According to new data from the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 1 billion people worldwide are currently living with mental health conditions, including anxiety and depression. These illnesses not only affect individuals and families but also impose a heavy economic burden, costing the global economy over US $1 trillion annually in lost productivity. Despite some progress in policies and awareness, experts stress that countries must urgently scale up mental health services, reduce stigma, and ensure equitable access.

The findings, presented in the reports World Mental Health Today and the Mental Health Atlas 2024, reveal that women are disproportionately affected, while suicide remains one of the leading causes of death among young people. In 2021 alone, an estimated 727,000 lives were lost to suicide, with progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goal of reducing suicide deaths by one-third still far behind. WHO emphasizes that without stronger interventions, only a 12% reduction will be achieved by 2030, far below the global target.

Despite increased policy attention since 2020, funding for mental health remains inadequate. On average, governments allocate only 2% of their total health budgets to mental health, a figure unchanged since 2017. High-income countries spend up to US $65 per person annually, while low-income nations spend as little as US $0.04. Access to trained professionals also remains deeply unequal, with only 13 workers per 100,000 people worldwide and severe shortages in low- and middle-income countries.

The WHO urges governments to act with urgency by increasing investment, implementing rights-based legislation, expanding community-based care, and integrating mental health into primary health systems. Encouragingly, more countries now run school-based mental health initiatives, early childhood programs, and suicide prevention measures, while telehealth and outpatient services are expanding. However, the overall progress remains too slow to meet global needs, making mental health reform one of the most pressing public health challenges of this decade.