Food intolerance statistics vary sharply because reported intolerance, food hypersensitivity, lactose malabsorption, celiac disease and food allergy are different measures. The figures below identify the population, geography, period and method for each estimate.
Key Food Intolerance Statistics
These highlights summarize the most broadly useful measures:
- In the FSA adult survey sample in the United Kingdom, 42.6% reported food intolerance during the survey wave.
- In the same UK adult sample and survey wave, 25.6% reported food intolerance as their only listed condition.
- In the FSA sample, 19.57% of UK adults reported multiple food-hypersensitivity conditions during the survey wave.
- The NHS-linked estimate for England found food hypersensitivity at 2.3% in 2018, compared with 1.1% in 2008.
- In FSA Wave 2, 26% of 1,549 foods reported by UK adults as causing reactions were cereals containing gluten.
- A systematic review through 2 November 2016 estimated global lactose malabsorption at 68% among people aged 10 years and older across 89 countries.
- The same review estimated lactose malabsorption at 28% in western, southern and northern Europe.
- The review estimated lactose malabsorption at 70% in the Middle East.
- Among children aged 1–5 in literature from 1995–2015, primary lactose intolerance estimates ranged from 0% to 17.9%.
- Among US adults in an online survey conducted for a 2023 publication, 5.1% self-reported gluten intolerance.
- In that US adult survey, 24.8% self-reported intolerance to any food.
- A global meta-analysis of studies published from January 1991 to March 2016 estimated biopsy-confirmed celiac prevalence at 0.7%.
- The same meta-analysis found biopsy-confirmed celiac prevalence of 0.9% in children and 0.5% in adults.
- In 21st-century population-based studies, pooled celiac incidence was 17.4 per 100,000 person-years in females.
- Among first-degree relatives of people with celiac disease, studies through 11 January 2024 found 11% pooled celiac seroprevalence.
- In FSA Wave 2, 20% of 1,523 foods reported by UK parents as causing child reactions were tree nuts.
- Among first-degree relatives with celiac disease, 42% reported abdominal pain in studies through 11 January 2024.
- In FSA Wave 2, 66% of UK adult respondents with food hypersensitivity felt comfortable asking restaurant staff for information.
Contents
- Key Food Intolerance Statistics
- How Common Are Reported Food Intolerance Reactions?
- Lactose Intolerance and Malabsorption by Region and Test
- Gluten Intolerance, Wheat Reactions and Celiac Disease
- Food Intolerance Statistics for Children, Adults and Families
- Common Trigger Foods and Gastrointestinal Symptoms
- Diagnosis, Avoidance and Eating Out
How Common Are Reported Food Intolerance Reactions?
The Food Standards Agency’s adult survey illustrates why self-reported food intolerance should not be treated as population prevalence. Its sample included clinically diagnosed and self-assessed conditions, and the categories could overlap.
- In the FSA adult food-hypersensitivity sample, 42.6% reported food intolerance during the survey wave.
- Food intolerance was the only listed condition for 25.6% of the same UK survey sample.
- A further 19.57% reported multiple food-hypersensitivity conditions.
- 11.01% reported both food allergy and food intolerance, while 4.07% reported both coeliac disease and food intolerance.
These figures come from Appendix H: Sample Descriptives: Demographics and Food Hypersensitivity. They describe reported conditions in a survey sample, not clinically confirmed rates for all UK adults.
A separate NHS-linked analysis used administrative records to estimate food hypersensitivity in England. It reported 1.1% one-year prevalence in 2008 and 2.3% in 2018, an approximately 109% increase based on those reported values; changing definitions and ascertainment may have influenced the trend.
The measure is food hypersensitivity rather than intolerance alone. The source is Using NHS Data to Monitor Trends in the Occurrence of Severe, Food-Induced Allergic Reactions: Work Package 1.
Lactose Intolerance and Malabsorption by Region and Test
Lactose malabsorption is not identical to symptomatic lactose intolerance after ordinary portions. A systematic review covering literature through 2 November 2016 combined 450 populations and 62,910 participants across 89 countries, while reporting substantial between-study heterogeneity.
| Population or method | Estimate | Measurement scope |
|---|---|---|
| Global, age 10+ | 68% (95% CI 64%–72%) | Lactose malabsorption |
| Western, southern and northern Europe | 28% (95% CI 19%–37%) | Regional malabsorption estimate |
| Middle East | 70% (95% CI 57%–83%) | Regional malabsorption estimate |
| Genotyping alone | 74% | Proxy for lactase non-persistence |
| Lactose-tolerance tests alone | 55% | Test-specific pooled estimate |
| Hydrogen-breath tests alone | 57% | Test-specific pooled estimate |
The estimates are from Country, regional, and global estimates for lactose malabsorption in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Different tests are not interchangeable, and genotype-based estimates are proxies rather than direct measures of symptoms.
Children show a separate evidence pattern. In a systematic review of 1995–2015 literature, primary lactose intolerance estimates among children aged 1–5 ranged from 0% to 17.9%, while secondary lactose intolerance estimates ranged from 0% to 19%; few studies reported prevalence and diagnostic methods varied.
That child evidence comes from Prevalence, cause and diagnosis of lactose intolerance in children aged 1-5 years: a systematic review of 1995-2015 literature.
A symptomatic sample can produce different results from general-population studies. Among people meeting IBS criteria and tested with breath tests in studies published from 1978–2020, pooled lactose malabsorption was 54% (95% CI 44%–64%), while fructose malabsorption was 43% (95% CI 23%–62%).
