THE World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that global progress on mental health is faltering, with most countries allocating only two per cent of their health budgets to the issue.
The global health body noted that the percentage had not changed since 2017.
The agency, in a statement on Tuesday, September 2, said this “chronic underfunding” had left more than one billion people worldwide living with mental health disorders without adequate care.
It warned that conditions such as anxiety and depression were placing immense human and economic burdens, with insufficient global investment threatening progress in care delivery.
The findings, captured in two reports, World Mental Health Today and the Mental Health Atlas 2024, showed that while many countries have strengthened mental health policies since 2020, glaring gaps remain in financing, service delivery, and legal protections.
According to the WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, a doctor, “Transforming mental health services is one of the most pressing public health challenges.”
He added that “Investing in mental health means investing in people, communities, and economies – an investment no country can afford to neglect. Every government and every leader has a responsibility to act with urgency and to ensure that mental health care is treated not as a privilege, but as a basic right for all.”
WHO estimated that depression and anxiety alone cost the global economy about US$ 1 trillion yearly, mainly through lost productivity.
Suicide, described by the agency as a devastating outcome of mental health neglect, was said to have claimed an estimated 727,000 lives in 2021. It is also one of the leading causes of death among young people worldwide.
“Despite global efforts, progress in reducing suicide mortality is too low to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of a one-third reduction in suicide rates by 2030. On the current trajectory, only a 12 per cent reduction will be achieved by that deadline.
“The economic impact of mental health disorders is staggering. While health-care costs are substantial, the indirect costs – particularly in lost productivity – are far greater. Depression and anxiety alone cost the global economy an estimated US$ 1 trillion each year,” the statement added.
Also, according to WHO’s 2024 mental health atlas report, while high-income nations spend as much as US$ 65 per person on mental health, low-income countries spend as little as US$ 0.04.
It also noted that the global median number of mental health workers remained at just 13 per 100,000 people, with severe shortages in poorer nations.
Median government spending on mental health remains at just two per cent of total health budgets – unchanged since 2017. Disparities between countries are stark; while high-income countries spend up to US$ 65 per person on mental health, low-income countries spend as little as US$ 0.04. The global median number of mental health workers stands at 13 per 100 000 people, with extreme shortages in low and middle-income countries,” WHO added.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M