Anxiety is measured in several different ways: diagnosed disorders, short-window symptoms, screening-scale positives, and modeled global burden. The figures below keep those measures, populations, periods, and geographies distinct.
Key Anxiety Statistics
The most broadly useful figures are:
- In 2023, an estimated 470 million people worldwide had an anxiety disorder.
- In 2023, an estimated 5.8% of the global population was affected by an anxiety disorder.
- In the latest WHO estimate reported in its 2026 fact sheet, 27.6% of people in need worldwide received any anxiety-disorder treatment.
- In 2019, an estimated 301.39 million people in 204 countries and territories had anxiety disorders.
- Between 1990 and 2019, the global absolute number of anxiety disorders increased by 50%.
- In 2019, anxiety disorders accounted for an estimated 28.68 million DALYs globally.
- In 2022, 18.2% of U.S. adults had anxiety symptoms in the prior two weeks.
- In 2022, 2.8% of U.S. adults had severe anxiety symptoms in the prior two weeks.
- In 2022, 26.6% of U.S. adults ages 18–29 had any anxiety symptoms in the prior two weeks.
- In 2022, 21.4% of U.S. women had any anxiety symptoms in the prior two weeks.
- In a review of studies published from 1980 to 2009, methodology-adjusted current anxiety-disorder prevalence was 7.3% globally.
- Across adult populations in evidence reviewed through 2016, general anxiety-disorder prevalence ranged from 3.8% to 25%.
- Across 93 studies and 36,687 participants in 31 countries, 28.9% of adult cardiology outpatients had anxiety symptoms or disorders.
- Among cardiology outpatients with hypertension, anxiety prevalence was 43.6%.
- During COVID-19, a 2022 meta-analysis estimated anxiety prevalence at 35.1% across 194 studies.
- In a separate review through February 2021, anxiety prevalence was 39.6% among people with COVID-19.
Contents
- Global anxiety prevalence, cases, and treatment gaps
- Anxiety burden trends and disability data
- U.S. anxiety symptoms by age and severity
- U.S. anxiety data by sex, race, and education
- Anxiety prevalence across cultures and adult populations
- Anxiety in chronic disease and cardiology populations
- COVID-19 anxiety statistics and subgroup differences
Global anxiety prevalence, cases, and treatment gaps
The World Health Organization estimated that 470 million people worldwide had an anxiety disorder in 2023, equal to 5.8% of the global population. These are modeled WHO estimates of anxiety disorders, not a count of transient anxiety symptoms.
WHO, “Anxiety disorders” reports that about 27.6% of people in need received any treatment in its latest estimate reported in the 2026 fact sheet, or approximately one in four people with anxiety disorders. Treatment coverage does not measure treatment effectiveness or remission.
Anxiety burden trends and disability data
The Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 modeled anxiety-disorder burden across 204 countries and territories. It estimated 45.82 million incident cases and 301.39 million prevalent cases globally in 2019.
The same study estimated 28.68 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in 2019. DALYs combine premature-mortality and disability components, so they are not equivalent to case counts.
| Measure | Estimate | Period and scope |
|---|---|---|
| Incident anxiety-disorder cases | 45.82 million | 2019, global, 204 countries and territories |
| Prevalent anxiety-disorder cases | 301.39 million | 2019, global, 204 countries and territories |
| Anxiety-disorder DALYs | 28.68 million | 2019, global, 204 countries and territories |
The estimates carry 95% uncertainty intervals: 37.14–55.62 million for incident cases, 252.63–356.00 million for prevalent cases, and 19.86–39.32 million for DALYs. The source is “Global, regional and national burden of anxiety disorders from 1990 to 2019”.
From 1990 to 2019, the global absolute number of anxiety disorders increased 50%, while the overall age-standardized burden rate remained stable. A stable rate can coexist with rising absolute numbers as population size and age structure change.
Bullying victimization contributed an estimated 7.07% of global anxiety-disorder DALYs in 2019, concentrated mainly among ages 5–39; this is an attributable-burden estimate, not proof of individual causation.
U.S. anxiety symptoms by age and severity
CDC/NCHS data for 2022 measured symptoms during the previous two weeks among U.S. civilian, noninstitutionalized adults age 18 and older using the seven-item GAD-7. The measure is a symptom screen, not a diagnosis.
| GAD-7 category | U.S. adults, 2022 |
|---|---|
| Any anxiety symptoms | 18.2% |
| Mild, scores 5–9 | 11.4% |
| Moderate, scores 10–14 | 3.9% |
| Severe, scores 15–21 | 2.8% |
Age differences were also substantial in the 2022 survey:
- Any anxiety symptoms affected 26.6% of adults ages 18–29, 20.7% of adults ages 30–44, 15.8% of adults ages 45–64, and 11.2% of adults age 65 and older.
