How many clinical trials start each year?
About 30,800 clinical trials registered on ClinicalTrials.gov started in 2025, up from about 11,900 in 2008 and 1,900 in 2000, the registry's first year. Early years count fewer trials because registering wasn't required until medical journals asked for it in 2005 and a U.S. law did in 2007; late registrations still add a few to recent years. ClinicalTrials.gov lists trials from around the world, not only the U.S.
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Source and date
- Data as of
- Published
The data
| Year the trial started | Clinical trials started |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 1,876 |
| 2001 | 2,407 |
| 2002 | 3,497 |
| 2003 | 4,770 |
| 2004 | 6,318 |
| 2005 | 7,729 |
| 2006 | 9,302 |
| 2007 | 10,423 |
| 2008 | 11,898 |
| 2009 | 12,848 |
| 2010 | 13,420 |
| 2011 | 14,217 |
| 2012 | 15,027 |
| 2013 | 15,897 |
| 2014 | 17,599 |
| 2015 | 18,943 |
| 2016 | 20,366 |
| 2017 | 21,262 |
| 2018 | 22,870 |
| 2019 | 23,830 |
| 2020 | 23,586 |
| 2021 | 28,307 |
| 2022 | 28,090 |
| 2023 | 29,421 |
| 2024 | 30,544 |
| 2025 | 30,795 |