HQ Team
September 3, 2025: About 1.1 billion people globally are living with a mental disorder, mostly anxiety and depression disorders that together accounted for more than two-thirds of such conditions in 2021, according to two reports from the World Health Organization.
During the 2011-2021 period, the number of people living with mental disorders increased faster than the global population growth, and the global age-standardised point prevalence of mental disorders reached 13.6%, which is 0.9% higher than a decade ago, according to one report.
Younger adults aged 20 to 29 years are estimated to have experienced the largest increase (1.8%) in prevalence since 2011.
The report ‘World Mental Health Today’ showed that while the prevalence of mental health disorders can vary by sex, women were disproportionately impacted overall.
Suicides claimed an estimated 727,000 lives in 2021 alone. It is a leading cause of death among young people across all countries and socioeconomic contexts, the report stated. Suicide accounts for more than one in every 100 deaths, and for each death, there are 20 suicide attempts.
Miss SDG deadline
Despite global efforts, progress in reducing suicide mortality is too low to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of a one-third reduction in suicide rates by 2030.
On the current trajectory, only a 12% reduction is expected to be achieved by that deadline.
Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are much less prevalent than anxiety and depression. They tend to have a much more severe impact on people’s lives and remain a primary concern of mental health services in all countries, according to the report.
About a third of mental disorders present in adulthood have developed by the age of 14 years, half appear by the age of 18 years, and nearly two-thirds appear by the age of 25 years.
Those with severe mental health conditions – including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder – have shorter life expectancies. People with bipolar disorder die on average 13 years earlier than the general population. People with schizophrenia die nine years earlier, according to the World Mental Health Today report.
Economic cost at $1 trillion a year
Most of these deaths are due to preventable causes, especially cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and infections, which are more common in people with mental health conditions. In these cases, having a mental health condition may not be the cause of death, but it is likely to be a major contributing factor.
The economic impact of mental health disorders is staggering. While health-care costs are substantial, the indirect costs – particularly in lost productivity – are far greater. Depression and anxiety alone cost the global economy an estimated $1 trillion each year.
The momentum in government mental health policies has not translated into legal reform, according to a second report, ‘Mental Health Atlas — 2024’. Fewer countries have adopted or enforced rights-based mental health legislation, and only 45% of the evaluated laws are in full compliance with international human rights standards.
Median government spending on mental health remains at just 2% of total health budgets – unchanged since 2017. Only 9% of people with depression worldwide receive treatment.
Disparities between countries are stark. While high-income countries spend up to $65 per person on mental health, low-income countries spend as little as $0.04.
Critical tool
The global median number of mental health workers stood at 13 per 100,000 people, with extreme shortages in low- and middle-income countries, according to the Mental Health Atlas, which compiled data from 144 nations.
“Transforming mental health services is one of the most pressing public health challenges,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
“Investing in mental health means investing in people, communities, and economies – an investment no country can afford to neglect. Every government and every leader has a responsibility to act with urgency and to ensure that mental health care is treated not as a privilege, but as a basic right for all.”
The reports are intended to serve as critical tools to inform national strategies and shape global dialogue ahead of the 2025 United Nations High-Level Meeting on non-communicable diseases and the promotion of mental health and well-being, scheduled to take place in New York on 25 September 2025.
