09/04/2026
Mental illness has officially become the world’s leading cause of disability, surpassing cardiovascular disease, cancer, and musculoskeletal conditions. A 2026 Global Burden of Disease study found more than 1.1 billion people, roughly one in seven worldwide, were living with a mental disorder in 2023, nearly double the number recorded in 1990.
Anxiety and depression are driving most of the increase, with depression cases up 24% and anxiety cases up more than 47% since 2019. Researchers point to pandemic-related stress along with longer-term factors like poverty, insecurity, and declining social connection as underlying causes.
Source: The Lancet
