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Arthritis statistics 2025

Nearly a quarter of American adults have arthritis. See arthritis stats by age, sex, and race to find out if you're at risk.
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By | Updated on Feb. 4, 2025 Medically reviewed by Anne Jacobson, MD, MPH
Map of the U.S. with charts and graphs: Arthritis statistics
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Many people associate arthritis with aging, but it’s a condition that affects both children and adults all over the world. Let’s take a look at some arthritis statistics to better understand what this chronic condition is, who it affects, how to prevent it, and how it can be treated. 

What is arthritis?

Arthritis, or joint disease, is inflammation of one or more joints, such as the knees, knuckles, wrists, or ankles. Symptoms of arthritis include joint pain, swelling, and stiffness. Some forms of arthritis, like osteoarthritis, are commonly associated with aging. Other types of arthritis, like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, are autoimmune diseases that can affect people of different ages. There are more than 100 different types of arthritis. Osteoarthritis is the most common overall. Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common autoimmune form of arthritis.

Arthritis is typically diagnosed after a series of physical exams, blood tests, and X-rays. Doctors will look for signs and symptoms of different forms of arthritis and may run tests to determine what kind of arthritis someone has. Changes suggestive of arthritis are seen on X-rays and other imaging studies. Blood tests may be used to check for antibodies that indicate autoimmune forms of arthritis. 

How common is arthritis?

  • More than 350 million people have arthritis globally (Global RA Network, 2021).
  • In the United States, 1 in 5 adults has arthritis (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024). 
  • It’s estimated that by 2040, 78 million U.S. adults will have arthritis (Arthritis & Rheumatology, 2016). 

Arthritis statistics by type

There are many types of arthritis and related conditions. Here are statistics for some of the most common forms of arthritis.

Osteoarthritis 

  • Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disorder in the United States (Clinics in Geriatric Medicine, 2010). 
  • More than 33 million U.S. adults have osteoarthritis (CDC, 2024). 
  • Sixty-two percent of people with osteoarthritis are women (Osteoarthritis Action Alliance, 2021). 
  • More than 22% of adults around the world who are older than 40 have knee osteoarthritis (EClinicalMedicine, 2020). 
  • More than 14 million Americans have symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (Arthritis Foundation, 2019). 

Rheumatoid arthritis 

  • Up to 18 million people around the world have rheumatoid arthritis (World Health Organization, 2023). 
  • Rheumatoid arthritis affects more than 1.36 million adults in the U.S. (Rheumatology International, 2017). 

Gout 

  • More than 55 million people around the world have gout (Lancet Rheumatology, 2024).
  • More than 9 million Americans have gout (Rheumatology [Oxford], 2019). 
  • Nearly 4% of U.S. adults have gout (Rheumatology [Oxford], 2019). 

Juvenile arthritis 

  • About 1 child in every 1,000 develops juvenile idiopathic arthritis (American College of Rheumatology, 2025).
  • Juvenile arthritis affects almost 300,000 kids younger than 16 in the United States every year (Arthritis Foundation, 2021). 
  • Juvenile idiopathic arthritis is the most common childhood chronic rheumatologic disorder (Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America, 2021). 

Systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus)

  • More than 1.5 million Americans have lupus (Lupus Foundation of America, 2025).
  • Over 3.4 million people around the world have lupus (BMJ Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, 2023).
  • Lupus affects women more than men by a rate of 10 to 1 (National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus, 2024).

Psoriatic arthritis

  • Up to 3% of the global population has psoriasis. Around 30% of people with psoriasis will develop psoriatic arthritis (National Psoriasis Foundation, 2022).

Arthritis statistics by age

  • Around 19% of people in the U.S. over 18 have arthritis (CDC, 2024).
  • Nearly 54% of U.S. adults who are 75 or older have arthritis (CDC, 2024). 
  • Only 3.6% of people in the U.S. ages 18 to 34 have arthritis (CDC, 2024).
  • The prevalence of arthritis is 11.5% for those ages 35-49 and 44% for those ages 50 – 74 (CDC, 2024)). 

Arthritis statistics by race/ethnicity

  • The prevalence of arthritis in non-Hispanic white people in the U.S. ages 18 and older is 20.7% (CDC, 2024).
  • 19.2% of non-Hispanic Black people have been diagnosed with arthritis (CDC, 2024).
  • 14.6% of Hispanic adults have been diagnosed with arthritis (CDC, 2024).
  • Among non-Hispanic Asian adults, the number is 11.3% (CDC, 2024).
  • 22.5% of those who identify as multi-racial or another race have arthritis (CDC, 2024). 

