Mental Health Statistics UK: 2026 Facts, Data & Key Insights

Mental health problems affect millions of people across the United Kingdom, and the scale of the challenge has grown dramatically over the past two decades. Despite increasing public awareness, significant investment in NHS services, and widespread employer wellbeing initiatives, the proportion of the population experiencing a common mental health condition has risen sharply — and the economic, social, and human costs continue to mount. This guide brings together the most current data from NHS England, the Office for National Statistics, Mind, the Centre for Mental Health, and the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey to provide the most comprehensive UK mental health statistics reference available.

Key Facts

• 22.6% of adults aged 16 to 64 have a common mental health condition — up from 17.6% in 2007 (Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2023/24)
• 1 in 5 people report experiencing a common mental health problem such as anxiety or depression in any given week in England (Mind)
• Mental ill health costs England £300 billion a year — equivalent to double the entire NHS budget (Centre for Mental Health, Big Mental Health Report 2025)
• Among young adults aged 16 to 24, the rate has climbed from 17.5% in 2007 to 25.8% in 2023/24
• 36.1% of women aged 16 to 64 have a common mental health condition — compared with 16.3% of men
• 1 in 5 children aged 8 to 25 in England has a probable mental health problem — up from 1 in 9 in 2017 (NHS Digital, 2023)
• Only 1 in 8 adults with a mental health problem is currently receiving treatment
• 2.8 million referrals were made to adult community mental health services in England in 2024
• Over one in three people reported that their mental health deteriorated while waiting for a GP or voluntary sector appointment (Mind, 2025)
• Mental health knowledge scores fell below 2009 baseline levels for the first time in 2024 (Mind)
• People willing to work alongside someone with a mental health problem fell from 77% in 2023 to 74% in 2024
• Work-related stress, depression and anxiety caused 22.1 million lost working days in 2024/25 and cost the UK economy £57.4 billion a year (HSE / MHFA England)
• More than 1 in 4 people (26%) living in the most deprived areas in England report experiencing a common mental health problem in any given week — vs 1 in 6 (16%) in the least deprived areas

How Many People in the UK Have a Mental Health Problem?

The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS) is the most authoritative population-level measure of mental health in England and has been running since 1993. Its 2023/24 edition — based on clinical interviews with a nationally representative sample — found that 22.6% of adults aged 16 to 64 have a common mental health condition, including anxiety, depression, and mixed anxiety and depression. This represents a near-30% increase from 17.6% in 2007 and 18.9% in 2014.

The 2023/24 survey was conducted between March 2023 and July 2024, giving it the most recent and reliable prevalence data available. The rise is not an artefact of changing diagnostic thresholds — the same validated instruments have been used across all survey waves.

Women are disproportionately affected. The APMS 2023/24 found that 36.1% of women aged 16 to 64 have a common mental health condition, compared with 16.3% of men. Nearly 1 in 4 women (24%) experiences a common mental health problem in any given week in England, compared with around 1 in 7 men (15%) (Mind).

The NHS Digital Mental Health of Children and Young People Survey 2023 found that 1 in 5 children aged 8 to 16 had a probable mental disorder — up from 1 in 9 in 2017. Among 17 to 19 year olds, the rate rose from 10% in 2017 to 23% in 2023. For the full data on children and young people, see our youth mental health statistics guide.

The Treatment Gap

Only around 1 in 8 adults with a mental health problem is currently receiving treatment. In 2022/23, 1.76 million people were referred to NHS Talking Therapies (TTAD) in England, 1.22 million entered treatment, and 672,000 finished a full course. Of those completing treatment, 49.9% moved to recovery — just under the NHS 50% target.

2.8 million referrals were made to adult community mental health services in England in 2024. At the end of June 2024, 1.94 million people were in contact with NHS mental health services. These numbers represent enormous growth in demand — but they also represent millions of people who have been referred and are still waiting.

Mind's Big Mental Health Report 2025 found that mental health knowledge scores fell below 2009 baseline levels for the first time in 2024. People willing to work alongside someone with a mental health problem fell from 77% to 74% in a single year. Agreement that people with schizophrenia are "a danger to others" rose from 27% to 32% in the same period — suggesting that public understanding is moving in the wrong direction even as prevalence rises.

