Prevalence of Multiple Chronic Conditions Among US Adults, 2024.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional survey analysis
PubMed 41886700 · doi:10.2105/AJPH.2026.308427
What was done
Authors analyzed cross-sectional survey data from the 2024 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) to estimate the prevalence of diagnosed chronic conditions (0, 1, or 2 or more out of 10 selected conditions) among noninstitutionalized civilian US adults (n = 32,629) across demographic, geographic, and insurance subgroups.
What was found
In 2024, 51.1% of US adults had at least 1 of 10 selected diagnosed chronic conditions, and 26.4% had multiple chronic conditions (MCC). Variations occurred across sex, race and Hispanic origin, age, health insurance coverage, and urbanization level (specific subgroup numbers were not reported in the abstract). MCC prevalence was similar to 2010 estimates.
Why it matters
These findings show that over a quarter of US adults live with multiple chronic conditions, demonstrating that national multimorbidity rates and demographic disparities have remained largely unchanged since 2010.
Limits
The analysis relies on a cross-sectional survey design with self-reported diagnoses. It excluded institutionalized individuals, restricted its scope to only 10 selected chronic conditions, and the abstract omits specific subgroup figures and confidence intervals.
Cited by
- supports Sixty percent of Americans have one chronic illness, and 25 percent have two or more.