Depression is a critical global issue in today’s world, adversely affecting a person’s actions, emotions, and thoughts. According to the Global Health Data Exchange, around 251 to 310 million people worldwide suffer from this mental health condition, which is also known as major depressive disorder. CEOWORLD magazine recognizes the severity of depression as a global mental health problem and aims to raise awareness about it. The magazine’s researchers have gathered essential information to educate readers about countries where depression is prevalent, its symptoms, risk factors, and treatment options.
What are the symptoms of depression?
Depression is an affective or mood disorder. It is dissimilar from feeling sad once in a while. A depressed patient struggles with this chronic mental health condition by encountering persistent feelings of gloom. Moreover, his normal functions, like his energy and concentration levels, sleeping habits, and appetite, are impacted by depression being a severe sickness. The following situations, which can be extreme or mild, indicate that a person is depressed:
1) Losing interest in doing the activities that a person once relished;
2) Losing or gaining weight and appetite modifications;
3) Non-stop feeling of unhappiness;
4) Oversleeping or insomnia;
5) Heightened exhaustion or energy loss;
6) Diminished self-esteem and confidence;
7) Finding it hard to concentrate or think;
8) Decelerated speech and movements;
9) Acting or thinking of harming oneself or taking one’s own life;
10) Feelings of worthlessness and guilt;
11) Doing more purposeless physical activities and tasks; and
12) Feeling cynical.
Depression symptoms must last at least 14 days or two weeks for it to be diagnosed by a physician. Some medical conditions have to be ruled out, like vitamin deficiencies and thyroid ailments, which can exhibit depression indicators.
Who is at risk of major depressive disorder?
Several key factors impact people’s mental wellness. CEOWORLD magazine’s researchers discovered that the following elements can make someone vulnerable to depression:
Competitive society: A nation with a competitive culture can negatively affect a population. For instance, Japanese youth ages 10 to 19 years old are generally pressured to excel in school. Their culture also exposes them to the need to conform to group customs.
Poor living conditions: People who live in locations where there is a high incidence of poverty and crime are likely to become depressed.
Genetics: Depression can be inherited by children whose parents were diagnosed with this mental health disorder. These people may have been exposed to negative incidents, such as neglect and abuse, leading to their mental health breakdown.
Personality: People have different natures, and those who struggle with low self-esteem and are generally downbeat in outlook are likely to grapple with bouts of depression.
Biochemistry: As a complex mental health problem, depression is suggested to be due to an imbalance of neurotransmitters. These brain chemicals include norepinephrine (which responds to stress and regulates internal functions), dopamine (which is released by the brain when a person eats the food he craves or engages in sex, contributing to feelings of satisfaction and pleasure), and serotonin (which aids in stabilizing mood and feelings of happiness and well-being).
These five factors can influence a person to become depressed. However, people with major depressive disorder do not have to feel ashamed of or hide their condition because they can get the help they need with the availability of many treatment services for depression.
Which countries have the highest depression rates?
In any particular year, depression impacts 1 in 15 adults, and 1 in 6 individuals will experience this serious mental wellness concern at some point in their lives. An approximated 3.4 percent of the world’s population, or 2 to 6 percent when including the error margin, has bouts with major depressive disorder. This percentage is estimated to be 264 million individuals globally.
Ukraine has 6.3 percent of its people grappling with major depressive disorder, making it the country with the highest depression rate. With this figure, it can be deduced that it is the country with the world’s worst mental health state. Trailing behind Ukraine is the United States, with a 5.9 percent depression rate. CEOWORLD magazine’s researchers found that the US states with the highest depression incidences were Maine, Oregon, and West Virginia. About 17.3 million adults in the United States had depression. Roughly 65 percent received medical treatment. Furthermore, approximately 50 percent of depressed American adults were also diagnosed with anxiety.
With the United States and Australia in the second and third spots on the top 10 list, these numbers demonstrate that depression is much more likely to be detected in people from highly industrialized territories. These countries may have more advanced healthcare systems and are highly equipped to identify and cure mental disorders. However, developed countries’ citizens have high-risk factors for complex mental health problems.
Which countries have the lowest depression incidences?
Although major depressive disorder affects many countries across the globe, there are some regions where the situation is quite the opposite. If you’re looking for places with low depression rates, you’ll find that they are mostly in Oceania’s Pacific islands. The Solomon Islands tops the list of countries with the lowest incidence of major depressive disorder, with only 2.9 percent of its population suffering from serious mental health concerns. However, it’s important to note that depression is still prevalent in these countries and other less-developed nations. The reason for the low focus on depression treatment is simply that their governments prioritize other national concerns such as sanitation, hunger, and other diseases.
