Neurodiversity statistics, data and research for 2026

How many people are neurodivergent, and why are diagnoses rising so fast? This page gathers the latest statistics on autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia and Tourette syndrome from the CDC, the WHO, NHS England, England’s 2026 independent review and peer-reviewed research.

Every figure links to its original source and names the population and year it covers, so you can check it and cite it with confidence.

Key neurodiversity statistics for 2026

• 15–20% of people are estimated to be neurodivergent (Doyle, British Medical Bulletin, 2020).
• 1 in 127 people worldwide is autistic, about 61.8 million people (WHO; GBD 2021).
• 1 in 31 US 8-year-olds is identified as autistic, up from 1 in 150 in 2000 (CDC, 2025).
• 11.7% of US children, about 7 million, have a current ADHD diagnosis (CDC, 2024 data).
• 15.5 million US adults (6.0%) have a current ADHD diagnosis, and more than half were diagnosed as adults (CDC MMWR, 2024).
• 6.76% of adults worldwide have symptoms of ADHD (Song et al., 2021).
• 7.1% of primary school children worldwide have dyslexia (Yang et al., 2022).
• 294,792 people in England were waiting for an autism assessment in June 2026 (NHS England).
• 560,000+ ADHD assessment referrals were open in England at the end of 2025 (Independent review, 2026).
• 3 in 10 working-age autistic people in the UK are in work, against 8 in 10 non-disabled people (Buckland Review, 2024).
• 6–9 years shorter life expectancy, on average, for UK adults diagnosed with autism or ADHD (O’Nions et al., 2023; 2025).
• About 80% of the variation in autism, and 74% in ADHD, is down to genetics (Bai et al., 2019; Faraone & Larsson, 2019).

What does neurodiversity mean?

Neurodiversity is the idea that differences in how brains work are part of natural human variation. The term emerged in the 1990s and is a social term, not a clinical diagnosis (Independent review, 2026).

Neurodivergent is an umbrella term covering several distinct conditions

Conditions most often included; many people have more than one

Neurodivergent

An umbrella term, not a diagnosis

• Autism

  Differences in social communication, sensory processing and routines

• ADHD

  Differences in attention, activity levels and impulse control

• Dyslexia

  Differences in reading, spelling and processing speech sounds

• Dyscalculia

  Differences in understanding numbers and learning maths

• Dyspraxia (developmental coordination disorder)

  Differences in movement, coordination and motor planning

• Tourette syndrome and tic disorders

  Involuntary movements or sounds, known as tics

Most figures on this page count diagnosed or measured conditions. Far more people describe themselves as neurodivergent than hold a formal diagnosis, so check which kind of number you are quoting.

How many people are neurodivergent?

No country counts neurodivergent people directly. The most-cited expert estimate is that 15–20% of the population is neurodivergent, or roughly 1 in 5 people (Doyle, 2020).

Between 15 and 20 in every 100 people are estimated to be neurodivergent

Each figure is one person; expert estimate for the whole population

• 15 in 100: lower estimate
• Up to 20 in 100: upper estimate

Self-identification is higher than diagnosis: about 1 in 5 secondary pupils in England describe themselves as neurodivergent, well above the share with a formal diagnosis (OxWell 2025 survey, via the Independent review).

Among children, ADHD and dyslexia are the most common individual conditions.

ADHD and dyslexia each affect about 7 in 100 children

Each estimate comes from a different study and population, so compare with care

• Best estimate
• Line: 95% confidence interval · bar: range reported

• ADHD Children aged 3–12, worldwide
  7.6%
• Dyslexia Primary school children, worldwide
  7.1%
• Dyspraxia (DCD) School-aged children
  5–6%
• Dyscalculia School population
  3–6%
• Autism US 8-year-olds identified, 2022
  3.2%
• Tourette syndrome Children, diagnosed or not
  0.6%

0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10%

Share of children (%)

Sources: Salari et al., 2023 (ADHD); Yang et al., 2022 (dyslexia); Zwicker et al., 2012 (dyspraxia); Shalev et al., 2000 (dyscalculia); CDC, 2025 (autism); CDC Tourette data. Adult and all-age figures are in each condition’s section below.

