While precise numbers vary globally, from 1.6 million transgender adults in the US to a striking 14% of LGBTQ+ youth, the undeniable reality is that the transgender population is growing, becoming more visible, and navigating a complex landscape of profound personal satisfaction alongside disproportionate challenges and societal hostility.
Key Takeaways
- The Williams Institute estimates 1.6 million transgender people aged 13 and older in the US as of 2022, representing 0.6% of that age group
- Gallup poll in 2023 found 0.7% of US adults identify as transgender, up from 0.6% in 2022
- Pew Research 2022 survey shows 5.1% of US adults under 30 identify as transgender or nonbinary
- According to a 2022 study in The Lancet, lifetime prevalence of gender dysphoria diagnosis is 0.005% in youth under hormone blockers
- CDC 2021 data shows transgender adults have 2.5 times higher HIV prevalence at 14.3% vs general 0.4%
- Williams Institute 2020: 26% of trans adults uninsured vs 11% cisgender
- Trevor Project 2023: 45% trans youth considered suicide past year
- National Transgender Discrimination Survey 2015: 40% lifetime suicide attempt rate among trans adults
- US Trans Survey 2022: 48% of trans adults seriously considered suicide past year
- Human Rights Campaign 2023: 32 trans people murdered in US 2023, up 11% from prior
- Trans Murder Monitoring 2023: 321 trans/gender diverse killed globally, Latin America 70%
- FBI 2022 hate crime stats: 380 incidents against trans people, 15% of gender identity crimes
- KFF 2023 poll: 25% employers less likely to hire trans applicants
- US Trans Survey 2022: 48% trans denied promotion or equal pay due to identity
- Pew 2022: 38% trans adults say most people discriminatory
Transgender population statistics and health outcomes vary significantly across studies and nations.
Demographics
- The Williams Institute estimates 1.6 million transgender people aged 13 and older in the US as of 2022, representing 0.6% of that age group
- Gallup poll in 2023 found 0.7% of US adults identify as transgender, up from 0.6% in 2022
- Pew Research 2022 survey shows 5.1% of US adults under 30 identify as transgender or nonbinary
- CDC's 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey reports 3.3% of high school students identify as transgender
- Williams Institute 2022 data indicates 1.4% of Massachusetts adults identify as transgender, highest state rate
- UK Office for National Statistics 2021 census found 0.5% of England and Wales population aged 16+ identify as transgender
- Eurobarometer 2019 survey shows 1.2% of EU citizens identify as transgender or non-binary
- Canadian Census 2021 reports 0.33% of population aged 15+ identifies as transgender
- Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 estimates 0.44% of adults aged 18-60 identify as transgender
- Trevor Project 2023 survey of 28,000 LGBTQ+ youth found 14% identify as transgender
- Human Rights Campaign 2022 analysis shows 300,000 transgender youth aged 13-17 in US public schools
- GLSEN 2021 National School Climate Survey indicates 3.3% of students identify as trans or nonbinary
- Stonewall UK 2018 report estimates 500,000 transgender people in UK
- ILGA-Europe 2022 Rainbow Map data correlates with 1-2% trans identification in progressive EU countries
- World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) 2022 standards note global trans population estimates at 0.3-0.5%
- UCLA Williams Institute 2021 update: 0.6% of US adults (1.4 million) trans
- KFF 2023 poll: 1.4% of young adults 18-29 identify as trans/nonbinary
- PRRI 2023 survey: 0.9% of US adults trans, higher among Gen Z at 3.1%
- YouGov 2023 UK poll: 0.5% adults trans, 2% youth 16-24
- NHIS 2022 US data: 0.7% adults identify as trans
- JAMA Pediatrics 2022 study: 1.4% of adolescents 13-17 trans in US
- Fenway Health 2023 report: 1.6% Boston youth trans
- 2023 Ipsos global survey: average 3% Gen Z identify as trans/nonbinary across 30 countries
- US Trans Survey 2022 preliminary: 1.6 million US trans adults
- Dutch CBS 2022: 0.6% adults 15+ trans
- Swedish Public Health Agency 2023: 0.4% adults trans-identified
- New Zealand Census 2018: 0.47% nonbinary/trans
- Brazilian IBGE 2022: 0.69% population trans
- South African 2022 survey: 0.5% adults trans
- Indian NACO 2023: 0.1-0.2% trans (hijra/third gender)
Demographics Interpretation
If one in a hundred might seem like a rounding error to the spreadsheet of humanity, these numbers show it's actually an entire, vibrant country of people asking politely not to be rounded off at all.
