57 Mental Wellness Statistics

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These mental wellness figures cover the measurement periods and populations identified in the available source material. Estimates, surveys and forecasts retain their reported scope.

Key Mental Wellness Statistics

The main findings are:

  • Nearly 1 in 7 people worldwide (about 1.2 billion people) were living with a mental disorder in 2023.
  • In 2023, 22.8% of U.S. adults aged 18 or older had any mental illness in the past year, equivalent to 58.7 million people (U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized adults 18+).
  • In the 2023 U.S. YRBS, 39.7% of high school students experienced persistent sadness or hopelessness (U.S. high school students).
  • In 2024, 19.3% of U.S. adults took prescription medication for their mental health in the previous 12 months (U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized adults 18+).
  • In 2024, mental-health medication use was 20.4% among adults ages 30–44, compared with 18.2% among ages 65–74 and 18.5% among age 75 or older (U.S. adults 18+ by age).
  • The GBD 2021 summary estimated 1,095.4 million people affected by mental disorders globally in 2021.
  • An estimated 322 million people worldwide were living with depression in 2023.
  • In 2023, 5.7% of U.S. adults had serious mental illness in the past year (U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized adults 18+).
  • In the 2023 U.S. YRBS, 28.5% of high school students reported poor mental health (U.S. high school students).
  • In 2024, 14.0% of U.S. adults received counseling or therapy from a mental-health professional in the previous 12 months (U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized adults 18+).
  • In 2024, medication use was 21.2% among adults below 100% of the federal poverty level, versus 18.8% among adults above 400% FPL (U.S. adults 18+ by family income).
  • The GBD 2021 summary estimated mental disorders accounted for 5.39% of total DALYs across 371 diseases in 2021.
  • Children and adolescents accounted for about 43 million of the 322 million people living with depression globally in 2023 (global children and adolescents).
  • Among U.S. adults in 2023, 8.5% had a past-year major depressive episode, or about 21.9 million people (U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized adults 18+).
  • In the 2023 U.S. YRBS, 20.4% of high school students seriously considered attempting suicide (U.S. high school students).

Contents

Global mental wellness statistics: prevalence and burden

  • Nearly 1 in 7 people worldwide (about 1.2 billion people) were living with a mental disorder in 2023. (Mental disorders)
  • An estimated 322 million people worldwide were living with depression in 2023. (Mental disorders)
  • Children and adolescents accounted for about 43 million of the 322 million people living with depression globally in 2023 (global children and adolescents). (Mental disorders)
  • Global mental-disorder cases increased from 654.8 million in 1990 to 970.1 million in 2019 (1990 and 2019; 204 countries and territories). (Global, regional, and national burden…)
  • The modeled global mental-disorder case count rose 48.1% between 1990 and 2019 (1990–2019; 204 countries and territories). (Global, regional, and national burden…)
  • Age-standardized prevalence of all mental disorders was 12,579.3 per 100,000 people in 1990 and 12,262.0 per 100,000 in 2019 (1990 and 2019). (Global, regional, and national burden…)
  • Mental disorders accounted for an estimated 155.4 million disability-adjusted life years in 2021. (Global, regional, and national burden…)
  • Anxiety disorders represented about 84.8% growth in DALYs from 1990 to 2021 in the summarized GBD 2021 analysis (1990–2021; global anxiety disorders). (Global, regional, and national burden…)
  • Common mental disorders such as depression and anxiety are estimated to cost the global economy US$1 trillion each year (current estimate cited by WHO guideline). (WHO Guidelines on mental health…)

WHO fact-sheet estimate; mental disorder is an ICD-11 concept, not a general happiness measure.

WHO estimate; includes 43 million children and adolescents and is not equivalent to self-reported sadness.

Subset of WHO’s global depression estimate; age definitions follow the source.

GBD modeled estimates with 95% uncertainty intervals; case-count growth partly reflects population growth and aging.

Derived by the peer-reviewed GBD analysis from modeled case counts.

GBD age-standardized modeled prevalence; uncertainty intervals are 11,634.4–13,552.2 and 11,382.9–13,213.3.

This figure comes from the newer GBD 2021 results summarized in the peer-reviewed search record; DALYs combine mortality and disability and are not prevalence.

