Most depressed people aren't in one single spot, but prevalence varies by region, with higher rates often seen in Western cultures like the US, Australia, France, and New Zealand, and parts of the Middle East & North Africa, while some studies show lower rates in East Asian countries like Japan, though experiences differ, with countries like Greenland, Greece, and Spain also showing high rates in some reports. It's complex because depression is a leading global disability, and factors like cultural reporting, economic stress, and lifestyle play big roles.
Lifetime prevalence estimates vary widely, from 3% in Japan to 17% in India. Epidemiological data shows higher rates of depression in the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and the United States than in other regions and countries.
Who does it affect?
Depression has high lifetime prevalence - one in seven Australians will experience depression in their lifetime [1]. Depression has the third highest burden of all diseases in Australia (13%) [4] and also third globally [12].
The United States, Colombia, the Netherlands and Ukraine tended to have higher prevalence estimates across most classes of disorder, while Nigeria, Shanghai and Italy were consistently low, and prevalence was lower in Asian countries in general.
What is the Hardest Mental Illness to Live With?
At What Age Is Depression Most Common? According to CDC data from 2019, 21% of adults experiencing any depressive symptoms in the most recent two weeks were between 18 and 29 years old. This incidence is the largest among all adult age groups.
Canberra is Australia's leading 'smart city,' according new Victoria University research.
Australia is unlikely to become entirely uninhabitable soon, but climate change is making large areas, especially in the north, extremely hot and potentially unlivable under higher warming scenarios (around 3°C), straining infrastructure, impacting agriculture, and displacing vulnerable populations, while coastal areas face rising sea levels and severe erosion, making parts of cities and towns uninsurable and at risk. The primary threats are extreme heatwaves, bushfires, droughts, floods, and sea-level rise, disproportionately affecting regional, Indigenous, and disadvantaged communities, forcing significant adaptation and threatening the nation's food security.
Depression results from a complex interaction of social, psychological, and biological factors. People who have gone through adverse life events (unemployment, bereavement, traumatic events) are more likely to develop depression.
Here is our list of the 30 countries with the lowest depression rates.
Researchers discovered severe depression is significantly higher in those who are Black, Hispanic, or of multiple or unspecified races compared to non-Hispanic white people. Specifically, Black and Hispanic participants reported higher levels of: sadness. inability to experience pleasure (anhedonia)
Our round-up of countries with the best mental healthcare in the world
Regular exercise may improve depression or anxiety symptoms enough to make a big difference. That big difference can help kick-start further improvements. The mental health benefits of exercise and physical activity may last only if you stick with them over the long term.
However, life expectancy at birth will be almost 90 by then. Australia will be bigger, older, denser and even more multicultural in 20 years time! Some 'Aussie Dreams' will have disappeared such as the 'quarter acre block' and along with it the Hills Hoist garden shed and enough space for a game of backyard cricket.
Cons:
According to the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI), published by the independent monitoring agency, the top three countries leading in climate protection are all Scandinavian: Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, while the United Kingdom is ranked fourth in climate protection.
It's official! Adelaide is the happiest city in Australia, and one of the happiest in the world! 🙌 We ranked #29 globally in the Happy City Index across six categories - environment, economy, mobility, citizen wellbeing, health and governance.
Commonly used assessments in Australia include:
Educational psychologists consider a gifted IQ to be 130 or higher (98th percentile) on the WISC or WPPSI, or around 132+ on the Stanford-Binet.
Unhappiness is hill-shaped in age and the average age where the maximum occurs is 49 with or without controls. There is an unhappiness curve. I document hump or hill shapes in age in various measures of unhappiness in many countries including the United States and the United Kingdom.
New evidence shows that people who maintain a range of healthy habits, from good sleep to physical activity to strong social connections, are significantly less likely to experience depression.
Causes - Depression in adults