Epidemiology
Sunburn is very common in the US.[2] Nearly 40% of respondents in one large adult population-based survey had experienced at least one episode of sunburn in the previous year, and almost 10% had 4 or more sunburns. A history of sunburn was highest (61%) among 18- to 24-year-olds and lowest (6%) in those 75 years of age or older. Higher socioeconomic and educational levels were positively associated with sunburn.[3] A 2019 US-based survey study also found that non-Hispanic white people and those with higher income were more likely to report sunburn.[4] Data from the National Cancer Institute show that in 2021, 64% of adolescents (age 14 to 18 years) surveyed reported at least one episode of sunburn in the past year, compared to 29% of adults in 2020.[5] Although prevalence is highest among Fitzpatrick skin types I to III, affecting approximately two-thirds of white men and women ages 18-29 years, sunburn also occurs in traditionally lower-risk racial/ethnic populations (skin types IV to V), with a 9% and 13% prevalence in non-Hispanic black men and women ages 18-29 years, respectively.[2] Over 33,000 people in the US are admitted to the emergency department each year for sunburn.[5]
In the UK, a 2021 survey found that 29% of adults reported at least one episode of sunburn in the past year.[6]
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