Municipal social and health data - Hjulet (discontinued), 2004

The annual publication of municipal social and health data (named "Hjulet") gives the most recent local figures for health and social services, health conditions and living conditions. In addition to figures for each municipality, figures for districts in the 31 largest municipalities are also available.

This year's publication offers figures for population and family structure, disadvantaged groups, social and health problems, municipal economy, personnel and services.

Index for living condition problems

IThe index of living condition problems gives an overview of the municipality'sor district's problems regarding living conditions. The index has three main findings: Firstly, a complex living situation in large cities where we find neighborhoods in both ends of the scale of living conditions. Secondly, there is a large concentration of problems in many municipalities in Northern Norway, and thirdly there are few problems in many small municipalities in Western Norway. Of the municipalities with the most problems, two thirds are located in Northern Norway. Of the municipalities with the fewest problems, two thirds are located in the counties from Rogaland to Møre and Romsdal.

Continuity in the distribution of problems

70 per cent of the districts with the highest concentration of problems in 2003 belonged to this category also five years before. The stability in the group with the lowest concentration was somewhat smaller – nearly two thirds. Among municipalities moving into the group with high concentration, most were very small – an average of 2500 inhabitants, excluding three cities – and already located in areas with a high degree of social problems. As to municipalities moving in the opposite direction, we find an identical tendency: Those moving into the group with negligible social problems also had an average of 2500 inhabitants and were – not surprisingly – geographically situated in areas with a low concentration of problems.

The index is to document the extent of living condition problems. It must be underlined that this is different from showing "where it is best to live". Other conditions – such as the municipality's offer of kindergartens and care for elderly may be as important for the inhabitants' own opinion of welfare. But to include such conditions would be to undermine the purpose of the index – which is the extent of the problems in living conditions.

From 1992 on Statistics Norway has been commissioned by the health administration to prepare annual overviews of the municipal health and social sector. The report is published in pamphlets from the Directory of Health and Social Welfare, and is also available on the Directory's home pages. The background figures can be found in the tables below.

For more information, please contact: harald.tonseth@ssb.no, telephone +47 21 09 46 36, or knut.strom@ssb.no, telephone +47 21 09 46 37.

Tables

• Table 1 Index for living condition problems and sub-indices for individual indicators