Chronic pain and mental health statistics worldwide

Updated October 2026

Chronic pain is common, and depression and anxiety often come with it. The key figures below show how often, from a worldwide meta-analysis in JAMA Network Open ¹ and from national surveys. A meta-analysis, or pooled estimate, combines the results of many studies into one figure. Clinically significant symptoms are ones that score above the cut-off a screening questionnaire uses to flag likely depression or anxiety. The United Kingdom and United States prevalence estimates use different definitions, so they are not a like-for-like comparison.

Chronic pain is pain that lasts or keeps coming back for three months or more. It is one of the most common long-term health problems in the world, and it often comes with depression, anxiety and poor sleep.

Pain and mood affect each other. Living with constant pain wears people down, and low mood can make pain harder to bear. Psychological therapies are part of good pain care, alongside medical treatment.

Getting help

If something on this page reflects what you are going through, you do not have to manage it alone. Our guide to finding the right therapist explains how to choose someone qualified, and the TherapyRoute directory lists therapists in many countries.

If you are in crisis or thinking about suicide, our list of helplines and crisis lines worldwide gives free services by country. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.

How common chronic pain is

Surveys define chronic pain in slightly different ways, usually as pain lasting three months or more. Each figure names its sample when it comes from an online or telephone panel, a single town or clinic patients. An adjusted figure allows for other differences between the groups compared, such as age. AIHW is the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. A survey weighted to the national census adjusts its results so the sample matches the population's make-up. Years lived with disability count time spent living with a health problem, weighted by how much it limits daily life.

• Among Australians aged forty-five and over who had seen a GP in the previous twelve months, 19% reported moderate or severe chronic pain in 2016, AIHW analysis shows. (survey, 2016 data) ⁴
• In New Zealand's Northland, Auckland and Waikato regions, 22.8% of secondary school students reported long-lasting chronic pain in 2019. (survey, 2019 data) ⁵
• In South Africa's national Demographic and Health Survey, 18.3% of people aged fifteen and over reported chronic pain in 2016. (survey, 2016 data) ⁶
• In an online survey of adult Saudi nationals, weighted to the national census, 46.4% met criteria for chronic pain in 2018. (survey, 2018 data) ⁷
• In an internet panel survey of Israeli adults, 31.3% of respondents reported chronic pain in 2017, though only a minority of those invited took part. (survey, 2017 data) ⁸
• In the Japanese town of Hisayama, 48.1% of residents aged forty and over examined in 2017-2018 had chronic pain lasting three months or more, an age-adjusted figure. (survey, 2017-2018 data) ⁹
• A national survey of adults aged eighteen to eighty in India, screened by telephone, found chronic pain in 19.3% of respondents in 2006. The definition was strict: moderate or worse, lasting over three months and felt several times a week. (survey, 2006 data) ¹⁰
• Santiago and colleagues pooled eight Brazilian studies of adults, three from Sao Paulo city and three from the Northeast. They estimated that about 35.7% of adults in those samples live with benign chronic pain, the review's term, lasting three months or longer. (pooled from prevalence studies, published 2023) ¹¹
• Pooling seven local studies of older adults in Brazil, mostly from the South and Southeast, Santiago and colleagues put chronic pain prevalence at about 47.3%, with wide variation between studies. (pooled from prevalence studies, published 2023) ¹¹
• In Italy, 24.1% of adults reported chronic pain in the 2019 European Health Interview Survey. (survey, at one point in time, 2019 data) ¹²
• In Chile's third national disability study, 14.8% of the adult participants reported chronic pain, in face-to-face interviews run during 2022-2023. (survey, 2022-2023 data) ¹³
• High-impact chronic pain, which limits daily life or work, affected 6.9% of adults in the United States in 2021, national survey data show. (survey, 2021 data) ²
• Low back pain affected 619 million people worldwide in 2020 and remains the leading cause of years lived with disability, the Global Burden of Disease study reports. (modelled estimate, 2020 data) ¹⁴

Depression and anxiety alongside chronic pain

Depression and anxiety are far more common in people living with chronic pain than in people without it. The worldwide meta-analysis below pooled studies from many countries ¹; its continent figures rest on very different numbers of studies. No significant difference means the study could not rule out chance as the reason for the gaps. A wide confidence interval is a wide range within which the true figure probably lies, so the estimate is uncertain. Fibromyalgia is long-term pain across the body, often with tiredness and poor sleep.