Statistic	Figure	Population and year	Source
Share of the population estimated to be neurodivergent	15–20%	Expert estimate, published 2020	Doyle, 2020
Children with a parent-reported developmental disability (including autism and ADHD)	1 in 6 (17%)	US, ages 3–17, 2009–2017	CDC
Secondary pupils who describe themselves as neurodivergent	About 1 in 5	England, OxWell 2025 survey	Independent review, 2026
ADHD in children	7.6% (95% CI 6.1–9.4%); 5.6% in adolescents aged 12–18	Worldwide meta-analysis	Salari et al., 2023

Autism statistics

About 1 in 127 people worldwide are autistic (WHO), and US identification among 8-year-olds has risen nearly fivefold since 2000 to 1 in 31 (CDC, 2025).

US autism identification among 8-year-olds rose nearly fivefold since 2000

6.7 to 32.2 per 1,000 children (4.8×), 2000 to 2022

Children identified per 1,000 aged 8

0

10

20

30

1 in 150 1 in 31

2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022

Identified prevalence across 6 to 16 CDC ADDM Network sites; sites differ between years, so this is not a national rate.

The CDC links the rise to wider screening and better access to diagnosis, especially among children who were previously overlooked. Children born in 2018 were 1.7 times as likely to be identified by age 4 as those born in 2014.

Since 2020, White children have had a lower identified rate than Asian or Pacific Islander, Black and Hispanic children, reversing earlier patterns. The CDC says this is consistent with better access to identification among previously underserved groups.

White children now have the lowest identified autism rate in the US

Children identified as autistic per 1,000 8-year-olds, by race and ethnicity, 16 ADDM sites, 2022

• All children: 32.2

• Asian or Pacific Islander
  38.2
• American Indian or Alaska Native
  37.5
• Black
  36.6
• Hispanic
  33.0
• Multiracial
  31.9
• White
  27.7

Autism statistic	Figure	Population and year	Source
People on the autism spectrum worldwide	1 in 127 (about 61.8 million)	Global, 2021	WHO; GBD 2021
Autism identification among 8-year-olds	1 in 31 (32.2 per 1,000); 9.7 to 53.1 per 1,000 across sites	US, 16 ADDM sites, 2022	CDC
Boys vs girls identified	3.4 to 1 (49.2 vs 14.3 per 1,000)	US 8-year-olds, 2022	CDC
Autistic children who also have intellectual disability	39.6% (of those with IQ data)	US 8-year-olds, 2022	CDC
Median age at first diagnosis	47 months (just under 4 years)	US 8-year-olds, 2022	CDC
Earlier identification	Children born in 2018 were 1.7 times as likely to be identified by age 4 as those born in 2014	US, 15 ADDM sites	CDC
Adults on the autism spectrum	2.21% (about 5.4 million)	US adults, 2017 estimate	Dietz et al., CDC
Best estimate of population prevalence	About 1.2%	England, young people, 2017 survey	Independent review, 2026
Autistic people who are undiagnosed	59–72% (435,700 to 1.2 million people)	England, 2018 projection	O’Nions et al., 2023
Heritability	About 80%	2 million+ children, 5 countries	Bai et al., 2019

If you’re wondering about your own traits, our guide to signs you might be autistic is a good next read.

ADHD statistics

About 1 in 9 US children (11.7%) and 1 in 16 US adults (6.0%) have a current ADHD diagnosis (CDC, 2026; CDC MMWR, 2024). Worldwide, an estimated 6.76% of adults have ADHD symptoms, and 2.58% have ADHD that has persisted since childhood (Song et al., 2021).

ADHD is increasingly diagnosed in adulthood. More than half of US adults with ADHD (55.9%) were diagnosed at 18 or older. GP records in England show the same shift: new diagnoses sped up sharply from 2021, and recorded ADHD is now highest among 18–24-year-olds (John et al., 2026).

