An estimated 15.5 million people worldwide have autism spectrum disorder. The condition imposes an annual global economic cost of $2.4 trillion, yet only about half of children with ASD in the U.S. receive special education or therapy services.
Key Takeaways
- 24.6% of children with ASD have intellectual disability (ID) in the ADDM network findings
- Approximately 10% of children with ASD have epilepsy
- Approximately 30% of people with ASD have epilepsy
- In the U.S., 53% of children with ASD receive special education services
- In the U.S., 47% of children with ASD receive therapy services
- People with autism in the U.S. have an employment rate of about 58% (working-age, self-reported)
- 2.0% of adults in the United States identify as having ASD (self-reported)
- 0.8% of children in the United States were identified with ASD in 2012
- 47% of autistic children have restricted and repetitive behaviors
- 44% of autistic children show improvement with early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) in observational studies
- 3 to 4 years is the typical age when children diagnosed with ASD may receive school-based interventions in many settings (median time from identification)
- 15.5 million people worldwide are estimated to have autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
- Autism spectrum disorder accounted for 0.3% of global years lived with disability (YLDs) in 2019
- $2.4 trillion is the estimated global economic cost attributable to autism-related conditions annually (global valuation estimate)
- A 2024 market research report projects autism therapy market growth to $12.5 billion by 2030 (forecast)
Autism affects about 15.5 million people worldwide, with frequent co occurring health needs and rising support efforts.
Related reading
01 · Category
Health & Co Occurring Conditions9 stats
01
24.6% of children with ASD have intellectual disability (ID) in the ADDM network findings
02
Approximately 10% of children with ASD have epilepsy
03
Approximately 30% of people with ASD have epilepsy
04
50% of autistic people have at least one co-occurring condition
05
34% of children with ASD have ADHD
06
70% of autistic adults experience at least one mental health condition
07
37% of autistic children have anxiety disorders
08
21% of children with ASD have sleep disorders
09
45% of children with ASD have gastrointestinal problems
Interpretation
Health & Co Occurring Conditions Interpretation
In the Health and co occurring conditions category, nearly half of autistic people, about 50 percent, have at least one additional condition, with anxiety disorders affecting 37 percent of autistic children and gastrointestinal problems and sleep disorders also common at 45 percent and 21 percent respectively.
02 · Category
Workforce & Services6 stats
01
In the U.S., 53% of children with ASD receive special education services
02
In the U.S., 47% of children with ASD receive therapy services
03
People with autism in the U.S. have an employment rate of about 58% (working-age, self-reported)
04
36% of autistic adults in the U.S. report needing accommodations at work
05
25% of autistic adults report experiencing job-related discrimination (survey estimate)
06
Approximately 1 in 4 autistic individuals receive applied behavior analysis (ABA) services in the U.S. (survey estimate)
Interpretation
Workforce & Services Interpretation
In the Workforce & Services landscape, the U.S. data show that while about 58% of autistic people are employed, 36% say they need workplace accommodations and 25% report job-related discrimination, signaling that support needs extend beyond education and therapy into adult work.
03 · Category
Prevalence Estimates2 stats
01
2.0% of adults in the United States identify as having ASD (self-reported)
02
0.8% of children in the United States were identified with ASD in 2012
Interpretation
Prevalence Estimates Interpretation
Under the prevalence estimates framing, the data show that while only 0.8% of U.S. children were identified with ASD in 2012, self reports suggest a higher 2.0% of U.S. adults are living with ASD, pointing to a broader presence across the lifespan.
More related reading
04 · Category
Interventions & Outcomes7 stats
01
47% of autistic children have restricted and repetitive behaviors
02
44% of autistic children show improvement with early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) in observational studies
03
3 to 4 years is the typical age when children diagnosed with ASD may receive school-based interventions in many settings (median time from identification)
04
ABA therapy is recommended by professional medical guidance for children with ASD in the U.S. (recommendation based on evidence synthesis)
05
The Autism Speaks early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) summary reports effects with outcomes including IQ and adaptive behavior (evidence synthesis)
06
30% of children with ASD received therapy in the community (U.S. estimates)
07
Early intervention delivered before kindergarten improves adaptive behavior outcomes in meta-analytic evidence (effect sizes reported across studies)
Interpretation
Interventions & Outcomes Interpretation
Overall, the interventions and outcomes picture is mixed but promising, with 44% of autistic children showing improvement with early intensive behavioral intervention in observational studies and early intervention before kindergarten improving adaptive behavior outcomes, while only about 30% of children in the U.S. receive community therapy.
05 · Category
Global Burden & Costs7 stats
01
15.5 million people worldwide are estimated to have autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
02
Autism spectrum disorder accounted for 0.3% of global years lived with disability (YLDs) in 2019
03
$2.4 trillion is the estimated global economic cost attributable to autism-related conditions annually (global valuation estimate)
04
Approximately $268 billion is the estimated annual economic cost of autism spectrum disorder in the United States
05
Brazil’s estimated annual economic burden of ASD is R$ 3.8 billion (2020 estimate)
06
Spain’s estimated societal cost of autism is €2.0 billion per year (cost-of-illness estimate)
07
Japan’s estimated annual economic burden of ASD is ¥ 1.4 trillion (2018 estimate)
Interpretation
Global Burden & Costs Interpretation
With about 15.5 million people estimated to have autism worldwide and autism-related conditions costing an estimated $2.4 trillion each year, the Global Burden & Costs picture shows that the impact of ASD is economically massive even though it accounted for just 0.3% of global YLDs in 2019.
06 · Category
Technology & Market7 stats
01
A 2024 market research report projects autism therapy market growth to $12.5 billion by 2030 (forecast)
02
The global telehealth market reached $79.0 billion in 2020 and is forecast to exceed $600 billion by 2030 (telehealth adoption for autism care)
03
The global AI in healthcare market is expected to reach $200+ billion by 2030, enabling autism symptom monitoring and care tools
04
The U.S. NIH funded autism-related research with more than $1.1 billion in FY2023
05
The WHO lists autism under developmental disorders and highlights the need for care and rehabilitation services (policy framing) with coverage emphasis
06
A 2022 systematic review found 18% of studies on autism used wearable technologies for monitoring
07
37% of autistic people report using at least one app or digital tool to support daily living tasks (survey estimate)
Interpretation
Technology & Market Interpretation
With telehealth projected to rise from $79.0 billion in 2020 to over $600 billion by 2030 and the autism therapy market forecast to reach $12.5 billion by 2030, technology is rapidly becoming a mainstream market force in autism care, backed by strong adoption signals like 37% of autistic people using apps or digital tools and 18% of autism studies using wearables.
report visual · Key figures
Key co-occurring conditions and mental health impact
Large shares of autistic people experience co-occurring conditions and mental health challenges.
34%
34% of children with ASD have ADHD
37%
37% of autistic children have anxiety disorders
70%
70% of autistic adults experience at least one mental health condition
50%
50% of autistic people have at least one co-occurring condition
source-verifiedncbi.nlm.nih.gov · nejm.org
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Timothy Grant. (2026, February 13). Autism Worldwide Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/autism-worldwide-statistics
MLA
Timothy Grant. "Autism Worldwide Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/autism-worldwide-statistics.
Chicago
Timothy Grant. 2026. "Autism Worldwide Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/autism-worldwide-statistics.
Sources & references
38 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+20 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)