Norway is a beautiful country, and the nature here is also beautiful. We have been said to be the safest country in the world by United Nations several times. I love living here in Norway, but that's just my opinion.
I have to agree with K O. I am Norwegian but I am studyin in the US now, and especially the bus system in Norway beat the US hands down. Train I am not that sure about, as I have only used it once, but in Canada I gave up trying to move around with trains because it was horrible.
Kent Olaf Steinhaug I read the other day in VG that in 2014, only ONE day all trains were on scedule from Oslo S (main train station in Oslo). That sounds pretty sad. However, I trained (intentional verbing) to work for two months while between cars, and it was quite nice. And cheap. Like 1/10th of car costs.
Norway doesn't have a minimum wage. What we do have is negotiated wage rates for different industries, but if you're not part of those agreements you could end ut making around 100 NOK an hour. I'd say a low paid worker in Norway is on about 150-200 NOK an hour, some $20.
My summer job is from 7 am to 2:30 pm (the people who work full time work until 3 pm), and the minimum wage is less than 25$ (mine is for example less than that).
lol ofc people love the spring/summer and are active. thats when crops are planted and obviously its warm and many outdoor activities can be done w/o wearing coats everywhere like in winter which is life half the year and is usually below 0
I think people living in smaller houses here is more related to Norwegians having less purchasing power than Americans. It's not like we're inherently different in how we value material stuff. I don't think I know anyone who wouldn't want a bigger house. Also, the government doesn't really help you find a job. The building you spoke of is a NAV building, and while they offer courses to help you find a job, you're statistically less likely to get a job if you actually take that course.
Alexander Andreassen An important fact to state is that our purchasing power is in fact larger than that of the United States. Norway has about 65 000 Int$ in GDP (PPP) per capita, while USA has 54 000 Int$ in GDP (PPP) per capita. It's true you must remember to keep in mind that cost of living scales with income, but that does not mean all countries will be equal. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)_per_capita Also I think the reason houses are small and prices are very high is because they are more expensive to build and there is less space to build them on. There is no such thing as a flat surface in Norway, compared to Germany or USA, it's flat as far as the eye can see and far beyond...
Well, looking at PPP per capita using GDP is misleading. GDP does not differentiate between the private sphere and the government. If the government sucked up 60% of the wealth in one country, while the people of another country got to keep their income, it would not show up. It also ignores the levels of tax, VAT, sin taxes, licencing fees and so on. If you look at indexes tied to one commodity, you'll find that Norway is way more expensive than the US when using PPP. If you look at the OECD comparative price levels, where the OECD measures the difference in price levels between its member countries by calculating the ratios of PPPs for private final consumption expenditure to exchange rates, you'll find similar results. Prices are high because of the central bank, interest rates. With fractional reserve banking, banks can give huge loans with low interest. This is hugely inflationary, where the supply of money increases and floods the housing market, driving prices up. This is what happened in the US, though I'm oversimplifying the issue. It's a matter of the government distorting the market, and supply and demand. It's also similar to how the tuition prices in the US have been driven up and up and up. And the US isn't all flat, it's a hugely varied country in terms of terrain. You'll also find relatively cheap housing in some flat areas, and insanely expensive housing in other flat areas. Terrain is not very relevant at all.
Alexander, woah, you are incredibly informed and knowledgeable. I know exactly what you are talking about because I have studied this as well and understand economic terms such as GDP (PPP), disposable household income, median and average household income and so forth. I have also read a lot of OECD statistics and take information directly from government census data from different countries because these tend to be the most objective and reliable. The average person just quotes a statistic without doing thorough research and giving time to understand what they read. Sometimes people think GDP figures are actually related to or are the national income. People usually just grab a quote from some random news article to somehow make their country superior to another. Unfortunately, it appears most people online love to criticize the U.S. and will use highly subjective and relative statistics, studies and figures to make Americans feel like they live in a terrible oppressive backwards hellhole when it's actually not the way most people think it is. Another reason why homes tend to be larger is due to very large and generous state and federal government subsidies and tax breaks for the housing industry. House building corporations such as D.R. Horton, KB Homes and Richmond American pay very little federal business tax and the land that the homes are built on and materials used to build a home are subsidized by state and federal tax money. Americans who own their home or have a mortgage also get very generous federal income tax breaks as well. This has created the most affordable real estate market among industrialized nations as no other Western nation has such generous government subsidies and tax breaks for their nation's housing industry. Currently, the national average for the price of a home is about $130 a square foot. So a new 2,600 square foot home (241 square meters) built on 1/3 an acre of land (1.214 square meters) is about $338,000 USD (NOK 2.788.671) on average across the United States. This is extremely cheap relative to nearly all other Western markets. Especially compared to our Canadian cousins to the north.
No, I have studied a lot of economics though. It's not like you learn economics just by being someplace. I think just about every person in every country is proof of that.
I think that if you went into the countryside and to small towns you would find few immigrants, and a culture closer to that of the US. Except in Norway, generally, the cities are more conservative and the countryside more liberal.
+Marthe Endresen It probably also has to do with the fact that the USA is a LOT bigger in size than Norway is, so obviously there's an abundance of space and hence larger houses.
Haha, only Oslo and Stavanger? How about Oslo, Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim and areas sorrounding them (and I mean several hours away, especially around Oslo, but this goes for the other cities as well)? Aka where all the jobs are... you cant very well move to a cheap house if you have no job in the area
Take a look at housing prices in the greater London area, in west germany, in and around Paris, anywhere in BeNeLux. You'll see that norwegian housing really isn't that expensive when all things considered. You'll have to compare with PPP, but even with the housing bubble it is even worse many many other places.
We're not morning people, we're just forced to get up early. 8 hours work day, or 7.5 hours if lunch break is included. As for houses, they're by far more expensive. I would love a larger place, but I can't afford it. And yes, pay is better than in the US, but it's higher cost of living.
Some are morning people, some isn't. It's the same wherever you go in the world, in my opinion. Ex. in the summer i'm up extremely early to enjoy the day. Teenagers and grown ups maybe a little different right here though
Thanks for setting him straight on this. My friend, Anne, lives in Ottestad. She visits every few years, and is BLOWN AWAY by how cheap everything is in the U.S. Everything from food, to clothing, to gasoline is much, MUCH less expensive here. A pair of shoes that would cost her the equivalent of $100 in Norway could be $20 here in the U.S. She buys a large suitcase here, fills it with clothing, electronics, make-up, etc. for her and her daughters, and even with the cost of the suitcase and the fee for bringing it back home, ends up saving a LOT of money. All of those freebies like "free" medical care end up costing Scandinavians a lot of money in everyday expenses. And the housing is INSANELY expensive in Norway. She couldn't believe how little we paid for our home. Her tiny house is cute and she loves it, but it cost her much more than the 4-bedroom home I bought...and I live in California!
Sheldon Helms I am more than happy to pay taxes to get lower medical costs, free hospital, free education, etc etc. I ended up in hospital a few years back, after a car accident, and at the time I was quite poor. If I had been living in the US, they would probably have sent me straight home without any help, instead I was taken care of without paying as much as a penny. This year I've been ill a lot, and been checked for a lot of things. I don't even want to think about how much my medical bills would have looked like if I lived in the US. After visiting the US, I am very happy I live here, and not in the US, I met and saw so many homeless people who would never have been homeless here.
I absolutely adore seeing all the spoiled comments about how we (norwegians) don't live in a great country. My father immigrated from a country of war and he always says 'Norwegians don't understand how great they have it'. Another saying which is well known is 'Nordmenn liker å klage' - 'Norwegians like to complain'. Most of us already live an optimal life hence there is nothing left to do but complain. This does not mean that we are perfect. The system could do with improvements and we could do with improvements. But trying to contradict everything in this video just for the sake of saying 'we're not doing THAT well', look up some country that never had the benefit of becoming one of the best places to live in the world and rethink your moans.
Dude the reason most of us dont live in huge houses is because we cant afford it, we are not all rich, and Norway is one of the most expensive countries
***** One of the reasons might be that I know in the US people in good economic situations like to take up loans for their dream house, in Norway this is a rare occurrence, we don't like to take up loans as much as you do in the US, so we choose to live in smaller houses and have money to spare instead of living in big houses and always owe money to loan companies.
Aleholl as Here in Norway it DEPENDS on where you wanna live in the country, in Oslo its more expensive than it is in the North Coast and in the North side of the country..
I don't want to sound racist, but it is a shame that my homeland is being polluted by minorities.I have nothing against other cultures, but we will lose our own culture if we integrate everyone into one. :/ Thats the whole joy of traveling, seeing other cultures, too bad the world will soon be one big mash culture instead of preserving what made us unique.