GBD 2021 modeled trend summarized in a peer-reviewed result; not a treatment-outcome measure.

WHO guideline says the estimate is driven predominantly by lost productivity; it is an economic estimate, not direct healthcare spending.

U.S. mental health prevalence and depression statistics

  • In 2023, 22.8% of U.S. adults aged 18 or older had any mental illness in the past year, equivalent to 58.7 million people (U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized adults 18+). (Key Substance Use and Mental…)
  • In 2023, 5.7% of U.S. adults had serious mental illness in the past year (U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized adults 18+). (Key Substance Use and Mental…)
  • Among U.S. adults in 2023, 8.5% had a past-year major depressive episode, or about 21.9 million people (U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized adults 18+). (Key Substance Use and Mental…)
  • In 2023, 5.9% of U.S. adults had a major depressive episode with severe impairment, about 15.3 million people (U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized adults 18+). (Key Substance Use and Mental…)
  • Among U.S. adults ages 18–25 in 2023, 17.5% had a past-year major depressive episode (U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized adults 18–25). (Key Substance Use and Mental…)
  • Among U.S. adults ages 26–49 in 2023, 10.2% had a past-year major depressive episode (U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized adults 26–49). (Key Substance Use and Mental…)
  • Among U.S. adults age 50 or older in 2023, 4.5% had a past-year major depressive episode (U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized adults 50+). (Key Substance Use and Mental…)
  • Among U.S. adolescents ages 12–17 in 2023, 18.1% had a major depressive episode (U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized adolescents 12–17). (Key Substance Use and Mental…)
  • Among U.S. adolescents ages 12–17 in 2023, 13.5% had an MDE with severe impairment (U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized adolescents 12–17). (Key Substance Use and Mental…)
  • Among U.S. adults ages 18–25 in 2023, 33.8% had any mental illness and 10.3% had serious mental illness (U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized adults 18–25). (Key Substance Use and Mental…)
  • Among U.S. adults ages 26–49 in 2023, 29.2% had any mental illness and 7.9% had serious mental illness (U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized adults 26–49). (Key Substance Use and Mental…)
  • Among U.S. adults age 50 or older in 2023, 14.1% had any mental illness and 2.4% had serious mental illness (U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized adults 50+). (Key Substance Use and Mental…)

NSDUH predictive-model estimate of a diagnosable disorder; not a direct diagnostic assessment.

SMI is a subset of any mental illness and is defined by serious functional impairment in the NSDUH model.

MDE follows NSDUH’s DSM-5-based symptom criteria and is not the same as lifetime clinical depression.

Severe impairment is based on role-domain impairment criteria in NSDUH.

NSDUH age subgroup estimate.

Adolescent MDE question wording differs from adult wording; follows NSDUH criteria.

Severe impairment is based on four role domains and is not a clinician-rated severity score.

NSDUH model-based AMI and SMI estimates.

