People with disability in Australia 2026

Introduction

Around 1 in 5 (21%) people in Australia – or about 5.5 million – have disability. This is known as disability rate (or disability prevalence). Another 23% (or 6.0 million) of people in Australia have a long-term health condition but no disability, and the remaining 55% (or 14.1 million) have no disability or long-term health condition (ABS 2024a).

More than one-third (37%) of people with disability – about 2.0 million people or 7.9% of the Australian population – have severe or profound disability. This means they sometimes or always need assistance with self-care, mobility or communication activities, have difficulty understanding or being understood by family or friends, or communicate more easily using sign language or other non-spoken forms of communication (ABS 2024b).

Disability rates by sex and age

The proportion of people with disability in the population generally increases with age (Figure POPULATION.2). This means the longer people live, the more likely they are to experience some form of disability:

• 11% of children aged 0–14 have disability
• 14% of people aged 15–24 have disability
• 30% of people aged 55–64 have disability
• 79% of people aged 85 and over have disability (AIHW analysis of ABS 2024c).

The rate of disability varies by sex for children under 15, and less so for people aged 15 and over:

• boys aged 0–14 are more likely to have disability than girls (13% of boys and 8.7% of girls aged 0–14 have disability)
• 14% of males and 13% of females aged 15–24 have disability
• 16% of men and 18% of women aged 25–64 have disability
• 53% of men and 52% of women aged 65 and over have disability (AIHW analysis of ABS 2024d, Figure POPULATION.2).

The rate of severe and profound disability varies by sex for children under 15 and for people aged 65 and over, but not for those aged 15–64:

• 8.5% of males and 4.6% of females aged 0–14 have severe or profound disability
• 5.8% of males and 4.6% of females aged 15–24 have severe or profound disability
• 4.2% of men and 4.9% of women aged 25–64 have severe or profound disability
• 20% of men and 23% of women aged 65 and over have severe or profound disability (AIHW analysis of ABS 2024d, Figure POPULATION.2).

Changes in disability rates over time

Between 2003 and 2018, the proportion of people with disability in the Australian population decreased. During this time, the disability prevalence rate fell from 20.0% in 2003 to 17.7% in 2018 (ABS 2024a). However, between 2018 and 2022 the disability rate increased significantly, from 17.7% to 21.4% (ABS 2024a).

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS 2024a) noted that several factors may have contributed to the rise in estimated disability rates, including:

• a growing awareness of disability in Australia
• an increase in prevalence of some long-term health conditions
• changes in data collection methods
• an ageing population.

While each of these factors may have played a role in the increase of estimated disability rates, it is not possible to determine how much impact each individual factor may have had (ABS 2024a).

Figure POPULATION.3 shows how the disability rates changed between 2003 and 2022, including for severe and profound disability, across age groups, and for males and females. Between 2018 and 2022, the disability prevalence rate increased for all sub-groups:

• for children aged 0–14, the disability rate increased from 9.5% in 2018 to 13% in 2022 for males, and from 5.7% to 8.7% for females
• for people aged 15–64, the disability rate increased from 13% in 2018 to 15% in 2022 for males, and from 13% to 17% for females
• for people aged 65 and over, the disability rate increased from 49% to 53% for men and from 50% to 52% for women (AIHW analysis of ABS 2024d).

Age-standardised disability rate

The changes in the overall (crude) disability rates reported above may reflect changes in the age structure of the Australian population.

The Australian population is ageing due to increasing life expectancy and declining fertility rates (more information on this topic can be found in Older Australians, Demographic profile). Since people in the older age groups (65 and over) are more likely to have disability, the ageing population can make it more difficult to compare changes in the overall disability rates over time.

Age-standardised rates account for the differences in population structure, thus allowing better comparisons over time. The results show that:

• between 2003 and 2018, the age-standardised disability prevalence rate fell from 20% to 16%, before increasing to 19% in 2022
• the age-standardised prevalence rate of severe or profound disability fell from 6.2% in 2003 to 5.2% in 2018, before increasing to 7.1% in 2022 (ABS 2024a).

Disability group

The rate of all disability groups in the total population increases with age (Figure POPULATION.4). There are sharp increases from about age 45–54 for physical disability, 55–64 for sensory or speech disability, and 75–84 for learning and understanding disability, psychosocial disability, and disability associated with head injury, stroke or acquired brain injury.

