nøkkeltall

Nøkkeltall, meaning key figures or metrics, are concise numbers used to summarize the performance, condition, or state of an entity, system, or project. They serve as a compact, comparable snapshot that supports decision-making and communication in business, public sector, and research.

In business and finance, common nøkkeltall include revenue, operating income or EBITDA, net profit, gross margin, return on equity (ROE), return on assets (ROA), debt-to-equity ratio, and liquidity indicators such as the current ratio or operating cash flow. These figures enable trend analysis, benchmarking against peers, and assessment of profitability and financial health.

Non-financial nøkkeltall capture areas such as customer satisfaction, churn, employee turnover, production volume, energy intensity, safety incidents, and sustainability measures. They are increasingly incorporated into integrated reporting and balanced scorecards to reflect broader performance.

Interpretation of nøkkeltall requires context: definitions, denominators, timeframes, and measurement methods should be explicit. Figures can be affected by seasonality, one-off events, or policy choices, so nøkkeltall are most informative when presented with narrative explanations and trend data.