Incheon Disabled Population 144,000, Economic Activity 39%... Disabled Statistics Released

Incheon City Hall

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Incheon City has published the 2019 statistics on people with disabilities on its official website.

The statistics on people with disabilities, which will be used for policy-making to improve their quality of life, consist of 99 items across five areas: population, welfare, education, employment, and health.

According to the 2019 statistics, the population of people with disabilities in Incheon was 143,863 as of the end of September last year, accounting for 4.9% of the city’s total population and 5.5% of the nationwide disabled population.

By age group, those in their 60s were the largest at 33,845 (23.5%), and the gender ratio showed 148.4 males per 100 females, indicating a higher proportion of male people with disabilities. Among all people with disabilities, 28,696 (19.9%) were recipients of the National Basic Livelihood Security benefits.

The economic activity participation rate of registered people with disabilities aged 15 and over was 39.4%, the employment rate was 36.0%, and the unemployment rate was 8.7%.

There are nine special schools for people with disabilities in Incheon, and 945 general schools provide special education. Among special education recipients, the largest disability type was 'intellectual disability' with 3,314 individuals, and by school level, the 'elementary school' level had the highest number at 2,889.

Chronic diseases among people with disabilities were surveyed as follows: periodontal disease with 53,925 cases, hypertension with 35,046, arthritis with 33,031, diabetes with 20,819, mental illness with 19,729, and liver disease with 5,406.

Additionally, the number of cancer patients receiving treatment was 1,152 for colorectal cancer, 888 for stomach cancer, 682 for lung cancer, 602 for liver cancer, 444 for breast cancer, and 80 for cervical cancer.

Since the disability grading system was gradually abolished starting July last year, the city compiled these statistics to provide customized services considering life cycles and types of disabilities instead of grades.

In particular, the city plans to actively utilize the data to provide tailored jobs for people with disabilities by understanding employment status, desired jobs, and salaries, as well as to strengthen vocational skills development and education.

An official from Incheon City stated, "Following the statistics on people with disabilities, this year we will develop elderly registration statistics to expand data that accurately reflect the realities and difficulties of vulnerable groups."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.