Acne is a very common skin condition that affects most people in the UK at some point in their lives, whether it’s a relatively mild form of acne that passes quickly or a more severe condition. Either way, acne can contribute to a wide range of both mental and physical health problems, from pain and skin sensitivities to low self-esteem and anxiety.
In this article, we discover just how big an issue acne is in the UK and how many people it affects, taking a look at all the latest acne statistics in the UK in 2022.
Our research found that:
It’s widely reported that acne is a condition that affects the majority of UK adults at some point in their life, particularly at a young age when our hormones are still developing . However, not much data is available on the number of adults currently suffering from acne,
So, to find out how many people have acne in the UK in 2022, we surveyed 2,000 UK adults using Censuswide asking them the following question:
Which of the following best apply to you?
The results of our survey show that:
Who’s more likely to have acne? Men or women?
Women tend to go through significant hormonal changes throughout the course of their lives, such as menstruation, pregnancy and the menopause, and as we know – hormonal imbalances are one of the main causes of acne. However, men also experience a variety of hormonal changes at different points in their lives, and excess testosterone can also lead to frequent breakouts.
But which gender experiences acne the most in 2022? To find out, we took a closer look at the data from our survey, which found that:
It may be easy to assume that acne is an issue which primarily affects those in their teenage years. However, 72% of acne sufferers are actually over the age of 24. To find out how UK adults are affected by acne at different points of their lives, we asked all of the participants of our survey to disclose their age. Our findings revealed that:
It’s difficult to draw a direct link between Covid and the effect it has had on the prevalence of acne in the UK. However, we’ve taken a look at the trend in online searches for acne related queries over the course of the pandemic in order to discover any potential correlations between the two..
Using the online search tool Keyword Finder, we analysed the monthly search volumes for the search term ‘acne treatments’ in the UK and found a fairly significant increase in searches since the Covid-19 pandemic began.
As you can see from the chart above, searches for the term ‘acne treatments’ increased dramatically in April 2020, coinciding with the first Covid lockdown in the UK. Searches increased again in October and November 2020 when England entered a second lockdown and spiked a third time when the Prime Minister announced a third lockdown in England in January 2021.
Since then, searches appear to have returned to pre-pandemic levels.
Are those living in busy, polluted city centres more likely to suffer from acne? Or is it actually those living in rural areas and seaside towns who struggle most with the condition? To find out, we grouped the responses of our survey by region, which revealed that:
| Region | Percentage of people currently suffering from Acne |
| Northern Ireland | 21.31% |
| North East | 14.63% |
| Greater London | 14.29% |
| Wales | 13.40% |
| North West | 12.67% |
| East of England | 11.58% |
| West Midlands | 11.48% |
| South West | 11.43% |
| East Midlands | 11.03% |
| South East | 9.57% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 7.78% |
| Scotland | 7.02% |
On a city level…
| City | Percentage of adults currently struggling with Acne |
| Belfast | 21.31% |
| Cardiff | 16.44% |
| Manchester | 14.47% |
| Norwich | 13.75% |
| London | 12.77% |
As well as analysing survey data and online search volumes for terms relating to acne, we conducted an analysis of NHS prescription data for acne medication across England and found the following:
The table below shows the top 20 CCGs in England prescribing the highest rates of topical acne medication weighted by population:
| CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group) | Region | Prescribed Acne items per 1,000 people |
| Manchester | North West | 3.00 |
| Birmingham and Solihull | Midlands | 2.87 |
| Sheffield | North East and Yorkshire | 2.81 |
| Blackburn with Darwen | North West | 2.72 |
| North East London | London | 2.67 |
| Leeds | North East and Yorkshire | 2.65 |
| Oldham | North West | 2.61 |
| North West London | London | 2.60 |
| Bradford District and Craven | North East and Yorkshire | 2.59 |
| Liverpool | North West | 2.58 |
| Rotherham | North East and Yorkshire | 2.56 |
| North Central London | London | 2.55 |
| Stockport | North West | 2.55 |
| Wirral | North West | 2.55 |
| Trafford | North West | 2.54 |
| East and North Hertfordshire | East of England | 2.54 |
| Tees Valley | North East and Yorkshire | 2.52 |
| Knowsley | North West | 2.50 |
| Basildon and Brentwood | East of England | 2.48 |
| Doncaster | North East and Yorkshire | 2.48 |
The map below shows the highest prescribing CCGs (Clinical Commissioning Groups) in England when it comes to topical acne medication. The darker blue areas show the CCGs that prescribe a higher than average amount of medication, while the lighter blue areas show CCGs with lower prescription rates per 1,000 people.
Survey data was obtained by surveying 2,012 UK adults using Censuswide on 23rd March 2022.
Search volume data was acquired using KWFinder on 16th March 2022.
All NHS prescription data was obtained from openprescribing.net.
The full methodology and process for determining these conclusions can be found here.
We hope our data and analysis has helped you get a better idea of how much acne affects adults in the UK. Suffering from acne can be very stressful and it can have a significant impact on mental health and self-confidence. If you suffer from acne yourself, be sure to check out our wide range of prescription acne medications and read our recent blog post on the best ways to treat acne.
