An estimated 17 percent of people living in New Zealand households were disabled in 2023, according to figures released by Stats NZ today.
New data from the 2023 Household Disability Survey (HDS) found 10 percent of children (98,000) and 18 percent of adults (753,000) were disabled. In total, 851,000 people (17 percent) were disabled.
The 2023 HDS used questions based on those developed by the Washington Group on Disability Statistics (WG). The WG’s work is supported by the United Nations Statistical Commission to improve statistics about disabled people. Shorter versions of the WG question sets are used in other social surveys in New Zealand. This is the first time the HDS has used questions based on those developed by the WG to identify disabled people, which means that results can’t be compared with those from previous disability surveys. For more information, see Household Disability Survey 2023 – findings, definitions, and design summary.
Disability rates increase with age
The disability rate for children (aged 0 to 14 years) was 10 percent in 2023, and for adults aged 15 to 44 years the rate was 12 percent. The disability rate was higher for older adults. It was 17 percent for adults aged 45 to 64 years and 35 percent for those aged 65 and over.
“The adult rate of disability is nearly double that of the child rate, which is not surprising given that disability increases with age,” social and community spokesperson Nicolette Edgar said.
“Illness, accidents, and the effects of ageing tend to increase the rates of disability later in life.”
Disability rates by gender
Overall, females were more likely than males to be disabled, with respective disability rates of 18 percent and 15 percent in 2023. For adults (aged 15+ years) the disability rate was higher for women than men (20 percent for women and 15 percent for men). However, this wasn’t consistent across the entire life span – for children (aged 0 to 14 years) the disability rate was higher for boys than for girls (12 percent for boys and 8 percent for girls).
Estimates for people who reported another gender are not published due to very small sample sizes.
Disability rates by ethnic group
Māori had a higher disability rate than other ethnic groups in 2023. The Māori disability rate was 21 percent, which is four percentage points higher than the national disability rate of 17 percent.
Almost one-quarter (24 percent) of Māori adults were disabled (compared with the national rate of 18 percent) and 14 percent of Māori children were disabled (compared with the national rate of 10 percent).
The European disability rate of 18 percent was slightly higher than the national rate (17 percent), while the Asian disability rate was lower, at 9 percent. The disability rate for Pacific peoples was 16 percent, about the same as the national rate.
The Māori, Pacific, and Asian ethnic groups are relatively young compared with Europeans. This tends to lower their disability rates, because disability rates are higher for older people. For age-adjusted rates see Household Disability Survey 2023 – findings, definitions, and design summary.
Disability rates for the LGBTIQ+ (Rainbow) population
The disability rate for the LGBTIQ+ population (aged 15+ years) was 29 percent, compared with 17 percent of non-LGBTIQ+ people. This higher disability rate was driven by LGBTIQ+ people being more likely than others to have difficulties in the following areas:
- cognition
- mental health
- socialising
- fatigue
- sensory functions.
The most common types of difficulties for New Zealanders
For children, mental health difficulties (feelings of anxiety or depression) and difficulties accepting change to their routine were the most common types of difficulties, with 5 percent of children aged 5 to 14 years identified as disabled due to each of these respective difficulties.
For adults, physical difficulties (which included difficulties with walking, flexibility, or dexterity) were the most common:
- Almost 1 in 10 adults (9 percent) were identified as disabled due to physical difficulties.
- 5 percent of adults were identified as disabled due to sensory difficulties (seeing or hearing).
- 4 percent of adults were identified as disabled due to cognitive difficulties (remembering, concentrating, or learning).
“The two most common types of difficulty for adults, physical and sensory, are associated with ageing. Mobility, vision, and hearing often decline with age,” Edgar said.
