Below you will find UK statistics for you to use within your communications.
| Statistic | Sector | Source |
| 1 in 5 people are disabled - around 13 million people | All | https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/disability/articles/nearlyoneinfivepeoplehadsomeformofdisabilityinenglandandwales/2015-07-13 |
| 2 million people sight loss | All | https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vision-loss/#:~:text=In%20the%20UK%2C%20there%20are,to%20come%20to%20terms%20with |
| Learning difficulties 15% | All | https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/understanding-disabilities-and-impairments-user-profiles/simone-dyslexic-user |
| 1.5 million people have a learning disability (2% of the population) | All | https://www.mencap.org.uk/learning-disability-explained/research-and-statistics/how-common-learning-disability |
| 4.2 million people speak a language other than English at home | All | https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/most-spoken-languages-in-united-kingdom |
| More than 1 in 7 (15%) neurodiverse | All | https://www.ed.ac.uk/equality-diversity/disabled-staff-support/neurodiversity-support |
| Autism 1 in 100 children | All | https://www.bma.org.uk/what-we-do/population-health/improving-the-health-of-specific-groups/autism-spectrum-disorder#:~:text=It%20is%20estimated%20that%20around,diagnosis%20of%20autism%20spectrum%20disorder |
| There are currently almost 12 million people aged 65 and over in the UK, with 3.2 million aged 80 and over. It’s estimated that by 2036, one in four of the population will be over 65 | Age | https://ageing-better.org.uk/ageing-population |
| About 1.5 million adults in the UK have the condition, ADHD Action said, but only 120,000 are formally diagnosed | All | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-44956540#:~:text=About%201.5%20million%20adults%20in,only%20120%2C000%20are%20formally%20diagnosed |
| 1 in 6 Adults are Affected by Hearing Loss | All | https://www.hearinglink.org/your-hearing/about-hearing/facts-about-deafness-hearing-loss/#:~:text=1%20in%206%20of%20the,are%20severely%20or%20profoundly%20deaf |
| Schools could be failing to diagnose up to 80% of cases | Dyslexia | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-50095218#:~:text=Schools%20in%20England%20are%20failing,dyslexia%2C%20according%20to%20a%20report.&text=The%20British%20Dyslexia%20Association%20said,funding%20started%20in%20the%201980s |
| 10% of the population in total, and at least 2% in a significant way | Dyspraxia | https://www.learningdisabilities.org.uk/learning-disabilities/a-to-z/d/dyspraxia |
| 332,300 higher education students in the UK identified themselves as having a disability of some kind | Education | https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-8716/ |
| * COVID* 2018-2019 academic year there were over 485,000 international students for whom English was not their primary language. | Education | https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-8716/ |
| 2.5% of all under 17’s have a learning disability (over 351,000 people) | Education | https://www.mencap.org.uk/learning-disability-explained/research-and-statistics/how-common-learning-disability |
| 1 in 100 children on autism spectrum | Education | https://www.bma.org.uk/what-we-do/population-health/improving-the-health-of-specific-groups/autism-spectrum-disorder |
| Approximately 200,000 children in England alone have special education needs | Education | https://www.learningdisabilities.org.uk/learning-disabilities/help-information/learning-disability-statistics-/187687 |
| More than 25,000 children aged 16 and under in the UK have vision impairments | Education | https://www.rnib.org.uk/nb-online/eye-health-statistics |
| 4.1 million people will be affected by sight loss in the UK by 2050 | Vision | https://www.rnib.org.uk/nb-online/eye-health-statistics |
| During the COVID-19 pandemic, ambulance call-outs can reach as many as 8000 a day | Emergency Services | https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/coronavirus-london-surge-hospital-ambulance-b1779422.html |
| Over 5.8 million crimes were reported | Emergency Services | https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingjune2020#:~:text=The%20police%20recorded%205.8%20million,July%202019%20to%20March%202020.&text=Overall%2C%20theft%20offences%20fell%20by,the%20year%20ending%20June%202020 |
