Reports on Disability and Accessibility in Canada
A demographic, employment and income profile of persons with disabilities aged 15 years and over in Canada, 2022

Introduction

The Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD) is the official source for the disability rate among the Canadian population and provides insight on the lived experiences of persons with disabilities. This profile is the first in-depth look at results of the 2022 CSD, following the initial release in late 2023 (The Daily, 2023a). The goal of this article is to provide an overview of the prevalence of disability in Canada, and of the labour market participation and income of Canadians with disabilities. Where possible, results of the 2022 CSD will be compared with the 2017 CSD, to provide insight into changes in the rate of disability, labour market participation and income over the past five years.

This profile, which builds on a previous CSD report (A demographic, employment and income profile of Canadians with disabilities aged 15 years and over, 2017), is divided into three sections – demographics, employment, and income – and is guided by three main questions: What is the prevalence of disabilities in Canada? How does the employment level of persons with disabilities compare to those without disabilities? How does income compare between persons with and without disabilities, and what implications does this have regarding poverty? This article considers a number of factors that may have a meaningful impact on employment and income for persons with disabilities, including severity of disabilities, age, gender, education, and living arrangements. As a result of differences in the way some estimates were calculated in the previous CSD report, comparisons between the two articles should be made with caution.

Data from the CSD, and this profile in particular, will help inform policies, programs and services which support persons with disabilities. Furthermore, these data support the implementation of Canada’s Disability Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) (Government of Canada, 2022a) and the Accessible Canada Act (ACA) (2019).

Comparisons between CSD cycles

For the first time, it is possible to compare two cycles of the CSD – that is, the 2017 and 2022 CSD. This is possible because the same set of questions and the same methodology were used to identify persons with a disability. However, changes to survey content may impact the comparability of data over time. For more information on comparability between 2022 and 2017, see the Canadian Survey on Disability, 2022: Concepts and Methods Guide (Pianosi et al., 2023). Comparisons with the 2012 CSD are not possible due to changes in survey methodology that occurred between the 2012 and 2017 cycles, specifically changes to the questions used on the census to identify the CSD target population of persons most likely to have a disability. For more information on comparability between 2017 CSD and 2012 CSD, see the Canadian Survey on Disability, 2017: Concepts and Methods Guide(Cloutier et al., 2018).

Section 1: Demographics

Section 1 explores key demographics of Canadians with disabilities in 2022. It presents data on the prevalence (or rate) of disability, disability severity, types of disability, number of co-occurring disability types, and how these characteristics differ by age and gender. Where applicable, comparisons between 2017 and 2022 are also provided to highlight changes over time.^Note 

1.1  Prevalence and severity of disabilities

More than one in four Canadians aged 15 years and over have a disability

In 2022, the disability rate for persons aged 15 years and over in Canada was 27%. This represents nearly 8 million people who were identified as having one or more disabilities, an increase of 1.7 million people over 2017, when the disability rate was 22% (Table 1.1.A; Table 1.1.B). Disability rates increased with age: one in five (20%) youth aged 15 to 24 years had one or more disabilities in 2022, compared to one in four (24%) adults aged 25 to 64 years and two in five (40%) seniors aged 65 years and over (Chart 1.1; Table 1.1.A).

Women are more likely than men to have a disability

In 2022, among Canadians aged 15 years and over, a greater proportion of women (30%) had a disability than men (24%). Disability rates were higher among women than men for all age groups except those aged 65 to 74 years, where the difference between women and men was not statistically significant (Chart 1.1; Table 1.1.A). The largest gaps in the disability rate between women and men occurred for those aged 15 to 24 years (9 percentage points) and 25 to 44 years (7 percentage points), with the gap tending to narrow with age.

Younger age groups see largest increase in disability rate since 2017

Between 2017 and 2022, the overall disability rate increased by 5 percentage points (from 22% to 27%) among people aged 15 years and over (Chart 1.2; Table 1.1.A). Disability rates increased across all age groups except for seniors aged 75 and over. These increases were largest among youth aged 15 to 24 years (an increase of 7 percentage points) and adults aged 25 to 44 years (an increase of 5 percentage points). High rates of disability among seniors (a growing population in Canada^Note ) and increased rates of disability among younger age groups contributed to the overall increase in the prevalence of disabilities since 2017.

In addition, disability rates increased among women and men between 2017 and 2022, but the increase was larger for women (from 24% to 30%) than for men (from 20% to 24%). This means that the difference in disability rates among women and men also widened between 2017 and 2022 (from 4 to 6 percentage points).

One in five are classified as having “very severe” disabilities

Of the nearly 8 million persons with disabilities in Canada in 2022, 39% were classified as having a mild disability; 20% had a moderate disability; 20% had a severe disability; and 21% had a very severe disability (Chart 1.3; Table 1.2.A). Women were more likely than men to have severe or very severe disabilities (21% versus 19%, and 22% versus 20%, respectively), and less likely to have mild disabilities (38% versus 41%). The distribution of severity classes in 2022 was similar to that of 2017, both in the overall population and when analyzed by gender.

Proportion of severe or very severe disabilities increases with age

Among persons with disabilities, the distribution of severity classes varied across age groups in 2022. For example, the proportion of persons with a mild disability ranged from 48% among youth aged 15 to 24 years to 27% among those aged 75 years and over (Chart 1.4; Table 1.2.A). In contrast, the proportion of persons with a very severe disability ranged from 13% among youth aged 15 to 24 years to 32% among those aged 75 years and over.  Findings for disability severity by age groups were similar to results from the 2017 CSD.

