chronic kidney disease chronic renal failure epidemiology forecast

Key Highlights

• According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a condition where the kidneys are damaged and unable to filter blood effectively. CKD is characterized by abnormalities in kidney structure or function that persist for more than 3 months and have health implications.
• There are usually no symptoms of kidney disease in the early stages. It may only be diagnosed if a blood or urine test is done for another reason and the results show a kidney problem. At a more advanced stage, symptoms can include tiredness, swollen ankles, feet, or hands, shortness of breath, nausea, and blood in the urine.
• In 2024, the 7MM reported approximately 82 million total prevalent cases of CKD, with the United States alone accounting for around 38 million—nearly 46% of the total burden. This substantial share underscores the significant healthcare impact of CKD in the US population.
• Among the EU4 and the UK, Germany had the highest diagnosed prevalence of CKD in 2024, with around 2.2 million cases. The UK followed closely with approximately 2 million diagnosed cases, highlighting the considerable burden of kidney disease across Western Europe.
• Gender-specific analysis from 2024 showed a fairly even distribution of diagnosed CKD cases across the 7MM, with female slightly outnumbering males—approximately 7.3 million versus 7 million cases, respectively. This marginal difference suggests a balanced gender burden, with slight female predominance.
• In Japan, end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) accounted for a notable proportion of the CKD burden in 2024, with roughly 270 thousand individuals undergoing dialysis and nearly 30 thousand receiving kidney transplants. These figures reflect the advanced stage disease management challenges unique to the Japanese healthcare setting.
• The rising prevalence of CKD is largely driven by aging populations, rising comorbidities, and improved diagnostic practices, underscoring the urgent need for comprehensive strategies to mitigate CKD burden globally.

DelveInsight’s “Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)– Epidemiology Forecast – 2034” report delivers an in-depth understanding of CKD historical and forecasted epidemiology in the United States, EU4 (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain) and the United Kingdom, and Japan.

The table given below further depicts the key segments provided in the report:

Chronic Kidney Disease: Disease Understanding

Chronic Kidney Disease Overview, and Diagnosis

CKD is a progressive disorder marked by a gradual decline in kidney function, which may eventually require renal replacement therapy such as dialysis or transplantation. It is diagnosed by the presence of kidney damage or an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) below 60 mL/min/1.73 m² lasting for at least three months, regardless of the underlying cause..

Diabetes and high blood pressure (hypertension) are the two most common causes of CKD, accounting for two-thirds of all cases. Other causes include glomerulonephritis, polycystic kidney disease, lupus nephritis, and kidney cancer, among others.

CKD can be diagnosed through a combination of blood and urine tests. One commonly used blood test is the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), which helps assess how efficiently the kidneys are functioning. In addition to lab tests, imaging techniques such as ultrasound, CT scans, X-rays, or MRI may also be employed to provide a clearer view of the kidneys and detect any structural abnormalities.

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Epidemiology

The CKD epidemiology chapter in the report provides historical as well as forecasted epidemiology segmented by total prevalent cases, total diagnosed prevalent cases, gender-specific diagnosed prevalent cases, age-specific diagnosed prevalent cases, stage-specific diagnosed prevalent cases, complication-specific diagnosed prevalent cases and etiology-specific diagnosed prevalent cases of CKD patients in the 7MM, covering the United States, EU4 (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain), the United Kingdom, and Japan from 2020 to 2034.

• In 2024, the US accounted for approximately 26% of all diagnosed prevalent cases of CKD across the 7MM, making it the highest contributing country.
• In 2024, the age-specific distribution of CKD cases in the US included around 750 thousand individuals aged 18–44,  ~1 million aged 45–64, and approximately 2 million among those aged 65 and above—indicating a strong correlation with increasing age.
• DelveInsight’s estimates for 2024 show that the US had roughly 750 thousand anemia-associated CKD cases, 1.4 million with hyperparathyroidism, and about 570 thousand with metabolic acidosis, reflecting the high comorbidity burden among CKD patients.

KOL Views

To gaze into the epidemiology insights of the real world, we take KOLs and SMEs’ opinions working in the domain through primary research to fill the data gaps and validate our secondary research on disease incidence.

DelveInsight’s analysts connected with 20+ KOLs to gather insights; however, interviews were conducted with 10+ KOLs in the 7MM. Centers such as the Johns Hopkins Hospital, USA, US; University Medicine Essen - Ruhrlandklinik, Germany; Institut Curi, France; Università Politecnica delle Marche Home, Italy; Arnau de Vilanova University Hospital, Spain; Centre for Kidney Research and Innovation, UK; NTT Medical Center Tokyo, Japan and others were contacted. Their opinion helps understand and validate current disease incidence, gender involved with the disease, diagnosis rate, and diagnostic criteria.

Scope of the Report      

• The report covers a segment of an executive summary, and a descriptive overview of CKD explaining its causes, signs and symptoms, pathogenesis.
• Comprehensive insight into the epidemiology segments and forecasts, the future growth potential of diagnosis rate, and disease progression have been provided.
• A detailed review of current challenges in establishing diagnosis and diagnosis rate is provided.

Chronic Kidney Disease Report Insights

• Patient Population
• Country-wise Epidemiology Distribution

Chronic Kidney Disease Report Key Strengths

• Ten-year Forecast
• The 7MM Coverage
• CKD Epidemiology Segmentation

Chronic Kidney Disease Report Assessment

• Epidemiology Segmentation
• Current Diagnostic Practices

FAQs

Epidemiology Insights

• What are the disease risks, burdens, and unmet needs of CKD? What will be the growth opportunities across the 7MM with respect to the patient population pertaining to CKD?
• What is the historical and forecasted CKD patient pool in the United States, EU4 (Germany, France, Italy, Spain) and the United Kingdom, and Japan?
• What is the diagnostic pattern of CKD?
• Which clinical factors will affect CKD?
• Which factors will affect the increase in the diagnosis of CKD?

Reasons to buy

• Insights on disease burden, details regarding diagnosis, and factors contributing to the change in the epidemiology of the disease during the forecast years.
• To understand the change in CKD cases in varying geographies over the coming years.
• A detailed overview of total prevalent cases, total diagnosed prevalent cases, gender-specific diagnosed prevalent cases, age-specific diagnosed prevalent cases, stage-specific diagnosed prevalent cases, complication-specific diagnosed prevalent cases and etiology-specific diagnosed prevalent cases of CKD is included.
• Detailed insights on various factors hampering disease diagnosis and other existing diagnostic challenges.