Mental health and developmental disorders now drive surge in young disability claims in Norway

Nav’s latest figures reveal that mental health conditions and developmental disorders dominate the reasons why people aged 18 to 29 are granted disability benefits in Norway. Within this group, developmental disorders represent about 30 % of diagnoses, followed by intellectual disability (15 %), neurotic disorders (7 %) and behavioral disorders (6 %). Asperger’s syndrome is the single most common specific diagnosis, accounting for roughly eleven percent, with mild intellectual disability and childhood autism also featuring prominently.

The rise in these conditions over the last ten years has driven most of the growth in young disability numbers, while illnesses that typically appear later in life, such as musculoskeletal disorders, are far less common. Congenital malformations and chromosome abnormalities, as well as nervous system diseases, each comprise just over eleven percent of the remaining cases. A recent health directorate report notes that young men are disproportionately represented among those receiving disability benefits for mental and developmental issues.