1.2 Types of disabilities

Disabilities related to pain, flexibility, mobility, and mental health remain the most common

In 2022, more than one in ten Canadians aged 15 years and over had a disability related to pain (17%), flexibility (11%), mobility (11%) and mental health (10%) (Chart 1.5; Table 1.3.A), making these the most common disability types in 2022. These were also the most prevalent disability types in 2017. These were followed by seeing (7%), hearing (6%), learning (6%), dexterity (5%), and memory (5%) disabilities. Developmental and unknown^Note  disabilities were the least prevalent types, representing approximately 2% and 1% of those aged 15 years and over.

Women are more likely than men to have a disability related to pain and mental health

In 2022, the prevalence of disability was higher among women than men across all disability types, except for hearing, learning, and unknown disabilities (Chart 1.5; Table 1.3.A). Pain-related and mental health-related disabilities showed the largest gap (more than 5 percentage points) between women and men.

The most prevalent disability types among working-age adults are related to pain, mental health and flexibility

The prevalence of disability types varied with age. Among youth aged 15 to 24 years, the three most common disability types were mental health-related (14%), learning (9%) and pain-related (7%) disabilities (Chart 1.6; Table 1.4.A). Among adults aged 25 to 64, the three most common disability types were related to pain (15%), mental health (11%) and flexibility (9%). Among seniors aged 65 years and over, the most common disability types were related to pain (28%), mobility (26%) and flexibility (24%). The top three disability types within each age group were the same in 2017.

Prevalence of all disability types increased between 2017 and 2022, with mental health-related disabilities increasing the most

Since 2017, the prevalence of all disability types increased among the Canadian population (Chart 1.7; Table 1.3.A). The largest increases occurred for mental health-related (3 percentage points), pain-related (2 percentage points) and seeing (2 percentage points) disabilities.

Mental health-related disabilities showed the largest increase in prevalence for women (4 percentage points) and men (2 percentage points) (Table 1.3.A). This was also the case among youth aged 15 to 24 years (6 percentage points) and adults aged 25 to 64 years (4 percentage points). Among persons aged 65 years and over, seeing disabilities had the largest increase (2 percentage points) between 2017 and 2022 (Table 1.4.A).

Young women are more than twice as likely as young men to have a mental health-related disability

In 2022, one in five (19%) women aged 15 to 24 years had a mental health-related disability, compared to one in ten (9%) men in the same age group (Chart 1.8; Table 1.5.A). The prevalence of mental health-related disabilities was also higher among women than men in most other age groups, except for those aged 65 to 74 years and 75 years and over. However, the gap in rates among women and men narrowed with age due to a decrease in the proportion of women with mental health-related disabilities in older age groups. This is a similar pattern to 2017.

Rate of mental health-related disabilities has increased most for young women

The prevalence of mental health-related disabilities increased between 2017 and 2022 for most age groups, except for those aged 65 years and over (Chart 1.9; Table 1.5.A). This finding held across genders, but was particularly pronounced among young women. The largest increase in mental health-related disabilities occurred among women aged 15 to 24 years, for whom the rate doubled since 2017 (an increase of 9 percentage points). In contrast, the largest increase in the rate of mental health-related disabilities among men was for those aged 25 to 44 (4 percentage points).

Over two-thirds of persons with disabilities have two or more co-occurring disability types

In 2022, 29% of persons with disabilities aged 15 years and over had one type of disability; 37% had two or three disability types; and 34% had four or more disability types (Chart 1.10; Table 1.6.A). In addition, women were more likely than men to have a higher number of co-occurring disability types.

The number of co-occurring disability types tended to increase with age. For example, seniors aged 75 years and older were more than twice as likely as youth aged 15 to 24 years to have four or more disability types (47% versus 20%) (Chart 1.11; Table 1.6.A). The distribution of the number of co-occurring disability types in 2022 mirrored that of 2017, both in the overall population of persons with disabilities, and when analyzed by gender or age groups.

Section 2: Employment

This section examines labour market characteristics for working-age adults (aged 25 to 64 years) and youth (aged 15 to 24 years) as well as persons aged 65 to 69 years with disabilities. Differences in employment rates by disability characteristics, age groups, and educational attainment are discussed. In addition, the potential size of the labour force with disabilities in an inclusive, accessible, and accommodating labour market, is explored. Where relevant, comparisons between 2017 and 2022 CSD are provided to highlight changes over time.

It is important to note that while the CSD data were collected in 2017 and 2022, the information regarding labour force status presented in this section (unless otherwise noted) comes from the 2016 and 2021 Census of Population.  Therefore, the data reflects the reference weeks for the censuses, May 1 to May 7, 2016, and May 2 to May 8, 2021.^Note  For more information, see the Canadian Survey on Disability, 2022: Concepts and Methods Guide (Pianosi et al., 2023).

2.1 Employment rates among adults aged 25 to 64 years

Persons with mild disabilities are more than twice as likely to be employed as those with very severe disabilities

Consistent with previous research on the employment experiences of persons with disabilities, adults with disabilities had lower rates of employment in 2021 than those without disabilities. Among those aged 25 to 64 years, three in five (62%) persons with disabilities were employed compared to almost four in five (78%) persons without disabilities (Chart 2.1; Table 2.1.A). The results also showed that employment rates decreased as the severity of disability increased. In particular, persons with very severe disabilities had a much lower employment rate than persons with mild disabilities (30% versus 75%).

