The relationship between poverty and disability is dialectic. According to World Bank estimations, one in five of the world’s poorest persons has some form of disability. The UN suggests that 82% of these persons live below the poverty line in developing countries. However, there is still a lack of detailed research on the links between poverty and disability, even though it has been suggested that 50% of impairments are preventable and directly linked to poverty (see figure).

The main linkages between poverty and disability are (see  figure):

- unhealthy and risky living conditions, such as inadequate shelter, water supply and sanitation, unsafe traffic and working conditions;
- absence and inaccessibility (due to environmental and/or monetary barriers) of timely and adequate health care and rehabilitation;
- restricted access to education and employment;
- exclusion from social life: people with disabilities often do not have access to public places because of physical barriers, and often people with disabilities cannot participate in political decision-making.

More details about these linkages are explained in the sector-relevant sub-sections in 6.5 .