Youth mental wellness and suicide-risk statistics

  • In the 2023 U.S. YRBS, 39.7% of high school students experienced persistent sadness or hopelessness (U.S. high school students). (Mental Health and Suicide Risk…)
  • In the 2023 U.S. YRBS, 28.5% of high school students reported poor mental health (U.S. high school students). (Mental Health and Suicide Risk…)
  • In the 2023 U.S. YRBS, 20.4% of high school students seriously considered attempting suicide (U.S. high school students). (Mental Health and Suicide Risk…)
  • In the 2023 U.S. YRBS, 9.5% of high school students reported attempting suicide (U.S. high school students). (Mental Health and Suicide Risk…)
  • Female high school students reported persistent sadness or hopelessness at 52.6%, versus 27.7% among male students in 2023 (U.S. high school students by sex). (Mental Health and Suicide Risk…)
  • Female high school students reported poor mental health at 38.8%, versus 18.8% among male students in 2023 (U.S. high school students by sex). (Mental Health and Suicide Risk…)
  • Female high school students seriously considered attempting suicide at 27.1%, versus 14.1% among male students in 2023 (U.S. high school students by sex). (Mental Health and Suicide Risk…)
  • Female high school students reported suicide attempts at 12.6%, versus 6.4% among male students in 2023 (U.S. high school students by sex). (Mental Health and Suicide Risk…)
  • LGBQ+ high school students reported persistent sadness or hopelessness at 65.7%, versus 31.4% among heterosexual students in 2023 (U.S. high school students by sexual identity). (Mental Health and Suicide Risk…)
  • LGBQ+ high school students reported poor mental health at 53.5%, versus 21.5% among heterosexual students in 2023 (U.S. high school students by sexual identity). (Mental Health and Suicide Risk…)
  • LGBQ+ high school students seriously considered attempting suicide at 41.0%, versus 13.0% among heterosexual students in 2023 (U.S. high school students by sexual identity). (Mental Health and Suicide Risk…)
  • LGBQ+ high school students reported suicide attempts at 19.7%, versus 6.0% among heterosexual students in 2023 (U.S. high school students by sexual identity). (Mental Health and Suicide Risk…)
  • In 2023, 9th-grade students reported suicide attempts at 10.4%, compared with 8.0% among 12th-grade students (U.S. high school students by grade). (Mental Health and Suicide Risk…)
  • From 2013 to 2023, persistent sadness or hopelessness among U.S. high school students rose from 30% to about 39.7% (2013–2023). (Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data…)
  • In 2021, suicide was the third leading cause of death among U.S. high school youth ages 14–18, with a rate of 9.0 per 100,000 (U.S. youth ages 14–18). (Mental Health and Suicide Risk…)

Self-reported survey measure covering the prior 12 months; not a clinical diagnosis.

Self-reported mental health during the prior 30 days; wording is not a diagnostic assessment.

Self-reported behavior during the prior 12 months.

Self-reported attempt during the prior 12 months; does not measure medically treated attempts only.

Self-reported YRBS comparison; sex categories and survey coverage follow CDC definitions.

Self-reported YRBS measure.

Self-reported YRBS measure for the prior 12 months.

Self-reported YRBS comparison; LGBQ+ combines several identities.

Self-reported YRBS comparison.

Self-reported YRBS comparison for the prior 12 months.

Self-reported YRBS comparison; the report identifies a statistically significant grade difference.

Trend report uses repeated YRBS cross-sections; estimates are not a longitudinal cohort.

Mortality data and YRBS survey indicators measure different populations and outcomes.

Mental health treatment and access statistics

  • In 2024, 19.3% of U.S. adults took prescription medication for their mental health in the previous 12 months (U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized adults 18+). (Mental Health Treatment Among Adults:…)
  • In 2024, 14.0% of U.S. adults received counseling or therapy from a mental-health professional in the previous 12 months (U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized adults 18+). (Mental Health Treatment Among Adults:…)
  • In 2023, an estimated 58.7 million U.S. adults had a past-year mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder, and about one-half received mental-health treatment (U.S. adults 18+). (Mental Health Treatment Among Adults:…)
  • Among U.S. adults with a co-occurring substance-use disorder and any mental illness in 2023, 37.6% received no treatment in the past year (U.S. adults 18+ with co-occurring SUD and AMI). (Key Substance Use and Mental…)
  • Among U.S. adults with co-occurring substance-use disorder and any mental illness in 2023, 62.4% received substance-use treatment or mental-health treatment (U.S. adults 18+ with co-occurring SUD and AMI). (Key Substance Use and Mental…)
  • In 2024, 24.9% of U.S. adult women took mental-health medication, compared with 13.4% of men (U.S. adults 18+ by sex). (Mental Health Treatment Among Adults:…)
  • In 2024, 16.9% of U.S. adult women received counseling or therapy, compared with 10.9% of men (U.S. adults 18+ by sex). (Mental Health Treatment Among Adults:…)
  • In 2024, counseling or therapy was reported by 20.2% of adults ages 18–29 and 18.7% of adults ages 30–44 (U.S. adults 18+ by age). (Mental Health Treatment Among Adults:…)
  • In 2024, counseling or therapy was reported by 11.7% of adults ages 45–64, 7.5% ages 65–74, and 5.0% age 75 or older (U.S. adults 18+ by age). (Mental Health Treatment Among Adults:…)

NHIS self-report; medication and counseling measures are not mutually exclusive.

