Prevalence Heat Map

The prevalence (number of cases) of psoriasis appears to vary depending on genetic background and geographic location.

Please click on each country to learn more about the prevalence of psoriasis.

The two different percentages presented here are based on how psoriasis has been diagnosed:

Physician/Dermatologist diagnosed means a person has visited a medical practitioner, typically a general practitioner, hospital doctor or dermatologist, and had a formal clinical diagnosis of their skin condition confirming it is psoriasis.
Self-reported diagnosis means a person was asked if they have psoriasis and they have responded to indicate that they did. This person might or might not have visited a doctor to receive a diagnosis, but the studies presenting these results do not confirm that a medical review was undertaken.

A publication will be available soon with full details of the methods used.

Country	Region	Overall	Adults	Children
Afghanistan	North Africa and Middle East	0.50	0.64	0.13
Albania	Central Europe	1.76	2.26	0.46
Algeria	North Africa and Middle East	0.62	0.80	0.16
American Samoa	Oceania	0.88	1.13	0.23
Andorra	Western Europe	1.72	2.21	0.45
Angola	Central sub-Saharan Africa	0.30	0.39	0.08
Anguilla	Caribbean	0.31	0.40	0.08
Antigua and Barbuda	Caribbean	0.31	0.40	0.08
Argentina	High-income Southern Latin America	1.11	1.43	0.29
Armenia	Central Asia	0.99	1.27	0.26
Aruba	Caribbean	0.31	0.40	0.08
Australia	Australasia	2.94	3.78	0.77
Austria	Western Europe	1.72	2.21	0.45
Azerbaijan	Central Asia	0.99	1.27	0.26
Bahamas	Caribbean	0.31	0.40	0.08
Bahrain	North Africa and Middle East	0.62	0.80	0.16
Bangladesh	South Asia	0.81	1.04	0.21
Barbados	Caribbean	0.31	0.40	0.08
Belarus	Eastern Europe	0.95	1.22	0.25
Belgium	Western Europe	1.72	2.21	0.45
Belize	Caribbean	0.31	0.40	0.08
Benin	Western sub-Saharan Africa	0.30	0.39	0.08
Bermuda	Caribbean	1.22	1.56	0.32
Bhutan	South Asia	0.50	0.64	0.13
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)	Andean Latin America	0.31	0.40	0.08
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Central Europe	1.76	2.26	0.46
Botswana	Southern sub-Saharan Africa	0.30	0.39	0.08
Brazil	Tropical Latin America	0.23	0.30	0.06
British Virgin Islands	Caribbean	0.31	0.40	0.08
Brunei Darussalam	High-income Asia Pacific	0.82	1.05	0.22
Bulgaria	Central Europe	1.76	2.26	0.46
Burkina Faso	Western sub-Saharan Africa	0.30	0.39	0.08
Burundi	Eastern sub-Saharan Africa	0.18	0.22	0.05
Cabo Verde	Western sub-Saharan Africa	0.30	0.39	0.08
Cambodia	Southeast Asia	0.23	0.30	0.06
Cameroon	Western sub-Saharan Africa	0.30	0.39	0.08
Canada	High-income North America	2.06	2.65	0.54
Cayman Islands	Caribbean	0.31	0.40	0.08
Central African Republic	Central sub-Saharan Africa	0.30	0.39	0.08
Chad	Western sub-Saharan Africa	0.30	0.39	0.08
Chile	High-income Southern Latin America	1.11	1.43	0.29
China	East Asia	0.24	0.31	0.06
China, Taiwan Province of China	East Asia	0.32	0.41	0.08
Colombia	Central Latin America	0.16	0.20	0.04
Comoros	Eastern sub-Saharan Africa	0.18	0.22	0.05
Congo	Central sub-Saharan Africa	0.30	0.39	0.08
Cook Islands	Oceania	0.88	1.13	0.23
Costa Rica	Central Latin America	0.21	0.27	0.06
Croatia	Central Europe	1.24	1.59	0.33
Cuba	Caribbean	0.31	0.40	0.08
Curaçao	Oceania	0.88	1.13	0.23
Cyprus	Western Europe	1.72	2.21	0.45
Czechia	Central Europe	1.76	2.26	0.46
Côte d'Ivoire	Western sub-Saharan Africa	0.30	0.39	0.08
Dem. People's Republic of Korea	East Asia	0.32	0.40	0.08
Democratic Republic of the Congo	Central sub-Saharan Africa	0.30	0.39	0.08
Denmark	Western Europe	1.82	2.33	0.48
Djibouti	Eastern sub-Saharan Africa	0.18	0.22	0.05
