Global Prevalence of Myopia
Myopia currently affects approximately one-third of children and adolescents worldwide, with the global prevalence projected to reach nearly 50% of the world's population by 2050, representing almost 5 billion people. 1, 2
Current Worldwide Prevalence
Overall Population
- The global prevalence of myopia stands at approximately 28-36% of the world population as of 2023-2024 1, 3
- Current estimates indicate roughly 1.4 billion people are affected by myopia globally 2
- High myopia (≥-5.00 D) currently affects approximately 2.7% of the world population, representing about 163 million people 2
Children and Adolescents
- Among youth populations, myopia prevalence has reached approximately 35.81% as of 2023, affecting roughly one-third of children and adolescents globally 1
- Adolescents show the highest prevalence at 47.00%, with high school students reaching 45.71% 1
- The mean age of myopia onset is decreasing, while both the progression interval and rate of progression are increasing 4
Projected Rates by 2050
Overall Population Projections
- By 2050, myopia prevalence is projected to reach 49.8-50% of the global population, affecting approximately 4.76 billion people 2, 4
- High myopia is expected to affect 9.8% of the world population by 2050, representing approximately 938 million people 2
- This represents more than a doubling of myopia prevalence from 2000 levels 2
Youth Population Projections
- Childhood and adolescent myopia prevalence is projected to reach 39.80% by 2050 1
- The global incidence is anticipated to exceed 740 million cases among children and adolescents by 2050 1
Geographic and Demographic Variations
Regional Differences
- East Asia demonstrates the highest prevalence, reaching 35.22% overall, with some populations (Singaporean-Chinese) showing rates as high as 86% by age 15 1, 5
- Urban populations show 2.6 times higher odds of myopia compared to rural populations, with urban prevalence at 28.55% 1, 5
- African populations exhibit the lowest prevalence at approximately 5.5% by age 15 5
Demographic Risk Factors
- Females show higher prevalence at 33.57%, with sex differences emerging around age 9; by late adolescence, girls are twice as likely as boys to be myopic 1, 5
- East Asian populations show the most rapid increases over time, with a 23% increase in myopia prevalence over the last decade 5
Clinical Implications
The projected increase means that by 2050, one out of ten persons will be at significant risk of vision loss or blindness from pathologic myopia complications. 3 This represents a major public health crisis requiring urgent preventive interventions, as high myopia and older age are the two primary risk factors for potentially blinding pathologic myopia 4.