Alzheimer's in numbers
Every figure quoted on this site, in one place and grouped by subject. 48 in all. Each card names the organisation the number came from, so you can go and check it.
New: charts of the research library by year and category — studies per year, study scores over time, and the risk-factor, prevention, genetics and biomarker views.
The cards below are a hand-curated set of 48 sourced figures. Newest source year: 2026. File last updated 2026-09-27.
How common it is
How many people have Alzheimer's, who they are, and how that changes with age.
Americans age 65+ living with Alzheimer's dementia
2025 First time the estimate has exceeded 7 million; represents 1 in 9 (11%) of Americans 65+ Source: Alzheimer's Association, 2025 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures (Alzheimer's & Dementia)Alzheimer's prevalence by age: 65-74
2025 Modeled prevalence estimate, not a raw count Source: Alzheimer's Association, 2025 Facts and FiguresAlzheimer's prevalence by age: 75-84
2025 Modeled prevalence estimate Source: Alzheimer's Association, 2025 Facts and FiguresAlzheimer's prevalence by age: 85+
2025 Modeled prevalence estimate Source: Alzheimer's Association, 2025 Facts and FiguresProjected Americans 65+ with Alzheimer's by 2060
2060 Projection; assumes no medical breakthroughs to prevent/cure Alzheimer's Source: Alzheimer's Association, 2025 Facts and FiguresAmericans with younger-onset dementia (before age 65)
2025 Author-described as a limited/estimated evidence base Source: Alzheimer's Association, 2025 Facts and FiguresShare of U.S. Alzheimer's patients who are women
2025 Represents 12% of all U.S. Women 65+ and 10% of all U.S. Men 65+ Source: Alzheimer's Association, 2025 Facts and FiguresLifetime risk of Alzheimer's dementia at age 45, women
2025 Modeled estimate; risk is 'slightly higher' if measured starting at age 65 instead of 45 Source: Alzheimer's Association, 2025 Facts and Figures (citing Chêne et al., Framingham Heart Study data through 2009)Lifetime risk of Alzheimer's dementia at age 45, men
2025 Modeled estimate Source: Alzheimer's Association, 2025 Facts and Figures (citing Chêne et al., Framingham Heart Study)Black Americans 65+ with Alzheimer's dementia (CHAP study)
2025 Compare: 14% for Hispanic and 10% for White older adults in same study; most other prevalence studies put Black older adults at roughly twice the risk of White older adults Source: Alzheimer's Association, 2025 Facts and Figures (CHAP study data)Hispanic Americans 65+ with Alzheimer's dementia (CHAP study)
2025 Some other studies estimate Hispanic older adults at ~1.5x White prevalence; estimates vary by specific Hispanic subgroup Source: Alzheimer's Association, 2025 Facts and Figures (CHAP study data)White Americans 65+ with Alzheimer's dementia (CHAP study)
2025 Reference group for racial/ethnic comparisons Source: Alzheimer's Association, 2025 Facts and Figures (CHAP study data)U.S. adults 65+ with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer's disease
2025 Indirect estimate combining ~17-22% all-cause MCI prevalence with ~50% of MCI cases having Alzheimer's-related brain changes; authors call for more precise biomarker-based studies Source: Alzheimer's Association, 2025 Facts and Figures2026-cycle U.S. Alzheimer's prevalence and cost (most current, for comparison)
2026 Newer figures superseding the 2025-cycle numbers above; included separately so both report cycles are traceable to their correct year Source: Alzheimer's Association, 2026 Facts and Figures ReportDeaths and trends
What the death certificates record, and how the numbers have moved since 2000.
Alzheimer's disease deaths in the U.S.
2022 Most recent year of finalized mortality data cited in the 2025 report Source: Alzheimer's Association, 2025 Facts and Figures (citing official AD death certificates)Alzheimer's disease deaths in the U.S.
2023 Alzheimer's was the 6th-leading cause of death in both 2022 and 2023 Source: CDC/NCHS Data Brief No. 521Alzheimer's disease deaths in the U.S.
2024 6th leading cause of death in 2024; rate calculation methodology may differ slightly from the age-adjusted NCHS Data Brief figures, so is not directly comparable to the 2023 rate above Source: CDC FastStats, National Vital Statistics System via CDC WONDERIncrease in U.S. Alzheimer's deaths, 2000-2022
2022 Contrasted with declines over the same period in deaths from stroke, heart disease, and HIV Source: Alzheimer's Association, 2025 Facts and FiguresCaregiving
Who does the caring, how many hours it takes, and what it costs them.
Family/unpaid dementia caregivers in the U.S.
