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Autism Prevalence Among Northern Ireland School Children Published

Date published: 15 May 2025

Site topics: Health and social care,  Education and skills

New official statistics published today by NISRA statisticians in the Department of Health reveal that 5.9% of school-aged children in Northern Ireland have been diagnosed with autism.

Key findings:

  • The prevalence rate of autism among school-aged children (4-15 years) in Northern Ireland stands at 5.9% for 2024/25
  • Males have a significantly higher prevalence rate (8.3%) compared to females (3.4%)
  • 18% of children with autism had no special educational needs
    Autism prevalence was almost 38% higher in the most deprived areas compared to the Northern Ireland average
  • 14% of children identified with autism were living in the most deprived decile of Northern Ireland
  • The autism prevalence rate was higher than the Northern Ireland average for the two most deprived deciles (8.1% and 7.8% respectively)

About the publication:

The report provides comprehensive analysis of autism prevalence by:

  • Gender
  • School year
  • Health and Social Care (HSC) Trust areas
  • Area deprivation (Multiple Deprivation Measure deciles)
  • Urban/rural split

The information is derived from the 'Northern Ireland School Census' collected by the Department of Education (NI). Children with autism are identified using the ICD10 diagnosis coding, which includes those diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome.

It's important to note that due to changes in how autism data is collected (moving from the special educational needs register to the electronic Medical register), figures from 2018/19 and earlier are not directly comparable with current years.

Further information:

Read the full report: Prevalence of Autism (including Asperger Syndrome) in School Age Children in Northern Ireland - Annual Report 2025

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Last updated: 16 May 2025

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