New ADHD diagnoses in England nearly quadrupled between 2019 and 2024

0.67 to 2.53 new diagnoses per 1,000 person-years (3.8×), all ages, GP records

New diagnoses per 1,000 person-years

0

1

2

3

0.15–0.22

0.67

1.03

1.64

2.18

2.53

2001–0920192021202220232024

Rates rose steadily from 2010 to 2019; the study reports no overall figure for 2020.

Many US adults with ADHD go without treatment, and medication shortages have made it harder to get.

Adults with ADHD in the US, 2023

Share of adults with a current ADHD diagnosis

• Struggled to fill a stimulant prescription Among stimulant users, because of shortages
  71.5%
• Were first diagnosed as adults
  55.9%
• Receiving no treatment
  36.5%

ADHD statistic	Figure	Population and year	Source
Children with a current ADHD diagnosis	11.7% (about 7 million)	US, ages 3–17, 2024	CDC
Boys vs girls diagnosed	13% vs 7%	US children, 2022–2023	CDC
Children with ADHD who have another condition	About 78% (around 4 in 10 have anxiety)	US children, 2022	CDC
Children with ADHD getting no medication or behavioural treatment	About 30% (up from 23% in 2016)	US children, 2022	CDC
Adults with a current ADHD diagnosis	6.0% (15.5 million)	US adults, 2023	CDC MMWR
Adults with ADHD who were diagnosed as adults	55.9%	US adults, 2023	CDC MMWR
Adults with ADHD getting no treatment	36.5%	US adults, 2023	CDC MMWR
Adult stimulant users who struggled to fill a prescription because of shortages	71.5%	US adults, 2023	CDC MMWR
Adults with ADHD	6.76% with symptoms (366 million); 2.58% persisting from childhood (140 million)	Global, 2020	Song et al., 2021
ADHD prevalence in 5–15-year-olds	3% in 2017; about 3.8% projected today	England	Independent review, 2026
New ADHD diagnoses recorded per year	0.67 per 1,000 person-years in 2019 to 2.53 in 2024	England, GP records	John et al., 2026
People with a recorded ADHD diagnosis	1.19% overall; 3.60% of men and 2.07% of women aged 18–24	England, June 2025	John et al., 2026
Heritability	About 74% (mean of 37 twin studies)	Review of twin studies	Faraone & Larsson, 2019

The US child figures are based on parent reports and the adult figures are self-reported; neither was checked against medical records. For more on why ADHD is so often missed in women, see ADHD in women: the signs that get missed for decades.

Dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia statistics

About 7% of primary school children worldwide have dyslexia, and boys are about twice as likely as girls to be affected (Yang et al., 2022). Dyscalculia and dyspraxia (developmental coordination disorder, or DCD) each affect roughly 3–6% of school-age children.

Reading is where most learning disabilities show up: about 85% of US students with a learning disability mainly struggle with reading and language (International Dyslexia Association).

Dyslexia is about twice as common in boys as in girls

Pooled prevalence in primary school children worldwide; boys 2.0× girls

Boys 9.22%

Girls 4.66%

Each dot is 1 child in 100; filled dots are rounded to the nearest whole child.

Statistic	Figure	Population	Source
Dyslexia, pooled prevalence	7.10% (95% CI 6.27–7.97%)	Primary school children, worldwide	Yang et al., 2022
Dyslexia in boys vs girls	9.22% vs 4.66%	Primary school children, worldwide	Yang et al., 2022
People with some symptoms of dyslexia	Perhaps as many as 15–20%	US, whole population estimate	International Dyslexia Association
Students with a learning disability whose main difficulty is reading and language	About 85%	US students in special education	International Dyslexia Association
Dyscalculia (maths learning disability)	3–6%	School population, population-based studies	Shalev et al., 2000
Dyspraxia (DCD)	About 5–6%	School-aged children, review of studies	Zwicker et al., 2012
Dyspraxia, all severities	Up to 6% affected, up to 2% severely	UK population estimate	Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities

You may see the claim that 10% of people are dyslexic (4% severely). We could not trace it to a current British Dyslexia Association page or an original study, so it is not used here.

Tourette syndrome statistics

About 1 in 162 children have Tourette syndrome (TS), but only about 1 in 333 US children has a diagnosis, which suggests around half are undiagnosed. Counting persistent tic disorders as well, about 1 in 50 children aged 5–14 are affected (CDC).

