Human Written & Fact Checked · Updated November 2026

100 Adult ADHD Statistics for 2026

Do you mean diagnosed ADHD, a positive symptom screen, or people receiving medication? Those measures answer different questions. This page keeps each denominator visible so a screening result is never converted into a diagnosis count.

The evidence covers US adults, England's household population and young Australian adults. Each observation states its underlying period. Historical surveys remain explicitly dated, while newer publications add information about healthcare encounters and dispensing. The statistics describe populations and services instead of advising an individual about diagnosis or treatment.

Headline figures

US adults reporting a current ADHD diagnosis represented 6.0% of adults in October–November 2023. (CDC / NCHS, Oct 2024)
Among US adults with current ADHD in 2023, 55.9% were first diagnosed at age 18 or older. (CDC / NCHS, Oct 2024)
Among US adult stimulant users with current ADHD in 2023, 71.5% reported difficulty filling an ADHD prescription because medication was unavailable. (CDC / NCHS, Oct 2024)
US health-center ADHD visits among adults aged 18–24 averaged 92.6 per 10,000 residents in 2023. (CDC / NCHS, Dec 2025)
US adult ADHD health-center visits, 2023: 69.6% also recorded any selected mental-health disorder. (CDC / NCHS, Dec 2025)
England, 2023/24: 13.9% of all adults screened positive for ADHD. (NHS England, Nov 2025)
England, 2023/24: 25.0% of adults aged 16–24 screened positive for ADHD. (NHS England, Nov 2025)
England's adults with problem debt had an age-standardized positive ADHD screening rate of 28.1% in 2023/24. (NHS England, Nov 2025)
England, 2023/24: 1.8% of all adults reported a lifetime professional ADHD diagnosis. (NHS England, Nov 2025)
Australians aged 18–24 receiving ADHD medication numbered 30 per 1,000 residents in 2023–24. (AIHW, May 2026)
Australian female ADHD-medication patients aged 18–24 numbered 33 per 1,000 same-sex residents in 2023–24. (AIHW, May 2026)
Australia, 2023–24: ADHD dispensings for ages 18–24 totaled 214 per 1,000 residents. (AIHW, May 2026)

What does diagnosed adult ADHD look like in the United States?

Adult diagnosis is not the same as adult onset. The US survey asks about a prior professional diagnosis and whether respondents currently have ADHD; it does not clinically reassess them.

Which ages make up the diagnosed adult group?

Adults aged 18–24 made up 21.7% of the US current-ADHD group in the 2023 survey. (CDC / NCHS, Oct 2024)
Adults aged 25–49 made up 62.8% of the US current-ADHD group in the 2023 survey. (CDC / NCHS, Oct 2024)
Adults aged 50–64 made up 10.6% of the US current-ADHD group in the 2023 survey. (CDC / NCHS, Oct 2024)
Adults aged 65+ made up 4.9% of the US current-ADHD group in the 2023 survey. (CDC / NCHS, Oct 2024)

Younger adults account for a large share of the current-ADHD group in this survey. These percentages describe the composition of that group, not the probability of ADHD within each age band. The national estimate appears in the takeaways. Survey weights improve population representation, but the estimates still depend on respondents remembering and reporting their diagnosis accurately.

What treatment did adults report receiving?

Among US adults with current ADHD in 2023, 36.5% reported no ADHD treatment in the preceding year. (CDC / NCHS, Oct 2024)
Among US adults with current ADHD in 2023, 35.2% reported medication plus counseling or behavioral treatment in the preceding year. (CDC / NCHS, Oct 2024)
Among US adults with current ADHD in 2023, 13.3% reported only counseling or behavioral treatment in the preceding year. (CDC / NCHS, Oct 2024)
Among US adults with current ADHD in 2023, 15.1% reported only medication treatment in the preceding year. (CDC / NCHS, Oct 2024)
Among US adults with current ADHD in 2023, 50.4% reported an ADHD medication prescription in the preceding year. (CDC / NCHS, Oct 2024)

Adults reported several combinations of medication and psychological care over the preceding year. The categories below are descriptive instead of recommendations. Receiving a prescription is a different question from actually taking a medication, so the prescription measure should not be added to the treatment categories. These estimates refer to adults reporting current ADHD, not all adults.

