In a 2009 publication, the World Health Organization estimated that 650 million people worldwide have disabilities, the vast majority of whom live in low-income countries.1 The 2004 World Health Survey further defined the extent to which the burden of disability is disproportionately borne in lower-income countries: The prevalence rate of disability in the adult population is 18 percent compared to only 12 percent in high-income countries.2 Thus, while low-income countries account for 84 percent of the global population, they bear 90 percent of the total disease burden.1 The small percentage of people with disabilities in low-income countries who have access to rehabilitation services, 3 percent according to estimates, further aggravates this disparity.2 Specific to prosthetic rehabilitation, recent estimates suggest that there are roughly 30 million people in low-income countries who need prostheses.1
