Disability and Functioning
Data are for the U.S.
Selected sensory problems
- Percent of adults aged 18 and over with any difficulty hearing: 14.4% (2021)
- Percent of adults aged 18 and over with any difficulty seeing: 17.0% (2021)
Source: Interactive Summary Health Statistics for Adults: National Health Interview Survey, 2019-2021
Difficulties in physical functioning
- Percent of adults aged 18 and over with any difficulty walking or climbing steps: 17.5% (2021)
Source: Interactive Summary Health Statistics for Adults: National Health Interview Survey, 2019-2021
Level of reported difficulty in six domains of functioning (seeing, hearing, mobility, communication, cognition, self-care)
- Number of adults aged 18 and over reporting a lot of difficulty or cannot do at all in at least one domain of functioning: 22.7 million (2019)
- Percent of adults aged 18 and over reporting a lot of difficulty or cannot do at all in at least one domain of functioning: 9.0% (2019)
- Number of adults aged 65 and over reporting a lot of difficulty or cannot do at all in at least one domain of functioning: 10.2 million (2019)
- Percent of adults aged 65 and over reporting a lot of difficulty or cannot do at all in at least one domain of functioning: 19.3% (2019)
Source: Health, United States, 2020-2021, table FxLimit [PDF – 9.8 MB]
Related FastStats
More data
Related Links
- National Health Interview Survey
- National Health Interview Survey on Disability
- Disability and Health Data System
- National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities
- National Institutes of Health
- National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR)
- Washington Group on Disability Statistics