How did medication use and telehealth feature in care?

Among US adults with current ADHD in 2023, 33.4% reported taking prescribed stimulant ADHD medication in the preceding year. (CDC / NCHS, Oct 2024)
Among US adults with current ADHD in 2023, 5.9% reported taking prescribed nonstimulant ADHD medication in the preceding year. (CDC / NCHS, Oct 2024)
Among US adults with current ADHD in 2023, 46.0% had ever received telehealth services for ADHD. (CDC / NCHS, Oct 2024)
Among US adults with current ADHD in 2023, 30.5% used telehealth for an ADHD prescription after March 2020. (CDC / NCHS, Oct 2024)
Among US adults with current ADHD in 2023, 30.8% used telehealth for ADHD counseling or therapy after March 2020. (CDC / NCHS, Oct 2024)

The survey separately records taking medication and using remote services. Its telehealth measures have different reference windows: lifetime use for any ADHD telehealth, and use since the pandemic began for the specific service categories. Those service categories can overlap. They do not measure clinical effectiveness, quality of assessment or the number of appointments attended.

What do US health-center records show about ADHD care?

A visit is not a person. Health-center records describe encounters where ADHD was coded, so repeated visits and the population served by these centers shape every comparison.

How do visit rates vary across adult ages?

US health-center ADHD visits among all adults averaged 52.6 per 10,000 residents in 2023. (CDC / NCHS, Dec 2025)
US health-center ADHD visits among adults aged 25–49 averaged 79.6 per 10,000 residents in 2023. (CDC / NCHS, Dec 2025)
US health-center ADHD visits among adults aged 50–64 averaged 29.5 per 10,000 residents in 2023. (CDC / NCHS, Dec 2025)
US health-center ADHD visits among adults aged 65+ averaged 6.5 per 10,000 residents in 2023. (CDC / NCHS, Dec 2025)

The published rates divide visits with an ADHD diagnosis by the corresponding resident population. They do not measure visits per diagnosed patient or the share of residents with ADHD. The youngest group's rate is reserved for the takeaways. The remaining age comparisons describe this specific health-center setting, not all US primary care, specialist care or private practice.

What other diagnoses appear at ADHD visits?

US adult ADHD health-center visits, 2023: 51.2% also recorded anxiety disorder. (CDC / NCHS, Dec 2025)
US adult ADHD health-center visits, 2023: 48.8% also recorded mood disorder. (CDC / NCHS, Dec 2025)
US adult ADHD health-center visits, 2023: 23.8% also recorded substance-use disorder. (CDC / NCHS, Dec 2025)
US adult ADHD health-center visits, 2023: 6.8% also recorded behavioral syndrome. (CDC / NCHS, Dec 2025)
US adult ADHD health-center visits, 2023: 6.5% also recorded personality disorder. (CDC / NCHS, Dec 2025)
US adult ADHD health-center visits, 2023: 40.1% also recorded any selected non-mental-health chronic condition. (CDC / NCHS, Dec 2025)
US adult ADHD health-center visits, 2023: 24.2% also recorded overweight or obesity. (CDC / NCHS, Dec 2025)

Additional diagnoses were commonly documented at these encounters. Mental-health and physical-condition diagnoses can overlap. Consequently, adding their shares would double-count visits. These records show co-occurrence in care, without establishing whether ADHD caused another condition or whether that condition caused the visit.

Which chronic conditions and medications were recorded?

