Schizophrenia: 2025 Statistics

By Team TherapyRoute

Schizophrenia is a serious mental health condition that affects thinking, perception and emotion. This page collects published schizophrenia statistics in one place, each with its source, the population it describes and the year. Sources sometimes disagree. Where they do, both figures appear.

These are the main figures. Schizophrenia affects an estimated 23 million people worldwide, or about 1 in 345 people (0.29%) (WHO, 2025 fact sheet).¹ Among adults the rate is higher, at 1 in 233 people (0.43%) (WHO, 2025).¹ At least one in three people with schizophrenia will be able to fully recover (WHO, 2025).¹ People living with schizophrenia die about nine years earlier than the general population, often from physical illnesses (WHO, 2025).¹

How common is schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is not a common condition. How often it is found depends on where and how it is counted. Two terms matter here. Prevalence is how many people have the condition at a given time. Incidence is how many new cases begin over a set period.

• Global prevalence: Schizophrenia affects an estimated 23 million people worldwide, or about 1 in 345 people (0.29%) (WHO, 2025 fact sheet). It is less common than many other mental disorders (WHO, 2025).¹
• Adults: Among adults the rate is higher, at 1 in 233 people (0.43%) (WHO, 2025).
• United States: Estimates of the prevalence of schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders in the United States range between 0.25% and 0.64% of the population, drawn from household surveys, clinical diagnostic interviews and medical records (NIMH, United States).⁴
• Historical estimate: During the twentieth century, schizophrenia was found to have a prevalence of about 5 per 1,000 people, and accounted for more than half of all inmates in mental hospitals (Kaplan & Sadock, 2017).²
• Incidence: A systematic review covered about 160 studies from 33 countries, published between 1965 and 2001. It found a median incidence of 0.15 and a mean of 0.24 new cases per 1,000 people each year (Kaplan & Sadock, 2017).³ A systematic review pools the findings of many studies. The median is the middle value; the mean is the average.
• Incidence, broad definition: Studies using a broad definition of schizophrenia reported roughly 0.17 to 0.54 new cases per 1,000 people per year (Kaplan & Sadock, 2017).³

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Onset and course

• Onset, the point at which symptoms first appear, is most often during late adolescence and the twenties (WHO, 2025).¹ It tends to happen earlier among men than among women (WHO, 2025).¹
• The course of schizophrenia is highly variable, ranging from complete recovery to continuous, unremitting symptoms (Kaplan & Sadock, 2017).⁵ Course means how the condition develops over time; unremitting means the symptoms never ease.
• Some people experience complete remission, meaning the symptoms stop entirely; some have periods of worsening and remission; others have a gradual worsening over time (WHO, 2025).¹
• Less than half of people diagnosed with schizophrenia show substantial clinical improvement after an average follow-up of six years (Kaplan & Sadock, 2017).⁵
• The course varies most in the first five years, and tends to change less after that (Kaplan & Sadock, 2017).⁵

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Co-occurring conditions and risk

• Other mental disorders: Approximately half of individuals with schizophrenia have co-occurring mental or behavioural health disorders (NIMH, United States).⁴
• Cannabis: Heavy use of cannabis is associated with an elevated risk of the disorder (WHO, 2025).¹ Association is not the same as cause: the studies show the two occurring together, not that one produces the other.

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Life expectancy and mortality

• People living with schizophrenia die about nine years earlier than the general population, often from physical illnesses (WHO, 2025).
• The physical illnesses involved include cardiovascular, metabolic and infectious diseases (WHO, 2025).¹ Cardiovascular disease affects the heart and blood vessels. Metabolic disease affects how the body processes food and stores energy.
• An estimated 4.9% of people with schizophrenia die by suicide, a rate far greater than in the general population, and the risk is highest in the early stages of the illness (NIMH).⁴

Many of these physical illnesses can be prevented or treated. Regular physical health care therefore matters alongside mental health support.

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Treatment and recovery

Recovery happens for many people. Access to care is where the figures are worst.

