WHO Says 1 Billion People Live With Mental Illness as Spending Stalls at 2%
Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · May 21
WHO Says 1 Billion People Live With Mental Illness as Spending Stalls at 2%
3 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · May 21
More than 1 billion people—about 1 in 8 globally—are living with a mental health condition, the WHO said ahead of this week’s 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva, where the issue is on the agenda.
Just 2% of government health budgets goes to mental health worldwide, with spending ranging from $0.04 per person in low-income countries to $65.89 in high-income ones, underscoring large treatment gaps.
359 million people have anxiety disorders and 332 million live with depression, the WHO said, with cases rising since 1990 and worsening during the COVID-19 pandemic.
740,000 suicides are reported each year—about one every 43 seconds—with men dying at four times the female rate globally and suicide ranking among the top causes of death for people aged 15 to 29.
Mental disorders now account for roughly 1 in 6 years lived with disability worldwide, with young people, women, and marginalized groups such as refugees, Indigenous people and LGBTQ+ communities facing especially heavy burdens.
Is the global mental health crisis a medical problem, or a societal symptom of a deeply unwell modern world?
With mental illness a top cause of disability, why is it the most neglected area of public health funding?
As mental health apps surge, will they fix the global care gap or just export a flawed Western model?
Global Mental Health Crisis 2025: Scale, Systemic Underinvestment, and the Urgent Need for Transformative Action
Overview
The global mental health crisis remains a serious and urgent challenge as of September 2025, with the world still far from effectively addressing its full scale despite some progress since 2020. Key reports like 'World mental health today' and 'Mental Health Atlas 2024' highlight the ongoing severity of the situation and serve as important benchmarks for global discussions. These findings are shaping upcoming events, such as the UN high-level meeting on noncommunicable diseases and mental health. Experts stress the need for immediate action, including sustained investment, stronger prioritization, and multi-sectoral collaboration to expand access to essential mental health care services.