Urooj Niazi 
2025 countries with highest & lowest mental health burden
Even as mental health claims center stage worldwide, the impact remains highly uneven. Some countries reveal distressing statistics; others report surprisingly low numbers—but stigma and underreporting often cloud the reality. Below is a clear, reimagined article with anchor-ready links to credible reports.
Countries Bearing a Heavy Mental Health Toll
- Somalia – An estimated 1 in 3 people may experience a mental illness, a crisis fueled by years of conflict, extreme poverty, and near-nonexistent mental health systems.
- Central Sub-Saharan Africa – This region reports one of the world’s highest rates of mental disorders—as high as 8,700 cases per 100,000—amid persistent conflict, scarce health infrastructure, and steep poverty rates.
- Lesotho – The country records a staggering 87.5 suicides per 100,000 people, among the highest rates globally—closely tied to widespread unemployment, poverty, and poor access to care.
- South Korea – Mental health issues affect approximately 30% of men and 23% of women at some point in their lives. Alarmingly, suicide remains the leading cause of death among those aged 9–24, tied to academic stress and societal expectations.
Countries Reporting the Fewest Cases (and Why That Might Be Misleading)
- East Asia (China, Japan, Mongolia) – Official rates hover around 3,300 per 100,000, appearing among the lowest globally—but experts point to deep-seated stigma and underdiagnosis as likely suppressors of the real numbers.
- Myanmar, North Korea & China – These nations report the lowest age-standardized incidence rates, but limited mental health awareness and rigid societal norms likely hide many undetected cases.
Mental Health by Region: 2025 Snapshot
| Country / Region | Reported Statistic |
| Somalia | Approximately 33 % with a diagnosable mental illness |
| Central Sub-Saharan Africa | ~8,700 mental disorder cases per 100,000 people |
| Lesotho | 87.5 suicides per 100,000 people |
| South Korea (lifetime prevalence) | ~30 % (men), ~23 % (women) |
| East Asia | ~3,300 per 100,000 people |
| Myanmar, North Korea, China | Lowest officially reported incidence rates |
Mental health challenges are global—but visibility varies. The path to progress requires raising awareness, scaling up care access, and dismantling stigma—no matter the country’s current data profile.