For sensory or speech, and learning and understanding disability, the prevalence rates are higher during childhood than in early adulthood (Figure POPULATION.4). This is especially true for males:

• 5.3% (or 127,000) of males aged 0–14 have sensory or speech disability, compared with 2.8% (or 45,000) of males aged 15–24 and 2.4% (or 43,000) of males aged 25–34
• 8.3% (or 201,000) of males aged 0–14 and 8.4% (or 134,000) of males aged 15–24 have learning and understanding disability, compared with 2.5% (or 45,000) of males aged 25–34 (AIHW analysis of ABS 2024c).

Boys aged 0–14 are more likely to have disability than girls across several disability groups:

• 5.3% (or 127,000) of boys and 3.3% (or 76,000) of girls aged 0–14 have sensory or speech disability
• 8.3% (or 201,000) of boys and 4.5% (or 102,000) of girls have learning and understanding disability
• 3.1% (or 75,000) of boys and 2.1% (or 47,000) of girls have physical disability
• 5.8% (or 141,000) of boys and 3.6% (or 84,000) of girls have psychosocial disability (AIHW analysis of ABS 2024c).

Between ages 15 and 54, the rate of various disability groups is similar for males and females. The only exception is learning and understanding disability among people aged 15–24, with 8.4% of males and 5.4% of females having this type of disability.

From about age 55, men are more likely to have sensory or speech disability than women of the same age (AIHW analysis of ABS 2024c):

• 9.9% of men and 7.2% of women aged 55–64 have sensory or speech disability
• 22% of men and 12% of women aged 65–74
• 39% of men and 26% of women aged 75–84.

At the same time, women aged 55 and over are more likely to have physical disability than men (AIHW analysis of ABS 2024c):

• 26% of women and 21% of men aged 55–64 have physical disability
• 35% of women and 31% of men aged 65–74
• 47% of women and 41% of men aged 75–84.

The proportions of people with learning and understanding disability, psychosocial disability, and disability related to head injury, stroke or acquired brain injury remain generally similar for men and women beyond age 55.

Disability severity

Whether people with disability have severe or profound disability differs by age group, sex and disability group (Figure POPULATION.5):

• Of all people with disability, those aged under 25 are the most likely to have severe or profound disability (50% or 470,000), and those aged 25–64 are the least likely (28% or 619,000).
• People aged 65 and over with learning and understanding, or psychosocial disability are the most likely to have severe or profound disability; 84% (or 225,000) of people with learning and understanding disability and 80% (or 369,000) of people with psychosocial disability in this age group have severe or profound disability.
• Although females are less likely to have sensory or speech disability than males (Figure POPULATION.4), those that do have it are more likely to have severe or profound disability; 51% (or 420,000) of females with sensory or speech disability have severe or profound disability, compared with 44% (or 480,000) of males (AIHW analysis of ABS 2024c).

Disability type

Each disability group includes different types of disability. This section looks at prevalence of different disability types.

The most prevalent disability types vary by age and sex. This section looks at disability types within 3 broad age groups: under 25 years, 25–64 years, and 65 years and over (Figure POPULATION.6).

Aged under 25

For people with disability aged under 25, the most common types of disability are:

• difficulty learning or understanding things – this affects 54% (or 516,000) of all people with disability in this age group 
• social or behavioural difficulties – 33% (or 309,000)
• nervous or emotional condition – 25% (or 237,000)
• speech difficulties – 25% (or 234,000)
• mental illness – 24% (or 223,000) (AIHW analysis of ABS 2024c).

There are some differences between sexes in this age group:

• males aged under 25 with disability are more likely to have difficulty learning or understanding things (61% or 334,000) than females (46% or 183,000)
• females aged under 25 with disability are more likely to have a nervous or emotional condition (30% or 120,000) than males (21% of 117,000) (AIHW analysis of ABS 2024c).

Aged 25–64

For people with disability aged 25–64, the most common types of disability are:

• chronic or recurring pain or discomfort – this affects 47% (or 1.1 million) people with disability in this age group
• restriction in physical activities or work – 40% (or 900,000)
• nervous or emotional condition – 24% (or 533,000) (AIHW analysis of ABS 2024c).

