As per 7th Population Census of Pakistan, highest disability rates are recorded in the 60+ age group: Gallup Pakistan survey

ISLAMABAD, March 26 (SABAH): According to the 7th Population Census of Pakistan, the highest disability rates are recorded in the 60+ age group, where overall disability prevalence reaches 26.0% and functional limitations soar to 69.6% – Disability in Pakistan.

Gallup Pakistan, as part of its Big Data Analysis initiative, is looking at the 7th Population Census of Pakistan 2023, which can be found here.

3.1% of the total population reports living with a disability. This figure is slightly higher among males (3.3%) compared to females (2.9%). Disability prevalence is slightly higher in rural areas (3.2%) compared to urban regions (2.9%).

Punjab has the highest reported disability rate at 3.5%, while Sindh follows at 2.3%. ICT, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan have disability rates of 3.2%, 3.2%, and 2.1%, respectively.

Functional limitation, which measures the percentage of people experiencing difficulties in everyday activities due to a disability, is highest in Punjab at 10.6%, followed by Sindh at 9.2%.

The youngest age group, 0-9 years, has the lowest reported disability rate at 0.6%, with functional limitations recorded at 1.1%. The highest disability rates are recorded in the 60+ age group, where overall disability prevalence reaches 26.0% and functional limitations soar to 69.6%.

The percentage of individuals identified as having a disability increased from 2.54% in 1998 to 3.10% in 2023. Among males, disability prevalence rose from 2.78% in 1998 to 3.30% in 2023. For females, it increased from 2.16% in 1998 to 2.88% in 2023.

In 1998, the disability prevalence in Punjab was recorded at 2.48%, which has since risen to 3.52% in 2023. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has also seen a notable increase in disability prevalence, rising from 2.12% in 1998 to 3.16% in 2023.