120 000 Norwegians receive welfare payments, an increase of 6000 from the year before.

The number of welfare recipients and welfare expenses has increased significantly in the past year, after several years on a decline. Norwegian municipalities spent NOK 5.1 billion on social welfare in 2013, more than NOK 600 million more than in 2012. 

Nationally, payments increased by 13.8 percent according to a recent report by Statistics Norway. 

The municipalities have reported the figures directly to Statistics Norway, and the information clearly shows that more and more people receive welfare payments, and an increasing number of people receive payments for a longer period of time. 

Almost 50 000 people have welfare as their primary source of livelihood. 40 percent of recipients are single men, and 23 percent are single women. 14 percent are single parents, and the rest are adult couples with and without children. 

Only every eight welfare recipients is working. 67 percent are so-called labour-passive, which means that they are unemployed or not seeking work. The others are students, disabled, or receive rehabilitation benefits. 

Immigrants made up close to 36 percent of all welfare recipients in 2013. 

Source: Norway Post/NRK.