According to the World Bank research, 13.5% of the total population of Uzbekistan aged 3 and above has some form of disability.
The prevalence of disability in the country is closely related to age: 54% of people aged 60 and over have a disability.
Officially, in 2022, 845,300 people or 2.3% of the total population were recognized as persons with disabilities.
The majority of persons with disabilities live in rural areas. For example, 532,000 people with disabilities live in villages and 313,300 – in cities. The highest rate among provinces is observed in Navoi (3.6 percent) and Syrdarya (3.1 percent).
In Uzbekistan, there are 142,300 disabled children under the age of 18 and 396,700 disabled persons under the retirement age. The number of disabled men (475,800) is more than that of women (369,500).
"Persons with disabilities in Uzbekistan face many difficulties in various fields. The government is taking measures to improve the situation. In particular, measures are being taken to implement the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was ratified by the government in 2021," says WB.
