Children in Norway living below poverty line increases in 2016

Statistics show that the number of children in Norway who live below the poverty line has increased from 84,000 to 92,000 since last year, newspaper Aftenposten reported Wednesday.

"Norwegians have generally experienced high revenue growth for many years now, but not everyone has experienced this. The gap becomes larger and is especially noticeable at Christmas," said Kristina Rickfelt, a senior adviser at Norwegian Red Cross.

It may be difficult or impossible for parents with low income to meet high expectations regarding what a Christmas present should be, she said.

According to forecasts from the Norwegian bank DNB, there will be gifts worth 23.3 billion kroner (2.69 billion U.S. dollars) under Christmas trees in Norwegian homes this year. On average, Norwegians spend 5,819 kroner on Christmas gifts.

Across the country there are various charitable organizations and teams that arrange a number of free events before and during Christmas.

"Regardless of their parents' finances, all children should experience personal strength and feel like part of the community. It is important to be able to come back to school and share the same experiences, that they have also been to Christmas movies or Christmas treater," Rickfelt said. Enditem