About 470 million people worldwide live with an anxiety disorder (WHO), and about 13 million Americans had PTSD in 2020 (VA National Center for PTSD). Nearly half of US adults (48%) say they feel more anxious than they did a year ago (American Psychiatric Association, 2026), and only about 1 in 4 people with an anxiety disorder get any treatment (WHO).
We pulled every number on this page from its original source: WHO, NIMH, CDC, SAMHSA, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and peer-reviewed studies. We checked each one there. No numbers come from other statistics roundups. Each figure shows the year its data was collected, because many anxiety statistics still quoted online are more than 20 years old.
Key takeaways
- 470 million people (5.8% of the world) had an anxiety disorder in 2023, including 146 million children and teens. (WHO)
- Anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorder in the world, and the number of people with one rose 158.6% between 1990 and 2023. (GBD 2023, The Lancet)
- 18.2% of US adults had anxiety symptoms in the past two weeks in 2022, up from 15.6% in 2019. (CDC)
- About 1 in 5 US teens (18.0%) had moderate or severe anxiety symptoms in 2025. (SAMHSA)
- 48% of US adults feel more anxious than last year, up from 32% in 2022. (American Psychiatric Association)
- About 5% of US adults have PTSD in a given year, and 6% will at some point in their lives. (VA)
- About 70% of people worldwide go through a traumatic event. 5.6% of them develop PTSD. (WHO)
- 29% of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have PTSD at some point in their lives. (VA)
- 1,760,497 veterans receive VA disability pay for PTSD. (VA, FY2025)
- Veterans with a trained service dog scored 11.5 points lower on a PTSD symptom checklist after 3 months than veterans still waiting for one. (JAMA Network Open, 2024)
In a room of 100 Americans
Move the slider to see what these numbers look like in a group of people.
- 18had anxiety symptoms in the past two weeks18.2%, CDC, 2022
- 7have moderate or severe anxiety symptoms6.6%, SAMHSA, 2025
- 48feel more anxious than a year ago48%, American Psychiatric Association, 2026
- 5have PTSD this year5%, VA National Center for PTSD
- 6will have PTSD at some point6%, VA National Center for PTSD
- 90have lived through a traumatic event89.7%, Kilpatrick et al., 2013
1How many people have anxiety?
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health condition in the world.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| People worldwide with an anxiety disorder | 470 million (5.8%) | WHO 2023 data |
| Children and teens worldwide with an anxiety disorder | 146 million | WHO 2023 |
| Rank among mental disorders worldwide | #1 most common | GBD 2023, The Lancet |
| US adults with anxiety symptoms in the past 2 weeks | 18.2% | CDC NCHS 2022 |
| …mild / moderate / severe symptoms | 11.4% / 3.9% / 2.8% | CDC NCHS 2022 |
| US adults with moderate or severe anxiety symptoms | 6.6% (17.5 million) | SAMHSA NSDUH 2025 |
| US adults with mild anxiety symptoms | 14.3% (37.9 million) | SAMHSA NSDUH 2025 |
| US teens (12–17) with moderate or severe anxiety symptoms | 18.0% (4.6 million) | SAMHSA NSDUH 2025 |
| US teens (12–17) with severe anxiety symptoms | 7.4% (1.9 million) | SAMHSA NSDUH 2025 |
| US children 3–17 with diagnosed anxiety | 11% | CDC 2023–24 |
| US adults with an anxiety disorder in the past year | 19.1% | NIMH 2001–03 data |
| US adults with an anxiety disorder at some point in life | 31.1% | NIMH 2001–03 data |
Two kinds of numbers. The newest US figures (CDC, SAMHSA) measure symptoms with a short questionnaire. The only national survey that diagnosed anxiety disorders (NIMH) was done in 2001–2003, and no newer one exists. Both are listed here with their year.
2Is anxiety getting worse?