Tics start around age 6; almost half of young people are tic-free by 18

Typical course of Tourette syndrome, from US studies cited by the CDC

1. Tics first noticed: Around age 6
2. Diagnosis: About 2 years later
3. Almost half tic-free: By age 18

Tics first noticed

Around age 6

Almost half tic-free

By age 18

05101520

Diagnosis

About 2 years later

Age in years

About half of children with Tourette syndrome are undiagnosed

Children per 1,000

• Have Tourette syndrome Diagnosed or not, population studies
  1 in 162
• Have a diagnosis US, ages 3–17, 2016–2019
  1 in 333

Tourette statistic	Figure	Population
Children with TS, diagnosed or not	1 in 162 (0.6%)	Meta-analysis of population studies
Children with a TS diagnosis	1 in 333 (0.3%), about 174,000	US, ages 3–17, 2016–2019
People with TS or a persistent tic disorder	About 1.4 million; about 1 in 50 children aged 5–14	US estimate
Boys vs girls	Boys about 3 times as likely to have TS	US children, 2016–2017
Children with TS who have another mental, behavioural or developmental condition	About 83% (5 in 6)	US, ages 6–17, 2016–2017
People with TS who also have OCD	More than a third	Clinical review
Children whose TS is moderate or severe	44%	US, 2016–2017

All figures come from the CDC’s Tourette syndrome data page and the studies it cites.

Co-occurring conditions

Neurodivergent conditions rarely come alone. England’s 2026 independent review calls co-occurrence “the rule rather than the exception” (Independent review, 2026). In the US, about 78% of children with ADHD and 83% of children with Tourette syndrome have at least one other condition.

More than a quarter of autistic people also have ADHD

Pooled prevalence of other conditions among autistic people, 96 studies, 1993–2019

• ADHD
  28%
• Anxiety disorder
  20%
• Sleep–wake disorder
  13%
• Depression
  11%
• OCD or related disorder
  9%

Co-occurrence statistic	Figure	Population	Source
Autistic people who also have ADHD	28%	Meta-analysis of 96 studies	Lai et al., 2019
Autistic people with an anxiety disorder	20%	Same meta-analysis	Lai et al., 2019
Autistic people with a sleep–wake disorder	13%	Same meta-analysis	Lai et al., 2019
Autistic people with depression	11%	Same meta-analysis	Lai et al., 2019
Autistic people with OCD or related disorders	9%	Same meta-analysis	Lai et al., 2019
16–24-year-olds with a common mental disorder who screen positive for ADHD	57% (61% for autistic traits)	England, 2024 survey; a positive screen is not a diagnosis	Independent review, 2026
Children with dyslexia who show features of dyspraxia	52%	Kaplan et al., cited by a UK charity	Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities
Share of people with dyspraxia who also have ADHD	Up to half	UK charity summary of research	Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities

The meta-analysis pools studies of different ages, countries and settings, so read its figures as broad estimates rather than precise rates. Overlap is one reason our free quiz screens for 16 conditions at once, and why someone with autistic burnout may also recognise ADHD traits (see autistic and ADHD burnout).

Diagnosis and waiting list statistics

Recorded diagnoses have risen far faster than the conditions themselves. In England, the share of children with an autism or ADHD diagnosis in their GP record rose 6- to 40-fold between 2000 and 2025. The 2026 independent review found that underlying prevalence appears broadly stable or only modestly higher, and points to broader diagnostic criteria and to diagnosis becoming the main gateway to support, among other factors (Independent review, 2026).

Recorded autism and ADHD among children in England rose 6- to 40-fold

Share of children with the condition recorded in their GP record, 2000 vs 2025

• 2000
• 2025

• Autism, ages 6–11 More than 20-fold
  0.24% (2000)

  4.58% (2025)
• Autism, ages 12–17 More than 40-fold
  0.1% (2000)

  4.06% (2025)
• ADHD, ages 6–11 More than 6-fold
  0.45% (2000)

  2.7% (2025)
• ADHD, ages 12–17 More than 15-fold
  0.26% (2000)

  3.88% (2025)

Services have not kept pace. Nearly 295,000 people in England are waiting for an autism assessment and more than 560,000 have an open ADHD referral. The longer people wait, the more likely their difficulties are to get worse.

