Municipality

Åseral

Municipality no. 4224 · Agder · 904 inhabitants · KOSTRA group 15

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Where the municipality stands out

Where most people live in crowded homes No. 355 of 357 (2.8%). No. 3 from the bottom.
Most and fewest with persistent low income No. 7 of 357 (11.9%).
Highest and lowest municipal debt No. 348 of 357 (38.5%). No. 10 from the bottom.

Places among the ten highest or lowest in the tables under «Statistics». Each table has its own definition and source.

Municipality index · based on 2025

62 of 100

Between rank 1 and 16 of 36 in KOSTRA group 15 (rank 5 with the default weights). Between 12 and 151 of 357 in Norway (55 with the default weights).

The rank is shown as a range when it moves a lot with other weights, normalisations and handling of missing data. The range covers 90 per cent of 1,000 draws. Methodology

Development index 54 of 100: how the key figures have changed over about the last three years, compared with the group. Profile: High level · improving.

Sub-indices for the municipality against the group median
Part	Score (0–100)	Group median	Development (0–100)
Work and business	64	48	28
Economy	98	43	89
Population and growth	19	52	37
Work, education and housing	61	51	73
Health and living conditions	Third quarter of the groupShown as a quarter, not as a score or rank
Local economy (our company data)	70	51	75

The score is the percentile rank in the group: 50 means middle of the pack among municipalities like it. The index does not measure the quality of services.

Summary analysis

Åseral has a municipality index of 62 of 100 against its KOSTRA group.

Strongest: Economy: 98 of 100 (group 43). Local economy (our company data): 70 of 100 (group 51).

Weakest: Population and growth: 19 of 100 (group 52).

Worth a closer look

Population growth, last year: −1.2% against −0.3% in the group (2026).

Written by fixed rules from the figures. Describes the figures, does not explain causes. Not investment or financial advice. How the summary is made

Key figures from Statistics Norway

Work and business

Key figure	Value	Group median	National median	Source
Employed, share of age 20–66 (high scores high)	82.2% 2025	73.5%	76.7%	table 11618
Job coverage (jobs per employed resident) (shown, not in the index)	95.0% 2025	90.6%	90.0%	table 11618
Registered unemployed, share of labour force (low scores high)	1.5% 2025	1.5%	1.3%	table 13563 figures from an earlier municipality number
New enterprises per 1,000 inhabitants (high scores high)	7.7 2023	7.8	9.2	table 13701 figures from an earlier municipality number
Limited company bankruptcies per 1,000 inhabitants (low scores high)	0.0 2025	0.0	0.5	table 07165 figures from an earlier municipality number

Economy

Key figure	Value	Group median	National median	Source
Household income after tax, median (high scores high)	NOK 687,100 2024	NOK 606,500	NOK 657,600	table 06944 figures from an earlier municipality number
Net operating result, share of operating revenue (municipal group) (high scores high)	9.5% 2025	0.8%	1.3%	table 12143
Unrestricted reserves, share of operating revenue (high scores high)	74.7% 2025	13.7%	10.4%	table 12143
Net debt, share of operating revenue (low scores high)	38.5% 2025	76.8%	84.9%	table 12143
Net operating expenditure per inhabitant (shown, not in the index)	NOK 175,979 2025	NOK 133,186	NOK 96,691	table 12137
Gross operating revenue per inhabitant (shown, not in the index)	NOK 330,863 2025	NOK 207,087	NOK 141,010	table 12137
Gross income per person aged 17 and over, mean (shown, not in the index)	NOK 582,600 2024	NOK 537,200	NOK 567,200	table 03068 figures from an earlier municipality number
Gross income per person aged 17 and over, median (shown, not in the index)	NOK 531,200 2024	NOK 464,500	NOK 500,200	table 05671 figures from an earlier municipality number

Population and growth

Key figure	Value	Group median	National median	Source
Population on 1 January (shown, not in the index)	904 2026	1,132	5,447	table 11342
Population growth, last year (high scores high)	−1.2% 2026	−0.3%	0.3%	table 06913 figures from an earlier municipality number
Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (shown, not in the index)	−3.3 2025	4.9	4.1	table 06913 figures from an earlier municipality number some years withheld by SSB
Share aged 80 and over (shown, not in the index)	4.6% 2026	7.9%	6.3%	table 07459 figures from an earlier municipality number
Projected population growth to 2030 (main alternative) (high scores high)	−1.2% 2026	1.3%	1.1%	table 14746
Projected population growth to 2050 (main alternative) (shown, not in the index)	−8.1% 2026	4.5%	3.6%	table 14746

