Parkinson's Disease Statistics

Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder in the world after Alzheimer's disease and the fastest-growing neurological condition globally. Nearly 90,000 Americans are diagnosed each year, and an estimated one million people in the United States and more than 11 million worldwide are living with the disease. The total economic burden in the U.S. reached $82.2 billion in 2024. Between 1990 and 2019, global prevalence more than doubled — a trend researchers have called a “Parkinson pandemic.”

Prevalence

Prevalence measures how many people are living with a condition at a given point in time.

Prevalence by sex is consistent across studies: men are diagnosed at roughly 1.5 times the rate of women. The reasons include both biological factors (potential neuroprotective effects of estrogen) and environmental factors (men have higher rates of occupational pesticide and solvent exposure).

Incidence

Incidence measures how many new cases are diagnosed in a given time period.

The 90,000 annual U.S. diagnosis figure, published in 2022, represents a 50 percent increase over prior estimates. The revision reflects improved study methodologies, including the use of Medicare and private insurance claims data covering larger and more representative populations, rather than a true sudden increase in disease incidence.

The Fastest-Growing Neurological Disorder

The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2019 documented that Parkinson's disease prevalence more than doubled between 1990 and 2019 — the fastest rate of increase among all neurological conditions. Neurologist E. Ray Dorsey and colleagues described this acceleration as a “Parkinson pandemic.” The increase is driven by converging factors:

• Population aging. As global life expectancy increases, more people enter the age range where PD risk is highest. In many countries, the population over age 65 is growing rapidly, and by 2050 the global population over 65 is projected to exceed 1.5 billion.
• Increased environmental exposure. Industrialization, widespread pesticide use, and the proliferation of chemicals like trichloroethylene (TCE) may be contributing to rising incidence, particularly in newly industrializing regions of Asia, Africa, and South America.
• Improved diagnosis. Greater awareness of PD, better access to neurological care in some regions, and wider use of imaging tools mean that more cases are being identified that previously went undiagnosed.
• Longer survival. Modern medications and improved overall medical care mean that people with Parkinson's live longer after diagnosis, increasing the total number of people living with the disease at any given time (prevalence).

The Dorsey et al. projection estimates that the number of people with Parkinson's disease worldwide will exceed 14 million by 2040 — roughly double the current figure. This projection has profound implications for healthcare systems, caregiving resources, and research funding worldwide.

Demographics

Race and Ethnicity

U.S. studies have found that White and Hispanic individuals are diagnosed with PD at higher rates than Black and Asian individuals. However, researchers caution that these differences may substantially reflect disparities in access to neurological care, diagnostic bias, study recruitment patterns, and cultural factors in healthcare-seeking behavior. A 2020 study found that when standardized screening tools were applied equally across racial groups, disparities in PD diagnosis narrowed considerably. Understanding and addressing these disparities is a priority for the Parkinson's research community.

Geography

• Higher reported prevalence in North America, Europe, and Australia
• Lower reported prevalence in Africa and parts of Asia, though underdiagnosis is likely a significant factor
• Within countries, agricultural regions tend to have higher PD rates than urban areas — consistent with the pesticide exposure hypothesis
• U.S. geographic hotspots include the Rust Belt, Southern California, Southeastern Texas, Central Pennsylvania, and Florida
• The Midwest and Great Plains states, with heavy agricultural activity, report some of the highest U.S. PD rates

Economic Burden

Parkinson's disease imposes a substantial financial burden on individuals, families, and healthcare systems.

The Yang et al. 2020 analysis, published in npj Parkinson's Disease, estimated that the total U.S. economic burden was $51.9 billion in 2017 and projected it would grow to $79 billion by 2037. That projection was overtaken far earlier than expected: a 2024 Parkinson's Foundation report put the actual U.S. burden at $82.2 billion. The per-patient economic burden rises steeply with disease stage: Stage 1-2 patients incur relatively modest costs (primarily medications and specialist visits), while Stage 4-5 patients may require 24-hour caregiving, frequent hospitalizations, skilled nursing facility placement, and advanced medical therapies.

Research Funding

• The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the largest public funder of Parkinson's research; its Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools (RePORT/RCDC) reported roughly $250 million in Parkinson's disease research funding in fiscal year 2023.
• The Michael J. Fox Foundation has funded more than $2 billion in Parkinson's research since its founding in 2000, making it the largest non-governmental funder of PD research worldwide. In late 2025 and early 2026, MJFF awarded 142 new research grants totaling $101 million.
• Despite being the fastest-growing neurological disorder, Parkinson's disease receives substantially less research funding per affected person than several other neurological conditions, including Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis.
• The Parkinson's Foundation, APDA, Davis Phinney Foundation, and Cure Parkinson's (UK) collectively contribute additional millions annually to research, patient education, and support services.

Key Takeaways