Statistics: Around 7.8 million severely disabled people in Germany

Age and Distribution of Those Affected

The majority of severely disabled people are older. Just under half of those affected were between 55 and 74 years old: "45 Prozent gehörten der Altersgruppe der 55- bis 74-Jährigen an." Another 34 percent of severely disabled people were 75 years or older.

Only three percent of the severely disabled were children or adolescents under 18. The group of severely disabled people is thus clearly concentrated in the higher and old adult age.

Causes of Disabilities

Illness is by far the most common cause: "Gut 91 Prozent der schweren Behinderungen wurden durch eine Krankheit verursacht." Three percent of disabilities were congenital, and "gut ein Prozent" was attributable to an accident or occupational disease. A further around four percent were grouped under "other causes."

The degree of disability is measured in levels from 20 to 100. In 21 percent of people with a severe disability, the highest degree of disability of 100 was determined, which corresponds to a particularly severe impairment.

The statistics are based on administrative data from the pension offices and the pension administration. People who apply for recognition undergo a medical assessment procedure in which the degree of disability is determined. A person is only considered severely disabled within the meaning of the law from a value of 50.

Notes on the Statistics

The group of severely disabled people in Germany thus remains at a high level overall, even if the absolute figures have slightly decreased compared to 2023. This is also related to demographic factors, as the risk of a severe disability increases with age.

The pension offices not only issue the ID card, but also provide certain benefits and compensatory measures, for example in working life, in tax law or in mobility. The ID card is generally valid for several years and must then be renewed.

The official statistics point out that the cleanup of administrative data in Hesse and Saxony limits direct comparability with previous years. Destatis recommends interpreting the changes compared to 2023 with a view to this methodological limitation.

The original report was distributed via the news agency AFP and broadcast on 13 July 2026, among others, on the Deutschlandfunk programme.