Over 1 Billion People Living With Mental Health Disorders, WHO Warns of Global Crisis

WHO warns that despite growing attention to mental health, global investment and action remain inadequate. Mental health disorders are now the second leading cause of long-term disability, contributing to lost productivity, strained health systems, and an estimated US$1 trillion in annual global economic losses due to depression and anxiety alone.

“Transforming mental health services is one of the most pressing public health challenges,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Every government has a responsibility to treat mental health care not as a privilege, but as a basic right.”

Uneven progress and persistent inequalities

Since 2020, many countries have made strides in updating mental health policies, integrating services into primary health care, and improving emergency psychosocial support. More than 80% of countries now include mental health components in crisis response — up from 39% in 2020.

However, the Mental Health Atlas 2024 reveals stagnation in funding and workforce shortages. On average, governments allocate just 2% of health budgets to mental health — unchanged since 2017 — with vast disparities between rich and poor nations. High-income countries spend up to US$65 per person, while low-income nations spend as little as US$0.04.

Global staffing remains critically low, with a median of only 13 mental health workers per 100,000 people, and most low-income countries facing severe shortages. Fewer than 10% of countries have fully transitioned to community-based care models, and nearly half of psychiatric hospital admissions are involuntary, with more than one-fifth lasting over a year.

Urgent need for reform

The World Mental Health Today report highlights continued gender and age disparities: women experience higher rates of anxiety and depression, and suicide remains a leading cause of death among young people, with 727,000 lives lost in 2021. WHO warns that at the current pace, the world will achieve only a 12% reduction in suicide rates by 2030, far short of the UN Sustainable Development Goal of a one-third reduction.

WHO calls for systemic transformation of mental health care systems, urging governments to:

• Increase and equitably distribute mental health financing;

• Reform laws to protect human rights;

• Strengthen the mental health workforce; and

• Expand community-based and person-centered services.

As nations prepare for the 2025 UN High-Level Meeting on noncommunicable diseases and mental health, WHO emphasizes that the world cannot afford to neglect this crisis. Investing in mental health, it says, means investing in people, economies, and the future of societies.