Work, education and housing

Key figure	Value	Group median	National median	Source
Net in-commuting, share of employed residents (shown, not in the index)	12.4% 2025	−9.3%	−10.2%	table 11616
Children aged 1–5 in kindergarten (high scores high)	92.9% 2025	93.0%	94.1%	table 13502
Share with university or college education (16 and over) (high scores high)	23.2% 2025	23.7%	27.5%	table 09429
Share living in overcrowded homes (low scores high)	2.8% 2025	8.3%	6.9%	table 14902
Detached houses, share of all dwellings (shown, not in the index)	90.2% 2026	82.8%	75.1%	table 06265 figures from an earlier municipality number
Net expenditure on culture per inhabitant (shown, not in the index)	NOK 13,186 2025	NOK 4,428	NOK 3,310	table 13135

Health and living conditions

Key figure	Value	Group median	National median	Source
Life expectancy at birth (15-year period) (high scores high)	82.0 years 2025	81.6 years	82.4 years	FHI table 508
Share in households with persistent low income (EU60) (low scores high)	11.9% 2024	8.8%	8.1%	FHI table 403
Completed upper secondary education (standardised) (high scores high)	– 2025	66.6%	80.5%	FHI table 623 some years withheld by SSB
Young people satisfied with their health (Ungdata, latest survey) (high scores high)	– 2025	–	64.7%	FHI table 349
Disability benefit recipients aged 20–66 (standardised) (low scores high)	10.3% 2024	11.8%	11.2%	FHI table 787

Local economy (our company data)

Key figure	Value	Group median	National median	Source
Limited companies we follow per 1,000 inhabitants (high scores high)	91.8 2026	81.0	61.4	Our data
Median operating margin, companies we follow (shown, not in the index)	2.3% 2025	5.1%	4.4%	Our data
New bankruptcies and liquidations per 1,000 limited companies (low scores high)	0.0 2025	0.0	3.6	Our data

Public contracts

Key figure	Value	Group median	National median	Trend	Source
Share of the municipality's contracts (Doffin) won by local companies (shown, not in the index)	73.7% 2024	73.7%	11.4%		Our data

Education (shown, not counted)

Key figure	Value	Group median	National median	Source
Share with lower secondary as highest education (16 and over) (shown, not in the index)	21.2% 2025	30.5%	25.1%	table 09429
Share with upper secondary as highest education (16 and over) (shown, not in the index)	51.8% 2025	40.7%	42.0%	table 09429
Share with tertiary vocational education as highest (16 and over) (shown, not in the index)	3.5% 2025	3.8%	3.8%	table 09429
Municipal primary and lower secondary schools (shown, not in the index)	1 2025	1	3	table 11971
Pupils per municipal school (shown, not in the index)	109 2025	71	177	table 11971
Primary and lower secondary schools in operation (public and private) (shown, not in the index)	1 2026	2	4	Norwegian Mapping Authority and Directorate for Education (NSR)
Share of private primary and lower secondary schools (shown, not in the index)	0.0% 2026	0.0%	0.0%	Norwegian Mapping Authority and Directorate for Education (NSR)
Pupils per primary school (median, public and private) (shown, not in the index)	109 2026	70	146	Norwegian Mapping Authority and Directorate for Education (NSR)
Upper secondary schools in operation (shown, not in the index)	0 2026	0	1	Norwegian Mapping Authority and Directorate for Education (NSR)
Average lower secondary school points (shown, not in the index)	41 2025	42	42	table 12255 some years withheld by SSB
Pupils at mastery levels 3–5, national reading test, year 8 (shown, not in the index)	90.9% 2024	64.7%	63.0%	table 12255 some years withheld by SSB
Pupils at mastery levels 3–5, national numeracy test, year 8 (shown, not in the index)	– 2025	68.8%	62.5%	table 12255 some years withheld by SSB
Students in higher education, by place of study (shown, not in the index)	– 2025	231	2,020	table 03814 some years withheld by SSB
Students in higher education per 1,000 inhabitants, by place of study (shown, not in the index)	– 2025	130.5	60.1	table 03814 some years withheld by SSB

Each key figure is for the year shown beside it. Municipalities that merged or were renumbered get the figures from the old number where Statistics Norway has not recalculated them.

Industries in the municipality · 2025

The largest industries by persons employed with their workplace in the municipality (578 in all in 2025), with the change since 2020.