| Over 153,000 fires were attended | Emergency Services | https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/984922/fire-and-rescue-incident-dec20-hosb1021.pdf |
| There were 2,380 civilian search and rescue helicopter missions | Emergency Services | https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/search-and-rescue-helicopter-annual-statistics-year-ending-march-2020/search-and-rescue-helicopter-annual-statistics-year-ending-march-2020 |
| Only one in three jobseekers think online job applications are suitably accessible for disabled people | HR | https://ridi.org.uk/jobseekers-think-online-job-applications-accessible-inclusive/ |
| Only 26% think online applications are suitably accessible for people who speak English as a second language. | HR | https://ridi.org.uk/jobseekers-think-online-job-applications-accessible-inclusive/ |
| Only 51% of applications from disabled people result in an interview, compared to 69% of non-disabled applicants | HR | https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/disabled-people-jobs-applications-more-able-bodied-stats-employment-a7970701.html |
| On average, disabled people apply for 60% more jobs before finding one. | HR | https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/disabled-people-jobs-applications-more-able-bodied-stats-employment-a7970701.html |
| 25-30% of the workforce is estimated to be working remotely at least one day per week in the coming years. | HR | https://www.apollotechnical.com/statistics-on-remote-workers/ |
| Nearly 40% of disabled applicants feel insecure about getting hired as they believe employers will disregard their application based on their impairment or condition. | HR | https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/disabled-people-jobs-applications-more-able-bodied-stats-employment-a7970701.html |
| 2019 Lost revenue from people clicking away from inaccessible websites £17.1 billion | Internet Spending | http://www.clickawaypound.com/downloads/cap19final0502.pdf |
| The online spending power of people with access needs in the UK is now £24.8 billion | Internet Spending | http://www.clickawaypound.com/downloads/cap19final0502.pdf |
| 71% of users leave a site that they find hard to use. | Internet Spending | http://www.clickawaypound.com/downloads/cap19final0502.pdf |
| For 81% of users, ease of use is more important than price. | Internet Spending | http://www.clickawaypound.com/downloads/cap19final0502.pdf |
| 82% of consumers with accessibility issues said they would spend more if there were fewer barriers | Internet Spending | http://www.clickawaypound.com/downloads/cap19final0502.pdf |
| Only 8% of users with access needs contact the site owner about barriers they experience | Internet Spending | http://www.clickawaypound.com/downloads/cap19final0502.pdf |
| 35% of users with access needs use a smartphone as their preferred device for online shopping | Internet Spending | http://www.clickawaypound.com/downloads/cap19final0502.pdf |
| 73% of disabled customers experience barriers on more than one in four websites they visit | Internet Spending | https://wearepurple.org.uk/the-purple-pound-infographic/ |
| 75% of disabled people and their families have walked away from a business because of poor accessibility or customer service | Internet Spending | https://wearepurple.org.uk/the-purple-pound-infographic/ |
| 83% of people with access needs limit their shopping to sites that they know are accessible | Internet Spending | https://wearepurple.org.uk/the-purple-pound-infographic/ |
| the spending power of disabled people and their families – is worth a staggering £274 billion | Internet Spending | https://purpletuesday.org.uk/ |
| the USA and the UK are the countries with the highest average e-commerce revenue per shopper, at $1,804 and £1,629 per person per annum respectively | Online Spending | https://www.worldretailcongress.com/__media/Global_ecommerce_Market_Ranking_2019_001.pdf |
| 60% of local authority websites’ home pages still aren’t accessible to people with disabilities | Public Sector | https://www.scope.org.uk/media/press-releases/councils-fail-public-sector-accessibility-duty/#:~:text=For%20example%2C%20a%20study%20by,out%20day%20to%20day%20activities |
| There are over 23,500 adults with learning disabilities known to local authorities in Scotland. | Scotland | https://www.scld.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Learning-Disability-Statistics-Scotland-2019.pdf |
