15 Digital Accessibility Statistics That Prove ROI in 2025

When executives ask whether accessibility is worth the investment, data provides the answer. The numbers paint a clear picture: accessible digital experiences aren't just ethically correct—they're financially smart. From the sheer size of the disability market to the cost of non-compliance, these statistics demonstrate why accessibility has become a business imperative.

Here are 15 statistics that prove the ROI of digital accessibility investment in 2025.

The Market Opportunity

1. 1.3 Billion People Worldwide Have Disabilities

The World Health Organization estimates that 16% of the global population—approximately 1.3 billion people—experience significant disability. This isn't a niche market segment; it's one of the largest demographic groups on the planet. When your digital products exclude people with disabilities, you're excluding more than one in seven potential customers.

In the United States alone, 61 million adults live with disabilities. That's 26% of the adult population—more than one in four Americans. Any business strategy that ignores a quarter of the population isn't just exclusionary; it's leaving significant revenue on the table.

2. $13 Trillion in Annual Disposable Income

People with disabilities control substantial purchasing power. The global disability community represents approximately $13 trillion in annual disposable income, according to research from Return on Disability. In the US market specifically, disability spending power exceeds $490 billion annually.

These figures only account for direct spending by people with disabilities. They don't include the extended network effect—friends, family, and colleagues who make purchasing decisions based on how businesses treat the people they care about. That multiplier effect roughly doubles the market when you consider household purchasing influence.

3. 71% of Customers With Disabilities Leave Inaccessible Websites

Click-Away Pound research found that 71% of customers with disabilities will leave a website that they find difficult to use. They don't complain. They don't ask for help. They simply leave—and they take their business to competitors who've made accessibility a priority.

This silent churn rarely appears in analytics. These aren't customers who reach checkout and abandon their cart; they're potential customers who never get that far. The revenue loss is invisible but substantial.

4. $6.9 Billion in Annual Lost eCommerce Revenue (UK Only)

British retailers lose an estimated £17.1 billion (approximately $6.9 billion) annually from customers who abandon inaccessible websites, according to Click-Away Pound. Extrapolate this to the US market—roughly four times the size of UK e-commerce—and the potential lost revenue reaches staggering proportions.

This isn't theoretical revenue from customers who might someday exist. These are real people, today, with money to spend, who are actively trying to give it to businesses that won't let them.

The Cost of Non-Compliance

5. 4,605 ADA Title III Website Lawsuits Filed in 2023

Website accessibility lawsuits continue climbing. In 2023, plaintiffs filed over 4,600 federal lawsuits alleging website accessibility violations under ADA Title III. This doesn't include state court filings, demand letters that settled before litigation, or cases filed under state accessibility laws.

The number has grown steadily year over year, with no indication of reversal. What was once an emerging legal risk is now an established and growing threat.

6. Average Settlement Range: $10,000-$75,000

Most accessibility lawsuits settle rather than proceeding to trial. Settlement amounts typically range from $10,000 to $75,000 for single-plaintiff cases, with amounts varying based on the severity of accessibility barriers, the defendant's resources, and the specifics of the case.

This settlement amount is only part of the cost. Defense attorney fees often exceed the settlement itself—typically $20,000-$50,000 or more for even straightforward cases. Add remediation costs, monitoring requirements, and management time, and the total cost of a single lawsuit easily exceeds $100,000.

7. 83% Increase in Lawsuits Over 5 Years

Accessibility litigation has grown 83% over the past five years. The trajectory is clear: more lawsuits, more industries affected, more geographic reach. Businesses that haven't faced accessibility demands yet may simply not have been targeted yet—not because they're compliant.

Early movers on accessibility face dramatically lower litigation risk. Organizations that wait until they receive demand letters pay more for rushed remediation while simultaneously dealing with legal proceedings.

8. E-commerce Faces 77% of All Website Lawsuits

Online retail bears the brunt of accessibility litigation. Roughly 77% of website accessibility lawsuits target e-commerce businesses. The logic is straightforward: when accessibility barriers prevent completing transactions, damages are concrete and demonstrable.

If your business sells products or services online, your lawsuit risk is significantly elevated. The combination of clear transaction barriers and well-established plaintiff attorneys makes e-commerce the highest-risk sector for accessibility litigation.

Business Performance Impact

9. Accessible Websites See 50% Higher Organic Traffic

Research consistently shows that accessible websites perform better in search rankings. Studies indicate that websites meeting accessibility standards see organic traffic increases of 50% or more compared to inaccessible competitors.

