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How common is learning disability?

This page has information about the number of people with a learning disability in the UK.

There are 1.5 million people with a learning disability in the UK.

The figures on this page have been calculated using learning disability prevalence rates from Public Health England (2016) and population data from the Office for National Statistics (2020).

The big picture

There are approximately 1.5 million people with a learning disability in the UK.

Approximately 1.3 million of those people with a learning disability are in England.

Graphic showing statistics for 1.5 million people with a learning disability in the UK and 1.3 million people with a learning disability in England.

How common is learning disability in the UK?

Adults

Approximately 2.16% of adults in the UK are believed to have a learning disability.

Children

Approximately 2.5% of children in the UK are believed to have a learning disability.

 

Adults with a learning disability

There are approximately:

  • 1.1 million adults with a learning disability in the UK.
  • 956,000 adults with a learning disability in England.
  • 54,000 adults with a learning disability in Wales.
  • 31,000 adults with a learning disability in Northern Ireland.
Graph showing there are approximately 2.06% of adults in the UK with a learning disability and 2.50% of children in the UK with a learning disability

Adults of working age with a learning disability (18-64)

There are approximately:

  • 870,000 adults of working age with a learning disability in the UK
  • 732,000 adults of working age with a learning disability in England
  • 40,000 adults of working age with a learning disability in Wales
  • 25,000 adults of working age with a learning disability in Northern Ireland.

Children with a learning disability (0-17 years)

There are approximately:

  • 353,000 children with a learning disability in the UK.
  • 301,000 children with a learning disability in England.
  • 16,000 children with a learning disability in Wales.
  • 11,000 children with a learning disability in Northern Ireland.

 

Children with a learning disability (0-7 years)

There are approximately:

  • 159,000 children aged 0-7 years old with a learning disability in the UK
  • 136,000 children aged 0-7 years old with a learning disability in England
  • 7,000 children aged 0-7 years old with a learning disability in Wales
  • 5,000 children aged 0-7 years old with a learning disability in Northern Ireland

Graphs showing percentage of adults with a learning disability aged 18 and over, adults of working age with a learning disability aged 18-64, children with a learning disability aged 0-17 and children with a learning disability 0-7 years of age.

 

References

Office for National Statistics (2020). Estimates of the population for the UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Public Health England (2016). People with Learning Disabilities in England 2015.

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