Employment rates among persons with disabilities increased between 2016 and 2021

Between 2016 and 2021, the employment rate for persons with disabilities aged 25 to 64 years increased from 59% to 62%. While the employment rates for persons with mild or very severe disabilities remained relatively unchanged, the rates for persons with moderate or severe disabilities increased by about 5 percentage points each (Chart 2.1; Table 2.1.A). In contrast, the employment rate for persons without disabilities in the same age group decreased from 80% to 78% over the same time period.

For ease of discussion, the rest of this article combines the “mild” and “moderate” categories into a “milder” severity class, and the “severe” and “very severe” categories into a “more severe” severity class.

Three in ten persons with more severe disabilities aged 55 to 64 years were employed

Employment rates varied across age groups for persons with and without disabilities. Among those with disabilities, employment rates were lower among those aged 55 to 64 years compared to those aged 25 to 34 years regardless of severity (Chart 2.2; Table 2.2.A). In contrast, employment rates for persons with disabilities aged 35 to 44 years and 45 to 54 years were generally higher than among their younger counterparts, except for those aged 45 to 54 years with more severe disabilities. Persons without disabilities followed a similar pattern in employment rates by age group, with higher rates among those aged 35 to 54 years relative to those aged 25 to 34 years, and a lower rate for those aged 55 to 64 years.

When examined by gender, women and men with disabilities had similar employment rates for most age groups, except for those aged 55 to 64 years where women were less likely to be employed than men (46% versus 53%) (Chart 2.3; Table 2.2.A).  Similarly, among those with milder disabilities, the employment rate for women aged 55 to 64 years (58%) was lower than that of men (70%) (Table 2.2.A). However, the opposite was observed among those with milder disabilities aged 25 to 34 years, where women had a higher employment rate than men (78% versus 69%). No significant gender differences in employment rates were found for any of the age groups among those with more severe disabilities. In contrast, among those without disabilities, employment rates for women were consistently lower than for men across all age groups.

Employment rate among younger women with more severe disabilities decreased between 2016 and 2021

While the overall employment rate for persons with disabilities aged 25 to 64 years increased by 2 percentage points between 2016 and 2021, this finding was not consistent when the results were examined by gender, age group and disability severity. In fact, men aged 45 to 54 years with more severe disabilities were the only subgroup where a significant increase in employment rate (from 41%^{Note E: Use with caution} to 56%^{Note E: Use with caution}) was observed. In contrast, the employment rate of women with more severe disabilities aged 25 to 34 years decreased from 59% to 43%. There were no significant differences in employment rates of persons with milder disabilities between 2016 and 2021.

Higher levels of education are associated with higher rates of employment among persons with disabilities

Previous research has indicated that those with higher levels of education are more likely to be employed (Statistics Canada, 2024; Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2020; Till et al., 2015). In 2021, employment rates were lowest among those with high school or less regardless of disability status, gender, and severity (Chart 2.4; Table 2.3.A). Among persons with disabilities, those who had a university degree (bachelor’s degree or higher) had an employment rate that was 34 percentage points higher than that of their counterparts with high school or less (79% versus 45%). Educational attainment also played a role in employment rates among persons without disabilities, but the differences were not as pronounced.

Persons with disabilities were less likely to be employed than persons without disabilities across all levels of education, although the gap in employment rates decreased with higher levels of education.^Note  Among those with high school education or less, 45% of persons with disabilities were employed compared to 68% of persons without disabilities. This discrepancy in employment rates decreased among those with a postsecondary certificate or diploma below bachelor level (66% and 81% among persons with and without disabilities, respectively), and those with a bachelor's degree or higher (79% and 83%).

While gender differences in employment rates persisted among persons without disabilities regardless of their level of education, this was not the case for persons with disabilities. In fact, women and men with disabilities had equal levels of employment in most cases, except for those whose highest level of education was high school or less. In this case, women were less likely to be employed than men (42% versus 49%) (Chart 2.5; Table 2.3.A).

2.2 Part-time employment among adults aged 25 to 64 years

Prevalence of part-time work is higher among workers with more severe disabilities

Among employed persons aged 25 to 64 years, persons with disabilities were more likely to work part-time (less than 30 hours/week) than their counterparts without disabilities (16% versus 13%) (Table 2.4.A). This was particularly evident among men with more severe disabilities, who were almost twice as likely to have been working part-time (14%) as men without disabilities (8%). Likewise, women with more severe disabilities were more likely (23%) than their counterparts without disabilities (18%) to have been part-time workers. Men with milder disabilities were slightly more likely to work part-time than their counterparts without disabilities (11% versus 8%), whereas no such difference was found among women (Chart 2.6).

2.3 Potential to work among non-employed adults aged 25 to 64 years with disabilities

Given the lower rate of employment for persons with disabilities noted above (Section 2.1), it is useful to provide an indication of the total size of the potential labour force with disabilities under the best-case scenario—an inclusive labour market without discrimination, with full accessibility and accommodation. As one way to examine how the labour market might change under these more inclusive conditions, work potential describes non-working persons with disabilities who might be likely to enter paid employment under this best-case scenario. It is not an attempt to measure one’s internal capacity, ability to work, or even likelihood of finding employment under current conditions. Improving our understanding of the population of potential workers could aid in better targeting for labour market programs.

