Was Norway poor before oil?

 From  Twitter thread by Robbie Andrew

I keep hearing from Norwegians that Norway was a poor country before the oil age. Where does this idea come from, and what were African countries at the time if Norway was poor?

Norway's GDP per capita before oil was discovered in 1969 was at the median of OECD members. Poor?

Is it simply that Norway was not quite as rich as Sweden, which is where Norwegians always looked to?

Or is it difficult to think that even when income was one-eighth of today's (extraordinary) level, the country was nevertheless rich?

Where does the myth that Norway was poor come from, and why does it persist?

Disclosure:  I am currently learning Norwegian via Duolingo.