157 Flu Statistics and Facts You Should Know

Long before there was a COVID-19 pandemic, there were influenza (flu) pandemics. And we do mean ‌long‌ before.

In the past 400 years alone, there have been 12 global outbreaks of the flu, with the 1918 flu pandemic — which killed an estimated 50 million people — being the most deadly, according to a study in ‌Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy‌.

The flu (caused by the influenza virus) is a highly infectious disease that can attack the nose, throat and lungs. Its hallmark symptoms include fever, chills, fatigue, muscle aches and dizziness from dehydration. Worldwide, flu deaths per year number into the hundreds of thousands.

Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) heads a Global Influenza Programme (GIP) that collects data and statistics about the influenza virus from around the world. That information, including what types of virus are spreading where, can be used to help slow the spread of influenza and develop better vaccines for future seasons.

Here's a closer look at flu statistics, both past and present.

Scientists haven't been able to eliminate the flu largely because influenza viruses are constantly changing. The viruses change in two ways: through small genetic mutations that occur as the virus replicates over time (called "antigenic drift"), or through sudden, major shifts in the virus (called "antigenic shift").

Small mutations usually result in viruses that are closely related to each other — so much so that your immune system will likely recognize the "new" virus and may even be able to fight it off.

Humans usually don't have any immunity built up to a virus that has undergone a major change, though. One of the most well-known examples of abrupt shift occurred in the spring of 2009, when a new H1N1 virus (formerly called "swine flu") began circulating in the U.S.

Here's a look under the microscope at the different types of flu and flu strains.

There are four types of influenza viruses: A, B, C and D, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

1. ‌Influenza A:‌ The most dangerous of the four, the influenza A virus is the only type that can cause a pandemic of flu disease in humans. Influenza A viruses tend to change more rapidly than other types. This virus is also responsible for most of the outbreaks of influenza that occur during the winter flu season in the U.S.
2. ‌Influenza B:‌ Along with the influenza A virus, the influenza B virus is responsible for many of the flu infections that occur each year in the U.S., but it tends to change more slowly than the influenza A type.
3. ‌Influenza C:‌ The influenza C virus usually only causes mild illnesses in humans.
4. ‌Influenza D:‌ Unlike the other three types, influenza D primarily infects cattle and doesn't occur in humans.

What some people refer to as a "flu strain" is scientifically known as a flu subtype.

The influenza A virus is divided into subtypes based on two proteins on the surface of the virus: hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N). There are thought to be 198 different subtype combinations. Only about 130 of them have been found in nature, according to the CDC.

The most common influenza A subtypes that circulate in humans include H1N1 and H3N2.

The name of a flu virus typically includes the type of influenza virus, the host of origin (if it comes from an animal), the geographical origin, the strain number and the year it was collected. For example, a seasonal influenza virus may look like this:

• seasonal influenza A (H3N2), A/Perth/16/2019

The influenza B virus isn't divided into subtypes; rather, it's divided into two lineages: B (Victoria) and B (Yamagata).

The influenza virus has likely been circulating for thousands of years. In 412 BCE, Hippocrates wrote about a pandemic that modern experts believe was influenza, according to the study in ‌Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy‌.

Other influenza outbreaks likely occurred in the Middle Ages, although an article in the ‌European Journal of Epidemiology‌ notes that medical historians can only be confident about epidemics that occurred after 1500 AD. The name "influenza" originated in the 1400s in Italy, from an epidemic caused by the "influence of the stars."

Although multiple pandemics spread across Asia, Europe and North America throughout the 1700s and 1800s, the deadliest influenza outbreak occurred in 1918, according to a study in the ‌Journal of Applied Microbiology‌. It's unclear where the 1918 virus first sprang up, but scientists do know that it was an H1N1 virus that originated in birds. The CDC estimates that about 500 million people — about 1 in 3 people alive at the time — were infected, and at least 50 million people died from it.

It wasn't until the 1930s that the influenza virus was discovered, which then paved the way for the development of the first inactivated flu vaccine in the 1940s by researchers at the University of Michigan.

Between 2010 and 2020, the CDC estimates that flu in the U.S. has resulted in an annual:

• 9 million to 41 million illnesses
• 140,000 to 710,000 hospitalizations
• 12,000 to 52,000 deaths

The flu virus is primarily spread through droplets that are made when people cough, sneeze or talk. These droplets can land in other people's mouths and noses (or be inhaled) up to about 6 feet away, according to the CDC.

Less commonly, a person might touch a surface — such as a tabletop — that has the flu virus on it, then transfer the bug to their mouth, nose or eyes when they touch their face.