The IBS-specific estimates are reported in A systematic review and meta-analysis on the prevalence of non-malignant, organic gastrointestinal disorders misdiagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome. They apply to a selected symptomatic population and do not represent general-population prevalence.
Gluten Intolerance, Wheat Reactions and Celiac Disease
Self-reported gluten responses and celiac disease are related topics but different measures. In a US online survey of adults aged 18–80 conducted for a 2023 publication, 5.1% self-reported gluten intolerance, with a 95% confidence interval of 4.2%–6.1%; the convenience sample did not exclude celiac disease.
The same survey reported these food-specific responses among US adults:
- Wheat intolerance was self-reported by 4.8%.
- Flour intolerance was self-reported by 1.2%.
- Pasta intolerance was self-reported by 0.9%.
- Barley intolerance and rye intolerance were each self-reported by 0.8%.
- Overall intolerance to any food was self-reported by 24.8%.
Among 108 adults reporting gluten intolerance, 62.0% selected wheat only, 10.2% selected all gluten-containing grains except pasta and flour, and 5.6% selected all gluten-containing products. These are self-reported subgroup responses, not diagnoses of non-celiac gluten sensitivity.
The source is Self-Reported Gluten Intolerance Is Prevalent, but Not All Gluten-Containing Foods Are Equal.
Celiac disease estimates use diagnostic outcomes rather than the broad label of intolerance. A meta-analysis of global population studies published from January 1991 to March 2016 found pooled celiac seroprevalence of 1.4% and biopsy-confirmed prevalence of 0.7%.
| Geography | Celiac seroprevalence |
|---|---|
| South America | 0.4% |
| Africa | 0.5% |
| North America | 0.5% |
| Asia | 0.6% |
| Europe and Oceania | 0.8% |
The regional figures and the distinction between serology and biopsy confirmation come from Global Prevalence of Celiac Disease: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Biopsy-confirmed prevalence was 0.9% in children versus 0.5% in adults, and 0.6% in females versus 0.4% in males.
For 21st-century population-based studies, pooled celiac incidence was 17.4 per 100,000 person-years in females and 7.8 per 100,000 person-years in males. The incidence estimates come from Incidence of Celiac Disease Is Increasing Over Time: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis, which reported substantial heterogeneity and uneven geographic coverage.
Food Intolerance Statistics for Children, Adults and Families
Age and family relationship change the meaning of a food-related statistic. The FSA Wave 2 child sample was a recruited food-hypersensitivity group, while family celiac estimates describe people at elevated risk rather than the general population.
- In the FSA Wave 2 child sample, 40% were reported as having food intolerance only.
- Among first-degree relatives of people with celiac disease, pooled seroprevalence was 11% in studies through 11 January 2024.
- In the same first-degree-relative evidence, pooled biopsy-confirmed celiac prevalence was 7%.
- Celiac prevalence was 23% among daughters and 14% among sisters of affected patients.
- Celiac prevalence was 6% among sons of affected patients.
These family estimates are from Global Prevalence and Clinical Manifestations of Celiac Disease Among First-Degree Relatives: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. They must not be generalized to all adults or children.
The FSA child figure is from Food Sensitive Study: Wave Two Survey. It is parent-reported, not a population prevalence, and some condition subgroups were small.
Common Trigger Foods and Gastrointestinal Symptoms
Food-specific FSA percentages use reported foods as the denominator, not people. Multiple foods could be reported for one respondent, so these shares describe the composition of reaction reports.
| Reported food | Share of foods reported as causing reactions | Population and denominator |
|---|---|---|
| Tree nuts | 20% | 1,523 foods reported by UK parents for children |
| Milk | 19% | Foods reported by UK parents for children |
| Eggs | 14% | Foods reported by UK parents for children |
| Peanuts | 9% | Foods reported by UK parents for children |
| Cereals containing gluten | 26% | 1,549 foods reported by UK adults |
| Milk | 11% | Foods reported by UK adults |
All food shares in the table are from Food Sensitive Study: Wave Two Survey, and none is a person-level prevalence rate.
The family celiac meta-analysis also measured symptoms among first-degree relatives with celiac disease. Abdominal pain affected 42%, bloating 39% and flatulence 38%; pallor was the most frequent non-gastrointestinal symptom at 54%, while 34% were asymptomatic.
These symptom figures come from Global Prevalence and Clinical Manifestations of Celiac Disease Among First-Degree Relatives: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. They describe a high-risk screened population, and symptom ascertainment affects the asymptomatic category.
Food Intolerance Diagnosis, Avoidance and Eating Out
Avoidance decisions often depend on the quality of information available outside the home. FSA Wave 2 measured confidence among recruited UK respondents with food hypersensitivity, rather than auditing restaurant information or confirming diagnoses.
- 66% of adult respondents felt comfortable asking restaurant staff for information because of reaction concerns.
- 60% of adult respondents felt confident that written venue information allowed them to identify foods causing reactions.
- 72% of parent respondents felt comfortable asking staff for information about their child’s reaction risk.
The eating-out measures are reported in Food Sensitive Study: Wave Two Survey. They measure self-reported confidence, not the accuracy or completeness of venue information.
For context, the FSA PAFA study estimated clinically confirmed food allergy at about 6% of UK adults, or about 2.4 million people, in a report published in 2024. This is food allergy rather than food intolerance, so it should not be combined with the intolerance figures above; the estimate comes from Using NHS Data to Monitor Trends in the Occurrence of Severe, Food-Induced Allergic Reactions: Work Package 1.