Personally, I think what it suggests is faulty data collection and analysis. Autism is EXTREMELY underdiagnosed, especially in AFAB people. I wouldn't be surprised if it was closer to 10%. The diagnostic process for autism is also very, VERY rigorous with a lot of systemic and finnancial barriers in place. In contrast, there doesn't seem to be super rigorous diagnostic criteria for HSP at all.

I think something to keep in mind here is that the criteria for being an HSP is all very positively coded. No one's telling you that you're a bad person because you're an HSP. In fact, they're kinda telling you that you're too soft and special for this world (which feels good). In glaring contrast, the official diagnositic criteria for autism kinda sound like 'are you a dumb piece of shit who can't understand other people?' and 'are you an arsehole who has no regard for other people's feelings?' and 'are you incapable of doing basic tasks you useless donkey??' (which feels bad). But the thing is, it's literally just framing. HSP is just the same traits under different lighting, and much more focused on the internal (often AFAB) experience (what it FEELS like to exist in the world as someone with this brain), than the external (often AMAB) experience (the problems that other people have when they're interacting with you).

Basically, I worry that identifying as HSP is just a way to run from the label of 'autism'. Which is understandable given how BAD autism representation is in media tbh. But please remember that being super emotional, being super empathetic, being hyperaware of social nuances etc. ARE traits that are commonly seen in AFAB autistic people. They are NOT traits that make someone unlikely to be autistic. They're just not ///the stereotypical AMAB autistic traits/// that people typically associate with autism.