World Factbook
Svalbard (sometimes referred to as Spitsbergen, the largest island in the archipelago)
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Languages
Languages
Norwegian, Russian
major-language sample(s)
Verdens Faktabok, den essensielle kilden for grunnleggende informasjon. (Norwegian) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Population
male
1,353
total
2,556 (2025 est.)
female
1,203
Ethnic groups
Norwegian 61.1%, foreign population 38.9% (consists primarily of Russians, Thais, Swedes, Filipinos, and Ukrainians) (2021 est.)
note: foreigners account for almost one third of the population of the Norwegian settlements, Longyearbyen and Ny-Alesund (where the majority of Svalbard's resident population lives), as of mid-2021
Net migration rate
-5.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Population growth rate
-0.03% (2019 est.)
Population distribution
the small population is primarily concentrated on the island of Spitsbergen in a handful of settlements on the south side of the Isfjorden, with Longyearbyen being the largest