2025 Alzheimer's Association, 2025 Facts and Figures gave nearly 12 million (11.475 million) for 2024. This page uses the newer edition, the same figure our caregiving pages use. Source: Alzheimer's Association, 2026 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and FiguresHours of unpaid dementia caregiving provided
2025 Alzheimer's Association, 2025 Facts and Figures gave 19.2 billion hours for 2024. This page uses the newer edition, the same figure our caregiving pages use. Source: Alzheimer's Association, 2026 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and FiguresEconomic value of unpaid dementia caregiving
2025 Alzheimer's Association, 2025 Facts and Figures gave $413.5 billion for 2024. This page uses the newer edition, the same figure our caregiving pages use. Source: Alzheimer's Association, 2026 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and FiguresDementia caregivers who are women
2024 Over one-third of all U.S. Dementia caregivers are daughters caring for a parent Source: Alzheimer's Association, 2025 Facts and FiguresDementia caregivers who rated emotional stress of caregiving as high or very high
2024 Self-reported Source: Alzheimer's Association, 2025 Facts and FiguresDementia caregivers employed in the past year who needed schedule changes (came in late/left early/took time off)
2024 Among the 60% of caregivers who were employed in the past year; 16% had to take a formal leave of absence Source: Alzheimer's Association, 2025 Facts and Figures Executive SummaryWhat it costs
The bill for dementia care, per person and nationally, and who pays it.
Total U.S. cost of health care, long-term care, and hospice for people 65+ with dementia
2025 Excludes the value of unpaid caregiving, which is reported separately Source: Alzheimer's Association, 2025 Facts and FiguresProjected total U.S. cost of dementia care
2050 In 2025 dollars; assumes no new treatment breakthroughs; includes a projected 2.6x rise in Medicare/Medicaid spending and 2.4x rise in out-of-pocket costs Source: Alzheimer's Association, 2025 Facts and FiguresLifetime cost of care per person with dementia
2025 70% of this cost is borne directly by families via unpaid caregiving and out-of-pocket spending Source: Alzheimer's Association, 2025 Facts and FiguresAverage per-person annual Medicare payments, dementia vs. no dementia
2025 Comparative ratio, not an absolute dollar figure Source: Alzheimer's Association, 2025 Facts and FiguresAverage per-person annual Medicaid payments, dementia vs. no dementia
2025 Applies to Medicare beneficiaries who also have Medicaid coverage; driven largely by nursing-home/long-term-care costs Source: Alzheimer's Association, 2025 Facts and FiguresOlder Alzheimer's/dementia patients dually covered by Medicare and Medicaid
2025 Source: Alzheimer's Association, 2025 Facts and FiguresGUIDE model respite services cap per aligned patient, performance year 2026 (July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027)
2026 Verbatim: 'Participants can bill as many or as few of the codes for a respite-eligible, aligned patient, up to a per-patient annual cap of $2,625.' MLN7172818 (July 2026): 'The annual cap for PY 2026 is $2,625 per patient.' Cap applies to patients in the moderate and high complexity dyad tiers; not prorated for mid-year alignment; resets each performance year (July 1); unused funds do not carry over. Cap is geographically adjusted per the RFA. PY 2026 respite base rates: in-home G0529 $138 per 4-hour unit, adult day G0530 $104 per day, facility-based G0531 $321 per 24-hour unit (rates up 2.4% from PY 2025). Source: CMS, GUIDE Payment Methodology Paper, Version 3.0 (effective June 1, 2026), Section 5 and Exhibit 17; corroborated by CMS MLN Fact Sheet MLN7172818 (July 2026), p. 3GUIDE model respite services cap per aligned patient, performance year 2025 (July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026)
2025 Verbatim footnote 30: 'The GUIDE respite allotment of $2,563 was increased 2.5% for PY 2025 from PY 2024. The $2,563 per year equates to roughly 76 hours of in-home GUIDE Respite Services per year, paid at a rate of $33.75 per hour.' Version history of the same paper records that Version 2.1 (June 11, 2025) introduced the 'updated payment rates and respite cap for PY 2025'. The July 2025 edition of MLN7172818 was not itself read; only the July 2026 edition was. Source: CMS, GUIDE Payment Methodology Paper, Version 3.0, footnote 30GUIDE model respite services cap per aligned beneficiary, performance year 2024 / model year 1 (July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025)
2024 Verbatim RFA: 'up to a per beneficiary annual cap of $2,500' and 'The GUIDE respite allotment of $2,500 per year equates to roughly 96 hours of in-home GUIDE Respite Services per year, paid at a rate of $26 per hour.' The payment methodology paper's footnote 30 confirms PY 2024 was the base from which the PY 2025 cap ($2,563) was raised 2.5%. The cms.gov GUIDE page (last updated 08/11/2026) still carries the original $2,500 figure and is therefore stale relative to the payment paper. Source: CMS, GUIDE Model Request for Applications (Version 1), Section on GUIDE Respite Services and footnote 64; CMS GUIDE model web page (still states 'respite services up to $2,500 annually')Doctors, specialists and care workers
Whether there are enough people trained to provide the care.
