How common is health anxiety?

Health anxiety affects an estimated 5.7% of people over their lifetime, with 3.4% meeting criteria at the time of interview (Sunderland et al., 2013). In primary care settings, prevalence is even higher at 7-19.9% (Scarella et al., 2019). The condition has increased significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic, with a 25% global rise in anxiety disorders reported by the WHO.

Can health anxiety kill you?

A 2023 study from Karolinska Institutet (JAMA Psychiatry) found that people with health anxiety have 69% higher all-cause mortality and die approximately 5 years earlier (70 vs 75 years). Most deaths were from preventable causes: respiratory diseases (2.3x higher) and circulatory diseases (52% higher). Cancer risk was not elevated. The study also reported a 4x higher suicide risk, but that association was no longer statistically significant once co-occurring depressive and anxiety disorders were accounted for, so it appears largely explained by those conditions rather than by health anxiety alone. This is a single registry study of people with a formal hypochondriasis diagnosis, which is more severe than most people who recognise themselves in the term. It shows association rather than cause, and the researchers judged most of the excess deaths to be from potentially preventable causes.

How common is health anxiety in the UK?

An Ipsos poll of 1,058 British adults (January 2026) found that 67% of Britons experience health-related anxiety: 27% a lot or a moderate amount, and 40% a little. 66% had looked up symptoms online in the past year, 31% of whom felt more anxious afterwards, and 28% had used an AI chatbot for their own health.

Does CBT work for health anxiety?

Yes. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has strong evidence for health anxiety. A meta-analysis of 14 studies, pooling 21 comparisons, found a large effect size of d=1.01 (Cooper et al., 2017), and a separate meta-analysis found a 66% response rate and 48% remission rate (Axelsson & Hedman-Lagerlöf, 2019). The gains are durable: CBT still held a significant advantage after 8 years, though about 40% smaller than at one year (Tyrer et al., 2021). Internet-delivered CBT was noninferior to face-to-face therapy over the course of treatment (Axelsson et al., 2020); that trial was not powered to test the follow-up period.

Research

Health Anxiety Statistics

Prevalence, impact, CBT outcomes, and economic data — sourced from peer-reviewed research.

Last updated: July 2026. This page is a secondary summary, not original research: every statistic links to its primary source (21 peer-reviewed studies plus one national poll), and the numbers are reported as published, without adjustment.

Cite this page: Condri. "Health Anxiety Statistics." condri.app/research/health-anxiety-statistics, 2026.

69%

Higher mortality risk

Die ~5 years younger, mostly from preventable causes (Mataix-Cols, 2023)

$256B

Annual US cost

Healthcare costs from somatization alone (Barsky, 2005)

5.7%

Lifetime prevalence

3.4% meet criteria at any given time (Sunderland, 2013)

8 years

CBT benefits last

Still significant at 8 years, though ~40% smaller than at 1 year (Tyrer, 2021)

Impact & Mortality

A landmark 2023 study from Karolinska Institutet (Mataix-Cols et al., JAMA Psychiatry) matched 4,129 people with health anxiety against 41,290 controls and followed them for a mean of 7.7 years. The central finding is a paradox: people who worry most about their health die younger, primarily from preventable causes.

69%

Higher all-cause mortality (HR 1.69). People with health anxiety die approximately 5 years younger than the general population (70 vs 75 years). Most of these deaths were from potentially preventable causes.

Suicide risk (HR 4.14) against matched controls. That association stopped being statistically significant once the authors adjusted for co-occurring depression and anxiety, so it should not be read as an independent risk of health anxiety. What the mortality evidence does and does not show.

2.3x

Higher risk of death from respiratory diseases (HR 2.33). Circulatory diseases were 52% higher (HR 1.52). Cancer risk was not elevated (HR 0.99).

Why does this happen? The mechanism is not settled. The authors suggest several contributing pathways — chronic stress physiology, health behaviours, under-recognition of health anxiety and limited access to evidence-based care — without singling one out. The study shows the association; it does not establish that the anxiety itself causes the earlier deaths.

If reading this has left you frightened or thinking about suicide, that is worth taking to someone now — your GP, or a crisis line. Health anxiety is treatable, and these figures describe a group, not you.

Prevalence

5.7%

Lifetime prevalence of health anxiety. 3.4% met criteria at the time of interview. (Sunderland et al., 2013)

2-13%

Range of clinically significant health anxiety depending on diagnostic criteria and setting. (Scarella et al., 2019)

7-20%

Prevalence in primary care settings, where health anxiety is most commonly encountered but frequently missed. (Scarella et al., 2019)

Rising

Health anxiety increased significantly between 1985 and 2017, even before the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the trend. (Kosic et al., 2020)

United Kingdom, 2026

An Ipsos poll of 1,058 British adults (7–8 January 2026, for Good Morning Britain), covered by ITV News as "Two thirds of Brits experience health-related anxiety".

