Youth mental health statistics
❝How many young people live with mental health conditions, from World Health Organization estimates and national surveys on every continent. Every figure states the ages it covers, what was measured and where it comes from.❞
Youth is not one age group. Studies of young people cover different ages, from children of six to adults of twenty five. Each figure below says which ages it covers.
Studies also measure different things. Some interview young people against diagnostic criteria. Some use a screening questionnaire, which points to a probable condition only. Some ask about feelings or behaviour. The World Health Organization figures are estimates from a model, not a single survey.
So compare figures only when the ages and the measure match. Each figure names its source, its period and when we last checked it.
In this Article
Key figures
- Worldwide, an estimated 14.3% of adolescents aged 10 to 19 experienced a mental health condition in 2021. (modelled estimate, 2021 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 1
- Worldwide, mental disorders account for 15% of the burden of disease among adolescents aged 10 to 19, according to the World Health Organization. (published 2025, year not stated, checked 13 Oct 2026) 1
- Worldwide, an estimated 5.3% of adolescents aged 15 to 19 had an anxiety disorder in 2021. (modelled estimate, 2021 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 1
- Worldwide, an estimated 3.4% of adolescents aged 15 to 19 had depression in 2021. (modelled estimate, 2021 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 1
Worldwide estimates
These estimates come from the World Health Organization, drawing on the Global Burden of Disease study. A model combines many data sources, so these figures show the broad picture, not a measured count.
- Worldwide, an estimated 14.3% of adolescents aged 10 to 19 experienced a mental health condition in 2021. (modelled estimate, 2021 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 1
- Worldwide, mental disorders account for 15% of the burden of disease among adolescents aged 10 to 19, according to the World Health Organization. (published 2025, year not stated, checked 13 Oct 2026) 1
- Worldwide, an estimated 4.1% of adolescents aged 10 to 14 had an anxiety disorder in 2021. (modelled estimate, 2021 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 1
- Worldwide, an estimated 5.3% of adolescents aged 15 to 19 had an anxiety disorder in 2021. (modelled estimate, 2021 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 1
- Worldwide, an estimated 1.3% of adolescents aged 10 to 14 had depression in 2021. (modelled estimate, 2021 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 1
- Worldwide, an estimated 3.4% of adolescents aged 15 to 19 had depression in 2021. (modelled estimate, 2021 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 1
- Worldwide, an estimated 2.7% of adolescents aged 10 to 14 had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in 2021. (modelled estimate, 2021 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 1
- Worldwide, an estimated 2.2% of adolescents aged 15 to 19 had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in 2021. (modelled estimate, 2021 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 1
- Worldwide, an estimated 3.3% of adolescents aged 10 to 14 had conduct disorder in 2021. (modelled estimate, 2021 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 1
- Worldwide, an estimated 1.8% of adolescents aged 15 to 19 had conduct disorder in 2021. (modelled estimate, 2021 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 1
North America
The United States has two national sources. A household survey interviews adolescents about depression. A school survey asks high school students about their feelings. The two cover different ages and ask different questions.
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- Among adolescent females aged 12 to 17 in the United States, 29.2% had a major depressive episode in the past year, in 2021. (survey, past 12 months, 2021 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 2
- Among adolescent males aged 12 to 17 in the United States, 11.5% had a major depressive episode in the past year, in 2021. (survey, past 12 months, 2021 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 2
- Among adolescents aged 12 to 17 reporting two or more races in the United States, 27.2% had a major depressive episode in the past year, in 2021. (survey, past 12 months, 2021 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 2
- In 2021, 40.6% of adolescents aged 12 to 17 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) 2
- In 2023, 39.7% of high school students in the United States reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in the past year, in a national school survey. (survey, past 12 months, 2023 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 3
- Among female high school students in the United States, 52.6% reported persistent sadness or hopelessness in the past year, in 2023. (survey, past 12 months, 2023 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 3
- Among male high school students in the United States, 27.7% reported persistent sadness or hopelessness in the past year, in 2023. (survey, past 12 months, 2023 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 3
- In the same survey, 28.5% said their mental health had been poor most of the time or always in the past thirty days. (survey, 2023 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 3
South America
Brazil's figures come from a national school study in its larger cities. Students filled in a short screening questionnaire, so the figures point to probable common mental disorders, not diagnoses.
- In 2013-2014, 30.0% of school students aged 12 to 17 in cities of more than 100,000 people in Brazil screened positive for a common mental disorder. (survey, 2013-2014 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 4
- In the same survey, 38.4% of girls screened positive. (survey, 2013-2014 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 4
- In the same survey, 21.6% of boys screened positive. (survey, 2013-2014 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 4
Europe
England's figures come from a national follow up survey of children and young people. It used a screening questionnaire answered by parents and young people, so it counts probable mental disorders.
- In 2023, 20.3% of children aged 8 to 16 in England had a probable mental disorder, judged from a screening questionnaire. (survey, 2023 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 5
- In 2023, 23.3% of young people aged 17 to 19 in England had a probable mental disorder, judged from a screening questionnaire. (survey, 2023 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 5
- Among young women aged 17 to 19 in England, 31.6% had a probable mental disorder in 2023. (survey, 2023 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 5
- Among young men aged 17 to 19 in England, 15.4% had a probable mental disorder in 2023. (survey, 2023 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 5
- In 2023, 21.7% of young people aged 20 to 25 in England had a probable mental disorder, judged from a screening questionnaire. (survey, 2023 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 5
Middle East
Iran's figure comes from a national household survey. Trained psychologists interviewed children and adolescents using a diagnostic interview, and the researchers weighted the figure to the population.