• Aaron and colleagues pooled studies of adults with chronic pain, mostly in clinical settings and excluding chronic headache. About 36.7% of these adults met diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder, currently or in the past year. (pooled from prevalence studies, published 2025) ¹
• Aaron and colleagues pooled studies of adults with chronic pain, mostly in clinical settings and excluding chronic headache. About 16.7% of these adults met diagnostic criteria for generalised anxiety disorder, currently or in the past year. (pooled from prevalence studies, published 2025) ¹
• In South American studies of adults with chronic pain, excluding chronic headache conditions, clinically significant depression symptoms affected about 45.3%. It is the highest continental estimate, but Aaron and colleagues found no significant difference between continents. (pooled from prevalence studies, at one point in time, published 2025) ¹
• In Asian studies of adults with chronic pain, excluding chronic headache conditions, clinically significant depression symptoms affected about 40.9%, according to the meta-analysis by Aaron and colleagues. (pooled from prevalence studies, at one point in time, published 2025) ¹
• In European studies of adults with chronic pain, excluding chronic headache conditions, clinically significant depression symptoms affected about 39.8%, according to the meta-analysis by Aaron and colleagues. (pooled from prevalence studies, at one point in time, published 2025) ¹
• In North American studies of adults with chronic pain, excluding chronic headache conditions, clinically significant depression symptoms affected about 38.4%, according to the meta-analysis by Aaron and colleagues. (pooled from prevalence studies, at one point in time, published 2025) ¹
• In Australian studies of adults with chronic pain, excluding chronic headache conditions, clinically significant depression symptoms affected about 36.5%, according to the meta-analysis by Aaron and colleagues. (pooled from prevalence studies, at one point in time, published 2025) ¹
• In the few African studies of adults with chronic pain, excluding chronic headache, clinically significant depression symptoms affected about 36.1%, an estimate from only six samples with a wide confidence interval. (pooled from prevalence studies, at one point in time, published 2025) ¹
• Among people with fibromyalgia, 54.0% had clinically significant depression symptoms, the highest rate of any pain condition in the meta-analysis by Aaron and colleagues. (pooled from prevalence studies, at one point in time, published 2025) ¹
• In the United States, 23.9% of adults with chronic pain had clinically significant anxiety or depression symptoms in 2019, far more than adults without pain. (survey, at one point in time, 2019 data) ¹⁵
• Among United States adults with high-impact chronic pain, 39.5% also had anxiety or depression symptoms in 2019. (survey, at one point in time, 2019 data) ¹⁵
• Among Italian adults with chronic pain, 11.3% reported a doctor's diagnosis of depression in the past year in the 2019 European Health Interview Survey, far more than adults without chronic pain. (survey, past 12 months, 2019 data) ¹²
• At a public chronic pain management clinic in Cape Town, 32% of patients had a documented history of depression, according to records from 2010 to 2017. (administrative records, lifetime (ever), 2010-2017 data) ¹⁶
• In public hospitals in Jimma, Ethiopia, 43.3% of patients with chronic pain screened positive for depression in 2019. (survey, at one point in time, 2019 data) ¹⁷
• Among secondary school students in northern New Zealand with severe, frequent pain, 51.5% reported high levels of depressive symptoms in 2019, far above students without chronic pain. (survey, at one point in time, 2019 data) ⁵

Suicide and chronic pain

Many patients with chronic pain have had suicidal thoughts at some point. Asking about them is part of good pain care, and help is available. If you are thinking about suicide, find a crisis line in your country.

• Pooling four studies, Kwon and Lee estimated that about 28.9% of patients with chronic pain have had suicidal thoughts at some point, though the true figure could be quite a bit higher or lower. They suggest screening for suicide risk may be a promising strategy. (pooled from prevalence studies, lifetime (ever), published 2023) ¹⁸
• Of people aged ten and over who died by suicide during 2003-2014 in US states reporting to the National Violent Death Reporting System, 8.8% had signs of chronic pain in death investigation records. (death registrations, 2003-2014 data) ¹⁹
• In eighteen US states reporting to the National Violent Death Reporting System, 51.7% of people with chronic pain who died by suicide during 2003-2014 had a known mental health condition, most often depression. (death registrations, 2003-2014 data) ¹⁹

Getting care and living well

Many people living with chronic pain also do well emotionally, and psychological therapies are an established part of pain care. If thoughts of suicide come up, find a crisis line in your country.

