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Anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) are synthetic versions of testosterone. Doctors prescribe them for conditions like low testosterone and muscle wasting, but most non-medical use happens in gyms, physique sports and competitive athletics, where they are taken to build muscle and strength.
Reliable anabolic steroid statistics are harder to find than they should be. Many figures that circulate online trace back to decades-old surveys, essays or market reports with no clear method. We rebuilt this page from peer-reviewed research, national surveys and official sources, and we note the year behind every number so you can judge how current it is.
This page covers how many people use steroids worldwide and in the US and UK, use by sex and age, use in gyms and sport, dependence and health risks, and the legal penalties.
Key Takeaways
- About 3.3% of people worldwide have used anabolic steroids at some point, including 6.4% of men and 1.6% of women, according to a meta-analysis of 187 studies.
- An estimated 2.9 to 4.0 million Americans have used anabolic steroids, and roughly 1 million may have experienced dependence.
- Steroid use among US teens has fallen sharply since the early 2000s. In 2024, lifetime use was 1.4% or lower in every grade surveyed.
- Men sanctioned for steroid use in Denmark were 2.8 times more likely to die over an average of 11 years than men in the general population.
- Anabolic agents were the most common class of banned substance found in WADA testing in 2023, making up about 45% of all findings.
Anabolic Steroid Statistics at a Glance
| Statistic | Figure | Source (year) |
|---|---|---|
| Global lifetime use (all people) | 3.3% | Sagoe et al. meta-analysis (2014) |
| Global lifetime use (men vs women) | 6.4% vs 1.6% | Sagoe et al. meta-analysis (2014) |
| Americans who have ever used AAS | 2.9 to 4.0 million | Pope et al. (2014) |
| Users who develop dependence | About 30% | Kanayama et al. (2009) |
| US high school students who ever used steroids without a prescription | 2.9% | CDC YRBS (2017) |
| US teens’ lifetime use, all grades | 1.4% or lower | Monitoring the Future (2024) |
| Share of WADA findings that were anabolic agents | About 45% | WADA testing figures (2023) |
| Higher risk of death in sanctioned AAS users | 2.8x | Windfeld-Mathiasen et al., JAMA (2024) |
How Many People Use Anabolic Steroids?
Worldwide
The most comprehensive estimate comes from a 2014 meta-analysis in Annals of Epidemiology that pooled 187 studies. It put the global lifetime prevalence of anabolic steroid use at 3.3%. Use was about four times more common in men (6.4%) than in women (1.6%), and it was higher in athletes than in non-athletes.
That figure likely overstates use in the general population. Many of the pooled studies surveyed gym members, athletes and prisoners, groups where steroid use is more common.
United States
A 2014 analysis in the American Journal on Addictions estimated that 2.9 to 4.0 million Americans aged 13 to 50 have used anabolic steroids. The authors estimated that about 1 million of them may have experienced steroid dependence. Steroid use also starts later than most drug use: only about 22% of users began before age 20.
United Kingdom
The Crime Survey for England and Wales tracks non-prescribed steroid use among adults aged 16 to 59. In the year ending March 2020, about 31,000 people reported using anabolic steroids in the past year, down from about 62,000 the year before, after a decade of fairly flat use.
Household surveys are widely thought to undercount steroid use. Harm-reduction workers and researchers have estimated that up to 1 million Britons use steroids and other image- and performance-enhancing drugs, mostly for appearance rather than sport. That higher figure is an expert estimate, not a survey result.
Steroid Use by Sex and Age
Men vs Women
Anabolic steroid use is overwhelmingly male. Globally, men are about four times more likely to have used steroids than women (6.4% vs 1.6%). Among US high school students in 2017, 3.5% of boys and 2.4% of girls reported ever using steroids without a prescription.
Typical Age of Users
Unlike most drugs, anabolic steroid use usually starts in adulthood. The US analysis found that only about 22% of users started before age 20. Most begin in their twenties or later, when interest in muscle building and physique sports is often highest.
Steroid Use Among Teens
Teen steroid use in the US has fallen substantially since it peaked around 2000 to 2002.
| Measure | Figure | Source (year) |
|---|---|---|
| High school students who ever used steroids without a prescription | 2.9% | CDC YRBS (2017) |
| Lifetime use, 8th, 10th and 12th grade | 1.4% or lower in every grade | Monitoring the Future (2024) |
| Past-year use, 12th-grade boys vs girls | 0.6% vs 0.3% | Monitoring the Future (2023) |
The CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that 2.9% of high school students had ever taken steroid pills or shots without a doctor’s prescription in 2017, a decrease since 2001. The University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future survey, which questions around 50,000 students each year, shows the same long-term decline.
Teen use still matters because younger users face specific risks, including the possibility of stunted growth if steroids are used before the growth plates close.
Steroid Use in Gyms, Bodybuilding and Sport
Gym Members and Bodybuilders
Steroid use is far more common in gyms and physique sports than in the general population. The global meta-analysis found that athletes and gym users had significantly higher rates of use than non-athletes.
Bodybuilding has the highest rates. A 1989 survey of competitive bodybuilders found that 54% of men and 10% of women reported regular steroid use. The study is old, but no large modern survey of competitive bodybuilders has replaced it, and few people in the sport believe rates have fallen. For more on telling the difference, see our guide to steroids vs natural bodybuilders.
Drug Testing in Sport
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) analyzed almost 289,000 samples in 2023 across Olympic and non-Olympic sports. Anabolic agents remained the most common class of banned substance detected, with 1,660 of 3,724 total findings, or about 45%.
A positive test only captures athletes who are tested and caught, so testing figures understate how many athletes actually use steroids.
Steroid Dependence and Health Risks
Dependence
About 30% of anabolic steroid users develop dependence, defined as continuing to use steroids despite harm to their health, relationships or work. Dependence is linked to the cycle of muscle loss, low mood and low testosterone that can follow stopping, which pushes some users to restart.
Heart Health
A 2017 study in Circulation compared 86 experienced male weightlifters who had used steroids for at least two years with 54 who had not.
- Steroid users had weaker heart pumping function, with an average left ventricular ejection fraction of 52% vs 63% in non-users
- Current users had lower pumping function than former users (49% vs 58%)
- Users had more coronary artery plaque, and plaque increased with longer lifetime use
The study shows an association at one point in time rather than proof that steroids caused the changes, but the pattern matches other research on steroid-related heart damage.
Risk of Death
Two Danish studies of men caught using steroids in gym drug testing found higher death rates:
- A 2019 study of 545 men found that 1.3% of steroid users died over an average of 7.4 years, compared with 0.4% of matched non-users, about three times the risk.
- A 2024 study in JAMA followed 1,189 sanctioned men for an average of 11 years. 2.8% of steroid users died, compared with 1% of controls, a 2.8 times higher risk. The risk of unnatural death (accidents, violence and suicide) was 3.6 times higher, and the risk of natural death, such as from heart disease or cancer, was 2.2 times higher.
Both studies are observational, so they cannot prove that steroids caused the deaths. Other factors, such as use of other drugs, may contribute. For a deeper look at this data, see our steroid death statistics.
Steroid Laws and Penalties
United States
Anabolic steroids are Schedule III controlled substances under federal law. It is illegal to possess, sell or manufacture them without a valid prescription.
- Simple possession (first offense): up to one year in prison and a minimum fine of $1,000 under 21 U.S.C. 844
- Distribution or trafficking: up to 10 years in prison for a first offense under 21 U.S.C. 841
- Penalties increase for repeat offenses, and many states add their own penalties
United Kingdom
In the UK, anabolic steroids are Class C drugs. Possessing them for personal use is not an offense, but supplying them, including giving them to friends, and importing or exporting them for supply can lead to up to 14 years in prison, an unlimited fine or both.
How We Checked These Statistics
We rewrote this page in October 2026. Every figure above links to the study, survey or official source it comes from, and we list the year of the data alongside it.
We removed several figures that appeared on the previous version of this page and are widely repeated online because we could not trace them to a reliable source or because they were outdated. These included market-size projections from commercial research firms, a 2008 claim that 25% of urban police officers use steroids, and claims that teens make up 75% of steroid users or that only 1% of users are women. None of these hold up against current research.
If you spot a statistic that has been superseded, let us know and we will update it. For context on cycles and real-world results, see our guides to steroid cycles and steroids before and after.
The Bottom Line
Anabolic steroid statistics show a drug used by a small share of the general population but a large share of gym-goers, bodybuilders and athletes, with real and measurable health risks.
- About 3.3% of people worldwide have used steroids, rising to 6.4% of men, with millions of users in the US alone.
- Teen use in the US has fallen to its lowest levels in decades, while use in gyms and physique sports remains high.
- Roughly 30% of users develop dependence, and studies link long-term use to heart damage and a higher risk of early death.
- Possession without a prescription is a federal crime in the US, while in the UK supply rather than personal possession is the offense.
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