What Percentage of Users Have Disabilities?

When I discuss web accessibility with businesses, one question comes up repeatedly: "How many of my users actually have disabilities?" It's a fair question—understanding your audience helps prioritize decisions. But the answer often surprises people.

The disability community isn't a small niche. It's a significant portion of the global population, and the numbers keep growing as populations age. When you factor in temporary and situational disabilities, the people who benefit from accessible design become a majority, not a minority.

Q: What percentage of people have disabilities?

A: Approximately 16% of the global population (1.3 billion people) lives with a significant disability according to the World Health Organization. In the United States, 27% of adults—about 70 million people—have some type of disability. These numbers increase significantly when including temporary disabilities and age-related conditions that affect web usage.

Global Disability Statistics

World Health Organization Data

The World Health Organization's 2023 disability report provides comprehensive global data:

• 1.3 billion people globally have significant disabilities (16% of world population)
• 2.4 billion people live with health conditions that benefit from rehabilitation services
• Disability rates are increasing due to aging populations and rising chronic conditions
• 80% of people with disabilities live in developing countries

These aren't rare conditions affecting a handful of users. One in six people globally has a disability that could affect how they interact with digital content.

Disability Increases with Age

Age dramatically affects disability rates:

• Ages 18-44: 11% report a disability
• Ages 45-64: 26% report a disability
• Ages 65-74: 38% report a disability
• Ages 75+: 47% report a disability

As baby boomers age, disability rates in developed countries are climbing. By 2050, the global population over 60 will reach 2 billion—many will experience age-related disabilities affecting vision, hearing, mobility, and cognition.

Your users today may not have disabilities. Many will develop them as they age. Accessible design serves your future audience, not just your current one.

United States Statistics

CDC Data on American Adults

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides detailed U.S. disability data:

27% of U.S. adults (approximately 70 million people) have at least one disability:

| Disability Type    | Percentage | Approximate Number |
|--------------------|------------|--------------------|
| Mobility           | 14%        | 36 million         |
| Cognition          | 13%        | 34 million         |
| Hearing            | 6%         | 16 million         |
| Vision             | 5%         | 13 million         |
| Independent Living | 7%         | 18 million         |
| Self-Care          | 4%         | 10 million         |

Note: Many people have multiple disabilities, so categories overlap.

Demographics by Group

Disability rates vary by demographic:

By Gender:

• Women: 28%
• Men: 26%

By Race/Ethnicity:

• American Indian/Alaska Native: 36%
• Non-Hispanic White: 28%
• Non-Hispanic Black: 27%
• Hispanic: 23%
• Asian: 14%

By Education:

• Less than high school: 40%
• High school graduate: 31%
• Some college: 26%
• College graduate: 17%

By Income:

• Below poverty line: 41%
• At or above poverty line: 25%

These statistics matter for accessibility planning. If your audience skews older, lower-income, or includes certain demographic groups, disability rates may be higher than average.

Types of Disabilities Affecting Web Use

Visual Disabilities

Prevalence:

• 5% of U.S. adults report vision disability
• 2.3% have vision problems not correctable with glasses
• 1 million Americans are legally blind
• 12 million people 40+ have uncorrectable vision impairment

Impact on Web Use:

• Screen reader users (blind/severe vision loss)
• Screen magnification users (low vision)
• Users requiring high contrast
• Users affected by certain color combinations

Accommodations Needed:

• Alt text for images
• Proper heading structure
• Keyboard accessibility
• Color contrast meeting WCAG standards
• Text resizing support

Motor/Mobility Disabilities

Prevalence:

• 14% of U.S. adults have mobility disability
• Includes conditions affecting fine motor control, not just wheelchair users
• Arthritis affects 58.5 million Americans
• Carpal tunnel syndrome affects 3-6% of adults

Impact on Web Use:

• Unable to use standard mouse
• Difficulty with precise clicking
• Limited to keyboard or alternative input devices
• Voice control or switch access users

Accommodations Needed:

• Full keyboard accessibility
• Large click targets (44x44 pixels minimum)
• No time-limited interactions
• Alternative input method support

Cognitive Disabilities

Prevalence:

• 13% of U.S. adults report cognitive disability
• Includes learning disabilities, attention disorders, memory issues
• Dyslexia affects 5-10% of the population
• ADHD affects 4.4% of U.S. adults

Impact on Web Use:

• Difficulty processing complex layouts
• Problems with reading dense text
• Trouble remembering multi-step processes
• Distraction from animations and movement

Accommodations Needed:

• Clear, simple language
• Consistent navigation
• Ability to pause animations
• Error prevention and clear error messages
• Progress indicators for multi-step processes

Hearing Disabilities

Prevalence:

• 6% of U.S. adults report hearing disability
• 15% of Americans 18+ report some hearing difficulty
• Age-related hearing loss affects 1 in 3 people over 65
• Deaf community: approximately 500,000 people use ASL as primary language

Impact on Web Use:

• Cannot access audio content without alternatives
• May not hear audio cues or notifications
• Video content inaccessible without captions

Accommodations Needed:

• Captions for video content
• Transcripts for audio content
• Visual alternatives to audio cues
• Sign language interpretation (for some content)

Beyond Permanent Disabilities

Temporary Disabilities

Permanent disabilities are only part of the picture. Temporary conditions affect web use too:

• Broken arm affecting mouse use
• Eye surgery requiring screen magnification
• Concussion affecting reading and concentration
• Ear infection affecting hearing
• Medication side effects affecting cognition

At any given time, millions of people experience temporary conditions affecting their digital access.

