Mental health

Anxiety and depression for one in seven people: $1 trillion costs worldwide

The latest data from the World Health Organisation shine a spotlight on an emergency across all age groups, but more acute among women and young people, while resources have stopped at 2% of the total health budget since 2017

by Barbara Gobbi

2 September 2025

3' min read

3' min read

Anxiety and depression as a new pandemic, afflicting one in seven people worldwide: more than one billion individuals - with women affected 'disproportionately' - whose mental disorders are the cause of major human and economic costs. Depression and anxiety alone cost the global economy about $1 trillion a year. While the indirect costs associated with even lost productivity are incalculable.
This is the alarm that comes from the World Health Organisation, on people of all ages and incomes. And although many countries have strengthened mental health policies and programmes, more investment and action is needed globally to enhance services to protect and promote people's mental health. Priorities need to be set as well as reducing stigma and addressing the root causes of ill health.

Second Cause of Disability

Mental disorders are the second leading cause of long-term disability, contributing to the loss of a healthy life. They increase health care costs for those affected and their families, while causing huge economic losses on a global scale. "Transforming mental health services is one of the most urgent public health challenges," warns WHO DG Tedros Ghebreyesus. "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 urgently and to ensure that mental health care is not treated as a privilege, but as a fundamental right for all'.

The State of the Art

The latest data are lined up by two reports - World Mental Health Today and Mental Health Atlas 2024 - which highlight some progress but also significant gaps in addressing mental health issues worldwide. On this basis, according to the WHO, national strategies should be oriented and global dialogue shaped ahead of the 2025 UN High-Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases and the Promotion of Mental Health and Well-being, to be held in New York on 25 September 2025.

Suicide alert

Suicide remains a devastating consequence, with some 727,000 victims in 2021 alone. And it is one of the leading causes of death among young people in all countries and in all socio-economic contexts. Despite global efforts, progress in reducing suicide mortality is too low to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of reducing suicide rates by one third by 2030. With the current trajectory, only a 12% reduction will be achieved by that deadline.

The World Health Organisation emphasises that since 2020 - the Covid black year - countries have made great strides in strengthening their mental health policies and planning. Many have updated their policies, adopted rights-based approaches and improved preparedness for mental health and psychosocial support during health emergencies. However, this momentum has not translated into legislative reforms. Fewer and fewer countries have adopted or enforced rights-based mental health legislation, and only 45% of countries have rated their laws in full compliance with international human rights standards.

Investments stopped at 2%

The report reveals a 'worrying stagnation in investment in mental health'. Average public spending on mental health remains at just 2% of the total health budget, unchanged since 2017. Disparities between countries are evident: while high-income countries spend up to $65 per person on mental health, low-income countries spend just $0.04. The median number of health workers globally is 13 per 100,000 people, with severe shortages in low- and middle-income countries.

Ralent Reforms

The reform and development of mental health services is proceeding slowly. Less than 10% of countries have completed the transition to community-based care models, and most countries are still in the early stages of transition. Inpatient care continues to rely heavily on psychiatric hospitals, with nearly half of all involuntary admissions and more than 20% lasting more than one year.

The integration of mental health into primary care is progressing, with 71% of countries meeting at least three of the five WHO criteria. However, data gaps remain: only 22 countries have provided sufficient data to estimate service coverage for psychosis. In low-income countries, less than 10% of affected individuals receive care, compared to over 50% in high-income countries, highlighting the urgent need to expand access and strengthen service delivery.

Improve emergency care

Encouragingly, most countries report effective initiatives to promote mental health, such as programmes for early childhood development, school mental health and suicide prevention. More than 80% of countries now offer psychosocial and mental health support as part of emergency responses, up from 39% in 2020. Outpatient mental health services and telemedicine are becoming increasingly available, although access remains uneven.

The priorities for a kidney blow

The World Health Organisation calls on governments and global partners to 'urgently intensify efforts' for a systemic transformation of mental health systems worldwide. Translated: we need equitable financing of mental health services; legal and policy reform to uphold human rights; sustained investment in the mental health workforce; and expansion of person-centred and community-based health care.