Norway is a country with a long history of nanny state regulation, and it came at the top of the table of the 2021 Nanny State Index. It has been knocked off the top spot by a country that is even more fiercely anti-alcohol, Turkey.
Hard liquor was only legalised in Norway in 1927 after ten years of prohibition, and it has had strict regulations for alcohol ever since. Of the 30 countries in our league table, it has the highest taxes on beer, wine, and spirits, although they look more affordable when adjusted for income. All forms of alcohol advertising are banned. Happy hours are legal, but they cannot be advertised.
The age at which alcohol can be purchased is 18 for wine and beer, but 20 for spirits. The state has a monopoly on the sale of wine, spirits, and any other drink that exceeds 4.8 per cent ABV. Shops cannot sell alcohol after 8 PM on a weekday or after 6 PM on a Saturday. Bars cannot sell alcohol after 3 AM.
Regulation of tobacco is similarly stringent. In 2004, Norway became one of the first countries to introduce a national smoking ban. Smoking and vaping are banned in all bars, restaurants, government buildings, and offices, although there is an exemption for some private clubs if no food is served. There is no ban on smoking in vehicles or outdoors. All forms of tobacco advertising are illegal, a retail display ban is in place, and plain packaging for all tobacco products is mandated.
As in Finland, liquorice pipes are regulated as tobacco products and must be kept behind screens in shops to prevent young people from seeing them.
It is not all bad news, however. Snus is legal and is now much more popular than cigarettes. Norway’s smoking rate halved between 2007 and 2017 as snus consumption rose. Today, only 8 per cent of Norwegians are daily smokers while 15 per cent are daily snus users.
Norway has now abolished its tax on sugary drinks and confectionery. Sugar itself is subject to an excise tax of 8.84 Krone per kg (€0.81), but all other sin taxes on food and soft drinks have been lifted. Norway first introduced a tax on chocolate and sugary products in 1922. In 2018, it was increased by 83 per cent to 36.92 Krone per kg, but this led to frequent shopping on the Swedish border. It was subsequently reduced before being repealed altogether in 2021.
Although e-cigarette fluid that contains nicotine is currently banned, there are plans to legalise it and regulate the e-cigarette market along the lines of the EU’s Tobacco Products Directive. It has been a slow process (the government first announced it in 2018), but don’t be surprised if Norway slips down the table again in 2025.
The Nanny State Index (NSI) is a league table of the worst places in Europe to eat, drink, smoke and vape. The initiative was launched in March 2016 and was a media hit right across Europe. It is masterminded and led by IEA’s Christopher Snowdon with partners from alloverEurope.
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Download the pdf here.
Christopher Snowdon is the head of Lifestyle Economics at the Institute of Economic Affairs. His research focuses on lifestyle freedoms, prohibition and policy-based evidence. He is a regular contributor to the Spectator, Telegraph and Spiked and often appears on TV and radio discussing social and economic issues.
Snowdon’s work encompasses a diverse range of topics including ‘sin taxes’, state funding of charities, happiness economics, ‘public health’ regulation, gambling and the black market. Recent publications include ‘Drinking, Fast and Slow’, ‘The Proof of the Pudding: Denmark’s Fat Tax Fiasco’, ‘A Safer Bet’, and ‘You Had One Job’. He is also the author of ‘Killjoys’ (2017), ‘Selfishness, Greed and Capitalism’ (2015), ‘The Art of Suppression’ (2011), ‘The Spirit Level Delusion’ (2010), ‘Velvet Glove, Iron Fist’ (2009).
Norway is a country with a long history of nanny state regulation, and it came at the top of the table of the 2021 Nanny State Index. It has been knocked off the top spot by a country that is even more fiercely anti-alcohol, Turkey.
Hard liquor was only legalised in Norway in 1927 after ten years of prohibition, and it has had strict regulations for alcohol ever since. Of the 30 countries in our league table, it has the highest taxes on beer, wine, and spirits, although they look more affordable when adjusted for income. All forms of alcohol advertising are banned. Happy hours are legal, but they cannot be advertised.
The age at which alcohol can be purchased is 18 for wine and beer, but 20 for spirits. The state has a monopoly on the sale of wine, spirits, and any other drink that exceeds 4.8 per cent ABV. Shops cannot sell alcohol after 8 PM on a weekday or after 6 PM on a Saturday. Bars cannot sell alcohol after 3 AM.
Regulation of tobacco is similarly stringent. In 2004, Norway became one of the first countries to introduce a national smoking ban. Smoking and vaping are banned in all bars, restaurants, government buildings, and offices, although there is an exemption for some private clubs if no food is served. There is no ban on smoking in vehicles or outdoors. All forms of tobacco advertising are illegal, a retail display ban is in place, and plain packaging for all tobacco products is mandated.
As in Finland, liquorice pipes are regulated as tobacco products and must be kept behind screens in shops to prevent young people from seeing them.
It is not all bad news, however. Snus is legal and is now much more popular than cigarettes. Norway’s smoking rate halved between 2007 and 2017 as snus consumption rose. Today, only 8 per cent of Norwegians are daily smokers while 15 per cent are daily snus users.
Norway has now abolished its tax on sugary drinks and confectionery. Sugar itself is subject to an excise tax of 8.84 Krone per kg (€0.81), but all other sin taxes on food and soft drinks have been lifted. Norway first introduced a tax on chocolate and sugary products in 1922. In 2018, it was increased by 83 per cent to 36.92 Krone per kg, but this led to frequent shopping on the Swedish border. It was subsequently reduced before being repealed altogether in 2021.
Although e-cigarette fluid that contains nicotine is currently banned, there are plans to legalise it and regulate the e-cigarette market along the lines of the EU’s Tobacco Products Directive. It has been a slow process (the government first announced it in 2018), but don’t be surprised if Norway slips down the table again in 2025.
