With 18.1% of adults aged 18–25 reporting anxiety disorder symptoms in the past year in England, the real question is how widespread anxiety is across different ages, genders, and countries and what those numbers can tell us about young adults today.
Key Takeaways
- 8.0% of 16–24 year olds in England have a common mental disorder (including anxiety and depression)
- 9.6% of women aged 16–24 in England have a common mental disorder (including anxiety and depression)
- 7.2% of men aged 16–24 in England have a common mental disorder (including anxiety and depression)
- 52.0% of college students with anxiety report it affected their academic performance
- 34.0% of university students with anxiety reported reduced quality of life
- 43.0% of young adults with anxiety reported reduced social functioning
- Only 37% of adults with anxiety disorders in the U.S. receive mental health services (service use rate)
- 44% of people with anxiety symptoms do not seek professional help (survey-based)
- In England, 26.7% of adults with mental health conditions received treatment in the past 12 months (includes anxiety/depression)
- 24% of young adults cite “stress from school/work” as a driver of anxiety (survey)
- 35% of young adults report that financial insecurity increases anxiety
- 1.5x higher odds of anxiety in people with high perceived stress vs low (meta-analysis on stress/anxiety)
- In a longitudinal study, 10.0% of young adults developed anxiety over 12 months (incidence estimate)
- From 2008 to 2018 in the U.S., past-year anxiety disorder prevalence increased from 6.5% to 8.3% among young adults (survey trend)
- Among 18–25 year olds in the U.S., anxiety disorder prevalence remained higher in females: 10.2% vs 6.7% (NIMH statistics table)
About 1 in 10 young adults has an anxiety disorder yearly, rising sharply during COVID-19.
Prevalence
18.0% of 16–24 year olds in England have a common mental disorder (including anxiety and depression)[1]
Verified29.6% of women aged 16–24 in England have a common mental disorder (including anxiety and depression)[1]
Verified37.2% of men aged 16–24 in England have a common mental disorder (including anxiety and depression)[1]
Verified418.1% of adults aged 18–25 reported anxiety disorder symptoms in the past year[2]
Directional58.3% of young adults aged 18–25 had an anxiety disorder in the past year[3]
Single source67.3% of adults aged 18–25 reported serious anxiety symptoms[3]
Verified723.5% of 18–29 year olds in the U.S. experienced any mental illness in the past year (including anxiety disorders)[4]
Verified88.7% of U.S. adults aged 18–25 had an anxiety disorder (past year)[2]
Verified912.8% of U.S. adults aged 18–25 reported any form of anxiety (past year)[2]
Directional1015.0% of college students screened positive for anxiety in a meta-analysis of U.S. studies[5]
Single source1131.0% of college students reported clinically relevant anxiety in a systematic review[6]
Verified1225.2% of university students had anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic (global systematic review estimate)[7]
Verified1330.6% prevalence of anxiety among university students was reported in a meta-analysis[8]
Verified1422.2% of medical students had anxiety symptoms in a meta-analysis[9]
Directional1536.0% of nursing students experienced anxiety symptoms in a meta-analysis[10]
Single source1624.0% of students had anxiety symptoms in an analysis of 23,000+ students[11]
Verified1710.1% of adolescents (15–19) had anxiety disorders in the WHO Global Health Estimates framework[12]
Verified183.4% of young adults (20–24) had anxiety disorders in the Global Burden of Disease estimates[13]
Verified195.3% of young adults (25–29) had anxiety disorders in the Global Burden of Disease estimates[13]
Directional20Anxiety disorders affect 264 million people globally (all ages)[14]
Single source21Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental disorder category globally for years lived with disability[15]
Verified22Anxiety disorders caused 14.9 million DALYs globally in 2019 (all ages)[16]
Verified23Anxiety disorders contributed to 8.3% of years lived with disability globally (all ages)[16]
Verified24Increases in anxiety symptoms were observed among young adults during COVID-19, with 28.0% reporting anxiety in a meta-analysis[17]
Directional25During COVID-19, 33.8% of young adults reported anxiety in a pooled estimate across studies[18]
Single sourcePrevalence Interpretation
Across multiple countries and studies, anxiety is alarmingly common among young people, with rates reaching 28.0% during COVID-19 in a meta-analysis and 33.8% in a pooled estimate, compared with about 8.3% of 18–25 year olds in England reporting an anxiety disorder in the past year.
