ABUJA, Nigeria – A new World Health Organisation (WHO) report shows that over one billion people worldwide live with mental health conditions, yet most receive little or no treatment.
According to the report released on Tuesday, globally, mental health accounts for just 2% of health budgets — unchanged since 2017.
WHO’s suicide estimates reveal 727,000 deaths in 2021, ranking suicide as the third leading cause of death among those aged 15–29, with over 70% occurring in low- and middle-income countries.
According to the organisation, only 13 mental health workers serve 100,000 people globally, with severe shortages in poorer nations. Fewer than 10% of countries have fully adopted community-based care models. Many still rely on psychiatric hospitals, where nearly half of admissions are involuntary.
It stressed that the findings would guide global policy at the 2025 UN High-Level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health in New York.
“This reminds us that mental health is central to universal health coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals,” WHO stated.
