The World Health Organization (WHO) has released new reports and data highlighting critical gaps in global mental health care. The Mental Health Atlas 2024 and World Mental Health Today, alongside updated suicide estimates, provide the most comprehensive evidence to date on the urgent need to strengthen mental health services and prevention worldwide.
According to the World Mental Health Today report, over one billion people live with a mental health condition, yet most lack access to adequate care. Mental health disorders rank among the leading causes of disability globally and impose significant financial burdens on households, employers, and national economies. Persistent shortages of funding, skilled personnel, and quality services leave many countries unable to meet population needs.
New WHO suicide estimates reveal that 727,000 people died by suicide in 2021. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among those aged 15–29—second for young women and third for young men. More than half of these deaths occurred before age 50, and 73% were in low- and middle-income countries, underscoring the urgent need for targeted prevention strategies.
The Mental Health Atlas 2024, the seventh edition since 2001, draws on data from 144 countries to assess mental health policies, laws, information systems, financing, workforce, and services. The report shows minimal progress in investment: mental health continues to account for only 2% of health budgets, unchanged since 2017. Spending disparities are stark, ranging from US$65 per person in high-income countries to just US$0.04 in low-income countries. Workforce shortages remain severe, with a global median of 13 mental health workers per 100,000 people, and acute deficits in low- and middle-income nations.
Progress toward service reform is slow. Fewer than 10% of countries have fully transitioned to community-based care, while most remain in the early stages. Inpatient care continues to rely heavily on psychiatric hospitals, with nearly half of admissions involuntary and over 20% lasting more than a year.
Together, these findings reveal both progress and persistent gaps, highlighting the scale of the global mental health challenge. The reports provide critical evidence for governments and partners to guide policy dialogue—including at the upcoming 2025 UN High-Level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health in New York—and point to areas where investment and action are most urgently needed to achieve WHO’s mental health goals.
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