17-07-2025
Norway's Airbnb boom shows no signs of abating
According to recent figures from the analytics firm Capia,
the number of homes listed on Airbnb in Norway more than doubled
between June 2022 and June 2025, soaring from 58,737 to 122,628.
The company also found that income had nearly tripled over the same period, rising from 1.5 billion kroner to 4.1 billion kroner, reflecting the platform's growing appeal for both landlords and tourists.
Figures released on Thursday
by the Norwegian Tax Administration paint a similar picture.
In 2024, rental intermediaries such as Airbnb, but also including cabin rental agencies, and others, reported 13.3 billion in income, an increase of 20 percent on the previous year.
Northern Norway and the Lofoten Islands are particularly affected, with the number of room nights rented out in Northern Norway nearly doubling from 804,483 in 2022 to 1,656,887 in 2024.
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Young people with summer jobs in Northern Norway
have reported that it is impossible to find a place to live
as all available accommodation is already rented out to tourists.
Bergen is also badly hit, with 5,724 rental units available for rent on Airbnb over the last six months, up from just 2,806 back in 2022.
Norwegians are increasingly raising objections to the number of Airbnb rentals in popular areas, with a recent self-selecting, unscientific poll on NRK's website finding that 63 percent of respondents favoured stricter rules on Airbnb.
Norway's parliament voted through a law in June which will allow municipalities struggling with overtourism to levy a 3 percent tax on Airbnb stays (and also on hotel and hostel stays).
'There's political will across party lines in Bergen to address this,' Bergen City Development Councilor Eivind Nævdal-Bolstad told NRK. 'The sharing economy should work for everyone - not just investors and tourists."
"There is nothing wrong," he said, "with ordinary Bergen residents renting out their homes when they are away for a few days on vacation or a work trip. The problem is that Airbnb and other rental platforms are being abused by players who buy up entire neighborhoods to practically operate as hotels."