More than 741,000 persons with disabilities have potential for paid employment in an inclusive labour market

Among those with disabilities aged 25 to 64 years who were not employed in 2022, two in five (42%) could be considered as having work potential^Note  (see Text box 5 for more information). This translates into 741,280 persons with disabilities who were not working but had the potential to work.^Note 

Among non-working adults with disabilities aged 25 to 64 years, the proportion classified as having work potential was similar for women and men (41% versus 43%). In terms of absolute numbers, women with work potential outnumbered men (423,580 versus 317,710).

2.4 Employment and education among youth with disabilities, aged 15 to 24 years

Sections 2.1 to 2.3 explored labour market characteristics of working-age adults with disabilities (aged 25 to 64 years). However, it is also critical to examine youth (aged 15 to 24 years), as those in this age group are typically engaged in several key transitions as they navigate from high school to post-secondary education and/or the work force. Although many young people may find these transitions difficult, those with disabilities can face additional challenges (Lindsay et al. 2019; Hirano et al., 2018). This section focuses on youth who are neither in school nor employed, as those in this group may be experiencing difficulties in making these transitions.

As discussed in Section 1 on demographics, youth with disabilities had a somewhat different profile than working-age adults and seniors. The most prevalent types of disabilities among youth were mental health-related and learning disabilities. This is important to note as it may have implications for the types of challenges faced by youth with disabilities, and the types of accommodations they need to transition successfully into post-secondary education or employment.

Three in ten youth with more severe disabilities are neither in school nor employed

The severity of disability had a strong relationship with school enrolment and employment among youth. For example, youth aged 15 to 24 years with more severe disabilities were more than twice as likely as those with milder disabilities to be neither in school nor employed^Note  in 2022 (Chart 2.7; Table 2.5.A). Moreover, persons with more severe disabilities in this age group were less likely than those with milder disabilities to be employed during their school enrolment.

In addition, among youth with disabilities, men were more likely than women to be neither in school, nor employed (23% versus 13%) (Table 2.5.A). However, this difference was more pronounced among youth with more severe disabilities (39% versus 21%) than it was among youth with milder disabilities (16% versus 9%) (Chart 2.8; Table 2.5.A). Among youth with disabilities, women were also more likely than men to be employed during their school enrolment. This was the case for those with milder and more severe disabilities.

114,000 youth with disabilities neither in school nor employed have potential to work

Youth who are neither in school nor employed may be at risk of low‑income or social exclusion (Brunet, 2019). Youth with disabilities may face additional challenges with entry into education or the labour force, given the potential need for education and workplace accommodations, as well as other disability supports. However, there may be considerable potential for youth with disabilities to transition into employment with proper accommodations and supports. Among the 141,980 youth with disabilities who were neither in school nor employed in 2022, 114,490 (or 81%) could be identified as having work potential (53,160 women and 61,340 men).

2.5 Employment among persons with disabilities aged 65 to 69 years

Many individuals with and without disabilities continue to work beyond the typical age of retirement. In 2021, 151,240 persons with disabilities aged 65 to 69 years were employed. However, persons with disabilities were still less likely to be employed than persons without disabilities in this age group (22% versus 29%). Employment rates among persons aged 65 to 69 years also decreased as disability severity increased: 24% of persons with milder disabilities and 18%^{Note E: Use with caution} of persons with more severe disabilities were employed.

These findings remained consistent when examined by gender, however the gap among women with and without disabilities (17% versus 22%, or 5 percentage points) was smaller than that of men with and without disabilities (27% versus 36%, or 9 percentage points). Similarly, women and men with more severe disabilities were less likely than women and men without disabilities to be employed (16% and 21%, versus 22% and 36%). Among women and men, those with milder disabilities were as likely to be employed as those without disabilities. These findings follow the same trends observed in 2016, with no significant differences identified between the two CSD cycles.

Section 3: Income

This section is guided by three questions: First, how does income compare between persons with and without disabilities? Second, using Canada’s Official Poverty Line, how does poverty vary with key characteristics such as disability severity, gender, age, and living arrangements? Third, among those with disabilities who were unable to afford required aids, devices, or medication, does living above the poverty line reduce or eliminate the risk of having unmet disability-related needs due to cost?

Where applicable, comparisons between the 2017 and 2022 CSD are provided to highlight differences between the two periods. In this regard, it is important to note that the income and poverty data included in the 2022 CSD are linked from the Census and pertain to reference year 2020. Likewise, the 2017 CSD provides income and poverty data for reference year 2015. The circumstances brought about by COVID-19 in 2020 must be kept in mind when comparing the two periods.

3.1 Median personal income

Median income of persons with more severe disabilities is one-third less than that of those without disabilities

Among working-age adults (persons aged 25 to 64 years), median personal after-tax income^Note  (hereafter median income) differed by both disability status and severity. Those without disabilities had a higher median income ($46,080) than persons with disabilities ($38,810). Those with milder disabilities ($44,210) had a higher median income than persons with more severe disabilities ($30,590) (Chart 3.1; Table 3.1). The median income of those with more severe disabilities was over 30 percent less than that of those without disabilities.

Among seniors, persons aged 65 years and over, differences in median income by disability status and severity existed – but to a lesser extent than among those of working-age. Seniors with no disabilities had a higher median income ($33,430) than seniors with disabilities ($29,720). When considering severity of disability, the median income of seniors with milder disabilities ($32,370) was higher than that of persons with more severe disabilities ($27,920), but comparable to that of seniors without disabilities.

