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Depression statistics worldwide

TherapyRoute

TherapyRoute

Cape Town, South Africa

Reviewed by TherapyRoute
Depression
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❝How common depression is around the world, from WHO global estimates to national surveys in South Africa, Nigeria, England and other countries. Every figure shows its year, its source, and whether it was surveyed or modelled.❞

Depression is one of the most common mental health conditions in the world. The best figures come from two kinds of source: WHO's global estimates, which come from a model, and national surveys that ask people directly.

In this Article

Key figures

  • An estimated 322 million people worldwide were living with depression in 2023. (modelled estimate, 2023 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 1
  • Among adults worldwide, 5.2% experienced depression in 2023. (modelled estimate, 2023 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 1
  • Worldwide, depression is about 1.5 times more common among women than among men. (modelled estimate, 2023 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 1

How many people live with depression worldwide

These are World Health Organization estimates, drawn from the Global Burden of Disease study.

  • An estimated 322 million people worldwide were living with depression in 2023. (modelled estimate, 2023 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 1
  • About 4% of the world's population experienced depression in 2023. (modelled estimate, 2023 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 1
  • Among adults worldwide, 5.2% experienced depression in 2023. (modelled estimate, 2023 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 1

Women, men and older adults

  • Among adult women worldwide, 6.2% experienced depression in 2023. (modelled estimate, 2023 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 1
  • Among adult men worldwide, 4.1% experienced depression in 2023. (modelled estimate, 2023 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 1
  • Worldwide, depression is about 1.5 times more common among women than among men. (modelled estimate, 2023 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 1
  • The World Health Organization says 5.4% of adults aged 70 years and older worldwide experienced depression in 2023. (modelled estimate, 2023 data, checked 18 Oct 2026) 1

Depression and suicide

WHO notes that depression can lead to suicide 1. The World Health Organization also says there are effective treatments for depression. The Philippine survey of young people asked about suicide attempts at any point in life, not about depression itself. If you are thinking about suicide, please reach out now. Our page of helplines and suicide hotlines worldwide lists free crisis lines by country.

If you're struggling with low mood or depression, talking to a professional can make a real difference. Find a therapist who understands.

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  • An estimated 727,000 people worldwide died by suicide in 2021. (modelled estimate, 2021 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 1
  • About 73% of the world's suicides in 2021 occurred in low- and middle-income countries. (modelled estimate, 2021 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 2
  • In 2021, 7.5% of young people aged 15 to 24 in the Philippines had ever attempted suicide. (survey, lifetime (ever), 2021 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 3

Africa

South Africa's newest national survey of common mental disorders is the South African Stress and Health study. We found no newer national prevalence survey when we checked. Nigeria's survey covered eight mainly Yoruba-speaking states, not the whole country. Kenya's survey of adolescents measured any mental disorder, not depression alone.

  • In a national survey run in 2003-2004, 9.8% of South African adults had had major depressive disorder at some point in their lives. (survey, lifetime (ever), 2003-2004 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 4
  • In a national survey run in 2003-2004, 4.9% of South African adults had major depressive disorder in the previous twelve months. (survey, past 12 months, 2003-2004 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 4
  • In a survey of adults in eight mainly Yoruba-speaking states of Nigeria, run in 2002, 3.3% had had major depressive disorder at some point in their lives. (survey, lifetime (ever), 2002 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 5
  • In Kenya, 12.1% of adolescents aged 10 to 17 met the criteria for one of six assessed mental disorders in the previous twelve months, in a national survey from 2021. (survey, past 12 months, 2021 data, checked 13 Oct 2026) 6

Asia

India's survey covered adults in twelve states.

  • In India's national mental health survey of 2015-2016, 5.25% of adults in twelve Indian states had had a depressive disorder at some point in their lives. (survey, lifetime (ever), 2015-2016 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 7
  • In the same survey, 2.68% of adults in twelve Indian states had a depressive disorder when the survey team spoke to them. (survey, at one point in time, 2015-2016 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 7

Middle East

These Saudi figures come from the national survey's report on women.

  • In a national survey run from 2014-2016, 6.1% of Saudi women aged 15 to 65 had major depressive disorder in the previous twelve months. (survey, past 12 months, 2014-2016 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 8
  • In the same survey, 8.9% of Saudi women aged 15 to 65 had had major depressive disorder at some point in their lives. (survey, lifetime (ever), 2014-2016 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 8

Europe

Eurostat asked people in every EU country whether they had chronic depression in the past year. England's Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey measures common mental health conditions, a group that includes depression and anxiety.

  • In 2019, 7.2% of people across the European Union reported chronic depression in the previous twelve months. (survey, past 12 months, 2019 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 9
  • In 2019, Portugal had the highest share in the European Union of people reporting chronic depression, at 12.2%. (survey, past 12 months, 2019 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 9
  • In 2019, 11.6% of people in Germany reported chronic depression in the previous twelve months. (survey, past 12 months, 2019 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 9
  • In 2023/4, 22.6% of adults aged 16 to 64 in England had a common mental health condition. (survey, 2023/4 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 10
  • In 2023/4, 47.7% of adults aged 16 to 74 in England with symptoms of a common mental health condition reported receiving treatment. (survey, 2023/4 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 10

The Americas

Brazil's figure counts adults who report a diagnosis 11. Mexico's counts depressive symptoms on a short questionnaire. Canada's and the United States' come from diagnostic interviews.