It's always difficult to see your culture change, humans tend to favor what we have over the unknown. But there are definitely some flaws in our culture (as with all cultures), and there is always something to be learned from other cultures. Besides, I gotta say I'm curious as to how the world would be without national romanticism in the present day.
+- Porscheeky - Nei... egentlig ikke? Normale jobber (som jeg vil anta er 80% av folk som jobber, har) så er det som de klokkeslettene som er nevnt ovenfor. Så nei, nei det varierer ikke veldig :)
Ali Frazier Just because they are narrow doesn't mean they are the worst. The quality of the road is very good, very pleasent to drive on So if you know how to drive a car you won't be having any problem so just learn how to not drive out of the way and you will be fine:)
Ali Frazier Yet our roads are the most expensive to build. Why, you ask? Because of all the mountains and fjords. We can practically drive everywhere, yet the roads are bad. It could either be that, or we can drive on wide roads, yet you can't drive wherever you want.
+frida I dont even consider Oslo as Norway. Its by far the worst place you can visit in Norway. And its not even Norwegians that livee there. its a dumb.
+bladwin321 However its the capital, where most NORWEGIANS live. However if you are talking about the nature tromsø would be the nicest. All in all oslo still is worth visiting for alot of reasons.
+Amanda Jakobsson Jeg elsker å bo i Norge. Jeg bor i Stavanger, veldig fin by. hvis jeg var deg og skulle flyttet til Norge ville jeg ikke flyttet til Oslo.
+SirAiki AQW har vært i oslo et par ganger, perfekt ville jeg ikke kalt det... Ikke at stavanger er perfekt, eller noen byer i det hele tatt. Men på oslo s var det narkomane, fulle menn som ropte etter meg, venninna mi ble frastjålet lommebok, og jeg så flere slosskamper, og en som ble slått ned.. I tillegg til at ingen bilister stopper for å slippe en over fotgjengerfelt
200 000 USD is cheap compared to switzerland, i think the average in switzerland is about 800 000 USD, i'm being dead serious, look it up, housing is insanely expensive in switzerland
You know, in some countries, they paint holes in the ground to prevent people from speeding. But in Norway, we use 3D tecnology where you actually feel the holes in the ground.
I dont really care what the others that comments think, but id say your video was quite accurate :) Although one of the reasons ppl dont get bigger houses is because of the cost of a house in norway is rather skyhigh :)
Don't call me dude please. So why people coming out this 2016 january to protest agains Barnet. protest from: Washington, New York Gemany, Austria,Slovakia,Lithuania, Australia, Bulgaria, India, Russia, Hollandia, Sweden,Philippines and Turkey
As A American I would say your better off just staying in Norway and the reason is because in the US major cities like New York,LA,Chicago and Houston there is very high crime rate and there is A huge class divide in those cities. And in the smaller cities and towns there are A lot of small minded judge mental people who do not accepts people who thinks and believes differently than them there are positives in America just A lot more negatives.
I am Norwegian and I love my country. I live in the captial (Oslo), and I really enjoyed listening to your fantastic experience of the best country in the world
+Submissive Morgoth I am a 16 years old blonde, tall, girl, and have been living in Norway my entire life.. so yes, i consider myself "really norwegian". :)
That really depends on where you are located in Norway. In the countryside public transportation is quite poor. I live in Norway, but I am from Germany. Public transprtation in Germany is much, much better than in Norway.
Jolly Roger Because it's hard to find stuff to complain about here, so we had to pick something! It's not roads you fools! It's training courses for rally drivers !
You are comparing Norway to the southern culture of the U.S. I am from Seattle and everyone is environmentally friendly, the buses are full, and most everyone is working before 8am. Also, there are not more manual labor jobs, those are everywhere. Also, they get paid higher in Norway because of the living wage, it makes everything extremely expensive.
yes but you are lucky - the west coast is more environmentally friendly and socially aware. it is not representative of the rest of the country, I live in the Midwest and no one cares about the environment, social issues, or education. people here are very intolerant and uneducated, also very wasteful and not concerned with sustainability when compared to the coast.
It's funny seeing how others see our country. We have smaller houses for several reasons. The building cost is high. It has been common to have a mortgage to the government (Husbanken), at low interests, but then there is a maximum sqrmetres requirement among others. Even when you own your house and lot, you have to pay taxes for it every year. Bigger house, higher taxes. It is also common to lease the lot, but you still have to pay taxes as you owned it. The heating cost during winter is high. With an american style house with large rooms and high ceeling, the hearing bill would rip you off. Crime: In the larger cities (Oslo, Bergen) there are areas/streets who is wise to avoid during night time. High crime rates in those areas. And drugs are sold openly, its also common to see addicts inserting the needle. It's a high rate of OD's.
Sepirek1 You forgot * Law of Jante aka Janteloven * Rich people feel bad when they buy something extremely expensive and impractical, and people who started from nothing gets embarrassed.
I loved this video! I've watched a lot of videos about my country on youtube, and there are just so many people who don't understand our system and culture who will utter their opinion anyways. This guy really knows what he's talking about :)
I think we get ''paid well'' because it's so expensive to live in Norway. But I am a proud norwegian for sure. About the summers, you obviously haven't been to Trønderlag. Whenever you leave the house, you got to bring an umbrella, a scarf and sunscreen.
the reason norway is "The Richest Country" is because the leaders takes like 50% of the money that a person make in there whole life. Even if you just want to drive out of the city u need to pay 10dollars. Its redicoulus (or how i spell it) Even a gum costs like 5 dollars, like common.
As for wages being that high, it gets balanced out by the extremely high cost of living. Norwegians do feel extremely wealthy whenever they visit most other countries though. For example Norwegians going to Sweden to buy alchohol, or just shopping in general, even if Sweden is considered expensive compared to most of Europe.
Buy why would you then export "missionary culture of USA" to a country that seems so peaceful? As an African, I'm reminded of how everyone says Africans were so bad (they did not know Jesus) that is why they needed to be changed and look at Africa now. If I was Norway I would not allow anyone who is there to change their way of life.
I agree. It's hard to say you 'love a culture' when you are there for the express intent on changing the people that make up the culture. I wish more people would just enjoy various cultures and respect them for what they are instead of trying to change them (or at least let the people within the culture decide if they desire a change).
+SusanneJooo Yes, but you are also much better taken care of. Your healthcare and education are paid for, and your crime rate is exceptionally low. Things that the US cannot brag about.
Ok, Norway is nice. I enjoyed it very much when I was there. But this video is the most one-sided perspective on the country imaginable! It is almost laughable. I was waiting for him to say that nice little elves come riding into the towns on reindeer and give out presents to the children every new moon. Come on! Many questionable points could have at least been raised in the interest of balance and intellectual integrity. But if you want to believe that Norway is actually a chunk of heaven that has fallen to earth, I guess this is your vid. LOL
Awww! 💛 This is a cute filter to see Norway through. It's a peaceful country, but it also has its flaws. Norwegians are a little scared of new things and things that are out of normal patterns. That freak us out a little bit. And being that it is super expensive for an apparent, we have to settle for what we can afford. But I love that you like liked Norway that much. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻😉
Nikky where did you get that from? and how this this make it more dangerous than a slum? How you ever heard of someone getting killed there? or is this troll?
for those ho think that norway take in so small amount of refugis is becouse we are such a small populashon, soo the popelation can't take inn more, iff they have taken in more then when turist comens they won't see norway and norwagien pople but rather a bigg steuw of culters..
we work 37,5hours to 42hours a week. regular: electricians plumbers carpenters painters cleaner earn around 25000kr a month, after taxes. which is about 4200 US dollars a month. id say thats good?
Free man People are different all over the country! You have nice people and you have assholes. Most people are nice and open and welcomming, but the assholes shouts louder. The cities are more or less melting pots:)
James Ford, I feel the same thing! Though i´ve lived here 22 years, i am originally from South America, and Norwegians are often skeptics at first - once you get to know them more personally - they´re not that racist after all! Norway is a good country working and achieving successful goals.
Man Of Steel That's not entirely accurate; while there's no general minimum wage, there is a minimum rate specified for certain sectors: www.arbeidstilsynet.no/fakta.html?tid=240096 (English)
E7Editing well some people have to... they are not skilled enough or have the atitude to do a good paying job. ive been an aprentice for 2 years. i was payed 30% 40% 50% then 80% divided in 6month raises of the originale salary of a certified IT worker. at 30% i barely got paid 750-800euro after tax. now im at 80% getting about 2000euro a month after tax. its still nothing compared to the cost of living. you would need to be 2 people to hold a house even at a 100% salary in my profession.... thats why im doing another 2 years of school to add about 20keuro a year. thats gonna give me a total of 4 years of work directed education and 2 years of working with the proffesion. then i might end upp on about 55k euro a year.
