Over 1 Billion People Worldwide Live with Depression or Anxiety (2025), U.S. Remains Historically High

The United States is a close runner-up, reporting over 5% prevalence of depressive disorders per 100k Image Source: World population review

Depression is affecting more people than ever. The World Health Organization (WHO) says over 1 billion people worldwide live with depression or anxiety. These problems make life harder for people and their communities . Many countries do not have enough doctors, money, or services to help. WHO says we need more support for mental health and better community care (WHO, 2025) .

Depression rates are different in each country. Greenland, Greece, Tunisia, Portugal, and Lithuania have some of the highest rates. Around the world, about 4% of people, or 332 million, experience depression. Women, adults, and new mothers are often more affected. This shows how common depression is and why access to help is important (World Population Review, 2025) .

The United States experiences increasing depression rates which primarily affect teenagers and adults. The CDC shows that depression affects 20% of teenagers and 9% of older adults in the United States. Women experience depression at higher rates than men do . Most people struggle to complete their regular tasks. The CDC reports that depression medication usage reaches 10% among adults while people who live alone and those with disabilities show higher rates of medication use (CDC, 2025).

Depression creates problems that extend beyond individual mental health struggles, it has negative impacts on families, schools, workplaces and communities. The combination of better care, more support and public awareness will create substantial positive changes. Taking mental health seriously can help millions of people live better lives .

Reference: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025, April 16). New reports highlight depression prevalence and medication use in the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/releases/20250416.html

World Health Organization. (2025, September 2). Over a billion people living with mental health conditions; services require urgent scale-up. https://www.who.int/news/item/02-09-2025-over-a-billion-people-living-with-mental-health-conditions-services-require-urgent-scale-up

World Population Review. (2025). Depression rates by country 2025. https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/depression-rates-by-country