Women with disability in this age group are more likely than men to have chronic or recurring pain or discomfort:

• 50% (or 608,000) of women aged 25–64 with disability have chronic pain or discomfort, compared with 43% (or 442,000) of men with disability (AIHW analysis of ABS 2024c).

Aged 65 and over

For people with disability aged 65 and over, the most common types of disability are:

• restriction in physical activities or work – this affects 52% (or 1.2 million) of people with disability in this age group
• chronic or recurring pain or discomfort – 45% (or 1.0 million)
• loss of hearing – 41% (or 939,000)
• difficulty gripping or holding things – 31% (or 703,000)
• incomplete use of feet or legs – 27% or 620,000 (AIHW analysis of ABS 2024c).

Women with disability in this age group are more likely than men to have the type of disability that results in physical restriction:

• 54% (or 658,000) of women are restricted in physical activities or work, compared with 49% (or 530,000) of men
• 49% (or 598,000) of women aged 65 and over with disability have chronic or recurring pain or discomfort, compared with 41% (or 436,000) of men
• 39% (or 467,000) of women have difficulty gripping or holding things, compared with 22% (or 234,000) of men (AIHW analysis of ABS 2024c). 

At the same time, loss of hearing is much more common among men with disability in this age group (50% or 541,000) than among women (33% or 396,000) (AIHW analysis of ABS 2024c). 

Long-term health conditions of people with disability

People with disability may have one or more long-term health conditions. In 2022:

• 17% of people with disability had one long-term health condition, and a further 17% had two conditions
• almost 2 in 3 (65%) people with disability had 3 or more long-term health conditions (AIHW analysis of ABS 2024d).

People with severe or profound disability, and those who are older, are more likely to have multiple long-term health conditions:

• among those aged under 65, 59% of people with severe or profound disability have 3 or more conditions, as do 49% of people whose disability is not severe or profound
• among those aged 65 and over, 91% of people with severe or profound disability have 3 or more conditions, as do 79% of people whose disability is not severe or profound (AIHW analysis of ABS 2024d).

Females with disability are somewhat more likely to have 3 or more long-term health conditions than males with disability (67% compared with 63%) (AIHW analysis of ABS 2024d).

The most common types of long-term conditions are (refer Box 1 for examples):

• diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue – these are present in 53% of people with disability
• mental health and behavioural conditions – 46% of people with disability have these conditions
• diseases of the circulatory system – 37% of people with disability (AIHW analysis of ABS 2024d).

The most common types of long-term health conditions of people with disability vary by age and sex (Figure POPULATION.7):

• Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue are more common among females and older people with disability. For people with disability aged under 65, 46% of females and 34% of males have these conditions. Among those aged 65 and over, 79% of females and 60% of males have these conditions.
• Mental health and behavioural conditions are more common for younger people with disability: 58% of people with disability aged under 65 have these conditions, compared with 30% of people with disability aged 65 and over.
• Other conditions that are more common for older people with disability are:
  • diseases of the circulatory system – 63% of people aged 65 and over, and 18% of people aged under 65 with disability have these conditions
  • diseases of the ear and the mastoid process – 49% and 16%
  • endocrine, nutritional and metabolic disorders – 47% and 17%.
• Diseases of the ear and the mastoid process are more common among males than females, especially in the 65 and over age group: 58% of men and 40% of women with disability in this age group have these conditions (AIHW analysis of ABS 2024d).

Some long-term conditions (such as endocrine, nutritional and metabolic disorders, diseases of the circulatory system, and diseases of the nervous system) are associated with more severe forms of disability. The difference is most striking for mental health and behavioural conditions: these conditions are present in 61% of people whose disability is severe or profound, compared with 38% of people with less severe forms of disability (AIHW analysis of ABS 2024d).

Main health condition

The SDAC also collects information about the main health condition – the one that causes the most problems. For about 3 in 4 (75%) people with disability, their main health condition is physical (ABS 2024a).

Physical conditions include all conditions other than mental or behavioural, such as the diseases of the:

• musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (such as back problems and arthritis) – 28% of people with disability have these as their main condition
• ear and mastoid process (such as hearing loss and tinnitus) – 7.2%
• nervous system (such as cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis) – 5.6%
• circulatory system (such as heart disease and stroke) – 5.3% (AIHW analysis of ABS 2024d).

