1 in 10 over 66 has to use stairs to enter their dwelling

Living above the ground floor without a lift can be difficult for people with mobility problems. Around 680 000 persons, or 13 per cent of the population, live under such conditions. The shares are highest among people aged 20 to 39. Most people in this age group are relatively fit, but the share that needs to use stairs to get to their front door is almost as high among people of retirement age.

A total of 81 000 people over the age of 66 live above ground floor without a lift. This is 11 per cent of all the people in the age group, and the proportion is almost as high among people aged 80 or older. Only 0.6 per cent of people of retirement age live on the fifth floor or higher without a lift. This nevertheless means that 4 000 elderly people have a very strenuous walk to enter or exit their dwelling.

Difficult access to dwellings is most widespread in the cities. Thirty-five per cent live above ground floor without an elevator in Oslo, 24 per cent in Trondheim and 23 per cent in Bergen. In total, about half the people with such limited access to their dwelling reside in these three cities.

Three per cent of the population in Oslo (20 700 persons) live on the fifth floor or higher without a lift. The proportion is almost as high among the elderly. A total of 1 600 Oslo residents over the age of 66 need to climb at least five flights of stairs to enter their dwelling.