Neurodiversity and cognitive diversity statistics

Around 15 to 20% of adults experience and process the world differently.

More than one in 100 people are autistic, and there are at least 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK. These are research estimates rather than counts of diagnoses, and the true figure is likely to be higher.

ADHD is estimated to affect 3–4% of UK adults and around 5% of children — roughly 2.6 million people in total, of whom about 1.9 million are adults.

Around 10% of the population is believed to be dyslexic — about 6.7 million people in the UK, including roughly one million school-age children.

39% of respondents said they have a neurodivergent child.

An estimated 7 million (11.7%) US children aged 3–17 have a current ADHD diagnosis, according to data collected in 2024 from a national survey of parents.

Boys (14.7%) are almost twice as likely to have had a diagnosis of ADHD compared with girls (8.1%).

Children whose primary language at home is English (12.5%) are 2.5x more likely to have ever received an ADHD diagnosis than when it's another language (5.4%).

Of those with an ADHD diagnosis, 41.9% reported mild ADHD, 45.3% moderate ADHD and 12.8% severe ADHD.

Worldwide in 2021, about 1 in 127 people had autism. This is a diagnosed-prevalence estimate, which is why it sits below the research estimates used for the UK population.

Just 32% of employees think their organisation effectively trains managers to make reasonable adjustments, while 35% say it is ineffective — 18% of them 'very ineffective'. Almost a third (32%) did not know.

72% of organisations had general awareness training in 2023.

28% of managers had training relating to neurodiversity in 2023.

35% of managers have not had any training.

Three in 10 (31%) neurodivergent employees have not told their line manager or HR that they are neurodivergent. 37% cite concern about assumptions and stereotypes, 34% stigma, and 29% the possible impact on their career.

35% of organisations have had one or more senior leaders share that they were neurodivergent.

Employees who disclose their needs are 30% more engaged.

Only 17% report their organisation has a process in place for disclosing neuro-difference.

96% of people living with ADHD in the UK reported being reluctant to bring up their diagnosis in the workplace.

Only half of neurodivergent employees feel that their organisation (52%) or their team (54%) has an open and supportive climate in which people can talk about neurodiversity.

Small businesses (2–249 employees) are the least likely to say neuroinclusion is an area of focus — 45%, against 65% of organisations with 250–999 employees and 75% of those with 1,000 or more.

36% of neurodivergent employees claimed to have not received any guidance or support for adjusting their workplace setting.

Nearly a fifth (18%) reported that they didn't know where to go for help in their organisation.

30% of respondents find cognitive assessments the most impactful support for neuro-inclusion, followed by training (27%), individualised strategies (27%) and reasonable adjustments (15%).

Neurodivergent employees are more likely than neurotypical colleagues to always or often feel exhausted (45% against 30%), to feel under excessive pressure (35% against 29%) and to be lonely at work (23% against 17%).

Half of neurodivergent employees have taken time off work due to their neurodivergence.

50% of people had been off work during the last year because of neurodivergent-related challenges.

A study by McKinsey & Company found that organisations with higher levels of diversity are 35% more likely to outperform their peers.

30% improvement in identifying risks when a team is cognitively diverse, and a 20% improvement in problem solving.

Companies that establish a neuroinclusive culture have reported 28% higher revenues, double the net income and 30% higher profit margins.

81% of workers said they would leave their job if their employer lacked a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

80% of candidates say inclusion is important when choosing a new employer.

The direct cost of replacing an individual employee is estimated at 50% to 200% of their annual salary, with major indirect costs in lost customer relationships, lost institutional knowledge and decreased team morale.

ChatGPT without human intervention outperformed clinicians alone (by 16 percentage points — 74%) and clinicians with access to ChatGPT (by 14 percentage points — 76%) when making diagnostic decisions from case files, with 90% accuracy.

Disability discrimination was the second most common type of employment tribunal claim in Great Britain in the first quarter of 2026, accounting for 16% of jurisdictional complaints received — up three percentage points on the same quarter a year earlier.

One in five (20%) neurodivergent employees have experienced harassment or discrimination at work because of their neurodivergence.

41% of workers with a disability, a chronic health condition, or who are neuro-different report experiencing micro-aggressions, harassment or bullying at work in the past year.

6 in 10 of those workers report being unable to attend organised work events due to inaccessibility.