Reference
Needle Fear Statistics
How many people are afraid of needles, what it makes them avoid, how often they faint, and what the trials say about VR distraction. Thirty figures, each linked to the peer-reviewed study it comes from, with the population it was measured in.
Every figure verified against its source on 10 Sep 2026
Four numbers to remember
63%
of children reported a fear of needles
Taddio 2012
20–30%
of young adults, across studies
McLenon & Rogers 2019
16%
of adult patients avoided a flu shot because of needle fear
McLenon & Rogers 2019
2.2×
the odds of vaccine hesitancy when injection fear is present
Freeman 2021
In short
Fear of needles is reported by the majority of children, 20 to 50% of adolescents and 20 to 30% of young adults, and it falls with age. Clinical needle phobia is rarer, around 3 to 4% of adults. The fear has consequences: 16% of adult patients have avoided a flu shot because of it, needle-fearful adults are nine times more likely to avoid care involving needles, and people who screen positive for injection phobia have twice the odds of vaccine hesitancy.
How Common Is Fear of Needles?
Most surveys ask a single question, "are you afraid of needles?", and get a yes from a fifth to a quarter of adults and most children. Clinical phobia, measured against diagnostic criteria, is about an order of magnitude rarer. Both are real; they are not the same number.
Self-reported fear of needles, by population
Percent who said yes. Bars show the range reported across studies; dots are single-study estimates.
Show the numbers
| Value | Source | |
|---|---|---|
| Children (Toronto survey) | 63% | Taddio 2012 |
| Adolescents (range across studies) | 20–50% | McLenon 2019 |
| Young adults (range across studies) | 20–30% | McLenon 2019 |
| Parents (Toronto survey) | 24% | Taddio 2012 |
| General practice patients (Queensland) | 22% | Wright 2009 |
| Hospital phlebotomy patients (USA) | 14.8% | Deacon 2006 |
Survey · 2012
63%Nearly 2 in 3 children
of 1,024 children surveyed at a Toronto museum reported a fear of needles.
Taddio 2012, VaccineRead the publication
Meta-analysis · 2019
20–50%Adolescents
range of needle-fear prevalence reported across the studies in a review of 119 papers.
McLenon 2019, Journal of Advanced NursingRead the publication
Meta-analysis · 2019
20–30%Young adults
range of needle-fear prevalence across studies in the same review.
McLenon 2019, Journal of Advanced NursingRead the publication
Survey · 2012
24%1 in 4 parents
of 883 parents in the same Toronto survey reported a fear of needles, against 63% of their children.
Taddio 2012, VaccineRead the publication
Survey · 2009
22%GP patients
of 177 patients at an Australian general practice reported a fear of needles.
Wright 2009, Australian Family PhysicianRead the publication
Survey · 2003
21.7%Young travellers
of 400 travel-clinic attendees, median age 25, said they were afraid of injections; in 8.2% the fear was 'unreasonably intense'.
Nir 2003, American Journal of Tropical Medicine and HygieneRead the publication
Observational study · 2006
14.8%Blood-draw patients
of 3,315 US phlebotomy patients usually feel anxious about blood draws or injections; 7.5% called the fear excessive.
Deacon 2006, Journal of Anxiety DisordersRead the publication
Survey · 2021
26.2%UK adults
of 15,014 UK adults screened positive for blood-injection-injury phobia on a screening scale (not a diagnosis).
Freeman 2021, Psychological MedicineRead the publication
Cohort study · 1998
3.5%Lifetime phobia
lifetime prevalence of diagnosable blood-injection-injury phobia among 1,920 Baltimore adults.
Bienvenu 1998, Psychological MedicineRead the publication
Survey · 1996
~3%Point prevalence
of Swedish adults met criteria for injection, dentist or injury phobia (3.2% of women, 2.7% of men).
Fredrikson 1996, Behaviour Research and TherapyRead the publication
Cohort study · 1998
5.5 yrsMedian age of onset
for blood-injection-injury phobia. The fear starts in early childhood and, for a minority, never leaves.
Bienvenu 1998, Psychological MedicineRead the publication
Meta-analysis · 2019
↓ with ageFalls with age
from a majority of children to 20 to 50% of adolescents to 20 to 30% of young adults; more common in females.
McLenon 2019, Journal of Advanced NursingRead the publication
What Needle Fear Makes People Avoid
The cost of needle fear is not the fear itself but the appointments that never happen: the flu shot skipped, the blood test rescheduled three times, the vaccine declined for a reason nobody writes down.
