Web accessibility statistics
Current figures on disability, the state of the web, how people browse, the law and the business case, each linked to its source. Updated October 2026.
who uses the web
People with disabilities
Disability is common, and it becomes more common with age. These are the people every accessible site welcomes.
1 in 6
people worldwide, about 1.3 billion, live with a significant disability.
Source: World Health Organization (opens in new tab)28.7%
of US adults, about 70 million people, have a disability.
Source: CDC, 2022 data (opens in new tab)43.9%
of US adults 65 and older have a disability.
Source: CDC, 2022 data (opens in new tab)13.9%
of US adults have a cognitive disability, the most common type, followed by mobility (12.2%), hearing (6.2%) and vision (5.5%).
Source: CDC, 2022 data (opens in new tab)2.2 billion
people worldwide have a near or distance vision impairment.
Source: World Health Organization (opens in new tab)430 million
people worldwide have disabling hearing loss.
Source: World Health Organization (opens in new tab)
where the web stands
The state of the web
Every year WebAIM tests the home pages of the top million websites. The good news hiding in the numbers: most barriers are a handful of common, fixable issues.
95.9%
of the top million home pages had detected WCAG failures in 2026.
Source: WebAIM Million, 2026 (opens in new tab)56.1
detected errors on the average home page.
Source: WebAIM Million, 2026 (opens in new tab)83.9%
of home pages had low-contrast text, the most common issue.
Source: WebAIM Million, 2026 (opens in new tab)53.1%
of home pages had images missing alternative text.
Source: WebAIM Million, 2026 (opens in new tab)51%
of home pages had form fields without labels.
Source: WebAIM Million, 2026 (opens in new tab)46.3%
of home pages had empty links, which a screen reader can't name.
Source: WebAIM Million, 2026 (opens in new tab)
how people browse
Screen reader users
WebAIM's survey of screen reader users shows how people actually move through a page, and why clear structure matters so much.
67.8%
of screen reader users navigate a page by its headings first.
Source: WebAIM Screen Reader Survey #11, 2026 (opens in new tab)91.8%
use a screen reader on a mobile device.
Source: WebAIM Screen Reader Survey #11, 2026 (opens in new tab)60.1%
use AI tools to describe images.
Source: WebAIM Screen Reader Survey #11, 2026 (opens in new tab)
the law
Rules and lawsuits
General guidance only; review your own situation with your counsel.
WCAG 2.1 AA
is the standard the Department of Justice's ADA Title II rule sets for state and local government websites.
Source: 89 FR 31320 (2024) (opens in new tab)April 26, 2027
is the compliance date for state and local governments serving 50,000 people or more; April 26, 2028 for smaller ones and special districts.
Source: 91 FR 20902 (2026) (opens in new tab)3,117
website accessibility lawsuits were filed in federal court in 2025, up from 2,452 in 2024.
Source: Seyfarth Shaw, ADA Title III (opens in new tab)4,928
digital accessibility lawsuits were filed in 2025 when New York and California state courts are counted too.
Source: UsableNet (opens in new tab)
the business case
Customers and spending power
Accessible sites reach more people, and those people spend.
$675 billion
in disposable income belongs to working-age US adults with disabilities.
Source: American Institutes for Research, 2026 (opens in new tab)86%
of disabled shoppers surveyed in the UK said they'd spend more if websites had fewer barriers.
Source: Click-Away Pound, 2019 (opens in new tab)
what it means for your site
Small fixes, big difference
The most common barriers on the web are also some of the simplest to fix: enough contrast, descriptions for images, labels on form fields and names on links and buttons. Build them in from the start and keep an eye on them as the site grows, and your site works for far more of the people looking for you.
Feel free to cite these figures. A link back to this page is always appreciated.
How we build accessible websitesLet's make your site work for everyone
Tell us about your site and who it serves. We'll show you where it stands and what comes next.
Let's talk