About 3 in 4 people with CKD never get flagged early, with 37.0% of US adults unaware they had the disease in NHANES 2015 to 2018. Kidney care and outcomes are also moving in opposite directions, since the US CKD prevalence rose from 13.1% in 1999 to 2004 to 14.3% by 2015 to 2018 while cardiovascular causes still drive much of the excess risk. We’ll connect the latest risk, treatment, and cost figures so you can see where early detection helps and where delays still take their toll.
Key Takeaways
- 37.0% of US adults with CKD were unaware of their condition (NHANES, 2015–2018)
- The US prevalence of CKD increased from 13.1% in 1999–2004 to 14.3% in 2015–2018 (NHANES-based analysis)
- Worldwide, CKD is estimated to account for ~3–4% of total deaths (2017 Global Burden of Disease analysis estimate)
- In 2021, 37,915 patients started kidney replacement therapy in the UK (NHS Kidney Care data, 2021)
- In 2022, median time to first nephrology visit after CKD stage 4 diagnosis in the US was 3.3 months (observational claims study)
- Patients with advanced CKD have an estimated 1-year mortality risk of ~20% (meta-analysis estimate for CKD stages 4–5)
- Cardiovascular disease accounts for ~40% of deaths among CKD patients (systematic review estimate)
- In US CKD, inpatient hospitalizations contribute about 60% of total CKD-related expenditures (budget share, MEPS-based analysis)
- In the EU, costs attributable to CKD were estimated at €38 billion in 2015 (system-level cost-of-illness estimate)
- In 2023, the UK NHS cost of kidney replacement therapy was estimated at £1,900 per patient-week (health economics model)
- Among adults with CKD in the US, 47% have stage 1–2 disease and 53% have stage 3–5 disease (NHANES-based staging distribution)
- In 2022, 37% of prevalent dialysis patients in Japan were on peritoneal dialysis (Japan dialysis modality statistics)
- In the US, 6% of dialysis patients were receiving kidney transplant in the form of living donor transplant within 2 years (OPTN-based cohort estimate)
- 0.7% of US adults (age ≥20) had kidney failure (as defined in NHANES 2015–2018)
- 1.6% of adults worldwide had CKD (estimated) and 0.5% had CKD stage 4+ (GBD 2017 kidney failure/cause burden context)
Many people with CKD do not know it, yet effective treatments can slow progression and reduce deaths.
Related reading
01 · Category
Epidemiology Burden3 stats
01
37.0% of US adults with CKD were unaware of their condition (NHANES, 2015–2018)
02
The US prevalence of CKD increased from 13.1% in 1999–2004 to 14.3% in 2015–2018 (NHANES-based analysis)
03
Worldwide, CKD is estimated to account for ~3–4% of total deaths (2017 Global Burden of Disease analysis estimate)
Interpretation
Epidemiology Burden Interpretation
From an epidemiology burden perspective, CKD prevalence in the US rose from 13.1% in 1999–2004 to 14.3% in 2015–2018 while 37.0% of affected adults still remain unaware, and globally it accounts for about 3–4% of all deaths.
02 · Category
Care Delivery Volume1 stats
01
In 2021, 37,915 patients started kidney replacement therapy in the UK (NHS Kidney Care data, 2021)
Interpretation
Care Delivery Volume Interpretation
In 2021, 37,915 patients in the UK started kidney replacement therapy, showing a substantial care delivery volume burden that reflects how many people needed intensive treatment that year.