Impact
152.0% of college students with anxiety report it affected their academic performance[19]
Verified234.0% of university students with anxiety reported reduced quality of life[20]
Verified343.0% of young adults with anxiety reported reduced social functioning[21]
Verified431.0% of students reported anxiety contributed to poor sleep quality[22]
Directional538.0% of young adults with anxiety reported concentration problems[23]
Single source627.0% of young adults with anxiety reported decreased motivation[24]
Verified720.0% of adults with anxiety in the U.S. report that mental health impacts their ability to work or do daily activities[25]
Verified833.0% of young adults with anxiety reported missing social or family activities due to mental health[26]
Verified925.0% of university students with anxiety reported increased absenteeism[27]
Directional1017.0% of college students with anxiety reported campus non-attendance in the last semester[28]
Single source111.2 fewer study-hours per week on average among students with higher anxiety scores[29]
Verified12Higher anxiety was associated with a 0.28 standard-deviation decrease in academic motivation in a cohort study[30]
Verified13Anxiety disorders are associated with an average reduction of 7.8 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) lost per person-year (all ages, burden estimate)[31]
Verified14Anxiety disorders accounted for 7.6% of total mental health DALYs in the European region (2019 all ages)[16]
Directional15Globally, anxiety disorders caused 3.2% of total years lived with disability for ages 15–29[13]
Single source16In the U.S., anxiety disorders were linked to a 50–60% increase in healthcare utilization on average (systematic review)[32]
Verified17Anxiety disorders were associated with a 25–35% increase in all-cause mortality risk in meta-analysis[33]
Verified18In a 2019 study, young adults with anxiety had 1.6x higher likelihood of experiencing sleep problems[34]
Verified19Anxiety disorders have been linked to a 30% higher risk of developing depressive symptoms within 1 year (meta-analysis)[35]
Directional20Young adults with anxiety had an average 0.4-point increase in perceived stress scale (PSS) compared with non-anxious peers (study mean difference)[36]
Single source2135.0% of respondents with anxiety disorder reported problems with daily living activities (survey-based study)[37]
Verified2228.0% of young adults with anxiety reported impairment in work/school functioning (survey-based study)[38]
Verified23Anxiety disorders are associated with an estimated 6.6 million employment-related lost days in the U.S. (modeled estimate)[39]
Verified24In a U.S. employer study, 21% of employees reported mental health (including anxiety) affected productivity in the prior 2 weeks[40]
Directional25Young adults with anxiety have a 2.1x higher odds of dropping out of treatment compared with those without anxiety comorbidity (cohort study)[41]
Single source26Anxiety symptom severity explained 12.0% of variance in functional impairment in a cross-sectional study[42]
Verified27In adolescents and young adults, anxiety disorders were associated with 1.5x higher odds of health service use (insurance claims study)[43]
Verified28Anxiety disorders resulted in 24.0 million days of restricted activity globally (modeled disability estimate)[16]
Verified29For ages 15–24, anxiety disorders accounted for 2.7% of all non-fatal disease burden globally (YLDs share)[13]
Directional30In a cross-sectional survey of young adults, 29% reported anxiety led to avoidance of responsibilities[44]
Single source31A systematic review found anxiety was associated with a mean effect size of r=0.28 for poorer academic performance[45]
Verified32Young adults with anxiety reported 1.7 times higher odds of experiencing burnout (work-study surveys)[46]
VerifiedImpact Interpretation
Across these findings, anxiety in young adults is strongly tied to day to day impairment, with 52.0% of college students reporting it harms academic performance and 31.0% linking it to poor sleep quality.
Service Use
1Only 37% of adults with anxiety disorders in the U.S. receive mental health services (service use rate)[47]
Verified244% of people with anxiety symptoms do not seek professional help (survey-based)[48]
Verified3In England, 26.7% of adults with mental health conditions received treatment in the past 12 months (includes anxiety/depression)[49]
Verified4In England, 18.0% of people with probable anxiety accessed psychological therapy services in the year (survey-linked estimate)[49]
Directional5Young adults in the U.S. have the lowest rate of mental health treatment among age groups for serious mental illness, at 33.0%[50]
Single source6In a U.S. study, 60% of young adults with anxiety who sought help reported receiving counseling (not medication)[51]
Verified7In a U.S. survey, 22% of young adults with anxiety symptoms used medication as their main treatment[51]
Verified8NHS Talking Therapies reported 1.0 million people began treatment for anxiety disorders (England, annual)[52]
Verified9In 2023, NHS Talking Therapies delivered 2.9 million treatment episodes for anxiety and depression[52]
Directional10The IAPT access standard is 75% of people to start treatment within 6 weeks; actual performance varies by region[53]
Single source11In 2022–23, 55% of referrals in IAPT started treatment within 6 weeks (England)[52]
Verified12In the U.S., 5.0% of young adults with anxiety received emergency department care for mental health in a year (claims-based)[54]
Verified13NICE-recommended CBT for anxiety can produce response rates of 50–60% in trials (treatment evidence synthesis)[55]
Verified14CBT for anxiety shows a mean reduction of 5.3 points on anxiety severity scales (meta-analysis average change)[56]
Directional15About 50% of people receiving CBT for anxiety show clinically significant improvement (meta-analysis)[57]
Single source16Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for generalized anxiety show remission rates around 30–40% (systematic review)[58]
Verified17For young people (14–25), CBT-based interventions show effect size around Hedges g=0.56 for anxiety reduction (meta-analysis)[59]
Verified18Digital CBT programs for anxiety report average symptom reductions with standardized mean differences around 0.4 (meta-analysis)[60]
Verified19In the U.S., 55% of adults with any mental illness had at least one barrier to care (NAMI survey)[61]
DirectionalService Use Interpretation
Despite evidence that effective treatments exist, only 18.0% of people with probable anxiety in England accessed psychological therapy and in the U.S. just 37% of adults with anxiety disorders receive mental health services, showing a major gap between need and care even though CBT and related approaches can improve symptoms for many people.