| There are over 13,500 children and young people with learning disabilities known to schools in Scotland | Scotland | https://www.scld.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Learning-Disability-Statistics-Scotland-2019.pdf |
| These statistics only include people with learning disabilities known to authorities, and it is estimated that the total number of people who have a learning disability in Scotland is likely closer to 120,000. | Scotland | https://www.scld.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Learning-Disability-Statistics-Scotland-2019.pdf |
| 83% of participants limit their shopping to sites that they know are accessible | Internet Spending | http://www.clickawaypound.com/downloads/cap19final0502.pdf |
| In the academic year 2019-2020, government statistics reveal that 332,300 higher education students in the UK identified themselves as having a disability of some kind. | Education | https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-8716/#:~:text=In%202019%2F20%20332%2C300%20UK,reporting%20a%20mental%20health%20condition |
| The online learning industry is projected to pass $370 billion by 2026 | Education | https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211018005498/en/The-Worldwide-E-Learning-Industry-is-Expected-to-Reach-457.8-Billion-by-2026---ResearchAndMarkets.com#:~:text=Amid%20the%20COVID%2D19%20crisis,10.3%25%20over%20the%20analysis%20period |
| The UK has one of the highest internet penetration rates in the world | Internet stats | https://www.statista.com/statistics/227082/countries-with-the-highest-internet-penetration-rate/ |
| Brits spend an average of 3 hours and 37 minutes online every day | Internet stats | https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0027/196407/online-nation-2020-report.pdf |
| 90% of the county council websites they tested failed to meet regulations. | Public sector | https://www.scope.org.uk/media/press-releases/councils-fail-public-sector-accessibility-duty/ |
| Disabled people spend 28% more for the same standard of living | Disability | https://www.scope.org.uk/scope/media/files/campaigns/disability-price-tag-report-2019.pdf |
| One-third of British consumers had switched energy suppliers in the previous 12 months. | Utilities | https://www.statista.com/topics/4953/energy-supply-switching-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/#dossierKeyfigures |
| Various tourism and trip stats | Travel | https://www.visitbritain.org/business-advice/value-purple-pound |
| 49% of working-age adults feel excluded from society because of their condition or impairment | Disability | https://eachother.org.uk/49-of-disabled-people-feel-excluded-from-society/ |
|
Disabled customers spend 28% more every year to achieve the same standard of living as people without disabilities, averaging £583 per month
|
Disability | https://www.scope.org.uk/campaigns/extra-costs/disability-price-tag/ |
| Over 20% of housing websites have accessibility scores of under 40 out of 100 | Housing | https://index.silktide.com/uk-housing-authorities/leaderboard |
| 86% of local authority homepages websites are hard to navigate because they lack visible focus indicators that show where the cursor/ arrow/ focus is | Local Authority | https://socitm.net/ |
| 64% of local authority sites do not attribute meaningful descriptions to hyperlinks, making context difficult to establish for people with learning difficulties and cognitive disabilities | Local Authority | https://socitm.net/ |
| 49% of local authority webpages have insufficient colour contrast between the text and background, making them impossible to read for people with dyslexia and decreased vision | Local Authority | https://socitm.net/ |
| 81%of disabled adults are internet users | Internet Stats | https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/itandinternetindustry/bulletins/internetusers/2020 |
| 23% of people with a disability use an online health service for getting a consultation or prescription online | Health | https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/resource/chart-of-the-week-disabled-people-more-likely-to-use-the-internet-for-health-related-activities-than-non-disabled-people |
| The UK's Leisure sector is valued at £111bn | Leisure | https://www.lseg.com/resources/1000-companies-inspire/1000-companies-inspire-britain-2020/leisure |
| 15%of UK residents' monthly budget is spent on leisure activities | Leisure | https://www.lseg.com/resources/1000-companies-inspire/1000-companies-inspire-britain-2020/leisure |