Norway's low population density, narrow shape, and long coastline have a significant impact. Although road, rail, and air transportation have grown in importance over the past century, Norway has a long history of water transportation. Public transportation is not as well developed in rural Norway because of the country's low population density, but it is well developed in and around cities.

The Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications serves as the primary governing body, with a number of subsidiaries supporting its operations. The counties and municipalities have been given responsibility for managing some of the roads and public transportation. While most operations are carried out by private businesses, the majority of infrastructure is owned by the public; Subsidized public transportation is used.

Each Norwegian traveled independently for 70 minutes per day on average. In 2008, public transportation accounted for 8% of passenger transportation; The majority of transport is done by road. In 2017, it had increased to 10%. 22% of travel in 2014 was on foot, while 4% was by bicycle. In 2006, the transportation industry was responsible for 6.6% of employment and 4.1% of the gross national product. Norway ranked 83 out of 140 countries in the World Economic Forum's Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2013 for the quality of its roads, 47 out of 122 for the quality of its railroad infrastructure, 25 out of 140 for the quality of its port infrastructure, and 54 out of 140 for its ground transport networks.