
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) estimates that between 3 and 5% of the population has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD. While this may seem like a very large percentage, it is actually a conservative estimate amongst circles of experts.
But how many people does this translate to exactly? Right Diagnosis took this information and put together a very informative table which you can see below, by extrapolating the numbers from population estimates, based on this NIMH estimation. The numbers are truly shocking.
Country/Region | Extrapolated Prevalence | Population Estimate |
ADHD in North America (Extrapolated Statistics) |
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USA | 3,562,730 | 293,655,405 |
Canada | 394,396 | 32,507,874 |
Mexico | 1,273,406 | 104,959,594 |
ADHD in Central America (Extrapolated Statistics) |
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Belize | 3,311 | 272,945 |
Guatemala | 173,257 | 14,280,596 |
Nicaragua | 65,026 | 5,359,759 |
ADHD in Caribbean (Extrapolated Statistics) |
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Puerto Rico | 47,291 | 3,897,960 |
ADHD in South America (Extrapolated Statistics) |
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Brazil | 2,233,579 | 184,101,109 |
Chile | 191,981 | 15,823,957 |
Colombia | 513,329 | 42,310,775 |
Paraguay | 75,115 | 6,191,368 |
Peru | 334,177 | 27,544,305 |
Venezuela | 303,519 | 25,017,387 |
ADHD in Northern Europe (Extrapolated Statistics) |
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Denmark | 65,677 | 5,413,392 |
Finland | 63,264 | 5,214,512 |
Iceland | 3,566 | 293,966 |
Sweden | 109,026 | 8,986,400 |
ADHD in Western Europe (Extrapolated Statistics) |
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Britain (United Kingdom) | 731,225 | 60,270,708 for UK |
Belgium | 125,548 | 10,348,276 |
France | 733,087 | 60,424,213 |
Ireland | 48,160 | 3,969,558 |
Luxembourg | 5,613 | 462,690 |
Monaco | 391 | 32,270 |
Netherlands (Holland) | 197,978 | 16,318,199 |
United Kingdom | 731,225 | 60,270,708 |
Wales | 35,402 | 2,918,000 |
ADHD in Central Europe (Extrapolated Statistics) |
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Austria | 99,179 | 8,174,762 |
Czech Republic | 15,119 | 1,0246,178 |
Germany | 1,000,000 | 82,424,609 |
Hungary | 121,716 | 10,032,375 |
Liechtenstein | 405 | 33,436 |
Poland | 468,628 | 38,626,349 |
Slovakia | 65,800 | 5,423,567 |
Slovenia | 24,403 | 2,011,473 |
Switzerland | 90,396 | 7,450,867 |
ADHD in Eastern Europe (Extrapolated Statistics) |
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Belarus | 125,090 | 10,310,520 |
Estonia | 16,277 | 1,341,664 |
Latvia | 27,980 | 2,306,306 |
Lithuania | 43,772 | 3,607,899 |
Russia | 1,746,744 | 143,974,059 |
Ukraine | 579,102 | 47,732,079 |
ADHD in the Southwestern Europe (Extrapolated Statistics) |
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Azerbaijan | 95,462 | 7,868,385 |
Georgia | 56,947 | 4,693,892 |
Portugal | 127,682 | 10,524,145 |
Spain | 488,700 | 40,280,780 |
ADHD in Southern Europe (Extrapolated Statistics) |
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Greece | 129,179 | 10,647,529 |
Italy | 704,373 | 58,057,477 |
ADHD in the Southeastern Europe (Extrapolated Statistics) |
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Albania | 43,006 | 3,544,808 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 4,945 | 407,608 |
Bulgaria | 91,210 | 7,517,973 |
Croatia | 54,557 | 4,496,869 |
Macedonia | 24,751 | 2,040,085 |
Romania | 271,225 | 22,355,551 |
Serbia and Montenegro | 131,343 | 10,825,900 |
ADHD in Northern Asia (Extrapolated Statistics) |
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Mongolia | 33,379 | 2,751,314 |
ADHD in Central Asia (Extrapolated Statistics) |
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Kazakhstan | 183,728 | 15,143,704 |
Tajikistan | 85,066 | 7,011,556 |
