CDC: 13.8% increase in ADHD from 2019 to 2025 may not be true increase

Oct 29, 2026, CDC: ADHD diagnoses in US children rose to 13.8% from 2019 to 2025

Nearly 1 in 7 US children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 years has now received a diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at some point, according to new federal survey data that extend a steady upward trend through the first half of the decade.¹

In a QuickStats report published October 29, 2026, in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) found that the percentage of school-aged children with a lifetime ADHD diagnosis rose from 9.9% in 2019 to 13.8% in 2025.¹ Diagnoses increased among both boys and girls throughout the 7-year period, and boys remained more likely than girls to have ever been diagnosed.¹

National Health Interview Survey data on pediatric ADHD diagnosis trends . . .

How the NHIS findings compare with prior ADHD prevalence estimates

The new figures are broadly consistent with other CDC surveillance. Using the 2022 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH), Danielson and colleagues estimated that 11.4% of US children aged 3 to 17 years, about 7.1 million, had ever received an ADHD diagnosis, roughly 1 million more children than in 2016.² In that analysis, 10.5% had current ADHD; among them, 58.1% had moderate or severe ADHD and 77.9% had at least 1 co-occurring disorder.² Because the NSCH and NHIS differ in age range, sampling, and question design, their estimates are not directly comparable. . . .

Interpreting the rise in pediatric ADHD diagnoses

The QuickStats report did not examine reasons for the increase, and the data cannot distinguish a true rise in prevalence from improved recognition, broader diagnostic practices, or both. Prior CDC investigators have noted that the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with negative effects on children's mental health, which may have prompted evaluations during which ADHD was identified, but that hypothesis has not been tested in the current data.²