The lack of disability data impedes on healthcare equity

A new report from the McKinsey Health Institute and the Missing Billion Initiative highlights significant gaps in health data on disabilities, and shines a light on how these gaps present a barrier to achieving global health equity goals.

Left unaddressed, these gaps have a profound impact. 1.3 billion people – 16% of the world’s population – live with a disability and face heightened barriers to healthcare that lead to poorer health outcomes and higher mortality rates. Yet countries across income designations fail to collect usable data about disabilities. These gaps will restrict global and national leaders from developing and enacting informed policies that will address critical health challenges this large population faces.

This report is the first of a 3 part publication series with the McKinsey Health Institute through which we aim to shed light on key issues in healthcare access for people with disabilities.