Homelessness and mental health statistics worldwide

Updated October 2026

People experiencing homelessness have far higher rates of mental health conditions and substance use problems than the general population, and they die much younger. The key figures below come from research reviews ¹, a UK government survey of people sleeping rough in England ⁴, and records from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare ⁵. The link runs both ways: poor mental health can make it harder to keep a home, and losing a home harms mental health.

Each figure names its population and place. A meta-analysis, or pooled estimate, combines the results of many studies into one figure.

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.

Mental health among people experiencing homelessness

Reviews that pool studies of people experiencing homelessness find high rates of mental health conditions, especially substance use disorders, and psychotic disorders far above general population levels. Not statistically significant means the difference could be due to chance.

• Alcohol use disorders were the most common diagnosis among people experiencing homelessness in high-income countries, at a pooled 36.7%. (pooled from prevalence studies, published 2021) ¹
• Among people experiencing homelessness in high-income countries, the pooled rate of drug use disorders was 21.7%. (pooled from prevalence studies, published 2021) ¹
• Among people experiencing homelessness in high-income countries, the pooled rate of schizophrenia spectrum disorders was 12.4%, far above the rate in the general population. (pooled from prevalence studies, published 2021) ¹
• Among people experiencing homelessness in high-income countries, the pooled rate of major depression was 12.6%. (pooled from prevalence studies, published 2021) ¹
• In studies from developing countries, the pooled rate of psychotic disorders among people experiencing homelessness was 29.2%, though the gap with developed countries was not statistically significant. (pooled from prevalence studies, published 2019) ²
• In studies from developed countries, the pooled rate of psychotic disorders among people experiencing homelessness was 18.8%. (pooled from prevalence studies, published 2019) ²

Which comes first

Mental health problems can come before homelessness, after it, or both. In the Canadian figures, financial issues are the reason people most often give for becoming homeless. In the Australian records, a housing crisis such as eviction is the most common main reason clients with a current mental health issue give for seeking help from a homelessness service. Statistics Canada describes absolute homelessness as living in a shelter or completely unhoused in an encampment or public space, and hidden homelessness as couch surfing because a person had nowhere else to live. The California figures come from the California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness.

• In a non-representative survey in England, four hundred and seventy-eight people who had slept rough in the past year had a current or past mental health need. At least 17% of them said it began only after they first slept rough. (survey, lifetime (ever), 2019-2020 data) ⁴
• In a sample of two hundred and seventeen adults experiencing street homelessness in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, about a third of those with psychosis, 36%, said economic reasons were directly relevant to becoming homeless. (survey published 2014, fieldwork year not stated) ⁶
• In Canada, financial issues were the most reported reason for becoming homeless, named by 41.8% of people who had experienced absolute homelessness, or hidden homelessness lasting over a month. (survey, lifetime (ever), 2021 data) ⁷
• In California, in the United States, more than a quarter, 29%, of adults experiencing homelessness said their mental health or substance use made it harder to obtain housing. (survey, at one point in time, 2021-2022 data) ⁸
• In Australia, 4.1% of specialist homelessness service clients with a current mental health issue gave mental health as their main reason for seeking help in 2024–25. (administrative records, past 12 months, 2024–25 data) ⁵

Getting care

In the studies below, many people did not receive the mental health care they needed in the period each study counted.

• In a sample of two hundred and seventeen adults experiencing street homelessness in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, only six of the fifty-seven people with psychosis who answered, 10.5%, had ever received treatment for their illness. (survey, lifetime (ever), published 2014, fieldwork year not stated) ⁶
• In a non-representative survey of five hundred and sixty-three people in England who had recently slept rough, 29% of those with a current mental health need had received treatment in the previous three months. (survey, 2019-2020 data) ⁴
• In California, in the United States, only 18% of adults experiencing homelessness had received mental health counselling or medication in the previous thirty days. (survey, 2021-2022 data) ⁸
• In Australia, almost one in four, 23%, of specialist homelessness service clients with a current mental health issue needed mental health services in 2024–25, and around half of them received that service. (administrative records, past 12 months, 2024–25 data) ⁵

Early death

The UK's Office for National Statistics reports that, in England and Wales, people experiencing homelessness die younger on average than the general population ⁹. Average age at death describes those who died, not how long people live.

