Yeast infections are extremely common. Roughly 75% of women will experience at least one vaginal yeast infection during their lifetime, making it one of the most frequent gynecological conditions worldwide. About 40% to 50% of those women will have at least one recurrence, and between 5% and 10% develop recurrent infections, meaning four or more episodes in a single year.
How Many Women Are Affected Each Year
At any given time, an estimated 17% to 39% of women of childbearing age have a vaginal yeast infection. That range is wide because rates shift depending on geography, climate, and how populations are screened. To put the numbers in global perspective, recurrent yeast infections alone affect roughly 138 million women each year, with estimates ranging from 103 million to 172 million. That figure only counts women dealing with repeated episodes, not the much larger number experiencing a single, one-off infection.
In the United States, yeast-related conditions generate millions of doctor visits annually. Many more cases never reach a clinic at all because over-the-counter antifungal treatments are widely available. The true number of infections is almost certainly higher than any official count captures.
Age Groups Most Affected
Yeast infections peak during the reproductive years, particularly between ages 18 and 34. Women in the 25 to 34 age group carry the highest prevalence of recurrent infections, at around 9%. This lines up with what’s known about the role of estrogen: the hormone promotes glycogen production in vaginal tissue, which feeds the yeast species that cause these infections.
After menopause, when estrogen levels drop significantly, yeast infections become less common. They don’t disappear entirely, especially for women using hormone replacement therapy, but the overall rate declines. Teenagers can also get yeast infections, though bacterial vaginal infections are actually more prevalent in women under 18 and over 51.
Yeast Infections During Pregnancy
Pregnant women are particularly susceptible. Higher estrogen levels during pregnancy increase sugar content in vaginal secretions, creating an environment where yeast thrives. Infections are most common during the second and third trimesters. While a yeast infection during pregnancy isn’t dangerous to the baby, it can be more difficult to treat and more likely to recur until hormone levels normalize after delivery.
How Diabetes Changes the Risk
Women with diabetes face roughly double the risk. In one study comparing women with and without diabetes, 46% of those with diabetes had a vaginal yeast infection at the time of testing, compared to 23% of healthy controls. That’s a relative risk of about 2.45 times higher. Elevated blood sugar gives yeast more fuel to grow, and the immune changes associated with diabetes make it harder for the body to keep yeast populations in check. Poorly controlled blood sugar amplifies the risk further.
Can Men Get Yeast Infections?
Yes, though far less frequently. In men, yeast infections typically appear as balanitis, an inflammation of the head of the penis. Globally, about 3% of uncircumcised men are affected. In U.S. urology clinics, balanitis accounts for roughly 11% of visits, though not all of those cases are caused by yeast (bacteria and skin conditions can cause it too).
Uncircumcised men are at higher risk because the warm, moist environment beneath the foreskin encourages yeast growth. Other risk factors overlap with those in women: diabetes, antibiotic use, and a weakened immune system.
Recurrent Infections Are Less Common but Significant
While a single yeast infection is nearly universal among women at some point, recurrent infections (four or more per year) affect fewer than 5% to 10% of women. That percentage sounds small, but it represents tens of millions of women globally who deal with ongoing discomfort, treatment costs, and disruption to daily life. Recurrent infections often require longer or repeated courses of antifungal treatment and sometimes a maintenance regimen lasting several months.
Recurrence doesn’t always mean something is “wrong.” Some women are simply more prone to yeast overgrowth due to their individual vaginal microbiome, genetics, or hormone patterns. That said, recurrent infections can sometimes signal undiagnosed diabetes or an immune issue worth investigating.
Self-Diagnosis Is Often Wrong
One reason yeast infection statistics are tricky is that many women treat themselves without seeing a doctor, and a large portion of them are treating the wrong condition. Research from the American Academy of Family Physicians found that only 34% of women who believed they had a yeast infection were correct. Another 20% had a yeast infection combined with a second type of vaginal infection. The rest had something else entirely, most commonly bacterial vaginosis, which requires a completely different treatment.
This matters because antifungal creams and suppositories do nothing for bacterial vaginosis. Using the wrong treatment delays relief and can allow the actual infection to worsen. If your symptoms don’t match your past experience with yeast infections, or if over-the-counter treatment doesn’t resolve things within a few days, getting tested gives you a much more reliable answer than guessing.
What Causes Most Infections
The yeast species responsible for the vast majority of vaginal infections is Candida albicans. It lives naturally in small amounts in the vagina, gut, and on the skin. An infection happens when something disrupts the balance, allowing it to multiply. Common triggers include antibiotics (which kill off protective bacteria), hormonal shifts from birth control or pregnancy, high blood sugar, and a suppressed immune system.
Non-albicans species, particularly Candida glabrata, cause a smaller but meaningful share of infections. These tend to be more resistant to standard over-the-counter treatments. They’re more common in women with diabetes, women who’ve had multiple rounds of antifungal treatment, and older women. If a yeast infection doesn’t respond to typical treatment, a non-albicans species is one of the first things a clinician will consider.