The prevalence of people with disability pensions in Norway has increased sharply from 1980, without evidence of a concomitant change in morbidity or in occupational panorama. The incidence of granted disability pensions in 2 small rural municipalities from 1988 to 1990(n=507) were compared with professional or occupational background and the diagnostic basis of granting the disability pension. Information on occupation and diagnosis was collected manually. Efforts were made to ascertain whether the applicants' work had been strenuous or not. Data giving such information was not available for the total population at risk. Manual workers made up three fourths(n=395) of the incidence. Disability pension was granted with musculoskeletal disorders as the diagnosis in half of all cases. There was also a tendency towards cardiovascular and mental disorders being more frequent in the group of non‐manual workers. Incidence rates were higher than the mean rates for the whole country for the diagnostic groups musculoskeletal disorders, cancer, cardiovascular disorders and mental disorders, and the rates did not change over the 3 years. The study indicates that disability pensioners still are more prevalent among manual workers. Increased availability of vocational rehabilitation for this group may be needed, certainly if a reduction in the incidence of disability pensions is aimed a