Here's one possible timeline of how a virus can infect people, and when the symptoms start to appear.

• ‌Day 1:‌ The influenza virus enters your body.
• ‌Day 2:‌ Even though you haven't developed any flu symptoms yet, you may still be contagious and able to infect other people.
• ‌Day 3:‌ Flu symptoms such as fever and fatigue can abruptly start to develop.
• ‌Day 4 and 5:‌ You may be at your most contagious up until this day, although oftentimes, the symptoms can subside.
• ‌Day 6 and 7:‌ You may feel like you've made a full recovery, but you may still be able to infect others.

In the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, flu season primarily occurs in the winter months, though it can start in the fall and last until the spring. In the tropics, the flu can infect people all year long, according to the WHO.

Still, because people travel internationally, it's possible to catch the flu (and spread it to others) even if flu season hasn't started in your own country. The CDC recommends people get the influenza vaccine at least two weeks before they travel, because it takes about two weeks to build up antibodies after getting vaccinated.

Flu season in the U.S. typically starts during the fall and winter, often picking up in October, peaking between December and February and tapering off in the spring (although sometimes lasting as late as May), according to the CDC.

Last season, there was flu activity late in the season, per the CDC.

Like the U.S., flu season in countries that are located north of the equator — including Canada, most of Europe and Russia — can begin as early as October and linger into April or May.

Influenza season in tropical countries, like those in Central America and the Caribbean, can take place all year long.

In countries south of the equator, such as Argentina and Australia, flu season starts in April and can last into September. This coincides with fall and spring in the Southern Hemisphere.

The best way to avoid getting the flu is to get the influenza vaccine. Most of the flu vaccines in the U.S. are given via a shot (i.e., with a needle), but there is also a nasal spray flu vaccine available. The flu shot contains an inactive virus, while the nasal spray contains a weakened, live virus. Neither vaccine will give you the flu, but you can get flu shot side effects.

The effectiveness of annual flu vaccines varies from season to season, but according to the CDC, when the vaccine is a good "match" for the viruses that are circulating during flu season, getting vaccinated can reduce the risk of being sickened with the flu by about 40 to 60 percent. A vaccine that is a good "match" is made from many of the same viruses that are circulating during flu season.

Specifically, the CDC states that during the 2019 to 2020 influenza season, the flu vaccine prevented:

• 105,000 hospitalizations
• 3.69 million medical visits
• 7.52 million illnesses

Even if the vaccine doesn't prevent a person from catching the flu, it can lessen the severity of the illness. One research review in ‌Vaccine‌ found that the flu vaccine can lower the risk of being admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) by 26 percent.

Note: You can get your flu vaccine at the same time as a COVID-19 vaccine or booster shot, per the CDC.

Toward the end of the 2021 to 2022 flu season, 174.7 million doses of flu vaccine were distributed, per the CDC. And, the following percentages of people received the flu vaccine:

• 55.3% of children ages 6 months to 17 years
• 45.4% for adults 18 and older

About 80 percent of flu-related deaths in children occur in children who weren't vaccinated, according to the CDC.

Toward the end of the 2021 to 2022 flu season, the following percentages of people, by race and ethnicity, had received the flu vaccine, according to the CDC:

• 50.1% of Asian, non-Hispanic people
• 33.9% of Hispanic people
• 51.3% of white, non-Hispanic people
• 34.2% of other, non-Hispanic people
• 35% of Black, non-Hispanic people

Pregnant people are more likely to be sickened with the flu than those who aren't pregnant — which is why the CDC recommends they get a seasonal flu shot (not the nasal spray).

Here's a closer look at flu vaccination during pregnancy:

• 51.8% of pregnant people received the flu vaccine by the end of the 2021 to 2022 flu season.
• Getting a flu shot can reduce a pregnant person's chances of being hospitalized with the flu by an average of 40 percent.
• Flu vaccinations can reduce the risk of flu-related acute respiratory infections (such as pneumonia) by about one-half.

The WHO estimates that 290,000 to 650,000 people die of the flu each year. (Flu death rates have been rounded to the nearest whole number.)

Here's a closer look at the influenza death rate by region, according to a December 2019 study in the ‌Journal of Global Health‌, which analyzed statistics from 2002 to 2011:

• ‌Americas:‌ 6 people per 100,000
• ‌Eastern Mediterranean:‌ 5 people per 100,000
• ‌Europe:‌ 5 people per 100,000
• ‌South-East Asia:‌ 6 people per 100,000
• ‌Sub-Saharan Africa:‌ 6 people per 100,000
• ‌Western Pacific:‌ 5 people per 100,000

According to the United Kingdom's Office for National Statistics:

• In 2018, 1,598 people died of flu.
• In 2019, 1,223 people died of flu.

