Peanut allergy affects roughly 1.4% to 2% of the population in the United States and Europe, making it one of the most common food allergies. That translates to millions of people, and the number has climbed sharply: prevalence increased 3.5-fold over two decades, rising from 0.4% in 1997 to 1.4% by 2008.
Prevalence in Children vs. Adults
Peanut allergy is most common in young children. In the U.S., UK, and Australia, it predominantly affects kids under five. Up to 3% of American children are allergic to peanuts, a higher rate than the general population figure because many children either outgrow the allergy or haven’t yet been exposed and diagnosed as adults.
Australia has some of the highest rates recorded anywhere. The HealthNuts study in Melbourne found that among infants aged 11 to 15 months, peanut allergy rates reached notable levels, with the overall childhood rate making Australia a global outlier. By contrast, peanut allergy is far less common in most of Asia. A cohort study in Singapore found that only 0.1% to 0.3% of children aged one to four had a peanut allergy, despite the fact that most of those children weren’t introduced to peanuts until after 10 months of age.
Why Rates Vary by Region
Geography matters more than genetics alone. Research in both Singapore and Australia has shown that children of Asian ancestry born in Western countries are about 3.5 times more likely to develop peanut allergy than children of the same ancestry born in Asia. In Melbourne, infants whose parents were born in East Asia had a peanut allergy rate of 7.7%, compared to 2.3% among infants whose parents were born in the UK or Europe. Something about the Western environment, whether it’s dietary patterns, microbial exposure, or other lifestyle factors, appears to increase risk regardless of ethnic background.
Racial and Ethnic Patterns in the U.S.
In the U.S., peanut allergy doesn’t affect all demographic groups equally. Hispanic adults make up about 15.4% of the population but account for 20.9% of those with peanut allergies. Non-Hispanic Black adults are similarly overrepresented, comprising 11.6% of the population but 15.5% of peanut allergy cases. Asian Americans show the same pattern on a smaller scale, representing 3.8% of the population but 6.3% of peanut allergy diagnoses. The reasons behind these disparities aren’t fully understood, but they point to a combination of environmental, dietary, and possibly healthcare-access factors.
Why Peanut Allergy Keeps Rising
The 3.5-fold increase from 1997 to 2008 is too fast to be explained by genetics. Several environmental shifts likely play a role. For years, pediatric guidelines recommended delaying peanut introduction in infants, which may have inadvertently increased sensitization. Changes in food processing, reduced exposure to diverse microbes in early childhood, and rising rates of other allergic conditions like eczema all appear to contribute. The increase has been consistent across Western countries, suggesting shared environmental drivers rather than anything unique to one nation.
How Serious Reactions Can Be
Peanut allergy carries a higher risk of severe reactions than most other food allergies. In a large analysis of food-related anaphylaxis cases in New York City over 15 years, peanuts were the single most common trigger for hospitalizations, responsible for 27.1% of all food-anaphylaxis hospital admissions. They also accounted for about 20% of emergency department visits for food-triggered anaphylaxis. While fatal reactions are rare, peanuts were implicated in 16.7% of food-anaphylaxis deaths in that same dataset, reinforcing why this particular allergy demands careful management.
Do Children Outgrow It?
About 20% to 25% of children with peanut allergies eventually outgrow them. That’s a meaningful minority, but it also means roughly three out of four kids with a peanut allergy will carry it into adulthood. Among those who do outgrow it, about 80% will have done so by age eight. Allergists can track whether the allergy is fading through periodic skin prick tests and blood tests that measure the immune response to peanut protein. If those markers decline over time, a supervised oral food challenge in a clinical setting can confirm whether the allergy has resolved.
Early Introduction Reduces Risk
One of the most significant findings in food allergy research came from a landmark trial that tested whether feeding peanut products to high-risk infants could prevent the allergy from developing. The results were striking: introducing peanut-containing foods early in infancy reduced the risk of peanut allergy at age five by 81%. Follow-up data showed the protection held into adolescence, with a 71% reduction in peanut allergy compared to children who avoided peanuts early on.
This research reversed decades of advice. Current guidelines now recommend introducing peanut-containing foods (in age-appropriate forms like thinned peanut butter or peanut puffs, not whole peanuts) to infants around four to six months, particularly those at higher risk due to severe eczema or egg allergy. For high-risk infants, allergy testing before introduction can help guide the process safely.