Prevalence of disability in Canada 2006

Warning View the most recent version.

Archived Content

Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please "contact us" to request a format other than those available.

The 2006 Participation and Activity Limitation Survey: Analytical report ›

Activity limitations are more prevalent among older individuals
Adult women report higher disability rates than men

In 2006, 4.4 million Canadians living in households reported having an activity limitation yielding a disability rate of 14.3% (see Table 1). This is an increase from the 2001 disability rate of 12.4%, when 3.6 million Canadians reported limitations in their everyday activities due to a physical or psychological condition or to a health condition. The increase is due to a number of factors, including aging of the population and changing reporting behaviours.

Activity limitations are more prevalent among older Canadians

The survey results confirm that the disability rate in Canada increases steadily with age. Among children aged 0 to 14, 3.7% reported a disability, with this rate rising to nearly 11.5% among adults aged 15 to 64 and to 43.4% among persons aged 65 and over. In fact, more than half (56.3%) of persons aged 75 and over reported having an activity limitation.

The rates of disabilities rose gradually as well within the working age population. For example, the youngest group aged 15 to 24 reported a disability rate of 4.7%, increasing to 6.1% for those aged 25 to 34. The rate continues to rise to 9.6% for those aged 35 to 44 and 15.1% for those aged 45 to 54. The largest proportion is found in the age group of 55 to 64 with a disability rate of 22.8%.

Table 1 Prevalence of disability by age for Canada, 2006. Opens a new browser window.

Table 1 Prevalence of disability by age for Canada, 2006

Adult women report higher disability rates than men

Overall, the disability rate increases with age for both men and women. Nevertheless, women were, in general, more likely (15.2%) to report an activity limitation than men (13.4%). However, this relationship is reversed among children aged 0 to 14. Boys in this age group were more likely to have activity limitations, with a rate of 4.6% compared to 2.7% for girls.

Young men and women aged 15 to 24 have a similar disability rate. Differences in the rates begin again at age 25, when the prevalence of disability is slightly higher for women than for men. This trend continues into the senior years with a disability rate of approximately 54.0% for men and 57.8% for women over the age of 75 (see Chart 1).

Chart 1 Disability rates, by age and sex, Canada, 2006. Opens a new browser window.

Chart 1 Disability rates, by age and sex, Canada, 2006


You need to use the free Adobe Reader to view PDF documents. To view (open) these files, simply click on the link. To download (save) them, right-click on the link. Note that if you are using Internet Explorer or AOL, PDF documents sometimes do not open properly. See Troubleshooting PDFs. PDF documents may not be accessible by some devices. For more information, visit the Adobe website or contact us for assistance.