1 in 5 in the UK are living with a disability - that’s 14.1 million people.
Adults are more likely to have a disability (16%), compared to 8% of children who are disabled - that’s still an average of 2 or 3 in every class.
Almost three-quarters of disabled people (74%) have an invisible condition.
Only 17% of disabled people are born with their condition.
Daily Life
- Monthly living costs are £583 higher on average for disabled people
- A fifth of disabled people reported difficulties accessing public transport
Education
- Disabled people are 3 times as likely not to hold any qualifications compared to non-disabled people (although this gap has reduced by 4% from 2013-2019 as more disabled people are gaining qualifications)
- Disabled people are almost half as likely (21.8% compared to 38%) to hold a degree-level qualification
- UCAS: in 2019 12.6% of accepted university applicants had declared a disability and has been rising over the last few years; the most common declarations were learning difficulties, followed by mental health issues
- In 2019 UCAS applicants declaring a disability had the same acceptance rate as those not declaring a disability: 82% (see table below)
UK Acceptance rate by Disability
Proportion of applicants who were accepted (%)
| Disability Indicator | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disability Declared | 71 | 71 | 74 | 77 | 76 | 78 | 78 | 80 | 81 | 82 |
| No Disability Declared | 72 | 73 | 75 | 77 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 81 | 82 | 82 |
| Total | 72 | 73 | 75 | 77 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 81 | 82 | 82 |
This table compares acceptance rates of university applicants declaring a disability to those who didn't; in 2019 both groups had an 82% acceptance rate.
Employment
- Disabled people are twice as likely to be unemployed
- 74% of disabled people with a university degree have a job, compared to 49% of disabled people whose highest qualifications are at GCSE level
Sources: ONS, Scope, gov.uk, UCAS