https://sdaatlas.com.au/participants/ · Figures as at 30 June 2026
Contains data © National Disability Insurance Scheme Agency 2013, licensed under CC BY 4.0. SDA Atlas is independent of, and not endorsed by, the Agency.
Who is in the scheme
782,013 people have an active NDIS plan. It is a young scheme: 41% are under 15, and the 162,746 aged under nine are its largest band. 89% of those children are recorded under autism or developmental delay.
By primary disability group
Participant numbers and plan budgets data, 30 June 2026
- Autism $46,000 average annualised plan 350,651 46%
- Intellectual Disability $137,000 average annualised plan 100,509 13%
- Psychosocial disability $120,000 average annualised plan 66,122 9%
- Developmental delay $22,000 average annualised plan 59,286 8%
- Hearing Impairment $19,000 average annualised plan 29,823 4%
- Other Neurological $207,000 average annualised plan 26,612 3%
- ABI $213,000 average annualised plan 20,487 3%
- Other Physical $108,000 average annualised plan 20,284 3%
- Cerebral Palsy $208,000 average annualised plan 19,041 2%
- Global developmental delay $27,000 average annualised plan 18,879 2%
- Other $133,000 average annualised plan 14,680 2%
- Multiple Sclerosis $140,000 average annualised plan 12,531 2%
- Down Syndrome $163,000 average annualised plan 11,803 2%
- Visual Impairment $64,000 average annualised plan 11,299 1%
By age band
Summed across disability groups
- 0 to 8 162,746 21%
- 9 to 14 158,466 20%
- 15 to 18 83,105 11%
- 19 to 24 74,537 10%
- 25 to 34 70,143 9%
- 35 to 44 56,166 7%
- 45 to 54 59,525 8%
- 55 to 64 72,040 9%
- 65+ 44,978 6%
This is the age profile of the whole scheme, not of SDA. The NDIA publishes no age breakdown of SDA participants, so the two cannot be compared here. Across all ages, about 3% of participants are assessed as needing SDA.
Growth by state
Active participants by state, summed from the SA4 dataset — the longest series the NDIA publishes at regional granularity. Values exclude cells the NDIA suppresses, so each line is a lower bound.
Average committed budget by support class
Annualised, weighted by participants in each disability group
- Core supports 700,392 participants $68,237 est
- Capital supports 135,272 participants $20,849 est
- Capacity building 775,832 participants $20,725 est
SDA is funded from Capital supports, and pays for the dwelling only. The assistance a person receives inside it is funded separately, from Core.
Largest average plans by disability group
Average annualised committed support budget, all support classes
- Spinal Cord Injury 6,644 participants $236,000
- ABI 20,487 participants $213,000
- Stroke 11,192 participants $210,000
- Cerebral Palsy 19,041 participants $208,000
- Other Neurological 26,612 participants $207,000
- Down Syndrome 11,803 participants $163,000
- Multiple Sclerosis 12,531 participants $140,000
- Intellectual Disability 100,509 participants $137,000
- Other 14,680 participants $133,000
- Psychosocial disability 66,122 participants $120,000
Which of these groups ends up in which kind of housing is not something this data can answer: the NDIA does not publish disability group against SDA design category, at any geography. The two halves of that question are reported entirely separately.
Projected participants
The NDIA publishes forward projections by service district. They are projections, not commitments, and the Agency asks that they not be treated as a forecast.
| Service district | Now | 2030 | 2035 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QLD Brisbane | 29,133 | 37,100 | 44,200 | 52% |
| NSW South Western Sydney | 34,742 | 41,100 | 48,700 | 40% |
| VIC Bayside Peninsula | 24,205 | 30,000 | 37,000 | 53% |
| NSW Western Sydney | 26,682 | 31,300 | 36,900 | 38% |
| VIC Western Melbourne | 20,055 | 25,700 | 30,200 | 51% |
| VIC Southern Melbourne | 19,399 | 24,400 | 28,900 | 49% |
| QLD Beenleigh | 18,915 | 23,700 | 27,900 | 48% |
| NSW Hunter New England | 35,717 | 37,400 | 44,600 | 25% |
| QLD Caboolture/Strathpine | 18,337 | 23,300 | 27,100 | 48% |
| QLD Robina | 16,377 | 21,000 | 24,900 | 52% |
| VIC North East Melbourne | 18,970 | 22,300 | 27,200 | 43% |
| SA Northern Adelaide | 21,228 | 24,800 | 28,900 | 36% |