Sleep and mental health statistics

Sleep and mental health go hand in hand. Poor sleep can be a sign of a mental health condition, and it can also come before one. How often sleep problems occur varies between countries and between ways of measuring them.

Studies measure sleep in several ways, and this page never merges them. The three main ones follow. Insomnia disorder is a diagnosis. It means trouble falling or staying asleep on at least three nights a week for at least three months, with distress or problems during the day. DSM-5 and ICD-11 both set out criteria for it. Insomnia symptoms are trouble falling or staying asleep, whether or not someone meets those criteria, so they are far more common. Short sleep duration counts people who sleep less than a set number of hours, whatever the reason.

Some figures below are not prevalences. A risk ratio or odds ratio compares two groups. For example, it can compare people with insomnia to people without it. An effect size shows how much a treatment changed symptoms in trials. Each figure says which kind it is.

Insomnia and later depression or anxiety

These reviews pooled studies that followed people over time. They compared people who had insomnia at the start with people who did not, and counted who later developed depression or anxiety. A risk ratio or odds ratio above one means the outcome was more common in the group with insomnia. These are associations: they show that insomnia often comes first, not that it causes depression or anxiety.

• In pooled cohort studies, people with insomnia were 2.27 times as likely to develop depression during follow-up as people without insomnia. (pooled from cohort studies, published 2016, checked 10 Oct 2026) ²
• The review of insomnia and later depression pooled cohort studies with 172,077 participants. (pooled from cohort studies, published 2016, checked 10 Oct 2026) ²
• In pooled longitudinal studies, people with insomnia had 2.83 times the odds of later developing depression compared with people without insomnia. (pooled from cohort studies, published 2018, checked 10 Oct 2026) ³
• In pooled longitudinal studies, people with insomnia had 3.23 times the odds of later developing anxiety compared with people without insomnia. (pooled from cohort studies, published 2018, checked 10 Oct 2026) ³

Does better sleep improve mental health?

This review pooled randomised controlled trials of treatments that improved sleep, such as cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia. It then measured the change in mental health. The effect size is a standardised difference between the treated and comparison groups. The authors called the effects on overall mental health, depression and anxiety medium-sized.

• The review of treatments that improved sleep pooled 65 randomised controlled trials. (meta-analysis of trials, published 2021, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁴
• The trials of treatments that improved sleep included 8,608 participants. (meta-analysis of trials, published 2021, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁴
• In randomised controlled trials, treatments that improved sleep reduced overall mental health difficulties by a medium-sized standardised effect (Hedges g) of 0.53. (meta-analysis of trials, published 2021, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁴
• In randomised controlled trials, treatments that improved sleep reduced depression by a standardised effect (Hedges g) of 0.63. (meta-analysis of trials, published 2021, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁴
• In randomised controlled trials, treatments that improved sleep reduced anxiety by a standardised effect (Hedges g) of 0.51. (meta-analysis of trials, published 2021, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁴

Short sleep and mental distress

This United States study used a national telephone survey of adults. Frequent mental distress meant reporting that mental health was not good on fourteen or more of the past thirty days. The comparison is an odds ratio from one survey year, adjusted for other factors. It shows an association, not cause and effect.

• In the United States in 2018, adults aged 18 to 64 who slept six hours or less a night had 2.52 times the odds of frequent mental distress of adults who slept longer. (survey, 2018 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁵

Older adults in Africa and Asia

This study surveyed adults aged fifty and over at eight health and demographic surveillance sites in Ghana, Tanzania, South Africa, Kenya, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Indonesia. All but one site were rural. The sites describe their local communities, not whole countries. People rated how severe their sleep problems at night had been over the past month.

• In 2006-2007, 16.6% of adults aged 50 and over at eight surveillance sites in Africa and Asia reported severe or extreme sleep problems at night over the past month. (survey, 2006-2007 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁶
• In 2006-2007, 19.8% of women aged 50 and over at eight surveillance sites in Africa and Asia reported severe or extreme sleep problems at night over the past month. (survey, 2006-2007 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁶
• In 2006-2007, 12.8% of men aged 50 and over at eight surveillance sites in Africa and Asia reported severe or extreme sleep problems at night over the past month. (survey, 2006-2007 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁶

North America

The United States figures come from the National Health Interview Survey, a national household survey. They count sleep under seven hours, and trouble falling or staying asleep. These are symptoms and sleep duration, not insomnia disorder. Canada's figures come from the Canadian Health Measures Survey and count nighttime insomnia symptoms.

• In 2024, 30.5% of adults in the United States slept less than seven hours in an average day. (survey, 2024 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹
• In 2024, 15.4% of adults in the United States had trouble falling asleep on most days or every day of the past month. (survey, 2024 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹
• In 2024, 18.1% of adults in the United States had trouble staying asleep on most days or every day of the past month. (survey, 2024 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹
• In 2024, 21.4% of women in the United States had trouble staying asleep on most days or every day of the past month. (survey, 2024 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹
• In 2024, 14.6% of men in the United States had trouble staying asleep on most days or every day of the past month. (survey, 2024 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹
• In 2014-2015, 23.8% of adults in Canada reported nighttime insomnia symptoms. (survey, 2014-2015 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁷
• In 2007-2009, 16.8% of adults in Canada reported nighttime insomnia symptoms. (survey, 2007-2009 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁷

South America

We found no national figure for South America. This Brazilian figure comes from a household study in one city in the south of the country, so it describes that city only. It counts poor sleep quality on a standard questionnaire, which is a broader measure than insomnia.

