Facts and statistics
Below are some useful statistics on disabled people. They can help you to understand a large proportion of our society, including demographics and impairment types.
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Found 39 facts and statistics.
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Walking and cycling for travel
Disabled people are less likely to walk for travel (35% compared to 47% of non-disabled people) and cycle for travel (7% compared to 13% of non-disabled people).
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Employment
There were 5.53 million working-age disabled people in employment in October to December 2023, an increase of 338,000 from October to December 2022.
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Volunteering
Disabled people or those with a long-term health condition account for 18% of regular volunteers despite representing 20% of the population more widely. Disabled adults and those with long-term health conditions remain less likely to volunteer when compared to non-disabled people.
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Employment and activity levels
Disabled people who are unemployed are much more likely to be inactive than disabled people who are employed (46.7% vs 27.4%).
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Employment within sport and physical activity sector
Fewer workers within the sport and physical activity workforce report having a disability (13%), compared to the average of all occupations (16%). Sports players have the lowest share of disabled workers across sport and physical activity occupations (6%).
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Education and activity levels
Disabled people with no qualifications are twice as likely to be physically inactive as disabled people who have a higher education qualification (67.1% vs 30.5%).
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Living standards
A disabled working-age adult is more than twice as likely to be in poverty than a non-disabled adult.
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Socioeconomic status and activity
Disabled people from lower socioeconomic groups are much more likely to be inactive than disabled people from higher socioeconomic groups (45% vs 30%).
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Cost of living for disabled people
One third of people with complex disabilities reported that they’d run out of food, while 38% found it difficult to afford their transport costs.
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Disability benefits and being active
Almost two thirds (65%) of disabled people we spoke to said they rely on benefits to be active. Almost half (47%) are fearful of losing their benefits if they are seen to be more active. More than half (55%) said they were likely to be more active if benefits weren't at risk of being taken away.
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Disabled children in school
15% of school pupils in England have special educational needs (SEN). But fewer than one in 10 (9%) of pupils with SEN in England attend a state-funded special school.
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Taking part in school
Only a quarter (25%) of disabled children say they take part in sport and activity all of the time at school, compared to 41% of non-disabled children.
