Depression Costs the Global Economy Trillions

World Mental Health Day on October 10 highlights the profound impact that mental illness has on individuals and societies. Depression is among the most common mental health conditions worldwide. An international team of researchers, including Professor Klaus Prettner of WU Vienna and the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), has for the first time comprehensively estimated the global macroeconomic costs of depression through 2050. Their findings show that the disorder will impose economic losses of around $12 trillion worldwide between 2025 and 2050.

A massive economic burden worldwide

Published in Nature Medicine, the study examines the economic impact of depression across 154 countries from 2025 to 2050. The researchers estimate that the condition will generate cumulative global costs of approximately $12 trillion over that period. This is equivalent to roughly 0.46 percent of annual global economic output. When depression-related suicide deaths are taken into account as well, the total economic burden rises to as much as $14 trillion.

Wealthy economies bear the largest economic costs

The study also highlights a striking disparity in how the burden is distributed. While the health consequences of depression are particularly severe in low- and middle-income countries, the largest economic losses occur in high-income economies. “The greatest economic costs are borne by wealthier countries, where lost productivity has a much larger impact,” Prettner explains. The United States is the country where the absolute economic costs are highest, followed by China and the United Kingdom. For Austria, the study estimates total economic losses of approximately $45 billion between 2025 and 2050.

Investing in mental health pays off

The authors identify several ways to reduce the economic burden of depression, including steps for improving access to mental healthcare, integrating mental health services more closely into primary care, and expanding the availability of treatment. Above all, they stress the importance of early intervention. Investments in prevention, they argue, deliver not only substantial health benefits but also significant economic returns.

Further information

Cao, Zhong, Luo, Yuheng, Jiao, Lirui, Chen, Wenjin, Prettner, Klaus, Kuhn, Michael, Bloom, David E., Jamison, Dean T., Bärnighausen, Till Winfried, Chen, Simiao (2026): Global economic burden of depression in 154 countries from 2025 to 2050. In: Nature Medicine. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-026-04548-7