How Norway Got Rich and Stayed Rich

Norway is a country which has gotten rich. What made it so wealthy, and how has it stayed rich this whole time?
#norway #h0ser #geography
How Norway Got Rich, and Stayed Rich. Norway vs. The Future

[@GGdude]

Fun fact: Norway asked Sweden if they wanted to join in the oil extraction in exchange for 40% of Volvo and swedish wood but they said no.

[@RachelR1978]

Okay

[@dharmapersona2084]

@@RachelR1978 Okay

[@dabruh6997]

@@dharmapersona2084 Okay

[@yawbyss981]

@@dabruh6997 Okay

[@wegdhass5587]

@@yawbyss981 Okay

[@republicoflagistan5624]

I mean, the fjords aren't necessarily bad. They make for great natural ports which is important for a country that wants to export its natural resources.

[@gvheaton]

but there are many very mountainous fjords, and like the video said it doesn't work when you have to fall 1000 feet to get to the water

[@Clam176]

The terrain that makes the fjords possible kind of limits this though, since fjords are submerged valleys they are very steep and leave little usable land for people to even live on.

[@MrSharkbay]

As a norwegian having lived in the fjords, the fjords are definitely an advantage. Lots of wood for shipbuilding, and fjords providing a safe haven for trade and shipbuilding has made Norway a country that has always been associated with trade.

[@MrSharkbay]

@@Clam176 Not all fjords are steep, lots of glacial fjords are much smoother. Most of norwegian mountains and fjords are not rugged, in contrast to the alps and other mountains. As such, the sides of fjords are usually inhabitable, and lots of glacial activity deposits "earth" on the side of the fjord, the dale preceeding the fjord, or near its outlet. Look at Hardangerfjorden, the province of Rogaland or Trøndelag for examples regarding this.

[@TbagZ]

40% of the people are living by the fjord in Norway

[@thecutetimo]

As a Norwegian, i must give you credit for capturing the sibling relationship we have with Sweden, Denmark and Finland.

[@OHOE1]

Norway isn't a country

[@ballsackgaming1713]

Danmark elsker jer, i trolde elskende fjeldaber

[@Rguhbuh]

@@OHOE1 jo

[@shonenjumpmagneto]

Whilst denying The Nordic Union exists.... the thing that keeps you all closest together.

[@shonenjumpmagneto]

@@OHOE1 the fuck are you talking about

[@commonsense660]

The main premise of this video and many like it is correct. Norway is very wealthy because it made some good decisions, allied with the west and found oil. It isn't exceptionally rich compared with it's neighbours even with the oil, but oil did probably get it to number one in many rankings. There are some problems with this video though: Norway does not have a lack of easy trade along it's coast. Fjords create natural harbors and an incentive to fish, which is why the vikings had boats. And Norway has remained, whether you account for population or not (until the late 20th century), a merchant powerhouse since the middle ages. Bergen was an important hanseatic hub, and became Norway's second largest city due to its foreign trade. Actually, almost every Norwegian city sits on the coast or a navigable river. The only economically relevant city that is not on the coast is Kongsberg, which lived off mining and later weapons production, and which sits on a river near the Oslo fjord. Norway was also the world's fourth largest shipping nation in 1939, which helps contradict the persistant myth that Norway was particularily poor in the early 20th century. Norway was never rich compared to the UK or Denmark, but democratization and a focus on education and (what became) social welfare led to a gradual increase in wealth throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. To say that Norway was geopolitically safe when it was at best a Danish/Swedish vassal state from 1536-1905 is also a bit of an exagguration, but Norway's geography and friendly neighbours (apart from you know who) is a big advantage today. Norway also did not quickly surrender to the German invasion. It was quickly beaten, with Oslo falling within hours, but the fighting went on for more than two months, which is longer than France, Poland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Denmark combined. I think you correctly highlight the importance of the Marshall plan, along with economic and political stability in the EU and Nato, as Norway really started becoming wealthy and built its welfare state in the 50s and 60s, not the 70s, though this could be more clearly stated.

[@itsjonny1744]

quite ironic that you can find information that puts 1938 Norway as the highest income country in Europe per capita.

[@pxrplehairgirl5030]

all of that is correct except saying that its not too rich compared to neighbours when Norway is the richest scandinavian country

[@Spoon80085]

@@pxrplehairgirl5030 It is THE richest, but it's not blowing the other nation out of the water completely

[@MrMarinus18]

Norway actually was poor in the early 20th century but saw a major resurgence during WW1 and the interwar period. Norway for a long time was very underdeveloped. It wasn't really poor in the same way like for example Ireland was but more so very underpopulated and underdeveloped with a lot of native people who didn't really contribute to the economy. The reason it was under the thumb of other nations had more to do with the fact it was too sparsely populated and rugged to function as a nation. Very comparable to modern day Greenland which also is too underdeveloped and sparsely populated to really function on it's own The problem with Norway was not a lack of natural harbors but a lack of tradable goods. What does Norway really have to sell? What areas does it serve as a gateway to? During the interwar period it build up it's hydro electric system and because a major trading partner with Britain, Sweden and Germany. Being a big shipping nation is a very misleading statement though because that's where ships are registered which is largely a formality. The largest shipping nation in the world today is Panama. Not because it produces and consumes tons of stuff but because it's favorable policies means lots of companies like registering their ships there. Greece is the third largest shipping nation for the same reason and that did not stop economic collapse because it's really just paperwork. You are right about the wellfare state though. That was established before oil but the oil certainly supercharged it.