Arthritis statistics by sex

  • Women are three times more likely to have rheumatoid arthritis (Medscape, 2023). 
  • 60% of people with osteoarthritis are women (Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 2024). 
  • Women’s risk of developing arthritis increases after the age of 50 (Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2021).
  • Women report more pain from arthritis than men do (Arthritis Health, 2021). 

Arthritis and overall health

  • As many as 88% of people say arthritis affects their quality of life (SingleCare, 2021). 
  • 54% of survey respondents reported moderate to severe arthritis pain (SingleCare, 2021).
  • 58% of survey respondents reported that arthritis has had a moderate to significant impact on their lives (SingleCare, 2021). 
  • 25.7 million U.S. adults are limited physically by their arthritis (CDC, 2024). 
  • Arthritis and other rheumatic conditions are a leading cause of work limitations in the U.S. (CDC, 2024). 
  • More than 560,000 hospitalizations in the U.S. in 2017 involved rheumatoid arthritis (Cureus, 2020). 
  • People with osteoarthritis have a 24% higher risk of having cardiovascular disease than those without it (Arthritis Foundation, 2022). 
  • People with rheumatoid arthritis have a 50 – 70% higher risk of cardiovascular disease (Arthritis Foundation, 2022).
  • It’s estimated that by 2040, an estimated 35 million adults will report arthritis-attributable activity limitations (CDC, 2024). 

The cost of arthritis

  • Medical care and lost earnings related to arthritis amount to more than $300 billion every year (CDC, 2024). 

Causes of arthritis

Rheumatic diseases like arthritis are complex and can have numerous causes. Autoimmune diseases, injuries, infections, normal wear and tear on joints, and genetics can cause it. 

“Most commonly, arthritis is seen in adults over age 65,” says Tom Biernacki, DPM, a board-certified foot and ankle surgeon and podiatrist in Berkley, Michigan. “It is more common in people who are very active, such as people who are on their feet all day at work. Other risk factors include people who are overweight and people who have less muscle mass compared to their body weight. Unfortunately, as we all get older, on average, we get heavier, and our muscles get weaker. This will lead to increased wear and tear of cartilage and eventually bone-on-bone rubbing. This does eventually catch up to most people who develop enough risk factors.”

Arthritis prevention 

It may not be possible to prevent arthritis entirely, but there are some things you can do to reduce your chances of developing it. Exercising regularly is important to help keep your muscles strong and your joints limber. This will also help prevent injuries. Maintaining a healthy body weight is also important because there’s less weight putting pressure on weight-bearing joints. Almost 23% of overweight adults and 31% of adults with obesity reported being diagnosed with arthritis, according to the CDC. Other ways to help prevent arthritis include stretching regularly and getting routine check-ups to make sure your joints are staying healthy.

Treating arthritis

Medications are often used to treat arthritis because they can reduce chronic pain and inflammation. Painkillers and over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications may help arthritis pain. Corticosteroids can suppress the immune system and reduce inflammation. For conditions like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) can stop the immune system from attacking healthy joints. Biologic response modifiers target protein molecules involved in the immune response and help reduce inflammation. 

“Inflammation can be well controlled with anti-inflammatories, but this is usually a supplement and not the main treatment,” says Dr. Biernacki. “This should function as an assistive treatment, and not the core treatment.” 

Physical therapy, exercise, and a healthy lifestyle are cornerstones of arthritis treatment. For people who have not found relief with other methods, surgical procedures are also available for some forms of arthritis. 

Arthritis questions and answers

What country has the most cases of arthritis?

One study indicates that the United States has the highest prevalence of arthritis, especially osteoarthritis.

What percent of the U.S. population has arthritis?

Twenty-three percent of U.S. adults have some form of arthritis. 

How many new cases of arthritis are there per year?

The prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis is predicted to rise by as much as 1% each year. 

What is the average age of getting arthritis?

The average age of getting arthritis varies depending on the type of arthritis, but most people develop the condition between 30 and 60. 

Why is arthritis more common in females?

Once women reach menopause, estrogen levels drop, and estrogen helps fight cartilage and joint inflammation. Women also have more flexible joints than men, which increases their risk of getting arthritis.

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