Mental health statistics 2025

In this article:

• What is mental illness?
• How common is it?
• Treatment
• FAQs

In this article

• What is mental illness?
• How common is it?
• Treatment
• FAQs

Mental health and substance use disorders affect 13% of the world’s population. In our national survey on mental health and coronavirus, we found that the COVID-19 pandemic affected the mental health of 59% of people in the United States. No population is spared, with the World Health Organization reporting that even adolescents are vulnerable, reporting 14% of 10-19 year olds experiencing a mental health condition. Dismantling the stigma around mental illness is more important now than ever. The following mental health statistics illustrate the scope and impact of mental illness.

What is mental illness?

Mental Illness comprises two categories: those with any mental illness (AMI) and those with serious mental illness (SMI), though these are not mutually exclusive.

AMI is defined by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association (SAMHSA) as having any mental, emotional, or behavioral health disorder that meets the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV) criteria. A person with an AMI is defined as having an SMI by SAMHSA if their disorder substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities.

Some mental health conditions include:

• Anxiety: Anxiety disorders are characterized by persistent worry, fear, and stress that interfere with one’s everyday life, and include diagnoses such as panic disorder.
• Depression: Persistent low mood, fatigue, and profound sadness are prominent symptoms of major depression.
• Substance use disorders: The frequent use of alcohol and/or drugs that interferes with a person’s behavior in day-to-day life.
• Bipolar disorder: Bipolar disorder consists of radical shifts in depressive or “low” moods and manic “high” moods that can last weeks long.
• Schizophrenia: Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental disorder that affects a person’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors
• Eating disorders: Eating disorders are illnesses that affect a person’s relationship with food and body image. 
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): OCD is a chronic, long-lasting anxiety disorder where a person experiences unreasonable, uncontrollable, recurring thoughts followed by a behavioral response.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): PTSD is a disorder that develops in some who have experienced a shocking or dangerous event and have difficulty recovering from the trauma the event caused.

How common is mental illness?

• Nine hundred seventy million people worldwide suffer from any mental health or substance abuse disorder. (Our World in Data, 2018)
• Anxiety is the most common mental illness in the world, affecting 301 million people (WHO, 2019).

Globally, mental illness affects more females (11.9%) than males (9.3%). (Our World in Data, 2018)

• Mental health illnesses have jumped from the ninth leading cause of disability-adjusted life years, a metric of disability, to the sixth leading cause from 1990 to 2021 (Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, 2021)
• The all-cause mortality rate of those with mental disorders is significantly higher than that of the general population, such that those with severe mental illness live an average of 10-20 years less than those without severe mental illness (Lancet Psychiatry, 2022). 
• Men with mental health disorders lose more years of life than women with the same disorder (Psychiatry Research, 2025)

Global mental health statistics 

The following are the estimated percentages of persons globally living with each type of mental illness:

• Anxiety disorders: 4.4%
• Depressive disorders: 4%
• Bipolar disorder: 0.5%
• Schizophrenia: 0.3%
• Eating disorders: 0.2%

Our World in Data, 2021

Mental health statistics in the U.S.

• As of 2022, it is estimated that more than one in five adults in the United States live with a mental health illness, representing about 23% of the U.S. adult population. (National Institute of Mental Health, 2022)
• Among U.S. adults aged 18 or older in 2023, 22.8% had AMI (any mental illness) in the prior year, totaling 58.7 million people. (SAMHSA, 2023)
• U.S. adults with AMI were highest in the young adult demographic, aged 18-25 years (SAMHSA, 2023)
• The rate of individuals aged 18 to 25 years old who reported symptoms consistent with major depression increased 63% from 2009 to 2017. (American Psychological Association, 2019)
• Among U.S. adults aged 18 or older in 2023, 5.7% had SMI (serious mental illness) in the prior year, totaling 14.6 million people (SAMHSA, 2023)
• Anxiety disorders affect 40 million adults in the U.S. (18.1% of the population), making them the most common mental illness. (Anxiety and Depression Association of America)

Mental health treatment

Mental health treatment varies among the types of mental disorders. Those seeking treatment should consult a medical or mental health professional to discuss the therapies and medications that best fit them. 

