How Common is ADHD?

Plain-language summary

Research suggests that the prevalence of ADHD varies across different age groups and geographic locations. While there are some robust findings, estimates can differ due to various factors like diagnostic criteria and study methodologies, so it's important to take these variations into account when considering the overall picture.

Key findings

• A 2024 meta-analysis (Study 1) found an overall global prevalence of ADHD of 6.7% in children and adolescents, and 6.7% in adults.
• Another 2024 study (Study 4) suggests that ADHD affects approximately 5.9% of children and 2.5% of adults worldwide.

Studies cited (8)

1. Prevalence of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): systematic review and meta-analysis — Popit S, Serod K, Locatelli I (2024, European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists, meta-analysis)

   DOI: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2024.1786 PMCID: PMC11536208

2. Prenatal and postnatal exposure to acetaminophen in relation to autism spectrum and attention-deficit and hyperactivity symptoms in childhood: Meta-analysis in six European population-based cohorts — Alemany S, Avella-García C, Liew Z (2021, European journal of epidemiology, meta-analysis)

   DOI: 10.1007/s10654-021-00754-4 PMCID: PMC8542535

3. The global epidemiology and health burden of the autism spectrum: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 — Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 Autism Spectrum Collaborators (2025, The lancet. Psychiatry, other)

   DOI: 10.1016/S2215-0366(24)00363-8 PMCID: PMC11750762

4. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder — Faraone SV, Bellgrove MA, Brikell I (2024, Nature reviews. Disease primers, other)

   DOI: 10.1038/s41572-024-00495-0

5. ADHD Pharmacotherapy and Mortality in Individuals With ADHD — Li L, Zhu N, Zhang L (2024, JAMA, other)

   DOI: 10.1001/jama.2024.0851 PMCID: PMC10936112

6. Anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders in adult men and women with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A substantive and methodological overview — Hartman CA, Larsson H, Vos M (2023, Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews, other)

   DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105209

7. Global, regional, and national burden of 12 mental disorders in 204 countries and territories, 1990-2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 — GBD 2019 Mental Disorders Collaborators (2022, The lancet. Psychiatry, other)

   DOI: 10.1016/S2215-0366(21)00395-3 PMCID: PMC8776563

8. Guidelines of care for the management of atopic dermatitis: section 1. Diagnosis and assessment of atopic dermatitis — Eichenfield LF, Tom WL, Chamlin SL (2014, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, other)

   DOI: 10.1016/j.jaad.2013.10.010 PMCID: PMC4410183