U.S. adults who reported anxiety disorder symptoms from April 2020-May 2024

From April 30 to May 27, 2024, some 17.6 percent of U.S. adults reported symptoms of anxiety disorder in the past two weeks. Between May 2020 and March 2021, the share of U.S. adults who reported symptoms of anxiety disorder in the past two weeks consistently stayed above 30 percent, peaking at 37.2 percent in November 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic-related hardships and stress can be associated with the increase in the prevalence of anxiety disorder between 2020 and 2021.

U.S. population with anxiety

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illnesses in the United States. Generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, specific phobias, and separation anxiety disorder are among the several forms of anxiety disorders. Women are more likely than men to suffer from anxiety disorder. Throughout one's lifetime, 26 percent of men and 40 percent of women in the U.S. suffer from anxiety problems. In 2021, roughly seven percent of the U.S. population suffered from anxiety disorder.

U.S. children with anxiety

According to the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) report, between 2016 and 2019, approximately 10 percent of children and adolescents aged three to 17 had received a diagnosis of anxiety issues. The likelihood of ever being diagnosed with anxiety disorder increased with age, prevalence of anxiety was 13.7 percent among those aged between 12 and 17 years. Anxiety prevalence estimates in children were higher among White children. However, no significant differences were found in anxiety prevalence by gender and poverty level.