with means of subsistence, and is of great significance generally
for all the west country divisions. Forest cultivation was especially
important in Hedemarken and Bratsberg, while Smaalenene, Akers-
hus, Buskerud and Bratsberg were the divisions in whose parishes
the manufacturing industry was most advanced, judging from the
relative number of persons employed in it. Handicraft showed a
somewhat even distribution, but plays a rather more important
part in the east country than in the west and the northernmost
divisions, while Jarlsberg-Larvik, Nedenes and Lister-Mandal divisions
showed the comparatively largest sea-faring population.
As regards the towns, the distribution according to station in
life was quite even throughout, except as regards fishing, manufacture
and shipping. As fishing towns, the towns in the three
most northerly divisions were especially prominent,- while factory
work gave occupation to a considerable portion of the population
of the towns in Smaalenene and Buskerud, and in Kristiania.
On the other hand, shipping was represented with comparatively
greatest strength in the towns along the coast from Jarlsberg-
Larvik up to, and including, the Stavanger district.
The population of the towns and of the rural districts was
of course quite differently constituted as regards domestic industries
and stations in life. In the country parishes, rather more
than half the number' of inhabitants were associated with farming
and the trades connected with it, while 16 per cent maintained
themselves by various industries, 10 per cent by fishing, and
rather more than 7 per cent by trade, shipping and traffic. In the
towns, on the other hand, the industries, trade, etc. played the
principal part, the first of these supplying about 42 per cent
with a living, and trade, shipping and traffie, 35 per cent of the
entire town population. The intellectual occupations were also, as
might be expected, much more strongly represented in the towns
than in the country.
This classification then, applies to the population in general.
In addition to this, it will perhaps be interesting to note how the
matter stands with regard to women especially. The total number
of working Norwegian women in 1891 was 627,238, amounting to
27.90 per cent of the total number of inhabitants, and 52.80 per
cent of the total number of working men and women together.
The first-named proportion exhibits some decrease since 1876, the
last, on the contrary, a certain increase (29.60 and 51.60 per cent
respectively). In 1891, 73.40 per cent of the working women were
employed in domestic work. Of these, 305,267 were mistresses of
households. Farming gave employment to 88,544, or about 14 per
cent. In both these groups, there has been an appreciable decline in
the relative number since 1876, while the other spheres of action,
on the other hand, show an increasing proportion. Among these
may be named minor industries (sewing, washing, ironing, etc.)
which occupy 6.10 per cent of the working women,j'f while the
remaining 6.40 per cent are divided among trade and money transactions
^ H l .45»®—, factory work H- 1.30 ° f i—, public work and
private intellectual occupation||ll| 1.19 per cent handicraft WjS
0.69 7<§S and various —■ 1.77 °/o.
DISTRIBUTION ACCORDING TO NATIONALITY.
The composition of that part of; the population which is of
Norwegian origin, is treated of in the article on Anthropology.
As regards other nationalities, the total number of persons
born abroad, and living in Norway at the time of the last census
in 1891, amounted to 47,572, or 2.39 per cent of the population.
The great majority of these —■ 38,017 persons wBM were born in
Sweden, 2475 in Denmark, 2661 in Finland, 1738 in Germany,
1094 in the United States, 655 in Great Britain and Ireland, 98
in France, etc.
The percentage of foreigners in Norway has risen during the
last few decades. In 1865 they amounted to 1.25 per cent, and
in 1876 to 2.07 per cent of the total population. In other European
countries, the corresponding proportion varies very much.
In Luxembourg, for instance, about the year 1890, 8.50 per cent of
the population were foreigners by birth, in Spain only 0.20 per
cent, and in France 3 per cent.
DISTRIBUTION ACCORDING TO RELIGIOUS BELIEF.
The great majority of the Norwegian population belong to
the Protestant faith. In 1891, 30,685 of the population belonged
to various dissenting communities, or were otherwise outside the
established church. This number shows a great increase in the
number of dissenters since 1876, when thé total number was
only 7180.