This page pulls together the most recent statistics about disability in Ireland. We regularly refer to these statistics and there’s no single place to find them all, so we’ve made them available for everyone.
Many statistics are from the Central Statistics Office and are based on the 2022 census. When they’re from somewhere else, or a combination of sources, we’ve linked to where they came from.
1 in 5 people are disabled
In the 2022 census, 22% of the population (1,105,557 people) reported having a long-lasting condition or disability. In 2016, only 13.5% of the population (643,131 people) reported the same thing.
The proportion of people living with a long-lasting condition or difficulty increases exponentially with age:
- 4% of people aged 0 to 4 are disabled
- 18% of people aged 45 to 49 are disabled
- 76% of people aged 85 or over are disabled
Most disabled people are not born with their disability - they acquire them. 70% of disabled people aged 20 to 64 acquired their disability after they were 16.
Only 32.6% of disabled people are employed.
The ‘disability employment gap’ is the difference in the percentage of people with disabilities who are employed compared to the percentage of people without disabilities who are employed. In Ireland, this gap is particularly big at 38.6%, much higher than the EU average of 24.4%.
There are more statistics about disability from the Disability Federation of Ireland.
People who are blind or have low vision
296,601 people in Ireland have some form of vision impairment. That’s 6% of the population.
Only 24.4% of people who are blind or vision impaired in Ireland have a job. That’s less than 1 in 4 people. People with a vision impairment are 60% less likely to be in employment than the general population.
Statistics from Vision Ireland and the Central Statistics Office.
People who are Deaf, hard-of-hearing, or who use sign language
233,420 people experience deafness or have a hearing impairment. That’s nearly 5% of the population.
In Ireland, approximately 5,000 Deaf people use Irish Sign Language (ISL) as their first language. An estimated 40,000 more people, including family, friends and interpreters, use it for communication. The Irish Sign Language Act 2017 recognises ISL as an official language of Ireland.
Statistics from the Irish Deaf Society and the Central Statistics Office.
People who have ADHD
Approximately 5% of the population have ADHD. That’s about 257,456 people.
People who have autism
At least 3.38% of the population have autism. That’s about 174,041 people.
Statistics from the Irish Society for Autism.
People who have dyslexia
Approximately 10% of the population has dyslexia. That’s about 514,914 people.
Statistics from Dyslexia Ireland.
People who have dyspraxia
Approximately 6% of the school-age population and 10% of the overall population in Ireland have dyspraxia, which is also known as Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). That means that about 1 in 20 people may be affected by the neurological condition.
Statistics from Dyspraxia/DCD Ireland.
People who have dyscalculia
About 6% to 8% of the population in Ireland experiences dyscalculia, a learning difficulty with arithmetic. This means that roughly 6 to 8 out of every 100 people in Ireland may struggle with mathematical concepts and calculations.
Statistics about dyscalculia from Dyslexia Ireland.
People who have epilepsy
Over 45,000 people in Ireland have epilepsy. That’s about 11.5% of the population, which means that epilepsy is one of the most common neurological conditions in the country.
Statistics from Epilepsy Ireland.
People who have OCD
Approximately 2% to 3% of the Irish population experiences Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). That’s roughly 156,000 people in Ireland.
Statistics from IrishPsychology.com.
People who have intellectual disabilities
109,288 people have an intellectual disability. That’s 2% of the population.
People who have difficulty with learning, remembering or concentrating
259,050 people have difficulty with learning, remembering or concentrating. That’s 5% of the population.
People with chronic illnesses or conditions, including problems with pain or breathing
440,090 people have a chronic illness or condition. That’s 9% of the population.
People who have difficulty with basic physical activities
349,155 people experience difficulty with basic physical activities like walking, climbing stairs, reaching, lifting or carrying. That’s just under 7% of the population.
People with psychological, emotional or mental health conditions
269,789 people have psychological, emotional or mental health conditions. That’s 5% of the population.
Other disability statistics
We have not covered every single fact and figure about disability in this list. If there are other statistics you’d like us to include, email contact@contentdesignireland.ie.
The Council of the European Union has statistics about disability in the EU.
The World Health Organisation has global disability statistics.