Economic Costs of Disability in Bangladesh

Zulfiqar Ali

 

Abstract

This paper attempts to estimate the economic costs of disability in Bangladesh. Disability tends to reduce economic output by reducing or eliminating the economic contribution of the members with disabilities, their family members, relatives and close friends. The amount by which economic output is reduced constitutes the net economic cost of disability. Four cost components have been taken into consideration in the analysis, which includes: costs due to lack of access to employment; costs due to children with disabilities losing out on school; costs due to adults helping people with disabilities; and costs due to children helping a family member with disabilities. The cumulative cost of the four components is approximately US $1.18 billion per year, which is about 1.74 per cent of Bangladesh’s GDP.

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