It is up from 4.1% in 2019, Department for Transport data shows.
There were 2.57 million valid blue badges at the end of last March.
The eligibility criteria was extended in 2019 to include people with invisible disabilities such as Parkinson’s, dementia and epilepsy.
Blue badges, which must be renewed every three years, help people access shops and services by letting them park closer.
The DfT has not published prosecution figures for abuse of the blue badge system for the second year in a row.
It said it was a burden on local authorities to provide the statistics.
But Graham Footer, of Disabled Motoring UK, said: “This is extremely disappointing.”
A DfT spokesman said: “We work closely with local authorities to help them tackle fraud and misuse.”
