There's a common assumption that "only" a small number of website visitors have a disability, or "we don't have any disabled customers," or "the disability market isn't big enough."
This is incorrect. You are at risk of missing out on the significant business and economic benefits of web accessibility.
This post aims to challenge all assumptions about the market size and demonstrate how it can reduce costs and benefit your business.
We've compiled statistics on the affected population, their demographics, and the economic impact on businesses to demonstrate the importance of web accessibility.
Below are the key statistics and source information. For more context and the link to the sources, scroll down below to the table of contents.
The prevalence of disabilities worldwide is far greater than many realise, with profound implications for digital accessibility.
According to the World Health Organization (Opens in a new window) , an estimated 1.3 billion people, around 16% of the population, experience significant disability globally. This officially makes it the world's largest minority.
In the US, 28.7% of adults—about 1 in 4—live with a disability (Opens in a new window) In England and Wales, 25.4% (6 million) of households have one disabled member and 6.6% (1.6 million) have two or more, according to the Office for National Statistics (Opens in a new window) .
The digital divide remains a pressing issue. While there are over 84 million disabled internet users in the US, only 26% have access to high-speed internet (Opens in a new window) Additionally, 15% of disabled people report never going online, compared to just 5% of those without disabilities (Opens in a new window) These figures represent missed opportunities for businesses and point to a critical need for more inclusive digital infrastructure.
The global web accessibility landscape presents challenges and opportunities. While local statistics are scarce due to limited census data in many countries, fewer than 20 nations outside the US have adopted the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 as their national standard for web accessibility (Opens in a new window) . Pioneers include Australia, Canada, France, Spain, Germany, India, Japan, and the UK.
This global disparity in accessibility standards presents an opportunity for businesses to differentiate themselves and tap into underserved markets by prioritising digital inclusivity.
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Understanding the prevalence and types of disabilities affecting web users is crucial for creating inclusive digital experiences.
A large global population is affected by visual and auditory impairments, highlighting the need for web accessibility. According to the World Health Organization (Opens in a new window) , over 2.2 billion people experience visual impairments, with over 27% potentially benefiting from screen readers. This underscores the size of the market relying on assistive technologies and the need for your websites to be screen reader friendly.
In the U.S., visual impairments significantly impact society. About 12% of Americans over 40 have moderate to severe vision impairment, affecting their ability to read and interact with websites and visual content.
Hearing loss and deafness affect over 5% of the world's population, which is over 430 million people, including 34 million children (Opens in a new window) . By 2050, projections indicate this figure will rise to one in ten individuals, emphasising the growing importance of accessible audio content online.
These numbers indicate a large, often underserved market that could benefit from improved web accessibility practices.
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The need for assistive technologies, tools that help people with disabilities access information and interact with websites, is growing rapidly. The question is, are you ready for it? Is your website accessible for users of these technologies to navigate your site with ease?
Currently, nearly 1.3 billion people worldwide need assistive tools to access online content effectively. This number expands to over 2.5 billion for those needing one or more assistive products in their daily lives. Looking ahead, the demand is set to increase dramatically.
By 2050, an estimated 3.5 billion people—almost 40% of the projected global population—will rely on assistive technology. This surge is driven by an aging population and the rise of noncommunicable diseases.
The impact is felt across all age groups, including the younger generation. In the US, 14% of public school students require some form of assistive technology for their academics (Opens in a new window) .
These figures once again underline a critical message for businesses: web accessibility isn't a niche concern. It's a necessity for reaching and engaging a growing segment of the global population and giving them access to resources like education.
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The digital landscape is vast and expanding, with nearly 200 million active websites and 175 new sites created every minute (Opens in a new window) . Yet, despite this boom, a critical issue persists: web accessibility.
95.9% of home pages have detectable WCAG 2.0 (Opens in a new window) (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) failures, with an average of 50.8 accessibility errors per page, according to WebAIM's 2024 report on the accessibility of the top 1 million homepages (Opens in a new window) .
These aren't minor oversights; they're significant barriers for millions of users. Common issues include low-contrast text, missing descriptive text for images (known as "alt text"), empty links, and unlabelled form inputs - which can render a site unusable for disabled users. Some could be resolved easily, particularly low-contrast text and missing alt text. Ironically, in the same report, 22.1% of all images on home pages lack alt text, shutting out screen reader users from crucial visual content.
But wait, there's more.
A 2021 report from the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (Opens in a new window) revealed that 30% of popular federal websites failed automated accessibility tests on their homepages, and nearly half failed on at least one of their three most visited pages.
It's a shame that millions (like myself) can't access online content due to the lack of global website compliance standards.
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The legal landscape around web accessibility is becoming challenging for businesses, especially in e-commerce. No one is exempt… not even Beyoncé (Opens in a new window)
In 2022, a record 4,061 digital accessibility lawsuits were filed in the U.S., with 2,387 related to the Americans with Disabilities Act (Opens in a new window) . This surge represents thousands of frustrated users denied equal access to online services.
E-commerce companies account for 77% of these lawsuits. To put this in perspective, in 2022, one in five top U.S. online retailers faced legal action over accessibility issues. Even more alarming is the 36% year-over-year increase in lawsuits targeting businesses using accessibility overlays, highlighting that using those quick-fix solutions do not meet true compliance standards.
The financial implications are sobering. These lawsuits, with an average cost of $100,000 per case (Opens in a new window) , are not just a minor penalty—they are a significant blow to a company's bottom line and reputation.
Small and medium-sized businesses can face lawsuits, though they don't grab media attention like bigger brands.
So you have to ask yourself: is it worth the risk?
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The economic implications of web accessibility are far-reaching and often underestimated. Let's analyse this in key areas:
Ok, ok, enough economic advantages. But you can see the numerous advantages.
A common concern among business owners I speak to relates to market opportunity, return on investments, and the economic value of this.
This section shows that according to the researches listed above, the business opportunity is huge.
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Nobody will accept bad user experience. For assistive technology users, this is considered normal. Why is that acceptable?
Imagine shopping online, only to find that 70% of e-commerce, news, and government websites have closed the door on you. This is the frustrating reality for many vision-impaired users, according to Nucleus Research (Opens in a new window) .
The impact on businesses is stark. A 2019 study (Opens in a new window) revealed that 70% of disabled online shoppers abandon their carts, not due to changing their minds, but because they couldn't navigate the site. This costs UK businesses £17.1 billion in lost revenue annually.
It's not just about lost sales—it's about lost connections too. A global Kantar study (Opens in a new window) found that 88% of people feel underrepresented by brands, while 59% seek out companies that champion diversity and inclusion.
According to a Fable study (Opens in a new window) , this sentiment is stronger among those with disabilities:
Perhaps most compelling is that 45% of respondents consider digital accessibility more crucial than product availability (Opens in a new window) .
These statistics once again demonstrate a shift in consumer priorities. People aren't just buying products; they're investing in experiences that respect and include them.
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Hopefully, this post will give you a new perspective on the power of making your website accessible and dispel any accessibility myths.
As we move forward, we must ask how we can make our digital presence more inclusive. What steps can we take today to ensure our websites are accessible? And perhaps most importantly, how can we shift our perspective to see accessibility not as a burden, but as an opportunity for innovation and growth?
The easy answer is to always include accessibility in discussions about your digital products. The earlier, the better, as retrofitting a website to be accessible can be significantly more expensive than implementing it from the start.
By continuing this conversation, we can collectively work towards a more inclusive digital world, benefiting you too, as we have outlined.
If you need more help with web accessibility, get in touch.