67%

of Britons experience health-related anxiety: 27% a lot or a moderate amount, 40% a little.

66%

looked up symptoms online in the past year. Of those, 31% felt more anxious after searching.

28%

have used an AI chatbot for their own health, and 26% booked a GP appointment after an AI symptom lookup. The search bar is changing shape; the checking loop is the same.

Post-Pandemic Trends

25%

Global increase in anxiety and depressive disorders following the COVID-19 pandemic. (WHO, 2022)

2.6x

Increase in US anxiety prevalence, rising from 8.1% to 21.4% during the pandemic. (CDC)

UK anxiety levels doubled from 19% to 39% during the same period. (OECD, 2021)

+3 pts

Health anxiety scores remain approximately 3 units above pre-pandemic norms, suggesting the pandemic's impact on health-related worry has not fully resolved. (Plackett & Ferris, 2024)

Economic Burden

$256B

Estimated annual cost of somatization (medically unexplained symptoms) to the US healthcare system, covering unnecessary tests, emergency visits and specialist referrals. Note that this figure is for somatization broadly, not health anxiety specifically; the two overlap but are not the same thing. (Barsky et al., 2005)

$857-$21K

Per-person annual cost range for health anxiety, depending on severity and healthcare system. Even at the lower end, this represents a substantial economic impact given the millions affected. (Kawka et al., 2023)

40-80%

More healthcare utilisation among people with health anxiety, including more GP visits, specialist referrals, and diagnostic tests. (Fink et al., 2010)

2.2x

Annual healthcare costs for anxiety patients ($2,390) compared to those without ($1,098). (Kroenke et al., 2007)

Comorbidity

~33%

Of OCD patients also experience clinically significant health anxiety, reflecting the close relationship between the two conditions. (Solem et al., 2015)

57%

Of people attending a specialist anxiety and mood clinic had at least one additional current diagnosis, making comorbidity the norm rather than the exception. Over a lifetime the figure rises to 81%. (Brown et al., 2001)

90%

Of people with OCD meet criteria for another psychiatric condition at some point in their lives, most often another anxiety disorder (76%) or a mood disorder (63%). (Ruscio et al., 2010)

Cyberchondria & Online Searching

80%

Of internet users search for health information online, making it one of the most common uses of the internet.

1 in 5

Internet users experience anxiety escalation from symptom searching — where looking up symptoms increases rather than reduces their worry. (Starcevic & Berle, 2013)

Worse

People with high illness anxiety consistently feel worse after Googling symptoms, creating a vicious cycle where the search intended to provide reassurance instead fuels more anxiety. (te Poel et al., 2016)

CBT Outcomes

Health anxiety responds to treatment. CBT produces large, durable effects in the trials that have tested it, and internet-delivered formats perform nearly as well.

Every figure below comes from therapist-delivered or therapist-supervised treatment. No unsupervised self-help app for health anxiety, Condri included, has been tested in a clinical trial.

d=1.01

Large effect size for CBT in health anxiety, based on a meta-analysis of 14 controlled studies. For context, effect sizes above 0.8 are considered "large" in clinical research. (Cooper et al., 2017)

66%

Response rate to CBT, with 48% achieving full remission — meaning they no longer met diagnostic criteria for health anxiety. (Axelsson & Hedman-Lagerlof, 2019)

8 years

CBT's advantage over standard care was still significant after 8 years, the longest follow-up in this field, having shrunk from 2.98 to 1.83 points on the Health Anxiety Inventory. (Tyrer et al., 2021)

Equal

Internet-delivered CBT was noninferior to face-to-face therapy over the treatment period, removing a major barrier to access. The trial was not powered to test whether this held at 12-month follow-up, where face-to-face held a small lead the authors call potentially meaningful. (Axelsson et al., 2020)

2/3

Of participants no longer met diagnostic criteria for health anxiety after completing an internet-based CBT program. (Hedman et al., 2011)

The Care Gap

27.6%

Only about one in four people with anxiety disorders receive any form of care worldwide, based on the World Mental Health Surveys across 21 countries. (WHO Fact Sheet; Alonso et al., 2018)

<20%

Of people with anxiety disorders receive appropriate medication, even among those who do access care. (Bandelow & Michaelis, 2015)

True prevalence is likely double the commonly cited 4-5% figure, as many people with health anxiety seek medical rather than psychological help and go undiagnosed. (Harvard Health, 2020)

Demographics

1.7x

Women are 1.7 times more likely than men to experience an anxiety disorder over their lifetime. This ratio is for anxiety disorders as a group; the study does not report a separate figure for health anxiety. (McLean et al., 2011)

20s

Mean age of onset is in the early-to-mid twenties, with peak prevalence in the 25-29 age group.

