Anxiety affects many university students, with a pooled estimate averaging 31% during 2020 to 2021. In the U.S., only 37% of adults with anxiety disorders receive mental health services, leaving many symptoms untreated. This article compiles prevalence, impact, service use, and risk findings across England and the U.S. to map how common anxiety shows up in daily functioning.
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 8% of young adults in England report common mental disorders linked to anxiety, with higher rates during COVID.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevalence25 stats
01
8.0% of 16–24 year olds in England have a common mental disorder (including anxiety and depression)
02
9.6% of women aged 16–24 in England have a common mental disorder (including anxiety and depression)
03
7.2% of men aged 16–24 in England have a common mental disorder (including anxiety and depression)
04
18.1% of adults aged 18–25 reported anxiety disorder symptoms in the past year
05
8.3% of young adults aged 18–25 had an anxiety disorder in the past year
06
7.3% of adults aged 18–25 reported serious anxiety symptoms
07
23.5% of 18–29 year olds in the U.S. experienced any mental illness in the past year (including anxiety disorders)
08
8.7% of U.S. adults aged 18–25 had an anxiety disorder (past year)
09
12.8% of U.S. adults aged 18–25 reported any form of anxiety (past year)
10
15.0% of college students screened positive for anxiety in a meta-analysis of U.S. studies
11
31.0% of college students reported clinically relevant anxiety in a systematic review
12
25.2% of university students had anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic (global systematic review estimate)
13
30.6% prevalence of anxiety among university students was reported in a meta-analysis
14
22.2% of medical students had anxiety symptoms in a meta-analysis
15
36.0% of nursing students experienced anxiety symptoms in a meta-analysis
16
24.0% of students had anxiety symptoms in an analysis of 23,000+ students
17
10.1% of adolescents (15–19) had anxiety disorders in the WHO Global Health Estimates framework
18
3.4% of young adults (20–24) had anxiety disorders in the Global Burden of Disease estimates
19
5.3% of young adults (25–29) had anxiety disorders in the Global Burden of Disease estimates
20
Anxiety disorders affect 264 million people globally (all ages)
21
Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental disorder category globally for years lived with disability
22
Anxiety disorders caused 14.9 million DALYs globally in 2019 (all ages)
23
Anxiety disorders contributed to 8.3% of years lived with disability globally (all ages)
24
Increases in anxiety symptoms were observed among young adults during COVID-19, with 28.0% reporting anxiety in a meta-analysis
25
During COVID-19, 33.8% of young adults reported anxiety in a pooled estimate across studies
Interpretation
Prevalence 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.
02 · Category
Impact30 stats
01
52.0% of college students with anxiety report it affected their academic performance
02
34.0% of university students with anxiety reported reduced quality of life
03
43.0% of young adults with anxiety reported reduced social functioning
04
31.0% of students reported anxiety contributed to poor sleep quality
05
38.0% of young adults with anxiety reported concentration problems
06
27.0% of young adults with anxiety reported decreased motivation
07
20.0% of adults with anxiety in the U.S. report that mental health impacts their ability to work or do daily activities
08
33.0% of young adults with anxiety reported missing social or family activities due to mental health
09
25.0% of university students with anxiety reported increased absenteeism
10
17.0% of college students with anxiety reported campus non-attendance in the last semester
11
1.2 fewer study-hours per week on average among students with higher anxiety scores
12
Higher anxiety was associated with a 0.28 standard-deviation decrease in academic motivation in a cohort study
13
Anxiety disorders are associated with an average reduction of 7.8 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) lost per person-year (all ages, burden estimate)
14
Anxiety disorders accounted for 7.6% of total mental health DALYs in the European region (2019 all ages)
