Norway is, in real terms, the richest western nation on earth?

I always knew that Norway was a stable western democracy. I had no idea just how rich it was though. It might be, in real terms, the richest western nation on earth. Or it seems that way to my, uneducated, mind.

Seriously Google....

The Government Pension Fund of Norway or, it’s former name, The Petroleum Fund of Norway.

Then remember that Norway has less than five million people.

I think, the wealth of the fund works out at something like USD 200 000 per capita.

To steal a line. Norway be ballin', yall.

 

Norway!?! Pffft, buncha socialists with their 100-percent health care coverare. So therefore their nation is a failure.

 

Uffda!

 

Yeah! Damn socialists. But I bet our richest people are richer than their richest people.

Of course our poorest people are probably poorer than their poorest people, too.

 

I'd wager our stupidest people are stupider than their stupidest people.

 

Me too. and God forbid we have 100 percent health care.

 

Akkurat! Bra! Utmekert!

Yup before we start comparing Norway with the United States, get back to me when Norway opens its ports to anyone who wants to come there and improve their life.

 

God forbid we have a 99 percent literacy rate in this country. We can't be having none of that.

 

Scale is, well, everything.

It's a little easier to take care of a culturally homogenous population of 5 million that lets few immigrants in than it is to take care of a culturally diverse population of 310 million that lets 1 million (legal) immigrants in every year.

We could. If we shut our doors to everyone except only the most exceptional immigration applicants.

 

More than 10 percent of the Norwegian population are immigrants. The five largest groups are Polish, Pakistani, Swedish, Iraqi and Somali. They also took in large amounts of war refugees from the Balkans.

 

I don't know if the salaries are much higher in Norway, but the public benefits are outrageously generous compared to the U.S.

Tuition to public universities is completely paid by the govt, all health care is paid by the govt, they have the world's longest paid maternity leave laws, ridiculously long vacation time rules, extraordinarily generous pension/retirement benefits, and plenty else their govt provides that ours won't.

On a recent trip to Mexico, I met a couple Norwegian surfer dudes who were telling me how every year they took a month-long surfing trip together to various far flung locations all around the world, and then returned to their working class jobs in Norway. They seemed quite surprised when I explained to them that guys in their position in the U.S. don't get the vacation time to do that every year.

You don't need to make much to live comfortably there. If you know your college education, health care and retirement are covered, the rest becomes a whole lot easier.