Anxiety jumped in 2020, came partway back down, and is still higher than before the pandemic.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| US adults with anxiety symptoms, 2019 → 2022 | 15.6% → 18.2% | CDC NCHS |
| US adults with anxiety symptoms at the pandemic peak | 37.2% | CDC / Census Household Pulse Nov 2020 |
| US adults with anxiety symptoms, final Household Pulse survey | 17.6% | CDC / Census Household Pulse Aug–Sep 2024 |
| US adults with anxiety or depression symptoms, peak → final | 42.6% → 21.4% | CDC / Census Household Pulse 2020 → 2024 |
| Worldwide rise in anxiety and depression, first year of the pandemic | +25% | WHO 2020 |
| People worldwide with an anxiety disorder, 1990 → 2023 | 182M → 470M | GBD 2023, The Lancet |
| Worldwide anxiety rate (age-adjusted), 2019 → 2023 | +47.1% | GBD 2023, The Lancet |
| US adults more anxious than a year earlier | 48% | American Psychiatric Association Apr 2026 |
| Top sources of anxiety for US adults | Current events, paying bills: 62% each | American Psychiatric Association 2026 |
| US adults anxious about new technology's impact | 53% (44% in 2025) | American Psychiatric Association 2026 |
| People worldwide who felt a lot of worry the day before | 38% | Gallup 2025, 140 countries |
| US college students with moderate to severe anxiety, 2022 → 2025 | 37% → 32% | Healthy Minds Study |
US adults who feel more anxious than a year ago
Source: American Psychiatric Association annual mental health polls, 2024 and 2026
The one group trending the other way: college students. Their anxiety rates have dropped three years in a row (Healthy Minds Study).
3Who has anxiety?
Women, young adults, people with low incomes and people with disabilities report anxiety most often.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Anxiety symptoms, women vs men (US) | 21.4% vs 14.8% | CDC NCHS 2022 |
| Anxiety disorders worldwide, women vs men | 288M vs 181M | GBD 2023, The Lancet |
| Anxiety symptoms, ages 18–29 vs 65+ | 26.6% vs 11.2% | CDC NCHS 2022 |
| Moderate or severe symptoms by age | 18–25: 12.2% · 26–49: 8.1% · 50+: 3.7% | SAMHSA NSDUH 2025 |
| Anxiety symptoms, below poverty line vs highest income | 28.4% vs 13.4% | CDC NCHS 2022 |
| Anxiety symptoms, rural vs big-city adults | 20.5% vs 16.6% | CDC NCHS 2022 |
| Anxiety symptoms, adults with vs without a disability | 40.7% vs 14.2% | CDC / Census Household Pulse 2024 |
| LGBTQ+ young people (13–24) with recent anxiety symptoms | 66% | The Trevor Project 2023 data |
| US veterans screening positive for probable GAD / mild anxiety | 7.9% / 22.1% | Pietrzak et al., J Psychiatr Res 2024 |
| Typical age anxiety disorders start | Age 11 (median) | Kessler et al., Arch Gen Psychiatry 2001–03 data |
US adults with anxiety symptoms, by group (2024)
Source: CDC / Census Household Pulse Survey, Aug 20–Sep 16, 2024 (final wave)
4Types of anxiety disorders
Specific phobias and social anxiety are the most common. Panic disorder causes the most serious impairment.
| Disorder (US adults) | Past year | Lifetime | Women vs men (past year) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Specific phobia | 9.1% | 12.5% | 12.2% vs 5.8% |
| Social anxiety disorder | 7.1% | 12.1% | 8.0% vs 6.1% |
| Generalized anxiety disorder | 2.7% | 5.7% | 3.4% vs 1.9% |
| Panic disorder | 2.7% | 4.7% | 3.8% vs 1.6% |
| PTSD | 3.6% | 6.8% | 5.2% vs 1.8% |
| Agoraphobia | 0.9% | 1.3% | 0.9% vs 0.8% |
Source: NIMH, from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (2001–2003 data), the most recent US diagnostic survey.
US adults with each disorder in the past year
Source: NIMH (2001–2003 data)
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Teens (13–18) with specific phobia at some point, the most common teen anxiety disorder | 19.3% | NIMH 2001–04 data |
| Teens with social anxiety disorder at some point | 9.1% | NIMH 2001–04 data |
| Teens with any anxiety disorder at some point | 31.9% | NIMH 2001–04 data |
| Adults with panic disorder who have serious impairment | 44.8% | NIMH |
| Adults with agoraphobia who have serious impairment | 40.6% | NIMH |
5How many people have PTSD?
