ADHD Statistics

13 Minutes

Edited & medically reviewed by THE BALANCE Team

Fact checked

CONTENTS

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a behavior disorder. Individuals with ADHD may appear restless, have difficulty concentrating, and act impulsively.

The signs of ADHD are commonly identified at a young age and may worsen as a child’s environment changes, like when they start going to school.

The majority of cases are diagnosed between the ages of three and seven, however, sometimes it is detected later in childhood. Based on recent data, more than 9.4% of children (6.1 million) in the United States have been diagnosed with.

Unfortunately, the projected ADHD statistics show that the prevalence of ADHD will rise further. Although the data on ADHD epidemiology is endless, in this comprehensive article we share the most relevant and interesting facts and ADHD statistics worldwide and about US data.

The prevalence rate of ADHD in children (2-17 years) is more than 9.4% in the United States (a total of 6.1 million). ADHD is more widespread in kids than in adults, with around 9.4 percent of children diagnosed against 4.6 percent of adults.

The following is an interesting collection of 10 facts about ADHD.

Boys have a higher probability than girls to be diagnosed with ADHD.
About nine out of ten children with ADHD get support or accommodations in school.
Approximately 10 percent of people with ADHD may develop a drug or alcohol use disorder.
Bipolar disorder is approximately six times more prevalent in people with ADHD compared to adults without ADHD.
About 33 percent of kids with ADHD drop out of high school, which is more than double the rate of children without ADHD.
Only fifteen percent of individuals with ADHD complete a 4-year university degree program.
More than double as many individuals with ADHD attend trade or vocational schools as their non-ADHD classmates.
About three-quarters of children with ADHD are treated with therapy, medication, or a combination of the two.
An astounding and interesting fact about ADHD is that the accident risk of drivers with ADHD is approximately 47 percent more than that of their contemporaries without ADHD.
According to one study, up to 20 percent of young children diagnosed with ADHD may not genuinely have the illness.

What percent of children in the United States have ADHD?

About 9.4 percent of American children of ages 2 to 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD or ADD.

There are 6.1 million children diagnosed with ADD or ADHD in the United States.

The ADHD diagnosis age can vary.

Approximately 13.6 percent of all cases are diagnosed between 12 and 17 years of age.
Approximately 9.6 percent of diagnosed children are aged 6 to 11 years old.
About 2.4 percent of children diagnosed are between the ages of 2 and 5.

Boys have a higher probability than girls to be diagnosed with ADHD.

Nevertheless, girls may have a higher prevalence of ADHD than previously thought.

Girls are much less likely to exhibit hyperactive and violent behaviors, thus their challenges may go unnoticed by parents and instructors.

ADHD is among the most frequently identified developmental disorders in children. Diverse global studies indicate varying rates of ADHD in youngsters, but the global incidence is approximately five percent.

Approximately 8.7 percent of adolescents have at some point in their lives been diagnosed with ADHD.

About 4.2 percent of adolescents have highly impairing ADHD symptoms.

Adolescent males were diagnosed with ADHD three times more frequently than teenage girls.

When they begin to struggle in high school, teenage girls are much more likely to be diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Teenage males tend to exhibit symptoms first.

Some females are frequently misdiagnosed with diseases such as anxiety or depression, as these disorders frequently accompany ADHD.

ADHD might be mistakenly thought of as a disorder in children although it is quite common in adolescents and adults. So how many adults have ADHD?

A 2016 survey revealed that approximately 2.8 percent of adults worldwide have ADHD. Because of a lack of assessment, diagnosis, and knowledge, this number is probably underreported.

Studies reveal that approximately 4.4 percent of adults in the United States have ADHD.

About 5.4 percent of men and 3.2 percent of women in the United States have been diagnosed with ADHD.

In the United States, white people are more frequently diagnosed with ADHD than other ethnic groups.

It is expected that 8.1 percent of U.S. adults will exhibit signs of ADHD at some point in their lives. However, this typically occurs in childhood. Adults typically exhibit less serious ADHD symptoms than children.

Adults with ADHD typically have less severe symptoms. Nevertheless, the symptoms can be incapacitating. Adults with ADHD are more likely to struggle with relationships, sleeping, higher education, emotional regulation, and job stability.

In individuals with the inattentive subtype, adult ADHD frequently manifests as forgetfulness. People may forget where they’re going, lose their keys, or overlook food cooking on the stove. They might not be aware that anything is amiss with their brain because they have a reputation for being chronically forgetful.

In the United States, nine out of ten children diagnosed with ADHD receive educational support and modifications.

In the U.S., two out of five children with ADHD receive social skills instruction, while 31 percent are instructed by their parents.

Approximately one in five American children is treated with cognitive behavioral therapy for ADHD.

Approximately 45 percent of children with ADHD also have a learning handicap.

For youngsters with ADHD, school help is substantial. In addition to special education classrooms, pupils may receive extra exam time, extra time to stand up, fidget spinners, and assistance from teachers.

