Demography Tromsø 1812-2012

By Kjartan, Jørgen, Petter & Oscar

Demography 1812In 1812, Tromsø was a very small town. It went from being a fishing village to a town in 1794, but in the years after, the growth in population was not much to brag about. In that era, Norway was a poor country, a vassal-state of Denmark. Living conditions were not good at all, and when Denmark-Norway entered the Napoleon wars on the French side, things got worse in Tromsø. Great Britain started a blockade against Norway. That meant very few supplies got through to northern Norway and Tromsø. Between 1801 and 1815, the population decreased with 9 people. It doesn’t sound much, but it’s extremely uncommon for a town to decrease in population.

Demography 1812In 1812 the population of Tromsø was between 70 and 75 people. This number is only for those registered. In 1812, 64 babies were born, and 118 people died. No wonder why the population dropped. Keep in mind that this number is heavily affected by infant mortality. From 1810 to 1814, 308 infants died. This is a really high number considering the total population of 70-75. After 1815, when Norway switched sides in the Napoleon wars, the living standards in Norway increased dramatically, and the population of Tromsø started growing again.

Demography todayThe last 200 years Tromsø has evolved. From being a small fisherman’s village back in 1812, to become the biggest city in the Northern part of Norway. By the 1850s Tromsø became the major city of Arctic hunting, something that had a major effect on the population growth. In the late 1960s we got an airport and a university, making the city easily accessible and more important for educational purposes. Since then the population grew rapidly, and led to the importance of having a regional hospital. This was taken in use in 1991, and today the hospital and university account for the majority of the employees in Tromsø.

Demography todayLast year, Tromsø had a total population of 68 239, but this population is considered to be a bit larger due to the amount of students studying here. In 2010, 995 children were born in the city, while 347 persons passed away, making it a population surplus of 648. As in every other city, people immigrate and emigrate. 3686 people immigrated to Tromsø, and 3392 emigrated out of the city. The total population of Tromsø rose with 934 people that year.

Sourceshttp://

www.ssb.no/folkendrkom/tabeller/tab/1902.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troms%C3%B8

“Tromsø gjennom 10 000 år” by Astrid Andresen