This isn't coincidental. Accessibility and SEO share technical foundations: semantic HTML, proper heading structure, descriptive link text, image alt text. When you optimize for accessibility, you simultaneously optimize for search engines. Google's algorithms increasingly reward the same practices that make sites accessible.

10. 12% Reduction in Bounce Rate for Accessible Sites

Accessible websites keep visitors engaged longer. Analysis shows that sites meeting WCAG standards experience bounce rate reductions averaging 12% compared to sites with significant accessibility barriers.

Lower bounce rates translate directly to more opportunities for conversion. When users can navigate your site, read your content, and interact with your features, they stay longer and engage more deeply—regardless of whether they have disabilities.

11. 2x Higher Customer Loyalty Among Accessible Brands

Research from Accenture found that companies identified as "disability inclusion leaders" outperformed their peers significantly, with shareholder returns 2.6 times higher over a four-year period. Customer loyalty metrics follow similar patterns—accessible brands see roughly double the loyalty indicators of inaccessible competitors.

Loyalty matters because acquisition costs money. Retaining existing customers costs 5-25 times less than acquiring new ones. When accessible experiences drive loyalty, the financial impact compounds over time.

12. 28% Higher Revenue Growth for Inclusive Companies

Accenture's research further found that companies leading in disability inclusion achieved 28% higher revenue growth over the study period. Accessibility isn't just about avoiding costs—it's associated with faster business growth.

Correlation doesn't prove causation, but the pattern is consistent: organizations that prioritize accessibility tend to outperform those that don't. Whether accessibility drives performance or whether high-performing organizations prioritize accessibility, the association is clear.

Operational Efficiency

13. 67% Cost Reduction: Proactive vs. Reactive Accessibility

Organizations that build accessibility into development from the start spend approximately 67% less on accessibility compliance than those who retrofit accessibility after launch. The "shift left" principle applies powerfully to accessibility: problems caught early cost far less to fix than problems discovered late.

Retrofitting accessibility into an existing application often requires architectural changes, extensive content updates, and repeated testing cycles. Building accessibility from the beginning integrates these requirements into normal development workflows at marginal additional cost.

14. 40% Reduction in Customer Support Calls

Accessible interfaces reduce support burden. Organizations implementing comprehensive accessibility improvements report support call volume reductions averaging 40% for accessibility-related issues—and significant reductions in overall support volume as usability improves generally.

Support costs money. Every call, email, or chat interaction represents staff time, infrastructure costs, and opportunity costs. When users can successfully complete tasks independently, support demand drops and customer satisfaction rises.

15. 23% Lower Development Costs With Integrated Accessibility Testing

Teams that integrate accessibility testing into CI/CD pipelines spend 23% less on total development costs compared to teams that test accessibility separately or post-development. Automated testing catches issues early, when fixes are simple, rather than late, when fixes require rework.

The pattern extends beyond direct development costs. Integrated accessibility testing reduces quality assurance cycles, minimizes production defects, and decreases the technical debt that accumulates when accessibility issues remain unaddressed.

What These Numbers Mean

The data tells a consistent story: accessibility investment generates positive returns through multiple channels.

Revenue expansion comes from accessing an enormous market that competitors ignore. The disability community and its extended network represent trillions in purchasing power—money that goes to businesses that welcome it.

Cost avoidance comes from reduced litigation exposure, lower support costs, and more efficient development. The expense of proactive accessibility is consistently lower than the cost of reactive compliance.

Performance improvement comes from better search rankings, lower bounce rates, and higher customer loyalty. Accessibility improvements benefit all users, not just those with disabilities.

The question isn't whether accessibility generates ROI—the data clearly shows it does. The question is when organizations will act on the evidence.

Taking Action

Data without action remains just data. These statistics should inform concrete accessibility investments: auditing current properties, prioritizing high-impact remediation, integrating accessibility into development processes, and monitoring to prevent regression.

The organizations seeing the best ROI from accessibility aren't waiting for perfect conditions. They're starting now, making incremental progress, and building the foundation for long-term returns.

TestParty helps organizations achieve measurable accessibility ROI through continuous monitoring and actionable remediation guidance.

Schedule a TestParty demo and get a 14-day compliance implementation plan.

Related Resources

• Accessibility ROI Calculator
• Website Accessibility Cost 2025
• ADA Lawsuit Statistics 2025
• What Happens If My Website Isn't Accessible?