Consistent with findings for persons without disabilities, seniors with disabilities had a lower median income than working-age persons with disabilities. This was the case for both seniors with milder and more severe disabilities.

Women have lower levels of income than men

The gender gap in income in the general population has been well-documented over the years (Drolet and Amini, 2023; Bonikowska et al., 2019, and Fox and Moyser, 2018). Among individuals aged 25 to 64 years, the income gap between women and men was significant among those without disabilities as well as those with disabilities (Chart 3.2; Table 3.1). The median income of women with disabilities ($37,010) was 11% less than men with disabilities ($41,580). Among those with milder disabilities, the median income of women ($41,960) was 12% less than men ($47,870). Among those with more severe disabilities, no significant differences were found in median income between women and men. Among those without disabilities, the median income of women ($42,430) was 16% less than men ($50,260).

Among seniors aged 65 years and over, women with disabilities had a median income that was 25% less than men with disabilities ($26,480 versus $35,210). Among seniors with milder disabilities, the gender gap in income was slightly larger, with women’s median income being 28% less than that of men ($27,300 versus $38,080). Among seniors with more severe disabilities, the gender gap in income was slightly smaller, with women’s median income being 19% less than that of men ($26,030 versus $32,090).

Among persons with milder disabilities, the difference in median income between seniors and working-age adults was greater among women ($14,660) than men ($9,790). Among those with more severe disabilities, differences in median income between seniors and working-age adults were not as large among women ($4,490), and were not significant among men.

Median personal income increased between 2015 and 2020

Between 2015 and 2020, median after-tax personal income (expressed in 2020 constant dollars) increased for persons with and without disabilities, regardless of age or gender.

These increases were greatest among women with disabilities aged 25 to 64 years (+33%), women with disabilities aged 65 years and over (+17%), and men with disabilities aged 25 to 64 years (+17%) (Chart 3.3; Table 3.1).

Employed persons with more severe disabilities still have incomes that fall short of those without disabilities

As mentioned above, persons with disabilities exhibited lower median personal incomes than their counterparts without disabilities. The fact that persons with disabilities had lower employment rates than those without disabilities, as shown in Section 2, is likely a key contributing factor to differences in median income between these populations. This raises a question: for persons with disabilities who are employed, does working help close the income gap between them and those without disabilities?

Persons with and without disabilities aged 25 to 64 years who were employed for some or all of 2020 had a median personal income more than two-times the amount of their counterparts who were not employed (Chart 3.4; Table 3.2). This pattern was consistent regardless of disability severity. Among employed persons, those without disabilities and those with milder disabilities had similar median incomes ($50,140 and $49,100, respectively), higher than that of persons with more severe disabilities ($42,290).

When limiting the analysis to those who were employed full-time for at least 49 weeks in 2020 (full-year, full-time), median income for persons with milder disabilities was higher than for those with no disabilities ($60,070 versus $58,530). Notably, this result is in contrast to previous findings, which showed that among those who were employed full-time and worked at least 49 weeks in 2015, persons without disabilities had higher median income than those with milder disabilities (Morris et al., 2018).  The median income of full-year, full-time workers with more severe disabilities was 88% of workers with milder disabilities in 2020 ($52,900 versus $60,070), which aligns with previous findings.

The largest percentage increase in median personal income between 2015 and 2020 occurred among non-employed

Between 2015 and 2020, the median after-tax personal income of all adults aged 25 to 64 increased, irrespective of disability status. This increase was observed among persons not employed, as well as those employed and those employed full-year, full-time (Chart 3.5; Table 3.2). Notably, the largest percentage increase was observed within the not employed group, where the median personal income among persons without disabilities rose by more than 60% (from $14,020 in 2015 to $22,960 in 2020) and by almost 40% for persons with disabilities (from $13,740 to $18,980). Similarly, median income among persons with milder disabilities increased by 35% (from $14,230 to $19,230), while it increased by 38% (from $13,560 to $18,730) for those with more severe disabilities.

The increase in median income between 2015 and 2020 among all groups, particularly among persons not employed, can be partially attributed to the extraordinary circumstances brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. In addressing the economic challenges of the pandemic, the Government of Canada allocated billions of dollars to implement diverse temporary measures, focusing primarily on income replacement for individuals who were unable to work due to the pandemic (Statistics Canada, 2022). Note that the extent to which temporary income supports contributed to the changes in median income for persons with and without disabilities between 2015 and 2020 is still being evaluated.

3.2 Poverty

Persons with disabilities are less likely to experience financial security and more likely to live in poverty than persons without disabilities (Scott et al., 2022; Maroto and Pettinicchio, 2020). This section provides information regarding the extent of poverty among persons with and without disabilities using the Market Basket Measure (MBM) (Text box 6). In 2020, 10% of persons with disabilities aged 15 years and over lived in poverty compared to 7% of their counterparts without disabilities (Table 3.3.A).

Working-age adults with more severe disabilities are more than twice as likely to live in poverty as those without disabilities and those with milder disabilities

The poverty rate among persons with disabilities aged 25 to 64 years was 12% in 2020, compared to 7% among those without disabilities. Persons with more severe disabilities (18%) were more likely to be living below Canada’s official poverty line than those with milder disabilities (8%) (Chart 3.6; Table 3.3.A). As such, the poverty rate for working-age adults with more severe disabilities was more than double that of working-age adults with either milder disabilities or without disabilities.

