Benefits for teens with Autism and ADHD rise fastest in more prosperous areas, think tank reveals

England’s least deprived areas have seen the fastest rise in the share of young people receiving benefits to support them with the costs of having ADHD and autism, new analysis reveals.

The study, by the Nuffield Trust think tank, examines how Personal Independence Payment (PIP) recipient rates for 16–17-year-olds in England have changed since 2019 and, for the first time, how those changes vary between local areas according to levels of deprivation.  

The analysis finds that PIP recipient rates for young people with autism and ADHD across England have increased substantially in six years with 51,148 16-17-year-olds (3.4% of that age group) receiving the benefit in 2025, compared to 16,045 (1.3%) in 2019.  Recipient rates are highest in more deprived areas, where insecure employment and low educational achievement are more common.

But growth has been particularly rapid in England's most prosperous areas. Between 2019 and 2025, the proportion of 16 -17-year-olds receiving PIP for ADHD or autism in the least deprived fifth of neighbourhoods more than tripled, from 0.8% to 2.5%. In the most deprived neighbourhoods, it increased from 2.1% to 5.1%.

As a result, although rates remain on average higher in the most deprived areas, the relative gap between the most and least deprived areas narrowed. In 2019, the recipient rate in the most deprived neighbourhoods was around 2.5 times the rate in the least deprived neighbourhoods. By 2025, it was just twice the rate.

The analysis of recipient rates for PIP, a non means tested benefit designed to offset the costs of disability, also found that:

• By 2025 recipient rates in Runnymede and Bracknell Forest – both relatively affluent parts of the London commuter belt – had climbed to around one in 19 and one in 20 16–17-year-olds respectively, up from roughly one in 58 and one in 89 six years earlier.
• But rates remained highest in some of England's most deprived areas. In Liverpool and Knowsley, recipient rates among 16 to 17-year-olds reached around one in 12 by 2025, up from about one in 35 and one in 57 respectively in 2019.
• PIP recipient rates for people of White ethnicity were higher overall than those of other ethnicities, reflected in lower than expected recipient rates in ethnically diverse areas like Newham, Brent and Leicester, despite relatively high levels of deprivation.
• Of the estimated £296m spent on PIP claims for 16–17-year-olds with Autism and ADHD in 2025, around £87m was paid to young people living in the 40% least deprived neighbourhoods in 2025, a real terms increase of just under 300% from £22m in 2019 (in 2025/26 prices).
• Expanding this figure further for the wider 16-19 age cohort, analysts estimate that total PIP payments for ADHD and autism linked to the 40% least deprived areas were just over £220m in 2025, up from £64m in 2019 (in 2025/26 prices).

The weakening connection between deprivation and PIP recipient rates appears to be unique to autism and ADHD. Researchers found that this did not apply to PIP for other disabilities received by the 16-17 age group, which relate to learning disabilities, depression, anxiety or physical disabilities. This raises doubt that the change seen for ADHD and autism could be explained purely by more prosperous households becoming impacted by the cost-of-living crisis.

Commenting on the findings, Sally Gainsbury, Senior Policy Analyst at the Nuffield Trust said:

“Historically, disability and deprivation have been closely linked, because deprivation is both a cause of disability and poor health as well as an effect of it. But our analysis finds that this link is weaker for ADHD and autism, and has weakened further in recent years.  

“PIP is meant to reflect how much a condition affects someone’s day-to-day life, rather than purely whether they have a diagnosis, so it’s intriguing to see that recipient rates have grown most in the areas where people seem to be doing relatively well in terms of employment and education. Our findings could reflect unequal access to diagnosis, which we know is substantial.  

"But they could also point to inconsistencies and uncertainties, both in the welfare system and in wider society, about how disability is understood and assessed when it comes to autism and ADHD. This confusion has serious implications for the health system too. Demand for diagnosis and treatment has risen dramatically, and services are struggling to keep pace. Overwhelmed systems risk missing people with the most pressing need.”

Thea Stein, Chief Executive of the Nuffield Trust said:

“As diagnosis and recognition of neurodiversity continue to grow, policymakers will need to grapple with the complex picture identified in this report to ensure support is targeted fairly and effectively. That will involve identifying where needs are best supported through the healthcare and benefit system and where it would be more appropriate to support people through broader changes to work, schools and wider society, to better reflect, respect and value human diversity.”