Depression: 2025 Statistics

Depression, formally called depressive disorder, is one of the most common mental health conditions. The World Health Organisation (WHO) puts the number of people living with depression at around 332 million.¹ That is about 4% of the world's population.¹

These figures come from WHO's 2025 fact sheet, which uses 2021 global data. Other figures below come from the Lancet, the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Every figure carries its scope, unit and survey year. Global and US figures are labelled separately.

Overall Prevalence and General Numbers

Depression affects people in every country and every income group. Prevalence means the share of a population living with a condition at a given time. WHO last updated its depressive disorder fact sheet on 29 August 2025.¹

• Global prevalence: an estimated 4% of the world's population experience depression¹ (WHO, 2025 fact sheet). Among adults, the figure is 5.7%.¹
• People affected: about 332 million people worldwide live with depression¹ (WHO).
• Pandemic impact: COVID-19 added an estimated 53.2 million cases of major depressive disorder in 2020.² That is a 27.6% increase² (Lancet Global Burden of Disease analysis). Major depressive disorder is the diagnosis used when symptoms meet the full clinical criteria.
• Disability burden: depressive and anxiety disorders ranked among the top 25 causes of health burden worldwide in 2019² (Lancet). Health burden means the total loss of health a condition causes across a population.
• United States, 2021: an estimated 21.0 million US adults had a major depressive episode that year.³ That is 8.3% of all US adults³ (NIMH, 2021 national survey). An episode is one stretch of depression meeting those criteria, counted here within that single year.
• United States, 2025: 4.5% of US adults reported regular feelings of depression⁴ (CDC, 2025 survey). This measures ongoing symptoms, not diagnosed episodes.

Which countries have the highest depression rates?

WHO's current fact sheet does not publish a simple country ranking.¹ No reliable ranking exists. None is offered here.

One related figure is well established. In 2021, 73% of global suicides occurred in low- and middle-income countries⁵ (WHO). Access to treatment is also very uneven, as the section on treatment shows.

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Breakdown by Key Demographics

Depression is not spread evenly across ages, genders, or communities. Global figures below come from WHO. US figures come from the 2021 national survey (NIMH).

• By gender (global):
  • Globally, depression is about 1.5 times more common among women than men¹ (WHO).
  • Among adults worldwide, 6.9% of women and 4.6% of men experience depression¹ (WHO).
  • Depression also affects more than one in ten women during pregnancy or after giving birth¹ (WHO).
• By gender (US, 2021):
  • Among US adults, 10.3% of females had a major depressive episode, against 6.2% of males³ (NIMH).
  • Among US adolescents, 29.2% of females had an episode, against 11.5% of males³ (NIMH).
• By age:
  • Globally, 5.9% of adults aged 70 and older experience depression¹ (WHO).
  • In the US, the rate is highest in young adulthood. Among 18 to 25-year-olds, 18.6% had a major depressive episode in 2021³ (NIMH).
  • US adolescents aged 12 to 17 were close behind, at 20.1% in 2021³ (NIMH).
• By race and ethnicity (US, 2021):
  • Prevalence was highest among US adults reporting two or more races, at 13.9%³ (NIMH).
  • Among US adolescents reporting two or more races, the figure was 27.2%³ (NIMH).

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Depression Alongside Other Conditions

Depression rarely occurs on its own. Other mental health conditions and hard life circumstances often occur with it. The figures in this section come from WHO's suicide fact sheet.

• The link between suicide, depression, and alcohol use disorders is well established in high-income countries⁵ (WHO).
• A prior suicide attempt is an important risk factor⁵ (WHO).
• Experiencing conflict, disaster, violence, abuse, loss, or isolation is strongly associated with suicidal behaviour⁵ (WHO).
• Many suicides follow moments of crisis. Common stresses include financial problems, relationship disputes, and chronic pain or illness⁵ (WHO).

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The Most Serious Consequences

Depression can seriously affect daily functioning, physical health, and safety. Severe impairment is the term the US survey uses. It means symptoms that seriously interfere with work, school, or relationships.

• Severe impairment (US, 2021): 14.5 million US adults had a major depressive episode with severe impairment³ (NIMH). That is 5.7% of all US adults.³
• Adolescents (US, 2021): among US adolescents, 3.7 million had an episode with severe impairment³ (NIMH). That is 14.7% of all US adolescents.³
• Health system contact (US): in 2019, depressive disorders were the primary diagnosis in 15.0 million US physician office visits⁴ (CDC). Depression appeared on the medical record in 11.0% of US physician office visits⁴ (CDC).

The most serious risk linked to depression is suicide.

• More than 720 000 people die due to suicide every year⁵ (WHO, 2021 data).
• Suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15 to 29-year-olds⁵ (WHO).
• In the United States, there were 48,824 suicide deaths in 2024⁴ (CDC). That is 14.4 deaths per 100,000 people.⁴

WHO stresses that suicides can be prevented with timely, evidence-based, and often low-cost interventions.⁵ If you are thinking about suicide, use the crisis resources at the top of this page.

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The Positive Outlook and Solutions

Depression responds to treatment. The gap is in who receives it.

• Treatment works: there is effective treatment for mild, moderate, and severe depression¹ (WHO).
• The treatment gap: in high-income countries, only about one third of people with depression receive care¹ (WHO).
• US adults (2021): 61.0% of US adults with a major depressive episode received treatment³ (NIMH). Among those with severe impairment, 74.8% received treatment.³
• Global action: WHO's Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan and its mhGAP programme aim to expand care worldwide.¹ The mhGAP programme helps countries expand services through non-specialist health workers¹ (WHO). Non-specialist health workers are nurses and general clinic staff trained to treat common conditions.
• Self-care: WHO also points to self-care as part of managing symptoms.¹ Steps it names include staying connected, regular exercise, and steady eating and sleeping habits¹ (WHO).

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What These Numbers Mean for You

Statistics describe groups. They cannot say what will happen to any one person. What they do show is that depression is common, and that it responds to treatment.

Effective treatment exists,¹ and asking for help is a practical first step. Our guide on how to find the right therapist explains what to look for. If you are in crisis right now, use the crisis box above.

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This article is for general information and is not a substitute for professional assessment or care. If this is affecting your life, consider reaching out to a qualified mental health professional.

References

1. [1] Depressive disorder (depression) fact sheet. World Health Organization, 2025.
2. [2] Global prevalence and burden of depressive and anxiety disorders in 204 countries and territories in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lancet (via PMC), 2021.
3. [3] Major Depression statistics. National Institute of Mental Health (US), 2023.
4. [4] FastStats - Depression. US CDC / NCHS, 2025.
5. [5] Suicide fact sheet. World Health Organization, 2025.

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