57 Back Pain Statistics: How Common Is Back Pain?

Top 10 Back Pain Statistics & Facts

Back pain is one of the world's biggest health problems, and unfortunately, it's becoming increasingly common. We've compiled statistics that show how common back pain is, its detrimental effects, and the huge cost it places to society and individuals. Take a look at these shocking back pain statistics.

Globally, 540 million people suffer from back pain at any given time.
8 out of 10 people in the United States experience back problems at least one or more times.
50% of all Americans that are employed, about 80 million workers, claim to have back pain every year.
Chronic back pain will develop in 5% of people that are struggling with mild symptoms at the onset.
Of the global population, 7.5% of people have lower back pain as opposed to other sections of the back.
Overweight people and women over 30 years of age are the most at risk of developing chronic pain in the lower back.
$635 billion is the annual cost to the American economy in treating back pain.
Back pain is listed as one of the top 10 most common causes of employees missing a day of work.
About 4 out of every 10 clerical workers, or people employed in an office, have pain in the lower portion of their back.
Researchers anticipate that nearly 80% of US citizens will experience back pain at some period in their life.

back pain statistics — *Source: TheGoodBody.com*

How Common Is Back Pain?

8 out of 10 people in the United States experience back problems at least one or more times.
About 50% of all US citizens employed have back problems every year. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics substantiates that workers take 12 days of sick leave to help them recover from back pain.
Recent estimates show that at least 38% of clerical workers have back pain, especially in the lower area.
Over 1 million injuries around the back happen when people are on the job.
Based on information by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1 out of every 5 work-related injuries is to the lower back.
Based on a survey, 80% of back-related injuries happen around the lower extremities.
75% of lower back injuries occur from lifting heavy objects.
The US government lists 52.8% of nursing assistants as requiring a leave of absence for a back injury.
45.7% of stockers and warehousemen take medical leave due to back injuries.
43% of freight and material workers require medical absences related to hurting their back.
42.5% of repair and maintenance employers receive a back injury that's severe enough to take a medical absence.
32.4% of commercial truck drivers take time off from work to treat back injuries.
The most common reason for employees missing work is from hurting their back while on the job.
Lower back pain is experienced by 38% of people who work in an office space.
1 million back-related injuries happen in the workplace on an annual basis.
Laborers, nursing assistants, and people employed in warehousing are the workers most likely to sustain back injuries.
The number of adults suffering from back pain includes a sizable amount of the total population, although there are contracts when age and income are a factor. 41% of adults with back pain are between 18 and 44 years of age, whereas 54% of them are all living adults.
26% of adults, or approximately one-quarter of the population suffering from back pain, earn a yearly income that's $20,000 or less.
Problems getting good sleep are common, with 37% of back pain sufferers having sleeping issues.
People that have back pain receive 42 fewer minutes of rest than people without.
Trouble sleeping, or insomnia, is a primary side effect in 80% of people with back pain.
Poor health is the reason that people aged 51 and above decide to retire. This amounts to 33% of people with back pain and 20% of people without such symptoms.
People experiencing back pain are less satisfied with their retirement than people with no symptoms.

Back Pain Demographics: Who Suffers The Most?

Those aged between 45 and 64 years old are the most likely to suffer — *Source: TheGoodBody.com*

In a survey, about 55% of Hispanic adults report lower back pain.
48% of black or African American adults experience back pain. Both black and Hispanic people suffer a higher prevalence of back pain than whites, who 39% of experience pain in the lower back.
The prevalence of back pain among whites 55 and older was 35.2%, with blacks reporting 34.7% and Hispanics at 32.1%.
The prevalence of lower back pain in women aged 55 and older was 37.3% for Whites, 40% for Black Americans, and 40.3% for Hispanics.

What Percentage Of The Population Has Back Pain?

80% of Americans experience back problems at least one or more times during the year. Around 8% of the population 18 and older, have chronic back pain to the point of their activities becoming extremely limited.

What Is The Average Age Of Someone With Back Pain?

According to Dr. Tingan, most people start noticing back pain between the ages of 40 and 60.
People that are obese and over 30 are at increased risk of suffering from back pain in the lower extremities.
About 33% of adult women experience lower back pain symptoms, though 25% of the adult male population are the same.
The Centers for Disease Control claims that 40% of young people employed in jobs that require physical work are at greater risk of experiencing lower back pain later in their lives.

Which Country Has The Least Back Pain?

People in Ecuador experience the least amount of back pain., followed by Portugal, India, and several West African nations.
Back pain is most common in nations with a larger percentage of obesity, sedentary lifestyles, and places of employment with clerical duties.
For developing countries, Germany has one of the lowest prevalence rates for back pain, amounting to 13.7% of the country's population.

Back Pain Cost Statistics In The U.S. & Globally

Based on recent estimates, back pain costs the American economy between $560 to $635 billion every year.
Indirect costs due to wages lost and lowered levels of productivity are estimated to cost the US over $100 billion annually.
Americans spend about $50 billion in yearly healthcare expenses due to back pain.
The 6th most expensive health problem in the United States is back pain, with indirect and healthcare expenses costing billions every year, possibly in the hundreds of billions when missed work days and disability are factored in.
Americans spend at least $50 billion per year on treating back pain.

Low Back Pain Statistics

7.5% of the world's population has low back pain.
8 out of 10 people in the U.S. will experience LBP in their lifetime.
Women, individuals aged older than 30 and people who are classed as obese are at a greater risk of developing LBP.
8 in 10 pregnant women report that low back pain impacts their daily routine.

How Many People Have Low Back Pain?

7.5% of the world's population suffers from low back pain, according to research published by the Annals of Translational Medicine.

According to The national Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the American Chiropractic Association, 80% of the U.S. population will experience lower back pain sometime in their life.

Who Is Affected Most By Low Back Pain?

People over 30 and individuals who are obese are more likely to suffer from lower back pain.

Almost 33% of the female adult population suffer from lower back pain, compared to 25% of the male adult population. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), different age groups have different rates of back pain:

Percent Of Adults With Back Pain During The Last 3 Months

Age Group	Male	Female
18-44 years	21.4	26.1
45-54 years	31.4	33.6
55-64 years	34.9	35.1
65-74 years	32.2	34.3
75 years and over	29.7	37.3

Is Low Back Pain Common During Pregnancy?

Yes, in fact, 8 out of 10 women state low back pain affects their daily routine and 1 out of 10 women report that they are unable to work due to low back pain.

Back Pain At Work Statistics

Back pain is one of the most common reasons for employees missing work.
50% of Americans in employment admit to having these symptoms every year. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that workers take an average of 12 sick days to recover from their back pain symptoms before going back to work.
As many as 38% of office workers will experience LBP.
More than 1 million back injuries are sustained in the workplace each year.
Nursing professionals is the profession that experiences the most back pain/problems.
According to the BLS, a back-related injury accounts for one in every five injuries at work.