New prevalence figures
ADHD Test reports that the inattentive presentation accounts for about 33 % of adult cases, the hyperactive‑impulsive presentation about 7 %, and the combined presentation about 60 % (ADHD Test). The same three categories appear on the NHS symptom guide and the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) description, confirming a cross‑jurisdictional consensus on how adult ADHD is framed.
| Subtype | Share |
|---|---|
| Inattentive | 33 % |
| Hyperactive‑impulsive | 7 % |
| Combined | 60 % |
| Source: ADHD Test | |
The figures are presented without a time series, so they represent the latest snapshot supplied by ADHD Test. No prior percentage breakdown is offered in the packet, meaning the change from earlier estimates cannot be quantified.
How buyers compare assessment methods
Employers, insurers and benefits consultants are increasingly asked to justify the cost of an ADHD assessment programme. The three‑type split gives them a concrete way to map product claims onto the prevalence landscape. For example, a tool that claims high sensitivity for the inattentive type can be pitched to the roughly one‑third of the adult population that falls into that bucket.
Buyers are also looking at methodological differences – self‑report questionnaires, clinician‑led interviews and digital behavioural analytics. The NHS page notes that symptoms span inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity, reinforcing the need for multi‑modal tools that can capture each domain.NHS.
Meanwhile, NIMH highlights that individuals may exhibit strong symptoms in one domain while being milder in others, which makes a single‑score assessment less useful for the 7 % hyper‑impulsive group and the 60 % combined group.NIMH. Buyers therefore request data on domain‑specific validity, not just an overall accuracy figure.
StatCan’s 2022 disability survey shows that 35.4 % of employed Canadians with disabilities needed a workplace accommodation, with mental‑health conditions featuring prominently.StatCan. When the prevalence of combined ADHD is 60 %, a sizeable share of those accommodation requests are likely to involve the combined presentation, which often requires both environmental adjustments and behavioural support.
Benefits managers are therefore asking vendors for evidence that their assessment pathways can differentiate between the three presentations. The Royal College of Psychiatrists notes that adult ADHD manifests through inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity, echoing the NHS and NIMH framing and underscoring the clinical relevance of the split.Royal College of Psychiatrists. A vendor that can produce separate validation studies for each domain gains a pricing premium, while buyers can align procurement budgets with the 33 %/7 %/60 % distribution.
What remains unknown
The packet does not provide longitudinal data on how the subtype shares have shifted over time, nor does it break down prevalence by gender, age cohort or occupational sector. Without that granularity, buyers cannot yet model the future demand for specific assessment features.
In practice, procurement teams are advised to request raw validation datasets from vendors and to benchmark them against the NHS and NIMH symptom definitions. They should also track internal usage patterns once a tool is deployed, to see whether the observed case mix matches the 33 %/7 %/60 % split.
For readers looking for more context on how the three‑type framework is being used in other markets, see our recent coverage of workplace accommodations in the Markets and Finance sections.