PTSD statistics

Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, can follow a frightening or distressing event. People may relive the event, avoid reminders of it and feel constantly on guard. Most people who live through a traumatic event do not develop it.

Studies count PTSD in different ways. Some use the American Psychiatric Association's manual, either the older DSM-IV or the newer DSM-5. Others use the World Health Organization's ICD-11, which lists PTSD and complex PTSD as two separate conditions ¹⁰.

Studies also cover different periods. A lifetime figure counts anyone who has ever had PTSD. A past-year figure counts only recent cases.

Worldwide surveys

These figures come from the World Mental Health Surveys, a set of household surveys run in many countries with the same diagnostic interview and the DSM-IV criteria. Some surveys covered whole countries and some covered cities.

• In the World Mental Health Surveys, 3.9% of adults in 26 surveys across 24 countries had ever had PTSD. (survey, lifetime (ever), 2001-2012 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) ²
• In the same surveys, 5.6% of adults who had lived through a traumatic event had ever had PTSD. (survey, lifetime (ever), 2001-2012 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) ²
• In the World Mental Health Surveys, 70.4% of adults had lived through at least one traumatic event. (survey, lifetime (ever), 2001-2012 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) ¹
• PTSD followed 19.0% of the rapes reported in these surveys. No other type of trauma carried a higher risk. (survey, 2001-2012 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) ¹
• PTSD followed 3.6% of the combat experiences reported in these surveys. (survey, 2001-2012 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) ¹
• The unexpected death of a loved one was the trauma behind 22.2% of all lifetime cases of PTSD in these surveys, more than any other type. (survey, lifetime (ever), 2001-2012 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) ¹
• In high income countries, 53.5% of adults with PTSD in the past year sought treatment of any kind that year. (survey, past 12 months, 2001-2012 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) ²
• In upper middle income countries, 28.7% of adults with PTSD in the past year sought treatment of any kind that year. (survey, past 12 months, 2001-2012 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) ²
• In low and lower middle income countries, 22.8% of adults with PTSD in the past year sought treatment of any kind that year. (survey, past 12 months, 2001-2012 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) ²

People affected by war or forced from their homes

These reviews pooled many studies of people in places hit by war, and of refugees and asylum seekers. They describe those groups, not whole countries. The figure marked book-reported comes from the DSM-5-TR, the American Psychiatric Association's diagnostic manual, and counts only PTSD that impairs daily life, a stricter measure than the figures above it.

• In low-income and middle-income settings affected by conflict in the previous ten years, an estimated 15.3% of people had PTSD at any one time, adjusted for age. (pooled from prevalence studies, modelled estimate, published 2019, checked 27 Oct 2026) ³
• A review in PLoS Medicine pooled studies of adult refugees and asylum seekers assessed by clinical interview and found that 31.46% had PTSD. (pooled from prevalence studies, published 2020, checked 14 Oct 2026) ⁴
• After adjusting for age, about 11% of people in conflict-affected populations worldwide have PTSD that impairs daily functioning. (book-reported, p. 308, at one point in time, published 2022, data year not stated, checked 28 Oct 2026) ⁵

North America

The figures for adults in the United States come from a national household survey that used DSM-5. The figure for adolescents comes from a separate national survey that used DSM-IV. The veterans' figures count diagnoses made in the health care of the Department of Veterans Affairs, so they cover only veterans who use that care.

• In the United States, 4.7% of adolescents aged 13 to 17 had ever had PTSD, in a national survey using DSM-IV. (survey, lifetime (ever), 2001-2004 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) ⁶
• In the United States, 4.7% of adults had PTSD in the previous twelve months, in a national household survey using DSM-5. (survey, past 12 months, 2012-2013 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) ⁷
• In the United States, 6.1% of adults had ever had PTSD, in a national household survey using DSM-5. (survey, lifetime (ever), 2012-2013 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) ⁷
• In the United States, 14% of male veterans who use VA health care had a PTSD diagnosis in the 2024 fiscal year. (administrative records, 2024 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) ⁸
• In the United States, 24% of female veterans who use VA health care had a PTSD diagnosis in the 2024 fiscal year. (administrative records, 2024 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) ⁸

South America

Brazil's figures come from a survey of adults in the São Paulo metropolitan area. They describe that city region, not the whole country.

• In Brazil, 3.2% of adults in a large metropolitan area had ever had PTSD. (survey, lifetime (ever), 2005-2007 data, checked 13 Oct 2026) ⁹
• In Brazil, 1.6% of adults in a large metropolitan area had PTSD in the previous twelve months. (survey, past 12 months, 2005-2007 data, checked 13 Oct 2026) ⁹

Europe

Germany's survey used a questionnaire that people filled in themselves, scored against ICD-11. It counted PTSD and complex PTSD separately, and it covers the past month only.

