Perinatal mental health statistics worldwide

Pregnancy and the first year after birth bring big changes, and mental health problems are common at this time. They are treatable. We gathered the best figures we could find on how often they occur. Each figure says what it counted.

The perinatal period runs from the start of pregnancy to the baby's first birthday, as the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare defines it. Antenatal means during pregnancy. Postnatal, or postpartum, means after the birth. Depression, anxiety and postpartum psychosis are different conditions, and this page keeps them apart.

Studies also count in different ways. Some use a screening questionnaire, such as the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. A high score suggests a likely problem but is not a diagnosis. Other studies use a clinical interview or a doctor's diagnosis. Each figure's label names its method where the source gives one; pooled reviews often mix both.

Worldwide estimates

These figures come from the World Health Organization and from reviews that pooled studies from many countries. Pooled figures depend on which studies a review included and how each one measured depression.

• According to the World Health Organization, nearly 1 in 5 women have a mental health condition while pregnant or in the first year after giving birth. (published 2022, year not stated, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹
• A review pooling studies from many countries found depression in 11.9% of women during the perinatal period. (pooled from prevalence studies, published 2017, checked 10 Oct 2026) ²
• A review pooling studies of women after childbirth from many countries found postpartum depression in 17.22% of them. (pooled from prevalence studies, published 2021, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁵

Depression and common mental disorders in lower-income countries and regions

The figures below come from reviews and studies in lower-income countries and regions.

• In studies from low- and lower-middle-income countries, the weighted average share of pregnant women with a common, non-psychotic mental disorder was 15.6%. (pooled from prevalence studies, published 2012, checked 10 Oct 2026) ³
• In studies from low- and lower-middle-income countries, the weighted average share of women who had just given birth with a common, non-psychotic mental disorder was 19.8%. (pooled from prevalence studies, published 2012, checked 10 Oct 2026) ³
• In a worldwide review of postpartum depression, studies of women after childbirth in Southern Africa gave the highest regional rate, at 39.96%. (pooled from prevalence studies, published 2021, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁵
• Across the Middle East, a review pooling local studies found postpartum depression in 27% of mothers. (pooled from prevalence studies, published 2021, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁶

Anxiety in pregnancy and after birth

Studies count anxiety separately from depression. Self-reported symptoms are more common than a clinical diagnosis of an anxiety disorder.

• Pooled across studies, 18.2% of pregnant women reported anxiety symptoms in the first trimester. (pooled from prevalence studies, published 2017, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁴
• Pooled across studies, 24.6% of pregnant women reported anxiety symptoms in the third trimester. (pooled from prevalence studies, published 2017, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁴
• During pregnancy, 15.2% of women had a clinical diagnosis of any anxiety disorder, pooled across studies. (pooled from prevalence studies, published 2017, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁴
• Pooled across studies, 15.0% of women reported anxiety symptoms in the first six months after birth (women 1 to 24 weeks after birth, self-reported symptoms). (pooled from prevalence studies, published 2017, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁴
• Pooled across studies, 9.9% of women had any anxiety disorder in the first six months after birth (women 1 to 24 weeks after birth). (pooled from prevalence studies, published 2017, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁴

Postpartum psychosis

Postpartum psychosis is rare and is a different condition from postpartum depression. A review reported five studies with different rates, so the figure below gives the top of the range across them.

• Across five studies counting new cases of postpartum psychosis, rates ranged up to 2.6 per thousand women. (1973-2007 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁷

Suicide and self-harm

In the United Kingdom, maternal suicide was the leading cause of maternal death between six weeks and one year after the end of pregnancy, in the national enquiry covering the years shown below. The World Health Organization has a guide that helps maternal and child health services recognise mental health problems and respond to them. Talking to your midwife, doctor or a psychologist is a good first step. If you are thinking about suicide, please reach out now. Our page of helplines and suicide hotlines worldwide lists free crisis lines by country.

• The World Health Organization says 20% of women with a mental health condition in pregnancy or the year after birth will experience suicidal thoughts or acts of self-harm. (published 2022, year not stated, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹
• In the United Kingdom, psychiatric causes accounted for 34% of maternal deaths occurring between six weeks and one year after the end of pregnancy, in 2021-23. (2021-23 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁸

Figures by country

Some of these studies cover a whole country. Others cover one city or community, and the figure says so.

• In two peri-urban settlements in Cape Town, 39% of pregnant women screened positive for depressed mood on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. (published 2011, year not stated, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁹
• In Khayelitsha, a peri-urban settlement in South Africa, 34.7% of women assessed two months after giving birth had major depression by DSM-IV criteria. (at one point in time, published 1999, year not stated, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹⁰
• In India, a review pooling local studies found postpartum depression in 22% of mothers. (pooled from prevalence studies, published 2017, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹¹
• In Iran, a review pooling local studies found postpartum depression in 25.3% of women after childbirth. (pooled from prevalence studies, published 2013, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹²
• In Brazil's national Birth in Brazil study, 26.3% of women screened as probable cases of depression on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale six to eighteen months after birth, for births in 2011/2012. (survey, 2011/2012 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹³
• In the United States, 13.2% of women with a recent live birth reported postpartum depressive symptoms in 2018, in the sites surveyed. (survey, 2018 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹⁴
• In Australia, 20% of mothers of children aged up to two years reported a diagnosis of depression at some time, not only around pregnancy and birth, in 2010. (survey, 2010 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹⁵
• In Australia, an estimated 56,000 mothers of children aged up to two years reported depression diagnosed between pregnancy and their child's first birthday, in 2010. (survey, 2010 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹⁵

Asking about depression

Screening means asking every woman about her mood during and after pregnancy, to find problems early. The figures below show only whether a health care provider asked about depression, not whether full recommended screening took place.