  • In 2019, 10.2% of adults in Brazil said a health professional had diagnosed them with depression. (survey, 2019 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 11
  • In 2022, 16.7% of adults in Mexico had depressive symptoms on a short screening questionnaire. (survey, 2022 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 12
  • In 2022, 7.6% of people aged 15 and older in Canada met the criteria for a major depressive episode in the previous twelve months. (survey, past 12 months, 2022 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 13
  • In 2021, 8.3% of all adults in the United States had a major depressive episode in the past year. (survey, past 12 months, 2021 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 14
  • In 2021, 20.1% of adolescents aged 12 to 17 in the United States had a major depressive episode in the past year. (survey, past 12 months, 2021 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 14
  • In 2021, 61.0% of adults aged 18 or older with a major depressive episode in the United States received treatment in the past year. (survey, past 12 months, 2021 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 14

Oceania

Affective disorders include depression, dysthymia and bipolar disorder.

  • In Australia, 7.5% of people aged 16 to 85 had an affective disorder, such as depression, in the previous twelve months, in a national survey run in 2020-2022. (survey, past 12 months, 2020-2022 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 15
  • In the same Australian survey, 16.0% of people aged 16 to 85 had had an affective disorder, such as a depressive episode, at some point in their lives. (survey, lifetime (ever), 2020-2022 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 15

National survey figures side by side

Every row here measures depression or a group of conditions that includes it, though the surveys differ in method, age group and period, so read each row with its label. Kenya's and England's broader figures appear in their sections above.

CountryWhat was measuredFigureStudy typeYearSource
South AfricaMajor depressive disorder, adults4.9%Survey, past 12 months2003-20044
NigeriaMajor depressive disorder, adults in eight states3.3%Survey, lifetime (ever)20025
IndiaCurrent depressive disorder, adults in twelve states2.68%Survey, at one point in time2015-20167
Saudi ArabiaMajor depressive disorder, women6.1%Survey, past 12 months2014-20168
European UnionSelf-reported chronic depression7.2%Survey, past 12 months20199
BrazilSelf-reported diagnosis of depression, adults10.2%Survey201911
MexicoDepressive symptoms, adults16.7%Survey202212
CanadaMajor depressive episode7.6%Survey, past 12 months202213
United StatesMajor depressive episode, adults8.3%Survey, past 12 months202114
AustraliaAffective disorder (includes depression)7.5%Survey, past 12 months2020-202215

How to read these figures

WHO and the Global Burden of Disease study combine many data sources into one estimate for every country. Surveys ask a sample of people directly. The two often give different figures for the same place and year.

Lifetime prevalence counts anyone who has ever had the condition. Twelve-month prevalence counts only the past year, so it is the smaller figure. A figure at one point in time counts people who had the condition when the survey asked them.

A survey of one region describes that region, not the whole country. We keep an older survey only where nothing newer exists, and we show its year.

There is effective treatment for mild, moderate and severe depression, including talking therapies and medicines. Our guide on how to find the right therapist explains what to look for.

Cite this page: TherapyRoute. Depression statistics worldwide. https://www.therapyroute.com/article/depression-2025-statistics-by-therapyroute. Last updated 28 October 2026.

Clinically reviewed by Enzo Sinisi, clinical psychologist, on 10 October 2026.

References
  1. [1] Depressive disorder (depression). World Health Organization, 11 September 2026 who.int.
  2. [2] Suicide. World Health Organization, 28 August 2026 who.int.
  3. [3] Pinoy youth in worse mental shape today, nationwide survey indicates. University of the Philippines Population Institute, 10 October 2022 uppi.upd.edu.ph.
  4. [4] The South African Stress and Health (SASH) study: 12-month and lifetime prevalence of common mental disorders. South African Medical Journal (Herman et al.), 2009 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
  5. [5] Lifetime and 12-month prevalence of mental disorders in the Nigerian Survey of Mental Health and Well-Being. British Journal of Psychiatry (Gureje et al.), May 2006 cambridge.org.
  6. [6] Mental health service use among adolescents in three low- and middle-income countries: an analysis of the National Adolescent Mental Health Surveys. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health (Wahdi et al.), 31 July 2025 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
  7. [7] Prevalence and socioeconomic impact of depressive disorders in India: multisite population-based cross-sectional study. BMJ Open (Arvind et al.), 27 June 2019 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
  8. [8] Prevalence and correlates of mental disorders among women: results from the Saudi National Mental Health Survey. BMC Public Health (Altwaijri et al.), 4 October 2024 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
  9. [9] 7% of people in the EU suffer from chronic depression. Eurostat, 28 September 2021 ec.europa.eu.
  10. [10] Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2023/4. NatCen Social Research for NHS England (Morris et al.), 27 November 2025 natcen.ac.uk.
  11. [11] Racial inequality in the prevalence of symptom-based depression versus self-reported medical diagnosis in Brazil. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities (Caldeira et al.), 14 April 2025 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
  12. [12] Multimorbidity between type 2 diabetes and depressive symptoms in Mexico: prevalence and associated factors from the nationally representative ENSANUT 2022 survey. Journal of Diabetes (Adhikari et al.), 4 February 2026 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
  13. [13] Mental disorders and access to mental health care (The Daily). Statistics Canada, 22 September 2023 www150.statcan.gc.ca.
  14. [14] Major Depression. National Institute of Mental Health (US), July 2023 nimh.nih.gov.
  15. [15] National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing, 2020-2022. Australian Bureau of Statistics, 5 October 2023 abs.gov.au.

Important: TherapyRoute does not provide medical advice. All content is for informational purposes and cannot replace consulting a healthcare professional. If you face an emergency, please contact a local emergency service. For immediate emotional support, consider contacting a local helpline.

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TherapyRoute

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Cape Town, South Africa

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