Mental health crisis affects over 1 billion people worldwide: WHO

The world is facing a mental health crisis. More than 1 billion people are living with conditions such as anxiety and depression, according to new data from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
These conditions are affecting lives everywhere – across age groups, genders, and income levels – while placing enormous pressure on families, communities, and economies.
Mental health disorders are now the second leading cause of long-term disability worldwide. They rob people of healthy years of life, drain household savings through out-of-pocket expenses, and fuel global economic losses.
The numbers are hard to ignore: anxiety and depression alone cost the world economy an estimated US$ 1 trillion every year in lost productivity.
In India, one study, quoted in the WHO report, revealed that women with depression were three times more likely than others to spend more than half their household income on health care. These costs deepen inequalities and add further strain to already vulnerable families.
The findings are detailed in two new reports – World Mental Health Today and the Mental Health Atlas 2024. Together, they paint a mixed picture: while countries have made progress by updating policies and introducing school-based and community-level programmes, the pace of reform remains slow.