ADHD Statistics

ADHD Statistics: New ADD Facts and Research

How common is ADHD? More than 6 million (9.4 percent) of children in the U.S. have an ADD diagnosis, according to the latest data. Read on for more ADHD statistics, facts, and information regarding attention deficit in kids and adults.

By ADDitude Editors Verified Medically reviewed by Sharon Saline, Psy.D. Reviewed on April 6, 2020
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Girls play hopscotch during recess, and recite ADHD statistics

ADHD Statistics: How Common is ADHD?

ADHD Prevalence in Children

About 6.1 million children in the United States (9.4 percent) between ages 2 to 17 are estimated to have ever been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD or ADD), according to a 2016 study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).1

This figure includes:

  • 388,000 (2.4 percent) of young children aged 2 to 5 years
  • 2.4 million (9.6 percent) of school-age children aged 6 to 11 years
  • 3.3 million (13.6 percent) of adolescents aged 12 to 17 years

The same study found that boys are more likely to have ever been diagnosed with ADHD than were girls (12.9 percent and 5.6 percent, respectively).

Research, however, suggests that ADHD affects a greater number of girls than typically and traditionally reported. ADHD may be missed in girls because of the way their symptoms tend to manifest compared to boys’, which may reflect a general bias in the diagnostic process.2

ADHD is among the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood, per the DSM-53. While figures vary, the worldwide ADHD prevalence in children is estimated at about 5 percent4.

[Could Your Child Have ADHD? Take This Symptoms Test]

ADHD Prevalence in Adults

The worldwide prevalence of adult ADHD is estimated at 2.8 percent, according to a 2020 study.5

Prevalence estimates for adult ADHD in the U.S. vary. One 2019 study estimates an adult ADHD prevalence of 0.96 percent – doubling from 0.43 percent a decade prior.6

Prior studies have placed adult ADHD prevalence rates in the U.S. between 2.5 percent7 and 4.4 percent8, with a 5.4 percent diagnosis rate in men compared to 3.2 percent in women.8

ADHD Statistics: Children with ADHD

Estimates on the number of children diagnosed with ADHD in the U.S. have changed over the years. Per a 2014 CDC study:9

  • In 2003, 7.8 percent of children were ever diagnosed with ADHD
  • In 2007: 9.5 percent
  • In 2011: 11 percent

[Click to Read: How ADHD is Diagnosed in Children]

ADHD Treatment in Children

About 75 percent of children with ADHD in the U.S. undergo some type of ADHD treatment.1

ADHD Medication

  • 62 percent of children with ADHD are currently taking ADHD medication1
    • 18.2 percent of 2 to 5 year olds with ADHD
    • 68.6 percent of 6 to 11 year olds with ADHD
    • 62.1 percent of 12 to 17 year olds with ADHD

Behavioral Health

  • 46.7 percent of children with ADHD receive behavioral treatment1
    • 59.5 percent of 2 to 5 year olds with ADHD
    • 51.4 percent of 6 to 11 year olds with ADHD
    • 41.7 percent of 12 to 17 year olds with ADHD

Most children with ADHD in the U.S. receive some type of intervention – including medication and school supports – to treat ADHD symptoms, according to 2014 data.10

  • 80 percent of children with ADHD received school-based supports
  • 40 percent underwent social-skills training
  • 31 percent participated in parent training
  • 20 percent received cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

Related Conditions

  • Nearly two thirds of children with ADHD have at least one other condition.1
    • 51.5 percent of children with ADHD have behavioral or conduct problems
    • 32.7 percent have anxiety problems
    • 16.8 percent have depression
    • 13.7 percent have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
    • 1.2 percent have Tourette syndrome
    • About 45 percent have a learning disorder11
    • Children with ADHD are 12 times more likely to have Loss of Control Eating Syndrome (LOC-ES), a type of eating disorder similar to binge eating disorder in adults.12

ADHD Statistics: Adults with ADHD

  • Adult ADHD diagnosis rates are rising.
    • ADHD diagnoses among adults are growing four times faster than are ADHD diagnoses among children in the United States (26.4% increase among children compared to 123.3 percent among adults).6
    • Still, ADHD is thought to be underdiagnosed in adults compared to children.
      Most scientists believe adult ADHD remains underdiagnosed13 because diagnostic criteria for ADHD in the DSM-V were developed for children, and because adults with ADHD often have comorbid psychiatric disorders that may mask the symptoms of ADHD.14 It is estimated that fewer than 20% of adults with ADHD are currently diagnosed and/or treated by psychiatrists.13
  • Adult ADHD frequently co-occurs with other, comorbid conditions.
    • Rates of comorbid bipolar disorder in adults with ADHD are estimated between 4.5 and 35 percent.15
    • Roughly one-fifth to one-half of adults with ADHD have major depressive disorder/dysthymia.16
    • About half of individuals with ADHD have some type of anxiety disorder.16
    • Personality disorders are present in more than 50 percent of adults with ADHD16
  • Substance Abuse Disorder
    • The link between ADHD and substance abuse disorder (SUD) is well-documented. Studies suggest that 25 to 40 percent of adults with SUD also have ADHD.17
    • People with ADHD are at least 1.5 times more likely to develop substance abuse disorders to substances like nicotine, alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine.18

