Eczema is one of the most common skin conditions in the United States, and the newest federal data shows it is still climbing. In 2024, 12.7% of US children and 7.7% of US adults had diagnosed eczema, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Worldwide, roughly 129 million people were living with atopic dermatitis in 2021, a 20% rise since 1990, based on the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. The market built around treating it is growing just as fast, on track to reach $29.88 billion by 2030 per Grand View Research. Here are the eczema statistics worth knowing in 2026.
Key Eczema Statistics at a Glance
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7.7% of US adults had diagnosed eczema in 2024, up from 7.3% in 2021 (CDC, 2024).
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12.7% of US children ages 0 to 17 had diagnosed eczema in 2024 (CDC, 2024).
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Eczema was the second most common allergic condition in US children in 2024, behind seasonal allergies (CDC, 2024).
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Women were far more likely to have eczema than men, 9.5% versus 5.7% in 2024 (CDC, 2024).
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About 129 million people worldwide had atopic dermatitis in 2021, a 20% increase since 1990 (Global Burden of Disease Study, 2021).
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Global cases are projected to reach 148 million by 2050 (Global Burden of Disease Study, 2021).
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Atopic dermatitis carries the highest disability burden of any skin disease measured (Global Burden of Disease Study, 2021).
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Around one in four adults with atopic dermatitis report that it started in adulthood (Silverberg, 2020).
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Roughly 80% of childhood eczema does not persist by age 8, and fewer than 5% still have it 20 years after diagnosis (Kim et al., 2016).
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The atopic dermatitis drugs market was worth $17.64 billion in 2024 and is forecast to hit $29.88 billion by 2030 (Grand View Research, 2025).
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All-cause annual costs reached $23,242 per patient with severe disease versus $8,936 for clear-to-mild disease (Chiesa Fuxench et al., 2022).
Eczema Prevalence in the United States
The clearest picture of eczema in America comes from the National Health Interview Survey, the annual federal survey that tracks diagnosed conditions across the population. The CDC reported that 12.7% of children ages 0 to 17 had diagnosed eczema in 2024. That made eczema the second most common allergic condition in kids, behind seasonal allergies at 20.6% and ahead of food allergies at 5.3%.
Eczema shows up earliest in life. Among children, prevalence was highest in the 0 to 5 age group at 14.0%, followed by 12.7% in ages 6 to 11 and 11.6% in ages 12 to 17, per the CDC. Girls and boys were affected at similar rates, 13.3% and 12.2%.
Among adults, 7.7% had diagnosed eczema in 2024, according to the CDC. That figure has drifted upward from 7.3% in 2021, based on the same NHIS series.
The adult numbers vary sharply by group. Women reported eczema at 9.5% compared with 5.7% for men, a gap the CDC flagged as one of the survey's most notable demographic findings. Prevalence was also highest in the youngest adults, at 9.1% for ages 18 to 44, and it declined with age.
Race and geography matter too. Diagnosed eczema in 2024 reached 8.7% among Black adults and 8.5% among Asian adults, above the 7.9% seen in White adults and the 5.1% in Hispanic adults, per the CDC. Adults in metropolitan areas were more likely to report eczema than those in nonmetropolitan areas, 7.9% versus 6.4%.
Taken together with the wider allergy picture, the burden is large. Nearly three in ten US adults and three in ten children had a seasonal allergy, eczema, or food allergy in 2024, the CDC found.
The Global Burden of Eczema
Eczema is a global condition, and the most authoritative worldwide count comes from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021, a systematic analysis coordinated by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. It estimated that 129 million people were living with atopic dermatitis in 2021, a 20% increase in total cases since 1990.
Some of that growth reflects population change rather than rising risk. The age-standardized prevalence rate, which adjusts for a growing and aging population, was 1,728.5 per 100,000 in 2021, slightly lower than in 1990. The absolute count keeps rising even as the standardized rate holds roughly flat.
The trajectory points upward. The Global Burden of Disease Study projected that global cases will reach 148 million by 2050 if current patterns hold.
Eczema also punches above its weight in terms of disability. Atopic dermatitis carried the highest age-standardized disability burden of any skin disease measured in the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021, a reflection of how much itch, sleep loss, and visible symptoms weigh on daily life.
Types, Onset, and the Course of Eczema
Atopic dermatitis is the most common form of eczema, and its timing follows a pattern. For many people it begins in early childhood, then eases over time.
Roughly 80% of childhood eczema does not persist by age 8, and fewer than 5% of patients still have active disease 20 years after diagnosis, according to a meta-analysis of 45 studies published by Kim and colleagues. Earlier onset and more severe disease were each linked to a higher chance of persistence.
Eczema is not only a childhood condition, though. About one in four adults with atopic dermatitis report that their disease began in adulthood, based on research summarized by Silverberg. Adult-onset eczema can present differently from the childhood form, which complicates the assumption that people simply outgrow it.
Quality of Life and Economic Burden
The daily toll of eczema goes beyond the skin. Adults with atopic dermatitis face elevated rates of anxiety and depression, and disrupted sleep is one of the most common complaints, per the review by Silverberg.
The financial burden scales with severity. All-cause annual healthcare costs reached $23,242 per patient with severe atopic dermatitis, compared with $8,936 for patients with clear-to-mild disease, in a US claims analysis led by Chiesa Fuxench. Severe disease costs about two and a half times as much to manage as milder cases.
Out-of-pocket spending adds pressure that federal prevalence counts miss. A study of the financial burden of atopic dermatitis found that a meaningful share of patients had been unable to afford treatment at some point, underscoring how cost shapes care, per Smith Begolka and colleagues.
At the population level, the combined direct and indirect cost of atopic dermatitis in the United States was estimated at about $5.3 billion in inflation-adjusted terms, a figure drawn from national cost research and reported by Drucker and colleagues. That total spans prescriptions, doctor visits, and lost productivity.
The Atopic Dermatitis Treatment Market
Rising prevalence and a wave of new drugs have turned eczema care into a major market. The global atopic dermatitis drugs market was worth $17.64 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $29.88 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual rate of 9.02%, according to Grand View Research.
Biologic drugs are driving the growth. The biologics segment accounted for 38.07% of global revenue in 2024, reflecting demand for newer, high-efficacy therapies, per Grand View Research. Even so, topical treatments still led by route of administration, holding 39.73% of the market in 2024.
North America dominates spending, taking 45.12% of the global market in 2024, based on the same Grand View Research analysis. That concentration tracks with the high US prevalence and the cost figures above.
What's New in Eczema Research for 2026
The freshest numbers in this space are the 2024 NHIS results, released by the CDC in January 2026. They confirm that adult eczema prevalence has edged up from 7.3% to 7.7% since 2021, and they provide the most detailed demographic breakdown to date, including the sizable gap between women (9.5%) and men (5.7%).
The other major 2026 storyline is long-range projection. The Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 now forecasts 148 million global cases by 2050, framing eczema as a condition that will keep growing in absolute terms for decades even as age-standardized rates level off.
Finally, the economics are shifting toward advanced therapies. With the atopic dermatitis drugs market set to nearly double to $29.88 billion by 2030 and biologics already claiming almost 40% of revenue, per Grand View Research, spending is moving up the acuity scale even though most people with eczema have mild disease managed at home.
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