Our findings highlight that, ADHD is likely under-diagnosed across the lifespan. In recent years, there has been growing awareness of how neurodivergence has been overlooked in middle-aged and older people. These ADHD findings mirror what we see in other types of neurodivergence, such as Autism, where upwards of 90% of middle-aged and older people are likely to not be formally recognised as being autistic.
Joint first author Dr Gavin Stewart, British Academy Research Fellow at the IoPPN
16 June 2026
ADHD may be under-diagnosed in adults across England
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may still be under-recognised and under-diagnosed in England despite recent increases in diagnosis, according to a study led by researchers at King’s College London, UCL and the University of Liverpool.
The research, published in The Lancet Regional Health Europe, found that while 1.19% of people in England had an ADHD diagnosis in their primary care record, these rates of recorded diagnosis were notably lower across all age groups compared with the international prevalence estimates. Prevalence refers to the proportion of a population who have a condition at a given time and draws from data collected from large-scale epidemiological studies like population-representative household surveys, as well as meta-analyses.
This gap was especially large for older adults, with just 0.05% of men and women over the age of 65 diagnosed with ADHD, which corresponds to the estimated 93.5% of people under-diagnosed.
The researchers say their findings show that while diagnosis rates for ADHD have increased substantially over the past decade for children and adults, recorded diagnoses of ADHD in England are still lower than the best available estimates of ADHD prevalence.
Rates of new ADHD diagnoses increased markedly after 2020 across most age groups. The highest rates were observed in boys under 18 years old, while increases among adults were particularly notable in women. In contrast, diagnosis rates among adults aged 65 and over remained consistently low throughout the study period.
Dr Stewart went on to comment: "Diagnosis often acts as a gatekeeper to receiving timely help and support, which may be particularly important as people age and their support needs change. However, the majority of ageing neurodivergent people will not have received a diagnosis and be unsupported, which needs to be urgently addressed.”
The low rates observed in older adults don’t necessarily mean that ADHD is uncommon in older age. Instead, they may reflect historical differences in recognition and access to diagnosis, particularly among generations who grew up before ADHD was widely recognised
Joint first author Dr Amber John, University of Liverpool
The authors of the new study, funded by the Medical Research Foundation and the British Academy, used anonymised data from more than 3.5 million people registered with GP practices in England in 2025 to estimate the proportion of people with a recorded ADHD diagnosis at this time. They then compared this with published estimates of ADHD prevalence in the general population from international studies (which pulled together studies using multiple methods to estimate how common ADHD really is) and used data from more than 42 million patients in England to examine diagnostic trends in ADHD from 2000 to 2024.
ADHD can profoundly affect many aspects of a person’s life – education, work, relationships – and it often co-exists with other neurodevelopmental conditions. When it goes undiagnosed or unsupported, people may spend years not understanding the challenges they face. We’re proud to support research that will help strengthen ADHD services and ensure more children and adults can get the recognition and help they need.
Dr Angela Hind, Chief Executive of the Medical Research Foundation
‘Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children and adults in England, 2000–2025: recorded prevalence and diagnostic trends in a population-based observational study using routinely collected primary care data’ by John, A et al was published in The Lancet Regional Health Europe . DOI:10.1016/j.lanepe.2026.101740
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British Academy Postdoctoral Research Fellow