Indian young adults rank lowly 60th in 84-nation mental health study

NEW DELHI: Young adults in India ranked 60th out of 84 countries in key mental well-being parameters in the 2025 report of an ongoing global mental health study, scoring significantly poorly than their peers aged 18-34 in most parts of the world.

The 'Global Mind Health in 2025' released Thursday by US-based Sapien Labs reveals not just a serious mental health crisis among young Indian adults but also a profound generational gap, as older people enjoyed significantly better mental health scores.

The report, which surveyed over 78,000 internet-enabled individuals in India, assigned young adults (18-34 years) a low mind health quotient (MHQ) score of 33. This contrasts sharply with an MHQ score of 96 for those aged 55 and above, a level aligning with normal mental function and putting them at rank 49 among 84 countries. This stark difference highlights a "structural, multi-year generational shift" in mental well-being that researchers suggest is not merely a temporary effect of recent events like the pandemic.

"The scores reflect a very steep decline in younger generations - steeper than many other countries globally. While those aged 55+ are doing fine, younger adults are seriously struggling," said Tara Thiagarajan, founder and chief scientist at Sapien Labs.

"This reflects declines in the factors we have outlined in the study, and some others, as well such as increased toxic load in the environment (air, water, food) and lack of physical activity," she added.

The study says the mental health crisis among India's youth goes beyond issues such as anxiety and depression, reflecting a broader reduction in core mental functioning, including the ability to regulate emotions, maintain focus, build stable relationships, and recover from stress.

Based on data generated in previous years, the study identifies four key drivers of mental health - family bonds, spirituality, consumption of ultra-processed food (UPF) and early exposure to smartphones. In India, the 64% of respondents in the 18-34 age group reported being close to their family, compared to 78% of those over 55.

While relatively lower than in some other nations, regular UPF consumption among young Indian adults (44%) was substantially higher than among the older generation (11%). The average age for a first smartphone in India was 16.5 years, a figure expected to be much lower for Gen Alpha, with earlier exposure linked to increased mental health risks.

Globally, the study found young adults in economically developed countries struggling with mental health much more than their counterparts in less developed nations. Those at the bottom included Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the UK and China, while countries with relatively better mind health were predominantly in sub-Saharan Africa, including Ghana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Tanzania. Finland, which consistently tops the World Happiness Index, ranked 28 on mind health for those 55+ and 40 for those 18-34 years - indicating that satisfaction with circumstances of life was distinct from mental capacity to navigate life's challenges .

The mind health quotient is a metric that aggregates respondent ratings of 47 cognitive, emotional, social and physical capacities and problems that enable or diminish our ability to function effectively. The scale reflects a person's fundamental mental capacity, says Sapien Labs.


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