Key Takeaways
- Globally, 1.3 billion people or about 16% of the world's population experience significant disability, with numbers projected to rise to 2.2 billion by 2050 due to population aging and chronic diseases
- In the United States, 61 million adults or 26% of the population aged 18 and over have some type of disability as of 2023
- Women are 19% more likely than men to report having a disability worldwide, according to 2021 data from 84 countries
- The global employment rate for people with disabilities is 22.7% compared to 44.1% for those without, OECD 2022 data across 30 countries
- In the US, only 21.3% of disabled adults are employed full-time versus 65% of non-disabled in 2023
- Unemployment rate for disabled people in the EU is 22% compared to 7% for non-disabled, Eurostat 2022
- Disabled people spend 4x more on healthcare annually, averaging $13,000 vs $3,000 in US 2022
- 50% of disabled adults in US have unmet healthcare needs due to cost, 2023 CDC
- Life expectancy for people with intellectual disabilities is 20 years shorter globally, WHO 2023
- Enrollment of disabled children in regular schools is 50% globally, UNESCO 2023
- In US, 17% of students receive special education services, 14.4 million in 2022-23
- Literacy rate for disabled adults worldwide is 3% vs 86% general in some regions, UNESCO 2023
- Disability policy ratification of UNCRPD by 182 countries as of 2023
- US ADA enforcement complaints 25,000 annually, DOJ 2023
- EU Disability Strategy 2021-2030 targets 30m more employed by 2030, 2023 progress
Disability impacts over a billion people globally, often compounding economic hardship.
Education
Education Interpretation
Employment
Employment Interpretation
Health
Health Interpretation
Policy
Policy Interpretation
Prevalence
Prevalence Interpretation
Sources & References
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