[@MrMarinus18]

Norway did benefit greatly from the Marshall plan though as it got a lot of air but actually hadn't suffered much damage.

[@tobbakken2911]

Norway did actually really well after WW2 and the before oil. Norway dosen't spend much oil money each year (very little actually), instead invest and save them for a fund for future generations. So the country would actually do really well without the oil too. Just look at Danmark, Finland and Sweden for that.

[@DiegoMonroyF]

It wouldn't look like Sweden, though. Swedes have made massive amounts of wealth by building huge and innovative companies that provide their small population with lots of high-quality jobs, and they are also not that attractive to immigration as other, way larger nations. As smart as Norwegians have been with their oil money, they wouldn't do as good as Sweden (and other Nordic countries) if their oil and sovereign fund suddenly ran out.

[@itsjonny1744]

@@DiegoMonroyF Bit hard to say when a majority of the highly educated pepole in Norway enters the petro industry. With the industry removed we would still be one of the wealthiest nations in europe.

[@jakobnordal7432]

@@DiegoMonroyF why? What would make Norway different from other Nordic nations? We wouldn’t be much richer like we are now but not poorer either

[@tobiasisager2147]

No, Norway in the early 1900 hundreds before they found oil didnt do that well they had money but much poor than Sweden and Denmark.

[@Luredreier]

@@DiegoMonroyF The government wouldn't hurt much at all if the oil vanished. The private economy *would* hurt, but it would hardly be a death blow for us. Many oil workers already have other jobs too. Not to make money, but simply to have something to do and contribute to our society. If the oil vanished they could focus on those jobs instead. Our economy *would* contract when the oil vanished, but with a separate currency we'd also become far more competitive fast as our currency would fall in value. We have a quite flexible economy everything considered. We provide components and services for space agencies like NASA, we sell fish (being the biggest exporter of salmon in the world) we still got quite a bit of industry making use of our high amounts of renewable energy, and our economy still follows the nordic model of a mostly nonadversarial relationship between employers, employees and the state where the government and the population communicate their needs and find pragmatic solutions to the issues that pop up. I doubt that we'd take long to adapt to a reality without oil every bit as much as Sweden.

[@kleko]

Nice vid, a few half truths or mistakes here sadly. 1. The Norwegian coast is great for trade, there i a reason why Bergen was one of the Hanseatic offices. 2. We border Russia so not all our neighbours are peaceful. 3. We had a welfare system up and running long before we found oil.

[@Lebronibnabdi]

The border with Russia literally doesn't count

[@fdumbass]

@@Lebronibnabdi Yes it does. Its more than large enough that either side could fight a decently large section of a war there. The USSR was able to invade through the north during WWII, why should they not have been able to do the same during the Cold War?

[@norwegianboyee]

Most Norwegian defense plans are based on an Russian assault to take Northern Norway,

[@Mikklee]

@@Lebronibnabdi it counts enough for Putin to threaten us every once in a while.

[@klauslunde]

@@Mikklee remember when they sent a whale to spy on us lmao

[@PakBallandSami]

first kraut then history scope and know you the nordic countries are interesting iam so happy that people like you are covering it know great video man

[@britannith]

Norway 😁

[@Nonamechannel420]

I wonder why

[@ps92809]

HOW DO I KEEP FINDING YOU ON COMMENTS

[@Nonamechannel420]

@@ps92809 who

[@ps92809]

@@Nonamechannel420 pak mapping

[@Tyronejizz]

Video starts at 1:04

[@iatebeans2495]

Ah yes, you are our hero

[@spacecoyote6646]

Many experts say that VPNs are no longer useful

[@concept5631]

Thank ya

[@AFAndersen]

As a Norwegian person, I don't only enjoy all the good things said, but I also love the brotherly love-hate messages to the Swedes in this video

[@ducksareurlords3782]

Every nordic country has a love-hate relationship to Sw*den. Grettings from Finland btw.

[@liamaspholmer3255]

Same here in Sweden :)

[@duck1ente]

Also other factors: Norway doesn't have corruption culture, and their population are educated, hence competent politicians. Therefore, money grows and invested to their people

[@gubban48]

False

[@RexTyrranae]

Currently our politicians are shitting on us with the electricity bill.

[@skeleex]

@@RexTyrranae gonna be honest, seems like it would be hella hard to set up electricity lines in Norway

[@RexTyrranae]

@@skeleex naw thats not why the electricity bill i so high.

[@skeleex]

@@RexTyrranae Why is it so high?

[@Lorgs1]

3 months of fighting isn't "quickly surrendering". Denmark on the other hand surrendered immediately the same day

[@gokstad6784]

driving through some norwegian fjords you can even see norwegian resistance flags painted on mountains

[@JamesReti]

There is a reason for Denmark surrendering faster. You probably know.