Industry (SN2007)	Employed	Share	Change since 2020	Change in Norway	Location quotient	Trend
Jordbruk og tjenester tilknyttet jordbruk, jakt og viltstell 01	188	32.5%	9.9%	−2.5%	25.65	Stable
Undervisning 85	43	7.4%	22.9%	4.1%	0.92	Rising
Sosiale omsorgstjenester uten botilbud 88	42	7.3%	−17.6%	1.7%	1.15	Falling
Helsetjenester 86	40	6.9%	263.6%	13.3%	0.76	Too little to say
Spesialisert bygge- og anleggsvirksomhet 43	33	5.7%	−28.3%	4.0%	1.20	Falling
Offentlig administrasjon og forsvar, og trygdeordninger underlagt offentlig forvaltning 84	32	5.5%	−3.0%	8.7%	0.86	Stable
Oppføring av bygninger 41	26	4.5%	188.9%	−3.4%	1.87	Too little to say
Pleie- og omsorgstjenester i institusjon 87	20 (3-year average)	3.1%	−16.7%	6.4%	0.57	Falling
Detaljhandel, unntatt med motorvogner 47	18 (3-year average)	2.8%	0.0%	4.0%	0.40	Too little to say
Elektrisitets-, gass-, damp- og varmtvannsforsyning 35	17 (3-year average)	2.9%	−5.6%	13.9%	4.57	Too little to say
Sports- og fritidsaktiviteter og drift av fornøyelsesetablissementer 93	12 (3-year average)	1.9%	100.0%	23.8%	1.85	Too little to say
Produksjon av metallvarer, unntatt maskiner og utstyr 25	12 (3-year average)	1.9%	−27.1%	19.3%	2.25	Too little to say

A location quotient above 1 means the industry is larger here than in the rest of Norway (2 = twice the share). “Rising” and “Falling” need both at least a 10% change over five years and a change at least 5 percentage points better or worse than in Norway. Industries with fewer than 20 employed are shown as a three-year moving average and are not classified. Source: Statistics Norway, table 13470 (employed by workplace, 4th quarter).

See business development in the municipality

Housing and labour market · 2025

Åseral is a job municipality: there are more jobs than employed residents. The municipality has 579 jobs and 515 employed residents, and 63% of the residents work in the municipality.

Jobs (employed by workplace): 579
Employed residents: 515
Jobs per employed resident: 1.12
Commute in: 255
Commute out: 191

Where the residents work (outside the municipality)

Municipality	Employed	Share of employed residents
Lindesnes	25	4.9%
Evje og Hornnes	25	4.9%
Kristiansand	24	4.7%
Lyngdal	23	4.5%
Hægebostad	22	4.3%

Where those who work here live (outside the municipality)

Municipality	Employed	Share of jobs
Lindesnes	39	6.7%
Lyngdal	35	6.0%
Hægebostad	27	4.7%
Evje og Hornnes	25	4.3%
Kristiansand	20	3.5%

Employed persons aged 15–74 in the 4th quarter, by home and work municipality (SSB 03321). Job municipality: at least 10% more jobs than employed residents. Home municipality: at least 10% fewer. Flows under 10 people are counted but not shown. Work on the continental shelf is shown as its own workplace.

Stress test: the oil downturn and the pandemic

How did employment and unemployment in the municipality develop in two downturns, compared with the country?

The oil downturn (2014–2016)

The number of jobs changed by −4.5% from 2014 to 2016, against −1.3% in the country: a weaker development than the country.

Measure	Åseral	Country	Difference
Change in jobs 2014–2016	−4.5%	−1.3%	−3.2 pp
Change in jobs 2014–2018 (recovery)	−4.3%	+2.0%	−6.3 pp
Change in registered unemployment 2014–2016	−2.1 pp	+0.3 pp	−2.5 pp
Registered unemployment 2014	2.9%	2.1%	–
Share of jobs in oil and gas 2014 (extraction and services)	0.0%	–	–

The change in jobs is in the quarter of municipalities with the weakest development in the period.

The pandemic (2019–2020)

The number of jobs changed by −9.2% from 2019 to 2020, against −0.9% in the country: a weaker development than the country.

Measure	Åseral	Country	Difference
Change in jobs 2019–2020	−9.2%	−0.9%	−8.3 pp
Change in jobs 2019–2022 (recovery)	−12.8%	+4.2%	−16.9 pp
Change in registered unemployment 2019–2020	–	+1.1 pp	–
Registered unemployment 2019	–	1.8%	–

The change in jobs is in the quarter of municipalities with the weakest development in the period.