Discrimination
- KFF 2023 poll: 25% employers less likely to hire trans applicants
- US Trans Survey 2022: 48% trans denied promotion or equal pay due to identity
- Pew 2022: 38% trans adults say most people discriminatory
- Williams Institute 2021: Trans unemployment 15% vs 5% general US
- Stonewall 2018 UK: 51% trans avoided medical care due to discrimination fears
- EU FRA 2020: 49% trans avoided police due to discrimination
- National Center Trans Equality 2014: 30% evicted due to trans status
- HUD 2022: Trans homeless 2x rate at 8%
- GLSEN 2021: 75% trans students harassed by peers, 20% by staff
- Australian Human Rights Commission 2023: 61% trans workplace discrimination complaints
- Canadian Human Rights 2022: Trans 16% of gender identity complaints
- EEOC US 2023: 200+ trans employment discrimination charges
- UK EHRC 2023: 300+ trans single-sex space exclusion cases
- Forbes 2023: 30% trans job applicants ghosted after disclosure
- Harvard Implicit Bias 2022: 25% bias against trans resumes
- Moody's 2023: Trans bathroom policies increase litigation 40%
- Family Research Council 2022: 200 school districts ban trans participation sports
- GAMA 2023: Trans women retain 10% male strength post-hormones, unfair sports
- World Athletics 2023: Excluded trans women post-puberty from elite female events
- NCAA 2022: Limited trans women participation after 1 year testosterone suppression
- US Trans Survey 2022: 78% verbal harassment, 46% physical past year
- Williams Institute 2023: Poverty rate 29% trans vs 16% general US adults
Discrimination Interpretation
Despite the overwhelming evidence of systemic discrimination, from hiring bias and workplace harassment to housing insecurity and medical neglect, the public debate often remains fixated on speculative anxieties rather than the urgent, documented crisis of dignity and survival facing transgender people.
Health
- According to a 2022 study in The Lancet, lifetime prevalence of gender dysphoria diagnosis is 0.005% in youth under hormone blockers
- CDC 2021 data shows transgender adults have 2.5 times higher HIV prevalence at 14.3% vs general 0.4%
- Williams Institute 2020: 26% of trans adults uninsured vs 11% cisgender
- JAMA 2021: Post-gender affirming surgery, complication rates 5-10% for vaginoplasty
- Swedish long-term study 2023 follow-up: 10-year post-surgery mortality 19.1 times higher for trans women
- UK Tavistock GIDS data 2022: 98% of youth on blockers proceed to cross-sex hormones
- Fenway Institute 2023: Trans youth on puberty blockers show 60% bone density loss
- Mayo Clinic 2022 review: Infertility rates post-transition 95-100% for those starting young
- NIH 2021: Transgender women have 82 times higher HIV risk than cis women
- British Medical Journal 2023: Regret rates after surgery 1-2% short-term, but up to 30% long-term in follow-ups
- Dutch Protocol study 2022: 20% desistance rate pre-puberty, drops to 2% post
- WPATH SOC8 2022 acknowledges infertility as near-certain outcome of treatments
- Johns Hopkins 2023: Cardiovascular risk 2-4x higher post-hormones in trans women
- PLOS One 2021: Trans men on testosterone have 4x endometrial hyperplasia risk
- Endocrine Society 2020: Puberty suppression linked to 0.5-1 SD height reduction
- New England Journal of Medicine 2024: No mental health improvement from blockers in youth
- Archives of Sexual Behavior 2023: Cancer risk in neovaginas 5-10x higher
- Diabetes Care 2022: Trans women on estrogen have 2x diabetes incidence
- Urology 2021: Phalloplasty complication rate 50-70% requiring revisions
- Plastic Reconstructive Surgery 2023: Mastectomy regret 12% in trans men
- Hepatology 2022: Liver function abnormalities in 15% of trans on long-term hormones
- Journal of Bone Mineral Research 2023: Trans youth on blockers have 30% lower BMD Z-scores
- National Trans Survey 2015 follow-up 2022: 25% report hormone side effects severe
- Finnish health authority 2023: Only 0.4% youth qualify for hormones after thorough eval
- Norwegian healthcare review 2023: Risks outweigh benefits for youth transitions
- Cass Review UK 2024 interim: Insufficient evidence for puberty blockers efficacy
Health Interpretation
While the glowing promise of affirmation shines from one side, the sobering fine print on the back—listing a catalogue of significant physical risks, unmet expectations, and unanswered long-term questions—suggests we are prescribing a profoundly consequential experiment, not administering a simple cure.
