The report is divided into three chapters.
Chapter 1 is about population. The main source is the SSB publication Population of Svalbard.
The total population on Svalbard is increasing, and the entire increase since 2016 is due to more people of working age living in Longyearbyen.
The share of the population in Longyearbyen and Ny-Ålesund with Norwegian citizenship fell from 85 per cent in 2009 to 63 per cent in 2023. The average length of stay for Norwegian citizens was 7.4 years in 2022, while the median length of stay was 3.6 years. Especially the latter has fallen in recent years. The proportion of women in Longyearbyen and Ny-Ålesund has increased for years, and in the second half of 2023 it was 47 per cent, the highest ever.
Chapter 2 is about economic conditions on Svalbard. The main sources are Industry statistics for Svalbard and Public sector on Svalbard. Tax statistics, wage statistics, structural statistics and regional accounts are other important SSB sources.
The tax system on Svalbard is very different from mainland Norway. It is described in chapter 2.
The public sector – including state-owned companies such as Store Norske – is still an important employer on Svalbard. Approximately 50 per cent of those employed work in the private sector, compared to 65 per cent on the mainland. The mining operation at Store Norske has a much less dominant role in business life in Longyearbyen than before. The proportion of employees in mining operations fell from 19.5 per cent in 2008 to 3.2 per cent in 2022, amounting to 330 employees no longer working in the industry.
The total number of employees on Svalbard has nevertheless increased during the period. Accommodation and catering employed the most people in 2022.
The industry of transport and storage has increased its sales (turnover) the most, by 380 per cent since 2015. The proportion of turnover on Svalbard that comes from sales to local people or businesses has been increasing for a long time but fell back in 2022. Employment on Svalbard has increased more than hours worked. This is because the proportion of people working part-time has increased.
Chapter 3 is about living conditions. The most important sources in this chapter are not special Svalbard statistics, but statistics that are produced for all counties/municipalities, and where Svalbard/Longyearbyen is included.
Those who live in Longyearbyen have relatively good health and finances. Sick leave is much lower than on the mainland. There has been greater equality between women's and men's financial situation. The number of dwellings per inhabitant changed little from 2015 to 2022. There is relatively little crime in Longyearbyen. The students at the school seem to be doing just as well as anywhere else. On the whole, living conditions in Longyearbyen seem to be somewhat above average for a Norwegian local community, although there is of course great variation between groups. The conclusion is given with the reservation that the data material is limited.
For a small community, there is a lot of good and up-to-date statistics about Svalbard, although there used to be even more. In general, data availability and quality for Longyearbyen is better than for the rest of Svalbard. The numerical material for Barentsburg is limited. Apart from population statistics, there are few figures for Hornsund and Ny-Ålesund.