Dominica	Caribbean	0.31	0.40	0.08
Dominican Republic	Caribbean	0.31	0.40	0.08
Ecuador	Andean Latin America	0.31	0.40	0.08
Egypt	North Africa and Middle East	0.34	0.44	0.09
El Salvador	Central Latin America	0.21	0.27	0.06
Equatorial Guinea	Central sub-Saharan Africa	0.30	0.39	0.08
Eritrea	Eastern sub-Saharan Africa	0.18	0.22	0.05
Estonia	Eastern Europe	0.95	1.22	0.25
Eswatini	Southern sub-Saharan Africa	0.30	0.39	0.08
Ethiopia	Eastern sub-Saharan Africa	0.18	0.22	0.05
Fiji	Oceania	0.88	1.13	0.23
Finland	Western Europe	1.72	2.21	0.45
France	Western Europe	1.64	2.10	0.43
French Guiana	Caribbean	0.31	0.40	0.08
French Polynesia	Oceania	0.88	1.13	0.23
Gabon	Central sub-Saharan Africa	0.30	0.39	0.08
Gambia	Western sub-Saharan Africa	0.30	0.39	0.08
Georgia	Central Asia	0.99	1.27	0.26
Germany	Western Europe	1.97	2.52	0.52
Ghana	Western sub-Saharan Africa	0.30	0.39	0.08
Gibraltar	Western Europe	1.72	2.21	0.45
Greece	Western Europe	1.72	2.21	0.45
Greenland	High-income North America	1.04	1.34	0.27
Grenada	Caribbean	0.31	0.40	0.08
Guadeloupe	Caribbean	0.31	0.40	0.08
Guam	Oceania	0.88	1.13	0.23
Guatemala	Central Latin America	0.21	0.27	0.06
Guinea	Western sub-Saharan Africa	0.30	0.39	0.08
Guinea-Bissau	Western sub-Saharan Africa	0.30	0.39	0.08
Guyana	Caribbean	0.31	0.40	0.08
Haiti	Caribbean	0.31	0.40	0.08
Honduras	Central Latin America	0.21	0.27	0.06
Hungary	Central Europe	1.76	2.26	0.46
Iceland	Western Europe	1.72	2.21	0.45
India	South Asia	0.45	0.58	0.12
Indonesia	Southeast Asia	0.23	0.30	0.06
Iran (Islamic Republic of)	North Africa and Middle East	0.62	0.80	0.16
Iraq	North Africa and Middle East	0.66	0.84	0.17
Ireland	Western Europe	1.72	2.21	0.45
Israel	Western Europe	2.27	2.91	0.60
Italy	Western Europe	1.85	2.37	0.49
Jamaica	Caribbean	0.31	0.40	0.08
Japan	High-income Asia Pacific	0.58	0.75	0.15
Jordan	North Africa and Middle East	0.62	0.80	0.16
Kazakhstan	Central Asia	0.99	1.27	0.26
Kenya	Eastern sub-Saharan Africa	0.18	0.22	0.05
Kiribati	Oceania	0.88	1.13	0.23
Kuwait	North Africa and Middle East	0.62	0.80	0.16
Kyrgyzstan	Central Asia	0.99	1.27	0.26
Lao People's Democratic Republic	Southeast Asia	0.23	0.30	0.06
Latvia	Eastern Europe	0.95	1.22	0.25
Lebanon	North Africa and Middle East	0.62	0.80	0.16
Lesotho	Southern sub-Saharan Africa	0.30	0.39	0.08
Liberia	Western sub-Saharan Africa	0.30	0.39	0.08
Libya	North Africa and Middle East	0.62	0.80	0.16
Liechtenstein	Western Europe	1.72	2.21	0.45
Lithuania	Eastern Europe	0.95	1.22	0.25
Luxembourg	Western Europe	1.72	2.21	0.45
Madagascar	Eastern sub-Saharan Africa	0.18	0.22	0.05
Malawi	Eastern sub-Saharan Africa	0.18	0.22	0.05
Malaysia	Southeast Asia	0.23	0.30	0.06
Maldives	Southeast Asia	0.23	0.30	0.06
Mali	Western sub-Saharan Africa	0.30	0.39	0.08
Malta	Western Europe	1.72	2.21	0.45
Marshall Islands	Oceania	0.88	1.13	0.23
Martinique	Caribbean	0.31	0.40	0.08
Mauritania	Western sub-Saharan Africa	0.30	0.39	0.08
Mauritius	Southeast Asia	0.18	0.22	0.05
Mayotte	Eastern sub-Saharan Africa	0.18	0.22	0.05
Mexico	Central Latin America	0.21	0.27	0.06
Micronesia (Fed. States of)	Oceania	0.88	1.13	0.23
Monaco	Western Europe	1.72	2.21	0.45
Mongolia	Central Asia	0.99	1.27	0.26
Montenegro	Central Europe	1.76	2.26	0.46
Morocco	North Africa and Middle East	0.62	0.80	0.16
Mozambique	Eastern sub-Saharan Africa	0.18	0.22	0.05
Myanmar	Southeast Asia	0.23	0.30	0.06
Namibia	Southern sub-Saharan Africa	0.30	0.39	0.08
Nauru	Oceania	0.88	1.13	0.23
Nepal	South Asia	0.33	0.42	0.09
Netherlands	Western Europe	1.58	2.03	0.42
New Caledonia	Oceania	0.88	1.13	0.23
New Zealand	Australasia	1.95	2.50	0.51
Nicaragua	Central Latin America	0.21	0.27	0.06