ADHD Statistics: Demographics, Race & Ethnicity

  • According to a 2020 data brief from the National Center for Health Statistics:19
    • Black children aged 3 to 17 years are more likely to have ever been diagnosed with ADHD or a learning disability (16.9 percent) compared to white (14.7 percent) and Hispanic children (11.9 percent).
    • Children in the lowest income brackets are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD or a learning disability compared to children in families with income above the federal poverty level (18.7 percent vs 12.7 percent).
    • Black and white children, regardless of family income, are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD or a learning disability compared to Hispanic children.
    • Children with parents who have a high school education or less are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD (15.4 percent) compared to children with parents with more than a high school education (12.8 percent).
  • Children living in the U.S. South are more likely to have ever received an ADHD diagnosis compared to peers in other regions.1
    • South: 11 percent
    • Midwest: 8.4 percent
    • Northeast: 8.4 percent
    • West: 6.8 percent
  • Children living in rural areas are more likely to have ever been diagnosed with ADHD compared to their urban/suburban peers.1
    • Rural: 11.8 percent
    • Urban/suburban: 9 percent
  • ADHD diagnosis rates among adults of all race/ethnic groups are rising, but disparities remain (prevalence figures from 2006 to 2017):6
    • White: 0.67 to 1.42 percent
    • Asian: 0.11 to 0.35 percent
    • Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0.11 to 0.39 percent
    • Black: 0.22 to 0.69 percent
    • Hispanic: 0.25 to 0.65 percent
    • American Indian and Alaskan Native: 0.56 to 1.14 percent

ADHD Statistics: More Facts

Children with ADHD

  • Most children with ADHD have moderate to mild symptoms.1
    • Moderate: 43.7 percent
    • Mild: 41.8 percent
    • Severe: 14.5 percent
  • Raising a child with ADHD costs five times more than raising a child without the condition, according to a study that found neurotypical families spend an average of $2,848 per child each year compared to $15,036 spent by families with ADHD children.20
  • At least one in five students with ADHD does not receive needed school-based intervention services.21
  • Approximately 41 percent22 to 55 percent23 of families with at least one child diagnosed with ADHD have at least one parent with the disorder.

Teens with ADHD

  • Teens drivers diagnosed with ADHD are more likely to be in a traffic accident, be issued traffic and moving violations, and engage in risky driving behaviors.24
  • Up to 27 percent of adolescents with substance abuse disorder have comorbid ADHD.25
  • Adolescents with ADHD clash with their parents about more issues than do adolescents without ADHD.26
  • Adolescent girls with ADHD are more likely to struggle with social difficulties and have a poor self-concept compared to boys with ADHD and women without ADHD.27
  • Teen boys with ADHD are more likely to experience problems with attendance, GPA, homework, and more in high school.28
    • Male teens with ADHD miss school 3 to 10 percent of the time;
    • are between 2.7 and 8.1 times more likely to drop out of high school;
    • fail 7.5 percent of their courses;
    • have GPAs five to nine points lower than those of male teens without ADHD.
  • Approximately 2 to 8 percent of college students self-report clinically significant symptoms associated with ADHD.29

Adults with ADHD

  • ADHD, especially if untreated, is associated with impaired quality of life for adults.
    • Individuals with ADHD are more likely to face difficulty obtaining and maintaining employment compared to adults without ADHD, more so if they did not receive treatment in childhood.30
    • Individuals with ADHD are more likely to experience difficulties with all types of relationships (friendships, romantic, familial, etc.).31
      Other outcomes associated with adult ADHD include vulnerability to anxiety, mood disorders, negative habits, impaired driving safety, and even premature death from accidents.31

ADHD in Women

  • From a 2014 review:32
    • Symptoms of inattentiveness are more common than are symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity in girls and women with ADHD.
    • Women with ADHD are more likely to experience low self-esteem compared to men with ADHD and women without ADHD.
    • Anxiety and affective disorders commonly co-occur with ADHD in women, who are also more likely to exhibit phobias and have generalized anxiety disorder compared to men with ADHD.
  • Even with symptoms present in childhood, diagnosis tends to come in adulthood for a significant proportion of women with ADHD.27
  • ADHD medication use is lower in girls and women compared to boys and men with ADHD.2

ADHD Statistics: Next Steps

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31 Ginsberg, Y., Quintero, J., Anand, E., Casillas, M., & Upadhyaya, H. P. (2014). Underdiagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in adult patients: a review of the literature. The primary care companion for CNS disorders, 16(3), PCC.13r01600. https://doi.org/10.4088/PCC.13r01600

32 Quinn, P. O., & Madhoo, M. (2014). A review of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in women and girls: uncovering this hidden diagnosis. The primary care companion for CNS disorders, 16(3), PCC.13r01596. https://doi.org/10.4088/PCC.13r01596