1. Over 1 billion people worldwide suffer from some form of disability. This corresponds with about 15% of the world’s population. About 150 million are children under 14 years old.
2. Disability disproportionately affects vulnerable populations. Lower-income countries have a higher prevalence of disability than higher-income countries.
3. People with disabilities do not often receive the needed health care. A third of disabled people cannot afford healthcare and are three times more likely to be denied healthcare.
4. Children with disabilities are less likely to attend school. Less than 10% of all children with disabilities under the age of 14 are attending school.
5. People with disabilities are more likely to be unemployed. Global data shows employment rate for disabled men at 53% and 20% for disabled men.
6. People with disabilities are more vulnerable to poverty. People with disabilities have worse living conditions including insufficient food, poor housing, lack of access to safe drinking and sanitation.
7. Rehabilitation services for people with disability are lacking in countries that need them most. Data from 4 Southern African countries showed that only 26-55% of people received the medical rehabilitation they needed whilst only 17-35% received assistive devices they needed like wheelchairs, hearing aids etc.
8. People with disabilities are 50% more likely to suffer from catastrophic healthcare expenditure. These out-of-pocket expenditure can push families into poverty.
9. 200 million people worldwide need glasses or other low-vision devices or do not have access to them.
10. 360 million people have moderate to profound hearing loss. Production of hearing aids only meets 3% of developing countries’ needs.
Credit: WHO and World Bank