Uzbekistan | 320,420 | 26,410,416 |
ADHD in Eastern Asia (Extrapolated Statistics) |
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China | 15,758,077 | 1,298,847,624 |
Hong Kong s.a.r. | 83,168 | 6,855,125 |
Japan | 1,544,848 | 127,333,002 |
Macau s.a.r. | 5,402 | 445,286 |
North Korea | 275,374 | 22,697,553 |
South Korea | 585,188 | 48,233,760 |
Taiwan | 276,009 | 22,749,838 |
ADHD in Southwestern Asia (Extrapolated Statistics) |
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Turkey | 835,845 | 68,893,918 |
ADHD in Southern Asia (Extrapolated Statistics) |
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Afghanistan | 345,937 | 28,513,677 |
Bangladesh | 1,714,792 | 141,340,476 |
Bhutan | 26,516 | 2,185,569 |
India | 12,921,812 | 1,065,070,607 |
Pakistan | 1,931,426 | 159,196,336 |
Sri Lanka | 241,496 | 19,905,165 |
ADHD in Southeastern Asia (Extrapolated Statistics) |
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East Timor | 12,365 | 1,019,252 |
Indonesia | 2,892,995 | 238,452,952 |
Laos | 73,620 | 6,068,117 |
Malaysia | 285,383 | 23,522,482 |
Philippines | 1,046,314 | 86,241,697 |
Singapore | 52,822 | 4,353,893 |
Thailand | 786,971 | 64,865,523 |
Vietnam | 1,002,894 | 82,662,800 |
ADHD in the Middle East (Extrapolated Statistics) |
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Gaza strip | 16,075 | 1,324,991 |
Iran | 818,972 | 67,503,205 |
Iraq | 307,854 | 25,374,691 |
Israel | 75,208 | 6,199,008 |
Jordan | 68,077 | 5,611,202 |
Kuwait | 27,389 | 2,257,549 |
Lebanon | 45,826 | 3,777,218 |
Saudi Arabia | 312,965 | 25,795,938 |
Syria | 218,587 | 18,016,874 |
United Arab Emirates | 30,621 | 2,523,915 |
West Bank | 28,040 | 2,311,204 |
Yemen | 242,948 | 20,024,867 |
ADHD in Northern Africa (Extrapolated Statistics) |
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Egypt | 923,483 | 76,117,421 |
Libya | 68,324 | 5,631,585 |
Sudan | 474,959 | 39,148,162 |
ADHD in Western Africa (Extrapolated Statistics) |
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Congo Brazzaville | 36,373 | 2,998,040 |
Ghana | 251,831 | 20,757,032 |
Liberia | 41,136 | 3,390,635 |
Niger | 137,830 | 11,360,538 |
Nigeria | 215,353 | 12,5750,356 |
Senegal | 131,662 | 10,852,147 |
Sierra leone | 71,385 | 5,883,889 |
ADHD in Central Africa (Extrapolated Statistics) |
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Central African Republic | 45,405 | 3,742,482 |
Chad | 115,724 | 9,538,544 |
Congo kinshasa | 707,522 | 58,317,030 |
Rwanda | 99,954 | 8,238,673 |
ADHD in Eastern Africa (Extrapolated Statistics) |
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Ethiopia | 865,480 | 71,336,571 |
Kenya | 400,150 | 32,982,109 |
Somalia | 100,754 | 8,304,601 |
Tanzania | 437,623 | 36,070,799 |
Uganda | 320,175 | 26,390,258 |
ADHD in Southern Africa (Extrapolated Statistics) |
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Angola | 133,195 | 10,978,552 |
Botswana | 19,887 | 1,639,231 |
South Africa | 539,264 | 44,448,470 |
Swaziland | 14,185 | 1,169,241 |
Zambia | 133,767 | 11,025,690 |
Zimbabwe | 44,548 | 1,2671,860 |
ADHD in Oceania (Extrapolated Statistics) |
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Australia | 241,593 | 19,913,144 |
New Zealand | 48,454 | 3,993,817 |
Papua New Guinea | 65,760 | 5,420,280 |
When the numbers are displayed in this manner, it helps to illuminate just how widespread this condition truly is. As a reminder though, this data has been produced by extrapolation, and as such is just an estimate. Right diagnosis put forth the following reminder regarding the methodology.
“ These statistics are calculated extrapolations of various prevalence or incidence rates against the populations of a particular country or region. The statistics used for prevalence/incidence of ADHD are typically based on US, UK, Canadian or Australian prevalence or incidence statistics, which are then extrapolated using only the population of the other country.”
