Key disability facts and stats

According to the latest government statistics there are 11 million adults with disability in the UK.

The majority (83%) of disabled people acquire their disability during their lives. In the UK 200 babies are born every week with a learning disability. Find out more about disability and disability issues:

Education

• 38% of young people with disabilities experienced bullying at their last school (1)
• A disabled 18 year old is less than half (40%) as likely to enter higher education as a non-disabled person of the same age (1)
• 23% of disabled men have a higher qualification compared to 48% of non-disabled men (1)
• 15% of disabled women have a higher qualification compared to 37% of non-disabled women (1)
• 20%of disabled young people were discouraged from taking GCSEs because of their impairment (1)
• 12 % were discouraged from taking A Levels and 12% from taking vocational qualifications (1).

 

 

 

 

Social Exclusion

• 42% of people with disabilities are finding it difficult or very difficult to live on their present income (2)
• 55% of people with disabilities have no savings (2)
• 60% of people with disabilities live below the poverty line (3)
• Disabled people are twice as likely to have no qualifications and twice as likely to be unemployed (3)
• 90% of disabled people believe there is a prejudice against disabled people (2).

 

 

 

 

Employment

• 47% of disabled people are in employment compared to 74% of non-disabled people (1)
• 41% of men and 43% of women classified as long-term disabled are economically inactive (6)
• 7.5% of people with learning disability are in paid employment  in England (5)
• Employment levels for people with disabilities have increased slightly over the last decade but remain low. We estimates that between 5% and 17% are in work (1)
• By the time they reach 26, disabled young people are four times as likely to be unemployed as their non-disabled peers (1)
• People with disabilities earn 30% less than non-disabled people (1).

 

 

 

 

Housing

• Over 40% of disabled young people aged between 16 and 24 live in accommodation that does not meet their needs (1)
• 50-55% of adults with learning disabilities live with their families (4)
• 30% of people with learning disabilities live in residential care (4)
• There is an estimated 300,000 national shortfall in wheelchair standard housing (1)
• There has been a 44% increase in the number of homeless households in priority need because a household member has a physical impairment (1)
• There has been a 77% increase in the number of homeless households where the priority need is someone with a mental illness (1)
• Over 40% of wheelchair users experience difficulties moving around their existing home (1)
• 15% of people with learning disabilities have a secure long term tenancy or own their own homes (4).

Sources

(1) Statistics taken from the 2008 Livability report Freedom to Live, Transition for disabled young people
(2) Statistics taken from Leonard Cheshire Disability, Disability Review 2009
(3) Statistics taken from the 2008 Livability leaflet, Welcome to Livability
(4) Statistic taken from Valuing People Now 2009 by the Department of Health
(5) Statistics taken form NHS Information Centre Social Care and Mental Health Indicator 2008.09
(6) Labour Force Survey Historical Quaterly Supplement; 2011 (first quarter); www.statistics.gov.uk