US adult ADHD health-center visits, 2023: 13.1% also recorded hyperlipidemia. (CDC / NCHS, Dec 2025)
US adult ADHD health-center visits, 2023: 12.8% also recorded hypertension. (CDC / NCHS, Dec 2025)
US adult ADHD health-center visits, 2023: 11.4% also recorded asthma. (CDC / NCHS, Dec 2025)
US adult ADHD health-center visits, 2023: 5.4% also recorded diabetes. (CDC / NCHS, Dec 2025)
US adult ADHD health-center visits, 2023: 54.6% documented any selected ADHD medication. (CDC / NCHS, Dec 2025)
US adult ADHD health-center visits, 2023: 41.7% documented amphetamine. (CDC / NCHS, Dec 2025)
US adult ADHD health-center visits, 2023: 8.8% documented methylphenidate. (CDC / NCHS, Dec 2025)
US adult ADHD health-center visits, 2023: 6.0% documented atomoxetine. (CDC / NCHS, Dec 2025)
US adult ADHD health-center visits, 2023: 0.4% documented viloxazine. (CDC / NCHS, Dec 2025)

The remaining condition and medication entries are visit-level documentation. An active or completed prescription can remain in the electronic record from an earlier encounter; a medication entry is not proof of a new prescription or dispensed supply.

How common is a positive ADHD screen in England?

A positive screening result identifies people who may warrant further assessment. It does not establish an ADHD diagnosis, and the English survey's age range starts earlier than the US adult samples.

How do screening results vary by age and gender?

England, 2023/24: 17.6% of adults aged 25–34 screened positive for ADHD. (NHS England, Nov 2025)
England, 2023/24: 16.5% of adults aged 35–44 screened positive for ADHD. (NHS England, Nov 2025)
England, 2023/24: 13.7% of adults aged 45–54 screened positive for ADHD. (NHS England, Nov 2025)
England, 2023/24: 12.7% of adults aged 55–64 screened positive for ADHD. (NHS England, Nov 2025)
England, 2023/24: 4.3% of adults aged 65–74 screened positive for ADHD. (NHS England, Nov 2025)
England, 2023/24: 3.7% of adults aged 75+ screened positive for ADHD. (NHS England, Nov 2025)
England, 2023/24: 12.4% of men screened positive for ADHD. (NHS England, Nov 2025)
England, 2023/24: 14.9% of women screened positive for ADHD. (NHS England, Nov 2025)

The age and gender estimates below refer to the same recent survey period. They describe reported characteristics over the preceding six months. Read differences alongside confidence intervals; they are not precise rankings of clinical prevalence.

How has positive screening changed over time?

In England in 2007, 8.2% of adults screened positive for ADHD. (NHS England, Nov 2025)
In England in 2014, 9.7% of adults screened positive for ADHD. (NHS England, Nov 2025)
In England in 2007, 8.8% of males screened positive for ADHD. (NHS England, Nov 2025)
In England in 2014, 10.0% of males screened positive for ADHD. (NHS England, Nov 2025)
England, 2023/24: 13.0% of males screened positive for ADHD. (NHS England, Nov 2025)
In England in 2007, 7.7% of females screened positive for ADHD. (NHS England, Nov 2025)
In England in 2014, 9.5% of females screened positive for ADHD. (NHS England, Nov 2025)
England, 2023/24: 14.8% of females screened positive for ADHD. (NHS England, Nov 2025)

The historical comparison uses sex instead of gender identity to retain comparability with earlier surveys. The recent gender results above therefore need not match the recent sex-based estimates below. The trends do not explain why reported characteristics increased.

How does screening relate to work, debt and physical health?