[@magnadolosfs2707]

6 hours

[@justinhammer3196]

Norway based its Sovereign Wealth Fund on the Albertan (a province in Canada) Heritage Fund to save its oil revenue. Ironically while Norway has done just that with over a trillion dollars put aside Alberta has spent all of their oil money on pointless tax cuts and the like.

[@bladonski]

And Alberta made themselves litterally the best province in Canada? What do you mean?

[@souvikrc4499]

@@bladonski Alberta‘s economy suffers from Dutch disease, where when the price of oil drops, so does Alberta‘s economy, and Alberta‘s deficits balloon.

[@B727X]

Bro is mad ppl and their companies pay less

[@kostakole9876]

For most of it's history, Norway has been poor, but now they are one of the richest countries in the world. For most of it's history Serbia has been (pretty) poor, but now nothing has changed. Trust me, I live here and for decades now nothing has changed.

[@goyslop-consumer]

that's not even funny just sad

[@Rimrock300]

For most of the history the majority of the Norwegians have been living in freedom and peace, unlike many countries in Europe. Not so rich in money, but most did live okay lives with farming and fishing

[@andybogdan4380]

Geography. Location. Norway didn't have to deal with the cluster that is known as the Balkans where 3 big empires have staged their wars and influence for over 5 centuries.

[@der.Schtefan]

@@andybogdan4380 if you don't want to stay poor, then don't assassinate the Archduke of Austria. Thanks. Serbians are one the most repressive, hateful, revengeful people I know. Totally anti LGBTQI and surprised why they are not allowed to join the EU, while totally being corrupt and even hating each other. Nobody wants you guys. Go home. I am pretty sure you're going to write something hateful back. It will just be more proof of your hateful nature.

[@havocgr1976]

Well, find some oil then ;p

[@Drunken_Master]

Norway: One of the most peaceful regions in the world Putin: How do you do, fellow Scandinavians?

[@justabunny999]

Goddammit this made me laugh too much.

[@trueordrue]

Putin: In your country lives russians. Let me help them

[@Rguhbuh]

Norway is in nato tho??

[@olasola1013]

@Kgfhsfmhfs333. 11 years ago Well that statement might be false in a few months

[@bolorn5431]

Although sweden had problems conquering us, we have been under danish rule for much of our history.

[@Tyronejizz]

Because the danish use boats

[@dw300]

@@Tyronejizz Not many people know that the Swedes used to have the world's largest navy of cheap, quick-to-build boats.. Sadly however, MDF doesn't do well in water.

[@meguminplaysyt3889]

@@dw300 Indeed

[@desidev69]

Love your content bro ❤️

[@SirBrucie]

You like the sea doggo in his pfp?

[@gamingbot9482]

@@SirBrucie I like your mom ❤️

[@SirBrucie]

@@gamingbot9482 :O

[@ir-responsible8029]

Much of Norway's success comes not only from it's geography, but from it's politics. They've found the sweetspot between capitalism and socialism; their taxes are high enough to make a powerful state able to satisfy all the people's needs and more, whilst having the taxes low enough to allow private companies to thrive. The way this works is that the private companies sustain the economy and the government takes some of their money and gives it to the people in form of hospitals, kindergartens, schools, and an economical safety net. The government is also very stable having over 300 elected congressmen sharing the power.

[@PakBallandSami]

there are small countries such as Israel, Singapore and Switzerland that exhibit institutional traits markedly different from those of the Nordics while enjoying a high level of prosperity and complexity. Larger and more authoritarian countries also fare quite well economically without implementing the Nordic model of equality and welfare. The Nordic model is not the only blueprint to follow for economic prosperity indeed, there are many which are compatible with the economic complexity approach. It is, however, the one blueprint associated with the highest degrees of civil liberties and welfare, which is the core of its uniqueness and appeal.

[@joshmier9779]

Sadly my country the Philippines will not be as rich as norway probably the next two generations might as well moved to a 1st world countryside

[@andersalexanderandersen5022]

Wake up, honey, new copy pasta just dropped

[@PakBallandSami]

@@andersalexanderandersen5022 what?

[@kneo2476]

Yeah but the nordics are all some of the happiest and best plus their development index.. Nordic model is prob one of the best models

[@commonsense660]

The small nations which in any way compete with Scandinavia economically are either banking hubs or rich from natural resources (which yes, Norway also has oil). They are usually ex-British colonies which saw investment from Britain and the US and which became politically stable, low tax, low regulation places to invest in contrast to their region. Singapore isn't rich because authoritarianism is awesome. It is rich because companies in Malaysia would rather operate from Singapore. Hong Kong isn't rich because capitalism is genius. It is rich because its system accomodates foreign investors, unlike China. Stealing tax money from your neighbours is not an ethical or sustainable way to run an economy. If you exclude tax havens, petronations and "totally not tax havens" like Ireland and Singapore, the only countries that can compete with the Nordics are Germany and New Zealand (which are quite like the Nordics), as well as Australia, which is quite Nordic-like, and also resource rich. Democracy, equality and social investment is what creates wealth. All the other rich countries either found it or stole it.

[@ShadowTani]

Part of the reason that Norways population is smaller than its neighbors is also because about half our population emigrated to America in the 19th century; there's more people with a Norwegian descent in USA than there are Norwegians in Norway today as a result.

[@souvikrc4499]

And the state they mostly immigrated to (Minnesota) are well run compared to their Midwestern peers.

