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

The estimates, reported by Nazik Elgaddal, MS, of NCHS, are drawn from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), which collects household interview data from a sample of the civilian, noninstitutionalized US population.¹ The 3.9–percentage point increase corresponds to a relative rise of roughly 39% over 7 years.¹ The report presented the sex-specific trends graphically; its text did not specify numeric estimates for boys and girls separately.¹

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.

Treatment gaps among children diagnosed with ADHD

A rising diagnosis rate does not guarantee that children are receiving care. In the 2022 NSCH analysis, 53.6% of children with current ADHD had received ADHD medication and 44.4% had received behavioral treatment in the past year, while 30.1% had received no ADHD-specific treatment.²

AAP guidance for ADHD evaluation and treatment in primary care

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2019 clinical practice guideline directs primary care clinicians to initiate an ADHD evaluation for children and adolescents aged 4 through 18 years who present with academic or behavioral problems and symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, or impulsivity.³ The guideline calls for applying DSM-5 criteria using information from parents, teachers, and other school personnel, and for screening for co-occurring emotional, behavioral, developmental, and physical conditions, a key action statement added in the 2019 revision.³ For preschool-aged children, parent training in behavior management is recommended as a first-line approach; for school-aged children and adolescents, the guideline recommends FDA-approved medication together with behavioral and school-based interventions, and management of ADHD as a chronic condition.³

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

References

1. QuickStats: percentage of children and adolescents aged 5–17 years who had ever received a diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, by sex and year—United States, 2019–2025. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2026;75(42):630. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7542a2

2. Danielson ML, Claussen AH, Bitsko RH, et al. ADHD prevalence among U.S. children and adolescents in 2022: diagnosis, severity, co-occurring disorders, and treatment. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol. 2024;53(3):343-360. doi:10.1080/15374416.2024.2335625

3. Wolraich ML, Hagan JF Jr, Allan C, et al. Clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents. Pediatrics. 2019;144(4):e20192528. doi:10.1542/peds.2019-2528