Our aim was to elucidate the dislocation rate after total hip arthroplasty at Haugesund County Hospital, Norway.Information was obtained from the Norwegian Arthroplasty Register and from hospital patient files. All 1,076 patients (781 female) operated at the hospital 1987-2000 were included. The ITH prosthesis was used in 545 patients and the Charnley prosthesis with a smaller head in 531 patients.21 patients (2.0%) experienced dislocation after total hip arthroplasty, 17 during activities of daily living and three after a fall. 17 dislocations happened within six months postoperatively. The dislocation risk was smaller for women than for men (1.3% vs 3.7%, p = 0.01). Patients with a Charnley prosthesis had a greater risk for recurrent luxations than those with a ITH prosthesis (1.7% vs 0.2%, p = 0.01).The rate of dislocation after total hip arthroplasty in this study is similar to that of other reports in the literature.