NHIS self-report; includes counseling from listed mental-health professionals.

The 58.7 million figure and treatment comparison are cited by NCHS from SAMHSA; treatment includes more than counseling alone.

NSDUH treatment composite includes mental-health or substance-use treatment; it is not a treatment-quality measure.

Complementary NSDUH treatment composite; categories can include either type of treatment.

NHIS self-report; statistically significant sex difference in the source.

NHIS self-report; treatment measures are not mutually exclusive.

NHIS self-report in the preceding 12 months.

Mental wellness disparities by sex, age, income, and geography

  • In 2024, mental-health medication use was 20.4% among adults ages 30–44, compared with 18.2% among ages 65–74 and 18.5% among age 75 or older (U.S. adults 18+ by age). (Mental Health Treatment Among Adults:…)
  • In 2024, medication use was 21.2% among adults below 100% of the federal poverty level, versus 18.8% among adults above 400% FPL (U.S. adults 18+ by family income). (Mental Health Treatment Among Adults:…)
  • In 2024, counseling or therapy use was 15.5% below 100% FPL and 15.3% above 400% FPL (U.S. adults 18+ by family income). (Mental Health Treatment Among Adults:…)
  • In 2024, counseling or therapy use was 12.0% at 100%–199% FPL and 12.7% at 200%–400% FPL (U.S. adults 18+ by family income). (Mental Health Treatment Among Adults:…)
  • In 2024, mental-health medication use was 16.7% in large central metropolitan areas, 18.6% in large fringe metropolitan areas, 21.0% in medium/small metropolitan areas, and 22.9% in nonmetropolitan areas (U.S. adults 18+ by urbanization). (Mental Health Treatment Among Adults:…)
  • In 2024, counseling or therapy use was 15.2% in large central metropolitan areas, 14.2% in large fringe areas, 14.1% in medium/small metropolitan areas, and 10.6% in nonmetropolitan areas (U.S. adults 18+ by urbanization). (Mental Health Treatment Among Adults:…)
  • In 2023, any mental illness affected 36.7% of non-Hispanic multiracial adults, 24.0% of non-Hispanic White adults, and 22.8% of all U.S. adults in the NSDUH figure summary (U.S. adults 18+ by race/ethnicity). (Key Substance Use and Mental…)

NHIS self-report; the source reports significant differences for the highlighted comparisons.

NHIS family income is based on prior-year income and imputation where missing.

NHIS self-report; these endpoints were higher than the two middle income bands in the source.

NHIS self-report; FPL bands are source-defined.

NHIS self-report; NCHS urbanization categories follow its county classification scheme.

NHIS self-report; nonmetropolitan use was significantly lower than each metropolitan category in the source.

Race/ethnicity estimates are NSDUH predictive-model estimates; the cited figure has a 99% confidence interval for each estimate.

  • The GBD 2021 summary estimated 1,095.4 million people affected by mental disorders globally in 2021. (Global, regional, and national burden…)
  • The GBD 2021 summary estimated mental disorders accounted for 5.39% of total DALYs across 371 diseases in 2021. (Global, regional, and national burden…)
  • The GBD 2021 summary reported a 73.4% increase in the number of people affected by mental disorders between 1990 and 2021 (1990–2021). (Global, regional, and national burden…)
  • In 2023, the global number of people living with depression was reported as 322 million, making depression one of the two most common mental disorders with anxiety disorders. (Mental disorders)
  • In 2024, the overall share of U.S. adults taking mental-health medication (19.3%) exceeded the share receiving counseling or therapy (14.0%) (U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized adults 18+). (Mental Health Treatment Among Adults:…)

Peer-reviewed GBD 2021 estimate summarized in search results; uncertainty interval was 1,016.5–1,184.5 million.

GBD burden estimate; DALYs are not a direct measure of subjective wellness.

Derived from modeled GBD counts; changes reflect demographic and estimation factors as well as underlying burden.

WHO identifies anxiety and depressive disorders as most common; the statistic does not quantify anxiety prevalence in the same sentence.

Derived comparison of two non-mutually-exclusive NHIS measures; it does not show which treatment is clinically preferable.

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