Chinese disabled have smaller incomes

The incomes of China's disabled still lag far behind the national average and need improvement, according to a report issued by the China Disabled Persons' Federation on Wednesday. The report, which includes data regarding 39,825 disabled people in 734 county-level regions, said that in 2012, the per capita net income for disabled households only accounted for 56.2 percent of the national average. In 2012, the Engel coefficient, or the proportion of food expenditures in total consumption-related spending, for China's disabled households was 48.5 percent, 10.8 percentage points higher than the national average. Urban and rural disabled families also paid more for medical care last year, it added. According to the report, the per capita disposable income for urban disabled households grew from 11,757 yuan (1,912 U.S. dollars) in 2011 to 14,050 yuan in 2012, while that for rural disabled residents increased from 5,998 yuan in 2011 to 6,971 yuan in 2012. Figures from National Bureau of Statistics showed the annual per-capita net income for rural residents reached 7,917 yuan in 2012, while that for urban residents was 24,565 yuan.