Here you will find analyses of geographical variation in the use of healthcare services withing orthopedics in Norway. The analyses include, among other things, updated figures from the Orthopaedic Healthcare Atlas and the Day Surgery Atlases (1 and 2).
The number of primary hip prosthesis insertions per 1,000 inhabitants, 50 years and older
In 2024, a total of 9,857 hip replacement procedures were carried out on patients aged 50 and over. This represents an increase of 7.5% from 2022. The explanation for this rise is likely partly due to the population growth within this age group. The number of residents in Norway aged 50 and over increased by 3.8% during the same period.
The number of procedures per year saw a significant decline during the pandemic. Following the pandemic, the number has risen to a level higher than before.
The number of operations per 1,000 inhabitants was 4.7 in 2024, with the rate remaining roughly the same as in the two previous years.
Women undergo surgery to a greater extent than men, with 65% of the operations in 2024 being performed on women. The average age of patients aged 50 and over who underwent surgery was roughly the same for both sexes in 2024, at around 70 years.
The analysis is based on activity data from the Norwegian Patient Register (NPR) for somatic specialist healthcare services. The data includes activities in public hospitals and private hospitals providing publicly funded services.
The selection includes contacts recorded with one or more of the procedure codes NFB20, NFB30, NFB40, or NFB99. Contacts containing diagnosis codes for hip fractures (S72.0, S72.1, and/or S72.2) are excluded.
The place of treatment is divided into three categories:
Insertion of hip prostheses is mainly performed on adult patients. Therefore, the population includes only patients aged 50 and older. Hip prosthesis procedures in individuals aged 0–49 accounted for just over 500 operations, or 5%, in 2024.
In order to compare the catchment areas and between years, the rates have been adjusted for gender and age. The adjustment was done using the direct method with the countrys population in 2023 as the reference population.
SKDE is solely responsible for the interpretation and presentation of the data provided by NPR. FHI/NPR is not responsible for analyses or interpretations based on the data.
Number of insertions of primary knee prostheses per 1,000 inhabitants, 50 years and older
For patients aged 50 and older, 7,503 knee prostheses were implanted in 2022, increasing to 8,562 in 2024. This corresponds to a 14% increase. There was a slight decline in the number of surgeries during the pandemic year 2020. After the pandemic, the level has been higher than before.
The figures include both total and partial prostheses. The proportion of partial prostheses has steadily increased over time, rising from 12% in 2015 to 18% in 2024.
There is geographical variation in surgery rates. In the catchment areas with the highest rates, more than twice as many operations per 1,000 inhabitants are performed compared to those with the lowest rates. In 2024, the rate ranged from 2.4 in the catchment area of Lovisenberg to 5.3 in Førde.
The ratio of total to partial prostheses varies significantly between different catchment areas. In 2024, the proportion of patients receiving a partial prosthesis ranged from just under 6% in Helgeland to nearly 34% at UNN.
Women undergo surgery to a greater extent than men, with 57% of operations performed on women in 2024. The average age among operated patients aged 50 and older was approximately the same for both sexes in 2024, around 70 years.
The analysis is based on activity data from the Norwegian Patient Register (NPR) for somatic specialist healthcare services. The data includes activities in public hospitals and private hospitals providing publicly funded services.
The selection includes patients registered with one or more of the following six procedure codes:
Where the patient was treated is divided into three categories:
Knee prosthesis implantation is primarily performed on adult patients. Therefore, the population includes only patients aged 50 and older. In 2024, a total of 181 surgeries were performed on patients under 50 years old, of whom 162 were between 40 and 49 years old.
In order to compare the catchment areas and between years, the rates have been adjusted for gender and age. The adjustment was done using the direct method with the countrys population in 2023 as the reference population.
SKDE is solely responsible for the interpretation and presentation of the data provided by NPR. FHI/NPR is not responsible for analyses or interpretations based on the data.
