Objective To explore the prevalence and influencing factors of disability among the elderly in China.

Methods Valid information for a total of 5 454 urban and rural residents aged ≥ 60 years were retrieved from the datasets of China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) 2015. The disability of the elderly was assessed with Physical Self-Maintenance Scale (PSMS). Chi-square test and logistic regression were applied to analyze the differences in disability among different groups and its influencing factors.

Results For all the elderly, 543 were identified with disability and the prevalence rate of disability was 10.0%. The disability rate of the female elderly was higher than that of the males (10.5% vs. 9.3%). The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that elder age, decrease in frequency of social activity, depression, suffering from 3 or more chronic diseases, and poor self-rated health were the main risk factors for disability in the elderly (P < 0.05 for all).

Conclusion The prevalence of disability was high among elderly residents in China and effective measures need to be implemented to promote healthy aging in the elderly population.