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UK disability statistics: Prevalence and life experiences

This page is a summary of the full briefing paper, which you can download by clicking the button above.

Defining disability

Most official statistics use a definition of disability that is consistent with the Government Statistical Service (GSS)’s harmonised definition. This is designed to reflect the core definition of disability that appears in legal terms in the Equality Act 2010, and the definition in the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, which applies in Northern Ireland.

To measure disability based on this definition, survey respondents are asked whether they have a physical or mental health condition or illness that has lasted or is expected to last 12 months or more, and whether the condition and/or illness reduces their ability to carry out day-to-day activities. A person who answers yes to both questions is considered disabled.

How many people have a disability?

The latest estimates from the Family Resources Survey (FRS), run by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), indicate that 16.8 million people in the UK had a disability in the 2023/24 financial year. This represents 25% of the total population.

Source: DWP, Family Resources Survey (various editions)

The proportion of the population reporting a disability has by around seven percentage points since 2002/03 when it was 18%. Most of this increase was in the past decade or so, with disability prevalence up by 5 percentage points between 2012/13 and 2023/24.

In the 10 years since 2013/14, the estimated number of disabled people has increased by 4.9 million (+41%).

The prevalence of disability rises with age: in 2023/24 around 12% of children in the UK were disabled, compared with 24% of working-age adults and 45% of adults over State Pension age. Just under two thirds (64%) of people aged 85 or over reported a disability.

Some of the increase in prevalence over time is to be expected given the ageing of the population. However, recent changes in disability prevalence have also been driven by increases in the percentage of children and working-age adults reporting a disability.

The largest increases have been in people aged 16 to 24, among whom reported disability prevalence has more than doubled from 8% to 18%, and those aged 25 to 34 (from 11% to 19%).

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Family Resources Survey individual dataset

Most common impairments reported

In 2023/24, the most common impairment types among working-age adults were mental health (reported by 48% of disabled people in this age group) and mobility impairments (42%).

Mobility was the most frequently reported impairment type among disabled people of State Pension age, affecting 69% of disabled people within this group. A stamina, breathing or fatigue impairment was reported by 45% of disabled adults of State Pension age.

A social or behavioural impairment was reported for six in ten (59%) disabled children, followed by learning (32%) and mental health impairments (29%).

Recent growth in disability prevalence appears to be driven by an increase in mental health conditions reported among children and working-age adults.

For more on this, see the Library briefing on Mental health statistics:prevalence, services and funding in England.

Disability benefits

The number of people entitled to receive a disability benefit in Great Britain has risen over time, from 4.4 million in May 2005 (7.4% of the population) to 6.9 million in May 2025 (10.8% of the population).

The disability benefit caseload has increased at a faster pace since the start of the covid-19 pandemic, growing by 1.8 million claimants between May 2020 and May 2025, and is expected to continue rising. Disability benefit caseload figures can indicate trends in disability prevalence. Although it is important to note that not every person who is considered disabled under the Equality Act claims or qualifies for a disability benefit.