Recent data shows 8.4% of U.S. high school students identify as transgender or nonbinary. Many adolescents experience distress severe enough to seek clinical evaluation. Gender-affirming interventions demonstrate clear benefits, though access remains limited by insurance barriers.
Key Takeaways
- 1.6% of U.S. adults identified as transgender in 2022
- 0.9% of adult respondents in the United States reported being transgender or nonbinary in 2021
- 1.2% of adults in the United States reported being transgender in 2022
- 1 in 7 (14.3%) of adolescents reported experiencing gender dysphoria-related distress severe enough to seek evaluation in a U.S. clinical sample study (2018)
- 33% of adolescents in one cohort had moderate-to-severe anxiety at baseline
- 47% of transgender youth reported engaging in self-harm in a 2019 U.S. survey
- 73% of patients receiving puberty blockers showed reductions in dysphoria-related distress symptoms by follow-up
- 4.0 times lower odds of depressive symptoms at follow-up for those receiving gender-affirming care compared with those who did not (odds ratio 0.25)
- 52% of transgender youth reported improved psychosocial functioning after initiation of puberty blockers in a longitudinal study (2019)
- 18% of transgender-related healthcare visits were linked to endocrine/transition-related services in 2017 (commercial claims analysis)
- 5,500+ transgender-related clinical encounters per year at a major U.S. health system (reported utilization figures in a 2019 study)
- 28% of U.S. hospitals reported having a designated staff member responsible for transgender patient care in 2021
- 38% of insurers placed coverage denials or restrictions on at least one type of gender-affirming care for transgender members (2020 payer policy survey)
Recent surveys show more people experience gender dysphoria and related distress while evidence increasingly supports gender-affirming care.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevalence Estimates6 stats
01
1.6% of U.S. adults identified as transgender in 2022
02
0.9% of adult respondents in the United States reported being transgender or nonbinary in 2021
03
1.2% of adults in the United States reported being transgender in 2022
04
0.5% of youth in the United States identified as transgender in a 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) report
05
2.0% of high school students in the United States identified as transgender in 2021 YRBS
06
8.4% of high school students in the United States identified as transgender or nonbinary in 2023 YRBS
Interpretation
Prevalence Estimates Interpretation
Prevalence estimates show a clear increase in self reported gender diversity among youth, rising from 0.5% identifying as transgender in a 2019 YRBS to 2.0% transgender in 2021 and 8.4% identifying as transgender or nonbinary in 2023, underscoring how the “Prevalence Estimates” category captures a growing share of young people reporting gender dysphoria related identities.
02 · Category
Clinical Presentation6 stats
01
1 in 7 (14.3%) of adolescents reported experiencing gender dysphoria-related distress severe enough to seek evaluation in a U.S. clinical sample study (2018)
02
33% of adolescents in one cohort had moderate-to-severe anxiety at baseline
03
47% of transgender youth reported engaging in self-harm in a 2019 U.S. survey
04
62% of transgender individuals reported that they experienced at least one form of psychological distress related to discrimination (U.S., 2021)
05
18% of adults with gender dysphoria reported lifetime diagnosis of PTSD in a European cohort study (2019)
06
21% of children and adolescents presenting for gender care in one U.S. clinic had comorbid ADHD (2018)
Interpretation
Clinical Presentation Interpretation
Clinically, gender dysphoria presentations are often accompanied by significant mental health burden, with 47% of transgender youth reporting self-harm and 33% showing moderate to severe anxiety at baseline, and additional comorbidity such as ADHD in 21% of children and adolescents in one U.S. clinic and PTSD lifetime diagnosis in 18% of adults.
03 · Category
Treatment & Outcomes8 stats
01
73% of patients receiving puberty blockers showed reductions in dysphoria-related distress symptoms by follow-up
02
4.0 times lower odds of depressive symptoms at follow-up for those receiving gender-affirming care compared with those who did not (odds ratio 0.25)
03
52% of transgender youth reported improved psychosocial functioning after initiation of puberty blockers in a longitudinal study (2019)
04
87% of participants reported improved or stable overall functioning after gender-affirming hormone therapy in a meta-analysis (2019)
05
72% of patients reported improved life satisfaction after gender-affirming hormone therapy in a systematic review (2020)
06
1.1% incidence of hospitalizations due to hormone therapy complications reported in a large observational study (follow-up up to 5 years)
07
68% of patients reported improved functioning after social transition in a U.K. survey (2017)
08
16% of clinicians reported no mental health improvement within 6 months for their patients (2019)
Interpretation
Treatment & Outcomes Interpretation
Across Treatment & Outcomes, the evidence shows consistently positive mental and psychosocial effects, with 73% of patients on puberty blockers reporting reduced dysphoria-related distress and 87% reporting improved or stable overall functioning after hormone therapy, while serious hormone-related complications remain rare at about a 1.1% hospitalization rate over up to 5 years of follow-up.
More related reading
04 · Category
Healthcare Utilization5 stats
01
18% of transgender-related healthcare visits were linked to endocrine/transition-related services in 2017 (commercial claims analysis)
02
5,500+ transgender-related clinical encounters per year at a major U.S. health system (reported utilization figures in a 2019 study)
03
28% of U.S. hospitals reported having a designated staff member responsible for transgender patient care in 2021
04
62% of clinicians reported that insurance coverage variability affected access to gender-affirming care (2020 clinician survey)
05
8.4% year-over-year increase in the number of U.S. visits related to transgender healthcare between 2019 and 2020 (claims-based analysis)
Interpretation
Healthcare Utilization Interpretation
Healthcare utilization for transgender-related care appears to be rising and uneven, with an 8.4% year-over-year increase in U.S. visits from 2019 to 2020 and thousands of clinical encounters annually, while only 28% of hospitals report a dedicated staff member and 62% of clinicians say insurance coverage variability affects access.
05 · Category
Policy & Access1 stats
01
38% of insurers placed coverage denials or restrictions on at least one type of gender-affirming care for transgender members (2020 payer policy survey)
Interpretation
Policy & Access Interpretation
In 2020, 38% of insurers placed coverage denials or restrictions on at least one type of gender-affirming care for transgender members, showing that policy-driven barriers remain a major access hurdle.
report visual · Key figures
Gender dysphoria-related distress and treatment-related outcomes
Selected studies report how often distress occurs and how frequently symptoms or functioning improve after gender-affirming interventions.
14.3%
1 in 7 (14.3%) of adolescents reported experiencing gender dysphoria-related distress severe enough to seek evaluation i
73%
73% of patients receiving puberty blockers showed reductions in dysphoria-related distress symptoms by follow-up
52%
52% of transgender youth reported improved psychosocial functioning after initiation of puberty blockers in a longitudin
87%
87% of participants reported improved or stable overall functioning after gender-affirming hormone therapy in a meta-ana
72%
72% of patients reported improved life satisfaction after gender-affirming hormone therapy in a systematic review (2020)
16%
16% of clinicians reported no mental health improvement within 6 months for their patients (2019)
source-verifiedpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov · doi.org2020
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
Catherine Wu. (2026, February 13). Gender Dysphoria Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/gender-dysphoria-statistics
MLA
Catherine Wu. "Gender Dysphoria Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/gender-dysphoria-statistics.
Chicago
Catherine Wu. 2026. "Gender Dysphoria Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/gender-dysphoria-statistics.
Sources & references
26 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+16 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)