294,000 people with disabilities in BiH

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The International Day of Persons with Disabilities is marked on December 3rd with the aim of promoting understanding of disability issues in society, enabling persons with disabilities to realize all their rights and their full inclusion in society. The observance of this Day was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1992.

Data on persons with disabilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina were collected for the first time in the 2013 Census of Population, Households and Dwellings, based on respondent declarations. According to the Census results, out of a total of 3,531,159 inhabitants in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 294,058 (8.33%) persons have a certain degree of disability. The share of persons with disabilities of male gender in the total population was 3.8%, while the share of persons of female gender was 4.5%.

The share of persons in the total population who reported having difficulties with walking was 2.75%, vision 1.48%, hearing 0.61%, remembering or concentrating 0.25%, communicating 0.08%, dressing and personal hygiene 0.04%. In addition to persons with one type of difficulty, persons with multiple difficulties were also registered, whose share in the total population was 3.12%.

In accordance with the recommendations of the Washington Group on Disability Statistics, disability data were collected based on questions about the type of difficulty, degree of difficulty, and cause of difficulty. Only persons who declared having significant difficulties or being completely unable to perform daily activities at home, at work, or at school were considered persons with disabilities, the Agency for Statistics announced, reports NAP.