WHO warns of global mental health crisis, with over 1 billion affected

New data from the World Health Organization reveals alarming global gaps in mental health care, with women and young people most affected, high suicide rates and stagnation in mental health investment

More than one billion people around the world are living with mental health conditions, according to new figures from the World Health Organization (WHO). This underscores a mounting crisis with profound consequences for families, communities and economies.

 

WHO described mental health conditions, including anxiety and depression, as the second leading cause of long-term disability worldwide. Yet, despite the scale of the challenge, the vast majority of people receive little or no treatment.

 

Did you know? Every year, depression and anxiety drain US$ 1 trillion from the global economy.#MentalHealth isn’t just personal—it’s a financial imperative.  This shows up as reduced work participation, productivity and output. ???? https://t.co/3f6s7ODB7d pic.twitter.com/W7Ob1NQabq

— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) September 2, 2025

  Two reports, one alarming reality

 

The findings are part of two major reports launched by WHO - World Mental Health Today and the Mental Health Atlas 2024. 

 

• Gender gap: Women are disproportionately impacted by mental health disorders.
• Most common conditions: Anxiety and depression remain the top disorders, costing the global economy an estimated $1 trillion annually.
• Suicide toll: Around 727,000 lives lost in 2021, making it a leading cause of death among young people across all countries and socioeconomic contexts.
• SDG target off-track: At the current pace, suicide rates will fall only 12 per cent by 2030, far short of the UN goal of a one-third reduction.
• Rights-based laws lacking: Just 45 per cent of countries have mental health laws fully aligned with international human rights standards.
• Funding stagnation: Average government spending around the world on mental health has been stuck at 2 per cent of overall health budgets since 2017.
• Workforce shortage: Global median of only 13 mental health workers per 100,000 people, with critical gaps in low-income countries.
• Slow move to community care: Fewer than 10 per cent of countries have fully transitioned; reliance on psychiatric hospitals remains high.
• Treatment inequality: In low-income nations, fewer than 10 per cent of people with psychosis receive care, versus over 50 per cent in high-income countries.
• Data gaps: Only 22 countries provided sufficient data to estimate psychosis coverage.
• Primary care integration: About 71 per cent of countries have started bringing mental health into everyday healthcare services, meeting at least three of WHO’s five recommended criteria.
• Better emergency response: Over 80 per cent of countries now include mental health support in emergencies, up from 39 per cent in 2020.

 

These reports arrive just weeks before the United Nations high-level meeting on non-communicable diseases and mental health, to be held in New York on 25 September.

 

India’s mental health reality

 

India reflects many of these global concerns, but with its own unique pressures.

 

• The National Mental Health Survey (NMHS) 2015-16 by NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences) found that 10.6 per cent of adults in India suffer from mental health problems.
• The lifetime prevalence of mental health disorders in India is 13.7 per cent.
• 70 to 92 per cent of people with mental health disorders do not receive proper treatment.

Healthcare experts point to a shortage of trained professionals, weak data collection, and persistent stigma as major barriers to progress.

 

Call for global action

 

WHO stressed that the reports should serve as a wake-up call for governments. Scaling up services, training professionals, improving data systems, and tackling stigma are all part of the urgent reforms required.

 

“Transforming mental health services is one of the most pressing public health challenges,” said 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,” he said. 

 

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