We have labour unions (for different types of work) that are powerful and mandate the minimum wage for that set of job, if they do not get their way they strike
True but we have system of Industry/Sector unions which are mandated by law. They negotiate the standards for the wages. Often in the news you hear about the threat of "Tvungen lønnsnemend" that means if the strikes/lockouts have occured far enough the goverment are obliged to put together a "wage commite" and whatever findings that commite makes has to be accepted.
Norway is a tiny country with a tiny population. Public transportation is practical. The US spans a continent where a person can literally drive a thousand miles east or west to meet the coast. Norway expelled records number of Muslims last year to eliminate crime. So much for you're melting pot. Norway is one of the most heavily taxed countries in the world with a total tax burden of roughly 45% of GDP, almost 4x Hong Kong and nearly twice the US. VAT there is a whopping 25%. Personal income tax rates border 55%. Corporate profits tax ranges from 28% to as high as 78%. It's also the reason the average person doesn't have a larger American style home in Norway, Gasoline cost a whopping $9.97 per gallon in Norway which is a major oil producer. That's why Norwegians don't drive privately owned automobiles. It's nice that your friend makes $25 per hour for working in a low/no skill job in a grocery store. However, his salary is passed along to consumers. Norway has one of the highest price levels for personal goods and services in all of Europe; the cost of food is a staggering 47 percent higher than the (European) continental average. It's nice you enjoyed your stay in Norway, but remember the devil is in the details. PS. A little simple math: At $25 an hour your friend makes roughly $50,000 per year. If he is taxed at 55 percent tax rate his annual take home pay is $22,500 per year. In the U.S. an average grocery clerk makes about $28,000 per year. He/She would be taxed at a base rate of 15 percent before deductions and an effective tax rate of perhaps 7 percent after deductions. Each time your friend shops for food he pays a valued added tax (vat) of 25 percent. Most U.S. states don't tax food. I doubt he owns a car (hence the use of public transportation) and most likely lives in a tiny apartment and of course wears simple clothes (I believe that was one of the virtues you mention). Young people tend to idolize what they don't understand. Read a book, do the research, do the math, free your mind.
nofrackingzone There are other factors you seem to forget; health care (nobody dies in the street without care), free university, free schooling, the poverty rate is 3 times lower in Norway than in the USA, Norwegians work far less and have far more free time. Having lived in the 2 countries for working I would say that the quality of life is incomparable, far better and relax in Norway. So you have some holes in your maths, the average clerk in Norway has not to spend about health (he is insured automatically with no restrictions and will be covered for any disease or accident, no small prints), nor children's school or university (the children won't have any loan to pay after the university), he is insured to have an income for a year if he is unemployed, if he dies his wife won't fall in total poverty and will not have to steal in any Walmart, living in car with 6 children and depending on the charity of a good cop to get shoes and diapers for the children, if he becomes crippled he will be helped, if a child is born the mother has 49 weeks fully remunerated to take care of the baby and... and..and...too many differences. The Norwegians have very different values from the Americans, making money is not the priority in life and social solidarity is not an empty word. To become a millionaire (in USD) has no meaning for 99% of the Norwegians. They live even older and "curiously" the rich and poor have about the same longevity has they have access to the same medical care. When you study longevity in the USA you are amazed by the discrepancy between rich and poor. More curiously Norway spends only 10% of his PIB for health care while the USA spends 19% for an unequal and less efficient result, similar to the poor Cuba which spends 600 dollars year per person. And the Norwegians have no war to fund. At the end the best; the 5 millions of Norwegians are sit on a 878 billions dollars Government Pension Fund-Global, and no debt...That are the maths. So it seems to me that the Norwegian society has a better global efficiency that the American society, as you have to consider a lot of other factors than only wages.
Please note: yes we earn more money than americans at average, but its more expensive for an norwegian to live in norway then it is for an american with their salary in america, if that makes sense.
in norway we allso live in small houses for two reasons: one the prices on a house is very exspensive and nummber two a lot of the houses are old and from the time when norway did't have to much money.
Benjamin Tomassen Nordahl and there is not many norwegians working in the construction buisniss it's often people from easter europe, here in norway there is very many people working at offices and at oil riggs
Benjamin Tomassen Nordahl and there is no minnimal wage an houer in norway but you have to be paid reasonably according to your living standars. and i do not think that 25$ is what you are allowd to pay an houer since that equals the same as 4kr and that's nothing
Benjamin Tomassen Nordahl 25 dollar does not ecual 4 kr, I don't know hiw mutch it is at the moment, but around 6kr = 1 dollar. So 25×6= 150, so the minnimum pay is around 150 kr pr hour.
Benjamin Tomassen Nordahl Ikke tenk på det, ville no bare rette opp i det. Det er ikke sikkert det er helt rett heller siden jeg ikke sjekket hva dollaren er på nå. Håper du har en videre fin dag :)
You might find that it is not just Norway where there are more manual labour jobs but alot of Europe too ! there are a lot of office jobs in Europe too but no where near like the USA.
***** hmmmm, I don't really know any who work in manual labor, but they do indeed make a good salary. But basically, the young people are not choosing manual labor (huge debate now, because students feel they need a master's degree to get a decent job), and there is a lot of immigrants/Swedes who do take those jobs. The most common job here is work in a government office. From the top of my head I think about 40% is employed in the public sector.
I am considering moving to Norway in about 3-4 years this will be somewhat outdated but the culture wont change so quickly so thanks this is still going to be helpful.
i wouldn't mind living in Norway one day because i can't stand the heat in New york i love the winter more when is hot i usually get heat rashes too much but the cold is my thing more
Some corrections (I'm Norwegian.) 1. Public transpiration is only packed in the morning with school kids and some adults on their way to work. Most people drive to work. The rest of the day you will in many cases be alone on the buss, until people are going back home in the evening. The same goes for trains. They're almost never packed with people. 2. 8 hours work day comes with a price tag. Cost of living in Norway is high and the reason is the way the system is setup. Nothings really free. 3. Crime has increased in Norway the past 5 years. More murders, rape, break ins, robberies, street fights and gang related problems. More crime than within the past 10 to 15 years as a comparison. The reason is more and more Eastern European mafia and immigration increase to Norway. The government does NOT take care of people that good. It's becoming more and more difficult to get help from the government when you need it. 4. Housing in Norway is expensive compared to the US. The reason why the houses are smaller has to do with cost of building them in the first place. It has nothing to do with the fact that Norwegian don't need much space. It's also government regulated how big your house should be and where you bought the rights to set it up. 5. $25 dollars an hour is not that much. The cost of living in Norway is 3-4 times higher than in the US. 6. NAV (The employment office in Norway) is a big joke to most Norwegian. They will make your life a living hell. Most jobs in Norway people find on their own or via friends or family members.
***** Some comments :-) 1. I think it really depends on where in Norway you live. 2. If you compere our income with the cost of living we are actually a really cheap country. A study in 2014 where they compered the prices on food to salary they found that Norway was the cheapest country in Europe (guess that also makes Norway cheaper than US) 3. Compering Norway to USA we still have less crime (agree that it has increased, but it is still less) 4. (look at 2.) We also have "The low of Jante" is also quite strong in Norway". I have some friends from Germany who vent to visit Stavanger. They where really surprised when they come home. After telling them that a lot of people in Stavanger had jobs in the oil that had expected a lot of larger houses. 5. (look at 2) We also have a "holiday pay" (payment the month in summer where you don't work), if the store you work in is closed because of a holiday you still get payed, or if it is a holiday and you have to go to work you will get the double payment. A german friend of me had stars in his eyes when he saw is paycheck after working the whole easter week. Saying it would be impossible for him to go back to german and get a normal german salary. 6. Agree it has been a lot of trouble with NAV, especially if you only watch the news. Most people have an OK experience with NAV, even if it is a lot of bureaucracy. NAV is only somewhere you go if you are not abel to get a job on your own, so it makes sense that most people find work themselves.
***** That's just so pessimistic! You make Norway (the best country in the world by A LOT of standards!) sound horrible. Almost allt he things he said in the video is true.
