Erectile dysfunction statistics 2026: prevalence by age, treatment and heart health

men in the United States have erectile dysfunction¹

of US men aged 20 and older have erectile dysfunction, suggesting ED affects 18 million US men²

Nationally representative NHANES data from 2001-2002 (2,126 men).

of men aged 40 to 70 had some degree of erectile dysfunction (minimal, moderate or complete)³

Massachusetts Male Aging Study, a community-based sample surveyed in 1987-1989.

men worldwide were projected to have ED by 2025, up from over 152 million in 1995⁴

is the range of ED prevalence reported across population-based studies worldwide⁵

The wide range largely reflects different screening questionnaires.

of men are affected by erectile dysfunction at age 40¹

of men report having erectile dysfunction by age 70¹

rise in the prevalence of complete erectile dysfunction between ages 40 and 70, a tripling³

of men aged 70 or older had erectile dysfunction in a Minnesota community cohort, vs 2% of men aged 40 to 49⁶

Olmsted County, Minnesota, 1,402 men with regular sexual partners screened 1996-2005; prevalence was 6% at 50-59 and 17% at 60-69.

of men seeking first medical help for new-onset ED were aged 40 or younger⁷

Single-center study of 439 consecutive patients in Italy; 48.8% of the younger men had severe ED.

of US men with diabetes have erectile dysfunction (crude prevalence)²

NHANES 2001-2002.

of 6,228,509 US men diagnosed with ED were treated during a 12-month period⁸

Commercial insurance claims for the 12 months ending June 2011; treated meant filling a prescription for a PDE5 inhibitor, injection or urethral therapy, or testosterone.

of treated men with ED received PDE5 inhibitors, the most common medical therapy⁸

Testosterone was used alone or in combination in 30.6% of treated men.

is the average discontinuation rate for PDE5 inhibitors (sildenafil, vardenafil, tadalafil), almost 50% after one year⁹

Meta-analysis of 22 observational studies with 162,936 patients; partner-related problems and lack of efficacy were the most important reasons.

is the year the FDA approved Viagra (sildenafil), the first PDE5 inhibitor for ED¹⁰

Original approval dated March 27, 1998.

is the year the FDA approved Cialis (tadalafil)¹¹

Original approval dated November 21, 2003.

estimated US prescriptions for sildenafil in 2024, for an estimated 1,358,815 patients¹²

Derived from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey; includes sildenafil prescribed for pulmonary arterial hypertension. Average out-of-pocket cost was $17.42 per prescription.

estimated US prescriptions for tadalafil in 2024, for an estimated 1,448,599 patients¹³

Derived from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey; includes tadalafil prescribed for enlarged prostate and pulmonary arterial hypertension. Average out-of-pocket cost was $22.35 per prescription.

hazard ratio for subsequent cardiovascular events in men aged 55 and older with incident or prevalent ED¹⁴

Placebo arm of the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (9,457 men, 1994-2003); new-onset ED alone carried a hazard ratio of 1.25.

of men aged 55 and older without ED at study entry reported new ED within 5 years¹⁴

2,420 of 4,247 men in the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial placebo group.

pooled relative risk of cardiovascular events for men with vs without ED¹⁵

Meta-analysis of 14 cohort studies (92,757 participants). Pooled relative risks were 1.62 for heart attack and 1.39 for stroke; risk was higher at younger ages.

pooled relative risk of death from any cause for men with vs without ED¹⁵

of men with chest pain and angiographically documented coronary artery disease had ED¹⁶

300 consecutive patients in Milan, Italy.

of men with both ED and coronary artery disease reported that ED symptoms appeared before heart symptoms¹⁶

The mean interval between ED onset and coronary artery disease was 38.8 months.

new coronary artery disease cases per 1,000 person-years among men aged 40 to 49 with vs without ED⁶

Olmsted County, Minnesota cohort. ED was of little prognostic importance in older men.

patients treated with sildenafil, tadalafil or vardenafil were analyzed from a direct-to-consumer telemedicine platform database¹⁷

Adverse event rates at medium and high doses were 35.0% for sildenafil, 33.9% for tadalafil and 47.4% for vardenafil; nasal congestion was most common.

of 497 men who got sexual health treatment through a national US direct-to-consumer telehealth platform reported favorable impressions of care quality and safety on most survey items¹⁸

Online survey of platform users, June 30 to July 3, 2025.

subscribers used Hims & Hers, a telehealth platform whose treatments include sexual health and hair loss, at the end of June 2026¹⁹

Up 19% year over year. The company does not break out subscribers by condition.