[@jakobnordal7432]

Idk where the perception Norway used to be a third world country came from, but Norway has been among the richer countries in Europe ever since about the the late 1800s and at one point it even had the largest merchant fleet in the world. It has Always had strong social trust, literacy and life expectancy. It would not have been as rich as it is now without oil but it would be in line with other Nordic countries.

[@SaruyamaPL]

So it wouldn't be anything special without the oil really.

[@casperruud331]

As a Norwegian Tennis player, I'm glad you made this video; thank you.

[@Tr786hala]

Can imagine playing tennis on a mountain would be though but glad you make it work champ

[@googleiscool2037]

Hei!

[@casperruud331]

@@Tr786hala I learned indoors in Oslo. I'm playing tonight in California.

[@Tr786hala]

@@casperruud331 jajaj i was joking bro. Good luck!

[@DdDd-ns6kt]

Alle nordmenn elsker å se videoer om Norge, laget av folk som ikke er fra Norge hahaha

[@SoraYoshi182]

They also get to import a lot of gold from the Winter Olympics.

[@Leugim010]

Btw a technicality but you could’ve mentioned that although Norway is not apart of the EU they are still apart of the EEA which means that they are apart of the EU’s single market

[@Tr786hala]

He did?

[@shonenjumpmagneto]

@@Tr786hala he was absolutely wrong saying Norway/Sweden/Finland arent all in ant Unions. The Nordic Union literally has the word union in it.

[@shonenjumpmagneto]

Bro they are also both member-states of THE NORDIC UNION. No technicality. 100% wrong. He was wrong entirely. He couldn't have been more wrong. He specifically said "they aren't in any unions". Facepalm. Earns a Dislike. It's his job to research w just 1 Google search FFS.

[@luishernandezblonde]

An important factor for Norway is: the country has many important natural resources, but Norway used them to invest in human development instead pf wasting money to build shiny towers like the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

[@top10africa9]

Fun fact: Norway was the country that lasted the longest in ww2 that was completely occupied taking the Germans 2 months to fully occupy the country. And it really didn't even stop after that as Norwegian resistance was some of the best resistance fighter's if your ranking them by successful mission's. And you could even say they saved most of Europe by halting heavy water production although some allied forces were also involved in this operation. Norwegian resistance also blew the SS Donau that transported Jews from Norway to Germany.

[@commonsense660]

Norway's resistance was reasonably well coordinated and effective, but it was nothing compared to what the eastern Europeans put up. Western European countries did not make it their mission to kill German troops or officers out of fears of reprisals. In Poland and the USSR they did. Germany would probably not have gotten close to a nuclear bomb even if Norway put had up no resistance.

[@top10africa9]

You know more then me i never knew how much the eastern Europeans fought in till now. Well i knew they fought hard but not the amount of resistance ive really only looked at the west.

[@DefinitelyNotGayAF]

I was surprised to hear the US didn't invade Norway or make the north's sea strictly international upon discovering oil

[@salainenkanava5467]

Because norway is in Nato

[@RoboBobo-to7fz]

0:02 Hey! That's my home town.)

[@tophatproductions3031]

Isn't this basically: "How did this person succeed? Well, he came from a rich and supportive family, never got a job until he was an adult, and then found a billion dollars under a rock in his back yard at age 23." What a champ!

[@kk440635NORWAY]

A married couple that I know, where the husband is Spanish, the wife is Norwegian. They first lived in Spain for a few years, and later in Norway for a few years, and after this they lived half of the year in Spain, and the other half of the year in Norway, they kept commuting between the two countries for a few years, before finally decided to live permanently in Spain These are distant relatives of mine, that is, we are not directly related, but we have a common intermarriage, so I know them from family gatherings They have told me that Spain has less in the treasury than Norway, Norway has more in the treasury. Norway is richer in resources, but people are not particularly rich in Norway, even though the state is rich in resources, most Norwegians belong to the working class, and most in Spain belong to the working class, the upper class is a minority in Norway, and is also a minority in Spain, the underclass is a minority in Norway, and a minority in Spain. Spanish people have neither more spacious nor worse finances among individuals, most have loans in Spain for 25 - 35 years, the same as us, they have the same standard and size of houses and apartments. They earn less than us in Norway, but in return they also have lower living costs, so the amount of the salary matches the same, taking living costs into account. Norway is overrated, we are doing well in Norway, but it is a misunderstanding that most people are millionaires, and that most people live lucrative lives. Spain had (and maybe still has?) a financial crisis, but all countries experience ups and downs, at the moment Norway also has a financial crisis, we are not immune to financial crises. According to the couple I know, the health care system is as good in Spain as in Norway, the level of corruption is about the same low, wages for the working class taking living costs into account are about the same, both countries are relatively safe, in the cities there is of course a fair amount of crime, both in Norway and Spain. I would like to say with this that if someone in Spain dreams of Norway, they will not get a more lucrative life, they will only get a different food culture, a different climate, a different nature, a different style of music, but they will not move to a country where it is better to stay

[@freealter]

Very interesting that Norway was allowed to have a state owned oil company but when Mexico or Venezuela does the same thing everyone loses their mind

[@goyslop-consumer]

true maybe the cia was just a bit tired at that time

[@RK-cj4oc]

Yea, because unlike those other countries the amount of oil Norway found is not that big, and Norway was not in danger of joining a cartel like organisation like OPEC. same reason why the US cannot put its oil under a state owned companies because other countries would be against it so too would other countries be against Mexico or Venezuela putting it under a goverment owned company.Norway doing this was done while it was crystal to Norway that it would not have to try anything funny to raise oil prices because the huge markets ready to consume its oil would already pay without Norway joining the Oil mafia.

