Occupying the northern and western areas of the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe, Norway shares land borders with Sweden to its east plus Finland and the Russian Federation to its northeast.

Benefiting from one of the world’s longest but most rugged coastlines, Norway has water borders with the Skagerrak strait as well as the North Atlantic Ocean and Barents Sea.

Norway is a founding member of the Union Nations (UN), North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Free Trade Association.

About 5.4 million residents call Norway home according to the International Monetary Fund. Norwegian is the nation’s official language. However, over 80 percent of Norway’s population speak English.

Norway is the world’s seventh richest nation in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita on a Purchasing Power Parity basis as of October 2021, and Europe’s fourth wealthiest behind Luxembourg, Ireland and Switzerland.

Norway’s demand for imported goods resulted in a subtotal US$31.8 billion worth of Norwegian spending on the 100 most valuable consumer products imported into Norway during 2020.

That consumer-driven dollar amount represents 39.1% of the overall value of all goods imported into Norway. Overall spending on all Norwegian imports, including raw materials, intermediate products and semi-finished goods, totaled $81.3 billion in 2020.

Among Norway’s most valuable imported consumer products in 2020 are: automotive parts or accessories; cars; refined petroleum oils; phone devices including smartphones; computers; and drugs or medicines.

Spending on all of Norway’s imported goods dropped by -5.4% from 2019 to 2020. Norway’s purchases focused on its top 100 consumer imports posted a slightly greater -5.7% decrease over the latest annual period.

The deceleration in Norwegian spending for key imported consumer products was lesser than the global average from 2019 to 2020, which was an average drop of -8.2% for all importing countries around the world.

Among the top 100 consumer products imported by Norway, 43 increased in total value from 2019 to 2020 whereas 57 declined.

Changes in Norwegian consumer demand for essential imports offer future opportunities for international suppliers who correctly anticipate which upward or downward trends will continue.

Consumer Products Defined

Economics educator BoyceWire defines a consumer product as a final good or end product that a business creates for consumers to buy. For example, consumers often purchase refined petroleum oil at the gas station while imported crude oil is an intermediate good subject to further processing before being sold to end users.

Although there may be a few wealthy individual buyers, products like turbojets are excluded from the consumer products targeted by this study. That is because turbojets are usually purchased by corporations. In contrast, it is common for a consumer to buy a motorcycle.

Types of Consumer Products

This article focuses on 3 distinct consumer product types.

Convenience Products are easy to access, non-durable, have relatively lower prices and therefore consumers frequently purchase them. Examples of convenience products are food, alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks, and soap.

Shopping Products are not as easily available, involve more time to make a buying decision, are durable and are not bought as often as most convenience products. A great example of a shopping product is a mobile phone where buying the wrong model is a much more expensive mistake than buying a disappointing loaf of bread.

Speciality Products describe another consumer product type. This grey area includes infrequently purchased, expensive, durable and sometimes rare items. Consumers may consider the product’s brand image when making their purchase decisions. Some examples of speciality products are gold, silver, diamonds, jewelry, and branded refrigerators and dishwashers.

Norway’s Most Valuable Imported Convenience Products

The list below showcases the most valuable imported convenience products on which buyers in Norway spent the most. Items were selected at the four-digit Harmonized System tariff classification code level and are presented in descending order.

You can also peruse the greatest increases or decreases in product values from 2019 to 2020 by focusing on the percentages displayed to the right of each product name.

