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  • NEWS FEATURE

ADHD diagnoses are growing. What’s going on?

More children and adults are being diagnosed with ADHD in some countries. Science is helping to understand why — and how best to provide support.
By
  1. Helen Pearson
Conceptual illustration showing abstract overlapping human profiles in blue and black tones, reflecting the complexity and layered nature of ADHD

Illustration by Ada Zielińska

In some parts of the world, record numbers of people are being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In the United States, for example, government researchers last year reported that more than 11% of children had received an ADHD diagnosis at some point in their lives1 — a sharp increase from 2003, when around 8% of children had (see ‘ADHD among US boys and girls’).

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Nature 647, 836-840 (2025)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-03855-2

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