Facts and Figures
Over 4 million Australians have a disability - that's 1 in 5 people.
2.1 million Australians of working age (15-64yrs) have a disability.
A disability is any condition that restricts a person's mental, sensory or mobility functions. It could be caused by accident, trauma, genetics or disease. A disability may be temporary or permanent, total or partial, lifelong or acquired, visible or invisible.
Almost 90% of disabilities are not visible.
Around 3.4 million Australians (15%) have a physical disability – such as respiratory disorders (eg asthma), neurological disorders (eg MS, cerebral palsy or epilepsy), musculoskeletal disorders (eg arthritis or spinal injuries, immunological disorders (eg HIV/AIDS), diabetes, kidney disease or cancer.
1 in 6 Australians are affected by hearing loss. There are approximately 30,000 deaf Auslan users with total hearing loss. By 2050, it is project to be one in every four Australians who will have hearing loss.
Around 300,000 Australians have a substantial vision impairment (i.e. not correctable by glasses), with around 20,000 being totally blind.
Over 700,000 Australians have an intellectual impairment.
More than 90,000 people have a mental health disorder.
In 2009, 54.3% of people with a disability participated in the labour force compared to 83% of people without a disability.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2009, Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC).