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Tons
20
15
10
5
0
Denmark Finland Iceland
Norway Sweden
Figure 3. CO 2 emission in tons per capita in the Nordic countries
in 2004 [20].
entirely upon hydropower resources for its production
of electricity. Nuclear power is Sweden’s most
important source of energy, in Finland it provides
18% of the energy supply. With their oil fields in the
North Sea, Denmark and especially Norway have a
very large production of oil and gas [13]. Iron
mining has been important in Sweden and to a
lesser extent in Norway, where on the other hand,
the cheap supply of energy has formed the basis for,
e.g., the smelting of aluminium, both in Norway [1]
and in Iceland.
In agreement with the Kyoto Protocol, EU nations
have agreed to cut the emission of carbon dioxide to
8% below the level in 1990. Emission of carbon
dioxide varies across the Nordic countries (Figure 3)
[20]. In Denmark, Finland and Norway, the emission
of greenhouse-gases in 2003 was still 7 8%
above the 1990 level while the emission was lower in
Sweden and especially in Iceland [13].
Living conditions
The gross domestic product has increased in all
Nordic countries and is among the highest in the
world. The population of the Nordic countries
is now largely urbanised. The share of one- and
two-family houses out of the entire building stock
is highest in Denmark (almost 60%) and A˚ land
(almost 70%), lowest in Sweden with 45%. Norway
and Iceland have the highest percentage of large
dwellings with five rooms or more plus kitchen [13].
Private ownership of dwellings is common.
In 1970 Sweden had the highest number per
capita of cars (0.31), telephones (0.58) and televisions
(0.32) in the Nordic countries. In Finland the
numbers were only 0.19; 0.30 and 0.24 [21]. In
2005 Iceland had the highest density of private cars
with 0.60 cars per capita, followed by Sweden with
Occupation and cancer in Nordic countries 651
0.46, Finland 0.45, Norway 0.43, and Denmark
0.35 per capita [13].
Along with the Netherlands, the Nordic countries
rank with the highest digital literacy as reflected by
the percentage of individuals aged 16 to 74 using the
internet regularly [22]. The proportion of households
in 2005 with access to internet was 75% in
Denmark, 54% in Finland, 84% in Iceland, 64% in
Norway, and 73% in Sweden [14]. The Nordic
populations were the first ones to adapt large scale
use of mobile phones.
Food consumption
Across the Nordic countries, there were important
differences in the average consumption of the main
food components in 1970 [23]. The average milk
consumption in Finland was 263 kg per person per
year whereas the consumption in the other countries
varied from 172 to 193 kg per person. Denmark had
a high consumption of meat and offals with 84 kg per
person, or close to a quarter of a kilogram per person
per day. The consumption of meat and offals in the
other countries was between 43 and 56 kg per
person. Fish consumption was highest in Norway
(40 kg per person) and lowest in Finland (13 kg per
person). The consumption of vegetables, fruit and
berries in Sweden in 1970 was 122 kg per person,
twice as much as in Finland, with the consumption
in Denmark and Norway being in between.
In parallel with the economic development, dietary
habits have changed in all Nordic countries. The
consumption of fat and sugar has increased, while
the consumption of food items rich in carbohydrate
has decreased [24]. The consumption of low-fat
milk and margarine has increased, while the total
fat consumption has decreased. There has been a
gradual increase in the consumption of fruit and
vegetables in all countries. Consumption of potatoes
was high in all countries in 1970, ranging from 73
to 89 kg per person [23]. Except for in Sweden,
consumption of potatoes has decreased in later
decades [24]. Until the 1980s meat consumption
increased, but has, except for in Denmark, been
stable since then. The lowest consumption of meat
has continuously been in Norway, where in 1990 the
mean intake per inhabitant was 54 kg, and highest in
Denmark, with 105 kg per inhabitant (Table 2) [25].
Overall dietary fat intake has decreased in Finland,
Norway, and Sweden, but not in Denmark [24].
In 2005, Denmark was the Nordic record holder
of the consumption of beef and veal (28 kg per
person in 1970) pork (58 kg), poultry (23 kg), and
cheese (24 kg) [13]. Consumption of lamb and
sheep was the highest in Iceland (23 kg per person).
Icelanders and Norwegians consumed by far more