Prevalence, incidence, and years lived with disability due to Autism Spectrum Disorder in Brazil, 1990-2023: Results from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023

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Dimer, N. A., Melo, A. P. S., Santomauro, D., Malta, D. C., Duncan, B. B., & Goulart, B. N. G. d. (2026). Prevalence, incidence, and years lived with disability due to Autism Spectrum Disorder in Brazil, 1990-2023: Results from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023. Revista Brasileira de Epidemiologia, 29, e260025-e260025. https://doi.org/10.1590/1980-549720260025

Journal or book title
Revista Brasileira de Epidemiologia
Publisher
FapUNIFESP (SciELO)
Volume
29
Pages
e260025-e260025
Article number
e260025
Publication date: 1 Jan 2026 Added to AutiHub: 29 Sep 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
Publisher source (DOI) OpenAlex source

This publication is integrated into AutiHub through:

Authors

Publication authors
6
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 6 (16.7%)
  1. Nathalia Avila Dimer
  2. Ana Paula Souto Melo
  3. Damian Santomauro *
  1. Deborah Carvalho Malta
  2. Bruce Bartholow Duncan
  3. Bárbara Niegia Garcia de Goulart

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective: To describe the prevalence, incidence, and years lived with disability due to autism spectrum disorder in Brazil, as well as the variation of these metrics between 1990 and 2023. Methods: A time-series analysis using data for Brazil from the 2023 Global Burden of Disease study. Estimates of incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability attributable to autism spectrum disorder were generated for Brazil and its regions. The study reports absolute frequencies, crude rates, and age-standardized rates per 100,000 inhabitants, all with 95% uncertainty intervals (95% UI), stratified by sex and age group. Results: In 2023, more than 1.1 million (95% UI: 0.58; 1.97) individuals on the autism spectrum were living in Brazil, representing 0.53% of the population (95% UI: 0.27; 0.93). The number of cases increased since 1990, while age-standardized prevalence remained stable over time. In 2023, more than 23,000 new autism spectrum disorder cases were estimated, with a rate of 11.19 per 100,000 individuals (95% UI: 2.47-31.39). Autism spectrum disorder was ranked within the top ten causes of years lived with disability for people younger than 20 years, being a non-fatal health burden. Conclusion: In 2023, 0.53% of Brazilians were autistic, corresponding to more than 207,000 years lived with disability. Prevalence was higher in males and children under five years of age. The permanent and complex nature of autism spectrum disorder imposes a significant burden, requiring healthcare and education services to be adequately prepared. Further research is needed to deepen the understanding of autism spectrum disorder and validate screening tools in the Brazilian context.

Bibliography cited by this reference

Cited references are imported from external metadata sources when they are available. The list may be partial.

Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 3 Oct 2026 01:01.

Cited references
26
With a DOI
17
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
9
4 / 26 (15.4%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
7 / 26 (26.9%)
References with detected author names
19 / 26 (73.1%)
Without detected author names
7
Without a structured title
0
Without a stable identifier
9
References with raw author names still to review
0
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
1481
From DOI or external metadata
1481
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
0
191 / 1481 (12.9%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 1290 / 1481 (87.1%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
5 / 1481 (0.3%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 5 / 191 (2.6%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 4 / 1464 (0.3%).
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