The Historical Population Register

The Historical Population Register (HBR) is a national register of all persons who have been resident in Norway since 1801. The register links information about the same individual across historical sources and makes it possible to trace individuals and families over more than 225 years.

HBR as an authoritative register

HBR functions as an authoritative register of persons in Norwegian historical sources and can be regarded as a historical extension of Norway’s National Population Register.

Deceased persons recorded in publicly available sources are assigned a unique identifier. This identifier is used to link records across sources and makes it possible to identify the same individual even when names, place of residence or other details vary.

The register is used for interdisciplinary research, including studies of migration and mobility, family formation, public health, demographic development, data quality and source criticism. HBR serves as a shared reference framework for documenting individuals and societal development over time.

Norway is currently the only country in the world with a national historical population register that is publicly accessible.

Access to historical data

HBR consists of an open and a closed section.

The open section comprises deceased persons recorded in publicly available sources and is freely searchable at histreg.no. Users can explore the register, view linked life courses and contribute to the linking work. The website is developed by the Norwegian Computing Center, while The National Archives of Norway is responsible for operations.

The closed section contains information that may be sensitive or that can be linked to modern register data. Access is regulated tin accordance with applicable legislation on privacy and data management and is granted for research purposes only, subject to agreement.

Data sources and linkage methods

The register links information about the same individual and their immediate family members. This enables the continuous population structure spanning seven generations.

The open section of the register is based on transcribed sources from the Digital Archive, including population censuses, church records, emigration protocols and thematic archives covering areas such as education, healthcare, probate- and prison records.

Linkages between sources are primarily established using automated, probabilistic methods. These are supplemented by manual quality assurance and contributions from volunteers. With more than 260 active contributors, the volunteer effort makes HBR one of the largest citizen science initiatives in Norway.

Research infrastructure for historical life courses

HBR provides researchers with access to a continuous population structures spanning more than two centuries. The register facilitates analyses of migration and mobility, family life, demographic development, public health, data quality, and source criticism.

The more linkages established across sources, the stronger the register becomes and the greater the value of the underlying archival material. HBR functions as a shared reference framework that enables documentation individuals and demographic change.

For society at large, the register contributes to increased accessibility, transparency, and historical knowledge. It provices researchers, genealogists, and the general public with access to a more nuanced understanding of the past.

To learn more about the Norwegian Historical Population Register, get in touch.