About 1.4 million people in the United States live with chronic migraine, but many remain underdiagnosed and undertreated. Migraine ranks as the second leading cause of years lived with disability among neurological disorders, with 7,100 DALYs per 100,000 people in the US. The section that follows connects that burden to mental health outcomes, medication overuse patterns, and the real-world costs that accumulate over time.
Key Takeaways
- Migraine commonly remains underdiagnosed and undertreated (WHO fact sheet highlights underdiagnosis).
- Episodic migraine is defined as fewer than 15 headache days per month (ICHD-3).
- AHS consensus defines “migraine disability” and emphasizes early treatment escalation for uncontrolled migraines (American Headache Society consensus statement).
- Migraine is ranked as the 2nd leading cause of years lived with disability among neurological disorders in the Global Burden of Disease study (GBD/Lancet Neurology).
- In a systematic review, migraine patients reported substantially higher rates of anxiety and depression than the general population (Lancet Neurology review).
- Medication overuse headache can perpetuate chronic headache and typically improves after withdrawal and preventive therapy (AHS/AMF clinical overview).
- 7,100 DALYs per 100,000 population for migraine in the United States in 2019 (IHME GBD rate metric).
- Chronic migraine affects about 1.4% of the adult population in the European Union (EURO migraine burden modeling estimate).
- Roughly 1.4 million people in the US experience chronic migraine (American Migraine Foundation overview using US prevalence estimates).
- A 2021 study estimated that migraine costs the EU/UK economies tens of billions of euros annually due to healthcare and productivity losses (peer-reviewed cost-of-illness review).
- In a payer perspective model, erenumab reduced migraine attacks and increased quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) compared with standard of care in trial-based modeling (cost-effectiveness study).
- In a cost-effectiveness analysis, fremanezumab achieved favorable incremental cost-effectiveness ratios under certain willingness-to-pay thresholds (HEOR modeling study).
- 21.4% of US adults with migraine reported using an opioid for headache/migraine at least once in the past 12 months (acute therapy utilization share).
- 12.7% of people with migraine in the United States reported emergency department (ED) visits for migraine in the prior 12 months (claims-based/ survey estimate).
- 32.9% of patients with chronic migraine in a real-world claims study initiated a preventive therapy within 12 months after diagnosis (preventive initiation proportion).
Migraine is widespread yet underdiagnosed, causing major disability, mental health burdens, and billions in yearly costs.
Related reading
01 · Category
Outcomes & Burden9 stats
01
Migraine is ranked as the 2nd leading cause of years lived with disability among neurological disorders in the Global Burden of Disease study (GBD/Lancet Neurology).https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/abstract/10.1016/S1474-4422(22)00354-6
02
In a systematic review, migraine patients reported substantially higher rates of anxiety and depression than the general population (Lancet Neurology review).https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/abstract/10.1016/S1474-4422(21)00356-1
03
Medication overuse headache can perpetuate chronic headache and typically improves after withdrawal and preventive therapy (AHS/AMF clinical overview).https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/resource-library/medication-overuse-headache/
04
Migraine is associated with cardiovascular risk factors and increased risk of ischemic stroke in some populations (AHA/ASA scientific statement).https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/STR.0000000000000355
05
Migraine is associated with increased all-cause mortality in some observational studies; meta-analyses report hazard ratios around 1.2–1.3 (Neurology/peer-reviewed meta-analysis).https://n.neurology.org/content/96/24/e2891
06
Mean number of migraine attacks per month among study populations in CGRP trials often ranges around 8–12 before treatment (NEJM/primary trial reports).https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1812889
07
In the fremanezumab episodic migraine trial, the primary endpoint was reduction in monthly migraine days vs placebo over 12 weeks (NEJM trial design and results).https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1702873
08
In pivotal trials, a clinically meaningful response commonly defined as ≥50% reduction in monthly migraine days occurs in a substantial share of patients (e.g., NEJM trial response reporting).https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1705848
09
A landmark trial of onabotulinumtoxinA (PREEMPT) evaluated reduction in headache days over 24 weeks in chronic migraine (NEJM).https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1006072
Interpretation
Outcomes & Burden Interpretation
Migraine ranks as the 2nd leading cause of years lived with disability among neurological disorders and is tied to major outcomes and burdens, including notably higher anxiety and depression in patients and frequent monthly attack rates of about 8 to 12 in CGRP trial populations before treatment.
