People reading the 2023 anxiety age bands do not find one worst age — ages 5 to 9 lead on the listed prevalence rate, while other measures describe different parts of the burden

You are looking at anxiety by age because one number cannot explain what happens across childhood, youth and adulthood.

In Central Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the 2023 pattern rises to its highest reported rate at ages 5 to 9, then falls through young adulthood before rising again later.

Does that mean anxiety simply gets easier with age? The answer depends on whether you are reading the rate, the number of people, new cases, or total disease burden.

The figures come from the GBD Results source and cover both sexes in the three-region group during 2023.

They describe population patterns, so they cannot decide what anxiety means for one person.

Before the sections open, the figures this page stands on — each one carrying its own source.

What does anxiety by age show in 2023?

You arrived looking for a clear age pattern, perhaps because one result seems higher than another. The clearest answer is that the pattern changes direction more than once.

The reported prevalence rate reaches 5,615 per 100,000 among children aged 5 to 9.

It then falls to 5,319 per 100,000 at ages 15 to 19, 4,471 per 100,000 at ages 20 to 24, and 4,154 per 100,000 at ages 25 to 29.

Later age groups show a gradual rise.

The rate reaches 3,945 per 100,000 at ages 30 to 34, 3,879 per 100,000 at ages 35 to 39, and 3,916 per 100,000 at ages 40 to 44.

After that point, the reported rate moves higher again, reaching 4,097 per 100,000 at ages 45 to 49, 4,279 per 100,000 at ages 50 to 54, 4,457 per 100,000 at ages 55 to 59, and 4,628 per 100,000 at ages 60 to 64.

So the straight answer is a curved age profile. The highest listed rate occurs at ages 5 to 9, while the lowest listed rate occurs at ages 35 to 39.

How many people were living with anxiety at each age?

You may be comparing the largest count with the highest rate. Those measures answer different questions and can point to different age groups.

The reported number living with anxiety disorders reaches about 1.5 million among people aged 5 to 9.

It then records about 1.3 million at ages 10 to 14 and about 1.3 million at ages 40 to 44.

Several adult groups sit near about 1.2 million. They include ages 30 to 34, 45 to 49, 50 to 54, and 60 to 64.

The count falls to about 1.1 million at ages 55 to 59.

For ages 20 to 24 and 25 to 29, the reported count is about 1 million in each group.

Children aged 2 to 4 have the smallest reported count, at about 38,000. The count for ages 15 to 19 reaches about 1.3 million.

A larger count does not automatically mean a higher rate. Population size matters when counts and rates describe different age groups.

Pick the age band that matches the person or group you are trying to understand. The comparison keeps each reported count beside its matching rate and year.

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Where do new anxiety cases appear across the age bands?

Your question may focus on people who developed anxiety during 2023 rather than everyone living with it. The new-case figures create another age pattern.

Among children aged 5 to 9, the source reports about 269,000 new cases per year.

The figure reaches about 168,000 for ages 10 to 14 and about 95,000 for ages 15 to 19.

Young adulthood records about 79,000 new cases per year at ages 20 to 24 and about 82,000 at ages 25 to 29.

The number then rises to about 102,000 at ages 30 to 34.

Middle adulthood shows about 117,000 new cases at ages 35 to 39 and about 113,000 at ages 40 to 44.

The figure reaches about 111,000 at ages 45 to 49.

For ages 50 to 54, the reported figure is about 105,000.

At ages 55 to 59, the figure is about 100,000, rising to about 111,000 at ages 60 to 64.

These numbers describe new cases per year. They do not describe the full number of people living with anxiety disorders in each age group.

The difference matters for your reading. A group can have many people living with anxiety while recording fewer new cases in that year.

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How should you read the rate per 100,000?

You may see the phrase per 100,000 and wonder whether it describes a headcount. It describes a rate linked to each age group.

The highest reported annual incidence rate occurs at ages 5 to 9, at 993 per 100,000.

The rate reaches 609 per 100,000 at ages 10 to 14 and 386 per 100,000 at ages 15 to 19.

At ages 20 to 24, the annual incidence rate reaches 341 per 100,000.

It reaches 337 per 100,000 at ages 25 to 29 and 334 per 100,000 at ages 30 to 34.

The rate stays at 334 per 100,000 for ages 35 to 39.

It reaches 348 per 100,000 at ages 40 to 44 and 372 per 100,000 at ages 45 to 49.

Older groups show 389 per 100,000 at ages 50 to 54, 404 per 100,000 at ages 55 to 59, and 421 per 100,000 at ages 60 to 64.

