Some 7.7 million people over the age of 15, or 14.1% of the French population, have a disability, and 9.3 million declare themselves to be "caregivers" of an elderly or disabled relative, according to two studies published Thursday, February 2 by the Drees, the statistical service of the social ministries.
These figures are not taken from administrative data, nor linked to the benefits paid to the people concerned, but from a vast survey, “Daily life and health”, carried out in 2021 and 2022 among 334,000 people.
Disability being a “
complex notion
”, two approaches were combined to count the people concerned, explain the authors.
On the one hand, respondents were asked if they felt “
strongly limited
” in “
activities that people usually do
”.
On the other, they were asked to report a possible “
severe limitation for a physical, sensory or cognitive function
”.
55% of caregivers are women
In the end, 7.7 million people over 15 in France are in a position to have answered "yes" to one or other of the two questions, i.e. 14.1% of those over 15 - including 4.7% who combine the two criteria.
Among children aged 5 to 14, 4.8% fall into one or the other group, but the proportion rises to 25.5% for those over 60.
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In addition, France has 9.3 million caregivers, including 500,000 minors, and 55% women, indicates the DREES on the basis of the same survey.
These are people declaring that they “
provide regular assistance to a relative with a disability or loss of autonomy
”, whether or not they live with this relative.
Of this total, 5.7 million provide "
daily life assistance
" to their loved one, 6.4 million provide "
moral support
", and 1.3 million provide financial assistance, with a third of the total combining two or three of these forms of help.
"
The percentage of people declaring themselves as informal caregivers increases with age until around 60, then tends to decrease, with the exception of a rebound between 80 and 85, which can be explained by the entry into the dependence of the spouses of the elderly
”, explains the DREES.