• 294,792

  people waiting for an autism assessment

  England, June 2026; 86.8% waiting 13+ weeks

  NHS England Digital

• 560,000+

  open referrals for an ADHD assessment

  England, end of 2025; over 17× the 2019 level

  Independent review, 2026

• ~94%

  gap between recorded and expected ADHD among over-65s

  England, 2025; expected rate from a global estimate

  John et al., 2026

The longer the wait, the more people get worse

People whose difficulties got worse while waiting, England, mental health and neurodevelopmental services

• Waited under 2 weeks
  about 1 in 4
• Waited over 6 months
  7 in 10+

Diagnosis statistic	Figure	Population and year	Source
People with an open referral for suspected autism	294,792, of whom 86.8% had waited 13 weeks or more	England, June 2026	NHS England Digital
Growth in the autism waiting list	About 15% in a year	England, June 2025 to June 2026	National Autistic Society
Open referrals for ADHD assessment	More than 560,000, over 17 times the 2019 level	England, end of 2025	Independent review, 2026
Monthly ADHD referrals	About 5,000 in 2019 to about 17,000 in 2024	England	Independent review, 2026
NHS-funded assessments carried out by independent providers	More than half of ADHD; more than a third of autism	England, 2026	Independent review, 2026
People whose difficulties got worse while waiting	About 1 in 4 of those waiting under 2 weeks vs more than 7 in 10 of those waiting over 6 months	England, mental health and neurodevelopmental services	Independent review, citing CQC
Recorded vs expected ADHD in over-65s	Recorded diagnoses about 94% below the expected rate; the expected rate comes from a global meta-analysis, so treat the gap as approximate	England, 2025	John et al., 2026
ADHD diagnosis ratio, male to female	About 3:1 in childhood, about 1:1 in adulthood	Research summary	John et al., 2026
Autism ratio, boys to girls	4.2 in 2018, 3.8 in 2020, 3.4 in 2022, although the gap in cases per 1,000 still widened	US 8-year-olds	CDC

Waiting list figures need care. NHS England says a missing provider submission affected the June 2026 autism total, so the true number is likely higher. The National Autistic Society’s 15% growth figure may rest on revised data; set against NHS England’s originally published June 2025 total of 236,225, the rise is closer to 25%. NHS ADHD figures are still classed as management information.

Education statistics

Autism is now the most common primary need among pupils in England with an education, health and care (EHC) plan, the legal document that sets out extra support at school (DfE, 2026). In the US, specific learning disabilities, which include dyslexia, are the largest special education category (NCES).

Pupils in England with autism-related special educational needs have more than doubled

Share of all pupils, school census

• 2016
  1.5%
• 2024
  3.3%

Specific learning disabilities are the largest US special education category

Share of the 7.5 million students served under IDEA, 2022–23

• Specific learning disability Including dyslexia and dyscalculia
  32%
• Autism
  13%

Education statistic	Figure	Population and year	Source
Pupils with special educational needs (SEN)	Over 1.8 million (6.0% with an EHC plan, 14.8% on SEN support)	England, January 2026	DfE
Pupils with an EHC plan	538,547, up 11.6% in a year and more than double the 2016 level	England, January 2026	DfE
EHC plans where autism is the primary need	33.5% (1 in 3)	England, January 2026	DfE
Pupils with EHC plans who are boys	70.7% (60.4% of those on SEN support)	England, January 2026	DfE
Pupils with autism-related SEND	1.5% in 2016 to 3.3% in 2024	England, school census	Independent review, 2026
Students receiving special education under IDEA	7.5 million (15% of public school students), an all-time high	US, ages 3–21, 2022–23	NCES
IDEA students whose main category is a specific learning disability	32% (autism: 13%)	US, 2022–23	NCES
IDEA students served for autism, boys vs girls	16% vs 7% of each group’s IDEA students	US school-age students, 2022–23	NCES
Students with a specific learning disability who spend 80% or more of the day in general classes	76%	US, fall 2022	NCES
IDEA students leaving school with a regular diploma	74% (autistic students had the lowest drop-out rate, 7%)	US, ages 14–21, 2021–22	NCES

School records of a pupil’s type of need are not diagnoses. The DfE notes that a pupil’s recorded primary need may differ from their clinical diagnosis.