Youth are more than twice as likely to live in poverty as seniors, regardless of disability severity

Persons with disabilities aged 15 to 24 years had a poverty rate of 12% in 2020, similar to their counterparts without disabilities. Youth with more severe disabilities had a higher rate (15%) than those with milder disabilities (10%). The poverty rate among youth with disabilities (12%) was more than double that of seniors with disabilities (5%). A similar pattern was observed for youth and seniors without disabilities (Chart 3.6; Table 3.3.A).

In general, women with disabilities aged 15 years and over were as likely as men to live in poverty in 2020. Among persons with milder disabilities aged 25 to 64 years however, men had a slightly higher poverty rate than women (9% versus 7%) (Table 3.3.A).

The poverty rate decreased between 2015 and 2020

Between 2015 and 2020, the poverty rate among persons with disabilities aged 15 years and over in Canada decreased from 18% to 10%. Among those without disabilities, the rate decreased from 12% to 7% (Chart 3.6; Table 3.3.A). Among individuals aged 15 to 24 years without disabilities, the poverty rate decreased from 19% in 2015 to 12% in 2020. Similar changes were observed within the same age category for persons with milder disabilities (24% versus 10%) and more severe disabilities (30% versus 15%) between 2015 and 2020. Extending our analysis to individuals aged 25 to 64 and those 65 years and over reveals additional evidence of an overall reduction in poverty among both persons with and without disabilities.  

It is important to acknowledge that the reduction of the poverty rates for persons with and without disabilities between 2015 and 2020 is likely related to the financial assistance provided by the Government of Canada to support Canadians affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (Statistics Canada, 2022).

Lone parents and those living alone remain at greater risk of living in poverty

Household living arrangements describe key family structures—and, in particular, the respondent’s place within that structure—for people living within the same household. In general, certain family structures, such as lone parent households and those living alone, have higher risks of living in poverty (Notten et al., 2023; The Daily, 2023b; and Raphael, 2020). As such, the discussion below focuses on the risk of poverty among individuals aged 15 to 64 years living in different household and family structures, and whether the presence of disability increases this risk further.

In 2020, and consistent with findings in the previous CSD, the lowest poverty rates among persons with disabilities were among individuals who were either part of a couple (with or without children) or who were living with parent(s) or guardian(s) as an adult child. However, among individuals who were part of a couple without children, those with more severe disabilities had a poverty rate of 9%, about twice as much as their counterparts with milder disabilities or no disabilities (Chart 3.7; Table 3.4.A).

Lone parents^Note  or those living alone were at the greatest risk of living in poverty. Among those without disabilities, the poverty rate among lone parents was three times higher than that of those in couples without children (13% versus 4%). However, the impact of lone parenthood was greater for those with disabilities (18% of lone parents with disabilities were living below the poverty line), and this was further compounded by severity—23% of lone parents with more severe disabilities were living below the poverty line. It is important to note that close to nine in ten lone parents with disabilities (85%) were women, while among those without disabilities, close to eight in ten lone parents (75%) were women.

Two in five of those living alone with more severe disabilities are living in poverty

Among persons aged 15 to 64 years with disabilities, the rate of poverty of those living alone was more than four times higher than that of persons who were part of a couple without children (28% versus 6%) (Chart 3.7; Table 3.4.A). A similar pattern was observed among persons without disabilities (18% versus 4%). Among those with milder disabilities the rate of poverty for those living alone was more than three times higher than that of those of those who were part of a couple without children (18% versus 5%). Those with more severe disabilities who were living alone had the highest rate of poverty of any group examined, with about two in five living below Canada’s official poverty line (42%).

Between 2015 and 2020, the poverty rate generally decreased among persons with disabilities aged 15 to 64 years, irrespective of their household living arrangements. This was also the case among persons without disabilities. Among persons with disabilities, the largest percentage point decreases occurred for lone parents (from 40% in 2015 to 18% in 2020), and individuals living alone (from 47% to 28%) (Table 3.4.A). As an exception to the overall pattern, the poverty rate of persons with milder disabilities who were part of a couple with no children did not change significantly between 2015 and 2020.

3.3 Unmet needs for disability supports due to cost

Cost is the primary reason behind unmet needs for aids, devices, or healthcare services

The CSD asks several questions regarding needs for various disability supports, including personal aids and devices (e.g., canes, walkers, specialized software, or architectural features in the home such as widened doorways and ramps), prescription medication, as well as access to healthcare services (e.g., counselling services, physiotherapy; see Text box 7).^Note 

In 2022, 56% of persons with disabilities, nearly 4.5 million people, reported at least one unmet need when it comes to either aids, devices, medication or healthcare services.  Three-quarters (73%) of persons with unmet needs (or 3.2 million) cited cost as the reason for those unmet needs.

About 2.3 million persons (29% of persons with disabilities) had unmet needs due to cost for healthcare services. Similarly, 1.2 million had unmet needs due to cost for aids and devices (16%), and one million indicated unmet needs due to cost for prescription medication (13%) (Table 3.5.A; Table 3.5B).

