Numbers of disabled and older people and those experiencing literacy difficulties
Disabled people, as defined by government, account for a significant proportion of the population: about one-fifth (20 per cent) of people in the United Kingdom
The Department for Work and Pensions estimates that there are over 10 million disabled people in Britain, including those with limiting longstanding illnesses
4.6 million are over state pension age
700,000 are children
One in four households has a disabled member
Levels of impairment increase with age. Eight per cent of those aged 16-17 years have a current long-term impairment, compared with 33 per cent of those aged 50 to 65
Wales has a higher level of long-term illness than any English region
Many people have more than one impairment. Of disabled people overall, in broad terms:
around 8 million people have difficulty walking and/or climbing steps
around 4.8 million have significant hearing loss
around 2.8 million have significant vision loss
an estimated 50,000-70,000 people use British Sign Language
1.5 million people have a learning disability
Around one in six of the population as a whole experiences mental health problems, the most common being a mixture of anxiety and depression.
Estimates on the number of people with literacy difficulties vary but could be as high as 20 per cent of the population.
In broad terms, over the next 30 years:
the proportion of the population over 65 years old will increase by 40 per cent
the number of people aged over 65 years old will double
the proportion over 80 years old will increase by 100 per cent and the number will treble
Though the overall population is expected to increase by less than 7 per cent over the next 30 years, the growing population of disabled and older people will have social and economic implications
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