Hepatitis C Statistics

Hepatitis C statistics reveal that about 300 million people are infected with the hepatitis C virus worldwide. However, the number of new hepatitis C cases diagnosed each year in the US has been steadily decreasing. Based on current hepatitis C statistics, it's estimated that 8,000 to 10,000 people die each year from chronic liver disease caused by hepatitis C.

 

Hepatitis C Statistics: An Overview

Hepatitis C is an infection of the liver caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). There are two types of hepatitis C -- acute and chronic. About 15 percent of cases end up being acute hepatitis C, in which the immune system is able to completely destroy the virus. For about 85 percent of infected people, however, the immune system is not able to completely get rid of the hepatitis C virus, and they end up having a long-term liver infection. This is called chronic hepatitis C.
 
Approximately 300 million people worldwide are infected with the hepatitis C virus. About 3.9 million people in the United States have chronic hepatitis C. This represents about 1.8 percent of the population.
 

Hepatitis C Statistics: How Common Is It?

The number of hepatitis C cases has been decreasing since its peak in the 1980s.
 Currently, there are fewer than 30,000 cases of hepatitis C diagnosed each year.
 
 
Estimated Total New Hepatitis C Infections
1982
180,000
1983
188,000
1984
219,000
1985
261,000
1986
262,000
1987
216,000
1988
240,000
1989
291,000
1990
179,000
1991
112,000
1992
73,000
1993
57,000
1994
54,000
1995
36,000
1996
36,000
1997
38,000
1998
41,000
1999
39,000
2000
38,000
2001
24,000
2002
29,000
2003
28,000
2004
26,000
  
(Hepatitis C Statistics Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD