The World Health Organization identified schizophrenia as 1 of the 20 leading causes of disability in the world in 2004.[The global burden of disease, 2004]
The same report estimated that the worldwide prevalence was more than 21 million people in 2016.[WHO, 2016]
Estimates of the lifetime prevalence of schizophrenia range from 0.18% to 1.16% depending on the reference.[WHO, 2016; APA, 2013] Interestingly, there is a large degree of variability in prevalence among studies.[APA, 2013]
One report has shown that there may be a positive correlation between increased latitude and increased prevalence of schizophrenia.[McGrath et al., 2008]
References:
The global burden of disease: 2004 update. World Health Organization Web site. https://www.who.int/healthinfo/global_burden_disease/2004_report_update/en/index.html.
World Health Organization. Schizophrenia fact sheet; 2016. (https://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs397/en/)
American Psychiatric Association. Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Fifth Edition. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association; 2013.
McGrath J, Saha S, Chant D, Welham J. Schizophrenia: a concise overview of incidence, prevalence, and mortality. Epidemiol Rev. 2008; 30: 67-76.
Saha S, Chant DC, Welham JL, McGrath JJ. The incidence and prevalence of schizophrenia varies with latitude. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2006; 114(1): 36-39.