World Health Organization confirms staggering one billion people living with mental health conditions

More than one billion people are living with mental health disorders globally, new data from the World Health Organization has revealed.

The startling figure is among the findings from two new WHO reports outlining the global mental health landscape.

One of those reports, World mental health today, found mental ill-health is widespread, under-treated and under-resourced despite almost one in seven people living with a mental health condition.

Anxiety and depression are the most common disorders among both men and women, while women are disproportionately affected by mental ill-health overall.

Worldwide, suicide accounts for more than one in 100 deaths. For each death, there are 20 suicide attempts. It remains a leading cause of death among young people globally.

Mental ill-health drives up the cost of healthcare substantially for those affected, and it also has a staggering economic cost.

An estimated $1 trillion USD ($1.5 trillion AUD) is lost every year due to depression and anxiety alone. But fewer than 10 per cent of people with depression receive adequate treatment.

Despite countries bolstering mental health programs and policies, it’s the sustained investment and action that’s lacking, the report said.

The second report, Mental health atlas 2024, assessed the mental health services and systems of 144 countries.

It revealed a “concerning stagnation in mental health investment”.

“Median government spending on mental health remains at just 2 per cent of total health budgets — unchanged since 2017,” the WHO said.

With stark disparities among countries, the WHO said its findings “underscore the urgent need for sustained investment”.

“Transforming mental health services is one of the most pressing public health challenges,” WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

“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.”

Lifeline 13 11 14

Beyond Blue 1300 224 636

headspace 1800 650 890