Asthma Statistics

Global Figures:

• It is estimated that internationally, the prevalence of asthma has increased approximately 50 percent over the last ten to 15 years.
• The highest prevalence rates are found in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia and Ireland; and the lowest are found in Indonesia, Albania, Romania and Georgia.
• Death rates vary in different countries. Death rates are decreasing in countries where anti-inflammatory medications are available and used effectively. Death rates are increasing in areas lacking proper medical care and access to treatments.

Asthma in the United States:

• According to 1995 data, the Centers for Disease Control estimates that there are nearly 15 million Americans with asthma. Of these, between five and six million are children.
• Prevalence by age group:

• The rate of asthma among children five to 14 years of age increased 74% between 1980 and 1994; the rate of asthma among preschool children increased 160%
• Asthma is the most common chronic illness leading to school absenteeism - it accounts for more than 10 million missed school days annually
• An estimated $1 billion is lost annually in productivity by working parents caring for children who miss school due to asthma
• Asthma is the third leading-cause of hospitalization in children under age 15
• Asthma is 26 percent more prevalent in black children than in white children
• There are over 5,000 deaths annually due to asthma, and asthma-related deaths among children five to 14 years of age more than doubled from 1979 to 1995
• Direct and indirect monetary costs related to asthma will total approximately $11.3 billion in 1998

Source: National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute