Here is how Norway compares to the United States in each of the six factors for Happiness:
- GDP: 1.997 v 1.982
- Social Support: 1.239 v 1.182
- Healthy Life Expectancy: 0.786 v 0.628
- Freedom to Make Life Choices: 0.728 v 0.574
- Generosity: 0.217 v 0.220
- Perceptions of Corruption: 0.474 v 0.177
We have made it to the Scandinavian countries, and Norway comes out strong, beating America in every category besides generosity.
Other Scoring Systems
- FreedomHouse: #1 v #60
- Human Development Index: #2 v #21
- US News Overall: #13 v #6
- US News Social Purpose: #6 v #19
- US News Quality of Life: #4 v #20
- Legatum Prosperity: #2 v #20
How is Norway, the eighth happiest nation, so highly ranked? In three different scoring systems, it is #2 or #1.
Health Care
Norway has universal health coverage, funded primarily by general taxes and payroll contributions shared by employers and employees. Enrollment is automatic.
Norway ranks #9 in quality of healthcare and #19 in Global Health Security.
Children sixteen and under receive free public health care. Most adults pay user fees until they reach about $250 a year. Hospital visits and emergency care are all free to Norway citizens.
If you are a retiree moving to the country, you will be treated the same as other residents.
Climate
About a third of Norway lives in Oslo and the surrounding area. Bergen is fairly close by and has a similar climate. Tromsø is too far North for me, although the weather isn’t that much worse than Oslo’s.
Oslo does snow a lot, similar to Syracuse, New York. The hours of sunlight also change significantly, from 19 in the summer to only 6 in the winter.
The winds are calm, which is a big plus. However, although I would be fine with summer temperatures not getting too hot, the cold and snowy winters make me hesitant.
Cost of Living
Norway is more expensive to live in than the United States.
When we compare Saint Louis, MO, to Oslo, we see that it will cost 23.3% more to live in Oslo. This is a significant change and worth further review.
Language
Norwegian is the official language of Norway. However, 90% of the nation does speak English to some extent. Therefore, Norwegians would expect you to try to learn the language if you wanted to make any social connections.
Acceptance of Others
74% of Norway believes that most immigrants enrich the country’s cultural life.
Norway ranks first in personal freedom on the Legatum Prosperity Index, indicating high social tolerance.
Norwegians are more introverted and prefer to spend time with their family at home. As an outsider, I may find it challenging to find friends in Norway.
Moving Feasibility
A visitor’s visa allows you to stay in Norway or other Schengen countries for up to 90 days over 180 days. A residence permit will enable you to work in Norway and remain for over 90 days.
No retirement permit is available to Americans. Therefore, you cannot buy your way into a Norwegian residence like in some other countries popular with American retirees.
Work permits are the most common way for foreign citizens to move to Norway, but non-EU/EEA citizens must find a job first.
Conclusion
Norway sounds lovely, except I don’t know if we would be able to get a visa or if I could handle the harsh winters.
