August 2025 © 2025 The World Bank and UNICEF 1818 H Street NW, Washington DC 20433 Telephone: 202-473-1000; Internet:www.worldbank.org Some rights reserved. This work is a product of The World Bank. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressedin this work do not necessarily reflect the views of the Executive Directors of The World Bank or thegovernments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or currency of the data included in thiswork and does not assume responsibility for any errors, omissions, or discrepancies in the information, orliability with respect to the use of or failure to use the information, methods, processes, or conclusions setforth. The boundaries, colors, denominations, links/footnotes and other information shown in this workdo not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory orthe endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. The citation of works authored by others does notmean the World Bank endorses the views expressed by those authors or the content of their works. Nothing herein shall constitute or be construed or considered to be a limitation upon or waiver of theprivileges and immunities of The World Bank, all of which are specifically reserved. Rights and PermissionsThe material in this work is subject to copyright. Because The World Bank encourages dissemination of its knowledge, this work may be reproduced, in whole or in part, for noncommercial purposes as long as fullattribution to this work is given. Attribution—Please cite the work as follows: “World Bank and UNICEF. 2025. Methodological Guidelineson Assessing Household Disability-Related Costs and Their Implication for Participation. © World Bank.” Any queries on rights and licenses, including subsidiary rights, should be addressed to World BankPublications, The World Bank, 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA; fax: 202-522-2625; email: pubrights@worldbank.org. Acknowledgments These guidelines were developed by a team led by Charlotte McClain-Nhlapo (World Bank) and AlexandreCote (UNICEF). Ludovico Carraro (Consultant, World Bank) was the lead author. Team members included(in alphabetical order) Andrey Tretyak (World Bank), Daniel Mont (Center for Inclusive Policy), DebbieBong (World Bank), Deepti Samant Raja (World Bank), Elizabeth Acul (World Bank), Lena Morgon Banks(The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine), Mónica Pinilla-Roncancio (University of Los Andes,Bogotá), and Vlad Grigoras (World Bank). These guidelines build on findings from studies in multiple countries by UNICEF and the Center forInclusive Policy. In addition to the core team, a collaboration of colleagues and researchers participatedin two workshops and online discussions to identify the methods and processes provided in this report.The team is very grateful for the contributions of Charles Knox-Vydmanov (UNICEF), Chloe Blackwell(Centre for Research in Social Policy, Loughborough University), Hanna Alasuutari (World Bank), KatherineHill (Centre for Research in Social Policy, Loughborough University), Ketevan Melikadze (UNICEF), MaiaBagrationi (MAC Georgia), Meenakshi Balasubramanian (Center for Inclusive Policy), Pamela Smith (SODISPeru), and Zachary Morris (Stonybrook University). The team is grateful for feedback from World Bank peer reviewers Jose Cuesta Leiva, Nahla Zeitoun, NoahYarrow, and Sameera Al Tuwaijri which strengthened the guidelines. The team is grateful for the support and guidance of Gopal Mitra (UNICEF), Nikolas Myint (World Bank),and Robin Mearns (World Bank). This work was funded by the World Bank’s Inclusive Education Initiative and the Human Rights TrustFund, and the Arts & Humanities Research Council and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office(PENDA project), and UNICEF. Executive Summary Understanding Disability-Related Costs for PolicyDevelopment Persons with disabilities and their families face substantial disability-related costs which may not becovered by social programs and policies. These costs may be direct (out of pocket expenses) or indirect(reduced education or employment opportunities for persons with disabilities and their caregivers) andcan be financially draining, increase vulnerability and poverty as well as limit participation and inclusion.These costs are related to the person’s specific impairment and the physical and social environment.Direct disability-related costs include disability-specific expenses (those required only by persons withdisabilities) such as assistive products, and expenses for everyday goods and services, which are oftenhigher than average for persons with disabilities (for example, higher transportation or utility costs if theperson with disability spends more time at home) or require a specific composition (such as a differentfood diet). Participation levels directly influence disability-related costs: when children with disabilitiesattend school or adult