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Mental health disparities statistics

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❝How access to mental health care and therapy differs between richer and poorer countries, ethnic groups, women and men, and cities and rural areas. Every figure says who was counted, how and when, and where it comes from.❞

A mental health disparity, as used here, is a gap between groups in who gets mental health care. The figures below compare the use of treatment and therapy by country income level, ethnicity, sex and where people live.

A lower treatment share can mean more barriers to care, less need, or both. So every figure names the group it counts, the measure and the year. Compare figures only when they share a source and a measure.

In this Article

Key figures

  • In the high-income countries surveyed, 22.4% of adults with major depressive disorder in the past year received minimally adequate treatment. (survey, past 12 months, published 2017, fieldwork year not stated, checked 10 Oct 2026) 1
  • In the low- and lower-middle-income countries surveyed, 3.7% of adults with major depressive disorder in the past year received minimally adequate treatment. (survey, past 12 months, published 2017, fieldwork year not stated, checked 10 Oct 2026) 1
  • Among adults aged 18 and over in household surveys in 21 countries, only 6.9% of past-year anxiety, mood and substance use disorders got treatment meeting guidelines for effective care. (survey, past 12 months, 2001-2019 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 2
  • In the United States in 2019, 7.8% of adults aged 18 and over living in nonmetropolitan areas had received counselling or therapy from a mental health professional in the previous twelve months. (survey, past 12 months, 2019 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 3
  • In England, 4.1% of Asian or Asian British adults, all adults surveyed, age-standardised were receiving treatment for a mental or emotional problem, in a national survey run in 2023/4. (survey, 2023/4 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 4

Richer and poorer countries

The World Mental Health surveys interviewed adults at home in many countries and grouped the countries by income level. In each comparison below, adults with the same disorder were less likely to get treatment, or to seek it, in lower-income countries.

  • Only 16.5% of adults with major depressive disorder in the past year in surveys in 21 countries received treatment that met minimal standards. (survey, past 12 months, published 2017, fieldwork year not stated, checked 10 Oct 2026) 1
  • In the high-income countries surveyed, 22.4% of adults with major depressive disorder in the past year received minimally adequate treatment. (survey, past 12 months, published 2017, fieldwork year not stated, checked 10 Oct 2026) 1
  • In the low- and lower-middle-income countries surveyed, 3.7% of adults with major depressive disorder in the past year received minimally adequate treatment. (survey, past 12 months, published 2017, fieldwork year not stated, checked 10 Oct 2026) 1
  • In high income countries, 53.5% of adults with PTSD in the past year sought treatment of any kind that year. (survey, past 12 months, 2001-2012 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 5
  • In upper middle income countries, 28.7% of adults with PTSD in the past year sought treatment of any kind that year. (survey, past 12 months, 2001-2012 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 5
  • In low and lower middle income countries, 22.8% of adults with PTSD in the past year sought treatment of any kind that year. (survey, past 12 months, 2001-2012 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 5
  • In the high-income countries among the World Mental Health surveys, 40.5% of adults with OCD in the past year had treatment that year. (survey, past 12 months, 2005-2019 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 6
  • In the low- and middle-income countries among the World Mental Health surveys, 7.0% of adults with OCD in the past year had treatment that year. (survey, past 12 months, 2005-2019 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 6
  • Among adults aged 18 and over in household surveys in 21 countries, only 6.9% of past-year anxiety, mood and substance use disorders got treatment meeting guidelines for effective care. (survey, past 12 months, 2001-2019 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 2

Severe mental illness in low- and middle-income countries

A study in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization estimated the treatment gap for schizophrenic disorders by comparing people treated in each country's mental health services with the expected number of cases. The treatment gap is the share of people with these disorders not treated in those services.

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  • Across 50 low- and middle-income countries that completed a WHO assessment of their mental health systems, the median country treatment gap for schizophrenic disorders was 69%. (2005-2010 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 7
  • In the low-income countries among 50 low- and middle-income countries that completed a WHO assessment of their mental health systems, the median country treatment gap for schizophrenic disorders was 89%. (2005-2010 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 7

Where the mental health workforce is

These figures count mental health workers or psychiatrists for every hundred thousand people. They show capacity, not how many people received care.