• Across the US surveillance sites surveyed, 79.1% of women with a recent live birth said a health care provider asked about depression at prenatal visits, in 2018. (survey, 2018 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹⁴
• Across the US surveillance sites surveyed, 87.4% of women with a recent live birth said a health care provider asked about depression at postpartum visits, in 2018. (survey, 2018 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹⁴

Fathers

Fathers can also become depressed during a partner's pregnancy and after the birth. These figures come from a review of studies of fathers.

• A review pooling studies of fathers found depression in 10.4% of fathers between the first trimester of pregnancy and the first year after birth. (pooled from prevalence studies, published 2010, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹⁶
• In a review pooling studies of fathers, the rate of depression from three to six months after birth was 25.6%, higher than across the whole period from pregnancy to the first year. (pooled from prevalence studies, published 2010, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹⁶

Country figures side by side

These studies used different methods, at different times after birth, in different groups. Read each row with its label, and do not rank the countries.

How to read these figures

A screening score counts women who are likely to have a problem. A clinical interview or diagnosis counts women who meet the criteria for a disorder. The two answer different questions, so compare like with like.

Timing matters. A figure for the first weeks after birth, for six months or for the whole first year answers a different question. Each figure gives its own timing.

Pooled figures from reviews combine many smaller studies, often with different methods. Many of these reviews mix screening questionnaires with clinical interviews. They give a broad picture, not a precise national rate.

None of the South African figures here is a national rate. Each comes from one community or from a regional group of studies.

A study in one city or settlement describes that community. It is not a national figure.

Most of these figures count women. Figures for fathers come from a separate review, in their own section.

Mental health problems in pregnancy and after birth are common, and having one is not a failure as a parent. The World Health Organization has published a guide on adding perinatal mental health care to routine maternal and child health services.

If you are struggling during pregnancy or after your baby is born, talk to your midwife, doctor or a psychologist. Our guide on how to find the right therapist explains what to look for. If you are having thoughts of suicide or of harming yourself, please seek help now: see our helplines and suicide hotlines worldwide.

Cite this page: TherapyRoute. Perinatal mental health statistics worldwide. https://www.therapyroute.com/article/perinatal-mental-health-statistics-worldwide-by-therapyroute. Last updated 10 October 2026.

References

1. [1] Launch of the WHO guide for integration of perinatal mental health in maternal and child health services. World Health Organization, 19 September 2022 who.int.
2. [2] A systematic review and meta-regression of the prevalence and incidence of perinatal depression. Journal of Affective Disorders (Woody et al.), 8 May 2017 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
3. [3] Prevalence and determinants of common perinatal mental disorders in women in low- and lower-middle-income countries: a systematic review. Bulletin of the World Health Organization (Fisher et al.), February 2012 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
4. [4] Prevalence of antenatal and postnatal anxiety: systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Psychiatry (Dennis et al.), 16 March 2017 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
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6. [6] Prevalence and risk factors of postpartum depression in the Middle East: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth (Alshikh Ahmad et al.), 6 August 2021 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
7. [7] The global prevalence of postpartum psychosis: a systematic review. BMC Psychiatry (VanderKruik et al.), 28 July 2017 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
8. [8] MBRRACE-UK Data Brief: Maternal Mortality 2021-23. National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford (Felker and Knight), September 2025 npeu.ox.ac.uk.
9. [9] Depressed mood in pregnancy: prevalence and correlates in two Cape Town peri-urban settlements. Reproductive Health (Hartley et al.), 2 May 2011 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
10. [10] Post-partum depression and the mother-infant relationship in a South African peri-urban settlement. British Journal of Psychiatry (Cooper et al.), December 1999 europepmc.org.
11. [11] Postpartum depression in India: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Bulletin of the World Health Organization (Upadhyay et al.), 5 September 2017 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
12. [12] Trends of postpartum depression in Iran: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Depression Research and Treatment (Veisani et al.), 2013 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
13. [13] Factors associated with postpartum depressive symptomatology in Brazil: The Birth in Brazil National Research Study, 2011/2012. Journal of Affective Disorders (Theme Filha et al.), 21 January 2016 europepmc.org.
14. [14] Vital Signs: Postpartum Depressive Symptoms and Provider Discussions About Perinatal Depression, United States, 2018. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, MMWR (Bauman et al.), 15 May 2020 cdc.gov.
15. [15] Perinatal depression: data from the 2010 Australian National Infant Feeding Survey. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 3 July 2012 aihw.gov.au.
16. [16] Prenatal and postpartum depression in fathers and its association with maternal depression: a meta-analysis. JAMA (Paulson and Bazemore), May 2010 europepmc.org.