Avoided a flu shot because of needle fear
Percent, from individual studies summarised in McLenon & Rogers 2019.
Show the numbers
| Value | Source | |
|---|---|---|
| Hospital employees | 27% | McLenon 2019 |
| Long-term-care workers | 18% | McLenon 2019 |
| Adult patients | 16% | McLenon 2019 |
| Hospital healthcare workers | 8% | McLenon 2019 |
Meta-analysis · 2019
16%Adult patients
avoided influenza vaccination because of needle fear.
McLenon 2019, Journal of Advanced NursingRead the publication
Meta-analysis · 2019
27%Hospital employees
avoided influenza vaccination because of needle fear; 18% of long-term-care workers and 8% of hospital healthcare workers did the same.
McLenon 2019, Journal of Advanced NursingRead the publication
Survey · 2012
7–8%Skipped a vaccine
of parents (7%) and children (8%) in the Toronto survey cited needle fear as the primary reason for immunisation non-compliance.
Taddio 2012, VaccineRead the publication
Survey · 2009
20.5% vs 2.3%9× more likely to avoid care
needle-fearful versus non-fearful GP patients who reported avoiding medical treatment involving needles.
Wright 2009, Australian Family PhysicianRead the publication
Survey · 2021
2.2×Vaccine hesitancy
the odds of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among UK adults who screened positive for injection phobia (22.0% vs 11.5%).
Freeman 2021, Psychological MedicineRead the publication
Survey · 2021
~10%Of all hesitancy
might be prevented if injection fears were removed, by the study's population-attributable estimate (11.5%).
Freeman 2021, Psychological MedicineRead the publication
Fainting and Vasovagal Reactions
Actually fainting during a hospital blood draw is rare. Having felt faint before is not, and it is concentrated almost entirely in the people who are most afraid.
History of feeling faint or fainting at a needle
Percent of 3,315 phlebotomy patients, probable needle phobia versus no needle fear.
Show the numbers
| Value | Source | |
|---|---|---|
| Needle phobia: felt faint before | 63.9% | Deacon 2006 |
| Needle phobia: fainted before | 23.6% | Deacon 2006 |
| No fear: felt faint before | 4.8% | Deacon 2006 |
| No fear: fainted before | 2.4% | Deacon 2006 |
Observational study · 2006
9.5%Have felt faint before
of 3,315 US phlebotomy patients reported a history of vasovagal reactions at injections or blood draws.
Deacon 2006, Journal of Anxiety DisordersRead the publication
Observational study · 2006
4.3%Have actually fainted
of the same patients reported fainting at a previous injection or blood draw.
Deacon 2006, Journal of Anxiety DisordersRead the publication
Observational study · 2006
0.2%Fainted at the observed draw
of patients fainted during the blood draw the researchers observed; 0.4% felt very faint. Actual syncope in the chair is rare.
Deacon 2006, Journal of Anxiety DisordersRead the publication
Observational study · 2006
63.9% vs 4.8%Phobia concentrates the risk
prior vasovagal reactions among probable needle-phobic patients versus those with no needle fear; prior fainting 23.6% vs 2.4%.
Deacon 2006, Journal of Anxiety DisordersRead the publication
Cohort study · 2010
2.3×First-time donors
the odds of a systemic vasovagal reaction versus repeat donors, among 591,177 US whole-blood donors.
Rios 2010, TransfusionRead the publication
Cohort study · 2010
3.7×16-year-old donors
the odds of a vasovagal reaction in the same donor population; low blood volume raised the odds 3.3×.
Rios 2010, TransfusionRead the publication
Blood Donation and Retention
Blood services measure return rates precisely, which makes donation the clearest evidence that a bad experience in the chair costs a repeat visit.
First-time donors who gave again within 12 months
Percent, by reaction at the first donation. American Red Cross, 2009.
Show the numbers
| Value | Source | |
|---|---|---|
| No reaction | 35% | Eder 2012 |
| Felt faint | 27% | Eder 2012 |
| Fainted | 18% | Eder 2012 |
Cohort study · 2012
18% vs 35%Return after fainting
of first-time donors who fainted gave again within 12 months, versus 27% after feeling faint and 35% with no reaction.