***** YES!! I scrolled throught the comments just to find this. Besides, younger people have NO CHANCE to get jobs in Norway that's well paid. I'm 19, living alone, and I do MAYBE earn 5 000NOK a month (around 660 dollar) for full work days, because alot of us younger have no privileged rights, and the only people/companies that will employ us are comission-work, and comission works only. I have maybe 2-3 friends who's paid by the hour, where the minimum wage-rules actually is a thing. I live just outside Oslo, and I do.not.feel.safe going home from somewhere after 8PM. Not at all. And another thing, - there are rules and rights of working overtime aswell. If I could work 12 hours straight, just to earn more money, I would, - but I can't. As said, I get paid around 660 dollar a month, but I get a little bit money from scholarships aswell, and that is a total of 1 000 dollar a month - and the apartment I rent is a total of 900 dollar a month, which leaves me 100 dollars for food and other stuff that comes in handy. Sad thing is that I know alot of people like me, and I still hear every day that "OMG you are so lucky to live in Norway, you're rich af" but no. No I'm not. I work and I go to school, I have no time for friends and the public family help organizations suck, and I am left with no family what so ever, and barely enough money to live.
So Cody: The promise of growth is in Latin America mostly and for the Book of Mormon peoples, who are now better prepared for living the Gospel despite their countries are not so materially blessed. Sorry to say but in the Scandinavia Area the Church growth is just meaneal!!-bounty has something to do with that. It s no surprise that even in England you see churches closed down why is that trend in Europe? You d better ask them !
Before you're all Oh I'm going to norway then. The summers is not like he explained, very rarely its 80 degrees and sun all the time. Mostly its either cloudy or raining/windy.
We do not have a minimal wage in Norway. However, we have great unions that takes care of their clients. And most people are in unions. So in theory we don't have a minimal wage, but in reality it's somewhere around 100 kroners an hour on part-time job for people under 18. The train system in Norway is well used by most of the residents and is absolutely packed in the morning and afternoon, you are very lucky if you don't have to stand (at least around and in Oslo, where I live) however, it is not great compared to other European countries. There is places you don't want to be late at night in Oslo, like "Brugata", "Grønland" or "børsen". Aswell as Groruddalen where you do not want to be at all. The reason why a lot of people in and around Oslo don't live in big houses with a lot of land is that it is crazy expensive (In the city a nice apartment cost about 7 million kroners (about 1 million dollar). And a small 2 story house with a garden could easily cost you at least the same. Where I live (in Oppegård), about 20 minutes from Oslo, a big nice house with a big garden can easily cost up to 1,5 million dollars. If you move away from the city and suburbs the prices drastically drops and people by big houses with a lot of land.
This video is great. And don't mind all my fellow Norwegian complaining. That's normal too. In the west in general. We don't know how good it is here. I use to say to those people. Well.. look at it this way: Norway is one of the least shitty places to live. And people who think Norway is boring. Boring means it's good here. Peaceful. Those people complaining obviously haven't travelled alot.. or felt it physical, psychological or economical how insanely lucky we are to be born here. Just the fact that we are complaining shows how good it actually is. This video is a good presentation. Like generally. No county is perfect. But like I said. We're one of the least fucked up ones.
80 degrees and always sunny..
Are you sure you went to Norway, mate?
I think he accidentally went to france...
***** that's because it's bergen ;) it doesn't rain all that much in oslo
gullungen95 climate in Norway is extremely diverse.
Depends on where you live in Norway.
Seems like most people have missed the fact that I have a norwegian username
Norway is a beautiful country, and the nature here is also beautiful. We have been said to be the safest country in the world by United Nations several times. I love living here in Norway, but that's just my opinion.
Our train systems are NOT well developed.
True
When compared to most US public transport systems... yes they are! Haha.
I have to agree with K O. I am Norwegian but I am studyin in the US now, and especially the bus system in Norway beat the US hands down. Train I am not that sure about, as I have only used it once, but in Canada I gave up trying to move around with trains because it was horrible.
our train system looks like an aluminum can wobbling in slow motion
Kent Olaf Steinhaug I read the other day in VG that in 2014, only ONE day all trains were on scedule from Oslo S (main train station in Oslo). That sounds pretty sad. However, I trained (intentional verbing) to work for two months while between cars, and it was quite nice. And cheap. Like 1/10th of car costs.
My brother got his bachelors degree in engineering and got a job doing janitorial work. We're Americans.
+aclark141 In what field of engineering? and from where? and how well did he do?
Three very important questions.
Norway doesn't have a minimum wage. What we do have is negotiated wage rates for different industries, but if you're not part of those agreements you could end ut making around 100 NOK an hour. I'd say a low paid worker in Norway is on about 150-200 NOK an hour, some $20.
My summer job is from 7 am to 2:30 pm (the people who work full time work until 3 pm), and the minimum wage is less than 25$ (mine is for example less than that).
Isabell Sandal interesting, thanks for sharing!
Isabell Sandal we do not have a minimum wage. the minimum wage is decided by the company that pays you :P (there is no set minimum wage in the law)
Isabell Sandal just 30 mins difference is weird.
Trust me, it's a lot of money in the end :p
Isabell Sandal haha, mine is from 0730 AM to 0300 PM, and that's full time... paid lunch anyone? :P
lol ofc people love the spring/summer and are active. thats when crops are planted and obviously its warm and many outdoor activities can be done w/o wearing coats everywhere like in winter which is life half the year and is usually below 0
I think people living in smaller houses here is more related to Norwegians having less purchasing power than Americans. It's not like we're inherently different in how we value material stuff. I don't think I know anyone who wouldn't want a bigger house.
Also, the government doesn't really help you find a job. The building you spoke of is a NAV building, and while they offer courses to help you find a job, you're statistically less likely to get a job if you actually take that course.
Alexander Andreassen An important fact to state is that our purchasing power is in fact larger than that of the United States. Norway has about 65 000 Int$ in GDP (PPP) per capita, while USA has 54 000 Int$ in GDP (PPP) per capita. It's true you must remember to keep in mind that cost of living scales with income, but that does not mean all countries will be equal. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)_per_capita
Also I think the reason houses are small and prices are very high is because they are more expensive to build and there is less space to build them on. There is no such thing as a flat surface in Norway, compared to Germany or USA, it's flat as far as the eye can see and far beyond...
Well, looking at PPP per capita using GDP is misleading. GDP does not differentiate between the private sphere and the government. If the government sucked up 60% of the wealth in one country, while the people of another country got to keep their income, it would not show up. It also ignores the levels of tax, VAT, sin taxes, licencing fees and so on. If you look at indexes tied to one commodity, you'll find that Norway is way more expensive than the US when using PPP.
If you look at the OECD comparative price levels, where the OECD measures the difference in price levels between its member countries by calculating the ratios of PPPs for private final consumption expenditure to exchange rates, you'll find similar results.
Prices are high because of the central bank, interest rates. With fractional reserve banking, banks can give huge loans with low interest. This is hugely inflationary, where the supply of money increases and floods the housing market, driving prices up. This is what happened in the US, though I'm oversimplifying the issue. It's a matter of the government distorting the market, and supply and demand. It's also similar to how the tuition prices in the US have been driven up and up and up.
And the US isn't all flat, it's a hugely varied country in terms of terrain. You'll also find relatively cheap housing in some flat areas, and insanely expensive housing in other flat areas. Terrain is not very relevant at all.
Alexander, woah, you are incredibly informed and knowledgeable. I know exactly what you are talking about because I have studied this as well and understand economic terms such as GDP (PPP), disposable household income, median and average household income and so forth. I have also read a lot of OECD statistics and take information directly from government census data from different countries because these tend to be the most objective and reliable. The average person just quotes a statistic without doing thorough research and giving time to understand what they read. Sometimes people think GDP figures are actually related to or are the national income. People usually just grab a quote from some random news article to somehow make their country superior to another. Unfortunately, it appears most people online love to criticize the U.S. and will use highly subjective and relative statistics, studies and figures to make Americans feel like they live in a terrible oppressive backwards hellhole when it's actually not the way most people think it is. Another reason why homes tend to be larger is due to very large and generous state and federal government subsidies and tax breaks for the housing industry. House building corporations such as D.R. Horton, KB Homes and Richmond American pay very little federal business tax and the land that the homes are built on and materials used to build a home are subsidized by state and federal tax money. Americans who own their home or have a mortgage also get very generous federal income tax breaks as well. This has created the most affordable real estate market among industrialized nations as no other Western nation has such generous government subsidies and tax breaks for their nation's housing industry. Currently, the national average for the price of a home is about $130 a square foot. So a new 2,600 square foot home (241 square meters) built on 1/3 an acre of land (1.214 square meters) is about $338,000 USD (NOK 2.788.671) on average across the United States. This is extremely cheap relative to nearly all other Western markets. Especially compared to our Canadian cousins to the north.
Alexander, you seem to be very self-aware. I'm curious to know, have you ever been to my country?
No, I have studied a lot of economics though. It's not like you learn economics just by being someplace. I think just about every person in every country is proof of that.