Employment and workplace statistics

Autistic people have one of the lowest employment rates of any disability group in the UK, second only to people with learning disabilities: about 3 in 10 of working age are in work, compared with about 8 in 10 non-disabled people (Buckland Review, 2024). Among neurodivergent people who are in work, 1 in 5 report harassment or discrimination linked to their neurodivergence (CIPD, 2024).

About 3 in 10 working-age autistic people in the UK are in work

Working-age people in employment, out of every 10

• Autistic people About 3 in 10

• All disabled people About 5 in 10

• Non-disabled people About 8 in 10

Neurodivergent employees' experience of work, UK 2024

Share of neurodivergent survey respondents

• Often or always feel exhausted at work vs 30% of neurotypical employees
  45%
• Feel their employer offers meaningful support
  37%
• Haven't told their manager or HR
  31%
• Have faced harassment or discrimination
  20%

Survey of 1,047 UK workers (790 neurodivergent); results were not weighted to the wider workforce.

Employment statistic	Figure	Population	Source
Working-age autistic people in employment	About 3 in 10, vs about 5 in 10 of all disabled people and 8 in 10 non-disabled people	UK, Labour Force Survey	Buckland Review
Autism pay gap	About a third less than non-disabled people, the largest of any disability group	UK, ONS 2021 data	Buckland Review
Autistic graduates in full-time work 15 months after graduating	36%; twice as likely to be unemployed as non-disabled graduates	UK, 2022 graduate survey	Buckland Review
Autistic employees fully open about being autistic at work	About 35%; 1 in 10 have told no one	UK survey	Buckland Review
Autistic employees whose requests for adjustments were refused	Over a quarter of those who asked	UK survey	Buckland Review
Estimated yearly cost of the autism employment gap	About £14.5 billion	UK economy	Buckland Review
Neurodivergent employees who have faced harassment or discrimination	20% (1 in 5)	UK survey, 2024	CIPD and Uptimize
Neurodivergent employees who haven’t told their manager or HR	31%	UK survey, 2024	CIPD and Uptimize
Neurodivergent employees who feel their employer offers meaningful support	37%	UK survey, 2024	CIPD and Uptimize
Employees who often or always feel exhausted at work	45% of neurodivergent vs 30% of neurotypical employees	UK survey, 2024	CIPD and Uptimize
Young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) who have a work-limiting health condition	26% in 2015 to 44% in 2025	England, ages 16–24	Independent review, 2026
Children diagnosed with ADHD before 17 who are NEET as young adults	About 4 times as likely as peers without ADHD	UK long-term study	Independent review, 2026

We found no comparable official US employment rate for autistic or neurodivergent adults.

Health and life expectancy statistics

Adults in the UK with a diagnosis of autism or ADHD live an estimated 6 to 9 years less than the general population, and autistic women with an intellectual disability lose nearly 15 years (O’Nions et al., 2023; O’Nions et al., 2025). The researchers link these gaps mainly to unmet health and support needs rather than to the conditions themselves.

Estimated years of life expectancy lost

UK adults with a diagnosis, compared with the general population

• Autistic women with intellectual disability
  14.59 yrs
• Women with ADHD
  8.64 yrs
• Autistic men with intellectual disability
  7.28 yrs
• Men with ADHD
  6.78 yrs
• Autistic women without intellectual disability
  6.45 yrs
• Autistic men without intellectual disability
  6.14 yrs

Life expectancy of UK adults with diagnosed ADHD

Estimated life expectancy in years, 2000–2019

• With diagnosed ADHD
• General population

• Men 6.78 years gap

  73.3 (With diagnosed ADHD) 80 (General population)

• Women 8.64 years gap

  75.2 (With diagnosed ADHD) 83.8 (General population)