Women are more likely to report unmet needs due to cost

Women with disabilities were more likely than men to indicate unmet needs due to cost for health care services (34% versus 22%) and prescription medication (14% versus 10%). Overall, almost half (45%) of women with disabilities reported unmet needs due to cost for either aids, devices, medications, or healthcare services, compared to a third (35%) of men (Chart 3.8; Table 3.5.A).

Age and severity impact the ability to afford aids, medication and healthcare services

Among persons with disabilities aged 15 to 64 years, 46% (or 2.5 million) had at least one unmet need for an aid, device, prescription medication, and/or healthcare service due to cost. This compares to 30% (or 758,610) among seniors with disabilities aged 65 years and over (Chart 3.9). When broken down by type of disability support, around one in six seniors and non-seniors with disabilities had at least one unmet need for aids or devices due to cost. However, non-seniors were twice as likely as seniors to report unmet needs due to cost when it comes to either prescription medication (15% versus 7%) or healthcare services (35% versus 17%) (Table 3.5.A).

Severity of disability also had an impact on the likelihood of having unmet needs due to cost for disability supports. Among persons with milder disabilities, 32% had at least one unmet need for an aid, device, prescription medication, and/or healthcare service due to cost. This proportion increased to 53% among persons with more severe disabilities. When broken down by type of disability support, persons with more severe disabilities were more likely to report unmet needs due to cost in each instance compared to those with milder disabilities. For example, persons with more severe disabilities (26%) were three times more likely to have unmet needs for aids or devices due to cost than those with milder disabilities (8%).

Two in five of those living above the poverty line still cannot afford all required aids, medication and healthcare services

One in two (53%) persons with disabilities aged 15 years and over who were living below Canada’s official poverty line had at least one unmet need for an aid, device, prescription medication, and/or healthcare service due to cost (Chart 3.9; Table 3.5.A). However, while unmet needs due to cost were lower for those living above Canada’s official poverty line, two in five (39%) still reported at least one unmet need due to cost.

Conclusion

This article provides a broad picture of key insights from the 2022 CSD regarding the demographics, employment, and income characteristics of persons with disabilities, with comparisons to persons without disabilities. This study also provides information on unmet needs for various disability supports due to cost among persons with disabilities including aids and devices, prescription medication, and access to healthcare services. This also marks the first time that – where applicable – comparisons can be made between two cycles of the CSD to highlight important changes over time. Among these insights, several themes emerge in key areas.

Prevalence of disability

The overall rate of disability among Canadians aged 15 years and older increased from 22% to 27% between 2017 and 2022. The disability rate increased during this period for most age groups, except for seniors aged 75 years and over. The largest percentage-point increase occurred among youth aged 15 to 24 followed by adults aged 25 to 44, and 45 to 64 years. The increase in the overall disability rate can be attributed to several factors including a larger representation of seniors in the total population in 2022 due to population aging (seniors have higher disability rates than non-seniors) as well as an increase in disability rates – particularly mental health-related disabilities – among younger persons.

The distribution of the number of co-occurring disability types in 2022 mirrored that of 2017, both in the overall population of persons with disabilities, and when analyzed by gender or age groups.

Prevalence of mental health-related disabilities

While disability rates increased from 2017 to 2022 for all disability types, the largest increase belonged to mental health-related disabilities. This aligns with previous findings related to mental health indicating that the proportion of people reporting very good or excellent mental health has been declining over the past several years (The Daily, 2023c).

While the overall rate of mental health-related disability increased between 2017 and 2022, the change was not uniform across age groups. The rise in mental health-related disabilities was most pronounced among youth aged 15 to 24, followed by adults aged 25 to 44. Among adults aged 45 to 64 there was a less pronounced increase in the mental health-related disability rate, and for seniors aged 65 years and over the increase was not statistically significant. This reinforces the 2017 CSD finding that youth with disabilities have a somewhat different profile compared to working-age adults and seniors with disabilities (Morris et al., 2018).

Employment

Among persons with disabilities aged 25 to 64 years, the employment rate increased between 2016 and 2021. However, among persons without disabilities, the employment rate decreased during the same time-period. These findings are consistent with recent Labour Force Survey (LFS) data on the employment experiences of persons with disabilities (The Daily, 2023d).

Despite the increase in the employment rate of working-age adults with disabilities (aged 25 to 64) from 2016 to 2021, they were still less likely to be employed in 2021 than their counterparts without disabilities.^Note 

Median personal income, poverty and unmet needs for disability supports

Between 2015 and 2020, median personal after-tax income increased for both persons with and without disabilities. This holds true for working-age adults aged 25 to 64 and seniors aged 65 years and over, regardless of their disability status. Poverty rates also decreased significantly among Canadians with and without disabilities aged 15 years and over during this period. These findings align with recent data from the 2021 Census of Population which also showed a decrease in the poverty rate among the general population (Statistics Canada, 2021).

It is important to note that the higher incomes and lower poverty rates observed among persons with and without disabilities in 2020, relative to 2015, can be partially attributed to the exceptional circumstances brought about by COVID-19. Most notably, during the pandemic, the Government of Canada  introduced emergency financial support measures for Canadians who were negatively impacted (Government of Canada, 2022b). Most of the pandemic relief benefits, such as the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), were temporary and focused on income replacement for individuals who were not able to work because of individual COVID-19 health impacts or the related public health measures (The Daily, 2022; Government of Canada, 2022b; Statistics Canada, 2022; Morissette et al., 2021). Most of these COVID-19 income support programs ended by fall 2021 (the CERB ended in September 2020 and the Canada Recovery Benefit in October 2021) (Statistics Canada, 2021). Results from the Canadian Income Survey indicate that the poverty rates increased in 2021 relative to 2020 among persons with disabilities and among the general population, although they remained lower than before the pandemic (The Daily, 2023b).

