More users, greater need for assistance

From 2009, there has been a steady increase in the number of users within the nursing and care services provided by the municipalities. While 329 306 persons used one or more services during 2009, the number increased to 355 635 during 2016, which corresponds to an increase of 8 per cent.

Measured by the numbers of persons using the services at the end of the year – as opposed to during the year – the tendencies are the same, but are not of the same magnitude. In total, 278 161 persons used one or more services by the end of 2016, which represents a 4 per cent increase in the period from 2009 to 2016.

Mostly female users in different age groups

Among the users of nursing and care services, women are in the majority, both in total and in the age groups, with the exception of the youngest group – the under 18s. 6 in 10 users of one or more services were women in 2016. Among the youngest aged 0-17, the picture was quite the opposite, i.e. 38 per cent women and 62 per cent men. The trend is that the share of women increases with age.

More users below retirement age

Except for the youngest and the oldest age groups, there has been an increase in the number of users from 2009 to 2016. The largest increase is seen for users in the age group 18-49 years, where the number has increased by 30 per cent since 2009, from 57 165 to 74 475. In the same period, the number of users below retirement age, i.e. under 67 years of age, increased by 19 per cent. During 2016, about 40 per cent of all users of nursing and care services were under 67 years of age.