India has topped the list of foreign skilled professionals working in Norway, with fellow colleagues from other countries faring way behind.

According to Norwegian Immigration Department figures for 2007, Indian skilled professionals constitute one-fourth of the total foreign qualified professionals inducted in Norwegian firms in the given year.

Employed mostly in sectors like IT, petroleum and healthcare, the figure stood at 618  the highest from any foreign nation, followed by Russia (254), US (231) and China (205). Indian ambassador Mahesh Sachdev while lauding the figures, referred to it as a "paradigm shift."

"In the past two years, the identity of an Indian (in Norway) has undergone a paradigm shift. Today, an average Indian entering Norway is taken to be an expert, a professional and as someone who is contributing significantly to the Norwegian society and economy," Sachdev told  PTI.

Indians have also registered the maximum rate of growth in terms of employment of foreign skilled professionals in Norway, with a 92 per cent increase over the previous year.

The inflow of Indian skilled professionals has witnessed a rapid surge since 2005 when their number stood at 105. It touched 322 in 2006 and has grown since.

The arrival of Indian experts to Norway has been taking place in tandem with spurt in outsourcing from this northern European country to India -- not only for routine office chores but also high-end designing and research & development. The two-way skill transfer has underscored the increasing economic engagement between the two nations.