[@MrSharkbay]

Norway, due to its geography, is different to other countries in that the government has a more difficult time enforcing taxes, as norwegians could literally just move on ships if the taxes were too high, or services from the government weren't good enough. Therefore, the government had always needed to provide a good service for the people, and the government has therefore always been of the people and for the people. State owned regulated companies function well, as long as the state functions well

[@cry0995]

Cool it with the antisemitism bro

[@pxrplehairgirl5030]

@QuantumMeme hhaha

[@mantisshadow8990]

Hey Hoser, can you cover Sweden in a future video. I think it would be interesting. Or maybe you can cover all three of the scandinavian countries.

[@memereview305]

Norway is what Canada is to everyone else but Norway and Canada

[@oscarkronborg7176]

everyone else is actually more like the US

[@BeeFables]

Thanks for making a video about my country! :D

[@turidadelegaupseth]

og du er serr

[@FlamingoWasntAnOption]

nice video!!

[@nenenindonu]

NOrWAY many countries are fortunate enough to ever get so wealthy :(

[@dharmapersona2084]

Everyone will have their fortune one by one, just be patient. Earlier it was Asia's turn, and now it's Europe's turn, for being wealthy... Everyone gets turns...

[@Birdsharna]

OMG SOMEONE FINALLY GOT THE REASON FOR MY COUNTRY BEING RICH!!!!!

[@Mangoeplanter]

Good for you

[@gokstad6784]

nah its just cause of oil

[@Tyronejizz]

The reason for your wealth was already found in 1969 and was located in the north sea.

[@multilangcoder8723]

​@@gokstad6784 Less than 15% of Norway's economy is from oil.

[@multilangcoder8723]

@@Tyronejizz Less than 15% of Norway's economy is from oil.

[@britannith]

Our population growth is not steady. Eldrebølgen (The old people wave) is a huge problem in Norway today that politicians try to tackle. Too few babies are born, and when all the old people retire we won't have enough workers and money to support the welfare state.

[@tobbakken2911]

This problem isn't actually as big as other european counties (still a challenge tho).

[@britannith]

@@tobbakken2911 Yeah countries like Bulgaria have a much more rapid population decline, and Norway isn't even in decline yet thanks to immigrants. The point is that Norway does not have a stable growing population as stated in the video

[@tobbakken2911]

@@britannith That is kinda incorrect, because in the last few years there has been very little immigration to Norway. The population is expected to have growth until 2030 without major immigration. In the 2030s is when the big(baby boom generation) generation will start to die.

[@britannith]

@@tobbakken2911 The babies per woman in Norway lies under 2, meaning the population would decline if it wasn't for outside factors like immigration

[@tobbakken2911]

@@britannith Yes that is what i said dude, but enough people aren't dying yet since people live longer than ever, which is why there is projected be growth until 2030.

[@konanhinata8487]

You sould talk about Argentina, I would love to see how my country went from being the richest country in 1895, to.... well, now

[@doubleplusgoodthinker9434]

Apparently Norway has made some very clever overseas investments, which pay for their extensive health and social care systems. I have just come back from Norway. Fantastic place if you do not mind a bit of snow. Lovely people.

[@sindrestokke79]

If you are talking about our oil fund (the pension fund), we still havent’ taken any money from it, so no, those investments are not paying for our social care systems.

[@doubleplusgoodthinker9434]

@@sindrestokke79 I was really thinking of the Sovereign Investment Fund, which I understand is the largest in the world. A small part is paid to the government each year and even so, amounts to about 20% of the total budget. It seems successive Norwegian governments are prudently taking the long view over the management of sovereign funds. I would argue that the 20% is a significant part of the government coffers, so indirectly does help pay for social care as otherwise such care would have to funded from current taxation.

[@Rguhbuh]

We still pay shitload in taxes tho about 20-30 percent i belive

[@doubleplusgoodthinker9434]

@@Rguhbuh interested that you use the cyrillic alphabet. Do you live in North Norway by any chance? The standard rate of income tax in Norway appears to be 22%. You also pay about 8% National Insurance which gives an effective rate of 30%. However there is a tax free limit of about 180,000NOK before you pay any tax. I also see that that the income tax rate in Finnmark is 18.5% but I guess that area is pretty thinly populated. Interesting concept though, you would not find that in the UK. The tax rates you pay are roughly equivalent to those in the UK, although our tax free limit is lower at £12,500 ( approximately 137,500 NOK). The standard rate of sales tax you pay is higher than in the UK at 25% (UK 20%). However I do not know what the coverage is. In the UK there are a lot of zero rated items (such as most food) and lower rates on other things. Your prices are sky high compared with ours but overall people seem to get paid a lot more. On balance I think you get a pretty good deal from what you pay.

