Roughly 1.2 billion people worldwide were living with a mental disorder in 2023, according to a systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, published in May 2026 in The Lancet.
That is a 95.5% increase in cases since 1990, and age-standardized rates have also climbed, meaning population growth alone does not explain the jump.
Mental disorders now rank as the fifth leading cause of disability-adjusted life years globally, up from twelfth in 1990. Women carry a heavier load than men, and the burden peaks in adolescence, between ages 15 and 19.
Anxiety and depression drive the increase
Two conditions account for most of the growth. Anxiety disorders climbed by roughly 158% in prevalent cases since 1990, and major depressive disorder rose about 131%, according to the GBD 2023 analysis.
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Age-standardized rates for both conditions also rose, so the trend cannot be explained only by a larger or older world population.
The World Health Organization estimates that more than 1 billion people are living with a mental health disorder and puts the annual economic cost of depression and anxiety at around $1 trillion in lost productivity.
Yet mental health has stayed at about 2% of government health budgets since 2017, and the median density of mental health workers is only 13 per 100,000 people globally, the WHO reports.
The gap between symptoms and care
In the United States, the treatment gap is a familiar problem. About 61.5 million adults, or 23.4% of those aged 18 or older, experienced any mental illness in 2024, SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported.
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Only 52.1% of that group received any mental health treatment in the past year. For adults with serious mental illness, the treatment rate reached 70.8%.
Even when people do get help, they often wait a long time. The average delay between when symptoms first appear and when someone receives treatment is about 11 years, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Roughly half of lifetime mental health conditions begin by age 14 and three-quarters by age 24, so children and teenagers often carry symptoms into adulthood before anyone intervenes.
Where to get help
The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline offers free, confidential support 24 hours a day. Callers can reach a trained counselor by dialing or texting 988 from anywhere in the United States, and live chat is available at 988lifeline.org. The service supports people in emotional distress, not only those in an immediate suicidal crisis.
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Anyone with persistent symptoms of anxiety or depression should talk to a primary care doctor or a licensed mental health professional. Effective treatments exist, and earlier care generally leads to better outcomes.
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