About 1 in 20 US adults has PTSD in a given year. Women are about twice as likely as men to have it.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Americans with PTSD | About 13 million | VA National Center for PTSD 2020 |
| US adults with PTSD in a given year | 5% | VA National Center for PTSD |
| People in the US who will have PTSD at some point | 6% | VA National Center for PTSD |
| Lifetime PTSD, women vs men | 8% vs 4% | VA National Center for PTSD |
| Adults 18–65 with PTSD in the past year (clinical interviews) | 4.1% (8.2 million) | SAMHSA / RTI MDPS 2020–22 |
| …by age | 18–25: 4.5% · 26–44: 6.1% · 45–65: 1.8% | SAMHSA / RTI MDPS 2020–22 |
| …women vs men | 5.1% vs 3.0% | SAMHSA / RTI MDPS 2020–22 |
| US adults with PTSD, past year / lifetime (36,309 interviewed) | 4.7% / 6.1% | Goldstein et al. (NESARC-III) 2012–13 |
| World population that has had PTSD at some point | 3.9% | WHO |
| Lifetime PTSD, high-income vs lower-income countries | 5.0% vs 2.1% | Koenen et al., Psychological Medicine 26 surveys |
| People with PTSD whose symptoms persist | About half | Koenen et al., Psychological Medicine |
6Trauma: what leads to PTSD
Most people go through trauma at some point. Most of them don't develop PTSD. The risk depends heavily on what happened.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| People worldwide who go through a traumatic event | About 70% | WHO |
| Average number of traumas per person (24 countries) | 3.2 | Kessler et al., Eur J Psychotraumatol 2017 |
| US adults who have been through a traumatic event | 89.7% | Kilpatrick et al., J Trauma Stress 2013 |
| Most common traumas worldwide | Unexpected death of a loved one (31.4%); seeing death or serious injury (23.7%) | Kessler et al. |
| People who go through trauma and develop PTSD | 5.6% | WHO |
| PTSD among people exposed to war or violent conflict | 15.3% | WHO |
| Share of all PTSD cases caused by the unexpected death of a loved one | 22.2% (the largest share) | Kessler et al. |
| Sexual assault survivors meeting PTSD criteria at 1 month / 12 months | 74.6% / 41.5% | Dworkin et al., Trauma Violence Abuse 22 samples |
| PTSD in the year after a natural / human-made disaster | 15.6% / 12.0% | Hoell et al., Front Public Health 2023 |
Chance of developing PTSD after each type of trauma
Source: Kessler et al., "Trauma and PTSD in the WHO World Mental Health Surveys," 2017 (68,894 people, 24 countries)
7PTSD in veterans
Veterans of recent wars have the highest PTSD rates. Women veterans have about twice the rate of men.
| Service era | Past year | Lifetime |
|---|---|---|
| Iraq and Afghanistan (OEF/OIF) | 15% | 29% |
| Gulf War (Desert Storm) | 14% | 21% |
| Vietnam | 5% | 10% |
| World War II and Korea | 2% | 3% |
Veterans with PTSD, by service era
Source: VA National Center for PTSD, How Common Is PTSD in Veterans? (page updated 2026)
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Veterans who will have PTSD at some point (all eras) | 7% | VA National Center for PTSD |
| Lifetime PTSD, women vs men veterans | 13% vs 6% | VA National Center for PTSD |
| Veterans with PTSD right now (past month) | 7% (women 12.5%) | VA National Center for PTSD 2025–26 survey |
| Lifetime PTSD, veterans 18–29 vs 65+ | 15% vs 4% | VA National Center for PTSD |
| Veterans in VA care who have had PTSD | 23% | VA National Center for PTSD |
| VA patients diagnosed with PTSD, men / women | 14% / 24% | VA National Center for PTSD FY2024, 5.8M served |
| Veterans receiving VA disability pay for PTSD | 1,760,497 | VA Annual Benefits Report FY2025 |
| Veterans newly granted disability pay for PTSD in one year | 92,917 | VA Annual Benefits Report FY2025 |
| PTSD's share of service-connected mental health disabilities | 55.6% | VA Annual Benefits Report FY2025 |
| Women / men veterans who report military sexual trauma when screened | About 1 in 3 / 1 in 50 | VA National Center for PTSD |
| Veteran suicides per day | 17.5 | VA National Veteran Suicide Prevention Report 2023 |
Veterans in crisis can call 988 and press 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line. US veterans can also get a free digital service dog ID from us.