Finally, this study revealed that more than half of Canadians with disabilities had at least one unmet need for disability supports, including aids and devices, prescription medication, and access to healthcare services in 2022. Cost was reported as the primary reason behind many unmet needs. Women, youth, persons with more severe disabilities and persons living below Canada’s official poverty line had the highest rates of unmet needs due to cost. Even among persons with disabilities who lived above the poverty line, two in five were unable to afford at least one type of disability support that they required due to cost.

Future research

There are a number of gaps in our knowledge around factors associated with the changes between 2017 and 2022 mentioned in this report that would benefit from further research. For example, while this report revealed an increase in the prevalence of all disability types – in particular mental health-related disabilities –, examining the reasons behind these changes was beyond its scope. In this case, future research could investigate the factors associated with having mental health-related disabilities, and whether these factors changed between 2017 and 2022.

Similarly, the rise in the employment rate among persons with disabilities during this period is yet to be fully understood. Examining the changes in labour force composition, including the extent to which changes in employment among persons with disabilities were a result of new entrants to the work force, as well as changes in the prevalence of disabilities among those already employed could contribute to the understanding of the labour force outcomes for persons with disabilities.

Finally, examining income sources over time could support a deeper understanding of the variations in income and poverty among Canadians with disabilities highlighted in this report. Future research could include investigating the extent to which financial assistance provided to Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic contributed – among other factors – to the increase in income and the decrease in poverty observed in 2020.

Detailed data tables

Table 1.1.A Persons with disabilities aged 15 years and over, by age group and gender, 2017 and 2022

Table 1.1.B Persons with disabilities aged 15 years and over, by age group and gender, 2017 and 2022

Table 1.2.A Disability severity among persons with disabilities aged 15 years and over, by age group and gender, 2017 and 2022

Table 1.2.B Disability severity among persons with disabilities aged 15 years and over, by age group and gender, 2017 and 2022

Table 1.3.A Persons with disabilities aged 15 years and over, by gender and disability type, 2017 and 2022

Table 1.3.B Persons with disabilities aged 15 years and over, by gender and disability type, 2017 and 2022

Table 1.4.A Persons with disabilities aged 15 years and over, by age group and disability type, 2017 and 2022

Table 1.4.B Persons with disabilities aged 15 years and over, by age group and disability type, 2017 and 2022

Table 1.5.A Persons with mental health-related disabilities aged 15 years and over, by age group and gender, 2017 and 2022

Table 1.5.B Persons with mental health-related disabilities aged 15 years and over, by age group and gender, 2017 and 2022

Table 1.6.A Number of disabilities among persons with disabilities aged 15 years and over, by age group and gender, 2017 and 2022

Table 1.6.B Number of disabilities among persons with disabilities aged 15 years and over, by age group and gender, 2017 and 2022

Table 2.1.A Employment among persons aged 25 to 64 years, by disability status and severity, 2016 and 2021

Table 2.1.B Employment among persons aged 25 to 64 years, by disability status and severity, 2016 and 2021

Table 2.2.A Employment among persons aged 25 to 64 years, by disability status / severity, age group, and gender, 2021

Table 2.2.B Employment among persons aged 25 to 64 years, by disability status / severity, age group, and gender, 2021

Table 2.3.A Employment among persons aged 25 to 64 years, by disability status / severity, highest level of education, and gender, 2021

Table 2.3.B Employment among persons aged 25 to 64 years, by disability status / severity, highest level of education, and gender, 2021

Table 2.4.A Hours worked among persons aged 25 to 64 years, by disability status / severity and gender, 2021

Table 2.4.B Hours worked among persons aged 25 to 64 years, by disability status / severity and gender, 2021

Table 2.5.A School enrolment / employment status among youth with disabilities aged 15 to 24 years, by disability severity and gender, 2022

Table 2.5.B School enrolment / employment status among youth with disabilities aged 15 to 24 years, by disability severity and gender, 2022

Table 3.1 Median after-tax income of individuals aged 25 years and over, by disability status / severity, age group and gender, 2015 and 2020

Table 3.2 Median after-tax income of individuals aged 25 to 64 years, by disability status / severity and work activity, 2015 and 2020

Table 3.3.A Individual Market Basket Measure poverty rate among persons aged 15 years and over, by disability status / severity, age group and gender, 2015 and 2020

Table 3.3.B Individual Market Basket Measure poverty rate among persons aged 15 years and over, by disability status / severity, age group and gender, 2015 and 2020

Table 3.4.A Individual Market Basket Measure poverty rate among persons aged 15 to 64 years, by disability status / severity and selected household living arrangements, 2015 and 2020

Table 3.4.B Individual Market Basket Measure poverty rate among persons aged 15 to 64 years, by disability status / severity and selected household living arrangements, 2015 and 2020

Table 3.5.A Unmet needs due to cost for assistive aids, devices or technologies, medication, or healthcare services among persons with disabilities aged 15 years and over, by selected characteristics, 2022

Table 3.5.B Unmet needs due to cost for assistive aids, devices or technologies, medication, or healthcare services among persons with disabilities aged 15 years and over, by selected characteristics, 2022

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