Indian youth rank 60th in global mind health study, trail older adults

Young adults in India have ranked 60th out of 84 countries in the latest Mind Health Quotient (MHQ) assessment, underscoring a sharp generational divide in mental well-being.

The findings are part of the Global Mind Health 2025 report by US-based Sapien Labs, based on data from more than one million internet-enabled respondents across 84 nations during 2024 and 2025.

Indians aged 18–34 recorded an average MHQ score of 33, placing them in the “Distressed or Struggling” category. In contrast, Indians aged above 55 scored close to 100 on average, falling within the “Managing or Succeeding” range. Older Indians ranked 49th globally.

The report notes that this generational gap is consistent worldwide, with the 18–34 age group performing worse than older adults in every country surveyed.

Tara Thiagarajan, founder and chief scientist at Sapien Labs, said: “Since we began measuring in 2019, the mind health of adults aged 55 and older has remained consistently at scores of about 100, exactly where a normal population is expected to be on the MHQ scale.” She added that young adults under 35 “were already struggling relative to their parents and grandparents before the COVID-19 pandemic” and “took a sharp nosedive during the pandemic from which they have never recovered”.

Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, including Ghana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Tanzania, recorded relatively stronger outcomes. At the lower end of the ranking were Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom and China. Finland, which frequently tops global life satisfaction indices, ranked 28th for those above 55 and 40th for the 18–34 group in mind health scores.

The decline in youth mental well-being appears more pronounced in wealthier and more developed countries, according to the report. Thiagarajan said efforts to address the issue must tackle “root causes rather than simply treat symptoms”. Over the past four years, the research has examined “what aspects of modern life — diminished family bonds, diminished spirituality, smartphones at a young age, and increasing consumption of ultra-processed food — are driving this trend”.

Family relationships emerged as a critical factor. Respondents with poor family ties were almost four times more likely to fall into the distressed or struggling range. About 44 per cent of those who did not get along with anyone in their family had low MHQ scores, compared with 12 per cent among those who were close to many family members. An associated India-focused study found that closeness to family mattered far more for mind health and well-being than income.

Nearly 64 per cent of Indian respondents aged 18–34 reported being close to their families, compared with around 78 per cent among those above 55. The average global age for receiving a first smartphone was 14, while in India it was 16.5. Consumption of ultra-processed food was also higher among young Indian adults at 44 per cent, compared with 11 per cent among older respondents.

The report also questioned the effectiveness of rising expenditure on mental health in Western nations. It noted that the United States spent USD 2.2 billion on mental health research in 2024 and more than USD 100 billion annually on treatment for adults aged 18 and older, amounting to over USD 1 trillion over the past decade. In the United Kingdom, the National Health Service spent GBP 12 billion on mental health services in 2021–22.

“Yet, despite this scale of investment, outcomes have not improved and are worse than numerous countries with minimal per capita spending on mental health care,” the report stated, adding that current models have delivered only incremental symptom relief without addressing deeper causes.