03 · Category
Outcomes And Quality11 stats
01
In 2022, median time to first nephrology visit after CKD stage 4 diagnosis in the US was 3.3 months (observational claims study)
02
Patients with advanced CKD have an estimated 1-year mortality risk of ~20% (meta-analysis estimate for CKD stages 4–5)
03
Cardiovascular disease accounts for ~40% of deaths among CKD patients (systematic review estimate)
04
In CKD, risk of all-cause mortality increased progressively: stage 3a vs stage 2 had a hazard ratio of 1.35 (cohort study)
05
In a pooled cohort of CKD patients, estimated glomerular filtration rate <30 mL/min/1.73m² corresponded to a 2.7-fold higher risk of death than eGFR 60–89
06
Using the KFRE, patients with eGFR <30 and UACR ≥300 had an estimated 2-year kidney failure risk of about 30% (KFRE model application)
07
SGLT2 inhibitors reduced risk of kidney disease progression or cardiovascular death by 30% in CKD with or without diabetes (pooled analysis, 2022)
08
In DAPA-CKD (2019), dapagliflozin reduced the composite outcome of sustained decline in eGFR, end-stage kidney disease, or death from cardiovascular or renal causes by 39% vs placebo
09
In EMPA-KIDNEY (2022), empagliflozin reduced the primary outcome of kidney disease progression or cardiovascular death by 28% vs placebo
10
Blood pressure control to targets reduced risk of kidney outcomes by 30% in CKD (meta-analysis estimate of BP lowering effects)
11
Renin-angiotensin system blockade reduced progression to kidney failure by 16% in CKD (Cochrane review meta-analysis estimate)
Interpretation
Outcomes And Quality Interpretation
For the Outcomes And Quality angle, the data show that as CKD worsens, outcomes deteriorate quickly, with first nephrology follow up taking a median 3.3 months after stage 4 diagnosis and mortality risk rising to about 20% at 1 year for stages 4 to 5, yet targeted care such as SGLT2 inhibitors and better blood pressure control can cut kidney and cardiovascular events by roughly 28% to 39% and 30%, respectively.
04 · Category
Cost Analysis3 stats
01
In US CKD, inpatient hospitalizations contribute about 60% of total CKD-related expenditures (budget share, MEPS-based analysis)
02
In the EU, costs attributable to CKD were estimated at €38 billion in 2015 (system-level cost-of-illness estimate)
03
In 2023, the UK NHS cost of kidney replacement therapy was estimated at £1,900 per patient-week (health economics model)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Cost analysis shows that CKD spending is heavily driven by inpatient care with US hospitalizations accounting for about 60% of total CKD-related expenditures, while Europe’s 2015 system-level estimate reached €38 billion and the UK NHS estimates kidney replacement therapy at £1,900 per patient-week in 2023.
More related reading
05 · Category
Industry Trends3 stats
01
Among adults with CKD in the US, 47% have stage 1–2 disease and 53% have stage 3–5 disease (NHANES-based staging distribution)
02
In 2022, 37% of prevalent dialysis patients in Japan were on peritoneal dialysis (Japan dialysis modality statistics)
03
In the US, 6% of dialysis patients were receiving kidney transplant in the form of living donor transplant within 2 years (OPTN-based cohort estimate)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry Trends show that CKD patients are more concentrated in later disease stages with 53% in stages 3 to 5 in the US, while modality and access differences remain clear internationally with Japan reporting 37% of dialysis patients on peritoneal dialysis and the US seeing only 6% of dialysis patients get a living donor transplant within two years.
06 · Category
Epidemiology2 stats
01
0.7% of US adults (age ≥20) had kidney failure (as defined in NHANES 2015–2018)
02
1.6% of adults worldwide had CKD (estimated) and 0.5% had CKD stage 4+ (GBD 2017 kidney failure/cause burden context)
Interpretation
Epidemiology Interpretation
Epidemiology shows that chronic kidney disease affects about 1.6% of adults worldwide, with a smaller but substantial 0.5% in advanced CKD stage 4 or higher, while in the US about 0.7% of adults have kidney failure according to NHANES 2015 to 2018.
07 · Category
Global Burden2 stats
01
GBD 2019 estimated CKD accounted for 27.8 million years lived with disability (YLDs) in 2019
02
In 2021, worldwide, chronic kidney disease and urolithiasis together had 8.99 million deaths (GHED/WHO comparative assessment)
Interpretation
Global Burden Interpretation
From a global burden perspective, CKD alone contributed 27.8 million YLDs in 2019 while CKD and urolithiasis together were linked to 8.99 million deaths in 2021, underscoring a large and persistent worldwide health toll.
08 · Category
Healthcare Utilization1 stats
01
In the US Medicare population, beneficiaries with CKD had substantially higher total medical expenditures than those without CKD (MEPS/claims analysis: CKD associated with $24,000+ higher annual costs)
Interpretation
Healthcare Utilization Interpretation
For healthcare utilization in the US Medicare population, having CKD is linked to substantially higher spending, with annual total medical costs exceeding those without CKD by more than $24,000.
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
Min-ji Park. (2026, February 13). Chronic Kidney Disease Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/chronic-kidney-disease-statistics
MLA
Min-ji Park. "Chronic Kidney Disease Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/chronic-kidney-disease-statistics.
Chicago
Min-ji Park. 2026. "Chronic Kidney Disease Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/chronic-kidney-disease-statistics.
Sources & references
26 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+13 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)