- In a national household survey of children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 in Iran, run in 2016-2018 with a diagnostic interview, an estimated 22.31% had at least one psychiatric disorder (weighted estimate). (survey, 2016-2018 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 6
Africa
Kenya's figure comes from a national household survey of adolescents. Trained interviewers used a diagnostic interview based on DSM-5.
- In Kenya, 12.1% of adolescents aged 10 to 17 met diagnostic criteria for at least one of six common mental disorders in the previous twelve months, in a national household survey from 2021. (survey, past 12 months, 2021 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 7
Asia
Indonesia and Vietnam ran the same national survey as Kenya, with the same diagnostic interview. India's figure comes from a small pilot of adolescents within its national survey of adults.
- In Indonesia, 5.5% of adolescents aged 10 to 17 met diagnostic criteria for at least one of six common mental disorders in the previous twelve months, in a national household survey from 2021. (survey, past 12 months, 2021 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 7
- In Vietnam, 3.3% of adolescents aged 10 to 17 met diagnostic criteria for at least one of six common mental disorders in the previous twelve months, in a national household survey from 2021. (survey, past 12 months, 2021 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 7
- In India, a pilot survey of about 1,191 adolescents aged 13 to 17 in 4 states, run in 2015-2016 within the national survey, found a mental disorder in 7.3% of them. (survey, 2015-2016 data, checked 13 Oct 2026) 8
Oceania
Australia's figures come from a national household survey. Interviewers used a diagnostic interview, and the figures count anxiety, affective and substance use disorders present in the previous twelve months.
- In a national survey run in 2020-2022, 38.8% of people aged 16 to 24 in Australia had a mental disorder in the previous twelve months. (survey, past 12 months, 2020-2022 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 9
- In the same survey, 45.5% of females aged 16 to 24 had a mental disorder in the previous twelve months. (survey, past 12 months, 2020-2022 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 9
- In the same survey, 32.4% of males aged 16 to 24 had a mental disorder in the previous twelve months. (survey, past 12 months, 2020-2022 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) 9
Suicide
These are World Health Organization estimates, modelled from many sources, for young people of both sexes. The World Health Organization says timely and often low-cost help can prevent suicide. If you are thinking about suicide, please reach out now. Our page of helplines and suicide hotlines worldwide lists free crisis lines by country.
- Worldwide, suicide was the third leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 29, in estimates for 2021. (modelled estimate, 2021 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) 10
National figures side by side
These studies covered different ages and measured different things. Read each row with its label, and do not rank the countries.
| Country | What was measured | Figure | Study type | Data year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Major depressive episode in the past year, ages twelve to seventeen | 20.1% | Survey, past 12 months | 2021 | 2 |
| Brazil | Screened positive for a common mental disorder, school students aged twelve to seventeen in larger cities | 30.0% | Survey | 2013-2014 | 4 |
| England | Probable mental disorder on a screener, children aged eight to sixteen in England | 20.3% | Survey | 2023 | 5 |
| Iran | At least one psychiatric disorder at interview, weighted estimate, ages six to eighteen | 22.31% | Survey | 2016-2018 | 6 |
| Kenya | One of six common mental disorders in the past year at interview, ages ten to seventeen | 12.1% | Survey, past 12 months | 2021 | 7 |
| Indonesia | One of six common mental disorders in the past year at interview, ages ten to seventeen | 5.5% | Survey, past 12 months | 2021 | 7 |
| Vietnam | One of six common mental disorders in the past year at interview, ages ten to seventeen | 3.3% | Survey, past 12 months | 2021 | 7 |
| India | Any mental disorder at interview, a small pilot of adolescents aged thirteen to seventeen | 7.3% | Survey | 2015-2016 | 8 |
| Australia | Anxiety, affective or substance use disorder in the past year at interview, ages sixteen to twenty four | 38.8% | Survey, past 12 months | 2020-2022 | 9 |
How to read these figures
Age bands differ from study to study. A figure for ages sixteen to twenty four is not comparable with one for ages ten to seventeen, even in the same country.
A diagnostic interview, a screening questionnaire and a question about feelings measure different things. Screening questionnaires point to a probable condition. Only an assessment by a clinician can confirm one.
School surveys reach young people who are in school on the day. They miss young people who have left school or are absent.
The surveys ran in different years: some before the coronavirus pandemic, some during it and some after it.
If a young person you know is struggling, a therapist who works with children or adolescents can help you decide on next steps. Our guide on how to find the right therapist explains what to look for.
Cite this page: TherapyRoute. Youth mental health statistics. https://www.therapyroute.com/article/youth-mental-health-2025-statistics-by-therapyroute. Last updated 13 October 2026.
References
- [1] Mental health of adolescents. World Health Organization, 1 September 2025 who.int.
- [2] Major Depression. National Institute of Mental Health (US), July 2023 nimh.nih.gov.
- [3] Mental Health and Suicide Risk Among High School Students and Protective Factors: Youth Risk Behavior Survey, United States, 2023. MMWR Supplements, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Verlenden et al.), 10 October 2024 cdc.gov.
- [4] ERICA: prevalence of common mental disorders in Brazilian adolescents. Revista de Saúde Pública (Lopes et al.), 2016 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
- [5] Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2023: wave 4 follow up to the 2017 survey, Part 1: Mental health. NHS England, 21 November 2023 digital.nhs.uk.
- [6] Prevalence and Correlates of Psychiatric Disorders in a National Survey of Iranian Children and Adolescents. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry (Mohammadi et al.), 2019 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
- [7] 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.
- [8] National Mental Health Survey of India, 2015-16: Summary. NIMHANS (Gururaj et al.) for the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 2016 indianmhs.nimhans.ac.in.
- [9] National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing, 2020-2022. Australian Bureau of Statistics, 5 October 2023 abs.gov.au.
- [10] Suicide worldwide in 2021: global health estimates. World Health Organization, 2025 iris.who.int.
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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