Countries with the Highest and Lowest Depression Rates, 2024
| Rank | Country | Region | Population | GDP (USD million) | Depression Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ukraine | Eastern Europe | 41,130,432 | 173,413 | 3.30% |
| 2 | United States | North America | 335,893,238 | 26,949,643 | 3.20% |
| 3 | Australia | Australasia | 26,461,912 | 1,687,713 | 5.60% |
| 4 | Estonia | Northern Europe | 1,365,884 | 41,799 | 4.90% |
| 5 | Brazil | South America | 203,062,512 | 2,126,809 | 5.10% |
| 6 | Greece | Southeastern Europe (Balkans) | 10,413,982 | 242,385 | 4.80% |
| 7 | Portugal | Southern Europe | 10,467,366 | 276,432 | 4% |
| 8 | Belarus | Eastern Europe | 9,200,617 | 68,864 | 5.40% |
| 9 | Finland | Northern Europe | 5,572,545 | 305,689 | 4.80% |
| 10 | Lithuania | Northern Europe | 2,869,660 | 79,427 | 4.40% |
| 11 | Russia | Eastern Europe | 146,424,729 | 1,862,470 | 4% |
| 12 | Cuba | Cuba | Caribbean | 11,089,511 | 5.5% |
| 13 | New Zealand | Australasia | 5,223,100 | 249,415 | 4.20% |
| 14 | Moldova | Southeastern Europe (Balkans) | 2,512,758 | 16,000 | 4.20% |
| 15 | Barbados | Caribbean | 267,800 | 6,220 | 5.40% |
| 16 | Germany | Central Europe | 84,607,016 | 4,429,838 | 4.80% |
| 17 | Spain | Southern Europe | 48,345,223 | 1,582,054 | 3.80% |
| 18 | Czech Republic | Czech Republic | Central Europe | 10,882,235 | 5.2% |
| 19 | Paraguay | South America | 6,109,644 | 44,142 | 4.10% |
| 20 | Bulgaria | Southeastern Europe (Balkans) | 6,447,710 | 103,099 | 5.10% |
| 21 | Trinidad and Tobago | Caribbean | 1,365,805 | 27,887 | 3.50% |
| 22 | Bahamas | Caribbean | 397,360 | 13,876 | 5.50% |
| 23 | Italy | Southern Europe | 58,919,345 | 2,186,082 | 4.60% |
| 24 | Poland | Central Europe | 37,667,000 | 842,172 | 4.10% |
| 25 | Hungary | Central Europe | 9,597,085 | 203,829 | 4.70% |
| 26 | United Arab Emirates | West Asia | 9,282,410 | 509,179 | 3.30% |
| 27 | Austria | Central Europe | 9,154,514 | 526,182 | 5.60% |
| 28 | Slovakia | Central Europe | 5,426,468 | 133,044 | 3.90% |
| 29 | Croatia | Croatia | Southeastern Europe (Balkans) | 3,855,641 | 80,185 |
| 30 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Southeastern Europe (Balkans) | 3,277,082 | 26,945 | 5.20% |
| 31 | Qatar | West Asia | 2,656,032 | 235,500 | 4% |
| 32 | Slovenia | Southeastern Europe (Balkans) | 2,120,937 | 68,394 | 3.90% |
| 33 | Cyprus | Cyprus | West Asia | 918,100 | 32,032 |
| 34 | Djibouti | Djibouti | Eastern Africa | 1,001,454 | 3,873 |
| 35 | Malta | Southern Europe | 519,562 | 20,311 | 4.40% |
| 36 | Antigua and Barbuda | Caribbean | 100,772 | 1,949 | 5.80% |
| 37 | Chile | South America | 19,960,889 | 344,400 | 5.10% |
| 38 | Romania | Southeastern Europe (Balkans) | 19,051,562 | 350,414 | 4% |
| 39 | Switzerland | Western Europe | 8,931,306 | 905,684 | 3.70% |
| 40 | Serbia | Southeastern Europe (Balkans) | 6,641,197 | 75,015 | 3.90% |
| 41 | Denmark | Denmark | Northern Europe | 5,959,464 | 5% |
| 42 | Kuwait | West Asia | 4,670,713 | 159,687 | 4.50% |
| 43 | Georgia | Eastern Europe | 3,736,400 | 30,023 | 4.80% |
| 44 | Uruguay | South America | 3,444,263 | 76,244 | 3.20% |
| 45 | Armenia | West Asia | 2,981,200 | 24,540 | 5.70% |
| 46 | Luxembourg | Western Europe | 660,809 | 89,095 | 4.40% |