Learning problems are extremely prevalent among students with ADHD. About half of students with ADHD have writing, reading, or math learning difficulties. There is also accommodation available for certain conditions, provided they have been examined, assessed, and diagnosed.

So how many people have ADHD in the world? The worldwide prevalence of ADHD is approximately 2.8 percent, with some countries reporting significantly higher rates.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has been diagnosed in only 0.6 percent of the population in Romania and Iraq.

France has the highest overall prevalence of ADHD, with 7.3 percent of the inhabitants being diagnosed.

The United States cites estimates between 4.4 percent and 5.2 percent for the total reported population.

In Poland, 0.8 percent of the population has been diagnosed with ADHD, followed by Australia at 1.1 percent.

States With The Highest Rates Of ADHD

Delaware and South Carolina – 7 percent

Indiana – 13 percent

Louisiana – 13.3 percent

Arkansas – 14.6 percent

Kentucky – 14.8 percent

States with the least ADHD prevalence rates

Colorado 3.6 percent

Nevada 2 percent

Hawaii 3.2 percent

California 3.3 percent

Alaska, Utah, and New Jersey 3.5 percent

Men are diagnosed with ADHD roughly four times more frequently than women.

Because women are more prone to receiving a late diagnosis, the occurrence of ADHD in women in the US is 3.2 percent, compared to 5.2 percent in males.

Women are more prone to developing the subtype of ADHD characterized by a lack of hyperactive symptoms.

According to a 2019 survey, 11.7 percent of men have ever been diagnosed with ADHD, whereas only 5.7 percent of women have ever had this diagnosis.

Another 2019 study revealed that the ratio of male to female ADHD diagnoses could span from two to one to ten to one.

Historically, boys were more often diagnosed with ADHD. Boys exhibit anger and hyperactivity more frequently. However, there has been a reduction in the gender difference as a result of a greater focus on how symptoms manifest in females.

ADHD is typically diagnosed more commonly in white children, although it is unclear whether this reflects a true frequency or a flaw in the diagnosis method.

By age twelve, approximately 14.2 percent of white children will be diagnosed with ADHD.

By age 12, around 11.8 percent of Black children would be diagnosed with ADHD.

Asian children have the lowest diagnosis rate in the United States, with approximately 6.1 percent being diagnosed by age 12.

In addition, white boys were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than white girls.

Researchers discovered that Asian children are much less likely to be diagnosed with ADHD at every evaluation phase. Nevertheless, Latino and Black children have ADHD rates that are more comparable to those of their white peers.

There are worries that Latino and Black children with ADHD may be ignored due to stereotyping and outmoded diagnostic standards.

Did you know that children from households where English is the primary language have a four-fold greater chance of being diagnosed with ADHD? Men are also three times more likely to be diagnosed.

ADHD and Concurrent Mental Health Disorders

Over two-thirds of individuals with ADHD also have another disease.

About half of the kids with ADHD have a learning handicap, such as math, reading, or writing difficulties.

Aspects of autism spectrum disorders are present in about 25 percent of children with ADHD.

Tourette syndrome is common in 10 percent of children with ADHD and is likely to be identified well before ADHD.

Ten percent of children with ADHD have speech challenges, ranging from stuttering to difficulties pronouncing words.

Twenty-five percent of children with ADHD will also be labeled with a general behavioral disorder.

Twenty percent of kids with ADHD also have bipolar disorder, and ten percent have depression.

The majority of people with ADHD have sleep conditions, such as sleeplessness, oversleeping, and circadian rhythm disturbances.

Anxiety is prevalent in approximately 20 percent of individuals with ADHD.

Approximately 10 percent of people with ADHD may acquire a substance use disorder, which is frequently associated with impulsivity and self-medication.

It is common for ADHD sufferers, whether they are children or adults, to have co-occurring conditions. In reality, many individuals are initially diagnosed with a different mental health disorder or learning disability before being evaluated for ADHD.

Half of those diagnosed with ADHD will also have a sleep condition or a learning handicap. Half of the children with ADHD will be identified with the oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), an illness that causes children to defy authority.

Depression and anxiety are also particularly prevalent in children with ADHD, occurring five to ten times more frequently than in children without a diagnosis of ADHD.

Dropout Rate Due to ADHD

A review of data from the United States indicates that around one in three adolescents with hyperactive ADHD will drop out of high school.

Teens without psychiatric conditions have a dropout rate of approximately 15 percent, which is less than half that of teens with ADHD.

Statistics indicate that between 2 percent and 8 percent of college students have ADHD. Those with ADHD are statistically less likely to seek higher education.

People with ADHD are eleven times more likely to not pursue higher education than to attend a four-year institution.

About half of those with ADHD attend vocational schools, but just 18 percent of those without ADHD do so.

Fifteen percent of those with ADHD will earn a four-year degree, compared to 48 percent of those without ADHD.

ADHD and Driving Statistics

A 2014 study revealed that adults with ADHD were up to 47 percent more likely to be involved in car accidents.