Jobs are employed persons aged 15–74 by workplace in the 4th quarter (SSB 07984). Unemployment is registered unemployed as a share of the labour force (SSB 13563). The country is the sum of the municipalities, on today's municipality map. Within one percentage point counts as “about like the country”. Oil and gas is industry 05–09 (extraction and services), without the supply industry. pp = percentage points.

Cost and quality of services · 2025

Cost per user and one quality measure for three services, compared with the median of the municipality group (KOSTRA).

Service	Cost	Group median	Quality measure	Group median	Position against the group
Kindergarten cost per child in municipal kindergartens, share of qualified kindergarten teachers	NOK 365,805 +12% against the median	NOK 325,656	60%	33%	Higher cost, higher quality measure (36 municipalities in the group)
Primary school net expenditure per inhabitant aged 6–15, lower secondary school points	NOK 359,676 +23% against the median	NOK 292,952	41.3	41.7	Higher cost, lower quality measure (24 municipalities in the group)
Nursing homes expenditure per resident day, share of care staff with health education	NOK 13,933 +119% against the median	NOK 6,374	91%	70%	Higher cost, higher quality measure (36 municipalities in the group)

KOSTRA (SSB 12379, 13502, 12255 and 12209). One measure is not the whole quality of a service, and school points also reflect the pupils' background. Cost depends on settlement patterns and distances. The figures are a starting point for questions, not a grade.

Companies registered in the municipality

Limited companies we follow: 83
With accounts 2025: 37
Turnover 2025 (NOK): 186 MNOK
Median operating margin 2025: 2.3%

Only limited companies in the sectors we follow, by business address. The head office can be elsewhere than the activity. Companies reporting in another currency than NOK are left out of turnover.

Largest companies in the municipality

H&H Motor AS 34 MNOK (2025)
West Inspection AS 30 MNOK (2025)
FH Bygg og Eiendom AS 27 MNOK (2025)
Thorsland Elektro AS 20 MNOK (2025)
Bortelid Drift og Utvikling AS 12 MNOK (2025)
Åseral Byggtjeneste AS 11 MNOK (2025)
Åseral Regnskapskontor AS 7 MNOK (2025)
Ljoslandservice AS 6 MNOK (2025)
Bortelid Skisenter AS 6 MNOK (2025)
Eikerapen Gjestegard Drift AS 6 MNOK (2025)
ÅSERAL MASKIN & Transport AS 4 MNOK (2025)
Telhaug Betong AS 3 MNOK (2025)
Åseral Sag og Laft AS 3 MNOK (2025)
Åseral Bensin AS 3 MNOK (2025)
Kylland Kraft AS 3 MNOK (2025)

83 limited companies in the sectors we follow have their business address here.

Latest awards from buyers in the municipality

Hår IKS - Renovasjonskjøretøy, tokammer Hægebostad og Åseral Renovasjonsselskap IKS · 18 March 2025
Rammeavtale ventilasjonsarbeider Åseral kommune · 28 November 2024
Rammeavtale elektrikertjenester Åseral kommune · 29 October 2024
Rammeavtale bygningstekniske arbeider (tømrertjenester) Åseral kommune · 29 October 2024
Grunn- og maskinarbeid Åseral kommune · 29 October 2024
Rammeavtale vintervedlikehold Åseral kommune · 29 October 2024

From Doffin. The buyer's address decides the municipality; state agencies are often where their head office is.

Contains data under the Norwegian licence for public data (NLOD 2.0) made available by Doffin/the Norwegian Agency for Public and Financial Management (DFØ). NLOD 2.0

Earlier municipalities

Åseral (1026) · renumbered 2020

Indications based on open data. Not advice. Methodology

Source: Statistics Norway (SSB), table 03068, table 03321, table 03814, table 05671, table 06265, table 06913, table 06944, table 07165, table 07459, table 07984, table 09429, table 11342, table 11616, table 11618, table 11971, table 12137, table 12143, table 12209, table 12255, table 12379, table 13135, table 13470, table 13502, table 13563, table 13701, table 14746, table 14902, table kartverket:grunnskole, table kartverket:vgs, municipality map and KOSTRA groups from Klass. CC BY 4.0.

Source for health and living conditions: Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI), Folkehelsestatistikk, FHI table 349, FHI table 403, FHI table 508, FHI table 623, FHI table 787. NLOD 2.0.