Processed petroleum oils: US$1,929,693,000 (down -3.2%)
Medications: $1,272,655,000 (down -19.9%)
Wine: $502,285,000 (up 19.9%)
Miscellaneous food preparations: $477,741,000 (up 14.2%)
Plastic packing goods, lids, caps: $433,582,000 (down -25.9%)
Miscellaneous plastic items: $417,263,000 (down -16.7%)
Bread, biscuits, cakes, pastries: $397,580,000 (down -16.2%)
Pipe/chewing/snuff tobaccos: $303,665,000 (down -3.9%)
Waters with added sugar: $253,726,000 (up 3.9%)
Tissues, napkins, toilet paper: $250,508,000 (down -22.2%)
Fish or meat flours, pellets: $233,663,000 (up 42%)
Cigars/cigarellos, cigarettes: $233,031,000 (down -37.7%)
Other organic cleaning preparations: $209,659,000 (down -5.7%)
Chocolate, other cocoa preparations: $202,893,000 (up 383.8%)
Coffee: $187,120,000 (down -44.9%)
Soya beans: $181,990,000 (down -17.1%)
Whole fish (fresh): $161,457,000 (down -5.3%)
Sauces, condiments, seasoning: $134,610,000 (down -2%)
Miscellaneous fruits (fresh): $130,113,000 (down -9.3%)
Cheese, curd: $128,176,000 (down -25.6%)
Other fresh/chilled vegetables: $125,633,000 (up 7.3%)
Miscellaneous live plants: $124,996,000 (down -8.9%)
Fresh or dried citrus fruit: $112,946,000 (up 36.7%)
Alcohol (including spirits, liqueurs): $111,864,000 (down -4.8%)
Dates/pineapples/mango/avocado: $102,990,000 (down -13.3%)
Plastic wares (table, kitchen, toiletry): $100,019,000 (down -24.9%)
Sanitary towels, baby napkins/liners: $98,882,000 (up 15.8%)
Sugar confectionery (no cocoa): $98,490,000 (down -6%)
Grapes (fresh or dried): $98,447,000 (up 1.9%)
Fish, caviar (preserved/prepared): $93,724,000 (down -2.6%)
Malt extract, food preparations: $86,576,000 (down -26.5%)
Miscellaneous preserved fruits: $84,250,000 (up 5.7%)

Convenience products led by the products listed above represent the European country’s second-most popular import product type attracting Norway’s international spending behind shopping products but ahead of speciality goods.

Non-durable consumer products are goods that are not re-used once consumed. Alcoholic beverages and bananas are examples of non-durable goods. Convenience products are uniquely non-durable consumer products.

Norway’s Most Valuable Imported Shopping Products

Below, the list highlights the most valuable imported shopping products on which buyers in Norway spent the greatest amounts. Items were selected at the four-digit Harmonized System tariff classification code level and are presented from highest to lowest total amounts.

The percentages displayed to the right of each product name reveal the highest increases or decreases in Norwegian spending on that specific type of shopping product from 2019 to 2020.

Cars: US$1,964,822,000 (down -29%)
Phones: $1,926,954,000 (up 12.9%)
Computers, optical readers: $1,646,529,000 (up 7.3%)
Trucks: $1,069,363,000 (down -5.2%)
Miscellaneous furniture: $998,192,000 (down -35.6%)
Automobile parts/accessories: $820,644,000 (up 19.5%)
Miscellaneous iron or steel items: $603,666,000 (down -0.1%)
Insulated wire/cable: $592,739,000 (down -1.5%)
Seats (not barber/dentist chairs): $590,704,000 (up 3.2%)
Electrical converters/power units: $507,877,000 (up 17.6%)
Lower-voltage switches, fuses: $414,765,000 (up 6.7%)
Rubber tires (new): $367,738,000 (up 12.5%)
Orthopedic appliances: $364,808,000 (down -2.1%)
Trailers: $338,472,000 (down -43.5%)
Microphones/headphones/amps: $334,089,000 (down -3.8%)
Jerseys, pullovers (knit or crochet): $302,326,000 (down -5.6%)
Tractors: $301,231,000 (up 8.3%)
Women’s clothing (not knit/crochet): $288,439,000 (up 4.9%)
Sports equipment: $244,882,000 (up 1.8%)
Screws, bolts, washers, hooks, pins: $238,989,000 (down -14.2%)
Motorcycles: $231,907,000 (down -16.9%)
Footwear (leather): $228,052,000 (down -31.1%)
Footwear (textile): $224,176,000 (down -14.9%)
Printing machinery: $221,685,000 (up 17.7%)
Miscellaneous textile items: $218,959,000 (down -5.6%)
Men’s suits (unknit/non-crochet): $215,820,000 (up 38.4%)
Felt, other non-woven garments: $210,371,000 (down -30.3%)
Computer parts, accessories: $209,708,000 (up 12.9%)
Yachts, canoes, row boats: $204,733,000 (down -10%)
Cases, handbags, wallets: $204,485,000 (up 17.6%)
Miscellaneous toys: $204,144,000 (up 12.9%)
Mattresses, quilts: $185,748,000 (up 13.3%)
Paper containers, cellulose wadding: $175,026,000 (down -10.2%)
T-shirts, vests (knit or crochet): $166,646,000 (up 10%)
Vulcanized rubber items: $149,050,000 (up 23.7%)
Women’s clothing (knit or crochet): $136,514,000 (down -9.1%)
Packaged insecticides, herbicides: $131,042,000 (up 18.1%)
Soap, organic surface-active goods: $122,418,000 (down -3.9%)
Hair preparations: $117,267,000 (up 1.9%)
Video console games, table games: $112,477,000 (up 349.6%)
Women’s coats (unknit/non-crochet): $110,968,000 (down -16.7%)
Unrecorded sound media: $110,286,000 (up 13.7%)
Printed books, brochures: $109,541,000 (up 7.9%)
Miscellaneous aluminum items: $102,674,000 (up 4.2%)
Footwear (rubber or plastic): $95,906,000 (up 39.4%)
Vulcanized rubber apparel: $92,448,000 (down -4.6%)
Linens: $91,890,000 (down -0.8%)
Paints, varnishes: $89,225,000 (down -5.7%)
Motorcycle parts/accessories: $85,049,000 (down -8.5%)
Other pharmaceutical goods: $83,463,000 (down -9.6%)

