At the turn of the year there were 325,900 recipients of disability insurance in this country.This is an increase of 7,600 people or 2.4% since last year.
The percentage of disability recipients in the population between 18 and 67 years old was 9.6% at the end of last year, an increase of 0.1% since 2016.
The immigrant population in the group receiving disability benefits is 9.8%, while 58% of the recipients were women.
“After a period of stable disability, we now see that the percentage is increasing. Due to demographic changes and the tightening of the rules for unemployment benefits, we expect the increase to continue,” said Nav director, Sigrun Vågeng.
The increase in the disability rate occured in the age group under 54, while the age groups 60 to 64,and 65 to 67 years decreased by 0.3 and 0.9% respectively. In these age groups, the percentage of disabled was highest at 26.3 and 31.9% respectively.
Østfold and Aust-Agder have the highest percentage of disabled recipients, with 14.0 and 13.7% respectively, while Oslo has the lowest share of 5.3%.
“The differences between the counties are quite stable over time and are linked, among other things,to different age groups. Even though this is taken into account, there are still significant county differences. Other possible causes may be differences in health, business structure and education,’’said Vågeng.
The percentage of disabled persons registered with a working relative was 19% in September 2017.This is an increase of 0.2% compared with the same time in 2016.
‘’The changes in the regulations on the 1st of January 2015 make it more flexible to combine work and disability benefits. Even if the payout could be reduced if you have income, you do not lose your entitlement to disability insurance,’’ said Vågeng.
© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today
