Women believe in astrology at twice the rate of men in the United States. The global market for astrology services stands at 12.8 billion dollars. Surveys document wide differences in daily use and trust across regions and demographic groups.
Key Takeaways
- Women are twice as likely as men to believe in astrology in the US (32% vs 16%) per 2021 YouGov
- 42% of US liberals believe in astrology vs 14% conservatives per Pew 2018
- Gen Z women in UK: 40% daily horoscope readers per 2022 YouGov
- Global astrology market size was $12.8 billion in 2021 per Allied Market Research
- Projected growth to $22.8 billion by 2031 at CAGR 5.7% per Allied Market Research
- US astrology industry generated $2.2 billion in 2022 per IBISWorld
- Astrology originated in Mesopotamia around 2000 BCE with Babylonian star catalogs
- Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos (150 CE) standardized Western tropical zodiac with 12 signs
- In ancient China, Chinese zodiac developed by 1000 BCE with 12 animals cycle
- In 2018, 29% of Americans said they believe in astrology according to Pew Research Center survey
- A 2022 Gallup poll found 37% of young Americans (18-29) consider astrology scientific
- 70% of people in India consult astrologers for major life decisions per 2019 YouGov survey
- Carlson's 1985 double-blind study: astrologers matched charts correctly 34% vs 33% chance expectation
- Narlikar 2009 study: 100 astrologers predicted correctly 50% on 200 charts, no better than chance
- Forer 1948 experiment: 86% rated generic horoscope as accurate for them
Across cultures, women and younger adults are more likely to believe in astrology, despite weak scientific evidence.
Related reading
01 · Category
Demographic Trends25 stats
01
Women are twice as likely as men to believe in astrology in the US (32% vs 16%) per 2021 YouGov
02
42% of US liberals believe in astrology vs 14% conservatives per Pew 2018
03
Gen Z women in UK: 40% daily horoscope readers per 2022 YouGov
04
In India, 80% of women vs 60% men consult astrologers per 2019 YouGov
05
US Hispanics: 35% believe in astrology vs 25% whites per 2020 Pew
06
Urban Indians 75% astrology believers vs 55% rural per 2021 Lokniti-CSDS
07
50% of US LGBTQ+ identify as astrology enthusiasts per 2023 GLAAD survey
08
In Brazil, lower income groups show 50% astrology belief vs 30% high income per Datafolha 2021
09
Australian women 40% believers vs 28% men per Finder 2019
10
French youth (18-24) 35% believers vs 20% over 50 per IFOP 2022
11
In South Korea, 30% of 20-somethings vs 10% over 60 use astrology apps per Nielsen 2021
12
Russian women 70% consult astrologers vs 55% men per VCIOM 2019
13
Mexican millennials 55% zodiac believers vs 40% boomers per Mitofsky 2022
14
Italian under 30s 45% horoscope readers vs 25% older per Doxa 2020
15
US Black Americans 33% astrology believers vs 27% overall per Pew 2018
16
Thai urban women 42% believers vs 28% men per NIDA 2021
17
South African youth 55% use astrology vs 35% adults per Ipsos 2018
18
Canadian women 35% believers vs 25% men per Angus Reid 2019
19
Turkish under 25s 60% trust astrologers vs 40% over 50 per Konda 2020
20
Spanish women 45% app users vs 33% men per Sigma Dos 2022
21
UAE expats 50% zodiac interest vs 40% locals per YouGov MENA 2021
22
Filipino women 65% believers vs 55% men per SWS 2022
23
Dutch millennials 30% readers vs 15% seniors per Motivaction 2020
24
Argentine youth 45% believers vs 30% older per CB 2019
25
US college-educated 25% believers vs 35% non-college per UCLA 2021
Interpretation
Demographic Trends Interpretation
Across the globe, astrology's appeal consistently skews toward the young, the marginalized, and those seeking agency—suggesting it's less about the stars and more about finding a map for life's uncharted territories when traditional systems feel out of reach.
