Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Dec 15:391:120037.
doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2025.120037. Epub 2025 Aug 6.

The evolving global burden of ADHD: A comprehensive analysis and future projections (1990-2046)

Chun Wang  1 , Liyan Hou  2 , Hang Zhou  3 , Qian Wang  1 , Hongting Yan  4 , Yue Lang  1 , Jing Tan  1 , Yanzhi Liu  1 , Yusong Ge  5 , Yongzhong Lin  6 , Ce Fu  7 , Jianqiao Liu  8
Affiliations

The evolving global burden of ADHD: A comprehensive analysis and future projections (1990-2046)

Chun Wang et al. J Affect Disord. .

Abstract

Background: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood, affecting cognitive, behavioral, and social functions, and imposing a substantial global economic burden.

Objective: ADHD often persists into adulthood, creating ongoing challenges for healthcare systems worldwide. This study provides a comprehensive assessment of the global ADHD disease burden, including future projections to inform long-term public health strategies.

Methods: The global incidence, prevalence, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for ADHD in 2021 were assessed by age-standardized rates. Temporal trends from 1990 to 2021 were analyzed using estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) derived from log-linear regression models, while cluster analysis examined regional variations across the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) regions. Future projections for ADHD burden over the next 25 years were made using ARIMA and BAPC models.

Result: Between 1990 and 2021, global ADHD incidence, prevalence, and DALYs increased by 9.92 %, 18.71 %, and 18.57 %, respectively, with the highest burden among children and adolescents. Males consistently exhibited higher rates across all measures. High and high-middle Socio-demographic Index (SDI) regions experienced an increase in ADHD burden, whereas low SDI regions showed stable or declining trends. BAPC projections indicate continued growth in ADHD cases, with a particularly steep rise anticipated among females, indicating a potential narrowing of the historical gender gap in ADHD prevalence.

Conclusion: ADHD remains a major global health issue, with significant disparities across regions, genders, and socio-demographic groups. Targeted, evidence-based healthcare strategies are crucial to address these challenges and mitigate ADHD socio-economic impact globally.

Keywords: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; Future projection; Global disease burden; Mental disorder.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

LinkOut - more resources