Stats NZ publishes overview of disability data
Statistics New Zealand has published a new report that brings together disability data from multiple sources to make it easier to find, understand, and use.
May 5th, 2026
he report, titled ‘An overview of disability data in Aotearoa New Zealand’, is a tool for people who want to use and understand disability data but aren’t sure what information is available.
The report brings together and summarises data under four themes:
wellbeing and inclusion
participation in society
standard of living
services and support
Data used in the report is taken from several surveys run by Statistics New Zealand and other government departments, including:
Household Disability Survey
General Social Survey
New Zealand Health Survey
Te Kupenga
New Zealand Crime and Victims Survey
Household Labour Force Survey
Household Economic Survey | Household Income and Living Survey
New Zealand Census
Why this report matters
Bringing together disability data from different sources allows us to have a more well-rounded understanding of the experiences and outcomes of disabled people in New Zealand.
Theme one: wellbeing and inclusion
This theme covers a wide range of topics from overall life satisfaction to general health to loneliness.
Overall, the data shows disabled people consistently report lower levels of wellbeing and inclusion than non-disabled people.
While many disabled adults are generally satisfied with their life, they are much less likely than non-disabled adults to report high life satisfaction, good health, or positive expectations for their future wellbeing.
Disabled adults are also more likely to experience loneliness, heightened feelings of unsafety, discrimination, and victimisation.
However, parents of disabled children report similar levels of emotional support to parents of non-disabled children, and public attitudes toward disabled people are broadly positive.
Theme two: Participation in society
Participation in society includes voting, education, employment/unemployment, volunteering, and leisure activities.
Overall, disabled and non-disabled people participate in many aspects of society at similar rates, though may participate in different ways.
Disabled and non-disabled people vote in elections at a similar rate.
The amount of disabled adults who volunteer is similar to non-disabled, but disabled people volunteer for more hours on average.
Most disabled people take part in leisure activities, though fewer activities per month than non-disabled people.
Education and employment rates for disabled people are much lower than non-disabled. Disabled people report lower job satisfaction and work life balance, with many not having their needs met for support and accommodations at work.
Theme three: standard of living
This theme includes data around income, child poverty, homelessness, and housing quality.
Overall, data shows that disabled people experience significantly lower living standards compared to non-disabled people.
Disabled adults receive less than half the median weekly income of non-disabled adults. Over half of disabled people live in households where the income is not enough or just enough to cover basic needs like food, healthcare, and utilities.
Disabled adults are more likely to report their housing as unaffordable and they have to cut back on essentials like food and healthcare due to financial constraints. Disabled children are more likely to live in households where they don’t have access to basic needs.
Theme four: services and support
Services and support relates to healthcare, access to assistive equipment or technology, and emergency preparedness.
As you may expect, GP visits are notably more common for people with disabilities. However, the disabled community experiences significant barriers to healthcare, including cost, long wait times, and service availability.
Many disabled people report negative interactions with health providers, including poor treatment and feeling unheard.
A large amount of disabled people who would benefit from assistance equipment or technology say that their needs are not met or they have difficulty accessing equipment. This is mostly due to cost or funding eligibility.
In terms of emergency preparedness, disabled and non-disabled people have similar access to telecommunications at home, stored water, and emergency plans. However, disabled people are less likely to live in households with sufficient emergency food supplies.
Read ‘An overview of disability data in Aotearoa New Zealand’
Read a summary of ‘An overview of disability data in Aotearoa New Zealand’