8First responders, healthcare workers and kids
People who face trauma on the job have PTSD at several times the rate of the general population.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Police officers with PTSD (272,463 officers, 24 countries) | 14.2% | Syed et al., Occup Environ Med 2020 |
| First responders with PTSD from routine job exposure (138 studies) | 14.3% | Arena et al., Clin Psychol Rev 2025 |
| Former (retired or resigned) first responders with PTSD | 15.4% | Arena et al., J Trauma Stress 2026 |
| Paramedics with PTSD in the past year | 20.0% | Hoell et al., Front Public Health 2023 |
| Ambulance staff with PTSD (30,878 staff) | 11% | Petrie et al., Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2018 |
| Healthcare workers with probable PTSD, before → during COVID-19 | 15.5% → 24.8% | Frodsham et al., Front Public Health 2026 |
| Children and teens who go through at least one trauma | Girls 15–43% · boys 14–43% | VA National Center for PTSD |
| …of those, how many develop PTSD | Girls 3–15% · boys 1–6% | VA National Center for PTSD |
| Teens (13–18) who have had PTSD | 5.0% (girls 8.0%, boys 2.3%) | NIMH 2001–04 data |
| Trauma-exposed children who develop PTSD (43 samples) | 15.9% | Alisic et al., Br J Psychiatry 2014 |
| Young people with PTSD by 18 who got professional help | 20.6% | Lewis et al., Lancet Psychiatry 2019 |
9Treatment: who gets help
Effective treatments exist for both anxiety and PTSD. Many people never get them, or wait years.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| People with an anxiety disorder who get any treatment (worldwide) | 27.6% | WHO; Alonso et al. |
| …who get treatment that is possibly adequate | 9.8% | Alonso et al., Depression and Anxiety 21 countries |
| People with an anxiety disorder who think they need care | 41.3% | Alonso et al. |
| US adults who got any mental health treatment in the past year | 21.6% (57.3 million) | SAMHSA 2025 |
| US adults with a mental illness who got treatment | 50.9% | SAMHSA 2025 |
| US teens (12–17) who got mental health treatment | 27.6% (7.0 million) | SAMHSA 2025 |
| US adults taking medication for their mental health | 19.3% | CDC NCHS 2024 |
| US adults who saw a professional for counseling or therapy | 14.0% (ages 18–29: 20.2%) | CDC NCHS 2024 |
| US adults with PTSD who ever sought treatment | 59.4% | Goldstein et al. (NESARC-III) |
| Average wait from PTSD onset to first treatment | 4.5 years | Goldstein et al. (NESARC-III) 2012–13 |
| People with severe PTSD who get any treatment | About half | Koenen et al. |
| Therapies the VA and Defense Department recommend most for PTSD | CPT, Prolonged Exposure, EMDR | VA/DoD Guideline 2023 |
| Typical length of PTSD talk therapy | 8–16 sessions (about 3 months) | VA National Center for PTSD |
| Veterans who responded to therapy (916 veterans, largest head-to-head trial) | 73.0% (PE) · 60.1% (CPT) | Schnurr et al., JAMA Netw Open 2022 |
| People with PTSD who recover within a year | Up to 40% | WHO |
| Average time PTSD symptoms last | About 6 years | Kessler et al. |
| Share of health budgets governments spend on mental health | Just over 2% | WHO |
10How anxiety and PTSD affect daily life
Anxiety and PTSD affect work, sleep and health, and they often come with other problems.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Adults with an anxiety disorder: serious / moderate / mild impairment | 22.8% / 33.7% / 43.5% | NIMH |
| Adults with PTSD who have serious impairment | 36.6% | NIMH |
| Working days lost each year worldwide to depression and anxiety | 12 billion (US$1 trillion) | WHO |
| Anxiety's rank among 304 causes of health loss worldwide | 11th | GBD 2023, The Lancet |
| Yearly cost of PTSD in the US | $232.2 billion ($19,630 per person) | Davis et al., J Clin Psychiatry 2018 data |
| Adults with PTSD who also have drug or alcohol problems | 45% | VA National Center for PTSD |
| How much more likely depression is with PTSD | 3 to 5 times | VA National Center for PTSD |
| People with PTSD who have trouble sleeping | Almost everyone | VA National Center for PTSD |
| Adults who used illicit drugs: moderate/severe anxiety vs little or none | 47.8% vs 21.0% | SAMHSA NSDUH 2025 |
11Dogs, anxiety and PTSD: the research
Studies link time with dogs to short-term drops in anxiety, and trained service dogs to fewer PTSD symptoms in veterans.