Primary care physicians reporting not enough dementia care specialists in their community
2025 Self-reported physician survey Source: Alzheimer's Association, 2025 Facts and Figures Executive SummaryU.S. adults 65+ living in areas with potential dementia-specialist shortfalls
2025 Range reflects differing specialist-shortfall definitions across cited studies Source: Alzheimer's Association, 2025 Facts and Figures Executive SummaryAdditional geriatricians needed by 2050
2050 Tied to a projected 12.7 million Americans 65+ with Alzheimer's dementia by 2050 Source: Alzheimer's Association, 2025 Facts and Figures Executive SummaryDirect (paid) long-term care workers in the U.S.
2023 Growth measured 2014-2023; projection is described as likely still falling short of true demand Source: Alzheimer's Association, 2025 Facts and Figures Executive SummaryCMS GUIDE Model participating organizations
2024 Model launched July 1, 2024; split into 96 'Established Program Track' sites (began services immediately) and 294 'New Program Track' sites (began services July 1, 2025) Source: CMS GUIDE Model announcement; corroborated in Alzheimer's Association 2025 Facts and FiguresThe global picture
Dementia outside the United States, as counted by the WHO and others.
People living with dementia worldwide
2021 Over 60% live in low- and middle-income countries; nearly 10 million new cases occur annually worldwide Source: WHO, Dementia Fact SheetShare of global dementia cases that are Alzheimer's disease
2021 Source: WHO, Dementia Fact SheetGlobal economic cost of dementia
2019 Roughly half of this cost is attributed to informal (unpaid family) caregiving Source: WHO, Dementia Fact SheetShare of global dementia care hours provided by women
2021 Informal caregivers globally provide an average of 5 hours of daily care/supervision Source: WHO, Dementia Fact SheetRisk and prevention
How much of the risk is thought to be modifiable.
Share of dementia cases potentially preventable/delayable via modifiable risk factors
2024 Up from the Commission's 2020 estimate of 40%; based on population-attributable-fraction modeling of 14 modifiable risk factors across the life course, not a direct causal guarantee for any individual Source: Lancet Commission on dementia prevention, intervention, and care, 2024 report (summarized by Alzheimer's Disease International)Number of modifiable dementia risk factors identified by the Lancet Commission
2024 The two factors newly added in 2024 are untreated vision loss and high LDL cholesterol Source: Lancet Commission on dementia prevention, intervention, and care, 2024 reportResearch funding
Public money going into Alzheimer's and dementia research.
NIH/NIA funding for Alzheimer's disease including AD/ADRD (combined category)
2025 Dollars in millions, rounded; NIH notes late-year figures in this table may reflect estimates rather than final actuals; combines and de-duplicates the separate 'Alzheimer's Disease' and 'ADRD' categories Source: NIH RePORT, Categorical Spending (Research, Condition, and Disease Categorization system)NIH/NIA funding for 'Alzheimer's Disease' category alone (excludes related dementias)
2025 Dollars in millions, rounded; separate from the combined AD/ADRD figure above Source: NIH RePORT, Categorical SpendingNIA's total FY2025 President's Budget request (all aging research, not Alzheimer's-specific)
2025 This is NIA's entire institute budget request (all aging research), not an Alzheimer's-specific figure; retrieved via Wayback Machine archive because the live NIA page is bot-gated Source: National Institute on Aging, Fiscal Year 2025 Congressional Budget JustificationTesting and detection
How well the newer tests actually perform.
FDA-cleared Lumipulse blood test accuracy for detecting amyloid pathology
2025 Applies to adults 55+ with signs/symptoms of cognitive decline evaluated in specialized care settings; not validated for asymptomatic screening Source: FDA press announcement, Lumipulse G pTau217/Beta-Amyloid 1-42 Plasma Ratio clearanceFrom the research library
The highest-scoring studies we hold on this subject, each summarised in plain English. Scores are alzhub's usefulness score, not a verdict on the science.
How common it is
- Lifetime risk and projected burden of dementia
- Delirium in elderly patients and the risk of postdischarge mortality, institutionalization, and dementia: a meta-analysis
- Twenty-seven-year time trends in dementia incidence in Europe and the United States: The Alzheimer Cohorts Consortium
- Conjugated equine estrogens and incidence of probable dementia and mild cognitive impairment in postmenopausal women: Women's Health Initiative Memory Study
- Risk of dementia and mild cognitive impairment in older people with subjective memory complaints: meta-analysis