Age- and Gender-Specific Prevalence of Intellectually Disabled Population in India.

Mudit and colleagues ran a national survey across India. They counted how many people have intellectual disability. They split the numbers by age group and by gender.

The team used government records and household interviews. They looked at every state and territory.

Boys showed up more often than girls. For every 100,000 boys, 179 had ID. For every 100,000 girls, 120 had ID.

The gap was biggest in poor families with little schooling. In those homes, girls with ID were simply missing from the count.

Older country counts found higher overall rates. Finland’s register study (H et al., 2007) reported 0.70%. India now shows only 0.15%. The gap is not a true difference. India used one survey, while Finland linked many registers. More data sources catch more cases.

Taiwan’s registry (Jin-Ding, 2009) also saw more boys than girls, just like India. The male-to-female ratio stayed near 1.3–1.4 in both places. This pattern now looks stable across cultures.

China’s old review (K et al., 1997) guessed 1% prevalence with no gender split. India’s new numbers replace that rough guess with clear, age- and sex-specific rates.

If you plan services, do not trust a single count. Use several doorways—school lists, health clinics, and census questions—to find girls who are hidden. When you write grants, cite India’s real ratio: 60 girls for every 100 boys with ID. Ask for extra outreach money to reach the missing girls.