All Fermi answers
Fermi #18 · Question 3

How many people worldwide need a wheelchair to get around?

Explore the official answer and the simple reasoning behind this Fermi estimate.

3QUESTION 3 OF 3

Answer & explanation

The official answer, with Fermi’s reasoning step by step.

Answer & explanation

Official answer

80,000,000

people

How to estimate it

Fermi’s official “Napkin math”

The easiest place to start is the world's population, about 8 billion. How many of them need a wheelchair to get around? Not a huge share, maybe 1 in 100.

World population
8,000,000,000
Need a wheelchair
≈ 1 in 100
8B ÷ 100
≈ 80 million

Rounded assumptions may give a slightly different estimate. The official answer above is the game’s reference value.

Source calculation & reference
WHO wheelchair provision guidelines (2023)
80 million people, about 1% of the world's population, are likely to require a wheelchair
Rounded
≈ 80 million

Reference cited by Fermi: World Health Organization wheelchair provision guidelines

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