More than one billion people worldwide are living with mental health conditions, according to new data from the World Health Organization (WHO), with disorders such as anxiety and depression causing profound human suffering and significant economic losses. While many countries have strengthened their mental health policies and programs, global investment and action remain insufficient to meet the scale of need, highlighting an urgent requirement to expand services and protect mental well-being.
Mental health disorders affect people across all ages, genders, and income levels, representing the second leading cause of long-term disability globally. They contribute to higher healthcare costs for affected individuals and families while imposing substantial indirect costs, particularly through lost productivity. The reports World Mental Health Today and Mental Health Atlas 2024 underscore both progress and persistent gaps, providing critical guidance for national strategies and global discussions ahead of the 2025 United Nations High-Level Meeting on noncommunicable diseases and mental health promotion.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that investing in mental health is essential for communities, economies, and human rights, urging governments to treat mental health care as a basic right rather than a privilege. The data reveal that women are disproportionately affected by mental health disorders, with anxiety and depression being the most common conditions. Suicide remains a major concern, claiming an estimated 727,000 lives in 2021 and posing a leading cause of death among young people globally. Current trends indicate that the UN Sustainable Development Goal of reducing suicide by one-third by 2030 is unlikely to be met.
The economic burden of mental health conditions is staggering, with depression and anxiety alone costing the global economy approximately US$1 trillion annually. Despite some progress in policy reform and service provision, the WHO reports that mental health investment remains critically low, with median government spending at just 2% of total health budgets. High-income countries spend up to US$65 per person on mental health, while low-income countries spend as little as US$0.04. Globally, there is an acute shortage of mental health professionals, with a median of 13 per 100,000 people, and even fewer in low- and middle-income nations.
Although countries are increasingly integrating mental health into primary care and promoting community-based and emergency mental health services, fewer than 10% have fully transitioned to community-based care, and access remains highly uneven. In low-income countries, fewer than 10% of those in need receive care, compared to over 50% in high-income nations. Encouragingly, school-based programs, suicide prevention initiatives, and telehealth services are expanding, and over 80% of countries now provide mental health support during emergencies, up from 39% in 2020.
WHO calls for urgent global action to transform mental health systems, including equitable financing, legal and policy reforms to uphold human rights, sustained workforce investment, and the expansion of community-based, person-centered care. Despite some progress, the data indicate that most countries remain far from meeting the targets of the WHO Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan, emphasizing the need for immediate, coordinated, and sustained efforts to address the global mental health crisis.
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