Most and fewest on disability benefit

Analysis: why are some at the top and others at the bottom?

We compared share on disability benefit with every other municipal figure we have, from Statistics Norway, NIPH and the Brønnøysund Register Centre. Below are the figures that go most closely together with share on disability benefit across the country, and what marks the municipalities at the top and bottom on those figures.

The pattern across the country

• Municipalities that rank high on «Employed, share of age 20–66» most often rank low on share on disability benefit (strong association, rank correlation −0.70 across 357 municipalities; Statistics Norway table 11618).
• Municipalities that rank high on «Gross income per person aged 17 and over, median» most often rank low on share on disability benefit (strong association, rank correlation −0.58 across 357 municipalities; Statistics Norway table 05671).
• Municipalities that rank high on «Share with lower secondary as highest education (16 and over)» most often also rank high on share on disability benefit (strong association, rank correlation 0.51 across 357 municipalities; Statistics Norway table 09429).
• Municipalities that rank high on «Life expectancy at birth (15-year period)» most often rank low on share on disability benefit (moderate association, rank correlation −0.49 across 348 municipalities; NIPH indicator 508).

The highest and the lowest

• No. 1 Iveland (20.9%) Fits the pattern: «Life expectancy at birth (15-year period)» 80.3 (no. 331 of 348 from the top; NIPH indicator 508); «Employed, share of age 20–66» 71.2% (no. 324 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 11618); «Gross income per person aged 17 and over, median» 469,200 kr (no. 301 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 05671). Most distinctive industry: produksjon av drikkevarer, 13% of the jobs, 116.4 times the national share (Statistics Norway table 13470, 2025).
• No. 2 Søndre Land (19.0%) Fits the pattern: «Employed, share of age 20–66» 67.1% (no. 354 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 11618); «Life expectancy at birth (15-year period)» 80.3 (no. 334 of 348 from the top; NIPH indicator 508); «Gross income per person aged 17 and over, median» 453,600 kr (no. 332 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 05671). Most distinctive industry: jordbruk og tjenester tilknyttet jordbruk, jakt og viltstell, 6% of the jobs, 4.5 times the national share (Statistics Norway table 13470, 2025).
• No. 3 Åmli (18.8%) Fits the pattern: «Employed, share of age 20–66» 69.7% (no. 343 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 11618); «Gross income per person aged 17 and over, median» 464,000 kr (no. 309 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 05671); «Life expectancy at birth (15-year period)» 81.5 (no. 288 of 348 from the top; NIPH indicator 508). Most distinctive industry: produksjon av trelast og varer av tre, kork, strå og flettematerialer, unntatt møbler, 12% of the jobs, 30.7 times the national share (Statistics Norway table 13470, 2025).
• No. 357 Bærum (4.7%, among the lowest) Fits the pattern: «Gross income per person aged 17 and over, median» 638,400 kr (no. 1 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 05671); «Share with lower secondary as highest education (16 and over)» 15.1% (no. 357 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 09429); «Life expectancy at birth (15-year period)» 84.3 (no. 6 of 348 from the top; NIPH indicator 508). Most distinctive industry: arkitektvirksomhet og teknisk konsulentvirksomhet, og teknisk prøving og analyse, 7% of the jobs, 3.4 times the national share (Statistics Norway table 13470, 2025).
• No. 356 Eidfjord (4.9%, among the lowest) Fits the pattern: «Employed, share of age 20–66» 83.5% (no. 2 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 11618); «Gross income per person aged 17 and over, median» 553,300 kr (no. 30 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 05671); «Share with lower secondary as highest education (16 and over)» 20.1% (no. 325 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 09429). Most distinctive industry: elektrisitets-, gass-, damp- og varmtvannsforsyning, 8% of the jobs, 12.0 times the national share (Statistics Norway table 13470, 2025).
• No. 355 Bykle (5.4%, among the lowest) Fits the pattern: «Share with lower secondary as highest education (16 and over)» 17.8% (no. 353 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 09429); «Life expectancy at birth (15-year period)» 83.7 (no. 27 of 348 from the top; NIPH indicator 508); «Gross income per person aged 17 and over, median» 539,500 kr (no. 48 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 05671). Most distinctive industry: overnattingsvirksomhet, 7% of the jobs, 6.9 times the national share (Statistics Norway table 13470, 2025).

The analysis describes what goes together, not what causes what. Two figures can follow each other because both depend on something else, such as size, location or industry. The figures are from the latest year available for each source, so the years can differ. Rank correlation runs from −1 to 1; values near 1 mean the municipalities lie in roughly the same order on both measures.