• Recovery: At least one third experience complete remission of symptoms (WHO, 2025).¹
• Effective care: A range of effective care options exists, including medication, psychoeducation, family interventions, cognitive-behavioural therapy and psychosocial rehabilitation (WHO, 2025).¹ Psychoeducation means teaching the person and their family about the condition and its treatment. Cognitive-behavioural therapy is a talking therapy that works on thought patterns and behaviour. Psychosocial rehabilitation is practical support with daily living, work and social contact.
• The care gap: More than two out of three people with psychosis worldwide do not receive specialist mental health care (WHO, 2025).¹ Psychosis means losing contact with shared reality, through hallucinations or delusions.

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Global burden

Burden measures count healthy years lost to a condition, not just cases. Disability-adjusted life years combine years lost to early death with years lived in poor health. Years lost to disability count the second part only.

• In the Global Burden of Disease study for the year 2000, schizophrenia ranked eighth for disability-adjusted life years among people aged 15 to 44, accounting for 2.6% of the total (Kaplan & Sadock, 2017).²
• For years lost to disability, it ranked third, accounting for 4.9% of the total (Kaplan & Sadock, 2017).²
• Physical health: In one large survey of people with schizophrenia, 60.8% had metabolic syndrome (Kaplan & Sadock, 2017).³ In the same survey, 65.9% were current smokers and 47.4% were obese (Kaplan & Sadock, 2017).³ Metabolic syndrome is a group of linked problems: raised blood pressure, raised blood sugar, extra weight around the middle and abnormal blood fats.

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Reading these numbers

Schizophrenia figures shift with the method, the place and the definition used. The examples below show how far they shift.

• Place matters: In one rural Irish region, overall prevalence was 3.9 per 1,000, but rates across small districts ranged from 0.0 to 29.4 per 1,000 (Kaplan & Sadock, 2017).³
• Time matters: Recent incidence studies tend to report lower rates than older ones (Kaplan & Sadock, 2017).³
• Definition matters: People diagnosed using a broad definition of schizophrenia generally have better outcomes than those diagnosed using a narrow definition (Kaplan & Sadock, 2017).⁵
• Prediction is limited: All known prognostic factors together explain only about 30% of the variation in outcome (Kaplan & Sadock, 2017).⁵ Prognostic factors are the features used to predict how someone will fare.
• Genetics is partial: A large genetic study of 36,989 cases and 113,075 controls found 108 genomic loci linked to schizophrenia, which explain only about 30% of its estimated heritability (Kaplan & Sadock, 2017).² Cases are people with the condition; controls are people without it. Genomic loci are positions on the genome. Heritability is how much of the variation between people is explained by genes.

Why do the sources disagree on recovery?

Two sources describe recovery differently. At least one in three people with schizophrenia will be able to fully recover (WHO, 2025). Less than half of people diagnosed with schizophrenia show substantial clinical improvement after an average follow-up of six years (Kaplan & Sadock, 2017). The two differ in what they measure, how long they follow people and which definition they use. Each is accurate for what it counts.

Why is the WHO figure lower than older ones?

WHO's 2025 fact sheet puts prevalence at 0.29% (WHO, 2025).¹ A twentieth-century estimate put prevalence near 5 per 1,000 (Kaplan & Sadock, 2017).² The two were measured at different times and by different methods.

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Finding help

Statistics describe groups of people. They do not describe any one person's illness or outcome. Support is available for anyone affected, and for those close to them.

Our guide on how to find the right therapist explains what to look for. You can also find a therapist near you in our directory. If you are in crisis, please use the crisis box at the top of this page.

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References

1. [1] World Health Organization. Schizophrenia fact sheet. who.int.
2. [2] Kaplan & Sadock's Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, 10th ed (2017). 12.3: Worldwide Burden of Schizophrenia (pt 1).
3. [3] Kaplan & Sadock's Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, 10th ed (2017). 12.3: Worldwide Burden of Schizophrenia (pt 2).
4. [4] National Institute of Mental Health (US). Schizophrenia statistics. nimh.nih.gov.
5. [5] Kaplan & Sadock's Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, 10th ed (2017). 12.5: The Clinical Epidemiology of Schizophrenia (pt 4).

This article is for general information and is not a substitute for professional assessment or care. If this is affecting your life, consider reaching out to a qualified mental health professional.