It is for precisely this reason that we created an effective natural ADHD treatment for mobile devices, to offer a drug free treatment option to as many people as possible.
If you’ve liked this post or found it informative, take a look at these ADHD statistics in this Infographic that we put together. It can also help to visualize the numbers graphically.
Sources
1. US Census Bureau, Population Estimates, 2004
2. US Census Bureau, International Data Base, 2004
Emilie
Read this and then you’ll understand that these statistics are useless:
“These statistics are calculated extrapolations of various prevalence or incidence rates against the populations of a particular country or region. The statistics used for prevalence/incidence of ADHD are typically based on US, UK, Canadian or Australian prevalence or incidence statistics, which are then extrapolated using only the population of the other country.”
ADHD Expert
The statistics are not meant to be exact and in fact are explicitly mentioned to be estimations. Their purpose is not to try to calculate the exact number of people who have ADHD, but rather to show exactly how many people might have it assuming that the 3-5% estimation calculated by the NIMH holds globally. In that respect, I believe that the estimations are quite illuminating.
Floiya
The reason ADHD exists which is not really a disorder but a social construct is based on Women who did the work of two people. The role of men and the role of women, hunters, warriors etc) Dahomey, Greek Amazons – Amazons all over the world,
1) Two or three people’s work over generations will produce – two or three lots of energy levels; they call it hyperactivity,
2) Two lots of sensitives,
3) Two or more lots of deep thinking – hyperfocus skills,
4) Two or three lots of anger/resentment etc,
4) Conclusion thinking is designed to reduce time and get to the point straight away; This might be called impulsivity,
5) Doing the work of two people you may not have had time for large volumes of conversation, or socialisation as it was probably not too beneficial or profitable in those days so people with adhd (a social construct) did not produce the amino acid sequence for delaying or withholding thought patterns,
6) Women were hunters who needed to be sensitive to their environment in the day and had acquired different senses (third sense development), That is why people with ADHD are more relaxed in the dark and stimulus is reduced. To train a child with adhd..sometimes a different dark environment will help concentration as it will block out the instinct stimulus that was once needed for their hunter, warrior, men and women lifestyle.
7) Where you get too much positive (ADHD, you get negative that negative is someone with learning difficulties, slow in development or gay like behavior as a result of deficit hormonal drive.
8) How you treat an ADHD child is not the same as a child who does not have ADHD. A child with ADHD thinks fast and quick and therefore I believe you need to handle them just as fast and quick and not slow like a non ADHD child – not leaving any holes in communication with this method, they can change quickly to fit their new social environment from an innate working environment. Drugs could prevent them from learning how to control concentration naturally in the fruitful early years and they may depend on drugs for the rest of their life. I think more strategies to aid concentration should be introduced. Such as communicating with them in the dark in a different environment other than home when it comes to learning information, spelling, maths etc, changing learning environments (keep away from the stationary desk- remember they get bored.. so different environments will encourage learning for them (different libraries, places, parks, shopping centers, roads, tree and flower scenery will encourage learning for ADHD and you will see that they can be very successful. Overall, they were always “on the move” historically as part of their lifestyles.
9) ADHD children are aware that something is wrong. Instinctly, they come from a different environment, a full working, warrior, hunter, environment where things were fast paced and now they are evolving into a much slower paced environment. They are not conscious of the fact that they think fast against most people from the social lineage thinking much slower. They are not conscious of the fact that their fast thinking brain is upsetting the slow thinking brain from the social lineage. You will find that ADHD children can connect with other ADHD children – they understand the innate, instinct quality behavior that exists between them.
ADHD needs to be changed to Women Two People Work against the Social Lineage.
A child will have emerged from a Working/Warrior Lineage and now off to learn the Social Lineage.
Most europeans have on average 2 children per family whilst in West Africa, they have 4 plus children. You are able to see patterns of the Positive ADHD and the Negative Learning Difficulties or Slow in Development/Gay like behaviour -more clearly among specific ethnic groups those genetically history stems from women doing the work of two people. which are unfortunately not written on the internet or encyclopedia.
Floiya.
London
Floiya (Floism)
Philosophy-Psychology
ADHD Expert
This is certainly an interesting theory Floiya, but it isn’t aligned with the current scientific perspective. However, we would be very interested to see the literature and data you have used to formulate this hypothesis.