Norway with the other Social Democracy nations in Scandinavia recently ranked as the 5 happiest nations.
Beklager vi danskere tog førstepladsen. Igen😉😜
This is good to know! Thanks for sharing:)
I think that if you went into the countryside and to small towns you would find few immigrants, and a culture closer to that of the US. Except in Norway, generally, the cities are more conservative and the countryside more liberal.
he forgot to mention how common it is for Norwegians to complain on those very things he admired. 😀
Norway is awsome! Greetings from Finland. =)
The cost of living in Norway is extremely high, thats why we make so much.
We have less space because housing is insanely expensive these days.
+Marthe Endresen It probably also has to do with the fact that the USA is a LOT bigger in size than Norway is, so obviously there's an abundance of space and hence larger houses.
Housing is not expensive in Norway, only a few areas like Oslo and Stavanger
Haha, only Oslo and Stavanger? How about Oslo, Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim and areas sorrounding them (and I mean several hours away, especially around Oslo, but this goes for the other cities as well)? Aka where all the jobs are... you cant very well move to a cheap house if you have no job in the area
Take a look at housing prices in the greater London area, in west germany, in and around Paris, anywhere in BeNeLux. You'll see that norwegian housing really isn't that expensive when all things considered. You'll have to compare with PPP, but even with the housing bubble it is even worse many many other places.
True, London and several other places are more expensive than Norway. But compared to those places; norwegians do NOT have small houses.
We get paid well but it's alot more expencive here... But Norway is a beautiful country!
Just a random Swede, passing by in the comments.
You're username should be Anime Girl or Anime School Girl.
James Speed
I may be a weeb but I am not that much of a weeb x) If I were to name my name after the girl in my profile picture it'd be "Hanazuki Kayo"
not as safe as it used to be. many muslim ghettos and immigrant gangs have popped up since this video was made in 2014
8hr work time is more normal in norway I'd say
Unknown good to know, thanks for the info!
***** It's 7,5 hours + a 30 minute lunch break :)
thechronic4twenty Yeah some places its payed 30min lunch break and you cant leave the workplace, other places its 30min free time for lunch
are you from norway? Are any of you from norway?
Freddy Deal i am yes
To be honest, I think Norway life is better than USA life
We're not morning people, we're just forced to get up early. 8 hours work day, or 7.5 hours if lunch break is included. As for houses, they're by far more expensive. I would love a larger place, but I can't afford it. And yes, pay is better than in the US, but it's higher cost of living.
Some are morning people, some isn't. It's the same wherever you go in the world, in my opinion. Ex. in the summer i'm up extremely early to enjoy the day. Teenagers and grown ups maybe a little different right here though
im a morning guy. start working before 07, and I choose to do it
Thanks for setting him straight on this. My friend, Anne, lives in Ottestad. She visits every few years, and is BLOWN AWAY by how cheap everything is in the U.S. Everything from food, to clothing, to gasoline is much, MUCH less expensive here. A pair of shoes that would cost her the equivalent of $100 in Norway could be $20 here in the U.S. She buys a large suitcase here, fills it with clothing, electronics, make-up, etc. for her and her daughters, and even with the cost of the suitcase and the fee for bringing it back home, ends up saving a LOT of money. All of those freebies like "free" medical care end up costing Scandinavians a lot of money in everyday expenses. And the housing is INSANELY expensive in Norway. She couldn't believe how little we paid for our home. Her tiny house is cute and she loves it, but it cost her much more than the 4-bedroom home I bought...and I live in California!
Sheldon Helms
I am more than happy to pay taxes to get lower medical costs, free hospital, free education, etc etc. I ended up in hospital a few years back, after a car accident, and at the time I was quite poor. If I had been living in the US, they would probably have sent me straight home without any help, instead I was taken care of without paying as much as a penny. This year I've been ill a lot, and been checked for a lot of things. I don't even want to think about how much my medical bills would have looked like if I lived in the US. After visiting the US, I am very happy I live here, and not in the US, I met and saw so many homeless people who would never have been homeless here.
I absolutely adore seeing all the spoiled comments about how we (norwegians) don't live in a great country. My father immigrated from a country of war and he always says 'Norwegians don't understand how great they have it'. Another saying which is well known is 'Nordmenn liker å klage' - 'Norwegians like to complain'. Most of us already live an optimal life hence there is nothing left to do but complain.
This does not mean that we are perfect. The system could do with improvements and we could do with improvements. But trying to contradict everything in this video just for the sake of saying 'we're not doing THAT well', look up some country that never had the benefit of becoming one of the best places to live in the world and rethink your moans.
Dude the reason most of us dont live in huge houses is because we cant afford it, we are not all rich, and Norway is one of the most expensive countries
Aleholl as good point! I can't really afford a big house in the U.S. either :)
***** One of the reasons might be that I know in the US people in good economic situations like to take up loans for their dream house, in Norway this is a rare occurrence, we don't like to take up loans as much as you do in the US, so we choose to live in smaller houses and have money to spare instead of living in big houses and always owe money to loan companies.
EirikXL that makes sense. yeah many gets 30 year mortgages. I personally wouldn't want to be in debt for that long. :)
Yeah you are correct
Aleholl as Here in Norway it DEPENDS on where you wanna live in the country, in Oslo its more expensive than it is in the North Coast and in the North side of the country..
is everyone who watched this norwegian?
i think so
+Simsdoble originale i'm a filipino but i love norway :)
I am
+Simsdoble originale Jeg tipper 80%. Hva tror du?
100% eller 99% og en russer som er forviret
I don't want to sound racist, but it is a shame that my homeland is being polluted by minorities.I have nothing against other cultures, but we will lose our own culture if we integrate everyone into one. :/ Thats the whole joy of traveling, seeing other cultures, too bad the world will soon be one big mash culture instead of preserving what made us unique.
It's always difficult to see your culture change, humans tend to favor what we have over the unknown. But there are definitely some flaws in our culture (as with all cultures), and there is always something to be learned from other cultures. Besides, I gotta say I'm curious as to how the world would be without national romanticism in the present day.
got the work hours wrong... its 8 to 16 or 7 to 15 8 hour days
+kent johnsen thanks for catching that!
+Prepare to Serve! you work for 7 and a half hour with a 30 minutes lunch
quite a lot of companies pay you 8 hours as youre espected to drop ur food to answer phones, take care of customers etc
+kent johnsen Varierer jo veldig da..
+- Porscheeky - Nei... egentlig ikke? Normale jobber (som jeg vil anta er 80% av folk som jobber, har) så er det som de klokkeslettene som er nevnt ovenfor. Så nei, nei det varierer ikke veldig :)
Reason we make "alot" of money is beacause we need to be able to afford to buy food.
I hate to be so blunt, but for all its beauty, Norway has hands down the worst roads in Europe. Narrow, narrow... and did I mention they are narrow?
Ali Frazier I think they are ok, probably just because i'm used to them xD
Ali Frazier Just because they are narrow doesn't mean they are the worst. The quality of the road is very good, very pleasent to drive on
So if you know how to drive a car you won't be having any problem
so just learn how to not drive out of the way and you will be fine:)
Ali Frazier Yet our roads are the most expensive to build. Why, you ask? Because of all the mountains and fjords. We can practically drive everywhere, yet the roads are bad. It could either be that, or we can drive on wide roads, yet you can't drive wherever you want.
Every 0.1 mile= 3cm wide road.
I'm a fish My fishy friend... Be not dismayed... I LOVE Norge....
We have one place you dont go, and it is Oslo S at night...
+frida I dont even consider Oslo as Norway. Its by far the worst place you can visit in Norway. And its not even Norwegians that livee there. its a dumb.
+bladwin321 However its the capital, where most NORWEGIANS live. However if you are talking about the nature tromsø would be the nicest. All in all oslo still is worth visiting for alot of reasons.
+Martin Ellingsen Good point, but I´d say that the nature in Hardanger is nicer
+Amanda Jakobsson Jeg elsker å bo i Norge. Jeg bor i Stavanger, veldig fin by. hvis jeg var deg og skulle flyttet til Norge ville jeg ikke flyttet til Oslo.
+SirAiki AQW har vært i oslo et par ganger, perfekt ville jeg ikke kalt det... Ikke at stavanger er perfekt, eller noen byer i det hele tatt. Men på oslo s var det narkomane, fulle menn som ropte etter meg, venninna mi ble frastjålet lommebok, og jeg så flere slosskamper, og en som ble slått ned.. I tillegg til at ingen bilister stopper for å slippe en over fotgjengerfelt
We live in small houses because our houses are not made out of cardboard, the average cost of BUYING a house in Norway is around 200 000 USD.