• In 2014-2018, 32.7% of adults aged 20 to 79 in the city of Pomerode, Brazil, had poor sleep quality on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. (survey, 2014-2018 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁸

Europe

Germany's figure comes from the national German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Adults. It counts an insomnia syndrome: problems falling or staying asleep together with daytime impairment.

• In a national health survey, 5.7% of adults in Germany had an insomnia syndrome, meaning sleep problems plus daytime impairment such as fatigue. (survey published 2013, fieldwork year not stated, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁹

Middle East

Qatar's figures come from face-to-face interviews with a probability sample of adults living in households. The study gives two measures: a screening questionnaire, and the full DSM-5 criteria for insomnia disorder. The diagnosis is the stricter measure, so it is lower.

• In 2019, 3.0% of adults in Qatar met all the DSM-5 criteria for insomnia disorder in the past month. (survey, 2019 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹⁰
• In 2019, 5.5% of adults in Qatar screened positive for insomnia on a questionnaire. (survey, 2019 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹⁰

Asia

China's figure pools general-population studies that used different questionnaires. None used diagnostic criteria, so it counts symptoms, not insomnia disorder. Indonesia's figure comes from the surveillance study of older adults above, at one rural site.

• Pooled across general-population studies in China, 15.0% of people reported insomnia symptoms on questionnaires; none of the studies used diagnostic criteria. (pooled from prevalence studies, at one point in time, published 2017, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹¹
• In 2006-2007, 3.9% of men aged 50 and over at a rural surveillance site in Purworejo, Indonesia, reported severe or extreme sleep problems at night over the past month. (survey, 2006-2007 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁶

Africa

South Africa's figures come from a survey of adults aged forty and over in the Agincourt surveillance area, in rural Mpumalanga. Kenya's figure comes from the surveillance study of older adults above, at one urban site in Nairobi. Neither describes the whole country.

• In 2015, 8.0% of adults aged 40 and over in a rural district of South Africa had insomnia symptoms on a three-item scale of trouble falling asleep, night waking and poor sleep quality. (survey, 2015 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹²
• In 2015, 13.6% of adults aged 40 and over in a rural district of South Africa had difficulty staying asleep. (survey, 2015 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹²
• In 2006-2007, 3.9% of men aged 50 and over at an urban surveillance site in Nairobi, Kenya, reported severe or extreme sleep problems at night over the past month. (survey, 2006-2007 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁶

National and local figures side by side

These studies counted different groups with different measures. Some count a diagnosis, some count symptoms, and one counts poor sleep quality. Several describe one city or district only. Read each row with its label, and do not rank the countries.

How to read these figures

Insomnia disorder, insomnia symptoms and short sleep are different measures. In the same population, symptoms are far more common than the disorder. Compare like with like.

A risk ratio, an odds ratio or an effect size is not a share of people. It compares groups, or measures change in trials. It does not tell you how many people have the problem.

Studies that follow people over time show that insomnia often comes before depression or anxiety. They do not prove that insomnia causes them. Depression and anxiety can also disturb sleep.

Most of these figures are self-reported. Questionnaires, time periods and age groups differ between countries, so differences between rows may reflect the method as much as the population.

Treatment can help with sleep problems, and better sleep may help mental health too. The trials above tested treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia. If poor sleep goes on for weeks, or comes with low mood or worry, it is worth speaking to a doctor, psychologist or other mental health professional.

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. Sleep and mental health statistics. https://www.therapyroute.com/article/sleep-and-mental-health-2025-statistics-by-therapyroute. Last updated 10 October 2026.

References

1. [1] Short Sleep Duration and Sleep Difficulties Among Adults: United States, 2024. National Center for Health Statistics, CDC (NCHS Data Brief No. 559; Ng, Black and Adjaye-Gbewonyo), 2026-04 cdc.gov.
2. [2] Insomnia and the risk of depression: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. BMC Psychiatry (Li et al.), 2016 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
3. [3] Insomnia as a predictor of mental disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Medicine Reviews (Hertenstein et al.), 2018-11-16 europepmc.org.
4. [4] Improving sleep quality leads to better mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Sleep Medicine Reviews (Scott et al.), 2021 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
5. [5] Effect of Inadequate Sleep on Frequent Mental Distress. Preventing Chronic Disease, CDC (Blackwelder et al.), 2021 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
6. [6] Sleep problems: an emerging global epidemic? Findings from the INDEPTH WHO-SAGE study among more than 40,000 older adults from 8 countries across Africa and Asia. Sleep (Stranges et al.), 2012 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
7. [7] Prevalence of insomnia for Canadians aged 6 to 79. Statistics Canada, Health Reports (Chaput, Yau, Rao and Morin), 2018-12-19 www150.statcan.gc.ca.
8. [8] Sleep quality and associated factors in adults living in the southern Brazil: A population-based study. Sleep Medicine: X (de Santa Helena et al.), 2024 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
9. [9] Frequency and distribution of sleep problems and insomnia in the adult population in Germany: results of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Adults (DEGS1). Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz (Schlack et al.), 2013 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
10. [10] Prevalence and associated factors of DSM-5 insomnia disorder in the general population of Qatar. BMC Psychiatry (Khaled et al.), 2021 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
11. [11] The prevalence of insomnia in the general population in China: A meta-analysis. PLoS One (Cao et al.), 2017 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
12. [12] Prevalence and social and health correlates of insomnia symptoms among middle- and older-age persons in rural South Africa. Journal of Psychology in Africa (Pengpid and Peltzer), 2018 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.