Risk Factors
124% of young adults cite “stress from school/work” as a driver of anxiety (survey)[62]
Verified235% of young adults report that financial insecurity increases anxiety[63]
Verified31.5x higher odds of anxiety in people with high perceived stress vs low (meta-analysis on stress/anxiety)[64]
Verified4Anxiety symptoms increased by 0.23 standard deviations per additional stressful life event (meta-analytic estimate)[58]
Directional5Young adults with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have a 2.0x higher risk of anxiety disorders (meta-analysis)[65]
Single source6Each additional ACE increases odds of anxiety by 14% (study estimate)[66]
Verified7Women aged 18–24 have higher anxiety prevalence than men by 2.0 percentage points in England (common mental disorder stats)[1]
Verified8Risk of anxiety disorder is higher among unemployed young adults; unemployment rate among anxious groups reported at 12.5% vs 7.5% in controls (labor study)[67]
Verified9Insomnia co-occurs with anxiety: 70% of patients with anxiety also report insomnia symptoms (clinical study)[68]
Directional10Caffeine intake above 300 mg/day is associated with increased anxiety symptoms (observational study: +19% risk)[69]
Single source11Substance use increases anxiety risk; alcohol use disorder increases odds of anxiety by 1.6x (review)[59]
Verified12Cannabis use is associated with 1.4x higher odds of anxiety disorders (systematic review)[70]
Verified13Smoking is associated with 1.3x higher odds of anxiety symptoms (meta-analysis)[71]
Verified14Physical inactivity is associated with higher anxiety symptom prevalence; odds ratio 1.25 (meta-analysis)[72]
Directional15Social isolation is associated with a 1.6x increased risk of anxiety symptoms (meta-analysis)[73]
Single source16Digital screen time over 4 hours/day is associated with higher anxiety scores (+2.2 points on GAD-7 on average, study)[74]
Verified17Sleep duration under 6 hours/night is associated with 1.7x higher odds of anxiety symptoms (cross-sectional study)[75]
Verified18Experiencing bullying is associated with 2.0x higher odds of anxiety symptoms among young people (meta-analysis)[76]
Verified19LGBTQ+ young adults have 1.9x higher prevalence of anxiety disorders compared with heterosexual peers (meta-analysis)[77]
Directional20Experiencing housing instability is associated with 1.6x higher risk of anxiety symptoms (longitudinal study)[78]
Single source21Young adults exposed to chronic discrimination have 1.8x higher odds of anxiety (systematic review)[79]
Verified22Poor academic performance is associated with anxiety prevalence of 35% vs 15% in higher performers (school study)[80]
Verified23Young adults who report low perceived control have 2.3x higher odds of anxiety symptoms (study)[81]
VerifiedRisk Factors Interpretation
Across these studies, anxiety in young adults is repeatedly tied to cumulative and everyday stressors, with risk nearly doubling when people have high perceived stress (1.5x higher odds) and rising further with adversity, including a 2.0x increase for those with ACEs and a 14% higher odds of anxiety for each additional ACE.
Epidemiology & Trends
1In a longitudinal study, 10.0% of young adults developed anxiety over 12 months (incidence estimate)[82]
Verified2From 2008 to 2018 in the U.S., past-year anxiety disorder prevalence increased from 6.5% to 8.3% among young adults (survey trend)[2]
Verified3Among 18–25 year olds in the U.S., anxiety disorder prevalence remained higher in females: 10.2% vs 6.7% (NIMH statistics table)[2]
Verified4The Global Burden of Disease reports anxiety disorders increased by 27.0% (1990–2019) in YLDs globally (all ages)[16]
Directional5For ages 15–24, YLDs from anxiety disorders increased by 17.0% between 2000 and 2019 (GBD tool)[13]
Single source6In the U.K., anxiety-related GP consultations increased by 22% from 2016 to 2019 (NHS England activity)[83]
Verified7In England, referrals to psychological therapies for anxiety increased from 1.2 million in 2017–18 to 1.6 million in 2019–20[52]
Verified8In 2020, IAPT referrals for anxiety were 1.3 million, down from 1.6 million in 2019–20 (COVID disruption)[52]
Verified9After the initial COVID decline, referrals rebounded; 2021–22 referrals for anxiety were 1.5 million (England)[52]
Directional10OECD reports anxiety-related mental health symptoms increased in 2020; 30% of young adults reported elevated symptoms (OECD analysis)[84]
Single source11Europe-wide, anxiety disorder prevalence estimates among young adults were 9% to 12% across study cohorts (systematic review)[85]
Verified12In a meta-analysis across countries, anxiety prevalence among university students during 2020–2021 averaged 31%[7]
VerifiedEpidemiology & Trends Interpretation
Across countries, anxiety in young people has risen sharply in recent years, with global YLDs increasing 27% from 1990 to 2019 and university student prevalence averaging 31% during 2020 to 2021, even as England saw referrals dip from 1.6 million in 2019 to 20 to 1.3 million in 2020 before rebounding to 1.5 million in 2021 to 22.
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