| 47 | Iran | West Asia | 84,038,000 | 366,438 | 4.70% |
| 48 | Tunisia | Northern Africa | 11,850,232 | 51,271 | 3.50% |
| 49 | Sweden | Northern Europe | 10,558,012 | 597,110 | 3.70% |
| 50 | Latvia | Northern Europe | 1,874,700 | 46,668 | 4.40% |
| 51 | Cape Verde | Western Africa | 491,233 | 2,598 | 5.10% |
| 52 | Saint Lucia | Caribbean | 178,696 | 2,469 | 4% |
| 53 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Caribbean | 110,872 | 1,039 | 4% |
| 54 | France | Western Europe | 68,373,000 | 3,049,016 | 4.80% |
| 55 | Peru | South America | 33,396,698 | 264,636 | 4.10% |
| 56 | Belgium | Western Europe | 11,801,722 | 627,511 | 5.20% |
| 57 | Ireland | Western Europe | 5,281,600 | 589,569 | 4.60% |
| 58 | Albania | Southeastern Europe (Balkans) | 2,761,785 | 23,032 | 5.90% |
| 59 | Jamaica | Eastern Asia | 2,825,544 | 18,761 | 4.60% |
| 60 | Lesotho | Southern Africa | 2,306,000 | 2,373 | 4.40% |
| 61 | Bahrain | West Asia | 1,577,059 | 44,994 | 5.50% |
| 62 | Suriname | South America | 616,500 | 3,539 | 3.70% |
| 63 | Montenegro | Southeastern Europe (Balkans) | 616,695 | 7,058 | 4.20% |
| 64 | Ethiopia | Eastern Africa | 107,334,000 | 155,804 | 4.90% |
| 65 | Colombia | South America | 52,215,503 | 363,835 | 5.10% |
| 66 | Argentina | South America | 46,654,581 | 621,833 | 5.70% |
| 67 | Canada | North America | 40,528,396 | 2,117,805 | 5.10% |
| 68 | Netherlands | Western Europe | 17,590,000 | 1,092,748 | 4.20% |
| 69 | Dominican Republic | Caribbean | 10,760,028 | 120,629 | 5% |
| 70 | Norway | Northern Europe | 5,533,582 | 546,768 | 4.10% |
| 71 | Costa Rica | Costa Rica | Central America | 5,262,225 | 4.7% |
| 72 | Lebanon | West Asia | 5,490,000 | 37,945 | 4.40% |
| 73 | Oman | West Asia | 5,113,071 | 108,282 | 4.10% |
| 74 | Botswana | Southern Africa | 2,410,338 | 20,756 | 5.20% |
| 75 | Grenada | Caribbean | 112,579 | 1,306 | 4.80% |
| 76 | South Africa | Southern Africa | 62,027,503 | 380,906 | 3.80% |
| 77 | Uganda | Eastern Africa | 45,562,000 | 52,390 | 3.40% |
| 78 | Ecuador | South America | 16,938,986 | 118,686 | 5% |
| 79 | Azerbaijan | West Asia | 10,151,517 | 77,392 | 5.60% |
| 80 | Israel | West Asia | 9,827,000 | 521,688 | 4.60% |
| 81 | Singapore | Southeastern Asia | 5,917,600 | 497,347 | 3.90% |
| 82 | India | Southern Asia | 1,392,329,000 | 3,732,224 | 4.70% |
| 83 | United Kingdom | Western Europe | 67,026,292 | 3,332,059 | 3.20% |
| 84 | Algeria | Northern Africa | 45,400,000 | 224,107 | 5.90% |
| 85 | Morocco | Northern Africa | 37,022,000 | 147,343 | 4.20% |
| 86 | Saudi Arabia | West Asia | 32,175,224 | 1,069,437 | 3.90% |
| 87 | Libya | Northern Africa | 6,931,061 | 40,194 | 4.40% |
| 88 | Guyana | South America | 743,699 | 16,329 | 4.70% |
| 89 | Turkey | West Asia | 85,279,553 | 1,154,600 | 3.50% |
| 90 | Thailand | Southeastern Asia | 68,263,022 | 512,193 | 3.60% |
| 91 | Kenya | Eastern Africa | 51,526,000 | 112,749 | 4.50% |
| 92 | Madagascar | Eastern Africa | 26,923,353 | 15,763 | 4.40% |
| 93 | Kazakhstan | Central Asia | 20,000,000 | 259,292 | 4.50% |
| 94 | Bolivia | South America | 12,006,031 | 46,796 | 5.20% |
| 95 | South Sudan | Eastern Africa | 13,249,924 | 6,267 | 3.80% |
