More than 1 billion people worldwide suffer from mental health disorders, with anxiety and depression placing a heavy burden on human health and economic development, according to two new reports released Tuesday by the World Health Organization (WHO). 

Mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression are highly prevalent in all countries and communities, affecting people of all ages and income levels. Mental disorders affect women at a much higher rate than men, with anxiety and depression being the most common mental illnesses in both sexes representing the second biggest reason for long-term disability, contributing to loss of healthy life. They drive up health-care costs for affected people and families while inflicting substantial economic losses on a global scale. 

The new findings are published in two reports – World mental health today and Mental Health Atlas 2024 –– highlight some areas of progress while exposing significant gaps in addressing mental health conditions worldwide.  

The reports serve as critical tools to inform national strategies and shape global dialogue ahead of the?2025 United Nations High-Level Meeting on noncommunicable diseases (NCD-s) and promotion of mental health and well-being, taking place in New York on 25 September 2025. 

"Transforming mental health services is one of the most pressing public health challenges," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. "Investing in mental health means investing in people, communities, and economies – an investment no country can afford to neglect. Every government and every leader has a responsibility to act with urgency and to ensure that mental health care is treated not as a privilege, but as a basic right for all." 

Global call to scale up action on mental health 

While there have been some encouraging developments, the latest data shows that countries remain far off track to achieve the targets set in WHO’s Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan. 

Suicide remains a devastating outcome, claiming an estimated 727 000 lives in 2021 alone. It is a leading cause of death among young people across all countries and socioeconomic contexts. Despite global efforts, progress in reducing suicide mortality is too low to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of a one-third reduction in suicide rates by 2030. On the current trajectory, only a 12% reduction will be achieved by that deadline. 

Disparities between countries are stark; while high-income countries spend up to US$ 65 per person on mental health, low-income countries spend as little as US$ 0.04. The global median number of mental health workers stands at 13 per 100 000 people, with extreme shortages in low- and middle-income countries.  

WHO calls on governments and global partners to urgently intensify efforts toward systemic transformation of mental health systems worldwide.  

This includes: 

•  equitable financing of mental health services; 
•  legal and policy reform to uphold human rights; 
•  sustained investment in the mental health workforce; and 
•  expansion of community-based, person-centred care. 

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(*) Image by CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO WHO