70 75 80 85

Health statistic	Figure	Population	Source
Life expectancy gap, autistic adults without intellectual disability	About 6 years shorter (6.14 years men, 6.45 years women)	UK, people diagnosed 1989–2019	O’Nions et al., 2023
Life expectancy gap, autistic adults with intellectual disability	7.28 years shorter for men; 14.59 years for women	Same study	O’Nions et al., 2023
Life expectancy of adults with diagnosed ADHD	73.3 years for men (vs 80.0); 75.2 years for women (vs 83.8)	UK, 2000–2019	O’Nions et al., 2025
UK adults with ADHD who have a diagnosis	About 1 in 9	UK primary care, 2000–2019	O’Nions et al., 2025
Suicide attempts and suicide among autistic people	3.19 times the attempt rate and 3.75 times the suicide rate of non-autistic people; over 90% had another psychiatric condition	Denmark, 6.6 million people, 1995–2016	Kõlves et al., 2021
People who die by suicide in England who may be autistic	Up to 11%	England	Buckland Review, 2024
Death rates after starting ADHD medication	21% lower from all causes and 25% lower from unnatural causes within 2 years of diagnosis	Sweden, 148,578 people with ADHD	Li et al., JAMA, 2024
Autism’s place in global health burden	Among the top 10 causes of non-fatal health burden for under-20s	Global, 2021	GBD 2021

You may have seen the claim that autistic people die 16 years earlier. It is not supported: the authors of the 2023 UK study say it came from a misreading of earlier mortality research.

Neurodiversity statistics to treat with caution

Some figures are repeated so often that they look settled. These are the ones we checked and could not support as usually stated.

Claim you may see	What the evidence says
”1 in 10 people are dyslexic (4% severely)“	We could not trace this to a current British Dyslexia Association page or an original study. The best pooled estimate is 7.1% of primary school children (Yang et al., 2022).
”Autistic people die 16 years earlier”	Not supported. The authors of the 2023 UK study say it came from a misreading of earlier mortality research. Their estimate is a gap of about 6 years for most autistic adults (O’Nions et al., 2023).
”Autistic people are 45–145% more productive”	We found no published study behind this figure. The Buckland Review mentions only “some statistics” showing productivity improvements of 45–145% “in some areas of work”, without a source.
”15–20% of people are neurodivergent”	A reasoned expert estimate based on the rates of individual conditions, their overlap and under-diagnosis in women - not a measured figure (Doyle, 2020). Treat it as a rough range.
”1 in 31 Americans are autistic”	The CDC figure covers 8-year-olds in 16 US communities, not the whole population, and rates ranged from about 1 in 103 to 1 in 19 between sites (CDC, 2025).

Frequently asked questions

What percentage of people are neurodivergent?

An estimated 15–20% of people are neurodivergent. This is an expert estimate built up from the rates of individual conditions such as ADHD, autism and dyslexia, because no survey measures them all at once (Doyle, 2020).

How common is autism?

About 1 in 127 people worldwide are autistic (WHO). In the US, 1 in 31 children aged 8 were identified as autistic in 2022 (CDC), and an estimated 2.2% of adults are autistic (Dietz et al., 2020).

How common is ADHD in adults?

About 6.76% of adults worldwide have ADHD symptoms, and 2.58% have ADHD that has continued since childhood (Song et al., 2021). In the US, 6.0% of adults (15.5 million) report a current diagnosis, and more than half were diagnosed as adults (CDC MMWR, 2024).

Is autism increasing?

Diagnoses are rising fast, but the condition itself appears to be changing much less. The CDC links rising US identification to better screening and access to diagnosis, and England's 2026 independent review found little evidence of a substantial change in underlying prevalence while recorded diagnoses rose many times over (CDC; Independent review, 2026).

Is ADHD overdiagnosed?

The evidence does not show overdiagnosis at scale. England's 2026 independent review said "we cannot conclude that overdiagnosis is occurring at scale", while warning that the balance of risk may be shifting towards misdiagnosis and overdiagnosis as demand rises. At the same time, recorded ADHD among over-65s in England sits about 94% below expected levels (Independent review, 2026; John et al., 2026).

