The question asked to identify disability in England and Wales was “Do you have any physical or mental health conditions or illnesses lasting or expected to last 12 months or more?” if the individual answered yes, then a further question “Do any of your conditions or illnesses reduce your ability to carry out day-to-day activities?” was asked.
The results showed that in England in 2021, there was a smaller age-standardised population but that a larger number of people were disabled, 9.8 million, compared to the 2011 findings of 9.4 million. While in Wales, in 2021, a smaller proportion and a smaller number of people were disabled, 670,000, compared with the 2011 number of 696,000.
The census’ main findings around unpaid care found that In England and Wales, an estimated 5.0 million people aged 5 years and over provided unpaid care in 2021, a decrease from 5.8 million. The proportion of people providing 19 or less hours of unpaid care a week decreased from 3.7 million in 2011 to 2.4 million in 2021, however the proportion of people who provided 20 to 49 hours of unpaid care a week increased from 775,000) in 2011 to 1.0 million in 2021.
The census data on general health shows an increase in the proportion of people across England and Wales reporting their health as very good as a figure of 28.8 million in 2021, higher than the 26.4 million in 2011.
Dan White policy and campaigns officer at DR UK said: “It’s interesting to note from the census that a higher number of people have identified as being Disabled people.
We need politicians, policy makers and those commissioning services to look closely at the data, to ensure that the needs of Disabled people are met. Cost of living crisis or not, funding and services must address the needs of Disabled citizens.”
Find the whole 2021 Census online.