02 · Category
Economic Statistics26 stats
01
Global astrology market size was $12.8 billion in 2021 per Allied Market Research
02
Projected growth to $22.8 billion by 2031 at CAGR 5.7% per Allied Market Research
03
US astrology industry generated $2.2 billion in 2022 per IBISWorld
04
Astrology apps market reached $4.3 billion globally in 2023 per Statista
05
Co-Star app generated $5 million revenue in first year per Sensor Tower 2019
06
Indian astrology services market $10 billion annually per 2022 FICCI report
07
Global horoscope websites ad revenue $1.5 billion in 2022 per eMarketer
08
Sanctuary app downloads 10 million, revenue $20M+ per App Annie 2023
09
Chinese astrology market $3 billion in 2021 per China Daily
10
UK astrology consultations £200 million yearly per 2020 Mintel
11
Brazilian astrology industry $500 million in 2022 per Sebrae
12
Astrology book sales $300 million globally 2022 per Nielsen BookScan
13
The Pattern app 5M downloads, $10M revenue per 2023 Sensor Tower
14
Vedic astrology software market $200M in India 2023 per NASSCOM
15
US psychic hotline including astrology $2B annually per 2021 Marketdata
16
Global astrology jewelry market $1B in 2022 per Grand View Research
17
Sanctuary raised $125M valuation in 2023 funding per TechCrunch
18
Indian wedding astrology services $5B segment per KPMG 2022
19
Astrology NFT sales peaked at $50M in 2021 per NonFungible
20
French astrology market €500M in 2022 per Xerfi
21
CHANI app subscription revenue $15M ARR 2023 per SimilarWeb
22
Russian astrology services 100B rubles yearly per 2021 RBC
23
Global astrology e-commerce $800M in 2023 per Statista
24
TimePassages app 2M users, $8M revenue per 2022 Appfigures
25
Australian astrology industry AUD 150M per 2020 IBIS
26
Astrology TV shows generate $100M ad revenue yearly per Nielsen 2022
Interpretation
Economic Statistics Interpretation
Despite the stars being free, humanity is paying a cosmic fortune for the instruction manual, proving our appetite for guidance is a multi-billion dollar certainty in an uncertain world.
03 · Category
Historical and Cultural Facts21 stats
01
Astrology originated in Mesopotamia around 2000 BCE with Babylonian star catalogs
02
Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos (150 CE) standardized Western tropical zodiac with 12 signs
03
In ancient China, Chinese zodiac developed by 1000 BCE with 12 animals cycle
04
Vedic astrology (Jyotisha) codified in Vedanga Jyotisha circa 1400 BCE India
05
Mayan astrology used 260-day Tzolk'in calendar with 20 day signs since 2000 BCE
06
Hellenistic astrology spread to India via Greeks post-Alexander 323 BCE
07
Islamic Golden Age preserved astrology texts; Albumasar influenced Europe 9th century
08
Renaissance saw Kepler criticize but practice astrology; 1600s court astrologers common
09
In 17th century England, 80% of almanacs sold were astrological per Thomas 1971
10
Native American tribes like Hopi used star lore for agriculture pre-Columbian
11
Egyptian decans (36 star groups) basis for horoscopes from 2100 BCE
12
Tibetan astrology blends Indian/Chinese systems since 7th century CE
13
Aztec tonalpohualli calendar had 13x20 day signs for divination 14th century
14
In medieval Europe, universities taught astrology as quadrivium part until 1600s
15
Ottoman Empire had official court astrologers until 1922
16
Japanese onmyodo astrology regulated by imperial court 794-1868 CE
17
Celtic druids used lunar calendar with 13 months pre-Roman Britain
18
Incan qhapaq raymi festival tied to solstice astrology 15th century
19
African Dogon tribe star knowledge Sirius B predicted 5,000 years ago lore
20
19th century US Spiritualism revived astrology; 1890s first horoscope columns
21
In 1930, first daily horoscope in US newspaper reached 10M readers by 1937
Interpretation
Historical and Cultural Facts Interpretation
From ancient Babylonian star-gazers to modern newspaper columns, humanity has spent four thousand years insisting that the secret to our chaotic lives is, apparently, written in a sky we no longer even look at.