[@jrgenengen2796]

Finally you made a vid about my homeland. Thank you!

[@MinnesotaMania]

Thank you so much for doing my idea

[@m.a.9571]

You and Kraut are one of the best countryballs youtubers out there tbh

[@shonenjumpmagneto]

This video was not good. It had several mistakes & lies he easily couldve researched.

[@jeppepuus]

This is misinformation

[@honkhonk6359]

kraut is ghey

[@donaldclifford5763]

In addition to oil, natural gas and hydro for the energy sector. Beyond that, the fishing industry and tourism are big.

[@joakim3622]

Normal people in Norway are not rich, we have enough to live and a bit extra. We are not rich, some people are but most people earn enough. But it’s still a lot people that is poor

[@sindrestokke79]

Compared to the rest of the world, the living standard and salary of the average norwegian is very high. We are in fifth place of the highest average income in the world while still having a pretty equal distribution (low gini coefficient). It might be easy to take for granted our high living standard, and compare ourselves with the even wealthier, skewing our perception of what wealthy looks like. Still, the facts don’t lie.

[@mariavi33]

@@sindrestokke79 The average numbers can't show us the whole picture. Many people were struggling financially even before the cost of living increased so much during the last 2 years. People who could barely afford the most basic necessities in life like food, rent, electricity, and going to the dentist. Not to mention the completely failing mental health system. Just because we are doing better than other countries doesn't mean that it's good.

[@sindrestokke79]

@@mariavi33 If you are talking about the outliers (the poorest part of norwegians) then yes they struggle more than the average norwegian. Still, when comparing countries, it is not fair to compare the bottom of norwegians with the top of other countries. In that case you could (in an extreme sense) say that North Korea is richer than South Korea, since Kim Joung Un is richer than the poorest people in South Korea. That way of comparing countries makes no sense. You also mention the fact that "many" people are struggling to pay for "basic necessities in life like food, rent, electricity, and going to the dentist". 1) Only 23% of private housholds are rented, the rest 77% are owned by those living there. This is lower than most other countries. 2) Also, when talking about electricity, this is something that many people in e.g. India didn't even have until the last few years. In 2010, more than 25% of Indians didn't have electricity. 3) When you mention that people struggle to go to the dentist, then sure you are on to something. Our dental caries levels are pretty high, which is not good. This is though not because we have less avaliable or more expensive (compared to income) dentistry than the rest of the world (like China and India). I assume it is rather due to the high sugar conent in our diet. 4) When you mention food, we eat a lot more meat than the rest of the world (which is more expensive). This is basically a luxury that we take for granted because we are used to it. You also mentioned the "failing" mental health system. This is irrelevant when talking about the economic wealth since "economy" (and this video) is about material wealth. But even still, most countries don't even have a mental health system. So the fact that Norway has one just backs up my argument. About your last line, I am not saying that Norway is perfect or that we shouldn't do our best to improve our systems, but we are rich compared to the rest of the world.

[@mariavi33]

@@sindrestokke79 Apart from my last sentence, I wasn't comparing us to other countries. Yes, we have it better than most other countries, but my comment was just bringing up that many Norwegians struggle financially. Yes, a lot of the world doesn't have access to electricity, and we are privileged to have that. But not being able to heat your home in the middle of winter because of the electricity prices is still a problem. And I wasn't talking about not being able to afford meat or other expensive food. I meant an “after paying the necessary bills, we have 12kr left for groceries for the next 2 weeks” kind of problem. I forgot to explain why I brought up the mental health system. It's because unless you are able to afford to go to a private therapist, it is almost impossible to get any real help. So, it's a bit similar to not being able to go to the dentist. My definition of it being good is that every citizen is able to afford basic necessities. Still, even though we have many privileges compared to other countries, we are not in the good tier yet.

[@gdzenmuron]

This was very entertaining, good job!

[@sovietnorway8305]

Dont forget profits from shiping during ww1 and 2 as we did have one of the biggest merchant fleets.

[@Conejoazul2018]

I think a very important thing for every nation is to make their own citizens feels united and confident or else you'll get a lot of cynical people that believe they don't deserve anything or that anything hopeful is just an fantasy. *COUGH COUGH ARGENTINA*

[@pugdad2555]

What do you expect when Europe tries to take over lol. Imagine if S. America or Africa did to Norway what Europeans did to S. Americans and African oil. Just imagine if there was a country that funded a rebel group in Norway, would they be as peaceful now?

[@pxrplehairgirl5030]

@@pugdad2555 your right but we were occupied by sweden and Denmark,but once we united as a country we prioritized our people and then..ofc we found oil and the tables have turned lol,but good politics really makes a difference

[@user-pakshibhithi10]

2:24 "Norway's sper- I mean tadpole shaped country" 😂😂 I see what you did there.

[@kyberboi]

norwegians are great sea men

[@user-pakshibhithi10]

@@kyberboi 🤣

[@pretzel2722]

I've been waiting this for so long

[@Nixn_From_Da_Hood]

Should I call you Darth Sidious?

[@bl1xxxy]

I’m glad he censored Sweden so no Norwegians wouldn’t get triggered.

