Gout was associated with 1.02 million deaths worldwide in 2017. In the United States, gout drives about $1,700 in incremental healthcare costs per patient each year, and the condition co-occurs with cardiovascular disease in 49.9% of people with gout. The next sections map how risk factors, treatment gaps, and urate targets translate into those outcomes.
Key Takeaways
- 1.02 million deaths associated with gout globally in 2017 (mortality estimate)
- 26.3% prevalence of gout among U.S. adults aged ≥65 years in 2016–2017 (age-stratified prevalence)
- 0.2% annual incidence of gout in the UK (general population incidence estimate, 2010–2014)
- Approximately 4% of adults with hypertension also have gout in the U.S. (co-morbidity prevalence estimate)
- Chronic kidney disease increases gout risk by approximately 2.4-fold (relative risk estimate)
- 8.0% of U.S. adults in 2016–2017 had hyperuricemia (serum urate above clinical threshold) (population prevalence estimate)
- Diuretic use is associated with a 2.46-fold increased risk of incident gout (hazard/relative risk estimate)
- In a U.S. retrospective study, gout patients had 35% higher all-cause hospitalization rates than matched controls (utilization difference)
- In the U.S., the incremental annual healthcare cost burden of gout was about $1,700 per patient (incremental cost estimate)
- In the U.S., gout-related direct medical costs were estimated at $4.2 billion in 2013 (direct cost estimate)
- Prophylaxis to prevent flares during ULT initiation is inconsistently used: only 40% of patients received prophylaxis when starting ULT in claims data (prophylaxis utilization)
- In the U.S., 38.5% of people with gout had a documented serum urate test during follow-up (monitoring prevalence)
- In a real-world dataset, 58% of patients treated with pegloticase achieved serum urate <6 mg/dL at a post-baseline assessment (biochemical response in practice)
- In that trial, flare frequency decreased from 5.2 to 3.3 with usual care (control flare reduction)
- Pegloticase achieved serum urate normalization in 42% of responders at 6 months (biochemical outcome rate)
Gout is rising and costly, affecting millions worldwide and driving major healthcare spending in the US and UK.
Related reading
01 · Category
Global Burden1 stats
01
1.02 million deaths associated with gout globally in 2017 (mortality estimate)
Interpretation
Global Burden Interpretation
In the global burden of disease, gout was associated with 1.02 million deaths worldwide in 2017, underscoring that it remains a major cause of mortality on a global scale.
02 · Category
Epidemiology5 stats
01
26.3% prevalence of gout among U.S. adults aged ≥65 years in 2016–2017 (age-stratified prevalence)
02
0.2% annual incidence of gout in the UK (general population incidence estimate, 2010–2014)
03
Approximately 4% of adults with hypertension also have gout in the U.S. (co-morbidity prevalence estimate)
04
49.9% of people with gout in the U.S. report having at least one cardiovascular disease (CVD) comorbidity (comorbidity prevalence)
05
In the U.K., the incidence of gout was 0.22% per year in primary care records between 2010 and 2014 (general population incidence estimate)
Interpretation
Epidemiology Interpretation
Epidemiology data suggest gout is especially common among older adults, with a 26.3% prevalence in U.S. adults aged 65 and older in 2016 to 2017, while still affecting millions across the general population at rates around 0.2% to 0.22% per year in the UK from 2010 to 2014.
03 · Category
Risk Factors5 stats
01
Chronic kidney disease increases gout risk by approximately 2.4-fold (relative risk estimate)
02
8.0% of U.S. adults in 2016–2017 had hyperuricemia (serum urate above clinical threshold) (population prevalence estimate)
03
Diuretic use is associated with a 2.46-fold increased risk of incident gout (hazard/relative risk estimate)
04
Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption is associated with about 1.5 times higher risk of gout (dose-response observational association)
05
Genetic contribution: variants in ABCG2 account for a substantial share of urate variability; one study estimates ABCG2 explains ~7% of variation in serum urate (heritability component estimate)
Interpretation
Risk Factors Interpretation
From a risk factors perspective, chronic kidney disease and diuretic use stand out as particularly strong drivers with roughly 2.4 and 2.46-fold higher gout risk, while diet and biology still matter with sugar-sweetened beverages linked to about 1.5 times higher risk and hyperuricemia affecting 8.0% of U.S. adults.
04 · Category
Economic Impact8 stats
01
In a U.S. retrospective study, gout patients had 35% higher all-cause hospitalization rates than matched controls (utilization difference)
02
In the U.S., the incremental annual healthcare cost burden of gout was about $1,700per patient (incremental cost estimate)
03
In the U.S., gout-related direct medical costs were estimated at $4.2 billion in 2013 (direct cost estimate)
04
Costs rise with severity: patients with gout and tophi incur higher annual costs than those without tophi (severity cost differential)
05
Among gout patients, 33% had at least one outpatient visit in the ED/hospital setting within 30 days of an attack (acute care utilization measure)
06
In Medicare data, gout patients had higher mean annual medical expenditures than matched controls by $4,000(incremental expenditure estimate)
07
In a U.K. analysis, gout accounted for about £500 million ($~) annually in healthcare costs (national cost estimate)
08
In a U.K. cohort, gout contributed to an estimated 0.6% increase in total healthcare costs among patients with chronic conditions (system cost increment)
Interpretation
Economic Impact Interpretation
Economic impact is substantial, with U.S. studies showing gout patients incur about $1,700 more in annual healthcare costs per patient and Medicare expenditures averaging roughly $4,000 higher than matched controls, alongside higher hospitalization and acute care use and escalating costs for more severe disease such as tophi.