• The risk of death was highest for people who had slept rough, at about 7.63 times that of people who had never been homeless. (pooled from cohort studies, published 2026) ³
• The international disease classification groups some deaths as mental and behavioural disorders. These deaths were 11.78 times more common among people who had experienced homelessness than in general or socially deprived comparison populations. (pooled from cohort studies, published 2026) ³
• The Office for National Statistics estimates that death registrations in England and Wales in 2025 included 974 deaths of people aged fifteen to seventy-four experiencing homelessness. (modelled, registered deaths, 2025 data) ⁹
• In England and Wales, the average age at death of men experiencing homelessness, among identified deaths at ages fifteen to seventy-four, was 47.3 in 2025. (registered deaths, 2025 data) ⁹
• In England and Wales, the average age at death of women experiencing homelessness, among identified deaths at ages fifteen to seventy-four, was 43.2 in 2025. (registered deaths, 2025 data) ⁹
• In England and Wales, drug poisoning accounted for 31.2% of the estimated deaths of people aged fifteen to seventy-four experiencing homelessness in 2025. (modelled, registered deaths, 2025 data) ⁹

National records and city studies

Records and surveys from Australia, England, Canada and California sit alongside city studies elsewhere. City studies may not reflect the whole country, and some are small; where a sample is small, the figure gives its size. Owed a homelessness duty means the local council had to help the household. Organic mental disorders are those caused by a disease or injury of the brain. A mood disorder is a condition such as depression or bipolar disorder. A convenience sample consists of people who were easy to reach, so it may not reflect the wider group.

How to read these figures

Studies count homelessness differently: sleeping rough, staying in shelters, or using homelessness services. People sleeping rough usually have the highest rates of ill health.

Many figures come from one city or one service and may not hold for the whole country.

High rates of mental illness among people experiencing homelessness do not mean that mental illness causes homelessness.

Some deaths and conditions go unrecorded, so real figures may be higher.

If you are at risk of losing your home and your mental health is suffering, local housing services and a psychologist or counsellor can both help. Our guide on how to find the right therapist explains what to look for. If you are in distress right now, see our helplines and crisis lines worldwide.

Cite this page: TherapyRoute. Homelessness and mental health statistics worldwide. https://www.therapyroute.com/article/homelessness-and-mental-health-statistics-worldwide-by-therapyroute. Last updated 24 October 2026.

References

1. [1] The prevalence of mental disorders among homeless people in high-income countries: An updated systematic review and meta-regression analysis. PLOS Medicine (Gutwinski et al.), 2021 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
2. [2] The prevalence of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders among homeless people: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Psychiatry (Ayano et al.), 2019 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
3. [3] Mortality in people experiencing homelessness: a systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Epidemiology (White et al.), 2026 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
4. [4] Understanding the Multiple Vulnerabilities, Support Needs and Experiences of People who Sleep Rough in England: Initial findings from the Rough Sleeping Questionnaire. Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, December 2020 assets.publishing.service.gov.uk.
5. [5] Specialist homelessness services annual report 2024–25. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, December 2025 aihw.gov.au.
6. [6] Burden of mental disorders and unmet needs among street homeless people in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. BMC Medicine (Fekadu et al.), 2014 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
7. [7] Homelessness: How does it happen? Statistics Canada, 2023 statcan.gc.ca.
8. [8] Toward a New Understanding: The California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness. UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative (Kushel et al.), June 2023 homelessness.ucsf.edu.
9. [9] Deaths of people experiencing homelessness in England and Wales: 2013 to 2025 registrations. Office for National Statistics, 1 October 2026 ons.gov.uk.
10. [10] Prevalence of Mental Illness, Cognitive Disability, and Their Overlap among the Homeless in Nagoya, Japan. PLOS ONE (Nishio et al.), 2015 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
11. [11] Mental health symptoms among homeless shelter residents during COVID-19 lockdown in Tshwane, South Africa. African Journal of Primary Health Care and Family Medicine (Stonehouse et al.), 2023 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
12. [12] Associations Between Religiosity, Spirituality and Depressive Symptoms Among People Experiencing Homelessness in São Paulo, Brazil: An Observational Study. Psychiatric Quarterly (Alckmin-Carvalho et al.), 2026 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
13. [13] Mental illness in an adult sample admitted to public hostels in the Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area, Brazil. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology (Lovisi et al.), 2003 link.springer.com.
14. [14] Statutory homelessness in England: financial year 2024-25. Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, 2025 gov.uk.