Information on data
The data enable to compare the situation of persons with disabilities to the situation of persons without disabilities. This helps to assess whether persons with disabilities enjoy equal opportunities and full participation in all aspects of life.
Measuring disability
Disability is a term used to describe different concepts, such as:
- impairments, for example hearing loss
- activity limitations, for example difficulties in communicating
- participation restrictions, for example denied employment because of employer's prejudice regarding mental health problems.
The complexity and multidimensionality of the disability concept lead to different ways how to measure it. Among these, the so-called global activity limitation indicator (GALI) is common to all EU social sample surveys coordinated by Eurostat. It is considered as the main measure of disability at EU level. In addition to GALI, other measures of disability are used for the dissemination of European disability statistics, such as the one based on the Washington group on disability statistics short set of questions on functioning.
Data sources
Disability data come from different Eurostat data collections, mainly from population or household sample surveys. These surveys usually cover the adult population. However, they exclude people living in collective households and institutions, such as nursing or retirement homes, where usually many persons with disabilities live. This is a limitation of disability statistics, particularly for the elderly.
Data availability
The availability of disability data depends on the periodicity of the respective data collection. Please consult the detailed information on the periodicity of each data source.
For scientific purposes, microdata are available for
- EU statistics on income and living conditions (SILC)
- European health interview survey (EHIS)
- EU labour force survey (LFS)
- EU survey on the use of information and communication technologies in households and by individuals.
Available data
Eurostat publishes disability statistics on the following topics:
The prevalence of disability refers to the number of persons with disabilities and their share in the total population. Data are broken down by type of disability and its severity (level of limitation) and cover the following:
- activity limitation due to a longstanding health problem, using the global activity limitation indicator (GALI) and a similar indicator to measure child disability
- functional limitations, such as people who have difficulty in seeing, hearing, walking, cognition, communicating
- difficulties to carry out personal care activities, meaning activities of daily living such as feeding or dressing
- difficulties to carry out household care activities, meaning instrumental activities of daily living such as cooking or housework
These statistics enable the comparison of persons with and without disabilities as regards:
- income distribution and poverty: persons at risk of poverty or social exclusion
- material and social deprivation:
- persons who are unable to afford basic goods or services. For example, this could be inability to afford a meal with meat, chicken, fish or vegetarian equivalent every second day
- persons having financial concerns, for example inability to make ends meet
- housing conditions:
- overall satisfaction with the dwelling
- persons facing housing deprivation
- availability and quality of basic housing facilities
- persons living in overcrowded households
- persons living in households where the housing cost represents a financial burden
- tenure status (owner/tenant)
- living environment:
- experience of noise from neighbours or from the street
- experience of pollution, grime or other environmental problems
- experience of crime, violence or vandalism in the living area
The statistics enable the comparison of persons with and without disabilities as regards:
- social protection expenditure on disability benefits
- beneficiaries of disability pensions
These statistics enable the comparison of persons with and without disabilities as regards:
- employment and activity:
- disability employment gap, which is the difference between the employment rates of persons with and without disabilities
- employment of persons by occupation and professional status
- persons in the labour force
- unemployment:
- unemployment rates
- long-term unemployment
- labour market slack, which refers to all unmet needs for employment
- inactive population: persons who are outside the labour force
These statistics enable the comparison of persons with and without disabilities as regards:
- unmet needs for health and care services:
- persons experiencing unmet needs for health care and their reasons
- persons who need help with personal or household care activities
- use of medical and dental services:
- consultations of medical and paramedical professionals (frequency and number of visits)
- use of home care and help:
- use of home care services
These statistics enable the comparison of persons with and without disabilities as regards:
- use of internet:
- use in the last 12 months and regular use
- use by online activities, such as for learning activities or seeking health information
- e-government activities of individuals via websites, such as:
- using the internet for interaction with public authorities
- using the internet for making an appointment or a reservation
These statistics enable the comparison of persons with and without disabilities as regards:
- social interactions:
- perceived social support
In 2024, Eurostat plans to publish data on leisure and cultural participation as well as on political and public life. In addition, more data on social interactions will become available.
These statistics enable the comparison of persons with and without disabilities as regards:
- health status (aspects beyond disability):
- self-perceived health
- persons having longstanding health problems and chronic diseases
- persons experiencing bodily pain
- persons absent from work
- health determinants (mainly related to lifestyles):
- body mass index (overweight and obesity)
- persons performing health-enhancing physical activity
- consumption of fruit and vegetables (frequency and daily amount)
Overall experience of life
Data on life satisfaction will be published in 2024 and on discrimination in 2026.
For life satisfaction, the data will be released as regards:
- perceived level of satisfaction
- happiness
- loneliness
Access to education and training
Data on access to education and training will be published in 2024 as regards:
- participation in education and training
- outcomes of education and training
Leisure and social participation
Eurostat plans to publish data on leisure and cultural participation as well as on political and public life during 2024. In addition, more data on social interactions will become available.