People on the autism spectrum worldwide in 2021

61·8 million

people, worldwide

“An estimated 61·8 million (95% uncertainty interval 52·1-72·7) individuals (one in every 127 people) were on the autism spectrum globally in 2021.”

GBD 2021 Autism Spectrum Collaborators, The global epidemiology and health burden of the autism spectrum, Lancet Psychiatry 2025, 2025-02

Kind of source

Peer-reviewed study

Read on

2026-11-06

Daily check

Quote found at the source on 2026-11-06

What to know

GBD 2021 modelled estimate (uncertainty 52.1 to 72.7 million); the source writes decimals with a middle dot. The WHO autism fact sheet quotes the same 1 in 127. GBD models autism as prevalence only, so no incidence figure exists.

About

Autism