Global mental health survey: young people score lowest, only 6.5% flourishing

A survey of about 50,000 people in 92 countries has found that mental well-being around the world is weak, and weakest among young people. The study, led by Kai Ruggeri, a professor of health policy and management at Columbia University, was published in the journal Social Indicators Research and reported from Monday, 2 November 2026. According to reports on the study, only about 6.5% of respondents were "flourishing", meaning they scored high on almost every measure of good mental health.

For many years, researchers have described well-being across a lifetime as a U-shaped curve: fairly high in youth, lowest in middle age, and rising again in later life. This survey does not find that pattern. Instead, young people come out worst, and well-being tends to improve with age. If that holds in further research, it changes where help is most needed.

The researchers link the low scores to pressures from outside, such as political and economic instability, which they connect with fear, stress and burnout. Ruggeri has said that policymakers need to act on young people's mental health and on people who are struggling financially. The finding that income, education and hybrid work are linked to better ratings points the same way: security and some control over one's time seem to matter.

There is also a more hopeful side. People scored highest on their relationships, their sense of meaning and their self-esteem. That suggests many people, young people included, have personal strengths to build on even when their overall mental health is poor.

The study has limits that readers should keep in mind. It was carried out mostly online, so it reflects people who have internet access and chose to respond; it is not a random sample of each country's population. It describes links between factors, such as income and well-being, and does not prove that one causes the other.

For young readers, the study is a reminder that feeling low or stressed is common, not a personal failing. Talking to friends, family or a trained counsellor is a sound first step. If you or someone you know needs help, call Tele-MANAS on 14416.

Peepals calculation: If 6.5% of about 50,000 respondents were flourishing, that is roughly 3,250 people (50,000 × 0.065 = 3,250), leaving more than 46,000 who were not. Spread over 92 countries, the survey averages about 540 respondents per country (50,000 ÷ 92 ≈ 543), though the real number differs from country to country. Our calculation from the reported figures.

Short-term: The findings add to calls from researchers for governments, universities and employers to treat young people's mental health as a priority.

Long-term: If later studies confirm that the old U-shaped pattern no longer holds, mental health services and policies may need to shift more support towards students and young workers.

Who is affected: Students and young professionals, parents, teachers, universities and employers, and health services that plan support for young people.

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