England's employed adults aged 16–64 had an age-standardized positive ADHD screening rate of 14.1% in 2023/24. (NHS England, Nov 2025)
England's unemployed adults aged 16–64 had an age-standardized positive ADHD screening rate of 29.6% in 2023/24. (NHS England, Nov 2025)
England's economically inactive adults aged 16–64 had an age-standardized positive ADHD screening rate of 26.1% in 2023/24. (NHS England, Nov 2025)
England's adults without problem debt had an age-standardized positive ADHD screening rate of 12.7% in 2023/24. (NHS England, Nov 2025)
England's adults with a limiting physical condition had an age-standardized positive ADHD screening rate of 21.2% in 2023/24. (NHS England, Nov 2025)
England's adults without a limiting physical condition had an age-standardized positive ADHD screening rate of 10.2% in 2023/24. (NHS England, Nov 2025)

These associations are age-standardized, reducing differences attributable to the age composition of the groups. Employment estimates concern working-age adults, whereas the other comparisons include older adults. These associations do not establish causation. The problem-debt comparison's positive group is already reported in the takeaways.

How do screening, self-identification and diagnosis differ?

People can recognize characteristics without having received a professional diagnosis. England's survey asks these questions separately and then examines whether respondents report current medication use.

How do adults describe their own ADHD status?

England, 2023/24: 5.8% of all adults thought they had ever had ADHD. (NHS England, Nov 2025)
England, 2023/24: 1.5% of all adults reported professionally diagnosed ADHD present in the prior year. (NHS England, Nov 2025)
England, 2023/24: 27.1% of adults screening positive thought they had ever had ADHD. (NHS England, Nov 2025)
England, 2023/24: 2.3% of adults screening negative thought they had ever had ADHD. (NHS England, Nov 2025)
England, 2023/24: 55.9% of adults scoring 6 on ASRS thought they had ever had ADHD. (NHS England, Nov 2025)

Thinking that one has had ADHD, reporting a professional diagnosis and reporting a diagnosed condition present recently are different survey measures. The overall professional-diagnosis estimate is in the takeaways. The subgroup results below use their respective screening groups as denominators, so they cannot be added together or treated as percentages of the whole population.

How does reported diagnosis match screening?

England, 2023/24: 9.6% of adults screening positive reported a lifetime professional ADHD diagnosis. (NHS England, Nov 2025)
England, 2023/24: 9.0% of adults screening positive reported professionally diagnosed ADHD present in the prior year. (NHS England, Nov 2025)
England, 2023/24: 0.5% of adults screening negative reported a lifetime professional ADHD diagnosis. (NHS England, Nov 2025)
England, 2023/24: 0.3% of adults screening negative reported professionally diagnosed ADHD present in the prior year. (NHS England, Nov 2025)
England, 2023/24: 27.1% of adults scoring 6 on ASRS reported a lifetime professional ADHD diagnosis. (NHS England, Nov 2025)
England, 2023/24: 27.1% of adults scoring 6 on ASRS reported professionally diagnosed ADHD present in the prior year. (NHS England, Nov 2025)

Reported professional diagnosis is more common in groups with higher screening scores. That pattern does not make the screening score a diagnosis. The questionnaire asks about professional diagnosis after a respondent says they think they have had the condition, which shapes how these measures should be interpreted. Recent presence is conditional on reported diagnosis.

What medication use is reported within screening groups?

England, 2023/24: 2.6% of adults screening positive reported taking ADHD-indicated medication. (NHS England, Nov 2025)
England, 2023/24: 8.0% of adults scoring 6 on ASRS reported taking ADHD-indicated medication. (NHS England, Nov 2025)

Medication use is another distinct measure, recorded at the time of the interview. The estimates refer to medicines indicated for ADHD and to the screening groups shown, not to everyone with a clinically established diagnosis. They cannot establish how many people should receive medication or whether an individual's care is appropriate. The screening groups overlap because the maximum-score group is also part of the broader positive-screen group. Their percentages therefore cannot be added together to estimate total use. Medication questions are self-reported instead of independently verified pharmacy records.

How has ADHD medication dispensing changed among young Australian adults?

Dispensing records show use of subsidized medicines, not the prevalence of ADHD. The Australian series here is restricted to young adults, so it should not be generalized to the entire adult population.

How did patient rates change in the recent years?

