The State of Disability in the UK: Stats, Gaps, and Life Experiences Artwork

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The Bench Report

The State of Disability in the UK: Stats, Gaps, and Life Experiences

January 09, 2026 • The Bench Report • Season 5 • Episode 5

0:00 | 4:53

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25% of the total population—16.8 million people—had a disability in the 2023/24 financial year. We discuss how prevalence is rising, especially driven by increases in mental health conditions reported among children and working-age adults. We analyze significant disparities in outcomes, including the 28.6 percentage point disability employment gap (July to September 2025), lower median household incomes, and higher rates of crime victimization. The episode also highlights the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on disabled people, including a disproportionate mortality risk. (99 words)

Key Takeaways

The number of disabled people in the UK has increased significantly, reaching 16.8 million (25% of the population) in 2023/24, up from 18% in 2002/03.
Disability prevalence rises sharply with age; 45% of adults over State Pension age reported a disability in 2023/24, compared with 12% of children.
For working-age adults (16-64), mental health conditions are the most common impairment reported (48% of disabled people in this group).
Disabled people face significant employment challenges, evidenced by an employment rate of 52.3% compared with 82.5% for non-disabled people.
Households with a disabled family member have significantly lower median weekly incomes (£506 after housing costs) than households with no disabled members (£628).
During the COVID-19 pandemic, disabled people faced a higher risk of death and reported worsening mental health and increased loneliness compared to non-disabled people.

Definitions

Disability (Harmonized Definition): A person is considered disabled if they have a physical or mental condition or illness that has lasted, or is expected to last, 12 months or more, AND it reduces their ability to carry out day-to-day activities.
Disability Employment Gap: The percentage point difference between the employment rate of disabled people and the employment rate of people who are not disabled (28.6 percentage points in 2025).

Source: UK disability statistics: Prevalence and life experiences
Research Briefing
Published Monday, 17 November, 2025

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Contains Parliamentary information repurposed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0....

Ivan 0:04

Hello and welcome once more to the Bench Report, where we discuss recent debates from the benches of the UK Parliament. A new topic every episode. You're listening to Amy and Ivan. Today we're looking at some really essential research on disability statistics here in the UK. We want to understand the scale of it, but also, you know, how recent trends are changing things for millions of people.

Amy 0:25

And just so we're all on the same page, we should probably start with the definition we're using. It's the one aligned with the Equality Act 2010.

Ivan 0:32

The legal standard.

Amy 0:33

Exactly. It defines a disability as a physical or mental condition that lasts uh 12 months or more and substantially reduces a person's ability to carry out day-to-day activities.

Ivan 0:45

And when you apply that standard, the top line number is just huge. For 2023 to 24, we're talking about 16.8 million people in the UK.

Amy 0:55

It's a quarter of the total population. Yeah. One in four people.

Ivan 0:58

That number itself is staggering. But it's the trend that's really eye-opening. This isn't a static figure, is it?

Amy 1:03

Not at all. Over the last decade, it's jumped by 4.9 million people. That's a 41% increase.

Ivan 1:08

41%. I mean the immediate thought is simply an aging population. But that's not the whole story.

Amy 1:15

It's really not. While that does play a part, the largest increase is actually concentrated among young working age adults.

Ivan 1:22

How young are we talking?

Amy 1:23

Well, for the 16 to 24 age group, the prevalence has more than doubled. It's gone from 8% to 18% in just 10 years.

Ivan 1:31

An 18% prevalence for 16 to 24 year olds. That's a fundamental shift. So what's driving that specifically?

Amy 1:39

The primary force seems to be the documented surge in reported mental health impairments. For working age adults, it's now the most common type of impairment.

Ivan 1:49

The most common.

Amy 1:50

Reported by almost half 48% of all disabled people in that age group. And that really starts a much bigger structural conversation.

Ivan 1:57

So if the numbers are climbing this fast, what does that mean for people's economic reality? The disparities there are quite stark.

Amy 2:05

They are. Let's start with the disability employment gap. It's currently sitting at 28.6 percentage points.

Ivan 2:10

So just to break that down, that's only 52.3 percent of disabled people in work compared to 82.5 percent of non-disabled people.

Amy 2:19

It's a massive gap. And it means the country is effectively sidelining a huge amount of potential.

Ivan 2:24

And even for those who are employed, there's another hurdle: the pay gap.

Amy 2:28

The disability pay gap was 13.8 percent in 2023. In real terms, that's disabled employees earning on average two pounds less per hour.

Ivan 2:39

13 pounds sixty nine versus fifteen sixty-nine.

Amy 2:41

And that financial burden accumulates. It leads directly to higher poverty rates.

Ivan 2:45

, the figures show that 24 percent of people in families with a disabled member are in relative poverty after housing costs.

Amy 2:52

Which is compared to 20 percent in families without a disabled member. So a clear and measurable difference.

Ivan 2:57

But I think the most shocking statistic came out of the pandemic. The data on the impact of COVID-19 was just devastating.

Amy 3:03

It was. It revealed a catastrophic disparity. Disabled people accounted for 58% of all deaths involving COVID-19 up to March 2022.

Ivan 3:12

58%.

Amy 3:13

And for those who reported being limited a lot in their daily lives, the mortality rates were four times higher for women and three times higher for men compared to their non-disabled counterparts.

Ivan 3:25

It's hard to even process those numbers. Which brings us to a final crucial point about the data itself.

Amy 3:32

Right, because all these numbers come from somewhere. The main survey we've been discussing gives us that 25% prevalence rate.

Ivan 3:38

But that's not the only data set out there. The census, for instance, reported something quite different.

Amy 3:44

Much lower, in fact. The census data showed a prevalence of only 18%.

Ivan 3:48

So why the big difference? Seven percentage points is a lot.

Amy 3:51

Well, it suggests that the way we ask the question is vital. The survey uses a detailed interview, whereas the census is a, you know, a self reporting questionnaire, a tick box.