Eder 2012, TransfusionRead the publication
Cohort study · 2005
−50%Moderate or severe reaction
or worse: the reduction in likelihood of repeat donation among 89,587 Red Cross donors.
France 2005, Transfusion and Apheresis ScienceRead the publication
Cohort study · 2005
−20%Even a light reaction
reduction in return rate for first-time donors after a light vasovagal reaction (33% for experienced donors).
France 2005, Transfusion and Apheresis ScienceRead the publication
Cohort study · 2014
33% vs 57%Fearful donors who reacted
returned within a year, versus 57% of non-fearful donors who did not react, among 1,715 high-school donors.
France 2014, TransfusionRead the publication
What It Costs a Clinic
Few studies measure minutes lost to fear directly. What is measured is how often needle procedures in children take more than one attempt, and how long they take, with cooperativeness among the predictors of success.
Observational study · 2010
2 sticksAttempts per pediatric IV
on average to place a peripheral IV in 592 hospitalised children; cooperativeness was among the predictors of success.
Larsen 2010, Journal of Infusion NursingRead the publication
Observational study · 2010
28 minMinutes per pediatric IV
on average from first attempt to successful placement in the same study of 1,135 venipunctures.
Larsen 2010, Journal of Infusion NursingRead the publication
Randomised trial · 2026
54.5%First-attempt success in toddlers
with the standard landmark method in children aged 0 to 3 in an emergency department (control arm).
Wu 2026, European Journal of Emergency MedicineRead the publication
What the VR Distraction Trials Found
Every meta-analysis points the same way: less reported pain and fear in children when VR is used during a needle procedure. Every one of them also reports high variation between studies and low certainty. Both facts belong on the same page.
VR versus standard care: child-rated pain during needle procedures
Mean difference on 0 to 10 faces scales with 95% confidence intervals. Below zero favours VR.
Show the numbers
| Value | Lower CI | Upper CI | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cáceres-Matos 2024, 21 studies | -1.83 | -2.93 | -0.72 | Cáceres-Matos 2024 |
| Lluesma-Vidal 2022, 10 trials | -2.37 | -3.2 | -1.54 | Lluesma-Vidal 2022 |
| Chan 2019 RCT, emergency dept | -1.78 | -3.24 | -0.317 | Chan 2019 |
| Chan 2019 RCT, pathology | -1.39 | -2.68 | -0.11 | Chan 2019 |
Meta-analysis · 2024
−1.83Child-rated pain
mean difference on the 0 to 10 Wong-Baker FACES scale, VR versus standard care, across 21 studies (95% CI −2.93 to −0.72).
Cáceres-Matos 2024, Nursing ReportsRead the publication
Meta-analysis · 2024
−1.27Child-rated fear
mean difference on the 0 to 4 Children's Fear Scale in the same meta-analysis (95% CI −1.99 to −0.56); heterogeneity was high.
Cáceres-Matos 2024, Nursing ReportsRead the publication
Meta-analysis · 2022
−2.37Pain, 10 pooled trials
pooled effect for pain (95% CI −3.20 to −1.54) and −1.26 for fear, in participants under 21; study quality mostly low.
Lluesma-Vidal 2022, JMIR Serious GamesRead the publication
Randomised trials · 2019
−1.78Emergency department RCT
less child-rated pain on the 0 to 10 Faces Pain Scale with VR during IV cannulation in 123 children aged 4 to 11; −1.39 in outpatient pathology.
Chan 2019, The Journal of PediatricsRead the publication
Secondary analysis · 2024
1.9 ptsThe most anxious benefit most
more post-procedure anxiety under standard care than with high-immersion VR among the highest anxiety-sensitivity patients aged 10 to 21.
Gold 2024, Journal of Medical Internet ResearchRead the publication
Guideline meta-analysis · 2026
SMD −0.51During vaccination
standardised mean difference in distress with VR, low-certainty evidence; music was the preferred intervention (SMD −0.38, moderate certainty).
McMurtry 2026, The Clinical Journal of PainRead the publication
Cochrane review · 2018
SMD −0.56Distraction in general
for self-reported pain across 30 trials and 2,802 children; SMD −0.82 for distress. Low to very-low certainty.
Birnie 2018, Cochrane Database of Systematic ReviewsRead the publication
Umbrella review · 2026
11 reviewsThe caveat
agree VR reduces pain, fear and anxiety in paediatric needle procedures, with heterogeneity around 90%, publication bias, and 'very weak' GRADE certainty.
