ADHD statistics worldwide

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is a neurodevelopmental condition. The World Health Organization describes a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that gets in the way of school, work or social life. It starts in childhood and often continues into adult life.

Studies count ADHD in different ways. Some count reports of a diagnosis that a doctor or psychologist gave. Some use a full clinical interview against set criteria. Others use a short screening questionnaire, which flags people who need a fuller assessment. Each way gives a different figure.

This page keeps children and adults apart. Where a study used set criteria, such as DSM-IV or DSM-5, the figure names them.

Children and adolescents worldwide

The first two figures are Global Burden of Disease estimates that the World Health Organization quotes. The two reviews below pooled local studies. One took only community samples drawn at random and assessed with standardised methods. The other took every study that used DSM criteria, whatever its sampling, and its pooled figure is higher.

• Worldwide, an estimated 2.7% of adolescents aged 10 to 14 had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in 2021. (modelled estimate, 2021 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) ¹
• Worldwide, an estimated 2.2% of adolescents aged 15 to 19 had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in 2021. (modelled estimate, 2021 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) ¹
• A review of community studies from twenty-seven countries put the worldwide pooled prevalence of ADHD in children and adolescents at 3.4%. (pooled from prevalence studies, published 2015, checked 10 Oct 2026) ²
• Pooled across children in 175 studies that used DSM-III, DSM-III-R or DSM-IV criteria, 7.2% had ADHD at the time of study. (pooled from prevalence studies, at one point in time, published 2015, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁶

Adults worldwide

The World Mental Health surveys used the same interview in many countries and asked about ADHD only of younger adults, because older adults may not recall childhood symptoms. The review that follows sorted adult studies into two groups. Persistent ADHD needs symptoms that began in childhood. Symptomatic ADHD counts adult symptoms whether or not they began in childhood.

• On average, 2.8% of adults aged 18 to 44 in twenty World Mental Health surveys had current ADHD by DSM-IV criteria. (survey, 2001-2012 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁷
• On average, 3.6% of adults aged 18 to 44 in World Mental Health surveys in high-income countries had current ADHD by DSM-IV criteria. (survey, 2001-2012 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁷
• On average, 3.0% of adults aged 18 to 44 in World Mental Health surveys in upper-middle-income countries had current ADHD by DSM-IV criteria. (survey, 2001-2012 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁷
• On average, 1.4% of adults aged 18 to 44 in World Mental Health surveys in low- and lower-middle-income countries had current ADHD by DSM-IV criteria. (survey, 2001-2012 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁷
• Among adults worldwide, adjusted to the world population structure of 2020, 2.58% had persistent ADHD, meaning ADHD with a childhood onset. (pooled from prevalence studies, published 2021, checked 10 Oct 2026) ³
• Among adults worldwide, adjusted to the world population structure of 2020, 6.76% had symptomatic ADHD, counted with or without a childhood onset. (pooled from prevalence studies, published 2021, checked 10 Oct 2026) ³
• The review estimated that 139.84 million adults worldwide in 2020 had persistent ADHD, meaning ADHD with a childhood onset. (pooled from prevalence studies, published 2021, checked 10 Oct 2026) ³
• The review estimated that 366.33 million adults worldwide in 2020 had symptomatic ADHD, counted with or without a childhood onset. (pooled from prevalence studies, published 2021, checked 10 Oct 2026) ³

From childhood into adult life

How often ADHD continues into adult life depends on the definition of persistence. Full criteria give a low figure. Counting people who still have some impairing symptoms gives a much higher one.

• A meta-analysis of follow-up studies estimated that, at age twenty-five, about 15% of people with childhood ADHD still met the full criteria. (pooled from cohort studies, published 2006, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁴
• The same meta-analysis estimated that about 65% of people with childhood ADHD still had it at age twenty-five, counting DSM-IV partial remission. (pooled from cohort studies, published 2006, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁴
• On average, 57.0% of adults aged 18 to 44 in twenty World Mental Health surveys who recalled ADHD in childhood still had ADHD at interview. (survey, 2001-2012 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁷

DSM-IV and DSM-5

DSM-IV and DSM-5 are editions of the American diagnostic manual. ICD-11 is the World Health Organization's classification, which lists ADHD among the neurodevelopmental disorders. The same young adults in one Brazilian city met the newer DSM-5 criteria more often than DSM-IV.

• In Brazil, 3.55% of young adults aged 18 to 19 in the 1993 Pelotas birth cohort, one city had ADHD by DSM-5 criteria. (survey, 2011-2012 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁸
• In Brazil, an estimated 2.8% of young adults aged 18 to 19 in the 1993 Pelotas birth cohort, one city had ADHD by the older DSM-IV criteria. (survey, 2011-2012 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁸

Screened, self-assessed and diagnosed

A positive screen means a person reported enough characteristics to warrant a fuller assessment. It is not a diagnosis. England's adult survey used the same questionnaire in each round.