[@MacAnters]

Likely unnoticed thing, but I can't listen to the video at the moment, but you speak so clearly that the automated subtitles are able to accurately match what you're saying

[@IntensePeppers]

I wonder how it would've gone if the US (largest producer of oil and gas in the world btw) did the same with our resources as Norway did, instead of it all being owned by private companies. Also contributes to how high our gas prices are now since they export the majority of it to the highest bidder

[@skeleex]

also most gas prices are purposely inflated to make up costs lost from covid, goes to show how corrupt a nation run by private companies can be

[@zjzr08]

I'm not sure if it will be socially acceptible to the hyper free market, innovation-focused, consumer heavy American culture, IMO.

[@souvikrc4499]

@@zjzr08 would be nice if we had some level of social democracy here

[@QWERTY-gp8fd]

@@souvikrc4499 but socialism = bad

[@theonlyalecazam2947]

@@souvikrc4499we invest more in our military than our people

[@hazelsnep]

2:24 "And the fjords running along Norway's sper- I mean tadpole shaped country."

[@arturogarrido1240]

Great video as always!

[@Electric1ad]

I’m Norwegian so I was so excited to watch this

[@gautearefjord]

The real truth why we have succeeded is because we are few people and have understood that cooperation is the key to survive. This is because a small population with a harsh climate, MUST cooperate to survive. When this kind of thinking becomes a tradition and ( janteloven) is a tool ,THEN....We save the oil money for the people......And of course our neighbours are similar to us..

[@CrystalClearWith8BE]

Look at all the coastline of Norway and all the fjords of the Norwegian Sea. You'll realize that it's has the 2nd longest coast right after Canada.

[@ShieldAre]

Norway is like what happens when a smart and careful person wins the lottery: They keep it safe, invest much of it in safe assets, and don't go on an unsustainable spending spree. Most other oil-rich countries are more like the average lottery winner: Not very financially literate or good at handling their life (which is why they played lottery in the first place), which leads to many lottery winners going bankrupt some years after winning.

[@Christian_ThePumpkinDestroyer]

Can you please do one denmark or maybe denmark you could also do one on denmark yes denmark. Im from denmark.

[@absolutemarine3014]

ja. det er jo sant det du sier. helt ærlig trodde aldri at denne videoen hadde blitt laget men kult :).

[@ilisian]

thank you for these videos (: i was having a very horrible day but when i saw this video i was really happy because the norway cb is super cute :D

[@LMB222]

1:45 no, it has to do with culture culture culture.

[@Nathan-pw9nl]

Norway is that meme of a dude being poor and not getting a girl, then becoming rich and saying "fuck you" to everyone

[@luanasari5161]

you mean the "beat it chick" meme?

[@Nathan-pw9nl]

@@luanasari5161 lmao yeah thats the one

[@souvikrc4499]

This also applies to Singapore, which literally got independent against its will.

[@Nathan-pw9nl]

@@souvikrc4499 wait they wanted to join Indonesia if Im correct but were denied or they were part of it but got kicked out?

[@souvikrc4499]

@@Nathan-pw9nl well replace Indonesia with Malaysia, and you’d be correct

[@Luredreier]

"they quickly surrendered" Considering our population we lasted quite a while. Denmark has about the same population and didn't last long at all. If Germany hadn't invaded France leading to France and Britain pulling their troops out to help defend France we'd probably be able to keep fighting in northern Norway. But since they did pull out we kept fighting till they had managed to pull out, then surrendered.

[@Tuffy]

i love these videos about next powers and how countries future is and how countries do stuff. keep it up man.

[@shadowrunner8575]

You should do some more research. There really wasn't a time where Norway was poor. Norway has for the last 200 years been among the riches countries, compared to nations of the same era. In 1875 little Norway had the world largest merchant fleet. It's a common myth that Norway was poor. I have no idea why so many think this... But 2 and a half minutes on Google whould have stopped you from making this mistake.

[@ThunderTheBlackShadowKitty]

Norway also sits on land that is experiencing post glacial rebound, which means that land is rising. Norway is arguably the safest place in the world to be. If world catastrophe hits, I'm moving to Norway.

[@SamuelChac0n]

3:20 seeing norway without sweden besides it made me realize how weird of a shape it really has

[@pxrplehairgirl5030]

hahhaha

[@pxrplehairgirl5030]

you know whats weirder? the shape of Sweden and Finland without Norway O.O

[@jeffreyvalentyn6815]

Dude this is a great video

[@deutschlandgermany5752]

Bro got my respect cuz he censored Sweden

[@reaperz5677]

I like how you can occasionally hear the spacebar that your press to start recording during the sponsored section, lol.

[@StateoftheWorld]

h0ser I bet you get rich :)

[@willemdafeo1176]

Im Norwegian and i love the video, espacially when you bleeped the e in Sweden haha

[@tanjoy0205]

Will do a video on city states like Israel,Singapore and Taiwan ?And why there aren’t many city states that have survived into the modern era.

