Restless leg syndrome affects roughly 7% of adults worldwide, making it one of the most common neurological conditions. That translates to about 356 million people between the ages of 20 and 79. Despite those numbers, fewer than one-third of people with frequent symptoms ever receive a correct diagnosis.
Overall Prevalence in Adults
A 2024 systematic review spanning 52 studies across 23 countries estimated the global prevalence of restless leg syndrome (RLS) at 7.12% of adults aged 20 to 79. The rate holds remarkably steady across different parts of the world: about 7.3% in high-income countries and 7.1% in low- and middle-income regions. So geography, healthcare access, and lifestyle differences don’t seem to shift the overall numbers much.
Not everyone with RLS needs treatment, though. When researchers narrow the definition to people whose symptoms strike at least twice a week and cause moderate to severe disruption, the prevalence drops to about 1.5%. Within that group, the breakdown is telling: roughly 34% have moderate symptoms, 54% have severe symptoms, and 12% have very severe symptoms. In other words, among the people who are truly struggling, most are dealing with more than mild annoyance.
Women Are Affected More Often Than Men
RLS consistently shows up more in women than men. Globally, about 8.3% of women meet diagnostic criteria compared to 6% of men. That gap appears across every age group and in every region studied. Pregnancy is a major driver of this difference, though hormonal and iron-related factors likely play a role even outside of pregnancy.
Among pregnant women, the prevalence jumps to somewhere between 11% and 34%, depending on the study. That’s two to three times higher than in nonpregnant women. Timing matters: in one study of 500 pregnant women, 29% had RLS overall, but nearly two-thirds of those cases were in the third trimester. Only about 5% appeared in the first trimester. More than half of the affected women had severe symptoms. For most, the condition resolves after delivery, though not all studies have tracked long-term outcomes.
How Prevalence Changes With Age
RLS becomes more common as you get older, but the pattern depends on where you live. In high-income countries, prevalence climbs steadily with age and then levels off around 60. In lower-income countries, it peaks around age 60 and then dips slightly. Either way, the steepest rise happens between your 20s and your 50s.
The numbers tell a clear story. At ages 20 to 24, about 5.5% of adults are affected. By 40 to 44, that climbs to 7.1%. It peaks around 8.6% to 8.7% in the 60 to 74 age range. For men specifically, prevalence roughly doubles from 4.7% in the early 20s to 7.2% by the mid-60s. Women start higher at 6.4% in their early 20s and reach about 10% by their 60s, where it plateaus.
RLS in Children and Adolescents
RLS isn’t just an adult condition. An estimated 2% to 4% of children and adolescents are affected. The numbers jump considerably in kids with ADHD, where studies have found RLS prevalence ranging from 11% to as high as 54%. That wide range reflects differences in how studies were designed and how symptoms were measured, but the overlap between the two conditions is well established. One study that broke results down by age found RLS in about 22% of children aged 4 to 8 with ADHD, 51% of those aged 9 to 13, and 25% of those over 13.
Groups at Higher Risk
Certain medical conditions dramatically increase the likelihood of developing RLS. People on dialysis for kidney failure are among the hardest hit. A global meta-analysis found that 27.2% of dialysis patients have RLS, nearly four times the rate in the general population. The condition in these patients is considered secondary, meaning it’s triggered by the underlying kidney disease rather than arising on its own.
Iron deficiency is another major risk factor. In a study of 124 patients with iron deficiency anemia, 40.3% met the diagnostic criteria for RLS. Even more striking, 82% of those cases were severe to very severe. This connection makes biological sense: iron plays a central role in producing dopamine, the brain chemical most closely linked to RLS symptoms. When iron stores are low, the signaling that controls movement and sensation at rest can go haywire.
Most Cases Go Undiagnosed
Despite affecting tens of millions of people, RLS flies under the radar in clinical settings. Only about 41% of patients who need medical treatment actually receive an RLS diagnosis. Among those with frequent symptoms, fewer than one in three get correctly identified. Part of the problem is that RLS overlaps with other conditions. In one large international study, nearly 69% of RLS patients took more than 30 minutes to fall asleep, which on its own meets the diagnostic threshold for insomnia. About 60% woke up at least three times per night. These symptoms often get attributed to a sleep disorder or anxiety rather than RLS itself.
Misdiagnosis compounds the problem. Because the hallmark symptoms (an uncomfortable urge to move your legs, especially at rest or in the evening) can be vague or hard to describe, patients may go years without the right label. The result is that a condition affecting 7% of adults remains, in practice, largely invisible to the healthcare system. If you experience regular, uncomfortable leg sensations that worsen at night and improve with movement, those symptoms alone are often enough to identify RLS, and knowing what you’re dealing with opens the door to effective management.