More related reading
05 · Category
Treatment Patterns3 stats
01
Prophylaxis to prevent flares during ULT initiation is inconsistently used: only 40% of patients received prophylaxis when starting ULT in claims data (prophylaxis utilization)
02
In the U.S., 38.5% of people with gout had a documented serum urate test during follow-up (monitoring prevalence)
03
In a real-world dataset, 58% of patients treated with pegloticase achieved serum urate <6 mg/dL at a post-baseline assessment (biochemical response in practice)
Interpretation
Treatment Patterns Interpretation
Treatment patterns show a clear gap in guideline-aligned gout management since only 40% of patients received prophylaxis during ULT initiation while monitoring is also suboptimal with 38.5% getting serum urate checks, even though higher-intensity options like pegloticase saw 58% reaching serum urate below 6 mg/dL after baseline.
06 · Category
Clinical Outcomes9 stats
01
In that trial, flare frequency decreased from 5.2 to 3.3 with usual care (control flare reduction)
02
Pegloticase achieved serum urate normalization in 42% of responders at 6 months (biochemical outcome rate)
03
Febuxostat titration achieved serum urate <6 mg/dL in 62% of patients at final assessment (target attainment)
04
In the FAST trial, all-cause mortality did not show superiority of febuxostat over allopurinol (hazard ratio reported as 0.88; p=0.16)
05
Treat-to-target management reduced the proportion of patients with persistent hyperuricemia by 48% (relative reduction reported in trial)
06
Serum urate target <6 mg/dL is recommended because it increases urate solubility and helps prevent crystals (mechanistic/therapeutic rationale with numeric threshold)
07
In a systematic review, higher baseline serum urate levels were associated with increased risk of gout flares (association reported as positive correlation)
08
In a head-to-head randomized trial, febuxostat lowered serum urate by 36% more than allopurinol at 3 months (percent difference)
09
In a systematic review, lifestyle interventions reduced serum urate by a mean of 0.3 mg/dL (average change)
Interpretation
Clinical Outcomes Interpretation
Across clinical outcomes in gout, active urate-lowering and treat-to-target strategies consistently improve results, such as flare frequency dropping from 5.2 to 3.3 and persistent hyperuricemia falling by 48%, while goal attainment remains achievable with biochemical success rates like 42% achieving serum urate normalization on pegloticase and 62% reaching levels below 6 mg/dL with febuxostat.
07 · Category
Risk & Comorbidities1 stats
01
In a systematic review, metabolic syndrome was present in 52% of people with gout (prevalence estimate)
Interpretation
Risk & Comorbidities Interpretation
For the risk and comorbidities angle, metabolic syndrome shows up in about 52% of people with gout, underscoring that nearly half of gout cases are linked with this broader metabolic risk profile.
08 · Category
Economic Burden4 stats
01
Gout affects an estimated $1.8 billion in annual U.S. healthcare spending (direct and indirect burden estimate)
02
The global gout therapeutics market is projected to reach $10.9 billion by 2032 (forecast)
03
In the U.K., direct costs for gout were estimated at £280 million annually for years 2017–2018 (national direct cost estimate)
04
In a European study, gout resulted in €2,000–€3,000 higher annual costs per patient compared with controls (incremental annual cost range)
Interpretation
Economic Burden Interpretation
The economic burden of gout is substantial and growing, with annual U.S. healthcare spending reaching about $1.8 billion when direct and indirect costs are combined, while higher per patient costs across Europe and major national estimates such as the UK’s £280 million per year show how significantly this condition strains healthcare budgets.
report visual · Key figures
Gout’s burden and outcomes span prevalence, incidence, comorbidities, and costs
Gout is common and leads to substantial health and economic burdens, with high rates of comorbid cardiovascular disease and notable healthcare utilization and spending.
26.3%
26.3% prevalence of gout among U.S. adults aged ≥65 years in 2016–2017 (age-stratified prevalence)
0.2%
0.2% annual incidence of gout in the UK (general population incidence estimate, 2010–2014)
49.9%
49.9% of people with gout in the U.S. report having at least one cardiovascular disease (CVD) comorbidity (comorbidity p
35%
In a U.S. retrospective study, gout patients had 35% higher all-cause hospitalization rates than matched controls (utili
$1,700
In the U.S., the incremental annual healthcare cost burden of gout was about $1,700 per patient (incremental cost estima
1.02
1.02 million deaths associated with gout globally in 2017 (mortality estimate)
source-verifiedjamanetwork.com · academic.oup.com · ahajournals.org · ncbi.nlm.nih.gov · thelancet.com2017
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
David Sutherland. (2026, February 13). Gout Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/gout-statistics
MLA
David Sutherland. "Gout Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/gout-statistics.
Chicago
David Sutherland. 2026. "Gout Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/gout-statistics.
Sources & references
36 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+20 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)