Source: Report No. 63 "Persons with Disabilities and Chronic Illnesses" published by the Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong in December 2021
Statistical assessment of the total number of people with intellectual disabilities
According to Report No. 63 published by the Census and Statistics Department of the Hong Kong Government in December 2021, the estimated number of individual with intellectual disabilities in Hong Kong was about 77,000 to 90,000, and the prevalence rate of individual with intellectual disabilities in Hong Kong was about 1.0% - 1.2%.
Since applying for registration of people with disabilities and utilizing other related services at the central registry of rehabilitations are voluntary, abovementioned administrative records can only reflect limited estimation in certain category of disability.
Based on the administrative records of the central registry of rehabilitations and other government departments/ bureau until March 2021, the total number of registered individual with intellectual disabilities were approximate 41,400. Among them, around 12,200 were institutionalized and around 29,200 lived in residential area.
The chart below is based on the administrative records of the central registry of rehabilitations and other government departments/ bureau (until March 2021):
individual with intellectual disabilities lived in residential area | 29 200 |
Age: | |
<15 | 4 500 |
15-29 | 12 400 |
30-39 | 6 200 |
40-49 | 3 300 |
50-59 | 1 900 |
≥ 60 | 1 000 |
Gender: | |
Male: | 18 400 |
Female: | 10 800 |
Distribution of residential areas: | |
Hong Kong Island | 4 100 |
Kowloon East | 7 900 |
Kowloon West | 2 500 |
New Territories East | 6 600 |
New Territories West | 8 100 |
Institutionalized individual with intellectual disabilities | 12 200 |
Age: | |
<15 | 700 |
15-29 | 1 200 |
30-39 | 2 200 |
40-49 | 2 700 |
50-59 | 2 700 |
≥ 60 | 2 600 |
Gender: | |
Male: | 6 800 |
Female: | 5 400 |
Distribution of residential areas: | |
Hong Kong Island | 1 900 |
Kowloon East | 2 100 |
Kowloon West | 700 |
New Territories East | 2 500 |
New Territories West | 4 900 |
Underestimation of the number of people with intellectual disabilities
There are certain difficulties in collecting data from individual with intellectual disabilities in statistical assessment. As for this statistical assessment, only individuals who had been diagnosed with intellectual disability by qualified medical professional was defined as individual with intellectual disabilities. The abovementioned definition of individual with intellectual disabilities in this statistical assessment reflects that individuals who are suspected to be intellectually disabled but have not yet been diagnosed by medical professional (especially people with learning delays which is also type of mild intellectual disabilities) were not included in this statistical assessment.
In addition, in the past, intellectual disability was not as well-known as it is now. Some individual with intellectual disabilities (especially adults) may have never received diagnosis from a qualified medical professional for their intellectual disability in the past. Therefore, despite their actual intellectual disabilities, they were not defined as intellectually disabled in this statistical assessment.
