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 carpal tunnel syndrome per 1,000 inhabitants, 17 years and older
An average of approximately 7,400 operations for carpal tunnel syndrome are performed annually. The annual number of operations was minimally affected by the pandemic. There was a slight decrease for women in 2020, and 2021 was a peak year for both sexes compared to the other years in the period 2015–2023.
There is significant geographic variation in operation rates. In the catchment areas with the highest rates, approximately three times as many operations per 1,000 inhabitants are performed compared to the areas with the lowest rates. In 2023, the number of operations per 1,000 inhabitants ranged from 0.9 in Lovisenberg to 2.7 in Nordland.
The Oslo area (OUS, Lovisenberg, and Diakonhjemmet HF) consistently has the lowest rates throughout the period. Innlandet and Østfold HF have had the highest rates during the period. The low rate in Østfold HF in 2023 is likely due to incomplete reporting from private specialists. In the catchment areas of UNN and Førde HF, rates have risen sharply over the past three years.
Women undergo surgery more often than men, and the proportion of surgeries performed on women was 61 % in 2023.
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:
Surgeries for carpal tunnel syndrome are mainly performed on adults. On average, only 3 surgeries per year are performed on children under the age of 17.
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 Hallux valgus and Hammertoe per 1,000 inhabitants
The number of surgeries has decreased throughout the period, from 5,400 in 2015 to 3,100 in 2023. Women accounted for approximately 80 % of the surgeries in 2023, and the decline in the number of surgeries during the period is mainly due to fewer surgeries on women.
There is significant geographical variation in surgery rates. The catchment areas with the highest rates perform about three times as many surgeries per 1,000 inhabitants compared to the catchment areas with the fewest surgeries, classifying the variation as unwarranted. The catchment areas for Stavanger and Bergen HF have consistently low rates, while the catchment areas for Finnmark and UNN HF have consistently high rates.
More than half of the surgeries are performed in their own health trusts, and about 20 % are performed privately for the country as a whole, but there are significant differences between catchment areas. In 2023, about half of the surgeries were performed privately in the catchment areas for Finnmark and St. Olav HF, while no surgeries were performed privately in the catchment areas for Vestre Viken and Telemark HF.
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.