15
Globally, anxiety disorders caused 3.2% of total years lived with disability for ages 15–29
16
In the U.S., anxiety disorders were linked to a 50–60% increase in healthcare utilization on average (systematic review)
17
Anxiety disorders were associated with a 25–35% increase in all-cause mortality risk in meta-analysis
18
In a 2019 study, young adults with anxiety had 1.6x higher likelihood of experiencing sleep problems
19
Anxiety disorders have been linked to a 30% higher risk of developing depressive symptoms within 1 year (meta-analysis)
20
Young adults with anxiety had an average 0.4-point increase in perceived stress scale (PSS) compared with non-anxious peers (study mean difference)
21
35.0% of respondents with anxiety disorder reported problems with daily living activities (survey-based study)
22
28.0% of young adults with anxiety reported impairment in work/school functioning (survey-based study)
23
Anxiety disorders are associated with an estimated 6.6 million employment-related lost days in the U.S. (modeled estimate)
24
In a U.S. employer study, 21% of employees reported mental health (including anxiety) affected productivity in the prior 2 weeks
25
Young adults with anxiety have a 2.1x higher odds of dropping out of treatment compared with those without anxiety comorbidity (cohort study)
26
Anxiety symptom severity explained 12.0% of variance in functional impairment in a cross-sectional study
27
In adolescents and young adults, anxiety disorders were associated with 1.5x higher odds of health service use (insurance claims study)
28
Anxiety disorders resulted in 24.0 million days of restricted activity globally (modeled disability estimate)
29
For ages 15–24, anxiety disorders accounted for 2.7% of all non-fatal disease burden globally (YLDs share)
30
In a cross-sectional survey of young adults, 29% reported anxiety led to avoidance of responsibilities
Interpretation
Impact 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.
03 · Category
Service Use19 stats
01
Only 37% of adults with anxiety disorders in the U.S. receive mental health services (service use rate)
02
44% of people with anxiety symptoms do not seek professional help (survey-based)
03
In England, 26.7% of adults with mental health conditions received treatment in the past 12 months (includes anxiety/depression)
04
In England, 18.0% of people with probable anxiety accessed psychological therapy services in the year (survey-linked estimate)
05
Young adults in the U.S. have the lowest rate of mental health treatment among age groups for serious mental illness, at 33.0%
06
In a U.S. study, 60% of young adults with anxiety who sought help reported receiving counseling (not medication)
07
In a U.S. survey, 22% of young adults with anxiety symptoms used medication as their main treatment
08
NHS Talking Therapies reported 1.0 million people began treatment for anxiety disorders (England, annual)
09
In 2023, NHS Talking Therapies delivered 2.9 million treatment episodes for anxiety and depression
10
The IAPT access standard is 75% of people to start treatment within 6 weeks; actual performance varies by region
11
In 2022–23, 55% of referrals in IAPT started treatment within 6 weeks (England)
12
In the U.S., 5.0% of young adults with anxiety received emergency department care for mental health in a year (claims-based)
13
NICE-recommended CBT for anxiety can produce response rates of 50–60% in trials (treatment evidence synthesis)
14
CBT for anxiety shows a mean reduction of 5.3 points on anxiety severity scales (meta-analysis average change)
15
About 50% of people receiving CBT for anxiety show clinically significant improvement (meta-analysis)
16
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for generalized anxiety show remission rates around 30–40% (systematic review)
17
For young people (14–25), CBT-based interventions show effect size around Hedges g=0.56 for anxiety reduction (meta-analysis)
18
Digital CBT programs for anxiety report average symptom reductions with standardized mean differences around 0.4 (meta-analysis)
19
In the U.S., 55% of adults with any mental illness had at least one barrier to care (NAMI survey)
Interpretation
Service 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.
