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Depression statistics 2025

Illustrating the prevalence of depression and the importance of treatment
Wendy Wisner
By | Updated on Jan. 29, 2025 Medically reviewed by Gerardo Sison, Pharm.D. & Josephine Bawab, Pharm.D.
Map of America with charts and graphs: Depression statistics

Key takeaways

  • Depression is a prevalent mental health condition, impacting about 280 million people worldwide.

  • It’s a common cause of disability in the United States, especially among people under the age of 44 years, and it is a leading cause of suicide.

  • Postpartum depression impacts 1 in 7 new mothers.

  • Understanding depression statistics can help us understand not only how common depression is but also how vital it is to treat depression and alleviate the impacts of the condition.

  • It’s important to keep in mind that there are several effective treatments for depression, including various medications and therapy modalities.

In this article:

Major depressive disorder (MDD), commonly known as clinical depression, is a common mental health disorder worldwide. Many different factors can contribute to a person’s depressive state, and depression is often an overlapping diagnosis along with other medical conditions and mental health disorders. 

What is depression?

The most prominent symptoms of major depression are a severe and persistent low mood, profound sadness, and a sense of despair. A major depressive episode (MDE) is a period of time characterized by symptoms of major depression. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) defines a major depressive episode as experiencing a depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure in daily activities, accompanied by problems with sleeping, eating, energy, concentration, or self-worth for two weeks or longer. 

“Sudden losses or changes can exacerbate pre-existing symptoms of depression or anxiety,” says Yesel Yoon, PhD, a psychologist in New York City. Examples of such triggers include the death of a loved one, a breakup, job loss, financial stress, a medical condition, and substance use disorder.

“Depression affects people by changing their level of functioning in many areas of their life,” says Dr. Yoon. “Namely, people’s sleep, appetite, concentration, mood, energy level, physical health, and social lives can change dramatically due to the symptoms of depression. Often, people who struggle with depression will describe having difficulty getting out of bed, having little to no motivation or energy to do the things they typically do, and feeling irritable or very sad. All of these different things certainly make living life much harder.”

How common is depression?

  • About 280 million people live with depression worldwide. (World Health Organization, 2023)
  • Depression and other mental health disorders are among the main causes of disability around the world. (Scientific Reports, 2024)
  • Depression accounts for 4.3% of the global disease burden. (Scientific Reports, 2024)

Depression statistics in America

  • Young adults ages 18–25 years have the highest prevalence of major depressive episodes in the United States. (National Institute of Mental Health, 2023)
  • In the United States, major depressive episodes are more likely to impact females (10.3%) than males (6.2%). (National Institute of Mental Health, 2023)

Depression statistics by age

  • In the United States, 19.5% of adolescents ages 12–17 years had a major depressive episode in 2022, and 14.5% of this population had a major depressive episode with severe impairment. (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association (SAMHSA), 2023)
  • The rates of major depressive episodes were highest in young adults ages 18–25 years (20.1%) in 2022, whereas people ages 50 years and older had the lowest rates of major depressive episodes (4.6%) (SAMHSA, 2023)
  • 15.9 million adults had a major depressive episode with severe impairment in 2022. (SAMHSA, 2023)
  • Rates of depression and suicidal ideation have reached an all-time high among college students, with 44% of students reporting depression symptoms and 15% reporting suicidal thoughts in the 2021-2022 academic year. (University of Michigan School of Public Health, 2023)
  • The rates of depression among U.S. adults of all ages have been rising. In 2023, 29% of adults reported receiving a depression diagnosis at some time during their lives, compared with 19.6% in 2015. (Gallup, 2023)

Postpartum depression statistics

Postpartum depression is depression suffered by a parent who has recently given birth, typically occurring within three months to a year after childbirth. This may be due to hormonal changes, changes in lifestyle, and parenthood fatigue. 

  • Up to 76% of women experience the “baby blues,” characterized by low mood or mild depression after childbirth. (Journal of Personalized Medicine, 2023)
  • Examining medical records in Southern California showed more than 19% of new parents experienced postpartum depression in 2021, which was almost a 10% increase from 2010. (American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2023)
  • About 1 in 7 women experience postpartum depression within a year of giving birth. (StatPearls, 2024)
  • Paternal postpartum depression impacts 8% to 13% of new fathers and jumps to 50% when the mother also has postpartum depression. (BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 2023)
  • Women with a history of depression, anxiety disorders, or bipolar disorder are 30% to 35% more likely to develop postpartum depression. (Johns Hopkins Medicine)

RELATED: Can you take antidepressants when pregnant?

Holiday depression statistics

Although the “holiday season” during the months of November and December are typically thought of as joyful, this is not the reality for everyone. Some develop depressive symptoms during these months.

  • Stress levels reportedly increase during the holiday season for 41% of U.S. adults. (American Psychological Association, 2023)
  • Most (89%) of U.S. adults report that the holidays trigger stress about money, missed loved ones, and the anticipation of conflicts among family members. (American Psychological Association, 2023)
  • About 43% of U.S. adults say that stress makes it difficult to enjoy the holidays, and 36% report feeling like the holidays resemble a competition. (American Psychological Association, 2023)

RELATED: Tips for dealing with holiday depression

Suicide and depression 

The National Network of Depression Disorders has many resources available for those experiencing depression or suicidal thoughts. Here are some additional treatment locators and helplines:

Treating depression

Psychotherapy, prescription medication, or a combination of both may be used to treat depression.

“There are also alternative or complementary therapy approaches, which have been found to be beneficial to mitigate the symptoms of depression,” Dr. Yoon says. “These include light therapy, vitamins or supplements, physical exercise, mindfulness-based meditation, and other creative, expressive forms of therapy.” 

  • Of those who had a major depressive episode in 2022, adults ages 50 years and older had the highest treatment rate for depression (66.4%). (SAMHSA, 2023)
  • Adolescents ages 12–17 years had the lowest treatment rate (56.8%) after a major depressive episode in 2022. (SAMHSA, 2023)
  • Antidepressant use is rising, particularly among young people. The rate of antidepressant use among people ages 12–25 years increased by 66.3% between 2016 and 2022. (Pediatrics, 2024)
  • Women are about twice as likely to take antidepressants than men. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020)

Depression is highly treatable, and the earlier you treat it, the better. In fact, early treatment leads to a better chance of remission and reduces the emotional and financial burden of the disease. 

RELATED: Depression treatment and medications

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