CIMES - Norway

Access to microdata for scientific purposes 

in European countries

Access to microdata for scientific purposes in Norway

flag of norway

Contact

Name of the microdata access service

Statistisk sentralbyrå – SSB (Statistics Norway)

Postal address

Statistisk sentralbyrå
Postboks 2633 St. Hanshaugen
NO-0131 Oslo (Norway)

Email

General: ssb@ssb.no
Microdata for research: mikrodata@ssb.no Norwegian Social Science Data Archive: nsd@nsd.uib.no

Website

http://www.ssb.no

Access conditions

Access to data from Statistics Norway (SSB) is regulated under the Statistics Act of 21 June 2019, Section 14, and the associated regulations. Access to microdata (data on individual units), as well as access to statistics (aggregate data) that do not meet the statistical confidentiality requirement in the Statistics Act is granted for the purposes of creating statistical results and analyses, including research, provided it does not disproportionately disadvantage other interests.

General conditions

Data access is restricted to entities and purposes outlined in the relevant legal framework. This includes research institutions, public authorities, and specific bodies authorized under the regulations. Data must be used solely for statistical analysis or research and must not be employed for administrative, legal, or tax purposes or for monitoring individuals or entities.

Conditions for non-resident researchers

Non-resident researchers affiliated with approved research institutions may apply for data access. The main rule is anonymized data. Usage of data is subject to strict compliance with confidentiality and security standards set by SSB. 

Conditions for students

Master and PhD-students may access data through their affiliated educational institutions if these institutions are recognized as research organizations. The data must be used solely for academic purposes, under the guidance and responsibility of the institution.

Legal framework

Data access is governed by the Statistics Act, Section 14: https://lovdata.no/dokument/NL/lov/2019-06-21-32 and guidelines found on https://www.ssb.no/en/data-til-forskning/utlan-av-data-til-forskere

How much does it cost?

SSB may charge a fee for the preparation and provision of data. Pricing details are provided after the application review, based on the specific requirements and scope of the data requested.

How long does it take to obtain data?

The timeline for data access depends on the complexity of the data request and SSB’s assessment process. Typically, the processing time can vary, from 3-6 months.

Information on access

Information on how to apply for data access, including necessary documentation and eligibility criteria, is detailed on SSB’s official website. https://www.ssb.no/en/data-til-forskning

Types of microdata available for Norway

Public Use Files (PUF)

N/A

Scientific Use Files (SUF)

Statistics Norway relies on SIKT as a provider for anonymized microdata from surveys: https://sikt.no/en/find-data  

Approved research institutions may be granted access to microdata from Statistics Norway. 

Application https://www.ssb.no/en/data-til-forskning/utlan-av-data-til-forskere/sok…

Secure Use Files (SecUF)

Microdata.no offers access to register data with a set-up that makes it possible to use the data without any form of application. This is an important simplification of data sharing for data users and data owners alike. The heart of the set-up is the platform’s metadata driven logic, opening for working with the data without seeing the individual records, and without the data leaving its protected data store. All results are anonymized on the fly with integrated privacy filters.

https://www.microdata.no/en/

Access to microdata by type of person

 

Public Use Files

Scientific Use Files

Secure Use Files

Public

N/A

N/A

N/A

Students

N/A

Yes*

Yes*

PhD students

N/A

Yes

Yes

Researchers

N/A

Yes

Yes

Foreign researchers

N/A

Yes**

No

* Master’s Students
**The main rule is anonymized data

Modes of access by microdata type

 

Public Use Files

Scientific Use Files

Secure Use Files

Online access

N/A

N/A

Yes

For download

N/A

Yes

N/A

Onsite access

N/A

N/A

N/A

Remote access

N/A

N/A

N/A

Remote execution

N/A

N/A

N/A

 

Microdatasets available for Norway

Other access points in Europe

Disclaimer

The pages above provide information on microdata disseminated at the national level by the statistical institutes in the European countries and on microdata disseminated by Eurostat.  The pages describe the data and the procedures for requesting access as well as the available types of microdata files (Public Use Files, Scientific Use Files, and Secure Use Files).

This information was initially collected by CASD/GENES for the CIMES database developed for Data without Boundaries project (funded by the 7th Framework Programme, the EU's research funding programme between 2007 and 2013). CIMES stands for Centralising and Integrating Metadata from European Statistics. Various organisations (ADP, CED, CNRS-Réseau Quetelet, FORS, GESIS, RODA, ONS, and UL) contributed to the creation of CIMES by collecting and structuring the metadata for the period of the Data without Boundaries project (2011-2015). In 2021, Eurostat moved the CIMES database to the CROS platform to facilitate updates of countries' information. Eurostat would like to thank all CIMES developers, especially CASD, for sharing the CIMES database and for all efficient collaboration.