About Condri, who publishes this page

Condri is a self-help app for breaking the health anxiety spiral of worry, checking, and short-lived relief. It was founded by Joe Newton, who lived that loop for years, and the team includes a consultant psychologist; the app has been reviewed by mental health professionals. It is not a symptom checker, it does not diagnose, and it complements professional care rather than replacing it. The statistics on this page are drawn from the peer-reviewed literature referenced below and stand on their own, whether or not the app is right for you.

Common questions →The clinicians →Free SHAI-14 quiz →The SHAI-14, explained →Health anxiety vs hypochondria →

References

Mataix-Cols D, et al. Association of hypochondriasis (health anxiety) with all-cause mortality and suicide. JAMA Psychiatry, 2023. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.4744
Sunderland M, Newby JM, Andrews G. Health anxiety in Australia: prevalence, comorbidity, disability and service use. British Journal of Psychiatry, 2013. doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.111.103960
Scarella TM, et al. The relationship of hypochondriasis to anxiety, depressive, and somatoform disorders. Psychosomatic Medicine, 2019. doi:10.1097/PSY.0000000000000691
Kosic A, et al. Changes in health anxiety over time: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 2020. doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2020.102208
Plackett R, Ferris G. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health anxiety: a systematic review. PLOS Mental Health, 2024. doi:10.1371/journal.pmen.0000120
World Health Organization. Mental Health and COVID-19: Early evidence of the pandemic's impact. WHO Scientific Brief, 2022.
Barsky AJ, et al. Somatization increases medical utilization and costs independent of psychiatric and medical comorbidity. Archives of General Psychiatry, 2005. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.62.8.903
Kawka J, et al. The economic burden of health anxiety: a systematic review of the cost-of-illness literature. BMC Public Health, 2023. doi:10.1186/s12889-023-17159-5
Fink P, et al. The prevalence of somatoform disorders among internal medical inpatients. PLoS ONE, 2010. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0009873
Kroenke K, et al. Anxiety disorders in primary care: prevalence, impairment, comorbidity, and detection. Annals of Internal Medicine, 2007. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-146-5-200703060-00004
Solem S, et al. Prevalence of health anxiety in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice, 2015.
Brown TA, et al. Current and lifetime comorbidity of the DSM-IV anxiety and mood disorders in a large clinical sample. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 2001. doi:10.1037/0021-843X.110.4.585
Ruscio AM, et al. The epidemiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Molecular Psychiatry, 2010. doi:10.1038/mp.2008.94
Starcevic V, Berle D. Cyberchondria: towards a better understanding of excessive health-related internet use. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, 2013. doi:10.1586/ern.12.162
te Poel F, et al. The effect of online health information seeking on illness anxiety. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 2016. doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2016.07.009
Cooper K, et al. Cognitive behaviour therapy for health anxiety: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 2017. doi:10.1017/S1352465816000527
Axelsson E, Hedman-Lagerlof E. Cognitive behavior therapy for health anxiety: systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical efficacy and health economic outcomes. Expert Review of Pharmacoeconomics & Outcomes Research, 2019. doi:10.1080/14737167.2019.1703182
Tyrer P, et al. Cognitive behaviour therapy for health anxiety in medical patients (CHAMP): long-term follow-up to 8 years. Psychological Medicine, 2021. doi:10.1017/S003329172000046X
Axelsson E, et al. Effect of internet vs face-to-face cognitive behavior therapy for health anxiety: a randomized noninferiority clinical trial. JAMA Psychiatry, 2020. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.0940
Hedman E, et al. Internet-based cognitive behaviour therapy for severe health anxiety: randomised controlled trial. British Journal of Psychiatry, 2011. doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.110.086843
Alonso J, et al. Treatment gap for anxiety disorders is global: Results of the World Mental Health Surveys in 21 countries. Depression and Anxiety, 2018. doi:10.1002/da.22711
Bandelow B, Michaelis S. Epidemiology of anxiety disorders in the 21st century. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 2015. doi:10.31887/DCNS.2015.17.3/bbandelow
McLean CP, et al. Gender differences in anxiety disorders: prevalence, course of illness, comorbidity and burden of illness. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 2011. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2011.03.006

Health anxiety can change

CBT for health anxiety has good evidence behind it, mostly from therapist-delivered trials. Condri teaches the same skills in an app. No app for health anxiety has been trialled, ours included.

Try Condri

More from the research library

Treatments compared

Six approaches ranked by evidence

Questions answered

14 answers, each with its evidence

Research database

All 10,657 papers and the query behind them

Research hub

Start here

SHAI-14

The measure and what scores mean

Terminology

Health anxiety vs hypochondria

Corrections

Figures we published wrong