Number of surgeries for hallux valgus and hammertoe per 1,000 inhabitants
The number of operations has declined throughout the entire period, from 5,400 in 2015 to 3,150 in 2024. Most of the decrease occurred around the pandemic year of 2020. The number of operations in 2024 is approximately at the same level as in 2020. Female patients accounted for around 80% of operations in 2024, and the decline in the number of operations over the period is mainly due to a reduction in procedures performed on women.
There is considerable geographical variation in operation rates. The catchment area with the highest rate performs nearly five times as many operations per 1,000 inhabitants compared with the area with the lowest rate. The catchment areas for Stavanger and Fonna had the lowest rates in 2024, while those for UNN and Finnmark had the highest.
Excluding the two catchment areas with the highest and lowest rates, the variation narrows to a highest rate that is 1.5 times the lowest.
Nearly 20% of operations nationwide are performed by private providers, but there are substantial differences between catchment areas. In 2024, nearly half of all operations in the St. Olav catchment area were carried out privately, whereas almost none were performed privately in the catchment areas for Bergen, Fonna, and Telemark.
The analysis is based on data from the Norwegian Patient Registry (NPR) for specialist healthcare services. The data includes activity in public hospitals, publicly funded private hospitals, and specialists in private practice under public funding contacts.
The sample consists of patients with a primary or secondary diagnosis of M20.1, M20.2, M20.3, M20.4, M20.5, or M20.6 in combination with:
The place of treatment is divided into three categories:
In order to compare the catchment areas and between years, the rates have been adjusted for gender and age. The adjustment was done using the direct method with the population in 2023 as the reference population.
SKDE is solely responsible for the interpretation and presentation of the data provided by NPR. FHI/NPR is not responsible for analyses or interpretations based on the data.
Number of surgeries for carpal tunnel syndrome per 1,000 inhabitants
A total of 8,400 carpal tunnel syndrome operations were performed in 2024, representing a 13% increase from the previous year. The annual number of operations was only slightly affected by the pandemic. There was a small decline in 2020, followed by an increase the year after.
There is considerable geographic variation in surgery rates. In the catchment areas with the highest rates, approximately 2.5 times as many procedures per 1,000 inhabitants are carried out compared to areas with the lowest rates. In 2024, the number of operations per 1,000 inhabitants ranged from 0.9 in Diakonhjemmet to 2.2 in Innlandet.
The Oslo region (Oslo University Hospital, Lovisenberg, and Diakonhjemmet) consistently had the lowest rates throughout the period. Innlandet had the highest rates during the entire period. In the catchment areas of Stavanger (+79%) and Telemark (+63%), the rates have increased significantly over the past year.
Women are operated on to a greater extent than men, and the proportion of procedures performed on women was 62% in 2024.
In 2024, 54% of patients underwent a neurographic examination within one year prior to surgery. This ranged from just over 33% in Fonna and Stavanger to just under 65% in UNN, Bergen, and Innlandet.
The analysis is based on data from the Norwegian Patient Registry (NPR) for specialist healthcare services. The data includes activity in public hospitals, publicly funded private hospitals, and specialists in private practice under public funding contacts.
The sample consists of patients aged 17 years or older registered with a primary or secondary diagnosis of G56.0 in combination with:
The place of treatment is divided into three categories:
Neurography includes the procedure codes ACFE05, ACFE15, ACFE39 and/or ACFE40, provided the neurographic examination was carried out 365 days or fewer prior to the operation. There are also patients who had neurography more than 365 days before surgery, but these are not included. For example, in 2024, there were 560 patients (6.7%) who underwent neurography between one and two years before the operation.
In order to compare the catchment areas and between years, the rates have been adjusted for gender and age. The adjustment was done using the direct method with the population in 2023 as the reference population.
SKDE is solely responsible for the interpretation and presentation of the data provided by NPR. FHI/NPR is not responsible for analyses or interpretations based on the data.
