Institutt for kirke-, religions- og livssynsforskning

What Institutt for kirke-, religions- og livssynsforskning does

Institutt for kirke-, religions- og livssynsforskning (KIFO) is a Norwegian non-profit research institute founded in 1993 and headquartered at Øvre Slottsgate 2 B in Oslo. The institute conducts empirical social science research on church, religion, and worldview in Norwegian society, employing survey-based data collection, qualitative interviews, statistical analysis, and comparative sociological methods. KIFO maintains two proprietary data assets — the KIFO Survey Database and a separate Kunnskapsdatabase (knowledge database) — that underpin longitudinal research on Norwegian religious trends, church membership, and practices. Outputs are disseminated through a peer-reviewed journal, multiple book and report series, conference workshops, and earned media in Norwegian press.\n\nKIFO's primary customers are the Church of Norway (Kirkerådet) and Norwegian government departments, which commission recurring research on church statistics, democratic reform, religious diversity, and church-state relations, including the annual Tilstandsrapport (State of the Church Report). The institute also receives project-based funding from the Research Council of Norway (Forskningsr\u00e5det), notably under the SAMKUL program for the 'Reassembling Democracy: Ritual as Cultural Resource' project involving 21 researchers from three continents. Revenue derives from government research contracts, competitive grants, and modest publication sales (research reports priced at approximately 100-120 NOK per copy plus postage), with free PDF downloads available for the annual report.\n\nDistribution occurs via the KIFO website (direct sales and downloads), the Universitetsforlaget (University Press) for book publications, and Norwegian academic bookstores. Scholarly output includes the Nordic Journal of Religion and Society (co-published with the Nordic Association for Sociology of Religion), the KIFO Perspektiv book series (23+ volumes), and the KIFO Rapport report series (30+ volumes). The institute is co-located at Diakonhjemmet Høgskole since August 2004 and collaborates with 12+ Norwegian universities and institutions as main cooperation partners, alongside a 2026 cooperation agreement with Human-Etisk Forbund (HEF) that extends coverage into the humanist worldview segment.

Name

Institutt for kirke-, religions- og livssynsforskning

Legal name

Institutt for kirke-, religions- og livssynsforskning

Website

https://kifo.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KIFO is a Norwegian non-profit research institute founded in 1993 that conducts empirical social science research on church, religion, and worldview in Norway, serving the Church of Norway, government agencies, and the academic community with commissioned studies, surveys, and publications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious and Social Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Book Publishers (513130), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Social Sciences Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAD), Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks (EDADADAA)

Keywords

• Religious sociology research
• Empirical church research
• Academic journal publishing
• Religion survey research
• Worldview studies

Headquarters

HQ city

Oslo

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Research Contracts: KIFO receives commissioned research from the Norwegian government, particularly the Church of Norway (Kirkerådet) and government departments, for studies on church statistics, democracy reform, religious diversity, and church-state relations. These contracts fund the majority of KIFO's operational research activities.
2. Publication Sales: KIFO sells research reports, notes, and books (KIFO Perspektiv and KIFO Rapport series) directly. Reports are priced at approximately 100-120 NOK plus postage and can be ordered via the website or by email. This is a modest revenue stream supplementing core government funding.
3. The Research Council of Norway (Forskningsrådet) Grants: KIFO researchers receive direct project funding from the Research Council of Norway (e.g., SAMKUL program for the Reassembling Democracy: Ritual as Cultural Resource project). Funding supports specific research initiatives with multiple international collaborators.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

KIFO is a Norwegian non-profit research institute that conducts empirical social science research on church, religion, and worldview in Norwegian society. The institute sells commissioned research studies, reports, books, and the Nordic Journal of Religion and Society to government agencies (Church of Norway Council/Kirkerådet, Norwegian ministries), academic institutions, and the general public. Its primary products are research reports (KIFO Rapport), book series (KIFO Perspektiv), the biannual Nordic Journal of Religion and Society, and tailor-made research studies funded by the Research Council of Norway.

Product overview

Institutt for kirke-, religions- og livssynsforskning (KIFO) is a Norwegian research institute that conducts empirical research on church, religion, and life stance in society. The institute operates as a research organization rather than a technology product company, offering a portfolio of academic publications including the Nordic Journal of Religion and Society journal, KIFO Report series, KIFO Perspektiv book series, and various research reports on topics such as religious sociology, church statistics, and religious diversity. The institute also publishes books on religion in Norway and organizes conferences and workshops.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nordic Journal of Religion and Society: Academic journal published jointly with NASR (Nordic Association for Sociology of Religion), publishing two issues annually on religion and society topics

Products and services

• Nordic Journal of Religion and Society A peer-reviewed academic journal published twice annually with support from NASR and KIFO, covering sociology of religion topics in Nordic countries. Targeted at Nordic and international academic scholars in sociology of religion and theology.
• KIFO-rapporter (KIFO Reports) Extensive collection of research reports and notes covering church research, religious sociology, and life stance topics in Norway. Sold for approximately 100-120 NOK per copy plus postage, with PDFs available as free downloads. Targeted at government agencies, academic researchers, and the general public.
• KIFO Perspektiv Book Series A book series publishing research perspectives on church, religion, and society topics including volumes on folk churches, youth and life interpretation, and church reforms. Distributed through Universitetsforlaget (University Press) and Norwegian academic bookstores. Targeted at academic community and informed public.
• KIFO Rapport Book Series A report series documenting research findings on Norwegian church statistics, religious practices, and social surveys. Targeted at government departments, church administration, and academic researchers.
• Commissioned Research Studies Custom empirical research studies commissioned by government agencies (Kirkerådet, Fornyingsdepartementet), the Research Council of Norway (e.g., SAMKUL-funded projects), and Norsk kulturråd. Includes the annual Tilstandsrapport (State of the Church Report), evaluation of church elections, and studies on religious diversity, democracy reform, and church operations. Targeted at Norwegian government agencies and church administration.