Thats true, you know a youtuber made a vid about how to make a safe and he cut his wall with a KITCHEN KNIFE!
200 000 USD is cheap compared to switzerland, i think the average in switzerland is about 800 000 USD, i'm being dead serious, look it up, housing is insanely expensive in switzerland
Yes, New Zealand is similar in its expensive housing. The high tax countries are very expensive.
I admire the way you teach children in Norway, the USA needs to change and be like Norway in that regard.
You know, in some countries, they paint holes in the ground to prevent people from speeding. But in Norway, we use 3D tecnology where you actually feel the holes in the ground.
How an American sees Norway after visiting: A more successful and developed Vermont!
+sandythebear, Perhaps technically, but the effective tax rate of mega corporations in the USA is ZERO... which is to say after exploiting loopholes.
I dont really care what the others that comments think, but id say your video was quite accurate :) Although one of the reasons ppl dont get bigger houses is because of the cost of a house in norway is rather skyhigh :)
i love Norway best civilized country in the world top top hand down
+Arif Merghani You sure you actually went to Norway?
Nope. Norway is a cold, small country. smaller than California.... US is the best!!
The us is better? Have you actually been to both places? I don't believe so
+Arif Merghani Nah man. I live here, and I want to move to the US when I grown up.
Don't call me dude please. So why people coming out this 2016 january to protest agains Barnet. protest from: Washington, New York Gemany, Austria,Slovakia,Lithuania, Australia, Bulgaria, India, Russia, Hollandia, Sweden,Philippines and Turkey
I would like to visit Norway 👍
This made me think of how lucky I am to live in Norway, even though I've always wanted to live in the US
May I ask why have you always wanted to live in the US?
Santiago Aguirre i don't think you will ever get an answer
Santiago Aguirre because we wanna be like those guys in the movies yo
thechronic4twenty #SWEG N' STUFF
As A American I would say your better off just staying in Norway and the reason is because in the US major cities like New York,LA,Chicago and Houston there is very high crime rate and there is A huge class divide in those cities. And in the smaller cities and towns there are A lot of small minded judge mental people who do not accepts people who thinks and believes differently than them there are positives in America just A lot more negatives.
You Americans are very polite and nice, i hope to visit the US some time.
You guys are out of mind comparing US with Norway 😂
I am Norwegian and I love my country. I live in the captial (Oslo), and I really enjoyed listening to your fantastic experience of the best country in the world
+Norwhereay Why wouldn't he be?
***** I see
+Norwhereay
How is your opinions about immigrants at all relevant here?
+Submissive Morgoth I am a 16 years old blonde, tall, girl, and have been living in Norway my entire life.. so yes, i consider myself "really norwegian". :)
+Submissive Morgoth
Again, how is it relevant?
Norway isn't always so sunny and hot, in Bergen it rains almost every day
Nice summary, I am Norwegian, and I like the way you sum up this.
Norway got excellent public transportation. In the US, if you don't have a car, life is hard. Outside big cities it's almost impossible.
Earth+ Agreed
That really depends on where you are located in Norway. In the countryside public transportation is quite poor. I live in Norway, but I am from Germany. Public transprtation in Germany is much, much better than in Norway.
Markus, how come that most of the Norwegians permanently complain about the bad roads in Norway? :-)
Jolly Roger Because it's hard to find stuff to complain about here, so we had to pick something!
It's not roads you fools! It's training courses for rally drivers !
Well, many of the roads in the countryside are terrible in Norway. A shame for such a rich country.
You are comparing Norway to the southern culture of the U.S. I am from Seattle and everyone is environmentally friendly, the buses are full, and most everyone is working before 8am. Also, there are not more manual labor jobs, those are everywhere. Also, they get paid higher in Norway because of the living wage, it makes everything extremely expensive.
***** Norway is only expensive for tourists.
yes but you are lucky - the west coast is more environmentally friendly and socially aware. it is not representative of the rest of the country, I live in the Midwest and no one cares about the environment, social issues, or education. people here are very intolerant and uneducated, also very wasteful and not concerned with sustainability when compared to the coast.
jaketaz You will never find a better conservationist than a farmer, fisherman, forester or whaler.
Ade Larsen I think I should work on a farm some time
jaketaz Nothing beats fresh air and growing your own food. :-)
Norwegians view nature as their home. They also dress in nice clothing.
Different parts do different things.
***** Yeah, some do. But the coolest kids don't care about those expensive purses.
***** He/She NEVER said simple clothing. He/She said "nice clothing" :)
***** Ohhhh! I must've been some weeks late on this comment. My apologies :)
+Weed ...because you're smoking so much weed.
It's funny seeing how others see our country.
We have smaller houses for several reasons.
The building cost is high.
It has been common to have a mortgage to the government (Husbanken), at low interests, but then there is a maximum sqrmetres requirement among others.
Even when you own your house and lot, you have to pay taxes for it every year. Bigger house, higher taxes. It is also common to lease the lot, but you still have to pay taxes as you owned it.
The heating cost during winter is high. With an american style house with large rooms and high ceeling, the hearing bill would rip you off.
Crime:
In the larger cities (Oslo, Bergen) there are areas/streets who is wise to avoid during night time. High crime rates in those areas. And drugs are sold openly, its also common to see addicts inserting the needle. It's a high rate of OD's.
Sepirek1 Thanks for your tips and info!
***** Hei
Sepirek1 You forgot * Law of Jante aka Janteloven * Rich people feel bad when they buy something extremely expensive and impractical, and people who started from nothing gets embarrassed.
I loved this video! I've watched a lot of videos about my country on youtube, and there are just so many people who don't understand our system and culture who will utter their opinion anyways. This guy really knows what he's talking about :)
Johanne W Thanks!
Ade Larsen Haha no it's not...
Ade Larsen it over 5 million people in norway! no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norge
Befolkning
- Totalt: Rangert som nr. 116
5 109 056[b]
Ade Larsen da fok? that's the stereotypical Norwegian
Ade Larsen Nice to see that you're avoiding my questions. If you can't back up your sayings you might want to shut up.
I think we get ''paid well'' because it's so expensive to live in Norway. But I am a proud norwegian for sure. About the summers, you obviously haven't been to Trønderlag. Whenever you leave the house, you got to bring an umbrella, a scarf and sunscreen.
the reason norway is "The Richest Country" is because the leaders takes like 50% of the money that a person make in there whole life. Even if you just want to drive out of the city u need to pay 10dollars. Its redicoulus (or how i spell it) Even a gum costs like 5 dollars, like common.
Norway is awesome (I live there)it's really good and I am so glad that I live in Norway❤️
norway is not like what he says .. people in norway thet work in the stores is not getting that much paid...
#Europeforeuropeans
HANDSOME GUY!!!!! He looks a lot like Ryan Gosling!!!! KISS HIM. Hot guy.
Regarding public safety... how's the immigration situation going?
As for wages being that high, it gets balanced out by the extremely high cost of living. Norwegians do feel extremely wealthy whenever they visit most other countries though.
For example Norwegians going to Sweden to buy alchohol, or just shopping in general, even if Sweden is considered expensive compared to most of Europe.
they come to norway to get money to send back to they're family so they do it to get they're family to norway or just send money back home
Buy why would you then export "missionary culture of USA" to a country that seems so peaceful? As an African, I'm reminded of how everyone says Africans were so bad (they did not know Jesus) that is why they needed to be changed and look at Africa now. If I was Norway I would not allow anyone who is there to change their way of life.
I agree. It's hard to say you 'love a culture' when you are there for the express intent on changing the people that make up the culture. I wish more people would just enjoy various cultures and respect them for what they are instead of trying to change them (or at least let the people within the culture decide if they desire a change).
Missionary work is the basis of intolerance. You can't tolerate that culture so you have to change it.
Just want to point out that everything is a lot more expensive in norway, so that's partially why our income is so high compared to the U.S.
+SusanneJooo Yes, but you are also much better taken care of. Your healthcare and education are paid for, and your crime rate is exceptionally low. Things that the US cannot brag about.
We work 7.5 hours monday to friday. Either 8-16 or 7-15 which is the most common
There is no minimum wage in Norway, so you can't really say people make "minimum $25/h"
"The government takes care of everybody very well", except the elderly.
Oh the typical "grass is always greener on the other side" mentality that people get from watching this video
We actually don't have a legal minimum salary in Norway, we just pay "fair" wages I suppose.
Rudde
Google : minstelønn i Norge. Minimum wages in Norway.
You will learn that it's highly regulated. 1 $ = 7 - 8 kroner.
+Rudde Ok, I give in, perhaps your right. Must sheck this closer.
