• Data shows over 1bn people worldwide live with mental health disorders; anxiety and depression are the second leading cause of long-term disability
• Suicide causes one in every 100 deaths; mental health disorders cost the world economy an estimated $1tr annually
ISLAMABAD: More than one billion people suffer from mental health disorders, with suicide claiming over one in every 100 lives and leaving families worldwide to cope with its devastating impact, the WHO has warned.
Speaking to reporters, Devora Kestel, the interim head of the WHO’s non-communicable disease and mental health department said, “Globally, suicide accounts for more than one in every 100 deaths, and for each death, there are 20 suicide attempts.”
She added that those suicides “affected countless more lives and livelihoods, as friends, carers and loved ones were forced to grapple with unimaginable hardship.
Conditions such as anxiety and depression are taking an immense human and economic toll. While many countries have bolstered their mental health policies and programmes, greater investment and action are needed globally to expand services to protect and promote people’s mental well-being.
Mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression are highly prevalent in all countries and communities, affecting people of every age and income level. They are the second leading cause of long-term disability, contributing significantly to the loss of healthy life. They drive up healthcare costs for affected people and families, while inflicting substantial economic losses on a global scale.
Meanwhile, the new findings published in two reports — World Mental Health Today and Mental Health Atlas 2024 — highlight some areas of progress while exposing significant gaps in addressing mental health conditions worldwide.
These reports serve as critical tools to inform national strategies and shape global dialogue ahead of the 2025 United Nations High-Level Meeting on noncommunicable diseases and the promotion of mental health and well-being, scheduled for September 25 in New York.
“Transforming mental health services is one of the most pressing public health challenges,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “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 with urgency and to ensure that mental healthcare is treated not as a privilege, but as a basic right for all.”
Key data
The reports show that while prevalence of mental health disorders can vary by sex, women are disproportionately impacted overall. Anxiety and depression are the most common types of mental health disorders among both men and women.
Suicide remains a devastating outcome, claiming an estimated 727,000 lives in 2021 alone. It is a leading cause of death among young people in all countries and across socioeconomic groups.
Despite global efforts, progress in reducing suicide mortality is too low to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of a one-third reduction in suicide rates by 2030. On the current trajectory, only a 12 per cent reduction will be achieved by that deadline.
The economic impact of mental health disorders is staggering. While healthcare costs are high, the indirect costs — particularly from lost productivity — are even greater. Depression and anxiety alone cost the global economy an estimated $1 trillion each year.
The reports reveal a concerning stagnation in mental health investment. Median government spending on mental health remains at just 2pc of total health budgets — unchanged since 2017. Disparities between countries are stark; while high-income countries spend up to $65 per person on mental health, low-income countries spend as little as $0.04. The global median number of mental health workers is only 13 per 100, 000 people, with extreme shortages in low- and middle-income countries.
Reform and development of mental health services are progressing slowly. Fewer than 10pc of countries have fully transitioned to community-based care models, with most still in the early stages of transition.
Encouragingly, most countries report having functional mental health promotion initiatives such as early childhood development, school-based mental health programmes and suicide prevention strategies.
Over 80pc of countries now offer mental health and psychosocial support as part of emergency responses.
Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2025
