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. 2025 Apr 1;166(4):719-731.
doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003406. Epub 2024 Oct 8.

Chronic pain in European adult populations: a systematic review of prevalence and associated clinical features

Caroline Rometsch  1 , Alexandra Martin  2 , Florian Junne  3 , Fiammetta Cosci  4   5
Affiliations

Chronic pain in European adult populations: a systematic review of prevalence and associated clinical features

Caroline Rometsch et al. Pain. .

Abstract

Chronic pain (CP) is a multifaceted and severely disabling persistent condition that affects individuals worldwide. A synthesis of epidemiological data is still lacking. The present systematic review aims at presenting point, period, and lifetime prevalence estimates of CP in the European adult population, as well as relevant features associated with it. Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane library was run from inception to May 2024, resulting in 39,832 hits. Among those, 132 full-text articles were assessed, and 23 studies comprising 862,013 participants with CP were included. The Joanna Biggs Institutes' Critical Appraisal Checklist for Studies Reporting Prevalence Data (JBI) was used for quality assessment. Findings showed a point prevalence ranging from 12% to 48%, a 6-month prevalence of 17.5% to 49.8%, a 12-month prevalence ranging from 8.1% to 44.6%, and a lifetime prevalence ranging from 12.7% to 33.7% independently from sex. Sociodemographic factors (eg, female sex, higher age, no partnership, lower education, unemployment) and clinical features (eg, medical diseases, mental disorders and burdens, healthcare utilization, functional impairment) were identified as being associated with CP. The variability in prevalence estimates can be reduced by applying consistent diagnostic criteria (eg, ICD-11) and by using standardized assessment tools (eg, scales, clinical interview). The high prevalence and the characteristics of the associated features support the need for adequate, multicomponent care paths to manage CP based on a comprehensive biopsychosocial model.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
PRISMA flow diagram of study selection for the systematic review of chronic pain in European adult populations.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Forest plot of the studies on point prevalence of chronic pain.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Funnel plot of the studies on point prevalence of chronic pain.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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