Finnmark also saw a decrease from the year before, from a share of 47 cases in 1998, but Oslo had a bigger decline. The share of social assistance cases increases with the number of inhabitants in the municipality. The regional differences in the level of average annual benefit amounts are also large. There is close correlation between the size of the municipality and benefit level. The level of the benefit is highest in the most populated municipalities.
Social assistance is meant to cover the housing costs of clients.
High housing costs in densely populated municipalities is the reason for higher levels of social assistance in these municipalities. Tables Table 1 Number of cases on social assistance, by age, county and size of municipality. 1987-1999 Table 2 Expenditure on social assistance, by nature of assistance, county and size of municipality. Table 3 Average payments of social assistance per month on assistance. Figures of duration of benefit and family cycle phase.