Fact · Accessibility and health
2.7percent
In a random sample of 2,466 adults aged 25 to 74 in southern Sweden, 2.7% had carpal tunnel syndrome confirmed both by clinical examination and by nerve conduction testing.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“Sixty-six symptomatic subjects had clinically and electrophysiologically confirmed CTS (prevalence, 2.7%; 95% CI, 2.1%-3.4%).”
Prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome in a general population, Isam Atroshi et al., JAMA, 1999, Abstract, Results.
Open the original (DOI 10.1001/jama.282.2.153)- What it measures
- The same study found that 14.4% of respondents reported pain, numbness or tingling in the median nerve area of the hand, and 3.8% had clinically certain carpal tunnel syndrome on examination alone. Roughly 1 in 5 people with symptoms had confirmed carpal tunnel syndrome.
- What it does not show
- One Swedish region surveyed in 1997. The rate depends on the definition used: clinical diagnosis alone gives a higher figure than clinical plus nerve testing.