3 percent of the population report having autism spectrum disorder
More men than women reported having autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Among people aged four years or older, more than 3 percent of men and nearly 2 percent of women say they have ASD. That is around 280 thousand men and 140 thousand women. More men than women report having ASD across all age groups up to 50 years. In people aged 50 and above, there are no differences.
| Leeftijdsgroep | Total (%) | Men (%) | Women (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 2.5 | 3.4 | 1.7 |
| 4-11 years | 3.0 | 4.3 | 1.5 |
| 12-14 years | 4.4 | 5.7 | 3.0 |
| 15-24 years | 6.1 | 7.8 | 4.3 |
| 25-39 years | 3.3 | 4.3 | 2.3 |
| 40-49 years | 2.3 | 3.5 | 1.0 |
| 50-64 years | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.0 |
| 65 years and above | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.4 |
People in 15-25 age group are the most likely to report having ASD
People aged between 15 and 25 are the most likely to indicate that they have ASD (6 percent). In this age group, 8 percent of males and 4 percent of females reported having an autism spectrum disorder.ASD is reported less frequently by both men and women in the older age groups than in the younger age groups.
Higher incidence of anxiety and depression in people with ASD
Among those with ASD aged 12 years and older, 74 percent had experienced feelings of anxiety or depression in the past four weeks. Among people who indicated they did not have ASD, the proportion was 43 percent. Among those with ASD, 82 percent of women and 70 percent of men had experienced these symptoms. Women (with and without ASD) experience feelings of anxiety or depression more often than men (with and without ASD).
| Geslacht | Total (% of those aged 12 yrs and above) | Autism spectrum disorder (% of those aged 12 yrs and above) | No ASD (% of those aged 12 yrs and above) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 43.3 | 74.1 | 42.6 |
| Men | 37.7 | 69.9 | 36.6 |
| Women | 48.9 | 82.3 | 48.3 |
6 in 10 people with ASD are in paid employment
People who say they have ASD are less likely to report being in paid work than those without ASD. In the 2022/2024 period, 58 percent of those aged between 25 and 65 with ASD said that the description ‘in paid work or self-employed’ described them best, compared with 82 percent of those without ASD. In addition, 22 percent of people with ASD described themselves as unable to work - a level nearly 4 times higher than among people who indicated they did not have ASD (6 percent).
| Total (% of respondents aged 25-64 yrs) | Men (% of respondents aged 25-64 yrs) | Women (% of respondents aged 25-64 yrs) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| In work | |||
| Total | 81.3 | 86.5 | 76.1 |
| With ASD | 58.2 | 64.1 | 46.5 |
| Without ASD | 81.8 | 87.2 | 76.5 |
| Unemployed | |||
| Total | 3.1 | 3.2 | 2.9 |
| With ASD | 6.6 | 8.1 | 3.7 |
| Without ASD | 3.0 | 3.1 | 2.9 |
| Unable to work | |||
| Total | 6.1 | 5.2 | 7.0 |
| With ASD | 22.5 | 20.6 | 26.4 |
| Without ASD | 5.8 | 4.8 | 6.7 |
Among women with ASD aged between 25 and 65, less than half (47 percent) reported being in employment or self-employed; among men with ASD, the figure was 64 percent.
Those aged between 15 and 25 were more likely to indicate that they are students or in work. In this age group, 4 percent of young people with ASD described themselves as unable to work, something that very few young people without ASD reported.