There is described a wheelchair (1), in particular a manual wheelchair for bariatric or heavy-duty use, comprising a wheelchair chassis (30), a seating area (10) provided on the wheelchair chassis (30), a backrest (20) supported onto the wheelchair chassis (30), as well as front wheels (45) and rear wheels (40) provided on the wheelchair chassis (30) to allow wheeling of the wheelchair (1). The backrest (20) exhibits a lower backrest portion supported onto the wheelchair chassis (30), next to the seating area (10), the seating area (10) and lower backrest portion having a first width (W1) that is selected to accommodate a wheelchair user's hips. The backrest (20) further exhibits an upper backrest portion, in the vicinity of the wheelchair user's shoulders, having a second width (W2) that is smaller than the first width (W1), which second width (W2) is selected to liberate space for movement of the wheelchair user's arms and shoulders.