• In 2019, 43.2% of United States adults with chronic pain had clinically significant anxiety or depression symptoms or had used mental health treatment in the past year, far more than adults without pain. (survey, 2019 data) ²⁰
• Among United States adults with chronic pain who had clinically significant anxiety or depression symptoms or had used mental health treatment, 81.6% used medication, counselling or therapy for mental health in 2019. Because the group includes people counted for being in treatment, the figure overstates how many people with symptoms receive care. (survey, past 12 months, 2019 data) ²⁰
• Among Italian adults with chronic pain and diagnosed depression or severe chronic anxiety, 22.2% consulted a psychiatrist, psychologist or psychotherapist in the past year, less often than peers without chronic pain. (survey, past 12 months, 2019 data) ¹²
• Among Canadian adults in the ten provinces with arthritis and disabling chronic pain, 55.6% were in complete mental health in 2012: no psychiatric disorder in the past year, plus high well-being. (survey, 2012 data) ²¹
• In Canada's ten provinces, 76% of adults with arthritis and disabling chronic pain had none of the measured psychiatric disorders or suicidal thoughts in the past year, according to 2012 national survey data. (survey, past 12 months, 2012 data) ²¹

How to read these figures

Most surveys count chronic pain as pain lasting three months or more, but some use longer periods, and some count only pain that limits daily life.

Several figures come from online panels, telephone surveys, single towns, students or clinic patients rather than national samples. Each figure names its sample.

The worldwide meta-analysis reports continent figures from very different numbers of studies; the African estimate rests on few studies and is uncertain ¹.

Figures about suicide come from death records or from studies of patients and describe groups, not individuals.

Chronic pain is real, and support is available. Psychological therapies can help people live better with pain, alongside medical care. Cognitive behavioural therapy works on unhelpful thoughts and habits around pain, and acceptance and commitment therapy helps people make room for pain while doing what matters to them.

Cite this page: TherapyRoute. Chronic pain and mental health statistics worldwide. https://www.therapyroute.com/article/chronic-pain-and-mental-health-statistics-worldwide-by-therapyroute. Last updated 23 October 2026.

References

1. [1] Prevalence of Depression and Anxiety Among Adults With Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JAMA Network Open (Aaron et al.), 2025 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
2. [2] Chronic Pain Among Adults — United States, 2019–2021. MMWR (Rikard et al.), 2023 cdc.gov.
3. [3] Prevalence of chronic pain in the UK: a systematic review and meta-analysis of population studies. BMJ Open (Fayaz et al.), 2016 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
4. [4] Chronic pain in Australia. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), 2020 aihw.gov.au.
5. [5] Prevalence, severity and impact of chronic pain among a representative cross-sectional study of New Zealand high school students. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health (Farrant et al.), 2023 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
6. [6] Chronic pain is associated with disability: results from a large, population-based survey in South Africa. Pain Reports (McDonald et al.), 2026 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
7. [7] Prevalence of chronic pain and high-impact chronic pain in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Medical Journal (Almalki et al.), 2019 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
8. [8] The Prevalence of Chronic Pain in the Adult Population in Israel: An Internet-Based Survey. Pain Research and Management (Sharon et al.), 2022 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
9. [9] The prevalence of chronic pain and its impact on activities of daily living disability and depressive symptoms according to multiple definitions in a Japanese population: the Hisayama study. Pain Reports (Shibata et al.), 2025 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
10. [10] The Prevalence of Chronic Pain among Adults in India. Indian Journal of Palliative Care (Saxena et al.), 2018 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
11. [11] Prevalence of chronic pain in Brazil: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinics (Santiago et al.), 2023 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
12. [12] Chronic Pain Prevalence and Psychosocial Burden in the Italian Population from the 2019 European Health Interview Survey. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (Maraschini et al.), 2025 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
13. [13] The Burden of Chronic Pain on Women: A Secondary Analysis of Data From the National Study on Disability (ENDISC) in Chile. European Journal of Pain (Barreto et al.), 2025 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
14. [14] Global, regional, and national burden of low back pain, 1990-2020, its attributable risk factors, and projections to 2050. Lancet Rheumatology (GBD 2021 Low Back Pain Collaborators), 2023 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
15. [15] Co-occurrence of chronic pain and anxiety/depression symptoms in U.S. adults: prevalence, functional impacts, and opportunities. Pain (De La Rosa et al.), 2024 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
16. [16] A history of depression in patients attending a chronic pain management clinic in South Africa: A retrospective chart review. South African Journal of Psychiatry (van Vreede et al.), 2022 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
17. [17] Depression Among Patients with Chronic Pain, in Jimma Town Public Hospitals, Ethiopia. Health Services Research and Managerial Epidemiology (Serawit et al.), 2022 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
18. [18] Prevalence of suicidal behavior in patients with chronic pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Frontiers in Psychology (Kwon and Lee), 2023 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
19. [19] Chronic Pain Among Suicide Decedents, 2003 to 2014: Findings From the National Violent Death Reporting System. Annals of Internal Medicine (Petrosky et al.), 2018 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
20. [20] The unmet mental health needs of U.S. adults living with chronic pain. Pain (De La Rosa et al.), 2024 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
21. [21] Flourishing mental health despite disabling chronic pain: Findings from a nationally representative sample of Canadians with arthritis. PLoS One (Fuller-Thomson et al.), 2023 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.