53.9 Overall Score (down 18 since Aug 1st.)

Norway

  • 26.2 Public Health
    Directives
  • 54.8 Financial
    Response
  • 100 Fact-Based
    Communication
  • 26.2 Public Health
    Directives
  • 54.8 Financial
    Response
  • 100 Fact-Based
    Communication

Norway scores just below the median, pulled down by its weak public health and financial response scores, despite a strong reliance on facts and a free press.

Pre-COVID Conditions

Norway ranked near the top in most categories in pre-pandemic preparedness, except for hospital beds.

  • Debt/GDP ratio 40%
  • GDP/capita $79,638
  • Gini coefficient (out of 100) 27
  • Infant mortality rate (out of 1,000 live births) 2
  • Healthcare access score (out of 100) 90.5
  • Hospital beds/1,000 People 27.7

Government Response

Select a data point for more information
(Data points represent policy level as of Jan 1.)
26.2

Public Health Directives

Norway’s low public health policy score was negatively impacted by its lack of a lockdown, and limited testing policy and contact tracing.

  • Stay at home order 1
  • Public gathering restrictions 3
  • School closings 1
  • Public event cancellations 2
  • Testing policy 2
  • Emergency healthcare investments/capita $5.12
  • Travel restrictions 2
  • Tests/1,000 people 521.3
  • Contact tracing 2
54.8

Financial Response

Norway scored slightly above the median for its financial response, with generous debt support, although its stimulus package is limited.

  • Financial stimulus as share of GDP 5.5%
  • Income support 2
  • Debt forebearance 0
100

Fact-Based Communication

Norway’s government is very strong in this category, as it has not engaged in misinformation or limited press freedom in response to COVID-19.

  • Reliance on science/fact based information 0
  • Press freedom 0

COVID-19 Status as of Jan 1

Norway performs strongly in this category, with a very low death rate, low case rate, and low positivity score, which could be influenced by its strong pre-pandemic capacity, but it is likely negatively impacted by its poor public health policies during the pandemic.

  • Total deaths 436
  • Death rate per 100K 80.4
  • Total cases 49,803
  • Cases per 100K 9,187
  • Percent of positive tests 3.7
  • Change in positivity rates +2.4
Case Trend Line
Daily cases Level 1 Lockdown
Date Status New Cases/1M
1 May 07 Cinemas are allowed to reopen 7.80
2 May 11 Schools reopen (except for colleges and universities) 6.01
3 Jun 01 Bars reopen 2.16
4 Jun 15 Universities reopen 2.27
5 Oct 31 Limit 5 guests from outside the house; cap public events at 50 people; mandate quarantine for business travelers from at-risk countries 68.04

Differentiating Factors

  • Restrictions aim to stop third COVID-19 wave: Norway imposed new restrictions in early January to try to stave off a third wave of COVID-19, including limits on alcohol sales, guests visiting homes, shutting down universities, and mandating COVID-19 tests for all travelers. Read More
  • Oil fund hits record high after vaccine news: Norway's oil fund, the world's largest sovereign wealth fund, hit a record high $1.2 trillion, driven by positive COVID-19 vaccine news, which boosted the stock market. Read More
  • Elderly hit hardest by COVID-19: Research finds that nine out of ten Norwegian COVID-19 victims were over seventy years old and most had a chronic condition. Read More
  • School reopenings don't increase cases: Evidence suggests that despite Norway's COVID-19 reproduction rate increasing to over 1, reopening schools has not contributed to the rekindling of cases. Read More
  • Cruise line accepts responsibility for missteps producing more cases: A cruise company in Norway is facing an outbreak and acknowledges it made mistakes along the way that likely increased the number of cases. Read More
  • Sovereign wealth funded response: Norway withdrew an unprecedented $37 billion from its wealth fund to support its emergency response to COVID-19, more than four times any previous amount. The move demonstrated the scale of economic damage inflicted by both the pandemic and the slump in oil prices. Norway is western Europe's biggest crude oil exporter. Read More
  • Schools reopened with strict protocols: Norway began re-opening kindergartens and elementary schools in late April. Parents and children must follow strict social distancing protocols, and schools are encouraged to conduct as much class as possible outside. Norway's authorities cited Sweden and Denmark as indicators that children are not major transmitters of the virus. Read More
Compared with Other Nordic States
  • 53.5
    Finland 36,403
    Cases     6,570
    Per 1M     561
    Deaths

    Clear, fact-based communications, a generous stimulus package, and substantial improvements in public health policy in the past few months have been instrumental factors in Finland's strong and much-improved COVID-19 response.

  • 30.8
    Sweden 437,379
    Cases     43,308
    Per 1M     8,727
    Deaths

    Despite being known for a relatively strong public healthcare system, Sweden has been hit hard with cases; the country’s lack of stay-at-home orders and school closures, limited testing, and few gathering restrictions overshadowed its financial support, reliance on facts, and accountability with an open press.

  • 61.4
    Iceland 5,754
    Cases     16,862
    Per 1M     29
    Deaths

    Iceland has a very strong score, owing heavily to its reliance on facts as well as generous debt and income support; its large improvement since January was keyed by significant improvements in public health policy and financial support.

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New Zealand

Statistics and government response factors available on each country profile include:

Pre-COVID Conditions:

  • Debt to GDP ratio
  • Infant mortality rates
  • Hospital beds per 1,000 people
  • Gini coefficients measuring inequality
  • Health access and quality

COVID-19 Public Health Directives:

  • Stay-at home orders
  • School-closing policy
  • Public-gathering restrictions
  • Cancellation of public events
  • Testing policy and rates per 1,000 people
  • Emergency healthcare spending per capita
  • Travel restrictions
  • Contact tracing

COVID-19 Financial Response:

  • Stimulus package as a share of GDP
  • Income support
  • Debt-forbearance

Public Communications:

  • Instances of misinformation by leadership
  • Limitations on press freedom, censorship

Current/Historic In-Country COVID-19 Status:

  • Death rates per 1 million
  • Case rates per 1 million