Asthma and Hispanic/Latino Americans

  • In 2021, 3.9 million Hispanic/Latino Americans reported that they currently have asthma.1
  • In the adult population, Hispanic/Latino Americans visited the emergency department for asthma 5% less frequently than the total population in 2020.2
  • The largest prevalence of asthma in the Hispanic/Latino population is in children ages 5-14.3

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Diagnosed

Percentage of current asthma for adults ages 18 and over, 2024
Population Total PopulationPopulation /
Total Population Ratio
All Hispanic6.58.60.76
Mexican5.38.60.62
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). National Center for Health Statistics. Interactive Summary Health Statistics for Adults. Percentage of current asthma for adults aged 18 and over, United States, 2019–2024.
Percent of asthma among persons 18 years of age and over, ever being told they had asthma, 2018
HispanicTotal PopulationHispanic /
Total Population Ratio
All Hispanic11.513.60.85
Mexican8.613.60.63
Source: CDC, 2019. Summary Health Statistics: National Health Interview Survey: 2018. Table A-2. Selected respiratory diseases among adults aged 18 and over, by selected characteristics: United States, 2018.

Death rates

Asthma mortality among adults ages 18 and over, rate per million, 2021
HispanicTotal PopulationHispanic /
Total Population Ratio
5.813.10.44
Source: CDC, 2022. Data, Statistics, and Surveillance, Most Recent National Asthma Data.

Treatment

Emergency department visits with asthma as the first listed diagnosis in the past 12 months among adults ages 18 and over, rate per 10,000 population, 2020
HispanicTotal PopulationHispanic /
Total Population Ratio
26.327.80.95
Source: CDC. Asthma: Healthcare Use Data 2020. Table A.
Hospital admissions rate per 10,000 for asthma, adults, 2020
HispanicTotal PopulationHispanic /
Total Population Ratio
2.42.60.92
Source: CDC, 2024. The Status of Asthma in the United States. Table 2.
Percent of people with current asthma who are now taking preventive medicine daily or almost daily, 2020
HispanicTotal PopulationHispanic /
Total Population Ratio
32.8Not ReportedNot Reported
Source: AHRQ. National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports. Data Query. https://datatools.ahrq.gov/nhqdr

Children

Age-adjusted percents for children under 18 years of age, currently have asthma, 2021
PopulationTotal PopulationPopulation /
Total Population Ratio
Hispanic5.96.50.91
Mexican5.26.50.80
Source: CDC, 2022. Data, Statistics, and Surveillance, Most Recent National Asthma Data.
Age-adjusted percents for children under 18 years of age who have ever been told they have asthma, 2018
PopulationTotal PopulationPopulation /
Total Population Ratio
Hispanic12.511.61.10
Mexican11.511.60.99
Source: CDC, 2019. Summary Health Statistics: National Health Interview Survey: 2018. Table C-1a.
Current asthma prevalence percent, children ages 18 and under, 2018
HispanicTotal PopulationHispanic /
Total Population Ratio
Boys8.28.30.99
Girls7.86.71.16
Both Sexes8.07.51.07
Source: CDC 2019. National Health Interview Survey Data 2018. Table 4-1.
Current asthma prevalence percent in Hispanic subgroups, children ages 18 and under, 2018
PopulationTotal PopulationPopulation /
Total Population Ratio
Hispanic8.07.51.07
Puerto Rican17.07.52.27
Mexican6.97.50.92
Source: CDC 2021. National Health Interview Survey Data 2018. Table 4-1.
Death rates for children 0–17 years of age, 2021 (deaths per 1,000,000)
HispanicTotal PopulationHispanic /
Total Population Ratio
1.42.00.70
Source: CDC, 2022. Data, Statistics, and Surveillance, Most Recent National Asthma Data.
Hospital admissions rate per 10,000 for asthma, children ages 2-17, United States, 2021
HispanicTotal PopulationHispanic /
Total Population Ratio
2.93.60.81
Source: The Status of Asthma in the United States.
The proportional impact of asthma prevalence percentage, health care use and mortality among children 0–17 years of age, by race and ethnicity, 2003-2004
HispanicWhiteHispanic /
Non-Hispanic White Ratio
Current prevalence (2004–2005)90.092.00.98
Emergency department visit rate109.066.01.65
Death rate69.050.01.38
Source: CDC 2006. The State of Childhood Asthma, United States, 1980–2005. Table VIII. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad381.pdf

1 Most Recent National Asthma Data | CDC (Back to top)

2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Asthma: Healthcare Use Data 2020. Table A. Estimates for all populations were lower than the 2019 emergency department visit estimates because of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Back to top)

3 CDC 2021. National Health Interview Survey Data 2018. Table 4-1. (Back to top)


Date Last Reviewed: September 2025