There isn't one single definitive country with the highest depression rate, as rankings vary by study and year, but Greenland, Morocco, and Lesotho often appear at the top in older data (around 2017), while more recent data highlights the Netherlands, Portugal, Australia, Iran, and Brazil for high prevalence of mental health conditions, with the United States also frequently cited for high rates, especially concerning diagnosis access.
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.
Here is our list of the 30 countries with the lowest depression rates.
There's no single cause of depression. It can occur for a variety of reasons and it has many different triggers. For some people, an upsetting or stressful life event, such as bereavement, divorce, illness, redundancy and job or money worries, can be the cause. Different causes can often combine to trigger depression.
The United States typically reports higher rates of depression compared to many other nations. Contributing factors may include individualistic cultural values, socioeconomic stressors, and better access to mental health screening.
Socially stressful and traumatic life events, limited access to resources such as food, housing, and health care, and a lack of social support all contribute to depression risk.
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.
The prevalence of depression was lower among non-Hispanic Asian adults than among any other race and Hispanic-origin group. Overall, non-Hispanic Asian adults had the lowest prevalence of depression (3.1%) compared with Hispanic (8.2%), non-Hispanic white (7.9%), and non-Hispanic black (9.2%) adults.
The least stressed countries in the OECD
Prevalence of mental disorders worldwide, 2023
A global map showing the prevalence rate of mental disorders in each country of the world, with The Netherlands and Portugal showing the highest rate at 22,893 and 22,116 respectively. A csv download of the data is available by tabbing to the Get the data link.
Depression is among the most treatable of mental disorders. Between 70% and 90% percent of people with depression eventually respond well to treatment.
3 foods to help with depression.
The data set ranges from depression rate, to income-growth rate, to average leisure time spent per day. Cleveland will hold the title this year as the least happy city in America, finishing last out of all 182 cities surveyed.
Countries with High Depression Rates
There's no single "hardest" mental illness, but Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), Schizophrenia, and severe/treatment-resistant conditions like depression or bipolar disorder are frequently cited due to extreme emotional volatility, distorted reality, profound functional impairment, and significant impact on relationships and daily life, making them incredibly challenging to live with and manage. The difficulty often stems from intense internal pain, difficulty regulating emotions, social isolation, and the pervasive nature of symptoms.
Sweden stands out as a leader in mental health care, known for its patient-centered approach and state-of-the-art facilities.
Sweden's public healthcare system is renowned for its proactive stance on mental health, consistently seeking innovative initiatives to enhance the well-being of its population. The Swedish approach to mental health care emphasises prevention, accessibility, and the integration of new technologies and methodologies.
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.
Considerable evidence links the “Big Five” personality traits (neuroticism, extroversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness) with depression.
In major depression, there is a hyperactivity of the white matter in the territories related to the frontal cortex and basal ganglia. Major depression involves altering the reward–punishment system.