By the Numbers: 24 February 2025

By the Numbers: 24 February 2025

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The factor by which autistic persons are more likely to die by suicide than non-autistic persons, according to a recent article in the journal Psychiatry Research -- The global burden of suicide mortality among people on the autism spectrum: A systematic review, meta-analysis, and extension of estimates from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021.

  • Autistic persons without intellectual disability were more than five times more likely to die by suicide compared to non-autistic persons.
  • The risk of death by suicide for autistic females relative to non-autistic females was significantly larger than the risk for autistic males relative to non-autistic males.
  • Almost 2% of all suicide deaths globally in 2021 could be avoided if the risk for death by suicide was not elevated for autistic persons.
  • Globally in 2021, there was more fatal health burden due to suicide mortality among autistic persons than for cocaine use disorders, rabies, or testicular cancer among the total population.