Dogs and anxiety
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Pet owners who say their pets mostly help their mental health | 84% (dog owners 85%) | American Psychiatric Association poll 2024 |
| Pet owners who say pets reduce their stress and anxiety | 62% | American Psychiatric Association poll 2024 |
| Children screening positive for anxiety, dog at home vs no dog (643 children) | 12% vs 21% | Gadomski et al., Preventing Chronic Disease (CDC) |
| Later anxiety diagnosis for kids long attached to a pet dog or cat (571 youths, ~8 years) | 43% lower risk | Gadomski et al., BMC Pediatrics 2022 |
| Children in the ER with a big drop in anxiety: therapy dog vs usual care (randomized, 80 children) | 46% vs 23% | Kelker et al., JAMA Netw Open 2025 |
| Adult ER patients whose anxiety fell by more than half after a 10-minute therapy dog visit | 48% | Carey et al., PLOS ONE 2022 |
| Therapy dogs and college students' stress and anxiety (14 randomized trials) | Moderate reduction | Sim et al., BMC Complement Med Ther 2025 |
| Animal-assisted programs and anxiety in older adults (20 studies) | No overall effect on anxiety | Lv et al., JAMDA 2026 |
Service dogs and PTSD
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| PTSD symptoms after 3 months, service dog vs waitlist (156 veterans and service members) | 11.5 points lower | Leighton et al., JAMA Netw Open 2024 |
| Same trial, rated by blinded clinicians | 7.0 points lower | Leighton et al. |
| Still meeting PTSD diagnosis at 3 months, service dog vs waitlist | 75% vs 85% | Leighton et al. |
| Odds of anxiety with a service dog | 75% lower (OR 0.25) | Leighton et al. |
| Dropout, service dog program vs trauma-focused therapy | 10% vs 27% | Leighton et al. |
| Odds of a panic attack on a given day (168 veterans) | 32% lower (OR 0.68) | Leighton et al., Psychol Trauma 2024 |
| Odds of nightmares (155 veterans) | 55% lower (OR 0.45) | Bristol et al., Front Sleep 2024 |
| First service dog trial (141 post-9/11 veterans and service members) | Clinically meaningful drop in PTSD symptoms | O'Haire & Rodriguez, J Consult Clin Psychol 2018 |
| VA randomized study: service dogs vs emotional support dogs (227 veterans) | 3.7-point bigger drop in PTSD symptoms with service dogs | Richerson et al., Psychiatric Services 2023 |
| Same study: taking antidepressants as prescribed | 10 points higher with service dogs | Richerson et al. |
| Same study: suicidal thoughts and behavior at 18 months | Fewer with service dogs | VA report to Congress 2020 |
| PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act signed into law | August 25, 2021 | Public Law 117-37 |
| VA medical centers in the PAWS service dog training pilot | 5 (Palo Alto, Anchorage, Asheville, West Palm Beach, San Antonio) | Federal Register 2022 |
| VA/DoD PTSD guideline on animal-assisted therapy | Not enough evidence yet to recommend for or against | VA/DoD Guideline 2023 |
The 2018 and 2024 trials weren't randomized, so they show service dogs are linked to fewer symptoms rather than proving the dog caused the change. Randomized trials funded by the NIH and the Defense Department are under way. In the VA's randomized study, veterans did better with both kinds of dogs, and service dogs did better on PTSD symptoms.
Under the ADA, a dog trained to do a task for anxiety or PTSD is a psychiatric service dog. Our guide covers what the law says and how to train your own dog, and our AI Advisor answers questions about your rights.
12Numbers you'll see that are out of date
These figures still show up in articles and other statistics pages. Here's what the original sources say now.