According to the U.K.'s Office for National Statistics:

• In 2018, 73 people died of flu.
• In 2019, 53 people died of flu.

According to the Canadian government:

• During the 2021 to 2022 flu season, 22 influenza-associated deaths were reported.

According to the Australian Government Department of Health:

• In 2021, there were no influenza-related deaths.

Here's a look at the number of people per 100,000 who died of flu during 2020, according to the CDC:

• ‌Alabama‌: 18 per 100,000
• ‌Alaska‌: 8 per 100,000
• ‌Arizona‌: 12 per 100,000
• ‌Arkansas‌: 18 per 100,000
• ‌California‌: 13 per 100,000
• ‌Colorado‌: 7 per 100,000
• ‌Connecticut‌: 10 per 100,000
• ‌Delaware‌: 12 per 100,000
• ‌Florida‌: 10 per 100,000
• ‌Georgia‌: 14 per 100,000
• ‌Hawaii‌: 11 per 100,000
• ‌Idaho‌: 9 per 100,000
• ‌Illinois‌: 15 per 100,000
• ‌Indiana‌: 13 per 100,000
• ‌Iowa‌: 12 per 100,000
• ‌Kansas‌: 14 per 100,000
• ‌Kentucky‌: 16 per 100,000
• ‌Louisiana‌: 14 per 100,000
• ‌Maine‌: 12 per 100,000
• ‌Maryland‌: 12 per 100,000
• ‌Massachusetts‌: 15 per 100,000
• ‌Michigan‌: 14 per 100,000
• ‌Minnesota‌: 8 per 100,000
• ‌Mississippi‌: 25 per 100,000
• ‌Missouri‌: 14 per 100,000
• ‌Montana‌: 8 per 100,000
• ‌Nebraska‌: 12 per 100,000
• ‌Nevada‌: 14 per 100,000
• ‌New Hampshire‌: 10 per 100,000
• ‌New Jersey‌: 14 per 100,000
• ‌New Mexico‌: 13 per 100,000
• ‌New York‌: 18 per 100,000
• ‌North Carolina‌: 14 per 100,000
• ‌North Dakota‌: 15 per 100,000
• ‌Ohio‌: 13 per 100,000
• ‌Oklahoma‌: 14 per 100,000
• ‌Oregon‌: 7 per 100,000
• ‌Pennsylvania‌: 13 per 100,000
• ‌Rhode Island‌: 9 per 100,000
• ‌South Carolina‌: 12 per 100,000
• ‌South Dakota‌: 12 per 100,000
• ‌Tennessee‌: 19 per 100,000
• ‌Texas‌: 12 per 100,000
• ‌Utah‌: 10 per 100,000
• ‌Vermont‌: 6 per 100,000
• ‌Virginia‌: 12 per 100,000
• ‌Washington‌: 9 per 100,000
• ‌West‌ ‌Virginia‌: 18 per 100,000
• ‌Wisconsin‌: 10 per 100,000
• ‌Wyoming‌: 12 per 100,000

Some flu seasons are deadlier than others. The 2017 to 2018 flu season, for example, killed about five times as many Americans as the 2011 to 2012 flu season. Here's a look at the statistics for the past 10 years.

‌*Preliminary estimates‌

In the U.S., older adults are more likely to be hospitalized and die from the flu than younger people.

Of the people who died of flu during the 2019 to 2020 flu season:

• 62.4% were 65 and older
• 23.4% were ages 50 to 64
• 12.2% were ages 18 to 49
• 0.8% were ages 5 to 17
• 1.2% were 4 and younger

Of the people who were hospitalized:

• 43.7% were 65 and older
• 22.1% were ages 50 to 64
• 21.3% were ages 18 to 49
• 5.6% were ages 5 to 17
• 7.4% were 4 and younger

The CDC estimates that the 2019 to 2020 flu season caused:

• 38 million illnesses: About the same as the population of California
• 400,000 hospitalizations: About the same as the population of Miami, Florida
• 22,000 deaths: Enough people to fill Madison Square Garden in New York City

Per preliminary estimates from the CDC, the 2021-2022 flu season led to:

• 8,000,000–13,000,000 flu illnesses
• 82,000–170,000 flu hospitalizations
• 5,000–14,000 flu deaths