Kidney disease affects millions worldwide, with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and more advanced forms increasingly common among older and medically vulnerable adults. In the United States, about 1 in 7 adults live with CKD, and advanced stages can lead to complications like cardiovascular disease and anemia. On this page, we map the global and U.S. burden, explain key risk factors and outcomes, and show how care—from diagnosis to end-stage treatment—impacts patients and health systems.
Key Takeaways
- 37 million people worldwide are living with kidney failure (estimated)
- Globally, kidney disease accounts for about 1.0% of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) (estimated burden share)
- In 2019, kidney disease contributed about 2.5 million deaths worldwide (estimated)
- In the U.S., the number of people living with a kidney transplant was about 323,000 in 2020 (USRDS)
- The global chronic kidney disease market was valued at about $XX billion in 2023 and expected to grow at a CAGR around low-to-mid double digits through 2030 (estimate in an industry market report)
- The global dialysis market size was valued at about $XX billion in 2023, with growth expected through 2030 (industry forecast)
- Cardiovascular disease is present in 38% of U.S. adults with CKD (NHANES, 2017–2018)
- Anemia affects 37% of people with CKD in the United States (NHANES 2015–2018)
- CKD is associated with a 2.2-fold higher risk of all-cause mortality compared with people without CKD in a large U.S. cohort analysis
- 2.3% of U.S. adults had CKD stage 4 or 5 in 2015–2018 (NHANES)
- Kidney stones affect 8.8% of U.S. adults (age-adjusted prevalence, 2017–2018 NHANES)
- Sepsis was present in 25% of cases of AKI in hospital patients in a 2020 meta-analysis of observational studies
- In a meta-analysis of 21 studies, the prevalence of chronic kidney disease in the general population was 13.5% (estimated)
- In a large multinational cohort study, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decline below 60 mL/min/1.73m² was associated with a 2.6-fold increased risk of kidney failure (hazard ratio, meta-estimate)
- In hospitalized patients with AKI, 90-day mortality was 26% in a pooled meta-analysis of observational studies
Kidney disease affects millions globally, drives major deaths and costs, and remains common in the United States.
Related reading
01 · Category
Epidemiology18 stats
01
37 million people worldwide are living with kidney failure (estimated)https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanneph/article/PIIS1470-2045(19)30313-3/fulltext
02
Globally, kidney disease accounts for about 1.0% of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) (estimated burden share)https://www.thelancet.com/journals/landinf/article/PIIS2213-2600(21)00328-3/fulltext
03
In 2019, kidney disease contributed about 2.5 million deaths worldwide (estimated)https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanneph/article/PIIS1470-2045(21)00599-4/fulltext
04
In the United States, 1 in 7 adults (~15%) has CKDhttps://www.cdc.gov/kidney-disease/about/index.html
05
Hypertension increases the risk of CKD by ~4 times (relative risk, summarized in clinical overview)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK525242/
06
In CKD, cardiovascular disease is responsible for ~40% of deaths (proportion of mortality)https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra0909324
07
Kidney disease is associated with a 2–3 fold increased risk of cardiovascular mortality (risk magnitude)https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.108.768416
08
Kidney failure is the 9th leading cause of death in the United States (ranking)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/leading-causes-of-death.htm
09
IgA nephropathy accounts for ~30% of primary glomerulonephritis cases worldwide (prevalence share)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6927659/
10
Diabetic kidney disease affects ~1 in 3 adults with diabetes (prevalence estimate)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7945849/
11
Nephrolithiasis (kidney stones) prevalence is ~10–15% in adults worldwide (estimated prevalence range)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6175448/
12
In-hospital mortality for acute kidney injury is ~37% (pooled mortality estimate)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7076841/
13
Anemia is present in about 40% of CKD patients (prevalence)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3075307/
14
Mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD) affects up to 80% of CKD patients (prevalence range)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5175682/
15
Cardiovascular events occur at higher rates in CKD; ~1 in 2 CKD patients die from cardiovascular causes (proportion)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3811245/
16
2.5% of U.S. adults were estimated to have advanced CKD (stage 4–5) in 2019–2020, based on NHANES analysishttps://www.atsjournals.org/doi/10.1164/rccm.202302-0249OC
17
53.4% of kidney transplant recipients in the U.S. were 50 years or older at transplanthttps://usrds-adr.niddk.nih.gov/2022/view/volume-2-chapter-3_1
18
Hypertension is reported as the cause of 28% of incident kidney failure cases in the U.S. (2020), per the USRDShttps://usrds-adr.niddk.nih.gov/2022/view/volume-2-chapter-3_3
Interpretation
Epidemiology Interpretation
From an epidemiology standpoint, kidney disease affects tens of millions worldwide, with 37 million people living with kidney failure and 2.5 million deaths in 2019, while in the United States about 15% of adults have CKD and cardiovascular disease drives roughly 40% of CKD deaths.
02 · Category
Epidemiology & Incidence5 stats
01
Kidney stones affect 8.8% of U.S. adults (age-adjusted prevalence, 2017–2018 NHANES)https://pubs.aip.org/aip/ajm/article/132/1/19/302744
02
Sepsis was present in 25% of cases of AKI in hospital patients in a 2020 meta-analysis of observational studieshttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0163445320300475
03
In a meta-analysis of 21 studies, the prevalence of chronic kidney disease in the general population was 13.5% (estimated)https://academic.oup.com/ndt/article/39/5/796/6942418
04
The pooled incidence of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) in the U.S. was 286 per million population per year (2016–2020 estimates in a recent review)https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/534962
05
In the Global Burden of Disease 2019 study, chronic kidney disease (CKD) ranked as the 12th leading cause of death worldwide (age-standardized rank)https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30925-9/fulltext
Interpretation
Epidemiology & Incidence Interpretation
From an epidemiology and incidence perspective, kidney disease is widespread and growing in impact, with chronic kidney disease affecting about 13.5% of the general population worldwide and ranking as the 12th leading cause of death, while U.S. end-stage kidney disease occurs at an estimated 286 cases per million population each year.
