Story Highlights

Current depression rate has been above 18% since 2024
Depression rates have risen most among young and lower-income adults
Reports of daily experiences of loneliness at highest since March 2021

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The percentage of U.S. adults who report currently having or being treated for depression has exceeded 18% in both 2024 and 2025, up about eight percentage points since the initial measurement in 2015. The current rate of 18.3% measured so far in 2025 projects to an estimated 47.8 million Americans suffering from depression. Most of the increase has occurred since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

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Gallup obtained the most recent results for 2025 Feb. 18-26 and May 27-June 4, 2025, with 11,288 U.S. adults surveyed by web as part of the probability-based Gallup Panel. Respondents were asked, “Has a doctor or nurse ever told you that you have depression?” and if yes, “Do you currently have or are you currently being treated for depression?” Both metrics are part of the ongoing Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index.

The percentage of adults who report having been diagnosed with depression in their lifetime stands at 28.5%, hovering near the record high of 29.0% measured in the first quarter of 2023.

Young and Lower-Income Adults See Sharpest Increases

Current depression rates have risen dramatically since 2017 among adults under the age of 30, doubling from 13.0% in 2017 to 26.7% in 2025. The current estimate is up from 24.6% measured in 2023, indicating that depression continues to be a worsening problem among young adults.

Among those in households earning under $24,000 per year, reports of depression have risen from 22.1% in 2017 to 26.1% in 2023 to 35.1% now, a 13-point increase in eight years. The change for these lower-earning Americans is particularly notable given the nine-point increase since 2023.

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Two factors appear to explain the surge in depression rates among young people: Americans entering young adulthood with higher levels of depression than their counterparts from eight years ago, coupled with increasing rates of depression generally among those who were already adults. Tracking the age cohort from 2017, the current depression rate of adults now aged 26-37 is 22.4%, compared with the 13.0% for the analogous group of adults in 2017. Meanwhile, the depression rate of 26.7% among young adults today is substantially higher than the 22.4% among today’s 26-37 year olds, indicating the two factors are having an additive effect.

Daily Experiences of Significant Loneliness Rising Again

Gallup research has shown a strong link between depression and loneliness, as one-third of those who had experienced loneliness the day before were also currently suffering from depression, compared with 13% among those who had not.

After declining from pandemic-era highs of 25% to a range of 17% to 18% through much of 2022 and 2023, reports of individuals experiencing significant loneliness “a lot of the day yesterday” have inched upward again since the latter half of 2024 to 21%.

The most recent estimate is the highest since March 2021, during the early period of the initial COVID-19 vaccine rollout, but it is slightly below the 25% highs at the height of isolation during the pandemic.

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Since the first quarter of 2023, when the loneliness rate stood at 17%, the current rate of 21% is characterized by increased reports of roughly similar levels across all age groups except for those aged 65 and older, who remain statistically unchanged at 15%. Nearly three-in-ten (29%) of young adults ages 18-29 are now experiencing significant daily loneliness, higher than any other age group and coinciding with their elevated depression rates.

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Contributing Factors and Consequences

The sustained rise in depression diagnoses — especially among young and lower-income adults — likely reflects a confluence of forces. Reduced stigma in seeking mental health treatment may partly explain rising depression diagnoses, as 70% of Americans now prefer that their doctor ask about both physical and mental health concerns. However, the broader picture suggests a country where structural and psychological stressors are intensifying, especially for those already facing disadvantage. The steady rise in depression also has significant societal and economic ramifications. For example, Gallup research has estimated that depression among workers is associated with $23 billion in lost productivity annually due to unplanned absenteeism alone, while poor mental health more broadly results in a $48 billion annual loss.

The sharp increase in reports of depression among lower-income Americans since 2023 coincides with a substantial 14-point increase in those categorized as being “Cost Desperate” — or recently being unable to afford needed care or medicine and not having access to affordable care — based on a newly released report in partnership with West Health. These individuals are far more likely to forgo mental health treatment or medicine due to cost barriers, and the emotional distress associated with concerns about affording needed care in the future can also have a deleterious effect on mental health.

Among young adults and lower-income adults alike, financial struggles beyond healthcare can serve as a trigger for the development of depression. Food insecurity, student debt, and housing insecurity (including rent burden, eviction risk, or unstable housing amid a housing market that is prohibitively expensive for many to enter) can all be contributing factors. And young people may be more open and honest about their mental health struggles and more willing to seek help compared with others.

Finally, prior research has demonstrated that experiencing significant loneliness is closely related to suffering from depression. The current upward drift in loneliness coincides with, and may be reinforcing, the continued rise in depression treatment among American adults, suggesting that social disconnection and the behaviors associated with it remains an enduring and evolving challenge in post-pandemic life. Recent research, for example, has shown a significant link between loneliness and social media use among those who use it for building or maintaining relationships, and in turn, can exacerbate unhealthy social comparisons or expose users to damaging psychological outcomes such as body image issues, bullying, or lifestyle envy that can be harmful to mental health.

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