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 38 facts and statistics.
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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 17% 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 (41.4% vs 26.8%).
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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 (65.4% vs 29.6%).
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Living standards
A disabled working-age adult is nearly 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 (64%) of disabled people we spoke to said they rely on benefits to be active. Almost half (43%) are fearful of losing their benefits if they are seen to be more active.
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Disabled children in school
In England, over 1.7 million school pupils had identified Special Educational Needs (SEN) in January 2025, representing nearly 1 in 5 pupils (19.6%), with most receiving SEN Support (around 1.3 million) and about 0.5 million having an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan.
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Taking part in school
Only a quarter (26%) of disabled children say they take part in sport and activity 'all of the time' at school, compared to 38% of non-disabled children.
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COVID-19 and impact on disabled people's ability to be active
Only 28% of disabled people were feeling encouraged to return to activity after the pandemic, compared to 50% of non-disabled people. For those who return, only half (53%) said it was a positive experience.