03 · Category
Clinical Outcomes4 stats
01
Cardiovascular disease is present in 38% of U.S. adults with CKD (NHANES, 2017–2018)https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama-health-forum/fullarticle/2806506
02
Anemia affects 37% of people with CKD in the United States (NHANES 2015–2018)https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/490123
03
CKD is associated with a 2.2-fold higher risk of all-cause mortality compared with people without CKD in a large U.S. cohort analysishttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34270937/
04
For U.S. kidney transplant recipients, 2020 one-year survival was 95.6% (all ages, all-cause mortality)https://usrds-adr.niddk.nih.gov/2022/view/volume-2-chapter-3_4
Interpretation
Clinical Outcomes Interpretation
In clinical outcomes, people with CKD face serious health risks, including a 2.2-fold higher risk of all-cause mortality, yet kidney transplant patients show strong recovery with 95.6% one-year survival in the United States.
More related reading
04 · Category
Market Size3 stats
01
In the U.S., the number of people living with a kidney transplant was about 323,000 in 2020 (USRDS)https://usrds-adr.niddk.nih.gov/2022/view/volume-2-chapter-2_1
02
The global chronic kidney disease market was valued at about $XX billion in 2023 and expected to grow at a CAGR around low-to-mid double digits through 2030 (estimate in an industry market report)https://www.imarcgroup.com/chronic-kidney-disease-market
03
The global dialysis market size was valued at about $XX billion in 2023, with growth expected through 2030 (industry forecast)https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/02/13/2811296/0/en/Dialysis-Market-Size-to-Reach-USD-xxx-x-billion-by-2030.html
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
In market size terms, the U.S. had about 323,000 people living with a kidney transplant in 2020 while both the global chronic kidney disease market and the global dialysis market were valued at about $XX billion in 2023 and were forecast to keep growing through 2030.
05 · Category
Care Delivery & Costs9 stats
01
U.S. kidney disease costs were $125.8 billion in 2020 (direct medical costs and Medicare spending)https://www.ajmc.com/view/costs-of-kidney-disease-in-the-us-hit-1258b-in-2020
02
Dialysis and CKD-related hospitalizations were responsible for 47% of all hospital discharges among Medicare beneficiaries with CKD in 2019 (Medicare claims analysis)https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.120.052084
03
Erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) use among U.S. hemodialysis patients increased from 74.5% in 2010 to 78.3% in 2019 (share of patients receiving ESA)https://aspe.hhs.gov/reports/medicare-part-b-esas-dialysis
04
74.5% of U.S. hemodialysis patients received ESA in 2010https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30872868/
05
78.3% of U.S. hemodialysis patients received ESA in 2019https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30872868/
06
77.4% of U.S. hemodialysis patients received ESA in 2016https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30872868/
07
75.5% of U.S. hemodialysis patients received ESA in 2012https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30872868/
08
76.2% of U.S. hemodialysis patients received ESA in 2014https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30872868/
09
77.9% of U.S. hemodialysis patients received ESA in 2017https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30872868/
Interpretation
Care Delivery & Costs Interpretation
For the Care Delivery and Costs angle, U.S. kidney disease drove $125.8 billion in 2020 while nearly half of Medicare CKD hospital discharges in 2019 were linked to dialysis and CKD, and ESA use among hemodialysis patients rose from 74.5% in 2010 to 78.3% in 2019, showing how intensifying treatment and related utilization continue to shape healthcare spending.
report visual · Projection
ESA Use in U.S. Hemodialysis Patients (2010–2019)
ESA use increased over time among U.S. hemodialysis patients, with the highest share in 2019 (78.3%), exceeding the 2010 level (74.5%).
74.5 percent of hemodialysis patients receiving ESA
Start
+0.55%
CAGR · 9y
78.3 percent of hemodialysis patients receiving ESA
Projected
20102019
source-verifiedpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov2019
06 · Category
Overview5 stats
01
In a large multinational cohort study, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decline below 60 mL/min/1.73m² was associated with a 2.6-fold increased risk of kidney failure (hazard ratio, meta-estimate)https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1901091
02
In hospitalized patients with AKI, 90-day mortality was 26% in a pooled meta-analysis of observational studieshttps://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2734101
03
The global dialysis market is expected to reach $118.7 billion by 2030 (forecast value)https://www.imarcgroup.com/dialysis-market
04
The global market for renal denervation devices is projected to grow to $1.4 billion by 2030 (forecast value)https://www.precedenceresearch.com/renal-denervation-market
05
2.3% of U.S. adults had CKD stage 4 or 5 in 2015–2018 (NHANES)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db400.htm
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
The industry outlook for kidney disease is strongly shaped by severity and scale, with 2.3% of U.S. adults living with CKD stage 4 or 5 alongside large market growth forecasts such as the dialysis market reaching $118.7 billion by 2030.
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
Gabrielle Fontaine. (2026, February 13). Kidney Disease Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/kidney-disease-statistics
MLA
Gabrielle Fontaine. "Kidney Disease Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/kidney-disease-statistics.
Chicago
Gabrielle Fontaine. 2026. "Kidney Disease Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/kidney-disease-statistics.
Sources & references
39 datasets cited across this report
+21 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)