Are intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental illnesses associated with poorer educational outcomes? Evidence from India’s National Sample Survey

Globally, one in eight people experiences mental illness, yet its intersection with education remains under-explored in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This study uses nationally representative data from the 76th round of the National Sample Survey (2018) for India to examine how intellectual and developmental (IDD) disability and mental illness—treated as distinct categories—are associated with low educational attainments. Employing a generalised ordered logit model, we found that IDDs were associated with a 71.3% probability of receiving no formal education, while the corresponding risk for respondents with mental illness was 48.3%. Females with mental illness were 18.7% points more likely than males to receive no formal education among mentally ill respondents. Economic affluence reduces the gender gap, but it persists even in the richest quintile among mentally ill respondents. These findings highlight that income-based solutions are insufficient and underscore the need for gender-sensitive mental health and education policies in LMICs to attain Sustainable Development Goals related to mental health, education, gender, and income inequality.