Niger	Western sub-Saharan Africa	0.30	0.39	0.08
Nigeria	Western sub-Saharan Africa	0.30	0.39	0.08
North Macedonia	Central Europe	1.76	2.26	0.46
Northern Mariana Islands	Oceania	0.88	1.13	0.23
Norway	Western Europe	2.43	3.12	0.64
Oman	North Africa and Middle East	0.62	0.80	0.16
Pakistan	South Asia	0.50	0.64	0.13
Palau	Oceania	1.53	1.96	0.40
Panama	Central Latin America	0.21	0.27	0.06
Papua New Guinea	Oceania	0.88	1.13	0.23
Paraguay	Tropical Latin America	0.26	0.33	0.07
Peru	Andean Latin America	0.31	0.40	0.08
Philippines	Southeast Asia	0.23	0.30	0.06
Poland	Central Europe	2.07	2.65	0.54
Portugal	Western Europe	1.14	1.46	0.30
Puerto Rico	Caribbean	0.31	0.40	0.08
Qatar	North Africa and Middle East	0.62	0.80	0.16
Republic of Korea	High-income Asia Pacific	0.87	1.11	0.23
Republic of Moldova	Eastern Europe	0.95	1.22	0.25
Romania	Central Europe	3.10	3.98	0.82
Russian Federation	Eastern Europe	0.90	1.16	0.24
Rwanda	Eastern sub-Saharan Africa	0.18	0.22	0.05
Réunion	Eastern sub-Saharan Africa	0.18	0.22	0.05
Saint Kitts and Nevis	Caribbean	0.31	0.40	0.08
Saint Lucia	Caribbean	0.31	0.40	0.08
Saint Pierre and Miquelon	Caribbean	1.22	1.56	1.56
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Caribbean	0.31	0.40	0.08
Samoa	Oceania	0.88	1.13	0.23
San Marino	Western Europe	1.72	2.21	0.45
Sao Tome and Principe	Central sub-Saharan Africa	0.30	0.39	0.08
Saudi Arabia	North Africa and Middle East	1.03	1.32	0.27
Senegal	Western sub-Saharan Africa	0.30	0.39	0.08
Serbia	Central Europe	1.76	2.26	0.46
Seychelles	Southeast Asia	0.23	0.30	0.06
Sierra Leone	Western sub-Saharan Africa	0.30	0.39	0.08
Singapore	Southeast Asia	0.82	1.05	0.22
Slovakia	Central Europe	1.76	2.26	0.46
Slovenia	Central Europe	1.90	2.44	0.50
Solomon Islands	Oceania	0.88	1.13	0.23
Somalia	Eastern sub-Saharan Africa	0.18	0.22	0.05
South Africa	Southern sub-Saharan Africa	0.30	0.39	0.08
South Sudan	Eastern sub-Saharan Africa	0.18	0.22	0.05
Spain	Western Europe	1.53	1.96	0.40
Sri Lanka	Southeast Asia	0.48	0.61	0.13
State of Palestine	North Africa and Middle East	0.62	0.80	0.16
Sudan	North Africa and Middle East	0.18	0.22	0.05
Suriname	Caribbean	0.31	0.40	0.08
Sweden	Western Europe	1.68	2.16	0.44
Switzerland	Western Europe	1.72	2.21	0.45
Syrian Arab Republic	North Africa and Middle East	0.62	0.80	0.16
Tajikistan	Central Asia	0.99	1.27	0.26
Thailand	Southeast Asia	0.07	0.09	0.02
Timor-Leste	Southeast Asia	0.23	0.30	0.06
Togo	Western sub-Saharan Africa	0.30	0.39	0.08
Tonga	Oceania	0.88	1.13	0.23
Trinidad and Tobago	Caribbean	0.31	0.40	0.08
Tunisia	North Africa and Middle East	0.69	0.88	0.18
Turkmenistan	Central Asia	0.99	1.27	0.26
Turks and Caicos Islands	Caribbean	0.31	0.40	0.08
Tuvalu	Oceania	0.88	1.13	0.23
Türkiye	North Africa and Middle East	0.62	0.79	0.16
Uganda	Eastern sub-Saharan Africa	0.18	0.22	0.05
Ukraine	Eastern Europe	0.95	1.22	0.25
United Arab Emirates	North Africa and Middle East	0.62	0.80	0.16
United Kingdom	Western Europe	2.02	2.59	0.53
United Republic of Tanzania	Eastern sub-Saharan Africa	0.12	0.15	0.03
United States of America	High-income North America	0.87	1.12	0.23
United States Virgin Islands	Caribbean	0.31	0.40	0.08
Uruguay	High-income Southern Latin America	1.11	1.43	0.29
Uzbekistan	Central Asia	0.99	1.27	0.26
Vanuatu	Oceania	0.88	1.13	0.23
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)	Central Latin America	0.21	0.27	0.06
Viet Nam	Southeast Asia	0.23	0.30	0.06
Wallis and Futuna Islands	Oceania	0.88	1.13	0.23
Western Sahara	Oceania	0.62	0.80	0.16
Yemen	North Africa and Middle East	0.62	0.80	0.16
Zambia	Eastern sub-Saharan Africa	0.18	0.22	0.05
Zimbabwe	Southern sub-Saharan Africa	0.30	0.39	0.08