Ok, Norway is nice. I enjoyed it very much when I was there. But this video is the most one-sided perspective on the country imaginable! It is almost laughable. I was waiting for him to say that nice little elves come riding into the towns on reindeer and give out presents to the children every new moon. Come on! Many questionable points could have at least been raised in the interest of balance and intellectual integrity. But if you want to believe that Norway is actually a chunk of heaven that has fallen to earth, I guess this is your vid. LOL
I love his positive view, but when he talked about the summers I was laughing. 13 degrees celcius and rain is a normal summer day.
he's a Christian missionary what did you expect?
EVEN WORSE...
Awww! 💛 This is a cute filter to see Norway through. It's a peaceful country, but it also has its flaws. Norwegians are a little scared of new things and things that are out of normal patterns. That freak us out a little bit. And being that it is super expensive for an apparent, we have to settle for what we can afford. But I love that you like liked Norway that much. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻😉
Det er sant eheh
the minimum salary differs from place to place, where i work the minimum wage is about 16-18 dollars per hour.
BTW Oslo's Airport is one of world's most Dangerous airport's in the world police have normal clothes there!
Nikky interesting!
Nikky where did you get that from? and how this this make it more dangerous than a slum? How you ever heard of someone getting killed there? or is this troll?
I have been there
Jeg er Norsk selv :P
da er du dummere en jeg trodde. desverre, gi meg en grunn til at det er verdens farligste sted.
for those ho think that norway take in so small amount of refugis is becouse we are such a small populashon, soo the popelation can't take inn more, iff they have taken in more then when turist comens they won't see norway and norwagien pople but rather a bigg steuw of culters..
30k or more a years is a lot considered how small this country is
we work 37,5hours to 42hours a week.
regular:
electricians
plumbers
carpenters
painters
cleaner
earn around 25000kr a month, after taxes. which is about 4200 US dollars a month. id say thats good?
المسيح هو ابن الله yeah! that's insanely good! .
what about the people? are they nice , do they treat foreigners nicely? is it a cultural country?
Free man Norwegian people tend to be alittle racist but hide it extremely well and we are also extremely blunt. At least where I'm from.
Free man People are different all over the country! You have nice people and you have assholes. Most people are nice and open and welcomming, but the assholes shouts louder. The cities are more or less melting pots:)
James Ford, I feel the same thing! Though i´ve lived here 22 years, i am originally from South America, and Norwegians are often skeptics at first - once you get to know them more personally - they´re not that racist after all! Norway is a good country working and achieving successful goals.
I am from Colombia and I am latin american/ native American looking - brown skin/red skin.
You said the minimal wage is about $25. This is not true. There is no minimum wage here. Though our average pay is pretty solid.
Man Of Steel good to know, thanks for clarifying that!
Man Of Steel
That's not entirely accurate; while there's no general minimum wage, there is a minimum rate specified for certain sectors: www.arbeidstilsynet.no/fakta.html?tid=240096 (English)
Man Of Steel correction it's about 17USD or 99NOK.
snederw If you work for 99nok a hour, then you should probably quit your job
E7Editing well some people have to... they are not skilled enough or have the atitude to do a good paying job. ive been an aprentice for 2 years. i was payed 30% 40% 50% then 80% divided in 6month raises of the originale salary of a certified IT worker. at 30% i barely got paid 750-800euro after tax. now im at 80% getting about 2000euro a month after tax. its still nothing compared to the cost of living. you would need to be 2 people to hold a house even at a 100% salary in my profession.... thats why im doing another 2 years of school to add about 20keuro a year.
thats gonna give me a total of 4 years of work directed education and 2 years of working with the proffesion. then i might end upp on about 55k euro a year.
ACTUALLY: Norway has no set minimum wage. Worth noting.
We have labour unions (for different types of work) that are powerful and mandate the minimum wage for that set of job, if they do not get their way they strike
True but we have system of Industry/Sector unions which are mandated by law.
They negotiate the standards for the wages.
Often in the news you hear about the threat of "Tvungen lønnsnemend" that means if the strikes/lockouts have occured far enough the goverment are obliged to put together a "wage commite" and whatever findings that commite makes has to be accepted.
NSB (Norwegian State Railways) and developed, now those are some words I never thought I'd hear in the same sentence!
I am happy to live in Norway!
"They're train system is actually very, very well developed."
I don't think hes been to Norway at all.
Norway is a tiny country with a tiny population. Public transportation is practical. The US spans a continent where a person can literally drive a thousand miles east or west to meet the coast. Norway expelled records number of Muslims last year to eliminate crime. So much for you're melting pot. Norway is one of the most heavily taxed countries in the world with a total tax burden of roughly 45% of GDP, almost 4x Hong Kong and nearly twice the US. VAT there is a whopping 25%. Personal income tax rates border 55%. Corporate profits tax ranges from 28% to as high as 78%. It's also the reason the average person doesn't have a larger American style home in Norway, Gasoline cost a whopping $9.97 per gallon in Norway which is a major oil producer. That's why Norwegians don't drive privately owned automobiles. It's nice that your friend makes $25 per hour for working in a low/no skill job in a grocery store. However, his salary is passed along to consumers. Norway has one of the highest price levels for personal goods and services in all of Europe; the cost of food is a staggering 47 percent higher than the (European) continental average. It's nice you enjoyed your stay in Norway, but remember the devil is in the details.
PS. A little simple math: At $25 an hour your friend makes roughly $50,000 per year. If he is taxed at 55 percent tax rate his annual take home pay is $22,500 per year. In the U.S. an average grocery clerk makes about $28,000 per year. He/She would be taxed at a base rate of 15 percent before deductions and an effective tax rate of perhaps 7 percent after deductions. Each time your friend shops for food he pays a valued added tax (vat) of 25 percent. Most U.S. states don't tax food. I doubt he owns a car (hence the use of public transportation) and most likely lives in a tiny apartment and of course wears simple clothes (I believe that was one of the virtues you mention). Young people tend to idolize what they don't understand. Read a book, do the research, do the math, free your mind.
nofrackingzone thanks for sharing all that information!
nofrackingzone A lot of U.S. liberals make out the Nordic countries to be utopias when really the reality is not like that.
nofrackingzone This guy is a mormon and sees it all through rose-tinted glasses.
yumi mango Young people tend to idolize places and people without really seeing beyond the rose colored glasses they have on.
nofrackingzone There are other factors you seem to forget; health care (nobody dies in the street without care), free university, free schooling, the poverty rate is 3 times lower in Norway than in the USA, Norwegians work far less and have far more free time. Having lived in the 2 countries for working I would say that the quality of life is incomparable, far better and relax in Norway.
So you have some holes in your maths, the average clerk in Norway has not to spend about health (he is insured automatically with no restrictions and will be covered for any disease or accident, no small prints), nor children's school or university (the children won't have any loan to pay after the university), he is insured to have an income for a year if he is unemployed, if he dies his wife won't fall in total poverty and will not have to steal in any Walmart, living in car with 6 children and depending on the charity of a good cop to get shoes and diapers for the children, if he becomes crippled he will be helped, if a child is born the mother has 49 weeks fully remunerated to take care of the baby and... and..and...too many differences.
The Norwegians have very different values from the Americans, making money is not the priority in life and social solidarity is not an empty word. To become a millionaire (in USD) has no meaning for 99% of the Norwegians.
They live even older and "curiously" the rich and poor have about the same longevity has they have access to the same medical care. When you study longevity in the USA you are amazed by the discrepancy between rich and poor. More curiously Norway spends only 10% of his PIB for health care while the USA spends 19% for an unequal and less efficient result, similar to the poor Cuba which spends 600 dollars year per person. And the Norwegians have no war to fund.
At the end the best; the 5 millions of Norwegians are sit on a 878 billions dollars Government Pension Fund-Global, and no debt...That are the maths.
So it seems to me that the Norwegian society has a better global efficiency that the American society, as you have to consider a lot of other factors than only wages.
Please note: yes we earn more money than americans at average, but its more expensive for an norwegian to live in norway then it is for an american with their salary in america, if that makes sense.
+makani18 It makes perfect sense. Consider that there will always be people who are better at keeping the money they make, as well.
Kim Probable kinda hard to save money when we pay 37% tax
Most of the people have a good life in Norway, except workers with low income. hiii
in norway we allso live in small houses for two reasons: one the prices on a house is very exspensive and nummber two a lot of the houses are old and from the time when norway did't have to much money.
