Disability rates similar in Ireland and Northern Ireland, but severity higher in Northern Ireland

The ESRI has today published a new report, How do disability rates differ across the island of Ireland?, as part of the joint research programme between the ESRI and the Department of the Taoiseach’s Shared Island Unit. 

The report provides the first detailed, side by side comparison of disability prevalence in Ireland and Northern Ireland using recent (2021/22) census microdata. 

Key Findings:

•    Overall disability rates among 20–69 year olds are very similar North and South—23 per cent in Northern Ireland and 22 per cent in Ireland, based on their respective census questions. 
•    However, the severity of disability differs significantly, with Northern Ireland recording a notably higher share of people experiencing more severe disabilities, 11 per cent compared to 6 per cent in Ireland. Severe disability refers to respondents reporting the highest level of limitation in each census question. Disability rates rise with age in both jurisdictions, but the age gradient is much steeper in Northern Ireland. 
•    Education also matters: higher educational attainment is strongly associated with lower disability rates, particularly in Northern Ireland. 
•    Unpaid caring roles are linked to a higher likelihood of reporting a disability, especially in Ireland. 
•    Local labour market conditions exert some influence, but the effects are relatively small both North and South. This is considerably different to what is found in the international literature on disability but is in line with previous findings for Northern Ireland. 
•    These results come from model estimates, meaning they show the effect of each factor independent of other characteristics.

Mapping disability across the island shows high-prevalence clusters in the North West and in parts of the main cities (e.g. parts of Belfast and parts of Dublin), which likely reflects patterns of deprivation as well as age profiles. While there is no consistent “border pattern”, some adjoining counties along the border show similar prevalence rates, for example high rates are evident in Donegal and Derry City and Strabane, with lower rates in Monaghan and Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon.

The study presents these findings in the context of important differences between jurisdictions, including differing health systems, social security systems, educational attainment and differing social norms. The legacy of the conflict in Northern Ireland is also known to have an impact on contemporary disability rates.

Importance of comparable data for all-island research

The findings underline the need for policy responses that reflect the specific contexts of each jurisdiction. The report also emphasises the importance of more comparable data for all-island research, particularly aligned census questions.

Commenting on the findings, author of the ESRI report, Anne Devlin said: 

“This report provides a comparative analysis of disability rates in Northern Ireland and Ireland and is timely given ongoing policy debate on disability-related issues, such as social security, in both jurisdictions. We find rates of overall disability are similar across the jurisdictions but if we focus on more severe disabilities, the rate is much higher in Northern Ireland. Disability rates also show a mirrored pattern along the border, with high rate counties in Ireland aligning with neighbouring high rate counties in Northern Ireland, and the same for areas with lower rates.”