Over billion people living with mental health states require urgent increase

More than billion people live with mental health disorders, according to new data published by the World Health Organization (WHO), with conditions such as anxiety and depression that causes huge human and economic tolls. Although many countries have strengthened their policies and mental health programs, higher investments and actions globally need to increase services to the protection and promotion of people's mental health.

In mental health states such as anxiety and depression are very prevalent in all countries and communities, which affects people of all ages and revenue levels. They represent the second biggest reason for long -term disability, contributing to the loss of healthy life. They increase health care costs for affected people and families, while applying significant economic losses globally.

New discoveries published in two reports – World mental health today and Mental Health Atlas 2024 – Highlight some areas of progress during exposure to significant disadvantages in resolving mental health status around the world. Reports serve as a critical tools to inform national strategies and design global dialogue ahead 2025. The United Nations Meeting at a high level of non -non -propagated diseases and promotion of mental health and well -beingwhich takes place in New York, September 25, 2025.

“Transforming mental health services is one of the most important challenges of public health,” said Dr. Tedros Adhan Ghebreyesus, who is the CEO. “Investing in mental health means investing in people, communities and economics – investment no country can afford neglect. Every government and every leader have responsibility to act with urgency and ensure that care about mental health is not treated as a privilege, but as a basic right for all.”

Key data from World mental health today

The report shows that, although the prevalence of mental health disorders can differ depending on the gender, women have disproportionately influenced. Anxiety and depressed disorders are the most common types of mental health disorders of both men and women.

The suicide remains a devastating outcome, claiming that about 727,000 lives are only in 2021. This is the leading cause of death among young people from all countries and socioeconomic contexts. Despite the global efforts, the progress in reducing suicide mortality is too low to achieve the goal of the sustainable development of the United Nations (SDG) one third of a decrease in suicide rates by 2030. At the current trajectory, only 12% reduction will be achieved by this deadline.

The economic impact of mental health disorders is stunning. Although health care costs are significant, indirect costs – especially in lost productivity – They're far bigger. Depression and anxiety itself cost the global economy estimated at $ 1 trillion every year.

These findings emphasize the urgent need for permanent investment, stronger priority and multisector cooperation to expand the approach of mental health care, reduce stigma and solve the fundamental causes of mental health.

Key findings from 2024 Mental Health Atlas

Since 2020, countries have reached significant steps in strengthening their mental health policies and planning. Many have updated their policies, accepted approaches based on rights and enhanced willingness for mental health and psychosocial support during health emergency cases.

However, he did not translate this momentum into legal reform. Fewer countries have adopted or enforced the legislation for mental health based on rights, and only 45% of countries have assessed laws completely in accordance with international standards for human rights.

The report reveals the stagnation of investment in investment in mental health. Middle state consumption on mental health remains only 2% of total health budgets – unchanged since 2017. The differences between countries are great; While high -income countries spend up to $ 65 per person per mental health, low -revenue countries consume only $ 0.04. The global medium number of mental health workers is 13 per 100,000 people, with extreme disadvantages in low and medium income countries.

The reform and development of mental health services progresses slowly. Less than 10% of countries have completely exceeded to community care models, and most countries are still in the early stages of transition. Due to the hospital, they continue to rely on a psychiatric hospital, with almost half of the applications inadvertently and over 20% lasted for more than a year.

The integration of mental health in primary care is progressing, and 71% of the countries have met at least three of the five criteria. However, data defects remain; Only 22 countries provided enough data to assess the coverage of services for psychosis. In low-income countries, less than 10% of the affected persons receive care, compared to over 50% in countries with higher income-inch inhuman need to extend access and reinforcement of services.

Encouraging, most countries state that they have functional initiatives to promote mental health, such as early childhood development, mental health and suicide programs at school. Over 80% of countries now offer mental health and psychosocial support as part of emergency response, compared to 39% in 2020. Ambulant mental health and telecommunications services are at their disposal, although access remains uneven.

Global call to increase the action to mental health

Although there have been some encouraging development, the latest data show that countries remain far to achieve goals set up in who is A comprehensive action plan of mental health.

WHO calls for governments and global partners to urgently enhance efforts on systemic transformation of the mental health system around the world. This includes:

• fair financing of mental health services;
• legal and political reform to support human rights;
• permanent investment in mental health workforce; and
• Spreading care with community headquarters.

Note for editors

AND World mental health today The publication is a timely update of data chapter in the 2022 Mental Health Report: Mental Health Transformation for everyone. As mental health transformation is still needed worldwide, this latest edition brings together state -of -the -art global data on the distribution, load and economic costs of mental health.