Overall

Population

Overall

Overall lower

Overall upper

Adults

Adults lower

Adults upper

Children

Children lower

Children upper

Research guide

RESEARCH GUIDE

INTERPRETATION OF THE ESTIMATES OF THE PREVALENCE OF PSORIASIS

HOW PREVALENCE ESTIMATES HAVE BEEN CALCULATED?

An extensive search of all clinical research evidence was conducted and all the published articles on the prevalence of psoriasis were identified. All the information reported was assessed and used to create a statistical model. The statistical model generated a pooled estimate of the prevalence of psoriasis for each individual country where data were identified.

Each prevalence measure is presented together with a range (credible interval) which represents the upper and lower limits where the estimate could credibly be expected to be. Therefore, these values are not to be interpreted as exact measures, but only as measures which can vary within a certain range.

The two different percentages presented are based on how psoriasis has been diagnosed:

Physician/dermatologist diagnosed means a person has visited a medical practitioner, typically a general practitioner, hospital doctor or dermatologist, and had a formal clinical diagnosis of their skin condition confirming it is psoriasis.
Self-reported diagnosis means a person was asked if they have psoriasis and they have responded to indicate that they did. This person might or might not have visited a doctor to receive a diagnosis, but the studies presenting these results do not confirm that a medical review was undertaken.

COUNTRIES WITH MISSING DATA

Many countries of the world do not have information on the prevalence of psoriasis. For these countries, without high quality original data sources, estimates were predicted using the statistical model created based on the data that were available. Therefore, predicted estimates are less reliable than for countries with original data sources and should be interpreted with caution.

ADULTS

Refers to all adult population.

AGE-SPECIFIC RATE

A rate for a specified age group (adults or children), in which the numerator and denominator refers to the same age group.

AGE-STANDARDISATION

A statistical technique that facilitates comparison of prevalence rates either between populations or over time, adjusting for differences in the age structure of the general population in the countries or regions being compared.

CHILDREN

Refers to all children and adolescents individuals.

COUNTRY

Prevalence data are presented for 220 countries and territories of the world *. Countries are nested into regions which are nested into super-regions.

DIAGNOSIS

The process of identifying a disease by its signs and symptoms. The diagnosis of psoriasis can be made either by a general practitioner/ physician or by a dermatologist.

INCIDENCE

The number of new cases arising in a given period in a specified population. This information can be expressed as an absolute number of cases per year or as a rate per 100,000 persons per year.

META-ANALYSIS

A statistical analysis that combines the results of multiple studies addressing the same question with the aim of deriving a pooled estimate closest to the unknown common truth.

OVERALL POPULATION

Refers to all individuals of any age, therefore children and adults combined.

PREVALENCE

The existing number of persons in a defined population who have been diagnosed with psoriasis. It is usually expressed as a proportion and can assume different definitions according to how it is measured. Therefore, it can be classified into: point, period and lifetime prevalence.

Point prevalence: when the number of cases refers to a specific time point (e.g. a year).
Period prevalence: when the number of cases refers to a time-window (e.g. between 2000 and 2010).
Lifetime prevalence: when it refers to the entire previous life of an individual (e.g. “Have you ever been diagnosed with psoriasis?”).

REGION

Prevalence data are presented for 21 regions of the world (which contain 220 countries and territories) *. Regions are nested into super-regions.

SUPER-REGION

Prevalence data are presented for 7 super-regions of the world (which contain 21 regions in which are nested 220 countries and territories) *.

CREDIBLE INTERVALS

Each prevalence measure is presented with a credible interval — a range of values, with an upper and lower limit, in which the estimate lies with a specified probability. This data has a 95% credible interval, this means there is a 95% probability that the prevalence rate lies within that range.

*according to the definition of the United Nations - https://population.un.org