About 37 percent of adolescents with ADHD obtain a traffic infraction within the first year of driving, compared to 25 percent of adolescents without ADHD.

More than one-quarter of ADHD youth obtain a moving violation in their first year of driving, compared to only 18 percent of non-ADHD kids.

Those with ADHD are more prone to driving while preoccupied, especially if they are uncomfortable behind the wheel.

For several reasons, driving might be more hazardous for individuals with ADHD than usual. As a result of executive dysfunction, it can be challenging to keep track of everything that is occurring. In addition, it’s easy to get sidetracked even without a phone.

It is normal for those with limited impulse control to use their phones while driving when they are bored. Experts urge that drivers with ADHD switch off their phones completely and keep them out of reach while driving. The same holds for portable devices such as music players.

ADHD and Addiction Statistics

There is a greater probability for individuals with ADHD to develop drug or alcohol abuse issues.

The prevalence of ADHD among drinkers is up to ten times that of the general population.

ADHD is identified in one out of every four adults receiving substance abuse treatment.

Before reaching the legal drinking age, approximately 14 percent of adolescents will acquire alcohol intake problems.

Forty percent of 15-year-olds with ADHD had tried alcohol, compared to just 22 percent of 15-year-olds without ADHD.

Teenagers and young adults with and without ADHD drink alcohol at comparable rates, but those with ADHD are much more prone to binge drinking and building dependence.

ADHD Diagnosis Statistics

Some research suggests that approximately one-third of children diagnosed with ADHD will outgrow their symptoms as adults. However, some research suggests that the proportion is closer to fifty percent.

Approximately 9.4 percent of children are diagnosed with ADHD at some point throughout childhood, but symptoms are not necessarily permanent.

Girls are diagnosed with ADHD considerably less frequently than boys, but scientists believe females might well be underdiagnosed.

ADHD Comorbidity Statistics

People with ADHD are most likely to also have a mental health issue, substance abuse disorder, or another ailment.

Almost half of all kids with ADHD also have a learning handicap, whereas only 5 percent of those without ADHD do.

More than one-quarter of children with ADHD exhibit behavioral issues, compared to only 2 percent of children without ADHD.

Depression and anxiety are among the most prevalent co-occurring disorders, affecting 18 percent and 15 percent of ADHD children, respectively.

Girls with ADHD have a 57 percent risk of writing disorders, while boys with ADHD have a 65 percent risk.

Two percent of children with ADHD also have a heart condition, compared with 1.2 percent of children without ADHD, according to one study.

About one in every five adults with ADHD also has bipolar disorder.

Forty-seven percent of adults with ADHD also have an anxiety condition such as post-traumatic stress disorder, social anxiety, or agoraphobia.

Approximately 15.2 percent of adults with ADHD have a substance abuse disorder, and 4.4 percent are drug dependent.

Statistics on ADHD Misdiagnosis

ADHD is one of the most commonly diagnosed illnesses in children, which raises issues over misdiagnosis.

Statistics regarding misdiagnosed ADHD in adults are comparable to children.

One study revealed that up to one-fifth of children diagnosed with ADHD may not genuinely have the disorder.

Younger students have a greater likelihood of being labeled with ADHD than older students, particularly in first grade and kindergarten.

When presenting without hyperactive symptoms, women with ADHD are more prone to be misdiagnosed with anxiety or depression.

Statistics Regarding ADHD Treatment And Therapy

Approximately 77 percent of children with a current diagnosis of ADHD receive treatment or roughly three out of every four children.

Approximately 62 percent of children with ADHD use medication for the disorder, with the largest number (69 percent) among children aged six to eleven years old.

Approximately 47 percent of children with ADHD receive behavioral treatment, including over half of those aged 6 to 11 and 60 percent of those aged two to five.

Approximately one-third of children with ADHD simply take medication, with no behavioral or psychotherapeutic treatment.

Fifteen percent of youngsters with ADHD receive only behavioral counseling without medication.

About one-third, or 32 percent, of children with ADHD, receive both medication and behavioral therapy.

Almost one-quarter of children with ADHD are not managed with medication or therapy.

FAQs

What Percent Of The Population Has ADHD

The percentage might vary depending on the source of information. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates the percentage of children diagnosed with ADHD between the ages of 2 and 17 to be 9.4%.

How Many People In The Us Have ADHD

A 2016 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that a total of around 6.1 million children in the US between the ages of 2 and 17 have ever been diagnosed with ADHD or ADD.

Why Do So Many People Have ADHD

ADHD is postulated to have multiple causes but is still not fully understood.

Genetics
ADHD typically runs in families, and inherited genes are a major influence in developing the illness.

Brain Structure And Function
ADHD patients’ brains differ from those who don’t have the illness, but its significance is unclear.

At-Risk Groups
Some individuals may be more prone to ADHD, including
Preterm or low-birth-weight babies
Those with a seizure disorder
with prenatal or later-life brain damage

HOW THE BALANCE CAN HELP WITH ADHD

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ADHD Statistics