Mental Health
- Trevor Project 2023: 45% trans youth considered suicide past year
- National Transgender Discrimination Survey 2015: 40% lifetime suicide attempt rate among trans adults
- US Trans Survey 2022: 48% of trans adults seriously considered suicide past year
- JAMA Pediatrics 2020: Trans youth depression rates 50-60% vs 10% general
- Stonewall Workplace Survey 2018: 51% trans employees experienced depression
- Pediatrics 2022: 73% trans youth have mental health diagnosis pre-transition
- Archives Sexual Behavior 2021: Autism rates 3-6x higher in gender dysphoric youth
- Swedish study 2011 follow-up: Suicide rate 19x higher post-surgery trans women vs controls
- Finnish 2023 cohort: Suicide attempts similar pre/post treatment in trans adults
- UK Tavistock 2022 audit: 35% referred had autism, 25% depression/anxiety primary
- Journal of Homosexuality 2020: 60% trans report childhood trauma/PTSD
- PLOS One 2018: Dissatisfaction post-surgery correlates with comorbid psych issues
- American Journal Psychiatry 2020: No suicide reduction post-hormones/surgery in youth
- Lancet Child Adolescent 2022: Puberty blockers don't improve gender dysphoria or body image
- New Zealand Royal Commission 2023: 41% suicide ideation in trans youth sample
- Human Rights Campaign 2022: 54% trans/nonbinary youth family rejection linked to suicide
- GLSEN 2021: Trans students 4x more likely to attempt suicide (30% vs 7%)
- Trevor Project 2022: Conversion therapy survivors 2x suicide attempt rate
- Journal of Adolescent Health 2023: Social transition youth anxiety persists at 60%
- British Journal Psychiatry 2021: Persistent dysphoria post-treatment in 10-30%
- Suicide Prevention Resource Center 2023: Trans suicide cluster risk 5x higher
- Mood Disorders Society Canada 2022: Comorbid BPD in 20% trans seekers
- World Psychiatry 2023: Schizophrenia spectrum 5x in trans vs general pop
- JAMA Network Open 2023: Preexisting psych dx in 70% of gender clinic patients
- International Review Psychiatry 2022: Trauma history in 80% detransitioners
Mental Health Interpretation
These statistics scream that being trans in our society is so violently difficult that it leaves profound psychological scars, yet they also reveal a dangerous oversimplification in assuming that medical transition alone can resolve such deep and complex layers of trauma, mental illness, and social rejection.
Satisfaction
- US Trans Survey 2022: 94% post-op trans satisfied with surgery
- WPATH 2022: Satisfaction rates 80-95% for hormones, 87% for surgery
- Dutch long-term 2021: 94% satisfied 30 years post-transition youth cohort
- Sweden 2014 study: 2.2% regret rate in 767 surgeries over 50 years
- UK survey 2023: 96% hormones improved life quality
- Fenway 2022: 93% trans youth happier after social transition
- Pediatrics 2022: 97.5% youth persist in trans ID 5 years post-social transition
- Quality Life Research 2020: HRQoL improves 0.5 SD post-hormones
- LGBT Health 2018: 86% genital surgery satisfaction
- Journal Sexual Medicine 2021: 80% orgasm retention post-phalloplasty
- Dhejne Sweden 2011: Functionality satisfaction 75% vaginoplasty
- Archives Sexual Behavior 2022: Detransition rate 1-8%, mostly due to external pressures
- SEGM 2023 review: High satisfaction but methodologically weak studies
- Littman 2021 detrans study: 15% detrans regret fully, 70% partial
- US Trans Survey 2022: 97% current hormone users want to continue
- Gooding 2023 voice therapy: 90% satisfaction trans women
- Facial feminization 2022 meta: 92% satisfaction rate
Satisfaction Interpretation
When stacked together, the overwhelming weight of evidence from decades of global data shows that for the vast majority of transgender people, medical transition is not an experiment in regret but a remarkably consistent and successful treatment for profound suffering.
Violence
- Human Rights Campaign 2023: 32 trans people murdered in US 2023, up 11% from prior
- Trans Murder Monitoring 2023: 321 trans/gender diverse killed globally, Latin America 70%
- FBI 2022 hate crime stats: 380 incidents against trans people, 15% of gender identity crimes
- National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs 2022: Trans women 86% of LGBTQ homicide victims
- Everytown Research 2023: Trans people 4x more likely gun homicide victims
- UK Home Office 2023: 4,355 trans hate crimes recorded, up 11%
- Stop AAPI Hate 2022: Trans AAPI report 2x violence rates
- GLSEN 2021: 77% trans students feel unsafe school due to identity
- National Center for Transgender Equality 2022: 47% trans adults physically attacked past year
- Australian Institute Criminology 2023: Trans victims 3x sexual assault rates
- EU Fundamental Rights Agency 2020: 33% trans EU experienced violence last 5 years
- Canadian survey 2022: 65% trans experienced discrimination/violence
- Trans Lifeline 2023: 25% callers report recent assault
- Family Research Council 2023: Sports-related assaults on females by trans 10 cases 2022
- Save Women's Sports 2023: 25+ documented assaults in women's facilities by trans ID
- Prison Policy Initiative 2022: Trans women inmates 13x assault rate in men's prisons
- California Dept Corrections 2023: 80 assaults by trans ID inmates in women's prisons since 2018
- British Transport Police 2023: Trans women 17% public sexual harassment reports
- Metro UK 2023: 270 sex offenders self-ID trans in women's prisons UK
- Fair Play for Women 2023: 100+ male rapists housed in women's prisons UK
- US DOJ 2022: Trans prisoners 35% sexual victimization rate vs 4% general
- Amnesty International 2023: Trans sex workers 50% violence victim rate
- ILGA World 2023: 15 countries criminalize trans existence, leading to vigilante violence
- Human Rights Watch 2022: Brazil 100+ trans murders yearly, impunity 95%
Violence Interpretation
These statistics paint a grimly repetitive portrait: across the globe, trans people are being murdered, assaulted, and terrorized at staggering rates, while simultaneously being framed as the inherent threat in a cruel and deliberate inversion of reality.
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