02 · Category
Economic Impact7 stats
01
A 2021 study estimated that migraine costs the EU/UK economies tens of billions of euros annually due to healthcare and productivity losses (peer-reviewed cost-of-illness review).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34373393/
02
In a payer perspective model, erenumab reduced migraine attacks and increased quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) compared with standard of care in trial-based modeling (cost-effectiveness study).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31966449/
03
In a cost-effectiveness analysis, fremanezumab achieved favorable incremental cost-effectiveness ratios under certain willingness-to-pay thresholds (HEOR modeling study).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33609470/
04
A systematic review found indirect costs (lost productivity) often exceed direct healthcare costs for migraine in many countries (peer-reviewed review).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29519845/
05
A systematic review estimated mean annual cost per migraine patient in high-income countries is often several hundred to a few thousand euros/dollars (cost-of-illness review).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23707674/
06
Triptan and NSAID usage patterns influence direct costs, and utilization of acute medications is a major driver of migraine-related spending (health claims analyses).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25988456/
07
In the US Medical Expenditure Panel Survey analysis, migraine is associated with significantly higher annual health expenditures than non-migraine controls (MEPS study).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22692288/
Interpretation
Economic Impact Interpretation
Across Europe and the UK, migraine imposes tens of billions of euros each year in healthcare and productivity losses, and multiple reviews show that lost productivity and indirect costs often outweigh direct healthcare spending, meaning the economic impact is driven as much by work and daily-function disruptions as by treatment costs.
03 · Category
Diagnosis & Care5 stats
01
Migraine commonly remains underdiagnosed and undertreated (WHO fact sheet highlights underdiagnosis).https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/headache-disorders
02
Episodic migraine is defined as fewer than 15 headache days per month (ICHD-3).https://ichd-3.org/1-migraine/
03
AHS consensus defines “migraine disability” and emphasizes early treatment escalation for uncontrolled migraines (American Headache Society consensus statement).https://headachejournal.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/head.14037
04
NICE guideline NG150 includes recommendations for migraine diagnosis and management in England (NICE NG150).https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng150/chapter/recommendations
05
AHRQ/Medicare evidence supports CGRP monoclonal antibodies and gepants for certain adult migraine patients who have inadequate response to existing therapies (AHRQ evidence report).https://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/products/migraine-preventive-treatments-evidence-brief/research
Interpretation
Diagnosis & Care Interpretation
Because migraine is often underdiagnosed and undertreated, and with episodic migraine defined as fewer than 15 headache days per month, major care guidelines and expert consensus emphasize diagnosing correctly and escalating treatment early, including newer options like CGRP monoclonal antibodies and gepants for adults who do not respond adequately.
More related reading
04 · Category
Treatment & Outcomes3 stats
01
21.4% of US adults with migraine reported using an opioid for headache/migraine at least once in the past 12 months (acute therapy utilization share).https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/2670542
02
12.7% of people with migraine in the United States reported emergency department (ED) visits for migraine in the prior 12 months (claims-based/ survey estimate).https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2689081
03
32.9% of patients with chronic migraine in a real-world claims study initiated a preventive therapy within 12 months after diagnosis (preventive initiation proportion).https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2047487319879594
Interpretation
Treatment & Outcomes Interpretation
In the Treatment & Outcomes landscape, about 21.4% of US adults with migraine use opioids for headache or migraine at least once in the past year while 12.7% had an emergency department visit, yet only 32.9% of chronic migraine patients start preventive therapy within 12 months after diagnosis, suggesting preventable gaps in care.
05 · Category
Disease Burden2 stats
01
7,100 DALYs per 100,000 population for migraine in the United States in 2019 (IHME GBD rate metric).https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-results/
02
Chronic migraine affects about 1.4% of the adult population in the European Union (EURO migraine burden modeling estimate).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27193681/
Interpretation
Disease Burden Interpretation
From a disease burden perspective, migraine caused 7,100 DALYs per 100,000 people in the United States in 2019, and with chronic migraine affecting about 1.4% of adults in the EU, the data suggest a substantial impact that is sustained in at least a small but significant share of the population.
06 · Category
Overview3 stats
01
Roughly 1.4 million people in the US experience chronic migraine (American Migraine Foundation overview using US prevalence estimates).https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/resource-library/chronic-migraine/
02
37% of people with migraine reported using acute medication more than 2 days per week on average (acute-medication overuse risk proxy from survey).https://www.imshealth.com/files/web/communities/uk/IMSHealthGlobal/IMSGH/imshealth_migraine_survey_report.pdf
03
$8.4 billion in annual US indirect costs attributable to migraine (2016-dollar estimate).https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7384833/
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
Across the US, migraine’s industry impact is substantial as about 1.4 million people live with chronic migraine, with 37% reporting acute medication use more than 2 days per week which signals risk for worsening disease patterns, and the condition drives an estimated $8.4 billion in annual indirect costs.
report visual · Comparison
How often migraine-related healthcare use and treatment patterns occur
Migraine is associated with notable proportions of people using opioids, visiting the ED, and initiating preventive therapy—highlighting ongoing gaps in management and escalation of care.
32.9% of patients with chronic migraine in a real-world claims study initiated a preventive therapy within 12 months aft32.9%
21.4% of US adults with migraine reported using an opioid for headache/migraine at least once in the past 12 months (acu
21.4%
12.7% of people with migraine in the United States reported emergency department (ED) visits for migraine in the prior 1
12.7%
source-verifiedjamanetwork.com · journals.sagepub.com
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). Migraine Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/migraine-statistics
MLA
Gabrielle Fontaine. "Migraine Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/migraine-statistics.
Chicago
Gabrielle Fontaine. 2026. "Migraine Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/migraine-statistics.
Sources & references
29 datasets cited across this report
+13 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)