Australians aged 18–24 receiving ADHD medication numbered 8 per 1,000 residents in 2018–19. (AIHW, May 2026)
Australians aged 18–24 receiving ADHD medication numbered 10 per 1,000 residents in 2019–20. (AIHW, May 2026)
Australians aged 18–24 receiving ADHD medication numbered 14 per 1,000 residents in 2020–21. (AIHW, May 2026)
Australians aged 18–24 receiving ADHD medication numbered 20 per 1,000 residents in 2021–22. (AIHW, May 2026)
Australians aged 18–24 receiving ADHD medication numbered 25 per 1,000 residents in 2022–23. (AIHW, May 2026)

Patient rates count people receiving relevant medication relative to the resident population. They differ from prescription rates because one person may receive repeated supplies. This series follows young adults of the same age range in each financial year, not a single cohort aging over time. The latest combined-sex patient rate appears in the takeaways.

What do the sex-specific patient rates show?

Australian male ADHD-medication patients aged 18–24 numbered 21 per 1,000 same-sex residents in 2021–22. (AIHW, May 2026)
Australian female ADHD-medication patients aged 18–24 numbered 20 per 1,000 same-sex residents in 2021–22. (AIHW, May 2026)
Australian male ADHD-medication patients aged 18–24 numbered 24 per 1,000 same-sex residents in 2022–23. (AIHW, May 2026)
Australian female ADHD-medication patients aged 18–24 numbered 26 per 1,000 same-sex residents in 2022–23. (AIHW, May 2026)
Australian male ADHD-medication patients aged 18–24 numbered 28 per 1,000 same-sex residents in 2023–24. (AIHW, May 2026)

Sex-specific rates use the corresponding male or female resident population as the denominator. They therefore support comparison of dispensing within these population groups, but do not directly measure differences in symptoms or diagnostic prevalence. The latest female rate is in the takeaways. Changes may reflect multiple influences on recognition, access and prescribing instead of a single explanation.

How many prescriptions were dispensed relative to population?

Australia, 2014–15: ADHD dispensings for ages 18–24 totaled 38 per 1,000 residents. (AIHW, May 2026)
Australia, 2015–16: ADHD dispensings for ages 18–24 totaled 42 per 1,000 residents. (AIHW, May 2026)
Australia, 2016–17: ADHD dispensings for ages 18–24 totaled 46 per 1,000 residents. (AIHW, May 2026)
Australia, 2017–18: ADHD dispensings for ages 18–24 totaled 50 per 1,000 residents. (AIHW, May 2026)
Australia, 2018–19: ADHD dispensings for ages 18–24 totaled 57 per 1,000 residents. (AIHW, May 2026)
Australia, 2019–20: ADHD dispensings for ages 18–24 totaled 68 per 1,000 residents. (AIHW, May 2026)
Australia, 2020–21: ADHD dispensings for ages 18–24 totaled 95 per 1,000 residents. (AIHW, May 2026)
Australia, 2021–22: ADHD dispensings for ages 18–24 totaled 138 per 1,000 residents. (AIHW, May 2026)
Australia, 2022–23: ADHD dispensings for ages 18–24 totaled 175 per 1,000 residents. (AIHW, May 2026)

Prescription rates count dispensings, including repeated supplies. They are expressed per resident, not per patient, and should not be read as the proportion of young adults receiving medicine. The latest observation is in the takeaways.

Glossary

Methodology and sources

Every figure on this page comes from the organisation that produced it: regulators, statistics offices, public bodies, research institutes, and companies reporting their own data or surveys. Each one links to the original report or dataset and carries its release date. Survey results keep their population and fieldwork period, and financial figures keep the measure the producer used. Figures from different producers are not added together or ranked against each other. The page is reviewed monthly and updated when a producer releases newer data.

AIHW · May 2026
CDC / NCHS · Oct 2024
CDC / NCHS · Dec 2025
NHS England · Nov 2025