Disability Facts

An estimated 1.3 billion people worldwide experience significant disability. This represents 16% of the world’s population, or 1 in 6 of us.

• Some persons with disabilities die up to 20 years earlier than those without disabilities.

• Persons with disabilities have twice the risk of developing conditions such as depression, asthma, diabetes, stroke, obesity or poor oral health.

• Persons with disabilities face many health inequities.

• Persons with disabilities find inaccessible and unaffordable transportation 15 times more difficult than for those without disabilities.

• Health inequities arise from unfair conditions faced by persons with disabilities, including stigma, discrimination, poverty, exclusion from education and employment, and barriers faced in the health system itself.

Source: World Health Organization 2023)