Sixth country is Norway
Norway’s economic engine has been driven by oil since the discovery of huge offshore deposits in the late 1960s. As the leading petroleum producer in Western Europe, the country has reaped the benefits of rising prices for decades. Not any longer: prices plummeted at the start of 2020, followed by a global pandemic—and the krone plummeted. Last year, the Norwegian economy shrank by 2.5 percent, the worst yearly fall in more than a half-century and probably since World War Two.
Does this imply that Norwegians now are substantially poorer than they were a few years ago? Probably not, and GDP growth is expected to rise to 3.9 percent in 2021.
Furthermore, Norwegians can always rely on their $1.3 trillion sovereign wealth fund, the world’s largest, to help them deal with any economic problems that may arise.
However, Norwegians understand that great prosperity comes with great responsibility: unlike many other wealthy countries, Norway’s high per capita GDP statistics are a true representation of people’s financial well-being, since Norway has one of the world’s lowest income inequality gaps.