This study examines the long-term risks of disabilities following childhood bacterial meningitis in Sweden. The research is a nationwide retrospective cohort study that included 36,230 participants, with 3,623 individuals diagnosed with bacterial meningitis and 32,607 matched controls from the general population. Data were collected from the Swedish National Patient Register from 1987 to 2021 and analyzed from July 13, 2022, to November 30, 2023. The study found that individuals diagnosed with bacterial meningitis during childhood had a significantly higher cumulative incidence of seven types of disabilities compared to the general population controls: cognitive disabilities, seizures, hearing loss, motor function disorders, visual disturbances, behavioral and emotional disorders, and intracranial structural injuries. The highest absolute risk of disabilities was observed for behavioral and emotional disorders, hearing loss, and visual disturbances. Adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) showed a significant increased relative risk for all disabilities, with the largest HRs for intracranial structural injuries (26.04), hearing loss (7.90), and motor function disorders (4.65). The study also found that Streptococcus pneumoniae infection was a strong risk factor for cognitive disabilities, seizures, hearing loss, and motor function disorders, with significantly higher adjusted HRs compared to Haemophilus influenzae and Neisseria meningitidis infections. Additionally, children diagnosed with bacterial meningitis at a younger age (below the median age) had a higher risk of developing disabilities, particularly cognitive disabilities, seizures, behavioral and emotional disorders, and intracranial structural injuries. The findings highlight the importance of preventive measures against bacterial meningitis and the need for follow-up strategies to detect long-term disabilities, especially cognitive, behavioral, and emotional disorders, and visual disturbances. The study's strengths include its large sample size, nationwide design, and extensive follow-up, while limitations include potential coding errors in the National Patient Register and the lack of access to clinical and laboratory data.This study examines the long-term risks of disabilities following childhood bacterial meningitis in Sweden. The research is a nationwide retrospective cohort study that included 36,230 participants, with 3,623 individuals diagnosed with bacterial meningitis and 32,607 matched controls from the general population. Data were collected from the Swedish National Patient Register from 1987 to 2021 and analyzed from July 13, 2022, to November 30, 2023. The study found that individuals diagnosed with bacterial meningitis during childhood had a significantly higher cumulative incidence of seven types of disabilities compared to the general population controls: cognitive disabilities, seizures, hearing loss, motor function disorders, visual disturbances, behavioral and emotional disorders, and intracranial structural injuries. The highest absolute risk of disabilities was observed for behavioral and emotional disorders, hearing loss, and visual disturbances. Adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) showed a significant increased relative risk for all disabilities, with the largest HRs for intracranial structural injuries (26.04), hearing loss (7.90), and motor function disorders (4.65). The study also found that Streptococcus pneumoniae infection was a strong risk factor for cognitive disabilities, seizures, hearing loss, and motor function disorders, with significantly higher adjusted HRs compared to Haemophilus influenzae and Neisseria meningitidis infections. Additionally, children diagnosed with bacterial meningitis at a younger age (below the median age) had a higher risk of developing disabilities, particularly cognitive disabilities, seizures, behavioral and emotional disorders, and intracranial structural injuries. The findings highlight the importance of preventive measures against bacterial meningitis and the need for follow-up strategies to detect long-term disabilities, especially cognitive, behavioral, and emotional disorders, and visual disturbances. The study's strengths include its large sample size, nationwide design, and extensive follow-up, while limitations include potential coding errors in the National Patient Register and the lack of access to clinical and laboratory data.