Autistic people have shorter life expectancy than non-autistic people.

Is it true that Autistic people have shorter life expectancy than non-autistic people?

Partly. A UK matched cohort study reports an apparent reduction in life expectancy of roughly 6 to 15 years for diagnosed autistic people, though its authors caution the figure may be overestimated, and a scoping review's lay abstract repeats that autistic people have a shorter life expectancy. A Wikipedia overview, however, says the evidence is inconclusive and that the once-cited 17-year gap is no longer accepted as a blanket characteristic of autism.

Verdict: CONTESTED PARTIAL · 2 sources for, 1 against · Last checked 3 Oct 2026

The private library was unavailable for some searches in this check. Missing library results are not evidence against the claim.

O'Nions, E. J. P., Lewer, D., Petersen, I., Brown, J., Buckman, J., Charlton, R. A., Cooper, C., Baou, C. E., Happé, F., Manthorpe, J., McKechnie, D. G., Richards, M., Saunders, R., Zanker, C., Mandy, W., & Stott, J. (2023). Estimating life expectancy and years of life lost for autistic people in the UK: a matched cohort study. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanepe.2023.100776

Mortality of autistic individuals - Wikipedia. (n.d.). en.wikipedia.org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortality_of_autistic_individuals

Autistic well-being: A scoping review of scientific studies from a neurodiversity-affirmative perspective. (2024). doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1177/27546330241233088