Focusing on the scope of this analysis, shopping products is Norway’s most popular category ahead of both convenience products and speciality items.

Shopping products equaled half (50) of the overall top 100 Norwegian imported consumer goods.

Durable consumer products are goods like cars, refrigerators and furniture that last a relatively long time. Consumers can put durable products to use again and again. Note that shopping products and speciality products are considered as durable consumer products.

Norway’s Most Valuable Imported Speciality Products

Speciality products represent the category with the fewest entries among Norway’s imports that attracted the country’s spending on imported consumer goods during 2020.

Selected at the four-digit Harmonized System tariff classification code level, the most valuable speciality items are listed in descending order below.

The percentage to the right of each product name reveal highest increases or decreases in 2020 compared to 2019.

Prefabricated buildings: US$416,650,000 (up 1.1%)
Refrigerators, freezers: $347,839,000 (up 2.1%)
Electric water heaters, hair dryers: $342,334,000 (up 94.5%)
Liquid pumps: $328,050,000 (down -22.9%)
Electric generating sets, converters: $303,742,000 (up 21.3%)
Beauty/makeup/skin care: $293,384,000 (down -14.6%)
Air conditioners: $241,743,000 (down -23.1%)
Temperature-change machines: $236,410,000 (down -11.4%)
Electric storage batteries: $205,602,000 (down -8%)
Dishwash, clean/dry/fill machines: $196,404,000 (down -2.5%)
Electric motors, not generating sets: $192,478,000 (up 15.3%)
Household base metal mountings: $131,069,000 (up 82%)
Vacuum cleaners: $130,976,000 (down -3.3%)
Special hand/machine tools: $122,933,000 (up 57%)
Iron/steel stoves, barbecues: $113,591,000 (up 6.3%)
Compasses, other navigational aids: $106,706,000 (down -19.7%)
Other printed pictures, photos: $104,959,000 (down -9.5%)
Washing machines: $102,660,000 (down -4.2%)

Like shopping products, speciality products are considered as durable consumer products.

Based on the product types identified in the sections above, 68 of Norway’s 100 highest-value consumer shopper plus speciality products are durable while the remaining 32 convenience products are classified as non-durable.

Norway’s Overall Fastest-Growing Consumer Imports

Listed below are the top 10 consumer products imported into Norway that experienced the highest percentage increases in spending from 2019 to 2020.

