerns that the proposed changes could lead to an exacerbation of inequitable treatment between the CoN and their own communities. These communities also urged that changes not be made to the law – which entered into force in 2021 – until it has been operational for some time in order to better evaluate it. The proposed revisions are currently under consultation by Parliament.[ref]https://www.regjeringen.no/no/dokumenter/horing-endringer-i-trossamfunnsloven/id2989476/[/ref]

During the 42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council in 2019, the Norwegian Humanist Association’s Senior International Adviser pointed out that while progress has been made in the past few years, Norway still faces problems pertaining to the constitutional protection of freedom of religion or belief in Norway. Articles 2, 4 and 16 of the Constitution emphasize the State’s Christian values, demand that the king shall adhere to the Lutheran faith and places the Church of Norway in a privileged position. She further commented that the Norwegian Humanist Association was worried that “these provisions send a signal of exclusion, and may lead to discrimination,” and thus called for “the government of Norway to amend these articles and to include the right to freedom of religion or belief into the human rights chapter of the Constitution, to bring it in line with international and European human rights law.”[ref]humanists.international/2019/10/humanists-call-on-norway-to-make-constitution-more-inclusive/[/ref] These concerns have been echoed by other national human rights groups.

Although the Constitution states that support shall be given on equal terms, the state still seems to interpret this as if approximate equal treatment is sufficient. Parliament has since rejected requests to amend this.

Education and children’s rights

According to the Norwegian Humanist Association, a majority of state schools take pupils to participate in church services before Christmas, and some also do this throughout the year, like at Easter. Even though it is not mandatory for the pupils to take part, a lack of information on exemption, peer pressure and the absence of good alternatives results in some students participating against their will.

From Autumn 2024, religious activities and/or preaching will no longer be permitted in primary and secondary schools.[ref]https://www.stortinget.no/globalassets/pdf/lovvedtak/2022-2023/vedtak-202223-089.pdf#page=14[/ref] The Norwegian Humanist Association reports that there are currently no guidelines to help school administrators implement the changes.

In 2016, proposals brought by the Educational Directory for the State to adopt an opt-in system in relation to religious education were rejected following resistance from some headmasters, local politicians and the Christian Democratic Party. As such, students are required to opt-out of religious education classes.

Under the center-right coalition government that led the country from 2013 to 2021, there was increased debate on immigration, integration and national identity; this also influenced the debate around religious education in schools and requirements to convey the Christian cultural heritage to all pupils. Currently rules stipulate that pupils cannot be involved in religious activities within religious education classes, but the school and church can invite pupils to participate in church services and other religious activities; in this context it is formally not considered to be religious instruction, but a way of conveying cultural heritage.[ref]https://lovdata.no/dokument/NL/lov/1998-07-17-61/KAPITTEL_2#%C2%A72-4; https://www.udir.no/lk20/overordnet-del/opplaringens-verdigrunnlag/1.2-identitet-og-kulturelt-mangfold/?lang=eng[/ref]

As of the autumn 2020 an entirely new and better balanced curriculum was introduced in the school system, including religious education. There are fewer competence aims in total in the new curriculum, and the competence aims are generally less detailed than before. Still, Christianity is given privilege, and mentioned specifically, while other religions and life stances are mostly referred to more generally. It is too early to say if the new curriculum changes the education in the classrooms, as many of the textbooks used remain the same.[ref]https://www.udir.no/lk20/rle01-03[/ref]

Family, community and society

While the majority of the population remain nominally affiliated with the Church of Norway (63.7% as of 31 December 2022), the most recent figures from Statistics Norway describe a steady decline in number of Church baptisms, confirmations and membership.

The fastest growing group is in fact the “nones”, those that don’t affiliate with any faith community. According to 2022 statistics, they comprise about 22% of the population, more than the members of all other belief communities outside the CoN.[ref]https://www.ssb.no/kirke_kostra[/ref]

In reality, polls over recent years have consistently shown Norway to be among the least religious countries in the world, as measured by a relatively small percentage of the population believing in a personal god, a low percentage describing themselves as religious, and very low rates for regular church attendance. For a large percentage of Church members, church affiliation is of a nominal (“cultural”) rather than of a religious nature.[ref]fritanke.no/andelen-som-ikke-tror-pa-gud-oker-sterkt-gudstroen-svekkes/19.10773[/ref]

The Church of Norway is adjusting quite well to this phenomenon, eagerly embracing the very Nordic/Scandinavian concept of the “Peoples’ churches”; where the focus is not so much on belief or god left in that church, but by the church prioritizing the use of their buildings all over the country for ceremonies and cultural activities instead of religious activities as their main task. This “cultivation of religion” is strongly supported by many politicians and political parties.

Freedom of expression, advocacy of humanist values

Freedom of expression is guaranteed in the constitution and generally upheld in practice. The state provides support for civil society actors, political parties, NGOs and promotes the free press.

The largest non-religious organization is the Norwegian Humanist Association, Human-Etisk Forbund (HEF) with 148,000 members, as of October 2023 (HEF is a Member of the Humanists International). In principle non-religious groups, including humanist organizations, are treated on equal footing with religious groups.

‘Blasphemy’ abolished

In 2015, Norway formally abolished its remaining ‘blasphemy’ law (formerly under section 142 of the Penal Code, banning public expression of “contempt” for religions recognized by the State). There had been no successful prosecutions under the law for many decades, though there had been threats in relation to the republication of the Jyllands-Posten cartoons as recently as 2006. In 2020 some Muslim groups have proclaimed the need for a ban on burning the Quran, after a right-wing group hostile towards Muslims, SIAN, arranged several burnings the previous year.

In 2023, no leading political party supported the Danish government’s decision to prohibit the burning of sacred texts, suggesting that it is unlikely that a ‘blasphemy’ law would return to the country in the near future.