Saliba 2026, Clinical and Experimental PediatricsRead the publication
How to Read These Numbers
- Fear is not phobia
- Most prevalence figures come from a single survey question about fear. Phobia figures use diagnostic criteria and are roughly ten times lower. Freeman 2021's 26.2% is a screening-scale positive, not a diagnosis.
- Samples are not national
- The Toronto survey was a museum convenience sample, the Queensland figure is one practice, and the phlebotomy patients had, by definition, turned up for the draw. Every claim above names its population for that reason.
- Ranges are ranges
- McLenon & Rogers report needle fear in adolescents and young adults as ranges across studies, and describe children as 'the majority' rather than a pooled percentage. The flu-shot avoidance figures come from individual included studies.
- Donors are not patients
- Blood-donor reaction rates come from healthy volunteers giving a full unit and are not comparable to clinic blood draws, where observed fainting is rare.
- Effect sizes use different scales
- Mean differences are on 0 to 10 or 0 to 4 scales; standardised mean differences are unitless. Negative values favour VR. Every review notes high heterogeneity and low certainty, and the 2026 umbrella review found publication bias.
Frequently Asked Questions
How common is fear of needles in adults?
Across studies summarised in a 2019 systematic review, 20 to 30% of young adults report fear of needles, and the fear declines with age. Single-site surveys put it at 22% of general practice patients and 15% of hospital blood-draw patients, with 24% of parents in a Toronto survey.
How common is fear of needles in children?
The majority of children show needle fear according to the 2019 review, and 63% of children reported it in a Toronto survey of 1,024 children. In adolescents, estimates range from 20 to 50% across studies.
What percentage of people have a needle phobia?
Clinical blood-injection-injury phobia, diagnosed against DSM criteria, has a lifetime prevalence of about 3.5% and a point prevalence of about 3%. Among hospital phlebotomy patients, 2.2% met a conservative definition of probable needle phobia. Simple fear of needles is far more common.
How many people avoid vaccines because of needle fear?
In the studies summarised by McLenon & Rogers, 16% of adult patients and 27% of hospital employees avoided influenza vaccination because of needle fear. In a Toronto survey, needle fear was the primary reason for skipping a vaccine for 7% of parents and 8% of children, and UK adults who screened positive for injection phobia had twice the odds of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.
How often do people faint during a blood draw?
Rarely in the chair: 0.2% of 3,315 hospital phlebotomy patients fainted during the observed draw. About 9.5% reported having felt faint at a previous needle and 4.3% had fainted before, and the history was concentrated in needle-phobic patients (63.9% versus 4.8%).
Does VR distraction reduce pain and fear during needle procedures?
In children, meta-analyses report lower child-rated pain (mean differences of about 1.8 to 2.4 points on 0 to 10 scales) and fear with VR compared with standard care, and a 2026 umbrella review of 11 meta-analyses found the same direction. All of them note high variation between studies and low certainty of evidence, and adult evidence is smaller.
Cite This Page
SendorVR. Needle Fear Statistics. www.sendorvr.com/needle-fear-statistics. Figures verified 10 Sep 2026. Each statistic on this page links to the peer-reviewed study it was taken from; cite the original study for the figure and this page for the compilation.
Sources
Every study cited above, in order of first appearance. Abstracts were retrieved from the publisher or the NCBI E-utilities API on the verification date.
