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According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1.1 billion people, or 20% of the world population, live in areas where they are at high risk for developing filariasis. The WHO estimates that 120 million have the condition and that approximately 30% of them show signs of lymphedema.

In the US, the highest incidence of lymphedema is seen following surgery for breast cancer, particularly after undergoing post-surgical radiation therapy. It is estimated that 10-40% of this patient population develops lymphedema. The prevalence of lymphedema in women treated for breast cancer is thought to be approximately 25-30%. Estimates are that overall, lymphedema affects approximately 0.13 percent of the general US population and that number rises to 0.5 percent for those over 65 years of age.

The incidence of lymphedema is thought to be increasing because of rising survival rates from breast cancer and later developing cases of lymphedema are increasingly reported. Since the latency period of lymphedema can be several years, extended survival will increase the incidence of secondary lymphedema.