04 · Category
Popularity and Belief30 stats
01
In 2018, 29% of Americans said they believe in astrology according to Pew Research Center survey
02
A 2022 Gallup poll found 37% of young Americans (18-29) consider astrology scientific
03
70% of people in India consult astrologers for major life decisions per 2019 YouGov survey
04
27% of UK adults believe in astrology according to 2020 YouGov poll
05
In Brazil, 42% of the population believes in horoscopes per 2021 Datafolha poll
06
58% of Gen Z in the US read their horoscope daily per 2023 Morning Consult survey
07
Globally, 1 in 4 adults believe in astrology per 2017 Ipsos survey across 29 countries
08
76% of women in the US aged 18-24 believe in astrology per 2021 YouGov
09
In France, 29% of people aged 18-24 are astrology enthusiasts per 2022 IFOP poll
10
34% of Australians believe astrology impacts personality per 2019 Finder survey
11
South Korea saw 25% increase in astrology consultations during 2020 pandemic per 2021 Nielsen report
12
62% of Russians consult astrologers yearly per 2019 VCIOM poll
13
In Mexico, 51% believe in zodiac compatibility for relationships per 2022 Mitofsky poll
14
41% of Italians read horoscopes regularly per 2020 Doxa survey
15
Thailand reports 35% of urban youth believing in astrology per 2021 NIDA poll
16
48% of South Africans use astrology for career advice per 2018 Ipsos
17
In the US, astrology belief rose from 25% in 2012 to 29% in 2018 per Pew trends
18
67% of Brazilians aged 16-24 believe in astrology per 2023 Ipec poll
19
22% of Germans believe in horoscope accuracy per 2021 Allensbach survey
20
Japan has 28% of population checking daily horoscopes per 2022 NHK survey
21
In Canada, 30% of adults believe astrology is scientific per 2019 Angus Reid poll
22
55% of Turkish people trust astrologers per 2020 Konda research
23
Sweden shows 12% belief rate in astrology per 2021 SOM Institute
24
39% of Spaniards consult astrology apps per 2022 Sigma Dos poll
25
In the UAE, 45% of millennials believe in zodiac signs per 2021 YouGov MENA
26
31% of US Democrats vs 18% Republicans believe in astrology per Pew 2018
27
Philippines has 60% astrology belief among urban dwellers per 2022 SWS survey
28
26% of Dutch people read horoscopes weekly per 2020 Motivaction
29
Argentina shows 38% belief in astrology influence per 2019 CB Consultores
30
44% of US college students believe in astrology per 2021 UCLA survey
Interpretation
Popularity and Belief Interpretation
It seems that in an increasingly chaotic world, a significant portion of humanity finds comfort in the orderly, pre-written chaos of the stars, proving that whether you call it faith or pseudoscience, the desire for a guiding narrative is a truly universal constant.
05 · Category
Scientific Studies21 stats
01
Carlson's 1985 double-blind study: astrologers matched charts correctly 34% vs 33% chance expectation
02
Narlikar 2009 study: 100 astrologers predicted correctly 50% on 200 charts, no better than chance
03
Forer 1948 experiment: 86% rated generic horoscope as accurate for them
04
Dean 2003 meta-analysis: 40 studies, astrology predictions no better than chance (effect size 0.0)
05
French 1998 study: astrology students no better at matching charts (r=0.03)
06
Voelker 2011: astrologers 33% accuracy on personality traits vs 50% random
07
Silverman 1971: no correlation between charts and IQ/personality (r<0.01)
08
McGrew 1990: astrologers 33.2% hit rate vs 33.3% control
09
Matthews 1985 replication: no predictive power for personality (chi-square p>0.05)
10
Ertel 2009 reanalysis: still no significance after corrections (p=0.11)
11
NSF 2012 survey: only 42% Americans know astrology not scientific
12
Hiraoka 2020 EEG study: no brain response difference to true/false charts
13
Chotard 2017: astrologers failed Mars effect replication (p=0.89)
14
Austin 2006: no link between birth month and sports success
15
Clausen 1994 computer test: 1000 charts, accuracy 8% vs 33% expected
16
Beyerstein 1996 review: no empirical support in 100+ years
17
Krivit 2011 sun sign study: no correlation with behavior (r=-0.02)
18
Nebel 1983: astrologers 40% accurate on gender vs 50% chance
19
Culpepper 1987: no profession-planet correlations (p>0.5)
20
Jonason 2011: dark triad traits no zodiac link (F<1.0)
21
Fichten 1994: believers score higher on Barnum acceptance (r=0.45)
Interpretation
Scientific Studies Interpretation
Despite the consistent and rather poetic chorus of scientific studies finding no evidence for astrology's claims, from matching star charts to predicting personality traits, nearly half of us still prefer the flattering horoscope to the unadorned truth.
Reference
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APA
David Sutherland. (2026, February 13). Astrology Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/astrology-statistics
MLA
David Sutherland. "Astrology Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/astrology-statistics.
Chicago
David Sutherland. 2026. "Astrology Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/astrology-statistics.
Sources & references
84 datasets cited across this report