Within the general population the prevalence of FASD is around 3-5%, meaning that up to 1 in 20 people in Scotland could have FASD. In comparison Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is thought to affect 1 in 94.

Some groups are, however, disproportionally affected by FASD including the care-experience community. Research in Peterborough (Gregory et.al 2015) revealed that 75% of children put forward for an adoption medical had been prenatally exposed to alcohol.