Chocolate, other cocoa preparations: Up 383.8% (US$202.9 million)
Video console games, table games: Up 349.6% ($534.2 million)
Electric water heaters, hair dryers: Up 94.5% ($342.3 million)
Household base metal mountings: Up 82% ($131.1 million)
Special hand or machine tools: Up 57% ($122.9 million)
Fish or meat flours, pellets: Up 42% ($233.7 million)
Rubber or plastic footwear: Up 39.4% ($95.9 million)
Unknitted and non-crocheted men’s suits: Up 38.4% ($215.8 million)
Fresh or dried citrus fruits: Up 36.7% ($112.9 million)
Vulcanized rubber items: Up 23.7% ($149.1 million)

Four among the above top 10 gainers are shopping products and therefore also durable goods that consumers can re-use over time. The 5 fastest-growing shopping products in demand by importers in Norway are video console or table games; items made from vulcanized rubber.

The 3 speciality products in the top 10 fastest growers list above are electric water heaters and hair dryers; household base metal mountings; and special hand or machine tools.

The 3 fastest growers among the non-durable imported consumer products are chocolate including other cocoa preparations; fish or meat flours or pellets; and fresh or dried citrus fruit.

Norway’s Overall Worst-Declining Consumer Imports

Spending by import buyers in Norway on the following 10 items decreased in value by the highest percentages from 2019 to 2020.

Coffee: Down -44.9% ($187.1 million)
Trailers: Down -43.5% ($338.5 million)
Cigars, cigarellos, cigarettes: Down -37.7% ($233 million)
Miscellaneous furniture: Down -35.6% ($998.2 million)
Leather footwear: Down -31.1% ($228.1 million)
Non-woven garments including felt: Down -30.3% ($210.4 million)
Cars: Down -29% ($1.96 billion)
Malt extract, food preparations: Down -26.5% ($86.6 million)
Plastic packing goods, lids, caps: Down -25.9% ($433.6 million)
Cheese, curd: Down -25.6% ($128.2 million)

Five categories among Norwegian top 10 severest decliners are durable shopping products used over a period of time. The worst slippage among those categories was for Norway’s imported trailers, miscellaneous furniture and leather footwear. There were 5 non-durable consumer products among Norway’s 10 major import decliners from 2019 to 2020, namely coffee; cigars, cigarellos and cigarettes; and malt extract or food preparations.

Key Suppliers by Country

This analysis reveals competitive suppliers that target demand for 5 of Norway’s top consumer import products.

Norway’s biggest imported consumer product by value is cars. The other 4 leading consumer goods imported into Norway are processed petroleum oils, phone devices including smartphones, computers and medications.

Below, you will find major supplying countries for Norway’s imported:

Cars: Germany (36.5% of total), United States (10.2%), Japan (7.6%), China (7.1%), United Kingdom (5.6%), Czech Republic (5.2%), Sweden (5%), South Korea (4.9%), France (4.4%), and Spain (4.2%).

Processed petroleum oils: Sweden (39.4% of total), Russia (14.5%), United States (10.9%), Netherlands (10.3%), Denmark (7.5%), Belgium (3.6%), United Kingdom (2.8%), Qatar (2.2%), France (2%), and Germany (1.6%).

Phone devices including smartphones: China (61.5% of total), Vietnam (11%), United States (4%), Taiwan (4%), Germany (2%), Sweden (1.6%), Mexico (1.2%), Malaysia (1.2%), Denmark (1.2%), and Thailand (also 1.2%).

Computers: China (65.7% of total), Czech Republic (3.8%), Poland (3.7%), Hungary (3.2%), Germany (3.2%), United States (3.1%), Taiwan (2.3%), Sweden (2%), United Kingdom (1.7%), and Denmark (1.6%).

Medications: Germany (21.1% of total), Denmark (12.5%), United States (9.9%), Switzerland (8.2%), United Kingdom (6.5%), France (6.3%), Italy (4.9%), Sweden (4.4%), Spain (4%), and Ireland (3.1%).

References

Independent insights and analysis presented in this article are based on researched facts and statistics sourced from the following educational sources.

BoyceWire, Consumer Goods Definition.

Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook: Norway Economy.

International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database.

International Trade Centre, Trade Map.

Investopedia, Consumer Goods, Consumer Staples Definition, Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG).

Richest Country Reports, Top 100 Richest Countries by GDP.

Trading Economics, Norway Consumer Spending.

Wikipedia, List of largest consumer markets.

Wikipedia, Norway, Geography of Norway, Languages of Norway.

World’s Top Exports, Norway’s Top 10 Imports.