• In Germany, 1.5% of people aged 14 to 99 met the ICD-11 criteria for PTSD in the past month, on a questionnaire. (survey, published 2018, fieldwork year not stated, checked 13 Oct 2026) ¹⁰
• In Germany, 0.5% of people aged 14 to 99 met the ICD-11 criteria for complex PTSD in the past month, on the same questionnaire. (survey, published 2018, fieldwork year not stated, checked 9 Oct 2026) ¹⁰

Middle East

Israel's figures come from a survey of a nationally representative sample of adults, scored against ICD-11. It also counted PTSD and complex PTSD separately.

• In Israel, 6.7% of adults in a nationally representative sample met the ICD-11 criteria for PTSD. (survey, published 2020, fieldwork year not stated, checked 9 Oct 2026) ¹¹
• In Israel, 4.9% of adults in the same sample met the ICD-11 criteria for complex PTSD. (survey, published 2020, fieldwork year not stated, checked 9 Oct 2026) ¹¹

Africa

South Africa's figures come from a national household survey that used the World Mental Health interview and DSM-IV.

• In South Africa, 2.3% of adults had ever had PTSD, in a national household survey using DSM-IV. (survey, lifetime (ever), 2002-2004 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) ¹²
• In South Africa, 0.7% of adults had PTSD in the previous twelve months, in the same survey. (survey, past 12 months, 2002-2004 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) ¹²
• In South Africa, PTSD followed 3.5% of the traumatic events that adults reported, in the same survey. (survey, 2002-2004 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) ¹²

Asia

Japan's figures come from the World Mental Health survey there, run in a sample of communities rather than the whole country.

• In Japan, 1.3% of adults sampled at random in 11 communities had ever had PTSD. (survey, lifetime (ever), 2002-2006 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) ¹³
• In Japan, 0.7% of adults sampled at random in 11 communities had PTSD in the previous twelve months. (survey, past 12 months, 2002-2006 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) ¹³

Oceania

Australia's figures come from a national household survey that used a diagnostic interview. They count PTSD present in the previous twelve months.

• In Australia, 5.6% of people aged 16 to 85 had PTSD in the previous twelve months. (survey, past 12 months, 2020-2022 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) ¹⁴
• In Australia, 7.4% of females aged 16 to 85 had PTSD in the previous twelve months. (survey, past 12 months, 2020-2022 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) ¹⁴
• In Australia, 3.7% of males aged 16 to 85 had PTSD in the previous twelve months. (survey, past 12 months, 2020-2022 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) ¹⁴

National figures side by side

These studies used different criteria, periods and samples. Read each row with its label, and do not rank the countries.

How to read these figures

A lifetime figure is never lower than a past-year or past-month figure from the same people. Compare like with like.

DSM-IV, DSM-5 and ICD-11 draw the line in different places. ICD-11 lists fewer core symptoms for PTSD and counts complex PTSD as a separate condition, so its PTSD rates are not directly comparable with DSM rates.

Rates are much higher in groups that have lived through war or displacement. Figures for refugees, people in conflict zones or veterans describe those groups, not whole countries.

Questionnaires that people fill in themselves point to a probable diagnosis. Only an assessment by a clinician can confirm one.

PTSD is treatable. The World Health Organization recommends talking therapies that focus on the trauma, such as trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR). A therapist trained in trauma can help you decide what suits you. 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. PTSD statistics. https://www.therapyroute.com/article/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd-2025-statistics-by-therapyroute. Last updated 29 October 2026.

References

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4. [4] The prevalence of mental illness in refugees and asylum seekers: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS Medicine (Blackmore et al.), 2020 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
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8. [8] How Common is PTSD in Veterans? U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD, 25 September 2026 ptsd.va.gov.
9. [9] Correlates and prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorders in the São Paulo metropolitan area, Brazil. Journal of Psychiatric Research (Coêlho et al.), 2022 sciencedirect.com.
10. [10] ICD-11 Prevalence Rates of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in a German Nationwide Sample. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease (Maercker et al.), 2018 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
11. [11] A longitudinal study of ICD-11 PTSD and complex PTSD in the general population of Israel. Psychiatry Research (Hyland et al.), 2020 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
12. [12] Trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder in South Africa: analysis from the South African Stress and Health Study. BMC Psychiatry (Atwoli et al.), 2013 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
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14. [14] National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing, 2020-2022. Australian Bureau of Statistics, 5 October 2023 abs.gov.au.