ADHD medication use has quadrupled since 2006

© ANP / Patricia Rehe
Nearly 300 thousand people received medication for ADHD in 2023. That was nearly four times as many as in 2006 (78 thousand people). The increase was particularly pronounced among people aged 25 and over. Among people under the age of 20, more boys than girls were prescribed ADHD medication, but the difference was smaller among those aged 20 and over. This is according to figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS).
Data on prescriptions for ADHD medication have been available since the Health Insurance Act came into effect in 2006. ADHD stands for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. People diagnosed with ADHD have difficulty focusing, and exhibit hyperactive and/or impulsive behaviour.


In total, 170 thousand men and 130 thousand women were prescribed ADHD medication, such as methylphenidate (Ritalin). That was more than 1.5 percent of the Dutch population, three and a half times as much as in 2006, when the figure was 0.5 percent.

The increase was more significant among women (nearly sixfold) than among men (over two and a half times). This means that the differences between men and women have become smaller.

ADHD medication is also increasingly prescribed to people aged over 25. A total of 50 percent of those using this medication in 2023 were aged 25 and over compared to 30 percent in 2006.


More boys than girls aged under 20 are using ADHD medication

In 2023, more boys than girls under the age of 20 were prescribed ADHD medication. The difference was most significant between boys (7.3 percent) and girls (3.0 percent) aged 10 to 14.

The differences between men and women were smaller among those aged over 20. Approximately 3 percent of men and women in this age group were prescribed ADHD medication, compared to around 0.5 percent of people aged 45 and over.


Over a quarter had not received ADHD medication in the previous year

In 2023, 28 percent of those receiving ADHD medication had not received this the year before. This was the case for 25 percent of men and 32 percent of women.

52 percent of these ‘new users’ were aged 25 or older. The five-year age group with the most new users among men were boys aged between 10 and 15 (15 percent). Among women, this was 17 percent among those aged between 20 and 25, meaning that women seem to start taking ADHD medication at a slightly later age.

Among children aged under 10 who were taking ADHD medication in 2023, half were new users. In the age group 10 to 44 years, it was 28 percent and among those aged 45 and over, 24 percent.

Less use of ADHD medication among high-income households

The share of people using ADHD medication was lowest among high-income households: 1.5 percent compared to 1.8 percent of people in the lowest income quintile.

Income groups differ in age structure, and therefore the data has been standardised to allow for a better comparison.


The use of ADHD medication is highest among people of Dutch origin

In total, 2.5 percent of people aged under 65 years and of Dutch origin were receiving ADHD medication in 2023. This means that they were born in the Netherlands, and their parents were also born in the Netherlands. This percentage was nearly one and a half times higher than among people born in the Netherlands but with one or both parents born abroad (1.7 percent) and nearly 3.5 times higher than among people who were born abroad (0.7 percent). The differences were more or less the same among men and women. For this comparison, the groups were also standardised for age up to the age of 65.

Among people whose country of origin is outside the Netherlands, the share of those using ADHD medication was lowest among people of Moroccan or Turkish origin and highest among people of Dutch-Caribbean or Indonesian origin. However, for the latter two groups, the share of those using ADHD medication was also one and a half times higher among people of Dutch origin.

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