Americans’ Dementia Cases Forecast to Double by 2060, Study Finds

Findings show that Americans’ risk of developing some form of dementia after age 55 stands at 42 percent.

A doctor looks at a PET brain scan at the Banner Alzheimer's Institute in Phoenix, in an undated file photo. Matt York/AP Photo

An estimated 1 million Americans are expected to develop dementia annually by 2060—roughly double today’s numbers—researchers said in a Jan. 13 report, adding that the risk of developing the neurological condition may be higher than previously thought.

The researchers’ study, published in Nature, found a higher lifetime risk than previously thought: After age 55, people have up to a four in 10 chance of eventually developing dementia if they live long enough.