  • Across the countries reporting to the WHO Mental Health Atlas in 2024, the median mental health workforce was 13 per 100,000 people. (2024 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 8
  • In the WHO African Region, the median number of mental health workers was 1.6 per 100,000 people in 2020. (2020 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 9
  • In the WHO European Region, the median number of mental health workers was 44.8 per 100,000 people in 2020. (2020 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 9
  • Nigeria had psychiatrists at a rate of 0.1 per 100,000 people in the WHO Mental Health Atlas for 2020. (2020 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 10
  • Kenya had psychiatrists at a rate of 0.2 per 100,000 people in the WHO Mental Health Atlas for 2020. (2020 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 10
  • The United States had psychiatrists at a rate of 14.60 per 100,000 people in the WHO Mental Health Atlas for 2020. (2020 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 10
  • Australia had psychiatrists at a rate of 13.50 per 100,000 people in the WHO Mental Health Atlas for 2020. (2020 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 10

Why people with a need go without care

In the World Mental Health surveys, some people saw a need for treatment but did not get it. Among them, attitudes such as wanting to handle the problem alone were the most common barrier at every level of severity. People with severe disorders reported practical barriers such as cost, availability and getting there more often than people with mild ones. Our stigma statistics cover attitudes to mental illness in more detail.

  • In the World Mental Health surveys, 63.8% of adults with a past-year disorder who saw a need for treatment but had not received it wanted to handle the problem on their own. (survey, 2001-2009 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 11

North America

The United States figures come from the National Health Interview Survey of adults at home. Counselling or therapy means care from a mental health professional. As places became more rural, more adults took medication for their mental health and fewer received counselling or therapy.

  • In the United States in 2019, 23.0% of non-Hispanic white adults aged 18 and over had received any mental health treatment in the previous twelve months. (survey, past 12 months, 2019 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 3
  • In the United States in 2019, 13.6% of non-Hispanic black adults aged 18 and over had received any mental health treatment in the previous twelve months. (survey, past 12 months, 2019 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 3
  • In the United States in 2019, 12.9% of Hispanic adults aged 18 and over had received any mental health treatment in the previous twelve months. (survey, past 12 months, 2019 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 3
  • In the United States in 2019, 10.9% of non-Hispanic white adults aged 18 and over had received counselling or therapy from a mental health professional in the previous twelve months. (survey, past 12 months, 2019 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 3
  • In the United States in 2019, 8.1% of non-Hispanic black adults aged 18 and over had received counselling or therapy from a mental health professional in the previous twelve months. (survey, past 12 months, 2019 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 3
  • In the United States in 2019, 6.6% of Hispanic adults aged 18 and over had received counselling or therapy from a mental health professional in the previous twelve months. (survey, past 12 months, 2019 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 3
  • In the United States in 2019, 11.7% of women aged 18 and over had received counselling or therapy from a mental health professional in the previous twelve months. (survey, past 12 months, 2019 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 3
  • In the United States, 7.2% of men aged 18 and over had received counselling or therapy from a mental health professional in the previous twelve months, in a national survey run in 2019. (survey, past 12 months, 2019 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 3
  • In the United States in 2019, 9.7% of adults aged 18 and over living in large metropolitan areas had received counselling or therapy from a mental health professional in the previous twelve months. (survey, past 12 months, 2019 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 3
  • In the United States in 2019, 7.8% of adults aged 18 and over living in nonmetropolitan areas had received counselling or therapy from a mental health professional in the previous twelve months. (survey, past 12 months, 2019 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 3

South America

A diagnosis is often the first step towards treatment. A study using Brazil's national health survey looked at adults who screened positive for depression, and whether a doctor or mental health professional had ever diagnosed it. Black and brown women were less likely than white women to report a diagnosis. The São Paulo figure comes from a separate survey of one metropolitan area.

