BACKGROUND Children and youth with intellectual disabilities have a right to participation in life just like any other children. AIM This study aims to explore the most influential factor on the participation of a child with intellectual disability and to compare the level of participation between children with ID from South Africa and China. To this day there is still insufficient information on what can influence the participation of children with intellectually disability and how to improve their attendance in everyday activities. METHOD A cross-sectional study using secondary data was conducted. The data was collected through the ‘Picture my participation’ tool that explores the self-perceptions of children with ID in everyday activities. Study participants were 191 children and youth from South Africa and China, ages 6 to 21, who have intellectual disabilities. A multiple linear regression was conducted to find an answer to the research questions. Data of this study was retrieved from the CHILD group at Jönköping University. RESULTS The findings of this study show that children with intellectual disabilities have a lower participation rate in social and community activities than in home activities. It shows that children who live in South Africa have a higher participation mean than children in China. Within China children who live in an urban area show higher participation than the children living in the rural area CONCLUSION The level of participation of children and youth with intellectual disabilities is highly influenced by the social environmental factors in the child’s life. Cultural contexts include the country, socio-economic status, poverty, and ethnicity. A child and his environment are all part of a greater cultural context.