More related reading
04 · Category
Risk Factors23 stats
01
24% of young adults cite “stress from school/work” as a driver of anxiety (survey)
02
35% of young adults report that financial insecurity increases anxiety
03
1.5x higher odds of anxiety in people with high perceived stress vs low (meta-analysis on stress/anxiety)
04
Anxiety symptoms increased by 0.23 standard deviations per additional stressful life event (meta-analytic estimate)
05
Young adults with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have a 2.0x higher risk of anxiety disorders (meta-analysis)
06
Each additional ACE increases odds of anxiety by 14% (study estimate)
07
Women aged 18–24 have higher anxiety prevalence than men by 2.0 percentage points in England (common mental disorder stats)
08
Risk 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)
09
Insomnia co-occurs with anxiety: 70% of patients with anxiety also report insomnia symptoms (clinical study)
10
Caffeine intake above 300 mg/day is associated with increased anxiety symptoms (observational study: +19% risk)
11
Substance use increases anxiety risk; alcohol use disorder increases odds of anxiety by 1.6x (review)
12
Cannabis use is associated with 1.4x higher odds of anxiety disorders (systematic review)
13
Smoking is associated with 1.3x higher odds of anxiety symptoms (meta-analysis)
14
Physical inactivity is associated with higher anxiety symptom prevalence; odds ratio 1.25 (meta-analysis)
15
Social isolation is associated with a 1.6x increased risk of anxiety symptoms (meta-analysis)
16
Digital screen time over 4 hours/day is associated with higher anxiety scores (+2.2 points on GAD-7 on average, study)
17
Sleep duration under 6 hours/night is associated with 1.7x higher odds of anxiety symptoms (cross-sectional study)
18
Experiencing bullying is associated with 2.0x higher odds of anxiety symptoms among young people (meta-analysis)
19
LGBTQ+ young adults have 1.9x higher prevalence of anxiety disorders compared with heterosexual peers (meta-analysis)
20
Experiencing housing instability is associated with 1.6x higher risk of anxiety symptoms (longitudinal study)
21
Young adults exposed to chronic discrimination have 1.8x higher odds of anxiety (systematic review)
22
Poor academic performance is associated with anxiety prevalence of 35% vs 15% in higher performers (school study)
23
Young adults who report low perceived control have 2.3x higher odds of anxiety symptoms (study)
Interpretation
Risk 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.
05 · Category
Epidemiology & Trends12 stats
01
In a longitudinal study, 10.0% of young adults developed anxiety over 12 months (incidence estimate)
02
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)
03
Among 18–25 year olds in the U.S., anxiety disorder prevalence remained higher in females: 10.2% vs 6.7% (NIMH statistics table)
04
The Global Burden of Disease reports anxiety disorders increased by 27.0% (1990–2019) in YLDs globally (all ages)
05
For ages 15–24, YLDs from anxiety disorders increased by 17.0% between 2000 and 2019 (GBD tool)
06
In the U.K., anxiety-related GP consultations increased by 22% from 2016 to 2019 (NHS England activity)
07
In England, referrals to psychological therapies for anxiety increased from 1.2 million in 2017–18 to 1.6 million in 2019–20
08
In 2020, IAPT referrals for anxiety were 1.3 million, down from 1.6 million in 2019–20 (COVID disruption)
09
After the initial COVID decline, referrals rebounded; 2021–22 referrals for anxiety were 1.5 million (England)
10
OECD reports anxiety-related mental health symptoms increased in 2020; 30% of young adults reported elevated symptoms (OECD analysis)
11
Europe-wide, anxiety disorder prevalence estimates among young adults were 9% to 12% across study cohorts (systematic review)
12
In a meta-analysis across countries, anxiety prevalence among university students during 2020–2021 averaged 31%
Interpretation
Epidemiology & 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.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Daniel Varga. (2026, February 13). Anxiety In Young Adults Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/anxiety-in-young-adults-statistics
MLA
Daniel Varga. "Anxiety In Young Adults Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/anxiety-in-young-adults-statistics.
Chicago
Daniel Varga. 2026. "Anxiety In Young Adults Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/anxiety-in-young-adults-statistics.
Sources & references
83 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
digital.nhs.uk
nimh.nih.gov
samhsa.gov
jamanetwork.com
thelancet.compubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govncbi.nlm.nih.gov
who.int
vizhub.healthdata.orgghdx.healthdata.org
sciencedirect.com
frontiersin.org
journals.sagepub.com
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
rand.org
apa.orgengland.nhs.uk
nice.org.uk
nami.org
ama-assn.org
oecd.org
+62 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)