- Severe anxiety symptoms affected 4.5% of adults ages 18–29, 3.3% of adults ages 30–44, 2.5% of adults ages 45–64, and 1.1% of adults age 65 and older.
These categories describe the GAD-7 scoring bands: none or minimal is 0–4, mild is 5–9, moderate is 10–14, and severe is 15–21. The source is CDC/NCHS, National Health Statistics Reports, Number 213.
U.S. anxiety data by sex, race, and education
In 2022, 21.4% of U.S. women and 14.8% of U.S. men reported any anxiety symptoms in the previous two weeks. Severe symptoms were reported by 3.6% of women and 2.0% of men.
| U.S. adult subgroup | Any symptoms, 2022 |
|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic Asian | 12.3% |
| Non-Hispanic Black | 18.4% |
| Non-Hispanic White | 18.9% |
| Hispanic | 16.0% |
| Less than high-school diploma | 20.4% |
These race and Hispanic-origin categories are survey classifications, and the GAD-7 estimates remain short-window symptom measures. The CDC table includes a suppressed-value marker adjacent to some entries; the reported any-symptom estimate for non-Hispanic Asian adults is 12.3%.
Anxiety prevalence across cultures and adult populations
A systematic review of 87 studies in 44 countries, covering studies published from 1980 to 2009, found current anxiety-disorder prevalence estimates ranging from 0.9% to 28.3%. Past-year estimates ranged from 2.4% to 29.8%, and the wide ranges reflect differences in definitions, instruments, samples, and methods.
The review’s methodology-adjusted estimate for current global anxiety-disorder prevalence was 7.3% with a 95% confidence interval of 4.8%–10.9%. Adjusted current prevalence was 5.3% in African cultures and 10.4% in Euro/Anglo cultures; these are review groupings, not directly comparable clinical rates for every country.
The source is “Global prevalence of anxiety disorders: a systematic review and meta-regression”.
A review of reviews identified 48 reviews of adult anxiety-disorder prevalence through 2016. Across adult populations, reported prevalence ranged from 3.8% to 25%; among women, the range was 5.2%–8.7%, among young adults 2.5%–9.1%, and among people with chronic diseases 1.4%–70%.
Reported culture-group estimates in that review were 2.8% for Indo/Asian cultures, 4.4% for African cultures, 3.2% for Central/Eastern European cultures, 4.9% for North African/Middle Eastern cultures, and 6.2% for Ibero/Latin cultures. The source is “A systematic review of reviews on the prevalence of anxiety disorders in adult populations”.
Anxiety in chronic disease and cardiology populations
Anxiety estimates can be much higher in clinical populations than in general-population surveys. A review of adult cardiology outpatients across 93 studies, 36,687 participants, and 31 countries estimated anxiety symptoms or disorders in 28.9% of patients.
| Cardiology population or diagnosis | Anxiety prevalence |
|---|---|
| All adult cardiology outpatients | 28.9% |
| Cardiology outpatients with hypertension | 43.6% |
| Panic disorder in the review | 15.3% |
| Undifferentiated chest pain or palpitations, diagnostic-interview studies | 19.0% |
The meta-analysis had very high heterogeneity, with I² of 97.33%, and combined screening and diagnostic studies. Its chest-pain finding does not establish that anxiety caused cardiac symptoms; the source is “Global Prevalence of Anxiety in Adult Cardiology Outpatients”.
COVID-19 anxiety statistics and subgroup differences
Pandemic estimates describe extraordinary periods and should not be treated as current baseline prevalence. A 2022 meta-analysis covering 194 studies and approximately 851,000 participants estimated anxiety prevalence at 35.1% worldwide.
| Pandemic-era population | Anxiety prevalence | 95% CI where supplied |
|---|---|---|
| General populations, 2022 meta-analysis | 35.1% | — |
| Low- and middle-income countries | 35.1% | 29.5%–41.0% |
| High-income countries | 34.7% | 29.6%–40.1% |
| General population, separate review through February 2021 | 27.3% | 23.7%–31.2% |
| People with COVID-19, separate review | 39.6% | 30.1%–50.1% |
Among studies reporting severity, mild-to-moderate anxiety affected about one quarter of participants, while about one in ten anxiety cases were severe or extremely severe. Instruments, timing, sampling, and severity scales varied across the evidence; the 2022 source is “Prevalence of anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic”, and the separate review is “A systematic review of the prevalence of anxiety among the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic”.
The 2021 review found regional general-population prevalence of 61.8% in Africa, 34.9% in the Americas, 30.7% in Europe, and 24.5% in Asia. These pooled regional estimates had uneven country representation and variable instruments, so they should be read as pandemic-review estimates rather than a single standardized survey.