Up to one in five people is neurodivergent. In Hong Kong, that’s likely more than a million people. Here are the latest neurodiversity statistics for Hong Kong in one place, from schools, health surveys and government data. We link every source.
We’ll update it every year. Bookmark it, quote it, share it.
Neurodiversity statistics in Hong Kong at a glance
Sources:
How many people in Hong Kong are neurodivergent?
Nobody has counted directly. Hong Kong doesn’t track neurodivergence as one group. Autism, ADHD, dyslexia and other differences sit in separate datasets, when they’re recorded at all.
A widely cited global estimate puts neurodivergent people at 15–20% of the population. It comes from occupational psychologist Nancy Doyle’s 2020 review in the British Medical Bulletin. Apply that range to Hong Kong’s population of more than 7 million and you get well over a million people.
The government’s closest figure is broader. The Census and Statistics Department counted 534,200 persons with disabilities in 2020, or 7.1% of the population. That survey covers autism, ADHD and specific learning difficulties, but it relies on households reporting them. The department itself flagged under-reporting of intellectual disability. And adults who were never assessed can’t be counted.
Neurodiversity statistics in Hong Kong schools
Schools give the clearest picture, because the Education Bureau counts students with special educational needs (SEN) every year.
- 67,870 students with SEN were enrolled in public-sector ordinary schools in 2024/25: 32,250 in primary and 35,620 in secondary (EDB).
- 10.7% of all pupils now have SEN, according to research from the Society for Community Organization (SoCO), released in February 2026 (Dimsum Daily).
- The share is rising. SoCO found SEN students made up 9.1% of primary pupils in 2019 and 12% in 2023. In secondary schools, the figure went from 10.1% to 13.1%.
The Education Bureau names autism and ADHD as the major types of SEN in Hong Kong’s ordinary schools.
That’s three or four students in a class of 30. Teachers need tools for that. Our Neurodiversity 101 session for schools is one.
Autism and ADHD in Hong Kong children
Recent prevalence figures come from a territory-wide school survey of 6,082 children and teenagers, run from 2019 to 2023 and presented at the Hospital Authority Convention 2024.
- ADHD: 10.2% of 6–17-year-olds
- Autism: over 2.9%, and 4.6% among boys
That’s about one in ten young people with ADHD and roughly one in 35 who are autistic. Within ten years, they’ll be at Hong Kong’s universities and starting work.
Neurodiversity and work in Hong Kong
The gap gets wider after school.
- Adults with disabilities are less than half as likely to be in work. In 2020, 32.7% of adults aged 18–64 with disabilities were employed, compared with 69.7% of adults without disabilities (Washington Group analysis of C&SD data).
- 3,700 to 4,200 young people with SEN leave mainstream Form Six each year, SoCO estimates. Several hundred a year have no job or study place lined up.
- 2.7% of special school leavers go straight into a job after Form Six. 34% move on to further study or vocational training.
That’s a talent pool most Hong Kong employers aren’t reaching. Neurodivergent people are also already on your team. Some of them won’t have told you.
An inclusive workplace in Hong Kong doesn’t start with a policy document. It starts with managers who understand how different brains work, and know which small changes help. That’s what our Neurodiversity 101 workshop covers.
What the numbers don’t show
Neurodiversity statistics in Hong Kong count diagnoses. They miss the adult who was never assessed, the family still waiting for an appointment, and the employee who never asks for an adjustment.
That’s where our hidden disability awareness lanyards and buttons come in. They let people signal they may need more time or patience, without having to explain why. Families looking for practical support can start with our guide to Disability Allowance in Hong Kong or our FAQs.
What Talos Foundation is doing about it
We’re a Hong Kong non-profit working on neurodiversity awareness and inclusion. So far:
Small things. Real difference.
How you can help
- Schools and employers: Book a Neurodiversity 101 workshop in Hong Kong.
- Shops, venues and transport providers: Become a distribution point for our lanyards and buttons.
- Everyone: Share these neurodiversity statistics for Hong Kong. Good data only helps when people see it.
Last updated: November 2026. Spotted a newer figure? Tell us and we’ll add it.