Those figures describe annual incidence. The prevalence rate answers a different question: how many people were living with anxiety disorders in 2023.

Read the age label and the measure together. Separating them can make a falling count look like a falling risk, even though the figures describe different things.

What does total disease burden add to the picture?

You may be trying to understand the wider effect recorded for each age group. The total disease-burden figures add a separate view.

The reported burden reaches about 235,000 DALYs among people aged 10 to 14.

It reaches about 161,000 at ages 15 to 19 and about 126,000 at ages 20 to 24.

For ages 25 to 29, the reported figure is about 122,000.

The burden then reaches about 143,000 at ages 30 to 34 and about 160,000 at ages 35 to 39.

Among people aged 40 to 44, the figure reaches about 149,000.

It reaches about 143,000 at ages 45 to 49 and about 133,000 at ages 50 to 54.

The reported burden reaches about 125,000 at ages 55 to 59 and about 136,000 at ages 60 to 64.

These figures cover the age groups from 10 to 64 listed in the dataset.

The burden measure does not replace the rate or the number living with anxiety. It gives you another measure to place beside them.

For this reason, the age with the highest burden figure does not have to match the age with the highest prevalence rate or the highest new-case rate.

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Why do childhood and teenage figures need careful reading?

If the result concerns a child or teenager, the age bands deserve close attention. The figures change sharply between early childhood, later childhood, and adolescence.

At ages 2 to 4, the prevalence rate reaches 261 per 100,000, or about 0.3%.

At ages 5 to 9, it reaches 5,615 per 100,000, or about 5.6%.

The age 10 to 14 group records 6,849 per 100,000, or about 6.8%. That rate exceeds the listed prevalence rates for every older group in the dataset.

A worldwide meta-analysis of 41 studies across 27 countries found a prevalence of any anxiety disorder in children and adolescents of 6.5%.

That finding gives wider context for the age-specific regional estimate.

The measures still differ. One figure describes Central Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia in 2023, while the meta-analysis describes a worldwide group across 41 studies.

Social anxiety disorder also has a median age of onset of about 13 years. Roughly 75% of cases began between ages 8 and 15 in the cited research.

That onset finding concerns social anxiety disorder. It should not be treated as the age pattern for every anxiety disorder in the GBD figures.

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What can the 7 age measures tell one reader?

You may want the regional result to explain your own anxiety. It can show where the reported population pattern sits, while your experience still requires its own assessment.

The seven phrases below help keep the reading precise: age group, year, region, both sexes, prevalence, incidence, and total disease burden.

Each phrase points to a different part of the reported evidence.

Prevalence tells you how many people were living with anxiety disorders in 2023.

The count reaches about 1.5 million at ages 5 to 9 and about 38,000 at ages 2 to 4.

Incidence tells you about new cases per year.

The annual incidence rate reaches 993 per 100,000 at ages 5 to 9 and 337 per 100,000 at ages 25 to 29.

Total disease burden uses DALYs in the cited results. The figure reaches about 235,000 at ages 10 to 14 and about 122,000 at ages 25 to 29.

Region matters because these results cover Central Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia together. The year matters because the figures describe 2023.

Both sexes marks the population grouping in the reported estimates. It does not provide a separate result for women, men, or another sex category.

Look at the measure that matches your question before drawing a conclusion.

That choice answers the question raised at the start: age alone cannot explain the pattern without naming the measure.

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What does the 2023 anxiety pattern establish?

You have reached the point where the age bands can be read as one picture.

The regional pattern starts low at ages 2 to 4, peaks in later childhood, declines through young adulthood, and rises again across later adulthood.

The prevalence rate gives the most direct age comparison in the listed results.

It reaches 6,849 per 100,000 at ages 10 to 14, 5,615 per 100,000 at ages 5 to 9, and 3,879 per 100,000 at ages 35 to 39.

Counts tell a different story because they describe the number of people in each group. New-case figures add the timing of cases during the year.

None of these measures identifies the cause of the age pattern. The cited figures record levels and rates across groups.

They also cannot tell whether anxiety will follow the same course for one particular person.

Your age can place you in a reported group, while personal symptoms and history remain individual.

The most accurate summary is simple: anxiety disorders appeared across every listed age band, with the highest reported prevalence rate among ages 10 to 14 and the highest annual incidence rate among ages 5 to 9.

That distinction gives the reader a firm way to understand the research. Start with the measure, then read the age, region, sex grouping, and year beside it.

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This is general information about the mind, not therapy or a diagnosis. If things feel hard, please consult a professional. In a crisis, reach a free, confidential crisis hotline right away; findahelpline.com lists one for your country.