Norway, like most of Scandinavia, is pretty damn relaxed when it comes to sex.
Known for being one of the most liberal countries on earth, sexuality is seen as non-taboo by most of the Norwegian population. Sexual education is taught effectively from an early age, resulting in Norway having some of the lowest rates of sexually transmitted diseases of any country.
In this guide, we take a look at the adult entertainment industry in Norway, along with attitudes towards sex, prostitution laws, Norwegian porn trends, and everything you need to know about sex in Norway…
Contents
Prostitution Laws
Prostitution is illegal in Norway.
The country has adopted a controversial stance, similar to other Scandinavian countries, where it is legal to sell sex, but illegal to buy it.
Norwegian law prohibiting the buying of sexual services came into effect on January 1, 2009 as a measure to protect sex workers. But it has attracted widespread criticism from sex workers who feel that it has driven the industry underground and increased the safety risks.
More recently, a cross-party coalition of young liberal politicians has argued that the sex laws should be overturned and that brothels should be legalised in major cities such as Oslo.
The central argument is that it would be better to regulate the industry than force it underground. A view that has been tried and tested to positive effect in other countries such as the Netherlands and Germany.
The term prostitution translates to ‘prostitusjon’ in Norwegian.
A prostitute is a ‘prostituert’.
Sexual services are ‘seksuelle tjenester’.
There are various derogatory words for Norwegian sex workers, including: skjøge, ludder and hore. Although, bizarrely, some sex workers use these same descriptives to advertise their services on classifieds such as Backpage and Cracker.
Any Norwegians looking to embark on an adventure of sex tourism should take note: the country’s strict prostitution laws make it illegal for Norwegian citizens to buy sex anywhere — not just in Norway!
The Adult Industry in Norway
Due to the strict prostitution laws in Norway, much of the adult industry operates around blurred lines where selling sex has been forced underground.
There are no legal brothels in Norway, despite repeated calls to introduce them.
Many sex workers and escorts will use their private residences as ‘incall’ locations, and some may even share a space between industry friends, but these are a far cry from the expansive brothels found in other European cities.
The country has a smattering of massage parlours where it’s possible to obtain erotic and sensual ‘body rubs’. Handjobs and happy endings are common, whilst full sex will often be an option behind the curtain.
Similarly, many Norwegian strip clubs have become synonymous with the underground sex trade.
TNP.no highlighted a controversial documentary, Insider, which shed light on the sale of sex in Oslo lap dance bars:
…alcohol abuse, and prostitution are common in Oslo strip clubs. The producers of the documentary used a hidden camera and they have documented the sale of sexual service in a strip club in Oslo. In the scenes supporting the claims, the reporter pays 2400 NOK for 20 minutes to spend time with the stripper into a back room.
Scour the web and you’ll find these claims are far from uncommon.
Various Norwegian sex workers have commented on the sale of sexual services in strip clubs, as well as other adult venues around the major cities.
The sex trade itself is dominated by eastern european girls, including many escorts from overseas. There’s a considerable number of African sex workers on the streets.
The adult industry in Norway is a story of contradictions.
Against the backdrop of an extremely liberal and forward-thinking nation, many of the sex workers who the laws are designed to protect have been driven underground.
As such, acquiring adult services comes with major risks for both the provider and the client.
Norwegian Porn Trends
Interested in the porn viewing habits across Norway?
According to PornHub insights, the most popular day to view porn in Norway is on Sundays, which marks a unique cultural reverse trend… since Sunday is the least popular day in most other countries.
The average time (per visit) spent browsing porn across Norway is 9 minutes 31 seconds, ahead of the worldwide average of 8 minutes 56 seconds.
What porn do Norwegians like?
Well, as is the case across most of the region, Norwegians take a rather nationalist view with their porno viewing habits.
‘Norwegian’ represents the most searched porn term, receiving almost double the next most popular term (milf).
Other popular searches include:
- Madison Ivy
- Massage
- Lisa Ann
- Public
- Norsk
- Christy Mack
- Squirt
- Hentai
- POV
- Lesbian
- Teen
- And… Farrah Abraham
Best Norwegian Porn Sites
We couldn’t find any specialist Norwegian porn sites, but we did uncover various dedicated categories across the other major tubes:
There is, however, one distinctly XHamsterish-looking-site that is dedicated to Norwegian porn.
Check out Porno Klipp for ‘gratis pornofilmer’.
LGBT Scene
Norway was the first country to introduce anti-discrimination laws against sexual orientation, way back in 1981.
In 2016, King Harald V spoke overwhelmingly in favour of LGBT rights:
“Norwegians are girls who love girls, boys who love boys, and boys and girls who love each other.”
Norway is widely considered gay-friendly, and this translates to a welcoming LGBT scene. The most widely known event is Oslo Pride, an annual celebration of liberal arts, politics, and cultural expression.
Smaller events are held in Stavanger, Bergen and Trondheim.
There is also Skeive ski, a popular skiing festival targeted at gays and lesbians held annually in Hemsedal, one of the country’s most famous skiing destinations.
This festival was designed to provide meeting opportunities for Norway’s LGBT community outside of the major cities.
Like many countries — even the super-liberal Scandinavia block — the majority of gay bars and clubs are located around the metropolitan centers of major cities (Oslo in particular).
That said, there is a distinct lack of ‘gay scenes’ across Norway as a whole.
Mainly because the country is so accepting and liberal.
There isn’t such a need for one.
Casual Sex in Norway
Norway is a liberal paradise and there is very little stigma attached to ‘sleeping around’.
This can make for some exciting nights out if you are looking to indulge in casual sex, or a casual encounter with a beautiful Norwegian native.
Just recently, Men’s Health reported a sexual health study by Lelo that showed Norwegians just love to get their rocks off…
Coming in first as a raging underdog is Norway, with 35 per cent of respondents claiming to orgasm every day – a significant jump on the global average of 2-3 orgasms a week.
Not that it seems to be doing much for their happiness, mind you:
Seven out of ten Norwegians have had a random sex partner and the country is a world leader in one-night stands. At the same time they are among the least sexually satisfied citizens in the world, according to the latest findings in the Durex Global Sex Survey for 2003.
Well, that study was almost 15 years ago, but little has changed when it comes to Norway and one night stands.
Apps like Tinder have helped to lubricate the process of hooking up with Norwegian girls. Alternatively you can head to clubs and bars in the major cities on a weekend and find the exact type of crowd that is justifying Norway’s lofty one night stand ranking.
Norwegian Personals and Classifieds
If you don’t trust your ability to strike it lucky on the Norwegian bar circuit, there’s always the native personals and classified sites.
These can be used for finding casual encounters (W4M, M4W).
Some popular choices include Backpage, CraigsList and Cracker.