Treatment can be expensive, with costs of therapy and medication scaling thousands of dollars. In 2019, medical spending to treat adults with mental disorders reached $106.5 billion. Factoring in loss of productivity and other societal impacts, this number rises to $282 billion annually. 

According to a study published by Lancet Psychiatry, the total cost of treating anxiety and depression disorders in 36 countries worldwide is estimated to be $147 billion by 2030. This cost will produce a net benefit based on an estimated and modest 5% improvement in work productivity, resulting in a $399 billion economic gain.

Does insurance cover mental health services?

All Marketplace health insurance plans cover mental health and substance abuse services, according to healthcare.gov. These services include psychotherapy, counseling, inpatient services, and substance use disorder treatment. Additionally, Marketplace plans cannot deny you coverage for having a pre-existing mental health condition. 

Furthermore, Medicaid is “the single largest payer for mental health services in the United States.”

As far as Medicare coverage goes, Medicare Part A covers hospitalizations, including admissions due to mental health problems, and Medicare Part B covers mental health visits. Here’s a full list of covered services.

Privately insured enrollees treated for mental illnesses have been shown to pay about twice as much out-of-pocket compared to individuals with no mental health diagnoses–$1501 versus $863. In addition, out-of-pocket spending for privately insured enrollees with depression increases as the severity of depression increases. The most expensive component of care is psychotherapy, with medications carrying a relatively low out-of-pocket cost. The high out-of-pocket cost of psychotherapy, even in those carrying private insurance, may be prohibitive and result in people delaying or forgoing mental health services. 

Health System Tracker, 2023

Mental health treatment statistics

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health defines mental health services as receiving inpatient or outpatient treatment or counseling, or taking prescription drugs for mental health problems.

• In 2023, among adults aged 18 or older who had any mental health illness in the past year, young adults aged 18 to 25 were less likely to have received treatment (51.0% or 5.9 million people) compared with older adults aged 26 to 49 (55.6% or 16.8 million people) (SAMHSA, 2023)
• A quarter of college students have mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, and alcohol use disorder. (Psychological Services, 2020)
• The majority (93%) of students are aware of on-campus services related to mental health (American Psychological Association, 2018)
• Only 13% of students with a mental health problem utilize on-campus resources, such as counseling. (American Psychological Association, 2018)
• Adolescents of racial and ethnic minority groups are less likely to access mental health visits, receive medications, or other mental health services compared with White adolescents (JAMA Network Open, 2025)
• More than half of young people who have been involved with the juvenile justice system meet the criteria for at least one psychiatric disorder, yet only 15% of them have received treatment. (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2017)
  Treatment and medication guides

If you have been diagnosed with one of the following mental health conditions, you can use these guides to understand the treatment options available to you better and compare commonly prescribed medications. However, your healthcare provider is the only one who can determine the best treatment for you.

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Schizophrenia
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Bipolar disorder
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Mental health resources

If you are experiencing symptoms of mental illness and/or having suicidal thoughts, help is available. Use the following support groups and lifelines to get the care you need.

• National Suicide Prevention: 1-800-273-8255
• Crisis text line: Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor 
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration National Helpline: 1-800-662-4357
• Behavioral health treatment services locator
• Substance use disorder treatment locator

Mental health questions and answers

What percent of the world suffers from mental illness?

Almost 14% of the global population suffers from mental illness, representing approximately 970 million people around the world.

What is the most commonly diagnosed mental disorder?

Anxiety disorders are the world’s most commonly diagnosed mental health disorders. 

Which country has the worst mental health?

It’s difficult to determine which country has the worst mental health, since diagnosis is complex and depends heavily on those suffering seeking out professional help, either due to cultural stigmas or resource limitations. Australia, Western Europe, and the United States are regions in the world with a high prevalence of disability associated with mental disorders.