Transgender Statistics – What Percentage are Trans?

Transgender individuals have historically been a marginalized group, facing discrimination and prejudice in many areas of life. However, with increasing visibility and advocacy efforts, awareness of the unique challenges faced by this population is growing.

In this statistical report, we provide key data points related to transgender individuals, including demographics, healthcare access, and experiences, mental health, and employment. By shedding light on these important issues, we hope to further understand and support the transgender community.

We’ve gone over the following:

• What percentage of people are transgender?
• Violence against trans women and men
• Detransition
• Transgender HIV (STDs)
• Trans homelessness
• Transgender health and mental health
• Transgender suicide rate
• Transgender surgery
• Poverty
• Sources

What percentage of people are transgender?

• 0.5% of the world’s population is transgender, that’s around 41 million people.
• 0.8% of the US population is transgender, that’s around 2 million Americans.
• 38.5% of transgenders are trans women.
  35.9% of transgenders are trans men.
  25.6% of transgenders are gender non-conforming.
• 3 out of 10 persons know someone who is transgender.

By age (transgender kids, teens, and adults)

• USA by age:
  13-17 (kids and teens): 1.43%
  18-24 (adults): 1.31%
  25-64 (adults): 0.45%
  65+ (adults): 0.32%
• Global by age:
  13-17 (kids and teens): 1.05%
  18-24 (adults): 0.61%
  25-64 (adults): 0.27%
  65+ (adults): 0.2%

By country

• What percentage of the US is trans? 0.42% are transgenders (18+) and 1.21% are transgenders (13-17) in the USA. Total average of 0.8%

• The highest percentages of transgender individuals are found in Germany, India, Spain, Brazil, Canada, Ukraine, Argentina, Russia, and Spain, all of which have a percentage of over 2.00%.

• China has a higher percentage of transgender individuals than the United States, which is surprising given that the United States is often seen as more accepting of LGBTQ+ individuals.

• Many of the countries on the list have a very low percentage of transgender individuals, which could be due to factors such as lack of legal recognition, discrimination, and social stigma.

• The list highlights the need for more accurate and comprehensive data on the transgender population, as many countries do not collect data on gender identity, and self-identification and legal recognition vary widely across different countries.

By US state

• The District of Columbia has the highest percentage of transgender individuals among adults at 2.03%, followed by Hawaii and New Mexico at 0.57% and 0.55% respectively.

• California has the highest number of transgender individuals among adults at 218,400, which accounts for 0.54% of its adult population.

• The Midwest and the Plains states tend to have lower percentages of transgender individuals, with North Dakota having the lowest percentage at 0.2%.

• The percentage of transgender individuals among adults is generally higher in states that are more liberal and have more LGBTQ-friendly policies.

By race/ethnicity

• Percentage of races that are transgender:
  White trans: 0.5%
  Black trans: 0.6%
  Asian trans: 0.5%
  Latinx trans: 0.7%
  All other races: 1.0%

By gender identity and race

• The majority of individuals identifying as male-to-female are White (50.6%) and the smallest percentage is Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%).

• The majority of individuals identifying as female-to-male are also White (59.8%) and the smallest percentage is Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%).

• The majority of individuals identifying as nonbinary are White (55.2%) and the smallest percentage is Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%).

• Across all gender identities, White individuals make up the largest percentage of those surveyed (ranging from 50.6% to 59.8%) followed by Black individuals (ranging from 14.5% to 17.7%). Latinx individuals make up the third-largest group, ranging from 19.2% to 24.2%.

• The “Other/Mixed Race” category makes up between 4.9% and 5.5% of all individuals across gender identities.

By Job

• 29% of transgender individuals have experienced discrimination or mistreatment in the workplace due to their gender identity, such as being fired or denied a promotion.
• 16% of transgender individuals have experienced unemployment, which is twice the national average at the time of the survey.
• Transgender individuals are overrepresented in certain fields, including the entertainment industry and sex work.
• Transgender individuals are underrepresented in certain fields, such as science and technology.
• Transgender individuals are more likely to work in jobs that provide lower wages, fewer benefits, and less job security compared to the general population.
• 75% of students that are transgenders feel unsafe in school (in education).
• 1.3% of students are transgender.
• 25% of transgenders have been in the military.
• 0.6% of the armed forces (the military) are transgender.
• 1.2% of athletes are trans.
• 3 out of 10 transgenders have been fired from their job.

Violence against trans women and men

• At least 61 transgender people were killed in 2023, making it the deadliest year on record for transgender and gender non-conforming people.
• 80% of anti-transgender homicides in the United States are against transgender women of color.
• 54% have experienced some form of intimate partner violence.
• 47% of transgender people have been sexually assaulted at some point in their lifetime. Meaning they are at higher risk of rape than other segments. Only 3 out of 10 reported the sexual assault to the police.
• 29% of transgender individuals postponed or avoided medical care due to fear of discrimination.
• 33% reported experiencing at least one negative experience, such as being refused treatment or being verbally or physically harassed.
• 5 out of 10 trans were unable to vote in at least one election in their life.

Detransition

• 96% of those who transition are happy, and only 4% are dissatisfied.
• 1.75% of transgenders detransition back to the gender they came from.
• 9 out of 10 that detransitioned did it due to external pressure from friends and family.

Transgender HIV (STDs)

• Transgender women are 50 times more likely to get HIV.
• 2 out of 10 transgenders have HIV worldwide.
• 1 out of 3 trans in D.C. is HIV-positive.
• 8 out of 10 transgender women have been tested for HIV throughout their life.
• 2% of all HIV diagnoses in the US were among trans people.
• 25-34 years old is the age when most trans are tested positive for HIV.

Trans homelessness

• 48% of transgenders have experience homelessness.

Transgender health and mental health

• 20% of transgenders do not have any health insurance.
• 34% of transgenders of color do not have any health insurance.
• 3 out of 10 transgenders have been refused health care by their doctor due to their gender identity.
• 80% of trans feel anxious, nervous, and/or depressed every week (only 5% of the general population does that).

Transgender suicide rate

• 2 out of 5 trans have attempted suicide – that’s 20% (it’s 2 out of 200 from the general population).

Transgender surgery

• 1 out of 5 transgenders gets a sex change surgery.
• Gender-affirming surgeries are performed in approximately 10.9% of medical encounters related to transsexualism.
• Complication rates for certain procedures, such as double flap phalloplasty in transgender men, can be as high as 53%.
• By the age of 7, around 78% of transgender males have experienced gender dysphoria.
• 41% of the ones that got surgery have reduced stress symptoms.
• 48% had reduced suicidal thoughts.
• 8 out of 10 were able to get an orgasm after surgery.

Poverty

• 31% of trans adults are below the poverty line. The threshold was in the US $35,801 in 2023.

Sources