Investigations of living standards in Norway, Sweden and Finland in 1986-1987 yielded new comparative data on public health and disease as related to social class. Long-term troublesome illness was less common in Sweden than in Finland and Norway. In all three countries the jobless category and skilled working women accounted for the highest morbidity. Among men, morbidity was greatest for agricultural workers in Finland and Norway, and lowest for Swedes of social class 1--i.e., highly placed and highly educated white collar workers.