Eczema is not rare. Globally, about 2.6% of the population, or 204 million people, live with atopic dermatitis (the most common form of eczema) at any given time. In the United States, the numbers are even higher: roughly 31.6 million Americans, about 10% of the population, have some form of eczema. It’s one of the most common skin conditions in the world, especially among children.
How Common Eczema Is Worldwide
Of the 204 million people affected globally, the split between age groups is nearly even: about 103 million are children and 101 million are adults. But those numbers only capture people who currently have active symptoms. Lifetime prevalence, meaning the chance that someone will experience eczema at some point in their life, is considerably higher. Depending on the country, lifetime rates range from as low as 1.2% in parts of Turkey and Ethiopia to over 30% in Scandinavian countries and parts of China.
Eczema rates have also been climbing. A study spanning nearly three decades found that the prevalence of eczema symptoms increased by roughly 1 percentage point per decade in both children and adolescents. That may sound small, but across billions of people it translates to millions of additional cases each generation.
Why Rates Vary So Much by Location
Where you live has a significant effect on your likelihood of developing eczema. Urban populations have roughly three times the rate of eczema compared to rural ones. One cross-sectional study found a prevalence of 25% in urban areas versus 15% in rural areas. About 30% of urban residents with eczema had symptoms linked to environmental pollutants, compared to 10% in rural settings. Rural populations, on the other hand, had more exposure to agricultural allergens but lower overall rates.
Country-level differences are dramatic. The U.S. rate of around 10% is higher than the global average of 2.6%, likely reflecting a combination of genetics, climate, urban living, and diagnostic patterns. Scandinavian countries report some of the highest lifetime rates in the world, while parts of East Africa and the Middle East report some of the lowest.
Eczema in Children vs. Adults
Eczema is overwhelmingly a childhood condition. Most cases begin in the first five years of life, and infants have the highest rates of any age group. In U.S. survey data, children under 5 had a prevalence of around 8% to nearly 14% depending on the time period measured. The good news for parents: most children outgrow it. A meta-analysis found that 80% of childhood eczema cases resolve within eight years. Fewer than 5% of cases persist 20 years after diagnosis.
That said, “outgrowing” eczema doesn’t always mean it’s gone forever. Some people experience flare-ups that return in adulthood after years of remission, and adult-onset eczema, while less common, does occur. The roughly 10% adult prevalence in the U.S. includes both people whose childhood eczema never fully resolved and those who developed it later.
Severity: Most Cases Are Mild
If you have eczema, there’s a strong statistical chance your case falls on the milder end. Community-based research shows that 84% of eczema cases are mild, 14% are moderate, and only about 2% are severe. This matters because the experience of someone with occasional dry, itchy patches on their hands is vastly different from someone with widespread, painful inflammation that disrupts sleep and daily life. The severe end of the spectrum is genuinely rare, even among people who already have the condition.
Differences Across Racial and Ethnic Groups
Eczema affects all racial and ethnic groups, but it shows up differently depending on your background. The genetic factors driving eczema vary by population. Mutations in filaggrin, a protein that helps maintain the skin barrier, are the strongest known genetic risk factor. These mutations appear in up to 50% of European eczema patients, about 27% of Asian patients, and are six times less common in people of African descent.
Despite having fewer of these specific mutations, Black adults in the U.S. who are referred for allergy-related skin testing carry eczema diagnoses at rates of 21% to 38%, compared to 16% to 29% in white adults. Hispanic adults fall around 26%, and Asian adults around 33%. The condition also looks different on different skin tones. Asian patients tend to develop more defined, scaly plaques, while Black patients more commonly show raised bumps on the outer surfaces of the arms and legs. On darker skin, eczema can take on a pattern that resembles other conditions entirely, which sometimes leads to delayed diagnosis.
The related health risks also differ. Black children with eczema have a higher risk of developing asthma, while white children with eczema are more likely to develop hay fever and food allergies.
Different Types of Eczema
When people say “eczema,” they usually mean atopic dermatitis, but the term actually covers several related skin conditions. Contact dermatitis, which is caused by skin reacting to a specific substance, may affect nearly one in five people. It’s actually more common than atopic dermatitis in the general population, though the two frequently overlap. Among people with atopic dermatitis, the rate of also having contact dermatitis may be as high as 41%. Other types include dyshidrotic eczema (small blisters on the hands and feet) and nummular eczema (coin-shaped patches), both of which are less common than atopic dermatitis but still affect millions of people worldwide.
Taken together, all forms of eczema make it one of the most prevalent skin conditions on earth. It is, by any standard definition, a common disease rather than a rare one.