What is the most common neurodivergent condition?

Among children, ADHD and dyslexia are the most common, each affecting about 7 in 100 (Salari et al., 2023; Yang et al., 2022). Dyspraxia (5–6%) and dyscalculia (3–6%) come next, followed by autism.

How we compiled these statistics

Every figure on this page links to its original source: official statistics from bodies such as the CDC, NHS England and the Department for Education, peer-reviewed studies, or the charity or professional body that published it. Where a figure is only available second-hand, we say so and name the original study. Key figures were checked a second time against the source text, and claims we could not verify were dropped or listed under statistics to treat with caution.

Three kinds of numbers appear here, and they are not interchangeable:

• Prevalence is how many people have a condition, diagnosed or not. It is usually estimated from population studies.
• Recorded or diagnosed prevalence is how many people have a diagnosis in health, school or survey records. It is almost always lower than prevalence.
• Self-identification is how many people describe themselves as neurodivergent. It is usually higher than diagnosis.

Global figures are modelled averages, and the WHO notes that prevalence in many low- and middle-income countries is unknown. Data years also lag publication: the 2025 CDC autism report uses 2022 data, and England’s ADHD and autism population estimates rest on a 2017 survey.

Figures reflect the latest data available in October 2026. The main sources to watch for updates are the CDC’s ADDM autism report, NHS England’s autism statistics and the DfE’s special educational needs release.

How to cite this page

Sources

Government and official statistics

• CDC MMWR: Prevalence and early identification of autism, 16 sites, 2022 (April 2025)
• CDC: Data and statistics on autism spectrum disorder
• CDC: Data on ADHD in children (July 2026)
• CDC MMWR: ADHD diagnosis, treatment and telehealth use in adults (October 2024)
• CDC: Data and statistics on Tourette syndrome (March 2026)
• Dietz et al.: National and state estimates of adults with autism (CDC, 2020)
• WHO: Autism fact sheet
• Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report (DHSC, October 2026)
• Independent review: executive summary (DHSC, October 2026)
• NHS England Digital: Autism statistics, July 2025 to June 2026
• DfE: Special educational needs in England, 2025/26
• NCES: Students with disabilities, Condition of Education
• DWP: The Buckland Review of Autism Employment (2024)

Peer-reviewed research

• Bai et al.: Genetic and environmental factors in autism, five-country cohort (JAMA Psychiatry, 2019)
• Doyle: Neurodiversity at work (British Medical Bulletin, 2020)
• Faraone and Larsson: Genetics of ADHD (Molecular Psychiatry, 2019)
• GBD 2021 Autism Collaborators: Global epidemiology of autism (Lancet Psychiatry, 2025)
• John et al.: ADHD in England, 2000–2025 (Lancet Regional Health – Europe, 2026)
• Kõlves et al.: Suicidal behaviours among autistic people in Denmark (JAMA Network Open, 2021)
• Lai et al.: Co-occurring mental health diagnoses in autism (Lancet Psychiatry, 2019)
• Li et al.: ADHD medication and mortality (JAMA, 2024)
• O’Nions et al.: Autism in England, assessing underdiagnosis (Lancet Regional Health – Europe, 2023)
• O’Nions et al.: Life expectancy for autistic people in the UK (Lancet Regional Health – Europe, 2023)
• O’Nions et al.: Life expectancy for adults with diagnosed ADHD in the UK (British Journal of Psychiatry, 2025)
• Salari et al.: Global prevalence of ADHD in children and adolescents (Italian Journal of Pediatrics, 2023)
• Shalev et al.: Developmental dyscalculia, prevalence and prognosis (2000)
• Song et al.: Global prevalence of adult ADHD (Journal of Global Health, 2021)
• Yang et al.: Prevalence of developmental dyslexia in primary school children (Brain Sciences, 2022)
• Zwicker et al.: Developmental coordination disorder, a review and update (2012)

Charities and professional bodies

• CIPD and Uptimize: Neuroinclusion at work (2024)
• Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities: Dyspraxia
• International Dyslexia Association: Dyslexia basics
• National Autistic Society: Autism assessment waiting times, June 2026