Situational Disabilities

Environmental conditions create situational disabilities:

• Bright sunlight making screens hard to see (like low vision)
• Loud environment making audio inaudible (like hearing loss)
• Holding a baby while trying to use phone (like limited mobility)
• Distracted by children/environment (like cognitive overload)
• Slow internet connection making content hard to load

Microsoft's inclusive design methodology illustrates how permanent, temporary, and situational disabilities align:

| Permanent  | Temporary     | Situational               |
|------------|---------------|---------------------------|
| One arm    | Arm injury    | Holding baby              |
| Blind      | Eye surgery   | Bright sunlight           |
| Deaf       | Ear infection | Loud environment          |
| Non-verbal | Laryngitis    | Heavy accent/new language |

When you design for permanent disabilities, you help everyone in temporary and situational scenarios too.

The Market Opportunity

Spending Power

The disability community represents significant economic power:

Global:

• $13 trillion in annual disposable income (disability market)
• $1.9 trillion when including friends and family

United States:

• $490 billion in disposable income
• Third-largest market segment (after Baby Boomers and Gen X)

United Kingdom:

• £274 billion annual spending power ("Purple Pound")
• 75% of disabled people have walked away from a business due to accessibility issues

Sources: Return on Disability annual reports, Purple.org

Lost Revenue from Inaccessibility

The Click-Away Pound Survey found:

• 69% of customers with disabilities will leave a website with barriers
• 86% would spend more with accessible retailers
• £17.1 billion lost annually in the UK alone from inaccessible websites

Similar patterns apply globally. When your site isn't accessible, you're turning away customers with significant spending power.

Workplace Statistics

Employment and Disability

Understanding workplace disability helps with B2B accessibility considerations:

• 22.5% of employed people have a disability
• Disability employment rate is 21.3% (vs 65.4% for people without disabilities)
• 30% of white-collar workers have a disability
• Disability rates are higher among remote workers

Implications for B2B software: Your enterprise clients have employees with disabilities. Accessible software isn't just nice-to-have—it's necessary for clients meeting their own accessibility obligations.

Disclosure and Hidden Disabilities

Many workplace disabilities are invisible:

• 70-80% of disabilities are non-apparent
• Many employees don't disclose disabilities due to stigma
• Actual disability rates in workplaces are likely higher than reported

Your B2B customers may not know which employees have disabilities, but those employees exist and need accessible tools.

Traffic Expectations

Estimating Users with Disabilities

For planning purposes, estimate that:

Conservative estimate: 10-15% of your users have a permanent disability affecting web use.

Realistic estimate: 20-25% when including mild disabilities and age-related conditions.

Inclusive estimate: 30-40% when accounting for temporary and situational disabilities.

If your site gets 100,000 monthly visitors, expect:

• 10,000-15,000 users with permanent disabilities
• 20,000-40,000 users who benefit from accessible design

These users aren't hypothetical—they're visiting your site right now.

Industry Variations

Some industries have higher disability rates in their audience:

• Healthcare: Patients with disabilities are primary audience
• Government: Serving all citizens including those with disabilities
• Education: Students with disabilities (11% receive special education services)
• Senior services: Age-correlated disability rates
• Financial services: Older customer demographics

If your industry serves these populations, disability rates among your users are likely higher than average.

FAQ Section

Q: Is 27% really accurate? That seems high.

A: The 27% figure comes from CDC's comprehensive survey using WHO disability definitions. It includes all severity levels. If you only count "severe" disabilities, the number drops to about 13%—still one in eight people. The full figure acknowledges that many people have conditions affecting daily activities, including web use.

Q: Why are disability rates increasing?

A: Several factors: aging populations (disability correlates with age), better diagnosis and reporting of cognitive disabilities, increased survival rates from conditions that once were fatal, rising chronic disease rates, and reduced stigma leading to more disclosure. These trends will likely continue.

Q: Do all people with disabilities need accessibility accommodations online?

A: No. Many people with disabilities use the web without difficulty—their condition doesn't affect web usage. But for those whose disabilities do affect web use (visual, motor, cognitive, hearing), accessible design is the difference between access and exclusion. You can't know which users need accommodations, so designing accessibly serves everyone.

Q: How do disability rates vary globally?

A: Disability rates vary by country based on definitions, reporting, healthcare access, and demographic factors. Developed countries with aging populations report higher rates. WHO's 16% global figure is a standardized estimate; individual countries range from 10-25%+ depending on methodology.

Q: Shouldn't I just focus on my specific audience demographics?

A: Understanding your specific audience helps prioritize, but don't assume your users don't have disabilities. Analytics can't detect most disabilities. User testing often excludes people with disabilities. Accessible design is baseline good practice regardless of known audience composition—you're likely serving more users with disabilities than you realize.

What This Means for Your Website

The numbers are clear: people with disabilities aren't a small minority. They're a significant portion of your users, customers, and potential market.

When you invest in accessibility:

• You serve 15-27% of your audience who have permanent disabilities
• You help countless more with temporary and situational limitations
• You capture spending power often overlooked by inaccessible competitors
• You future-proof for aging demographics

Accessibility isn't about serving a niche. It's about serving your actual audience.

Ready to ensure your site works for all your users? Get a free accessibility scan to identify barriers that may be affecting the millions of people with disabilities who visit your site.

Related Articles:

• Accessibility ROI: Building the Business Case
• How Do Screen Readers Work?
• What is the Difference Between WCAG A, AA, and AAA?

Let's be upfront—we used AI tools to create this content, with human oversight from our accessibility specialists. TestParty does automated WCAG remediation, but we're not giving legal advice here. Consult experts for your specific needs.