Quantifiable outcome

• KIFO tripled its scientific publication output in 2025 compared to previous years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered unclear, core and minor.

• Human-Etisk Forbund (HEF)unclearStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 June 2026A new cooperation agreement was signed on June 15, 2026 between KIFO and Human-Etisk Forbund (the Norwegian Humanist Association). The partnership marks a historic new collaboration in research on church, religion, and worldview in Norwegian society.
• Nordisk forening for religionssosiologi (NASR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNASR (Nordic Association for Sociology of Religion) co-publishes the Nordic Journal of Religion and Society with KIFO, providing annual financial support and contributing to the journal's international academic quality and reach.
• Diakonhjemmet HøgskolecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKIFO has been co-located at Diakonhjemmet Høgskole since August 2004. The institutions collaborate on research projects including the Reassembling Democracy: Ritual as Cultural Resource project (funded by SAMKUL) involving 21 researchers from three continents.
• The Research Council of Norway (Forskningsrådet)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Research Council funds specific KIFO research projects including the SAMKUL-funded 'Reassembling Democracy: Ritual as Cultural Resource' project (2013-2016) with 21 researchers from three continents. Also supports the 'Religion and Human Rights' empirical research program.
• 12+ Norwegian Universities and Institutions (Hovedsamarbeidsparter)unclearStrategic or Co-development PartnerAs of 2004, KIFO had 12 organizations and institutions as main cooperation partners, spanning from Kristiansand in the south to Alta in the north. This includes Høgskolen i Agder (now Universitetet i Agder) which joined as a main partner in November 2004.
• Kirkerådet (The Church Council of Norway)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKirkerådet commissions KIFO for regular research including annual Tilstandsrapport (State of the Church Report), evaluation of church elections, and studies on church operations and reform.
• HL-senteret (The Center for the Study of Holocaust and Religious Minorities)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKIFO researcher Sindre Bangstad co-authored the book 'Hva er rasisme' (What is Racism) with Cora Alexa Døving from HL-senteret, published in 2023.
• University of Oslo (UiO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKIFO researchers Inger Furseth (formerly at KIFO) and Ida Marie Høeg hold/held professor positions at UiO's Institute for Sociology and Human Geography. Collaborative projects include NOREL (Religion in the Public Sphere) and the Grunnlovsprosjektet (Constitution Project).
• Nasjonaljubileet 2030 (National Jubilee 2030)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKIFO hosted a workshop on memory politics and the National Jubilee 2030 in June 2026, with researchers from across Norway presenting on historical writing, national jubilation, and religion and nationalism.
• Forskningsnettverket N2030minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA research network coordinating support for research dissemination related to the National Jubilee 2030. Led by Lars Kirkhusmo Pharo, professor at Nord universitet.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Det teologiske fakultet, Universitetet i Oslo: University of Oslo's Faculty of Theology runs parallel academic research on Norwegian religious life, with several former KIFO researchers now on its faculty — making it the closest academic peer and the most direct institutional competitor for grants and PhD students.
• VID vitenskapelige høgskole: A faith-affiliated Norwegian university college with research activity on diakonia, theology, and societal ethics, sharing KIFO's religiously engaged research perspective and competing for the same faculty pool and grant streams.

Broad incumbents

• Pew Research Center: A globally prominent non-profit research center producing survey-based empirical research on religion and society — directly comparable to KIFO's mandate and methodology, though at vastly larger scale and international scope.
• Statistisk sentralbyrå (Statistics Norway): Norway's central statistics bureau, which produces official data on religious affiliation, church membership, and demographic trends that overlaps with KIFO's longitudinal survey work on Norwegian religious life.

Direct peers

• NORCE Norwegian Research Centre: A large Norwegian applied research institute conducting commissioned social science research across multiple sectors, structurally comparable to KIFO as a non-university research center competing for government and council grants.
• Institutt for samfunnsforskning (ISF): Norwegian social science research institute that conducts commissioned empirical research on religion, immigration, and integration — directly overlapping with KIFO's mandate and competing for the same Research Council and ministry funding.
• Norsk Institutt for kulturminneforskning (NIKU): Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research — a similar small, applied research institute funded through ministries and the Research Council, providing a structural template for how KIFO operates as an externally funded thematic research institute.
• HL-senteret (Center for the Study of Holocaust and Religious Minorities): Oslo-based research center on religious minorities and minority studies; an active KIFO collaboration partner (e.g., the co-authored "Hva er rasisme" book) and a structural peer as a small, Oslo-based, externally funded research center.

Regional players

• Church of Sweden Research Department: The Church of Sweden's internal research function studies Swedish Lutheran religious life in a manner structurally analogous to KIFO's work for the Church of Norway — the closest cross-Nordic peer for commissioned national-church research.

Others

• Forskningsrådet (The Research Council of Norway) project grantees in sociology of religion: While not a single peer entity, university-based Research Council project grantees (e.g., NOREL, Religion in the Public Sphere) are KIFO's principal competitors for SAMKUL and similar program funding — making them the relevant adjacent ecosystem for any analysis of KIFO's competitive position.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/KIFOinstitutt
• Xx.com/kiforesearch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kifo-institutt-for-kirke--religions--og-livssynsforskning

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Institutt for kirke-, religions- og livssynsforskning