Who gets MS
How common MS is
The 2024 update of the Atlas of MS, published in September 2026, estimates that 3.1 million people are living with MS worldwide, about 38 per 100,000 people or roughly one in every 2,600. Experts in 133 countries took part, and around 120,000 people are newly diagnosed each year. At least 40,000 of those living with MS are under 18.
Point at a country to see its figure
Women and men
About 7 in 10 people with MS are women, a pattern seen in every region and income group, although the share varies from about 30% to almost 90% between countries. Symptoms most often begin in early adult life, with an average age at diagnosis of about 32 worldwide.
Where MS is most common, and the rise over time
Prevalence is highest in Europe and the Americas and lowest in Africa, the Western Pacific and South-East Asia, and it is higher in high-income countries. Within many regions it also rises with distance from the equator, a gradient confirmed by meta-analysis and one reason sunlight and vitamin D are studied as risk factors.
The number of people living with MS has risen from about 1.8 million in 2013 to 3.1 million in 2024, and prevalence from 25 to 38 per 100,000, when all three years are calculated the same way. Earlier and more accurate diagnosis, longer survival with better treatment and care, stronger data systems and population growth all contribute, which is in part a sign of progress. A true rise in risk cannot be ruled out: several countries report a growing share of women among new diagnoses, while new diagnoses worldwide show no single clear trend.
These figures carry real uncertainty. Many low- and middle-income countries have little or no registry data, so lower reported prevalence there can partly reflect missing information rather than absence of disease.
Children and older adults
MS can begin in childhood. The Atlas of MS estimates that at least 40,000 people under 18 are living with MS. It can also begin later in life. The 2024 diagnostic criteria include specific guidance for people aged 50 or over, and age does not rule out a diagnosis.
In the research now
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References
- MSIF · Atlas of MS 2024 epidemiology report
- MSIF · Atlas of MS 2024 epidemiology update
- Walton et al. · Rising prevalence of multiple sclerosis worldwide: insights from the Atlas of MS, third edition. Mult Scler (2020)
- GBD 2016 Multiple Sclerosis Collaborators (Wallin et al.) · Global, regional, and national burden of multiple sclerosis 1990–2016. Lancet Neurol (2019)
- Simpson et al. · Latitude is significantly associated with the prevalence of multiple sclerosis: a meta-analysis. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry (2011)
- Koch-Henriksen & Sørensen · The changing demographic pattern of multiple sclerosis epidemiology. Lancet Neurol (2010)
- Montalban et al. · Diagnosis of multiple sclerosis: 2024 revisions of the McDonald criteria (published 2025)
- MSIF · Atlas of MS 2024 country data
Next module · Conditions that resemble MS
Conditions that resemble MS
Several diseases can look like MS on an examination or a scan, and some are treated very differently. This lesson explains the most common ones, how often MS is wrongly diagnosed, and why the difference matters.
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