Læknablaðið - 15.09.1998, Blaðsíða 11
LÆKNABLAÐIÐ 1998; 84
629
Umfanci og einkenni örorku
á íslandi árið 1996
Sigurður Thorlacius’'2’, Sigurjón Stefánsson11, Stefán Ólafsson3’
Thorlacius S, Stefansson S, Olafsson S
Disability in Iceland 1996: size and
characteristics
Læknablaðið 1998; 84: 629-35
Objective: To determine the size and main medical
and social characteristics of the group of individuals
receiving disability benefits in Iceland and compare
those with figures from the other Nordic countries.
Material and methods: The study includes all those
receiving disability benefits on the lst of December
1996 as ascertained by the disability register at the
State Social Security Institute of Iceland.
Results: On the prevalence day 8714 individuals
were receiving disability benefits. Of those there
were 7315 individuals who had disability assessed as
being more than 75% (4.2% of the total population
between 16 and 66 years of age); women: 4286
(58.6%), men: 3029 (41.4%). Disability was assessed
as being 50% or 65% for 1399 individuals (0.7% of
the total population between 16 and 66 years of age);
women: 914 (65.3%), men: 485 (34.7%). Of those
receiving disability benefits there is thus a significant
excess of women (p<0.0001). Individuals with >75%
disability are in excess in the capital region as
compared with other areas (p<0.001 for men, p=0.03
for women). When different age groups within the
population are compared there is a steady increase
with age of the ratio of individuals with >75%
disability. Disability is most commonly associated
with mental disorders or diseases of the
musculoskeletal system.
Frá "Tryggingastofnun ríkisins, 2,læknadeild Háskóla ís-
lands og 3lfélagsvísindadeild Háskóla íslands. Fyrirspurn-
ir, bréfaskipti: SigurðurThorlacius, Tryggingastofnun ríkis-
ins, Laugavegi 114, 150 Reykjavik, sími 5604420, bréf-
sími 5624146, netfang sigurdth@tr.is
Lykilorð: örorka, örorkubótaþegar, almannatryggingar.
Conclusion: The percentage of the total population
receiving disability benefits in Iceland, is similar to
that in Denmark but considerably lower than in
Finland, Norway and Sweden. When different age
groups are compared it emerges that there are more
individuals below 30 years of age receiving disabili-
ty benefits in Iceland than in the other Nordic count-
ries. In the older age groups this ratio is reversed and
gets more marked with increasing age. The following
main explanations for this difference are suggested:
the level of allowance and organization of the social
security system is different in Iceland compared with
the other Nordic countries; the Icelandic unemploy-
ment level is lower and work participation higher,
especially in the upper age groups in Iceland.
Keywords: disability, benefits, sociai security.
Ágrip
Tilgangur: Að kanna umfang og einkenni
örorku á íslandi og gera samanburð við hin
Norðurlöndin.
Efniviður og aðferðir: Unnar voru upplýs-
ingar um örorkumat, búsetu, aldur og fyrstu
(helstu) sjúkdómsgreiningu öryrkja úr örorku-
skrá Tryggingastofnunar ríkisins, eins og hún
var 1. desember 1996.
Niðurstöður: Á þessum tíma áttu 8714 ein-
staklingar búsettir á Islandi í gildi örorkumat
samkvæmt lífeyristryggingum almannatrygg-
inga. Metin hafði verið yfir 75% örorka í 7315
tilvikum, hjá 4286 konum (58,6%) og 3029
körlum (41,4%). Metin hafði verið 50% eða
65% örorka hjá 1399 einstaklingum (0,7%
Islendinga á aldrinum 16-66 ára), 914 konum
(65,3%) og 485 körlum (34,7%). Örorka var
marktækt algengari hjá konum en körlum
(p<0,0001). Metin hafði verið yfir 75% örorka
hjá 4,2% íslendinga á aldrinum 16-66 ára.
Fjöldi örorkulífeyrisþega (yfir 75% örorka)