| 96 | El Salvador | Central America | 6,884,888 | 35,339 | 4.90% |
| 97 | Panama | Central America | 4,337,406 | 82,348 | 4.10% |
| 98 | Namibia | Southern Africa | 2,641,857 | 12,647 | 4.20% |
| 99 | Mauritius | Eastern Africa | 1,261,041 | 14,819 | 4.30% |
| 100 | Comoros | Eastern Africa | 758,316 | 1,364 | 5.10% |
| 101 | Belize | Central America | 441,471 | 3,218 | 5.20% |
| 102 | Haiti | Caribbean | 11,743,017 | 25,986 | 4.70% |
| 103 | Eritrea | Eastern Africa | 3,748,902 | 2,255 | 4.90% |
| 104 | Gabon | Central Africa | 2,233,272 | 19,319 | 4.80% |
| 105 | China | Eastern Asia | 1,409,670,000 | 17,700,899 | 5.10% |
| 106 | Pakistan | Southern Asia | 241,499,431 | 340,636 | 4.10% |
| 107 | Mexico | North America | 129,406,736 | 1,811,468 | 4.30% |
| 108 | Japan | West Asia | 124,240,000 | 4,230,862 | 4.60% |
| 109 | Uzbekistan | Central Asia | 36,599,764 | 90,392 | 3.20% |
| 110 | Ghana | Western Africa | 30,832,019 | 76,628 | 4.80% |
| 111 | Venezuela | South America | 28,302,000 | 92,210 | 3.10% |
| 112 | Burundi | Eastern Africa | 12,837,740 | 3,190 | 5.10% |
| 113 | Nicaragua | Central America | 6,733,763 | 17,353 | 4.20% |
| 114 | Turkmenistan | Central Asia | 7,057,841 | 81,822 | 3.40% |
| 115 | Central African Republic | Central Africa | 5,633,412 | 2,760 | 5.10% |
| 116 | Mongolia | Eastern Asia | 3,457,548 | 18,782 | 4.20% |
| 117 | Equatorial Guinea | Central Africa | 1,558,160 | 10,041 | 4.90% |
| 118 | Eswatini | Southern Africa | 1,223,362 | 4,648 | 4.90% |
| 119 | Bhutan | Southern Asia | 770,276 | 2,686 | 5.20% |
| 120 | Bangladesh | Southern Asia | 169,828,911 | 446,349 | 5.40% |
| 121 | Tanzania | Eastern Africa | 61,741,120 | 84,033 | 3.60% |
| 122 | South Korea | Eastern Asia | 51,439,038 | 1,709,232 | 3.80% |
| 123 | Mozambique | Eastern Africa | 32,419,747 | 21,936 | 4.20% |
| 124 | Sri Lanka | Southern Asia | 22,037,000 | 88,309 | 3.70% |
| 125 | Malawi | Eastern Africa | 21,507,723 | 13,176 | 4.40% |
| 126 | Kyrgyzstan | Central Asia | 7,100,000 | 12,681 | 4.50% |
| 127 | Mauritania | Western Africa | 4,475,683 | 10,357 | 4.30% |
| 128 | Iceland | Northern Europe | 396,960 | 30,570 | 4.70% |
| 129 | Vietnam | Southeastern Asia | 100,300,000 | 433,356 | 3.10% |
| 130 | Zambia | Eastern Africa | 19,610,769 | 29,536 | 3% |
| 131 | Somalia | Eastern Africa | 18,143,379 | 11,515 | 3.80% |
| 132 | Zimbabwe | Eastern Africa | 15,178,979 | 32,424 | 2.90% |
| 133 | Jordan | West Asia | 11,302,000 | 50,022 | 4.50% |
| 134 | Honduras | Central America | 9,745,149 | 33,992 | 4.70% |
| 135 | Guinea-Bissau | Western Africa | 1,781,308 | 1,991 | 4.70% |
| 136 | Seychelles | Eastern Africa | 100,447 | 2,085 | 3.90% |
| 137 | Nigeria | Western Africa | 216,783,400 | 390,002 | 4.20% |
| 138 | Cameroon | Central Africa | 28,088,845 | 49,262 | 5.10% |
| 139 | Syria | West Asia | 22,923,000 | 11,800 | 3.70% |
| 140 | Senegal | Western Africa | 18,275,743 | 31,141 | 3.90% |
| 141 | Guinea | Western Africa | 13,261,638 | 23,205 | 4.70% |
| 142 | Benin | Western Africa | 12,606,998 | 19,940 | 5.20% |
| 143 | Togo | Western Africa | 8,095,498 | 9,111 | 3.60% |
| 144 | Sierra Leone | Western Africa | 8,494,260 | 3,519 | 3.90% |
| 145 | Gambia | Western Africa | 2,417,471 | 2,388 | 4.80% |
