Roughly 1 in 160 children worldwide lives with autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, behaviors, and communication, according to the World Health Organization. In the United States, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates the prevalence of autism as 1 in 68 children (according to a 2012 survey), similar to diagnoses found in Canada, Denmark, and Sweden.

In Israel, 1 in 100 children are diagnosed with autism and over 500 infants are diagnosed annually, according to the Israeli Society of Children and Adults with Autism ALUT.

Currently, over 20,000 individuals in Israel are estimated to be on the spectrum according to ALUT, up from roughly 13,000 in 2016 and close to 4,000 in 2007, according to statistics made available in 2017 by the Israeli Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Services. The ministry said the uptick was due in part to increased awareness of the disorder.

The increase is also in line with diagnoses around the world including the US, a country with advanced systems for tracking and monitoring autism diagnoses. But there are still discrepancies. Though the CDC reported 1 in 68 according to a 2012 survey of children born in 2004, a 2015 National Health Statistics report found the actual US autism rate to be much higher at 1 in 45. Hong Kong and South Korea appear to have the highest rates, at 1 in 27 and 1 in 38, respectively.

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