| Often quoted | What the source says now | Source |
|---|---|---|
| "40 million US adults (18.1%) have an anxiety disorder every year" | From a survey done in 2001–2003. NIMH now gives 19.1% for that survey. The newest US data: 18.2% with symptoms (2022). | Kessler et al. 2005; NIMH |
| "Anxiety disorders cost the US $42 billion a year" | That was the cost in 1990. | Greenberg et al. 1999 |
| "Only 36.9% of people with anxiety get treatment" | We found no original source for this number. WHO's figure is 27.6% worldwide. | WHO |
| "301 million people (4%) have an anxiety disorder" | WHO updated it: 470 million (5.8%), 2023 data. | WHO |
| "Women are twice as likely to have GAD" | 3.4% of women vs 1.9% of men, about 1.8 times. | NIMH |
| "Social anxiety is equally common in men and women" | 8.0% of women vs 6.1% of men. | NIMH |
| "8 million adults have PTSD in a given year" | The VA's figure until 2019. It now says about 13 million Americans (2020). | VA National Center for PTSD |
| "7–8% of people will have PTSD in their lives" | The VA now says 6%. | VA National Center for PTSD |
| "11–20% of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have PTSD" | Now 15% in the past year and 29% in their lifetime. | VA National Center for PTSD |
| "30% of Vietnam veterans have had PTSD" | From a late-1980s study. The VA's current table shows 10% lifetime. | VA National Center for PTSD |
| "22 veterans die by suicide every day" | From the VA's 2012 report. The 2025 report: 17.5 a day in 2023. | VA, 2025 report |
| "70% of US adults have been through a traumatic event" | 70% is the worldwide figure. A US national study found 89.7%. | Kilpatrick et al. 2013 |
| Household Pulse Survey anxiety numbers for 2025 or 2026 | The survey ended in September 2024. Its last reading was 17.6%. | CDC |
13Summary
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| People worldwide with an anxiety disorder | 470 million (5.8%) | WHO, 2023 |
| Growth in anxiety disorders worldwide since 1990 | +158.6% | GBD 2023, The Lancet |
| US adults with anxiety symptoms | 18.2% | CDC, 2022 |
| US teens with moderate or severe anxiety symptoms | 18.0% | SAMHSA, 2025 |
| US adults more anxious than last year | 48% | American Psychiatric Association, 2026 |
| Americans with PTSD | About 13 million | VA, 2020 |
| US adults with PTSD in a given year / lifetime | 5% / 6% | VA |
| People who go through trauma / develop PTSD | 70% / 5.6% | WHO |
| Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, lifetime PTSD | 29% | VA |
| Veterans receiving disability pay for PTSD | 1,760,497 | VA, FY2025 |
| People with an anxiety disorder who get any treatment | 27.6% | WHO |
| Wait from PTSD onset to first treatment | 4.5 years | NESARC-III |
| PTSD symptoms with a service dog after 3 months | 11.5 points lower | JAMA Network Open, 2024 |
Cite or link to this page
Writers, students and researchers are welcome to use these numbers. Please cite the original source for each number, and link here for the full table.
ServiceDogCards. (2026, October 24). Anxiety & PTSD statistics 2026. https://servicedogcards.com/blog/anxiety-ptsd-statistics.html <a href="https://servicedogcards.com/blog/anxiety-ptsd-statistics.html">Anxiety & PTSD Statistics 2026</a>FAQ
How many people have anxiety in 2026?
About 470 million people worldwide (5.8%) had an anxiety disorder in 2023, the latest year WHO reports. In the US, 18.2% of adults had anxiety symptoms in the past two weeks in 2022 (CDC), and 6.6% had moderate or severe symptoms in 2025 (SAMHSA).
How many Americans have PTSD?
About 13 million Americans had PTSD in 2020, according to the VA National Center for PTSD. That's about 5% of adults in a given year. About 6% of people will have PTSD at some point in their lives.
What percentage of veterans have PTSD?
7% of veterans will have PTSD at some point. The rate is highest for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans: 29% lifetime and 15% in the past year. 1,760,497 veterans receive VA disability pay for PTSD (FY2025).
Is anxiety getting worse?
Yes, compared with before the pandemic. 18.2% of US adults had anxiety symptoms in 2022, up from 15.6% in 2019 (CDC). In 2026, 48% of US adults said they feel more anxious than a year earlier, up from 32% in 2022 (American Psychiatric Association). Worldwide, the number of people with an anxiety disorder rose from 182 million in 1990 to 470 million in 2023 (GBD 2023).
How many teens have anxiety?
About 1 in 5 US teens (18.0%, or 4.6 million) aged 12 to 17 had moderate or severe anxiety symptoms in 2025 (SAMHSA). 11% of US children aged 3 to 17 have diagnosed anxiety (CDC, 2023–24).
Do service dogs help with PTSD?
