People with disability

The disability population is diverse. It encompasses people with varying types and levels of disability across all socioeconomic and demographic groups.

Knowing how many people in Australia have disability, and their characteristics, can improve our understanding of how the experiences of people with disability vary. It also helps to plan and provide the supports, services and communities that enable people with disability to participate fully in everyday life.

Summary card 1 showing key statistics for prevalence of disability. The card shows that about 4.4 million people have disability. The prevalence of disability generally increases with age and is more than twice as high for people aged 85 and over compared with those aged 65–69. Summary card 2 showing key statistics for activities people need help with. The card shows that 30% of people with disability living in households need help with health care. Help is also commonly needed with property maintenance (27%) and cognitive or emotional tasks (24%).

Summary card 3 showing key statistics for life expectancy and disability. The card shows that people born in 2018 can expect to live about one-fifth of their lives with some level of disability. The card also contains a bar chart showing how many years people can expect to live with disability and without disability. The reader can select to display5 the chart by sex. Females born in 2018 can expect to live 84.9 years, of them about 66 years without disability and about 19 years with disability. Males born in 2018 can expect to live 80.7 years, of them about 64 years without disability and 17 years with disability. Summary card 4 showing key statistics for personal life. The card shows that 2 in 3 (66%) people aged 15-64 with disability are satisfied with the amount of free time they have (67% of those without disability). This varies by sex, with 72% of males and 61% of females satisfied with the amount of free time.

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