Global mental health data reveals crisis amid severe underfunding

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than one billion people – roughly one-eighth of the global population – are currently living with a mental health condition, and this number continues to rise. The data comes as WHO holds the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, where mental health is one of more than 75 agenda items under discussion.

Young people are the hardest hit, while men have higher suicide rates and women face disproportionately high rates of anxiety and depression. Despite the scale of the crisis, mental health remains severely underfunded: average global government spending on mental health is just 2% of total health budgets.

Common mental disorders

Mental disorders affect how people feel, think, and behave. The WHO and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) classify them into several groups: mood disorders (depression, bipolar disorder), anxiety disorders (generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, phobias), psychotic disorders (schizophrenia), trauma-related disorders (post-traumatic stress disorder), as well as other conditions such as eating disorders, personality disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and substance use disorders.

According to 2019 data, the prevalence of mental disorders by WHO region is: the Americas 15.6%, Eastern Mediterranean 14.7%, Europe 14.2%, Southeast Asia 13.2%, Western Pacific 11.7%, and Africa 10.9%.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the prevalence of mental disorders increased globally, particularly anxiety and depression. According to the Global Burden of Disease report from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), the most common disorders are: depressive disorders (694.6 cases per 100,000 people), anxiety disorders (686.5 per 100,000), schizophrenia (210.2 per 100,000), bipolar disorder (94.6 per 100,000), and eating disorders (47.5 per 100,000).

Suicide: more than 2,000 deaths each day

According to an analysis published in The Lancet medical journal, about 740,000 suicides are reported each year, meaning one death occurs every 43 seconds on average. Suicide is the 17th leading cause of death across all ages, but becomes much more prominent among young people: it is the third leading cause of death globally for those aged 15–29, and the second leading cause among women in that age group.

In 2021, the suicide rate among men was four times higher than among women: 12.8 per 100,000 men compared to 5.4 per 100,000 women. Groups vulnerable to discrimination such as refugees, Indigenous peoples, and the LGBTQ+ community have higher suicide rates.

Anxiety: the most common mental disorder

About 359 million people worldwide have an anxiety disorder, an increase of more than 50% since 1990. Women are at higher risk than men, and young people are heavily affected, with 7.6% of adolescents aged 15–19 experiencing anxiety. However, only one in four people with anxiety receive treatment. The countries with the highest rates of anxiety are Portugal (13.3%), Brazil (12.4%), and Iran (12.3%).

Depression: affects 5% of the world's population

An estimated 332 million people live with depression. It is the single largest cause of disability worldwide measured in years lived with disability. Women are at higher risk than men, and more than 10% of pregnant and postpartum women experience it. If left untreated, depression can lead to suicide. Syria has the highest depression rate (8%), followed by the United Kingdom (6.8%) and the Netherlands (6.2%).

Mental health spending varies enormously between countries: from $0.04 per person in low-income countries, $0.34 in lower-middle-income countries, to $65.89 in high-income countries, according to the WHO Mental Health Atlas 2024.