Benjamin Tomassen Nordahl and there is not many norwegians working in the construction buisniss it's often people from easter europe, here in norway there is very many people working at offices and at oil riggs
Benjamin Tomassen Nordahl and there is no minnimal wage an houer in norway but you have to be paid reasonably according to your living standars. and i do not think that 25$ is what you are allowd to pay an houer since that equals the same as 4kr and that's nothing
Benjamin Tomassen Nordahl 25 dollar does not ecual 4 kr, I don't know hiw mutch it is at the moment, but around 6kr = 1 dollar. So 25×6= 150, so the minnimum pay is around 150 kr pr hour.
yes you are right i thinked entayerly wrong
Benjamin Tomassen Nordahl
Ikke tenk på det, ville no bare rette opp i det. Det er ikke sikkert det er helt rett heller siden jeg ikke sjekket hva dollaren er på nå. Håper du har en videre fin dag :)
"train system in norway is very well developed" doesnt work 90% of the time.
Nora Pandora You got sause for that?
Øyvind Westrum I got plenty of sauce.
Nora Pandora i see u
Stian Berg Stalker
Nora Pandora Haha signalfeil her og signalfeil der. Han som snakker i videoen vet lite.
i am from norway it,s pretty amazing but i have also been in usa. sometimes i wish that i live theere in the us. but i love norway.it,s i pretty fun.
You might find that it is not just Norway where there are more manual labour jobs but alot of Europe too ! there are a lot of office jobs in Europe too but no where near like the USA.
***** good points!
***** hmmmm, I don't really know any who work in manual labor, but they do indeed make a good salary. But basically, the young people are not choosing manual labor (huge debate now, because students feel they need a master's degree to get a decent job), and there is a lot of immigrants/Swedes who do take those jobs. The most common job here is work in a government office. From the top of my head I think about 40% is employed in the public sector.
We do not have it bad here in norway lads👍
Vi har det ikke fælt her i norge folkens👍 det er noe vi har! Vi har det bra 👍
Norge landet av de fleste gode mennesker ..
Norway the land of most good people :)
I am considering moving to Norway in about 3-4 years this will be somewhat outdated but the culture wont change so quickly so thanks this is still going to be helpful.
Seems similar to Sweden.
Just better.👍🏿
it is
It's Sweden without the extremist political groups, and without the cucking of the entire country because of liberal psychopaths ;)
i wouldn't mind living in Norway one day because i can't stand the heat in New york i love the winter more when is hot i usually get heat rashes too much but the cold is my thing more
Some corrections (I'm Norwegian.)
1. Public transpiration is only packed in the morning with school kids and some adults on their way to work. Most people drive to work. The rest of the day you will in many cases be alone on the buss, until people are going back home in the evening. The same goes for trains. They're almost never packed with people.
2. 8 hours work day comes with a price tag. Cost of living in Norway is high and the reason is the way the system is setup. Nothings really free.
3. Crime has increased in Norway the past 5 years. More murders, rape, break ins, robberies, street fights and gang related problems. More crime than within the past 10 to 15 years as a comparison. The reason is more and more Eastern European mafia and immigration increase to Norway. The government does NOT take care of people that good. It's becoming more and more difficult to get help from the government when you need it.
4. Housing in Norway is expensive compared to the US. The reason why the houses are smaller has to do with cost of building them in the first place. It has nothing to do with the fact that Norwegian don't need much space. It's also government regulated how big your house should be and where you bought the rights to set it up.
5. $25 dollars an hour is not that much. The cost of living in Norway is 3-4 times higher than in the US.
6. NAV (The employment office in Norway) is a big joke to most Norwegian. They will make your life a living hell. Most jobs in Norway people find on their own or via friends or family members.
***** thanks for adding that info!
Glad to help!
***** Some comments :-)
1. I think it really depends on where in Norway you live.
2. If you compere our income with the cost of living we are actually a really cheap country. A study in 2014 where they compered the prices on food to salary they found that Norway was the cheapest country in Europe (guess that also makes Norway cheaper than US)
3. Compering Norway to USA we still have less crime (agree that it has increased, but it is still less)
4. (look at 2.) We also have "The low of Jante" is also quite strong in Norway". I have some friends from Germany who vent to visit Stavanger. They where really surprised when they come home. After telling them that a lot of people in Stavanger had jobs in the oil that had expected a lot of larger houses.
5. (look at 2) We also have a "holiday pay" (payment the month in summer where you don't work), if the store you work in is closed because of a holiday you still get payed, or if it is a holiday and you have to go to work you will get the double payment. A german friend of me had stars in his eyes when he saw is paycheck after working the whole easter week. Saying it would be impossible for him to go back to german and get a normal german salary.
6. Agree it has been a lot of trouble with NAV, especially if you only watch the news. Most people have an OK experience with NAV, even if it is a lot of bureaucracy. NAV is only somewhere you go if you are not abel to get a job on your own, so it makes sense that most people find work themselves.
***** That's just so pessimistic! You make Norway (the best country in the world by A LOT of standards!) sound horrible. Almost allt he things he said in the video is true.
***** YES!! I scrolled throught the comments just to find this. Besides, younger people have NO CHANCE to get jobs in Norway that's well paid. I'm 19, living alone, and I do MAYBE earn 5 000NOK a month (around 660 dollar) for full work days, because alot of us younger have no privileged rights, and the only people/companies that will employ us are comission-work, and comission works only. I have maybe 2-3 friends who's paid by the hour, where the minimum wage-rules actually is a thing. I live just outside Oslo, and I do.not.feel.safe going home from somewhere after 8PM. Not at all. And another thing, - there are rules and rights of working overtime aswell. If I could work 12 hours straight, just to earn more money, I would, - but I can't. As said, I get paid around 660 dollar a month, but I get a little bit money from scholarships aswell, and that is a total of 1 000 dollar a month - and the apartment I rent is a total of 900 dollar a month, which leaves me 100 dollars for food and other stuff that comes in handy. Sad thing is that I know alot of people like me, and I still hear every day that "OMG you are so lucky to live in Norway, you're rich af" but no. No I'm not. I work and I go to school, I have no time for friends and the public family help organizations suck, and I am left with no family what so ever, and barely enough money to live.
$25 an hour at 46% tax rate is $11.50
Norway wins!!! :D
Norway is a socialist country and USA is a capitalist country so there's a big difference between the system.
So Cody: The promise of growth is in Latin America mostly and for the Book of Mormon peoples, who are now better prepared for living the Gospel despite their countries are not so materially blessed. Sorry to say but in the Scandinavia Area the Church growth is just meaneal!!-bounty has something to do with that. It s no surprise that even in England you see churches closed down why is that trend in Europe? You d better ask them !
minimum wage is closer to $16
Norway actually doesn't have a minimum wage.
Before you're all Oh I'm going to norway then. The summers is not like he explained, very rarely its 80 degrees and sun all the time. Mostly its either cloudy or raining/windy.
Thank you for sharing all this!
We do not have a minimal wage in Norway. However, we have great unions that takes care of their clients. And most people are in unions. So in theory we don't have a minimal wage, but in reality it's somewhere around 100 kroners an hour on part-time job for people under 18. The train system in Norway is well used by most of the residents and is absolutely packed in the morning and afternoon, you are very lucky if you don't have to stand (at least around and in Oslo, where I live) however, it is not great compared to other European countries. There is places you don't want to be late at night in Oslo, like "Brugata", "Grønland" or "børsen". Aswell as Groruddalen where you do not want to be at all. The reason why a lot of people in and around Oslo don't live in big houses with a lot of land is that it is crazy expensive (In the city a nice apartment cost about 7 million kroners (about 1 million dollar). And a small 2 story house with a garden could easily cost you at least the same. Where I live (in Oppegård), about 20 minutes from Oslo, a big nice house with a big garden can easily cost up to 1,5 million dollars. If you move away from the city and suburbs the prices drastically drops and people by big houses with a lot of land.
im living in norway:)
Helle Austgulen norge best lande i werden for meg =P
No. I just love learning about all people. Grandfather was from Scotland, and Africa and American Indian also in my DNA.
What about Black living in Norway how are they living their.
very good, it's not the same as us :-)
Wow great Michell do you live their in Norway?
Yes, I live her in Norway 😊
+Darryl Jackson shes not lien i was there for 3 months recently & everyone lives comfortable
Are you Black is it good there
I choose living in norway!
7-3, 8-4 or 9-5.
This video is great.
And don't mind all my fellow Norwegian complaining. That's normal too. In the west in general.
We don't know how good it is here.
I use to say to those people.
Well.. look at it this way:
Norway is one of the least shitty places to live.
And people who think Norway is boring.
Boring means it's good here. Peaceful.
Those people complaining obviously haven't travelled alot.. or felt it physical, psychological or economical how insanely lucky we are to be born here.
Just the fact that we are complaining shows how good it actually is.
This video is a good presentation. Like generally. No county is perfect. But like I said. We're one of the least fucked up ones.