Ciaran Mullooly· Renew

Nuanced

Around 87 million people in the EU live with a disability.

Omissions

• The 87 million figure comes from the EU Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030 (published 2021) and is the official Commission estimate, not an annual statistical update.
• More recent 2024 Eurostat data shows approximately 90 million people (23.9% of EU population aged 16+) have disabilities based on activity limitation surveys.
• The figure represents people with some form of disability, which includes varying degrees of severity.
• The data refers to EU population aged 16+ for the percentage-based estimates.

Sources

• PrimaryEuropean Commission - Persons with disabilities in the EUAround 87 million people in the EU have some form of disability
• PrimaryCouncil of the EU - Disability in the EU: facts and figuresIn 2024, 24% of the EU population over the age of 16 had some form of disability. According to Eurostat estimates, that equals to 90 million people
• PrimaryEurostat - Population with disability Statistics ExplainedNearly a quarter (23.9%) of people aged 16 years or over in the EU had a disability (activity limitation) in 2024
• PrimaryUN DESA - EU Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030approximately 87 million persons having some form of disability in the EU