  • In Brazil's national health survey of 2019, 41.7% of White women aged 18 and over who screened positive for depression on the PHQ-9 (score 10 or more) said a doctor or mental health professional had ever diagnosed them with depression. (survey, 2019 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 12
  • In Brazil's national health survey of 2019, 33.5% of Black or brown (preto or pardo) women aged 18 and over who screened positive for depression on the PHQ-9 (score 10 or more) said a doctor or mental health professional had ever diagnosed them with depression. (survey, 2019 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 12
  • In Brazil, only 23% of adults aged 18 and over in the São Paulo metropolitan area with a mental disorder in the past year received treatment. (survey, past 12 months, 2005-2007 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 13

Europe

England's Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey compared ethnic groups across all adults surveyed, not only those with symptoms, because some groups were small. The survey notes that these differences may partly reflect different levels of need. Among adults with symptoms of a common mental health condition, men and women were about equally likely to receive treatment.

  • In England, 18.4% of White British adults, all adults surveyed, age-standardised were receiving treatment for a mental or emotional problem, in a national survey run in 2023/4. (survey, 2023/4 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 4
  • In England, 8.2% of Black or Black British adults, all adults surveyed, age-standardised were receiving treatment for a mental or emotional problem, in a national survey run in 2023/4. (survey, 2023/4 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 4
  • In England, 4.1% of Asian or Asian British adults, all adults surveyed, age-standardised were receiving treatment for a mental or emotional problem, in a national survey run in 2023/4. (survey, 2023/4 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 4
  • In England, 1.3% of Asian or Asian British adults, all adults surveyed were receiving a psychological therapy, the lowest share of any ethnic group, in a national survey run in 2023/4. (survey, 2023/4 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 4
  • In England, 46.7% of women aged 16 and over with symptoms of a common mental health condition were receiving mental health treatment, in a national survey run in 2023/4. (survey, 2023/4 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 4
  • In England, 43.3% of men aged 16 and over with symptoms of a common mental health condition were receiving mental health treatment, in a national survey run in 2023/4. (survey, 2023/4 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 4

Africa

In South Africa, a large public sector serves most of the population, and a smaller private sector serves an affluent minority. People without medical insurance typically depend on the public sector. The national household survey figure is older and counts any treatment.

  • By a crude model counting visits, not people, about 7.5% of uninsured South Africans living with a mental or substance use disorder, epilepsy or intellectual disability received some form of public outpatient care in 2016/17. (modelled, 2016/17 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 14
  • Counted against uninsured people, who rely on the public sector, South Africa's public sector employed psychologists at a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 people in 2018. (administrative records, 2018 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 14
  • In South Africa, 28% of adults aged 18 and over with a severe or moderately severe disorder in the past year received any treatment in the past year. (survey, past 12 months, 2002-2004 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 15

Middle East

A national household survey in Lebanon asked adults whether they had ever had treatment for a mood disorder. A national survey in Saudi Arabia asked people who saw a need for help, but used no services, why they had not sought it.

  • In Lebanon, 49.2% of adults aged 18 and over in a national household survey with a lifetime mood disorder had ever obtained treatment for it. (survey, lifetime (ever), 2002-2003 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 16
  • Among Saudi citizens aged 15 to 65 with a past-year mental disorder who saw a need for help but used no services, 82.0% wanted to handle the problem on their own. (survey, 2011-2016 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 17

Asia

India's National Mental Health Survey counted adults whose current mental disorder had no treatment or only inadequate treatment.

  • In India's National Mental Health Survey, 83% of adults aged 18 and over in 12 states with a current mental disorder had no treatment or inadequate treatment. (survey, 2015-2016 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 18

Oceania

Australia's national study asked people who had a mental disorder in the past year whether they had seen a health professional for their mental health. Women were more likely than men to have done so.