The Economic Impact

The Centre for Mental Health's Big Mental Health Report 2025 put the total cost of mental ill health to England at £300 billion a year — the equivalent of double the entire NHS annual budget, and comparable economically to having a pandemic every year. This figure encompasses health and social care costs, lost productivity, and the broader human cost of untreated mental ill health.

At the workplace level, HSE data for 2024/25 shows that 964,000 workers suffered work-related stress, depression or anxiety — a 24% increase on the previous year, and a rate more than double that recorded when HSE first began collecting this data in 2001/02. 22.1 million working days were lost as a result. The total cost of work-related mental health issues to the UK economy runs at £57.4 billion per year according to MHFA England. The detailed picture on workplace mental health is in our workplace mental health statistics guide.

CIPD data from 2025 shows average sickness absence has risen to 9.4 days per employee per year — the highest in over 15 years — with mental ill health the leading cause of long-term absence in 41% of cases.

Who Is Most Affected?

Mental health problems do not affect the population uniformly. Several groups face disproportionately higher rates:

People in deprived areas. More than 1 in 4 (26%) of people living in the most deprived areas in England report experiencing a common mental health problem in any given week — compared with around 1 in 6 (16%) in the least deprived areas (Mind, drawing on APMS data).

Children in poverty. As of April 2024, 4.5 million children were growing up in relative poverty in the UK — a record high. Children from the least well-off 20% of households are four times more likely to experience serious mental health difficulties than those from the most affluent households (Mind, 2025).

LGBTQ+ people. Research by Stonewall found that 61% of LGBT people experienced anxiety and 52% experienced depression in the past year — rates approximately double those in the general population. See our LGBTQ+ mental health statistics guide.

Men. Despite being less likely to be diagnosed with common mental health conditions, men account for approximately 75% of all UK suicides. Only 36% of NHS Talking Therapies referrals are for men. The help-seeking gap is one of the most significant and persistent features of the UK mental health landscape. See our men's mental health statistics guide.

Young adults. The 16 to 24 age group has seen the steepest increase in mental health conditions — from 17.5% in 2007 to 25.8% in 2023/24 — and reports higher rates of loneliness, financial strain, and social isolation than older age groups.

People with physical health conditions. Around 1 in 3 people with a physical health condition that limits their activities has a common mental health problem — compared with around 1 in 8 of those without a limiting condition.

The NHS Response

NHS England plans to spend approaching £17 billion per year on mental health services — yet the share of NHS funding allocated to mental health is projected to fall from 8.78% in 2024/25 to 8.71% in 2025/26, despite rising need (Mind, 2025). For the full picture on NHS mental health capacity, waiting times, and spending, see our NHS mental health statistics guide.

The government's Plan for Change committed £680 million in mental health investment, with commitments to introduce mental health support in every school, recruit 8,500 more mental health staff, and fund NHS Talking Therapies for 380,000 additional patients.

Mental Health First Aid Training

Equipping people with the skills to recognise and respond to mental health problems early is one of the most cost-effective interventions available. For every £1 invested in mental health support in the workplace, Deloitte found an average return of £5.30 through reduced absenteeism, presenteeism, and staff turnover. Our Mental Health First Aid courses provide practical, evidence-based training for the workplace, schools, and communities.

Sources

• NHS England Digital. Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey: Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, England, 2023/24.
• Centre for Mental Health. The Big Mental Health Report 2025.
• Mind. The Big Mental Health Report 2025.
• Mind. Mental health facts and statistics.
• NHS Digital. Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2023.
• House of Commons Library. Mental health statistics: prevalence, services and funding in England (CBP-06988).
• Health and Safety Executive. Work-related stress, depression or anxiety statistics in Great Britain, 2025.
• CIPD. Health and Wellbeing at Work 2025.
• MHFA England. Key workplace mental health statistics for 2024.
• NatCen Social Research. Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2023/24.

Written by: This guide was produced by the team at Mental Health First Aid Course. We publish evidence-based data resources to help employers, educators, and communities understand the true scale of mental health problems in the UK and the steps they can take to respond effectively.