The number of ADHD diagnoses has clearly increased in recent years – and so has the dispensing of ADHD medications, notes the National Board of Health and Welfare, which has followed the development of prescription medications since 2006.
The latest statistics are from 2024 and are compared to those from 2020. Among all women in Sweden, the proportion who have collected ADHD medications has almost doubled since 2020 – from 1.2 to 2.3 percent. The largest increase is seen in the 20–24 age group.
The corresponding increase among men during the period is from 1.6 to 2.4 percent.
Furthermore, it is noted that ADHD medications are still most frequently prescribed among children and young people. Among boys aged 10–14, 9.1 percent collected ADHD medication last year, compared to 6.6 percent five years earlier.
Among girls, the prescription was most common in the 15–19 age category last year. The corresponding figures were 8.3 percent in 2024 – an increase from 4.7 percent in 2020.
"The prescription of ADHD medications is likely to continue to increase as more people are diagnosed with ADHD," notes the National Board of Health and Welfare.
