United Nations
Disabled Persons Bulletin
Bulletin No 2 of 1999 Page 3/6  
Activities of the United Nations on disability statistics and indicators22
Progress made in the development of statistics and indicators
on disability
As recommended in the World Programme of Action, the United Nations is actively working
to develop disability statistics and indicators.23
At its twenty-eighth session, the Statistical Commission requested that the concept of
functional limitations be further elaborated upon in the development of impairment,
disability and handicap (IDH) statistics and that the United Nations Statistics Division
prepare a minimum set of IDH tabulation items and core tables.24
In accordance with this and earlier mandates, the Statistics Division has continued to
work towards the development of a realistic and practical system of data collection in
countries and to prepare technical manuals and documents on how to collect such
statistics.25
Among other substantive accomplishments, the Statistics Division:
- Organized, in cooperation with the Central Bureau of Statistics of the Netherlands, an
expert group meeting on the development of impairment, disability and handicap statistics
(Voorburg, the Netherlands, 7-11 November 1994). The meeting reviewed existing disability
data-collection methods and standards, and identified in the light of that review a set of
guidelines for use in censuses, surveys and registrations;26
- Published in 1996 the Manual for the Development of Statistical Information for
Disability Programmes and Policies27. The Manual
was written specifically for programme managers who produce and use statistical
information to implement, monitor and evaluate disability policies and programmes. It was
prepared in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), and received support
from the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) and a grant from the United
Nations Voluntary Fund on Disability;28
- Included disability for the first time as a topic in the revision of the Principles
and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses for the year 2000.29 The Statistical Commission, at its twenty-ninth session,
endorsed the principles and recommendations and supported the new and revised sections.30, 31 For more information about
the Principles, see selected reference material produced by the United Nations in
this issue.
- Initiated ongoing work for the improvement of statistical concepts, methods and
data-collection programmes. The key initiative in the Division’s methodological work
during 1998-1999 is the preparation of the guidelines and principles for the development
of impairment, disability and handicap statistics. For more information about this work,
see selected reference material produced by the United Nations in this issue.
- Development of the Disability Statistics Database (DISTAT). For more information about
DISTAT, see selected reference material produced by the United Nations in this issue.
Information currently available for the development of
indicators
National censuses represent a major source of disability data for many countries.32 A great deal of work on concepts, classifications and development
of statistics on disability has been undertaken in recent years and increasing numbers of
countries are including disability as a topic in their censuses.33
Since the observance in 1981 of the International Year of Disabled Persons, the number
of censuses that include disability issues has increased significantly. According to
information made available to the Statistics Division, in the 1970 pre-year round, fewer
than 20 countries included disability questions in the national population census; this
number increased to nearly 60 countries in the 1980 round and to over 80 countries in the
1990 round.34
In assessing the state of disability statistics in 1980, the World Programme of Action
noted that data on education and employment status of people with disabilities are
important for assessing the equalization of opportunities. However, few countries at
present produce census tabulations on education and employment for the population with
disabilities. That question is addressed in recent recommendations for the year 2000
census on specifications for the tabulation plan for disability data produced by the
Statistics Division. As suggested by the World Programme of Action, special attention is
directed to presenting tabulations comparing persons with and without disabilities on key
social and economic characteristics.35
Other organizations in the United Nations system have also been working on the
development of disability indicators and statistics, as follows:
- The International Labour Organization (ILO) collects data on the monitoring of ILO
Convention No. 159 of 1983 on vocational rehabilitation and employment (disabled persons),
and has received data from the 54 countries that have ratified the Convention;
- UNESCO has collected, since 1980, data on practices viewed as more reliable than data on
equalization of special education; its most recent review, 1993-1994, opportunities
issues. Collection of such information contains data for 52 countries;
- The Statistics Division is cooperating with WHO in the development and testing of the
International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps — Beta-2
(ICIDH-2). The Division is also working with the United States National Center for Health
Statistics to develop standard procedures for coding disability data to ICIDH-2. More
information on ICIDH-2 is provided below.
22 See A/52/351, para. 43-50.
23 Ibid.
24 See E/CN.3/1997/14, para. 15.
25 See A/52/351, para. 43.
26 Ibid., para. 43 (a)
27 United Nations publication, Sales No. E.96.XVII.4.
28 See A/52/351, para. 43 (b).
29 ST/ESA/STAT/SER.M/67/Rev.1, paras. 2,266-2.285.
30 See E/1997/24-E/CN.3/1997/29, para. 55.
31 See A/52/351, para. 43 (c).
32 see A/52/351, paras. 45-47.
33 See Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing
Censuses, Revision 1, para. 3.81.
34 See A/52/351, paras. 45-47.
35 Ibid
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