Disabled adults in Wallonia 2018, by main diagnosis

In Wallonia, over 107,500 people aged 21 to 64 years are living with a disability in 2018. These disabilities are linked to various main diagnosis. Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue represent the most common diagnosis. A quarter of disabled people in Wallonia are diagnosed with mental and behavioral disorders. Thus, making them also quite well-spread.

Disabilities are characterized by their impairment on someone's autonomy. The main diagnosis refers to the condition creating the biggest autonomy loss. In 2018, diseases afflicting the central nervous system were the third most common diagnosis.

In Belgium, since 2013, doctors can encode the main diagnosis. This can be useful to understand the origin, consequences and possible evolution of the disability. On the other hand, as only one condition is encoded per person, some other condition can be underestimated. This is especially true for multiple disabilities or co-morbidities.