Concepts

Prevalence

Also Known As Prevalence Rate

Citation Formats

General Reference

Health and Wellness Atlas. "Prevalence." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://health.interactiveatlas.org/concepts/prevalence.

APA Style

Health and Wellness Atlas. (n.d.). Prevalence. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://health.interactiveatlas.org/concepts/prevalence

BibTeX

@misc{healthandwellnessatlas-prevalence,
  author = {Health and Wellness Atlas},
  title = {Prevalence},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://health.interactiveatlas.org/concepts/prevalence},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

The total proportion of a population living with a disease or health condition at a given time, regardless of when it began, distinguished from incidence, which counts only new cases arising in a period. A disease can have low incidence but high prevalence if it is chronic and rarely resolves.

Facts

Concept Class

Epidemiology, measurement 1

Cross-Tradition Connections

Associated With

Incidence

Source Encyclopedia Britannica

In Branch

Epidemiology

Source Encyclopedia Britannica

Sources

1. Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.View the Source

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