How many people in the United States are diagnosed with Hansen’s disease (leprosy) in a year, how does that compare with recent years, where are the cases reported, and how common is it around the world? The federal government’s National Hansen’s Disease Program, part of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), publishes the yearly count of new US cases. HRSA says the program grew out of the National Leprosarium in Carville, Louisiana, which the US government established in 1917, and that outpatient clinics were added in 1981.
The 2025 answer
HRSA says 174 new cases of Hansen’s disease were reported in the United States in 2025, the most recent year it has data for.
Spread across the population, that is about 1 in 2 million people (our arithmetic). The base is the Census Bureau’s estimate of 341,784,857 residents of the 50 states and the District of Columbia on July 1, 2025. Dividing 341,784,857 by 174 gives about 1,964,000 (our arithmetic). HRSA’s page does not specify whether its count includes Puerto Rico. Adding Puerto Rico’s population would still give about 1 in 2 million (our arithmetic).
Recent years
HRSA’s yearly counts since 2014 have ranged from 124 new cases (2021) to 225 (2023). The three most recent years:
| Year | New US cases reported |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 225 |
| 2024 | 205 |
| 2025 | 174 |
These are counts of reported cases, and the numbers move from year to year. We make no trend claim from them.
Where cases were reported
HRSA says 88 of the 2025 cases, or 51%, were reported in five states: Florida, Louisiana, Texas, New York and Washington. HRSA lists the states without giving a reason.
What HRSA says about the disease
HRSA states that 95% of the human population is not susceptible to infection with the bacteria that cause Hansen’s disease. It says treatment with standard antibiotics is very effective, and that people with Hansen’s disease become noninfectious after only a few doses and need not be isolated from family and friends. It also notes that diagnosis in the US is often delayed, because health care providers are unaware of Hansen’s disease and its symptoms.
Around the world
Globally, the World Health Organization reports that 203 countries, areas and territories shared information on leprosy in 2025, accounting for 167,356 new cases in total. That is a worldwide count from a different reporting system, so we do not set it beside the US figure as a rate.
The short version
In 2025, HRSA counted 174 new US cases of Hansen’s disease (leprosy). Against the Census estimate for the 50 states and DC, that is about 1 in 2 million people (our arithmetic).
Last checked: 2026-10-21, against HRSA’s National Hansen’s Disease Program page, the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 population estimates and the WHO Global Health Observatory. This article was machine-checked against the sources above and has not been expert-reviewed. Spotted an error or a newer public figure? Please tell us on our contact page with the article link and we will review it.
Sources
- S1 Health Resources and Services Administration, National Hansen’s Disease (Leprosy) Program, “Hansen’s disease (leprosy) facts” and US cases by year, 2014 to 2025 (page reviewed May 2026). https://www.hrsa.gov/hansens-disease . Accessed Oct 21, 2026.
- S2 US Census Bureau, Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for the United States, Regions, States, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2025 (NST-EST2025-POP), released January 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2025/state/totals/NST-EST2025-POP.xlsx . Accessed Oct 21, 2026.
- S3 World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, leprosy (Hansen’s disease) data, 2025. https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/topics/leprosy-hansens-disease . Accessed Oct 21, 2026.