For 1 in 4 (25%) people with disability, their main condition is mental or behavioural, including:

• anxiety disorders – 7.4%
• psychological development conditions such as autism spectrum disorders or dyslexia – 4.9%
• behavioural, cognitive or emotional conditions with usual onset in childhood or adolescence such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) – 4.4% (AIHW analysis of ABS 2024d).

There is some variation in the most common types of main condition depending on the person’s age and sex (Figure POPULATION.8):

• Younger people with disability are more likely to have mental or behavioural conditions as their main health condition – 37% of people with disability aged under 65 have these as their main health condition, compared with 8.0% of those aged 65 and over.
• Older people with disability are more likely to have diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue as their main condition – 22% of people with disability aged under 65 have these as their main health condition, compared with 36% of those aged 65 and over.
• Females with disability are more likely than males to have diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue as their main condition – 22% of males and 33% of females with disability have this main condition.
• Males with disability are more likely to have mental or behavioural conditions as their main condition. This is especially the case for people aged under 65, with 41% of males and 33% of females in this age group having mental or behavioural conditions as their main condition. Older males (aged 65 and over) are more likely to have diseases of the ear or mastoid process as their main condition compared with females (16% of males and 7.2% of females in this age group) (AIHW analysis of ABS 2024d).

People with severe or profound disability are more likely to have mental or behavioural conditions as their main condition – 32% of people with severe or profound disability have this type of condition as their main condition, compared with 21% of people with less severe forms of disability (AIHW analysis of ABS 2024d).

The rate (or prevalence) of disability among people with specific health conditions is not covered in this section. Detailed information on this topic for selected chronic conditions can be found in Chronic conditions and disability.

Age of onset of the main condition

While the prevalence of disability tends to increase with age (especially after about 55), the age of onset of the main condition (or, if main condition was caused by an accident, the age the accident occurred) is much more evenly distributed across age groups (Figure POPULATION.9). For almost half of people with disability living in households (49%, or 2.6 million), their main condition came on (or the accident occurred) before the age of 35 (AIHW analysis of ABS 2024c).

For 8.6% of people with disability living in households, their main condition was present at birth. This is even higher for people with severe or profound disability, 13% of whom had their main condition present at birth (AIHW analysis of ABS 2024c).

Cause of the main health condition

In terms of what caused the main health condition, for more than 1 in 4 people with disability (26% or 1.4 million), the cause is not known. For a further 15% (or 804,000), the condition ‘just came on’ or was due to ageing. For 13% (or 697,000) of people with disability, the main condition was hereditary or a result of illness or disease, and for 11% (620,000) it was caused by accident or injury (AIHW analysis of ABS 2024c).

For males with disability, the main condition is more likely to be caused by:

• accident or injury –13% of males with disability and 9.6% of females with disability
• overuse (work or non-work related) – 11% of males and 6.3% of females (AIHW analysis of ABS 2024c).

For females with disability, the main condition is more likely to be brought on by:

• old age or just came on – 17% of females with disability and 12% of males
• disease, illness, or hereditary causes – 14% of females and 11% of males
• stress, personal or family problems, or death – 7.1% of females and 4.8% of males (AIHW analysis of ABS 2024c).

When it comes to disability groups, the most common causes (other than ‘not known’) for each disability group are:

• for people with sensory or speech disability, the most common cause of the main condition was that it just came on or happened as part of ageing – this was the case for 21% (or 399,000) of people with sensory or speech disability. This compares with 15% for all people with disability.
• for people with learning and understanding disability, 24% (or 267,000) had their main condition present at birth. This compares with 8.4% of all people with disability.
• among people with physical disability, for 16% (or 583,000) their main condition just came on or was due to old age. For 15% (or 550,000), their main condition was caused by accident or injury, compared with 11% of all people with disability.
• among people with disability related to head injury, stroke or acquired brain injury, 25% (or 88,000) had their main condition caused by accident or injury
• for people with psychosocial disability, stress, personal or family problems, or death caused the main condition for 13% (or 221,000). This compares with 6.0% of all people with disability (AIHW analysis of ABS 2024c).

For people with disability whose main condition was caused by accident or injury, most accidents had occurred at work (34% of all cases), on a street, road or highway (25% of cases), at home (15%) or at a sporting venue (including ski fields) (10%). Together, these locations account for more than 80% of all cases of people with disability whose main condition was due to an accident or injury (AIHW analysis of ABS 2024c).