[@incrediblemapper1]

Israel and Taiwan are nothing close to city states bro… However Singapore is…

[@martinsmehaug5164]

We didn’t surrender early, we held out a little less than the French but they had a army of millions while we had like 6 thousand and we sunk a destroyer too

[@OskarW57]

Do Poland versus the future please 🙏

[@jakalantheman3402]

From Norway and i love ur vids

[@MattiDT]

As a Norwegian, I appreciate that you censored our neighbour's name! (Sw*den)

[@pxrplehairgirl5030]

hahha

[@Daakkii]

I THINK NORWAY NEEDS SOME FREEDOM 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🦅🦅🦅

[@noysam]

American be Like

[@amund8821]

What famine are you referencing at 4:44 ? Would be nice see your sources.I myself have never heard of a famine in Norway.

[@eksploded856]

Fun fact: We can buy all of Sweden if we want

[@phephe19]

Could you do a video on France maybe? I think it would be pretty interesting.

[@etoadsworth8181]

Boy, i sure do enjoy being Norwegian!

[@turidadelegaupseth]

hmm

[@etoadsworth8181]

pissehullet til bestefar

[@smartgrowth3762]

Wait wut about Iceland 🇮🇸 everyone is forgetting that is it a Scandinavian country

[@Gamerroemer]

"Surrendered quickly" we were invaded before france and surrendered after france did

[@pxrplehairgirl5030]

And no one mentioned that we were not prepared and even women fought for our country

[@Phridgidaire]

The suspense! Can you make a video on Sweden? I wanna know about the beef!

[@SuSTR7]

Bro can you make a video about iran? your videos are cool and informative af

[@dharmapersona2084]

Imagine if Finland did not act as a Shield against Russia, then would these Nordic Countries still stay rich? If not for Finland, then I don't think these countries would be able to escape Socialist Economy... But Finland save them.

[@i_piss_rocks]

Russia isnt socialist in the slightest lmao

[@wallachia4797]

@Swedish and Nordic. By that logic, France also has a border with Brazil

[@irishakita]

@@wallachia4797 it does

[@JamesReti]

@@wallachia4797 LMAO, Do you think Norway doesn't directly boreder Russia? or

[@suissais4732]

@Swedish and Nordic. its werry small

[@MEERKAQ]

The state is gaining alot more money becasue of Oil price but the gas pirce is freakish high but the state proboly wont use the monies to make it lower

[@widodoakrom3938]

1:20 Norway per Capita is actually actually around 83.000 USD/Capita it's actually one richest country on earth only lost to micro state but Switzerland had per Capita almost 95k/Capita

[@heuzame6198]

Switzerland and Norway have a lot of similarities norwegians got high prices we got high prices (dont ask why i got the flag idk either lol)

[@dw300]

**Laughs in Irish** Paupers!

[@heuzame6198]

@@dw300 Isnt our gdp per capital higher by like 3k?

[@mantisshadow8990]

I like the swiss' style of governance. Although tbey have a welfare net, they have really strong pro individual laws like strict privacy laws in banks and a pretty good market not to mention pretty decent access to a firearm. Though I am probably more of a fan of Sweden though because of their regressive tax laws incentivising one to improve themselves for which they are rewarded as well as a fairly free market couple with a welfare net so people are more comfortable taking entrepreneurial risks.

[@nosrac1208]

I'm glad to see this channel grow!😊

[@houdini5538]

Norway nationalized their oil thus creating wealth for themselves and their citizens whereas other third world countries who tried to nationalize their oil were subsequently invaded by the US.

[@pxrplehairgirl5030]

If your talking about south american countries...*cough cough* CORRUPTION that leads to inflaction and so on...

[@souvikrc4499]

@@pxrplehairgirl5030 yeah it’s either foreign intervention and domestic corruption that fucks over Latin America. Just look at Venezuela and Mexico.

[@alaska8429]

Have you heard of me before? Me and Norway have the same oil story.

[@havocgr1976]

Well, some were, others just had their government steal that wealth for themselves.

[@starwarsweexplain6380]

Norwegian here great video

[@chrisd4169]

Canada under the Pierre Trudeau government had the same state owned oil company model (Petro-Canada) as Norway until Alberta axed it. Had we kept it, we could be one of the wealthiest countries in the world.

[@Frolkinator]

Not to nitpick, but not talking about the "oilfund", the giant pension fund, kinda annoyed me a little, but on otherhand it IS part of the oil argument on why were rich af.

[@bubblymochi7170]

7:50 Venezuela did the same but the Americans can't handle a stable government in LA. What a shame.

[@souvikrc4499]

Well we didn’t intervene blatantly in Venezuela compared to other Latin American countries. You should also blame corrupt politicians looting PDVSA for their own personal wealth.

[@joshmier9779]

My ego cannot handle the “this is the average hoser fan and this is the average hoser fan with nordvpn” 😂 bc I don’t have any vpn

[@doge.a.cat2002]

A video about Cuba would be interesting (though of course it'll probably cause a comment war)

[@TriangulumGalaxy_1]

Norway is rich today because of the well-educated labor force, productive public and private sectors, and rich natural resources. In addition to this, Norway can buy goods at low prices from the international markets. I totally didn't search this info I did

[@fjooyou]

You'd think with all the attention about fjord, river and mountains he put in the video he could've mentioned that Norway gets 90% of it's electricity from Hydropower and if it rains more than usual, they sell the rest! Which in 2020 made them the largest electricity exporter in Europe.

[@mariavi33]

And that is why our electricity bills have increased so much