Home › Resources › Global Myopia Explorer
Interactive Tool · Global Epidemiology

Global Myopia Prevalence Explorer

Map, compare, and interpret prevalence data from PubMed-indexed primary studies. All data points are evidence-tiered — cycloplegic (Tier A) vs screening/NC (Tier B). View full data table →

95.5%
Shanghai university · Sun 2012
36.6%
Global children · Pan 2025
41
Data points from primary studies
12
Countries / regions mapped
Choropleth — click any marker for full study details
Showing:
Highest published estimate: Shows the highest-prevalence study available per country — often urban university students or a specific age group. Useful for understanding upper-bound risk. Switch to "Best national estimate" for cross-country comparison.
Low
High (95%+) Solid circles = individual study data points  ·  Dashed rings = country-level estimate
⚠ A country appearing dark may reflect urban university-student data (e.g. China 95.5%) rather than national population prevalence. Always check age group and measurement method before clinical application.
Select up to 3 regions to compare side-by-side
How to read this comparison: Each bar is a different study population, age group, and measurement method — not all directly comparable. C = cycloplegic (Tier A, gold standard). NC = non-cycloplegic (Tier B, overestimates by ~10–20pp in children). VA = visual acuity screening. Always check age band — Taiwan age-12 at 61% is not comparable to India ages 5–15 at 7.5%.
Age-stratified prevalence — select a population
Clinical note: East Asian populations show a steep prevalence acceleration between ages 7–15, while South Asian and Western populations have much gentler slopes. Early intervention (before age 10) captures the most benefit from myopia control therapy. The flatter curves for India and the US reflect different environmental and genetic risk profiles, not lower individual-level clinical urgency.
All 41 data points · study year vs prevalence · dot size ∝ prevalence value
Reading this plot:
C (green) Cycloplegic — Tier A, most reliable.
NC (orange) Non-cycloplegic — Tier B, overestimates ~10–20pp in children.
VA/Claims (red) Screening/admin data — Tier B.
Dot size reflects prevalence magnitude. Hover for study name.
What the apparent trend does NOT mean:
The upward drift over time reflects growing inclusion of East Asian urban studies in published literature, not a simple global secular increase. For within-country secular trends, use China, Taiwan, and Japan longitudinal data specifically. Cross-country scatter plots should not be used to estimate rates of change.