AI use in Norway is continuing to rise rapidly, with 69% of people aged 16 to 79 saying they used generative artificial intelligence in the previous three months and nearly half of businesses with at least ten employees now using some form of AI technology.
The new figures, published by Statistics Norway (Statistisk sentralbyrå, SSB) on 25 September, show that generative AI use among individuals increased from 54% in 2025 to 69% in 2026, a rise of 15 percentage points in one year.
AI use is spreading across age groups
Young Norwegians remain the most frequent users. Around nine in ten people aged 16 to 24 reported using generative AI in 2026.
But adoption is also increasing among older people. The largest year-on-year increase was recorded among those aged 75 to 79, where the share using generative AI rose by 23 percentage points. Among people aged 35 to 74, increases ranged from 14 to 19 percentage points.
The gender gap has also narrowed. In 2026, 71% of men and 66% of women reported using generative AI, a difference of five percentage points. In 2024, the gap had been 12 percentage points.
SSB section head Erik Fjærli said Norway had already been at the top of the European figures in 2025.
“The Norwegian population’s use of AI was the highest in Europe in 2025, according to Eurostat figures. In 2026, we continue to see a strong increase in AI use compared with last year’s figures.”
Eurostat data for 2025 put generative AI use at 56% among Norwegians aged 16 to 74, compared with an EU average of 32.7%. Denmark had the highest share within the EU at 48.4%. The Eurostat age range differs slightly from SSB’s 2026 figure, which covers people aged 16 to 79.
Nearly half of Norwegian businesses now use AI
The expansion is also accelerating in the economy. Separate SSB figures on Norwegian businesses show that nearly five in ten enterprises with at least ten employees now use one or more types of AI technology, up from around three in ten in 2025.
According to SSB, the increase amounted to almost 20 percentage points in one year, roughly twice the annual pace recorded between 2023 and 2025.
The figures also show a widening gap between companies of different sizes. Around eight in ten large enterprises, defined as those with at least 100 employees, use AI, compared with four in ten small enterprises with between 10 and 19 employees.
Adoption also varies considerably between sectors. Around nine in ten businesses in information and communication use AI, compared with seven in ten in other services and three in ten in transport and storage.
SSB says generative AI has been the main driver of the latest increase. Technologies used to analyse text and generate text, images, video or audio have grown particularly quickly, while businesses are increasingly applying AI to administrative processes, management, marketing and sales.
The Norwegian figures point to AI becoming increasingly widespread both in everyday life and at work. At the same time, the differences between age groups, sectors and company sizes show that adoption remains uneven even as overall use accelerates.
