Over a billion individuals dwelling with psychological well being circumstances – companies require pressing scale-up – PAHO/WHO

Geneva, 2 September 2025 (WHO) – More than 1 billion individuals are dwelling with psychological well being issues, in line with new knowledge launched by the World Health Organization (WHO), with circumstances equivalent to nervousness and melancholy inflicting immense human and financial tolls. While many nations have bolstered their psychological well being insurance policies and programmes, higher funding and motion are wanted globally to scale up companies to guard and promote individuals’s psychological well being.

Mental well being circumstances equivalent to nervousness and melancholy are extremely prevalent in all nations and communities, affecting individuals of all ages and earnings ranges. They signify the second largest motive for long-term incapacity, contributing to lack of wholesome life. They drive up health-care prices for affected individuals and households whereas inflicting substantial financial losses on a world scale.

The new findings revealed in two experiences – World mental health today and Mental Health Atlas 2024 – spotlight some areas of progress whereas exposing important gaps in addressing psychological well being circumstances worldwide. The experiences function essential instruments to tell nationwide methods and form world dialogue forward of the 2025 United Nations High-Level Meeting on noncommunicable diseases and promotion of mental health and well-being, happening in New York on 25 September 2025.

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

Key data from World mental health today

The report shows that while prevalence of mental health disorders can vary by sex, women are disproportionately impacted overall. Anxiety and depressive disorders are the most common types of mental health disorders among both men and women.

Suicide remains a devastating outcome, claiming an estimated 727 000 lives in 2021 alone. It is a leading cause of death among young people across all countries and socioeconomic contexts. 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 will be achieved by that deadline.

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 US$ 1 trillion each year.

These findings underscore the urgent need for sustained investment, stronger prioritization, and multi-sectoral collaboration to expand access to mental health care, reduce stigma, and tackle the root causes of mental health conditions.

Key findings from the 2024 Mental Health Atlas

Since 2020, countries have been making significant strides in strengthening their mental health policies and planning. Many have updated their policies, adopted rights-based approaches, and enhanced preparedness for mental health and psychosocial support during health emergencies.

However, this momentum has not translated into legal reform. Fewer countries have adopted or enforced rights-based mental health legislation, and only 45% of countries evaluated laws in full compliance with international human rights standards.

The report reveals a concerning stagnation in mental health investment. Median government spending on mental health remains at just 2% of total health budgets – unchanged since 2017. Disparities between countries are stark; while high-income countries spend up to US$ 65 per person on mental health, low-income countries spend as little as US$ 0.04. The global median number of mental health workers stands at 13 per 100 000 people, with extreme shortages in low- and middle-income countries.

Reform and development of mental health services is progressing slowly. Fewer than 10% of countries have fully transitioned to community-based care models, with most countries still in the early stages of transition. Inpatient care continues to rely heavily on psychiatric hospitals, with nearly half of admissions occurring involuntarily and over 20% lasting longer than a year.

Integration of mental health into primary care is advancing, with 71% of countries meeting at least three of five WHO criteria. However, data gaps remain; only 22 countries provided sufficient data to estimate service coverage for psychosis. In low-income countries fewer than 10% of affected individuals receive care, compared to over 50% in higher-income nations – highlighting an urgent need to expand access and strengthen service delivery.

Encouragingly, most countries report having functional mental health promotion initiatives such as early childhood development, school-based mental health and suicide prevention programmes. Over 80% of countries now offer mental health and psychosocial support as part of emergency responses, up from 39% in 2020. Outpatient mental health services and telehealth are becoming more available, though access remains uneven.

Global call to scale up action on mental health

While there have been some encouraging developments, the latest data shows that countries remain far off track to achieve the targets set in WHO’s Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan.

WHO calls on governments and global partners to urgently intensify efforts toward systemic transformation of mental health systems worldwide. This includes:

• equitable financing of mental health services;
• legal and policy reform to uphold human rights;
• sustained investment in the mental health workforce; and
• expansion of community-based, person-centered care.

Note for editors

The World mental health today publication is a timely update to the data chapter of the 2022 World Mental Health Report: Transforming Mental Health for All. As mental health transformation continues to be needed worldwide, this latest release brings together the most up-to-date global data on the prevalence, burden, and economic cost of mental health conditions.

The Mental Health Atlas survey assesses the state of psychological well being companies and programs the world over. This newest version compiles findings from 144 nations and offers essentially the most complete illustration of the world’s response to the problem of psychological ill-health via implementation of psychological well being insurance policies, laws, financing, human assets, availability and utilization of companies and knowledge assortment programs. This newest version contains new sections on tele psychological well being and psychological well being and psychosocial help preparedness and response in emergencies, which replicate the altering panorama of psychological well being and related knowledge gaps or data wants.