Patterns of Mortality among People with Autism Spectrum Disorder in South Korea

Detailed statistics on the death status of persons with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are lacking. We aimed to identify and compare recent mortality rates in persons with ASD in Korea.

From 2012 to 2021, databases were established by linking data on persons with ASD registered in Korea with data on cause of death from the National Statistical Office.

Between 2012 and 2021, the mortality rate of persons with ASD and age-standardized mortality rates fluctuated annually. The crude mortality rates in the population with ASD were 91.6, 113.8, and 74.5 in 2012, 2016, and 2021, respectively, which were lower than the rates in the general population; however, the age-standardized mortality rate was observed to be five times higher. Intentional self-harm, as a cause of death in persons with ASD, was ranked high annually. The mortality rates in persons with ASD from diseases (50.7%) and injury (49.3%) were in a ratio of 1:1. Diseases and injury were more causes of death in males with ASD. The average age of persons with ASD at death was confirmed to be approximately 50 years lower than that of the general population.

Deaths and causes of death in persons with ASD differ from those of the general population. Therefore, preventive measures and efforts are required to reduce avoidable deaths among persons with ASD.