  • In Australia, 51.1% of females aged 16 to 85 with a mental disorder in the previous twelve months saw a health professional for their mental health, in a national survey run in 2020-2022. (survey, past 12 months, 2020-2022 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 19
  • In Australia, 36.4% of males aged 16 to 85 with a mental disorder in the previous twelve months saw a health professional for their mental health, in a national survey run in 2020-2022. (survey, past 12 months, 2020-2022 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 19

How to read these figures

A treatment share depends on need as well as access. Where a survey counted all adults rather than people with symptoms, a lower share can mean less need as well as more barriers.

Treatment figures count any treatment the survey asked about. That can include medication and family doctors as well as therapy. Figures about counselling, therapy or psychological therapy say so.

Many of the cross-country surveys are years old, and each figure shows its year. Workforce figures show how many workers there are, not how many people they reached.

If you want help, a psychologist, psychotherapist or counsellor can talk through your options with you. 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 suicide hotlines worldwide.

Cite this page: TherapyRoute. Mental health disparities statistics. https://www.therapyroute.com/article/mental-health-disparities-2025-statistics-by-therapyroute. Last updated 10 October 2026.

References
  1. [1] Undertreatment of people with major depressive disorder in 21 countries. British Journal of Psychiatry (Thornicroft et al.), February 2017 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
  2. [2] Effective Treatment for Mental and Substance Use Disorders in 21 Countries. JAMA Psychiatry (Vigo et al.), April 2025 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
  3. [3] Mental Health Treatment Among Adults: United States, 2019. National Center for Health Statistics (Terlizzi and Zablotsky), September 2020 cdc.gov.
  4. [4] Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey: Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, England, 2023/4: Mental health treatment and service use. NHS England (Clery et al.), 27 November 2025 digital.nhs.uk.
  5. [5] Posttraumatic stress disorder in the World Mental Health Surveys. Psychological Medicine (Koenen et al.), 2017 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
  6. [6] Obsessive-compulsive disorder in the World Mental Health surveys. BMC Medicine (Stein et al.), 2025 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
  7. [7] Service availability and utilization and treatment gap for schizophrenic disorders: a survey in 50 low- and middle-income countries. Bulletin of the World Health Organization (Lora et al.), 2012 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
  8. [8] WHO releases new reports and estimates highlighting urgent gaps in mental health. World Health Organization, 2 September 2025 who.int.
  9. [9] Mental health task-sharing in South Africa: a role for clinical associates? BMC Health Services Research (Moodley et al.), 8 October 2022 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
  10. [10] Global Disparities in Mental Health Systems: A Comparative Cross-sectional Study of Ten Countries with Different Income Levels. Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine (Patel NM, Savaliya GV, Mehta PJ et al.), 15 October 2025 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
  11. [11] Barriers to mental health treatment: results from the WHO World Mental Health surveys. Psychological Medicine (Andrade et al.), 2014 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
  12. [12] 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.
  13. [13] "I don't need any treatment" - barriers to mental health treatment in the general population of a megacity. Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry (Coêlho et al.), 2021 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
  14. [14] Mental health system costs, resources and constraints in South Africa: a national survey. Health Policy and Planning (Docrat S, Besada D, Cleary S, Daviaud E, Lund C), 23 September 2019 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
  15. [15] Twelve-month mental disorders in South Africa: prevalence, service use and demographic correlates in the population-based South African Stress and Health Study. Psychological Medicine (Williams et al.), 2008 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
  16. [16] Lifetime prevalence of mental disorders in Lebanon: first onset, treatment, and exposure to war. PLoS Medicine (Karam et al.), 2008 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
  17. [17] Barriers to Mental Health Treatment in the Saudi National Mental Health Survey. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (Alangari et al.), 2020 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
  18. [18] National Mental Health Survey of India, 2015-16: Prevalence, Patterns and Outcomes. NIMHANS (Gururaj et al.) for the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 2016 indianmhs.nimhans.ac.in.
  19. [19] National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing, 2020-2022. Australian Bureau of Statistics, 5 October 2023 abs.gov.au.

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