• In 2023/4, 13.9% of adults aged 16 and over in England screened positive for possible ADHD on a short questionnaire, which signals a need for fuller assessment, not a diagnosis. (survey, 2023/4 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁵
• In 2023/4, 5.8% of adults aged 16 and over in England thought that they had ADHD. (survey, 2023/4 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁵
• In 2023/4, 1.8% of adults aged 16 and over in England reported that a professional had diagnosed them with ADHD. (survey, 2023/4 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁵
• In 2023/4, 25.0% of adults aged 16 to 24 in England screened positive for possible ADHD, the highest share of any age group. (survey, 2023/4 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁵
• In 2007, 8.2% of adults aged 16 and over in England screened positive for possible ADHD on the same questionnaire. (survey, 2007 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁵
• In 2014, 9.7% of adults aged 16 and over in England screened positive for possible ADHD on the same questionnaire. (survey, 2014 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁵

National figures

These national figures come from parent reports of a diagnosis, adult self-reports and reviews that pooled a country's local studies. A pooled review mixes studies of different ages, places and methods.

• In the United States, 11.4% of children aged 3 to 17 had ever received an ADHD diagnosis in 2022, by parent report. (survey, lifetime (ever), 2022 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁹
• In the United States, 10.5% of children aged 3 to 17 had received an ADHD diagnosis and, by parent report, still had ADHD in 2022. (survey, at one point in time, 2022 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁹
• In the United States, 6.0% of adults aged 18 and over reported a current ADHD diagnosis in 2023. (survey, at one point in time, 2023 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹⁰
• In the United States, about 15.5 million adults aged 18 and over reported a current ADHD diagnosis in 2023. (survey, at one point in time, 2023 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹⁰
• In Germany, 4.4% of children and adolescents aged 3 to 17 had at some point received a diagnosis of ADHD from a doctor or psychologist, by parent report, in 2014-2017. (survey, lifetime (ever), 2014-2017 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹¹
• In China, pooled across children and adolescents under 18 in 67 Chinese studies, 6.26% had ADHD. (pooled from prevalence studies, published 2017, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹²
• In Ethiopia, pooled across children and adolescents in seven Ethiopian studies, 14.2% had ADHD. (pooled from prevalence studies, published 2024, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹³

Treatment

Care for ADHD can include medication, behavioural approaches, education support and talking therapy. In the World Mental Health surveys, much of the care that people with ADHD received targeted other conditions rather than ADHD itself.

• Of adults aged 18 to 44 with ADHD in the past year, in twenty World Mental Health surveys, 21.8% received any treatment for mental health problems in the year before interview. (survey, past 12 months, 2001-2012 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁷
• In the United States, 53.6% of children aged 3 to 17 with current ADHD received medication for ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) in 2022. (survey, 2022 data, checked 15 Oct 2026) ⁹
• In the United States, 44.4% of children aged 3 to 17 with current ADHD had received behavioural treatment for ADHD in the past year, in 2022. (survey, past 12 months, 2022 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁹
• In the United States, 30.1% of children aged 3 to 17 with current ADHD received no ADHD-specific treatment in 2022. (survey, 2022 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁹
• In the United States, 71.5% of adults aged 18 and over with ADHD who took a stimulant medication reported difficulty filling the prescription in the past year because the medication was unavailable, in 2023. (survey, past 12 months, 2023 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹⁰

National figures side by side

These figures count different things in different age groups. Some are a diagnosis, some a screen and some a pooled review of local studies. Read each row with its label, and do not rank the countries.

How to read these figures

A screening questionnaire flags possible ADHD. It does not diagnose it. In England's adult survey, the screened figure was far higher than the share who reported a diagnosis.

A diagnosed figure depends on access to assessment and on diagnostic practice, as well as on how common ADHD is.

Pooled reviews combine studies that used different ages, criteria and methods. Their figures are averages across those studies, not a national survey.

Adults in the World Mental Health surveys recalled their childhood symptoms years later. Recall can miss or blur early symptoms.

The Global Burden of Disease figures come from a statistical model. The World Health Organization quotes them as estimates, and this page does the same, with citation. This page does not reproduce the datasets themselves.

ADHD is common, and support is available at every age. Assessment by a qualified professional can make sense of long-standing difficulties with attention, restlessness or impulsivity. Treatment plans often combine practical strategies, support at school or work, therapy and, for some people, medication. Our guide to ADHD explains the condition in more depth.

If ADHD affects you or someone close to you, a psychologist or psychiatrist can assess what is happening and help plan care. Our guide on how to find the right therapist explains what to look for. If you are in distress right now, see our helplines and suicide hotlines worldwide.

Cite this page: TherapyRoute. ADHD statistics worldwide. https://www.therapyroute.com/article/adhd-statistics-worldwide-by-therapyroute. Last updated 27 October 2026.

References

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