| 146 | São Tomé and Príncipe | Central Africa | 214,610 | 674 | 3.90% |
| 147 | DR Congo | Central Africa | 95,370,000 | 67,512 | 5% |
| 148 | Malaysia | Southeastern Asia | 33,379,500 | 430,895 | 4.40% |
| 149 | Ivory Coast | Caribbean | 29,389,150 | 79,430 | 4.60% |
| 150 | Rwanda | Eastern Africa | 13,246,394 | 13,927 | 4% |
| 151 | Tajikistan | Central Asia | 10,077,600 | 11,816 | 3.60% |
| 152 | Indonesia | Southeastern Asia | 279,118,866 | 1,417,387 | 4.70% |
| 153 | Myanmar | Southeastern Asia | 55,770,232 | 74,861 | 4.20% |
| 154 | Iraq | West Asia | 43,324,000 | 297,695 | 4.70% |
| 155 | North Korea | Eastern Asia | 25,660,000 | 48,350 | 4.20% |
| 156 | Guatemala | Central America | 17,602,431 | 102,765 | 4.70% |
| 157 | Maldives | Southern Asia | 382,751 | 6,977 | 4.40% |
| 158 | Sudan | Northern Africa | 41,984,500 | 25,569 | 3.70% |
| 159 | Angola | Central Africa | 33,086,278 | 93,796 | 5.90% |
| 160 | Yemen | West Asia | 31,888,698 | 21,045 | 3% |
| 161 | Mali | Western Africa | 22,395,489 | 21,309 | 4.40% |
| 162 | Burkina Faso | Western Africa | 22,185,654 | 20,785 | 5.10% |
| 163 | Egypt | Northern Africa | 104,462,545 | 398,397 | 4.90% |
| 164 | Chad | Central Africa | 17,414,717 | 12,596 | 5.10% |
| 165 | Liberia | Western Africa | 5,248,621 | 4,347 | 4.40% |
| 166 | Fiji | Melanesia | 893,468 | 5,511 | 4.80% |
| 167 | Niger | Western Africa | 25,369,415 | 17,073 | 4.20% |
| 168 | Cambodia | Southeastern Asia | 17,091,464 | 30,943 | 5.10% |
| 169 | Philippines | Southeastern Asia | 112,892,781 | 435,675 | 4.10% |
| 170 | Afghanistan | Southern Asia | 34,262,840 | 14,939 | 6.30% |
| 171 | Nepal | Southern Asia | 29,164,578 | 41,339 | 4.20% |
| 172 | Laos | Southeastern Asia | 7,443,000 | 14,244 | 4.50% |
| 173 | Samoa | Polynesia | 205,557 | 939 | 4% |
| 174 | Tonga | Polynesia | 100,179 | 547 | 3.50% |
| 175 | Vanuatu | Melanesia | 301,295 | 1,166 | 3.10% |
| 176 | Micronesia | Micronesia | 105,754 | 458 | 4.20% |
| 177 | Papua New Guinea | Melanesia | 11,781,559 | 31,692 | 4.10% |
| 178 | Solomon Islands | Melanesia | 734,887 | 1,690 | 3.90% |
What is the future for patients with major depressive disorder?
Depression incidences are surging worldwide. The WHO approximated that 76 to 85 percent of the world’s population struggle with mental disorders. These people are from middle and low-income countries with a dearth of access to depression treatment options. Furthermore, many mental illness cases are unreported or undiagnosed in developed countries where patients feel ashamed of their sickness. They are also typically uninformed about their curable mental health condition.
Nevertheless, CEOWORLD magazine’s researchers view that the future for depressed patients is optimistic. After all, in many countries including the United States, people are now more willing to discuss mental health problems. Additionally, the dishonor associated with having depression is gradually declining today. Depressed patients are increasingly seeking and obtaining medical help for their sickness instead of leaving themselves undiagnosed and suffering. All of these developments have made people confident in seeking assistance for their condition.
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