Prevalence of Disability in the ESCWA Region

It is often noted that countries of the ESCWA region report very low prevalence rates of disability, as compared to other regions.  Indeed, table 1 shows that disability rates range between 1 per cent in Bahrain to 4.8 per cent in Sudan. These low rates owe to the narrow definitions used in censuses and surveys, which often focus on the most severe types of impairments (such as blindness, deafness and paralysis, among others) rather than on activity limitations and functioning. Certain categories, including psychiatric disorders, learning difficulties, specific chronic and debilitating illnesses, are not always included in the questionnaires. Furthermore, disability related to old age can be easily overlooked. The lack of a comprehensive definition and classification is likely to result in underreporting of disability, especially in communities where disability is seen as a source of shame or stigma.

Source: Compiled by ESCWA based on the respective sources set forth above.

Note: Two dots (..) indicate that data are not available.

The above disability rates diverge considerably from the global average of approximately 10 per cent, as estimated by WHO. Hypothetically, applying the average estimated rate to the total population of the ESCWA region in 2009 would result in some 26 million persons with disabilities.[1]

The primary determinants of disability in the region, particularly in rural areas, include communicative and chronic diseases, disability stemming from poor nutrition and weak access to health care services, consanguineous marriages and inadequate maternal and child health care. Most of these causes are avoidable through awareness-raising and comprehensive primary and reproductive health-care services. Equally preventable are road accidents, which represent an alarmingly significant cause of disability in the region. According to WHO, the eastern Mediterranean region has one of the highest road traffic fatality rates in the world, which implies an equally high rate of disabilities caused by road accidents.[2]  In the ESCWA region, Egypt was the top contributor to road injuries in 2007, with 154,000 traffic injuries, followed by Saudi Arabia, with 36,025 injuries.[3]

Other forms of disability in the region can be attributed to work-related injuries or arising from conflicts and their aftermaths, such as landmines to which children are particularly vulnerable. There is some evidence to suggest that for every person killed as a result of conflict, three others become permanently disabled.[4]  In Iraq, the number of persons with disabilities is believed to be 3 times higher than the official figures and substantially higher than the international average as a result of war, terrorism and the subsequent breakdown of health and rehabilitation systems. In South Lebanon, mines and explosive remains from war continue to kill and injure civilians. Since 2006, 227 cases of civilian casualties of unexploded cluster munitions have been reported.[5] Similarly, during the military operation by Israel against Gaza between December 2008 and January 2009, 1440 Palestinians were reported killed and 5380 others were wounded.[6] The United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict states that 30 per cent of people who sustained injuries still face the risk of permanent disabilities owing to the severity of their injuries and the lack of adequate and timely medical attention and rehabilitation.[7]