- 1.Taddio A, Ipp M, Thivakaran S, et al. (2012). Survey of the prevalence of immunization non-compliance due to needle fears in children and adults. Vaccine. 883 parents and 1,024 children, Toronto (convenience sample). doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2012.05.011
- 2.McLenon J, Rogers MAM (2019). The fear of needles: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 119 original studies, 35 in the meta-analysis. doi.org/10.1111/jan.13818
- 3.Wright S, Yelland M, Heathcote K, Ng SK (2009). Fear of needles: nature and prevalence in general practice. Australian Family Physician. 177 general practice patients, Queensland. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19283260/
- 4.Nir Y, Paz A, Sabo E, Potasman I (2003). Fear of injections in young adults: prevalence and associations. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 400 travel-clinic attendees, median age 25, Israel. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12685642/
- 5.Deacon B, Abramowitz J (2006). Fear of needles and vasovagal reactions among phlebotomy patients. Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 3,315 patients at US hospital phlebotomy laboratories. doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2006.01.004
- 6.Freeman D, Lambe S, Yu LM, et al. (2021). Injection fears and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Psychological Medicine. 15,014 UK adults, quota-sampled online survey, January to February 2021. doi.org/10.1017/S0033291721002609
- 7.Bienvenu OJ, Eaton WW (1998). The epidemiology of blood-injection-injury phobia. Psychological Medicine. 1,920 adults, Baltimore ECA Follow-up Study. doi.org/10.1017/s0033291798007144
- 8.Fredrikson M, Annas P, Fischer H, Wik G (1996). Gender and age differences in the prevalence of specific fears and phobias. Behaviour Research and Therapy. 704 randomly selected adults aged 18 to 70, Sweden. doi.org/10.1016/0005-7967(95)00048-3
- 9.Rios JA, Fang J, Tu Y, et al. (2010). The potential impact of selective donor deferrals based on estimated blood volume on vasovagal reactions and donor deferral rates. Transfusion. 591,177 US whole-blood donors (REDS-II). doi.org/10.1111/j.1537-2995.2009.02578.x
- 10.Eder AF, Notari EP, Dodd RY (2012). Do reactions after whole blood donation predict syncope on return donation?. Transfusion. American Red Cross first-time whole-blood donors, 2009. doi.org/10.1111/j.1537-2995.2012.03666.x
- 11.France CR, Rader A, Carlson B (2005). Donors who react may not come back: analysis of repeat donation as a function of phlebotomist ratings of vasovagal reactions. Transfusion and Apheresis Science. 89,587 whole-blood donors, American Red Cross Central Ohio, one year. doi.org/10.1016/j.transci.2005.02.005
- 12.France CR, France JL, Carlson BW, et al. (2014). Fear of blood draws, vasovagal reactions, and retention among high school donors. Transfusion. 1,715 US high-school blood donors. doi.org/10.1111/trf.12368
- 13.Larsen P, Eldridge D, Brinkley J, et al. (2010). Pediatric peripheral intravenous access: does nursing experience and competence really make a difference?. Journal of Infusion Nursing. 592 hospitalised children, 1,135 venipunctures, two US hospitals. doi.org/10.1097/NAN.0b013e3181e3a0a8
- 14.Wu HP, Guo BC, Chang YJ, et al. (2026). Ultrasound-guided versus landmark peripheral intravenous catheterisation in children aged 0 to 3. European Journal of Emergency Medicine. 105 children aged 0 to 3, paediatric emergency department, Taiwan. doi.org/10.1097/MEJ.0000000000001355
- 15.Cáceres-Matos R, Castillo-García M, Magni E, Pabón-Carrasco M (2024). Effects of virtual reality on pain, fear and anxiety during needle procedures in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nursing Reports. 21 studies, 2,663 children and adolescents. doi.org/10.3390/nursrep14030182
- 16.Lluesma-Vidal M, Carcelén González R, García-Garcés L, et al. (2022). Effect of virtual reality on pediatric pain and fear during procedures involving needles: systematic review and meta-analysis. JMIR Serious Games. 21 studies reviewed, 10 pooled; participants under 21. doi.org/10.2196/35008
- 17.Chan E, Hovenden M, Ramage E, et al. (2019). Virtual reality for pediatric needle procedural pain: two randomized clinical trials. The Journal of Pediatrics. 252 children aged 4 to 11, two Australian hospitals. doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2019.02.034
- 18.Gold JI, Akbar KM, Avila S, et al. (2024). Immersive virtual reality for pediatric venipuncture and IV placement: secondary analysis of two randomized trials. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 252 patients aged 10 to 21, Children's Hospital Los Angeles. doi.org/10.2196/53196
- 19.McMurtry CM, Taddio A, Shah V, et al. (2026). Psychological interventions for reducing vaccination pain and distress: HELPinKids&Adults guideline update. The Clinical Journal of Pain. 57 studies, infants to adults, vaccine injections. doi.org/10.1097/AJP.0000000000001376
- 20.Birnie KA, Noel M, Chambers CT, et al. (2018). Psychological interventions for needle-related procedural pain and distress in children and adolescents. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 59 trials, 5,550 participants aged 2 to 19. doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD005179.pub4
- 21.Saliba T, Fahrni G (2026). Virtual reality for paediatric needle procedures: an umbrella review. Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics. 11 meta-analyses, 49 unique primary studies. doi.org/10.3345/cep.2026.01221
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