Studies link them to fewer symptoms. In a 2024 study of 156 veterans and service members, those with a trained service dog scored 11.5 points lower on a PTSD symptom checklist after 3 months than those still waiting for one. They also had lower odds of depression, anxiety and nightmares. That study wasn't randomized. Randomized trials are under way.
Methodology and sources
We read every number on its original source (agency page, report, dataset or study abstract) on October 24, 2026. No numbers come from other statistics roundups. Where a number comes from a chart or table instead of the text, we read it from that chart or table. Data years show when the data was collected. We update this page every quarter. Next update: January 2027.
- WHO: Anxiety disorders fact sheet (Sep 2026)
- WHO: Mental disorders fact sheet (Sep 2026)
- WHO: Post-traumatic stress disorder fact sheet (Sep 2026)
- WHO: Mental health at work fact sheet (Sep 2026)
- WHO: COVID-19 pandemic triggers 25% increase in anxiety and depression (2022)
- GBD 2023 Mental Disorder Collaborators, The Lancet (2026)
- NIMH: Any Anxiety Disorder, GAD, Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Specific Phobia, Agoraphobia, PTSD
- CDC NCHS: Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression Among Adults, 2019 and 2022 (NHSR No. 213)
- CDC NCHS / Census: Household Pulse Survey, Indicators of Anxiety or Depression
- CDC: Data and Statistics on Children's Mental Health
- CDC NCHS: Mental Health Treatment Among Adults, 2024 (Data Brief 564)
- SAMHSA: 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health and press release
- SAMHSA / RTI: Mental and Substance Use Disorders Prevalence Study (2023)
- American Psychiatric Association: 2026 Annual Mental Health Poll, 2024 poll, 2024 pets poll
- Gallup: State of the World's Emotional Health 2026
- Healthy Minds Study 2024–2025 (UCLA)
- The Trevor Project: 2024 US National Survey
- VA National Center for PTSD: How Common Is PTSD in Adults?, in Veterans?, in Children and Teens?
- VA National Center for PTSD: Epidemiology and Impact of PTSD
- VA National Center for PTSD: Substance Abuse, Depression, Sleep Problems, Treatment Basics
- VA Veterans Benefits Administration: Annual Benefits Report FY2025
- VA: 2025 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report
- VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for PTSD (2023)
- Kessler et al., Trauma and PTSD in the WHO World Mental Health Surveys (2017)
- Koenen et al., PTSD in the World Mental Health Surveys (2017)
- Goldstein et al., Epidemiology of DSM-5 PTSD (NESARC-III) (2016)
- Kilpatrick et al., National Estimates of Traumatic Event Exposure and PTSD (2013)
- Dworkin et al., PTSD in the Year Following Sexual Assault (2023)
- Hoell et al., PTSD in paramedics and disaster-hit populations (2023)
- Syed et al., Mental health of police officers (2020)
- Arena et al., PTSD in active first responders (2025) and former first responders (2026)
- Petrie et al., Mental health of ambulance personnel (2018)
- Frodsham et al., PTSD in healthcare workers (2026)
- Alisic et al., PTSD in trauma-exposed children (2014)
- Lewis et al., PTSD in young people (E-Risk cohort) (2019)
- Schnurr et al., Prolonged Exposure vs Cognitive Processing Therapy (2022)
- Davis et al., The Economic Burden of PTSD in the US (2022)
- Kessler et al., Lifetime prevalence and age of onset (NCS-R) and 12-month prevalence (2005)
- Alonso et al., Treatment gap for anxiety disorders is global (2018)
- Pietrzak et al., Anxiety in US veterans (2024)
- Greenberg et al., The economic burden of anxiety disorders in the 1990s (1999)
- Gadomski et al., Pet Dogs and Children's Health (2015) and pet attachment and youth anxiety (2022)
- Kelker et al., Therapy Dogs for Anxiety in Children in the ED (2025)
- Carey et al., Therapy dogs in the emergency department (2022)
- Sim et al., Therapy dogs and university students (2025)
- Lv et al., Animal-assisted interventions in older adults (2026)
- Leighton et al., Service Dogs for Veterans and Military Members With PTSD (2024), with daily-life and sleep follow-ups
- O'Haire & Rodriguez, Service dogs as a complementary treatment for PTSD (2018)
- Richerson et al., Service Dogs Versus Emotional Support Dogs for Veterans With PTSD (2023) and the VA report to Congress (2020)
- PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act, Public Law 117-37 and VA implementation notice