How Common Is ADHD in Australia? The Statistics

Short answer: Around 1 in 20 people in Australia has ADHD.¹ Estimates range from 6–10% of Australian children and adolescents and 2–6% of adults.²³ Diagnosis and treatment have grown quickly: the rate of Australians dispensed ADHD medication on the PBS rose more than tenfold between 2004–05 and 2023–24.⁴

ADHD in children and teenagers

Australia’s national child and adolescent mental health survey, Young Minds Matter, found ADHD was the most common mental disorder in 4–17-year-olds, affecting 7.4%.⁵ Among children aged 4–11 it was 8.2%.⁶ The Australian ADHD Guideline estimates that 6–10% of Australian children and adolescents have ADHD.²

ADHD in adults

No national survey has measured adult ADHD directly: the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing assessed anxiety, affective and substance use disorders, not ADHD.⁷ Adult estimates are therefore based on international research. The Australian ADHD Guideline says adult prevalence in Australia is likely to be similar to international estimates of 2–6%,² and a meta-analysis of international studies put adult prevalence at 2.5%.⁸

How many Australians have ADHD?

Deloitte Access Economics estimated that in 2019 ADHD affected about 281,200 children and adolescents and 533,300 adults in Australia⁹ — around 814,500 people in total. ADHD Australia has since estimated that around one in 20 Australians, or over 1.25 million people, are living with ADHD.³

Males and females

ADHD is diagnosed two to three times more often in males than females in Australia, with an estimated prevalence of 4.9% in males and 1.5% in females.³ Girls and women are more likely to be overlooked, partly because they more often have inattentive symptoms that are easier to miss,¹⁰ and they tend to be diagnosed later — about four years later on average in a large Swedish register study.¹¹ See ADHD in women.

Medication and diagnosis trends

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reports that the rate of people dispensed ADHD medication under the PBS rose from 2 per 1,000 population in 2004–05 to 22 per 1,000 in 2023–24 — from 8 to 22 per 1,000 in just the five years from 2018–19.⁴ In 2023–24, over 4.6 million ADHD prescriptions were dispensed to just under 600,000 people, and 87% were for stimulant medicines.⁴

Rising dispensing reflects more people being diagnosed and treated. On its own, it doesn’t tell us how common ADHD is.

The cost of ADHD

Deloitte Access Economics estimated the total cost of ADHD in Australia in 2019 at $20.42 billion — $12.83 billion in financial costs and $7.59 billion in wellbeing losses.⁹ That is about $25,071 per person living with ADHD each year.³

Frequently asked questions

How common is ADHD in Australia?

Around 1 in 20 people in Australia has ADHD. Estimates range from 6–10% of children and adolescents and 2–6% of adults.

How many Australians have ADHD?

Deloitte Access Economics estimated that about 814,500 Australians had ADHD in 2019 — about 533,300 adults and 281,200 children and adolescents. ADHD Australia has since estimated the number at over 1.25 million.

Is ADHD more common in males or females?

It’s diagnosed two to three times more often in males. Girls and women are more likely to be overlooked, partly because they more often have inattentive symptoms, and on average they are diagnosed later.

Is ADHD becoming more common?

Diagnosis and treatment have risen sharply. The rate of Australians dispensed ADHD medication on the PBS rose from 2 per 1,000 people in 2004–05 to 22 per 1,000 in 2023–24, reflecting more people being diagnosed and treated.

Next steps

Read what is ADHD? and ADHD symptoms in adults, or start with the free ADHD self-assessment.

This article is general information only and is not medical advice. Figures are estimates from the sources cited and are updated as new data is published. ADHD GP is a private telehealth clinic staffed by AHPRA-registered Australian GPs.

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References

1. healthdirect (Australian Government). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). 2025. www.healthdirect.gov.au — ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition that begins in early childhood; around 1 in 20 people in Australia has ADHD; it is partly genetic; an adult diagnosis requires evidence that symptoms began in childhood; learning difficulties can occur alongside it.
2. Australian ADHD Professionals Association. About ADHD (Australian ADHD Guideline). 2022. adhdguideline.aadpa.com.au — ADHD prevalence is 6–10% in Australian children and 2–6% in adults; heritability 70–80%; symptoms are present before age 12 though diagnosis may come later; 60–86% show symptomatic persistence into adulthood.
3. Parliament of Australia — Senate Community Affairs References Committee. Assessment and support services for people with ADHD — Chapter 1. 2023. www.aph.gov.au — ADHD occurs in about 6–10% of Australian children and adolescents and 2–6% of adults; heritability is estimated at 70–80%; Deloitte estimated 814,500 Australians living with ADHD in 2019 at a cost of $20.42 billion.
4. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. ADHD medications dispensed over time. 2025. www.aihw.gov.au — PBS-dispensed ADHD medication rose from 2 patients per 1,000 population in 2004–05 to 22 in 2023–24; over 4.6 million prescriptions to just under 600,000 patients in 2023–24, 87% psychostimulants. From 2018–19 to 2023–24 the rate for females rose five-fold (4 to 19 per 1,000) while the rate for males more than doubled (11 to 26); by 2023–24 rates for adults were higher in females than males.
5. Young Minds Matter (Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing). Prevalence of mental disorders. 2015. youngmindsmatter.thekids.org.au — ADHD was the most common mental disorder in Australian 4–17-year-olds (7.4%).
6. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Australia’s children — children with mental illness. 2022. www.aihw.gov.au — ADHD was the most common mental disorder among children aged 4–11 (8.2%) in the 2013–14 national survey.
7. Australian Bureau of Statistics. National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing 2020–2022. 2023. www.abs.gov.au — Assessed three groups of mental disorders — anxiety, affective and substance use disorders — and did not measure ADHD.
8. Simon V, Czobor P, Bálint S, Mészáros Á, Bitter I. Prevalence and correlates of adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: meta-analysis. British Journal of Psychiatry. 2009. PubMed PMID 19252145 — Pooled prevalence of adult ADHD 2.5% (95% CI 2.1–3.1).
9. Deloitte Access Economics (for AADPA). The social and economic costs of ADHD in Australia. 2019. www.deloitte.com — ADHD affects approximately 281,200 children and adolescents and 533,300 adults in Australia; total cost in 2019 estimated at $20.42 billion.
10. Hinshaw SP, Nguyen PT, O’Grady SM, Rosenthal EA. Annual Research Review: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in girls and women: underrepresentation, longitudinal processes, and key directions. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2022. PubMed PMID 34231220 — Review of presentation, under-identification and outcomes of ADHD in girls and women, including the predominance of inattentive symptoms.
11. Skoglund C, Sundström Poromaa I, Leksell D, et al. Time after time: failure to identify and support females with ADHD — a Swedish population register study. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2024. PubMed PMID 38016697 — Females were about four years older than males at first ADHD diagnosis (23.5 vs 19.6 years).

Sources were last checked on 5 October 2026. See all sources used on this site on our Sources page.