As mental health among young people hangs in the balance globally, African youth reportedly have the highest ranking of mental health worldwide.
This is according to the latest Global Mind Health in 2025 report, which collected data from nearly one million people across 84 countries last year.
Visit milkshake.it.com for more information.
Sapien Labs releases global findings
US-based non-profit Sapien Labs released the findings on Monday, drawing on data gathered through online surveys conducted across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.
The organisation is led by experts in neuroscience, psychology and computational science.
The study reveals that 41% of the world’s internet-enabled young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 face a “mind health crisis” with declines in cognitive, emotional, social, and physical capacities that substantially affect their ability to navigate life’s challenges.
It shows a concerning decline in the mental health of younger generations globally, while also revealing significant regional differences.
ALSO READ: The psychological toll of unemployment
African countries dominate youth rankings
Notably, young adults in sub-Saharan Africa consistently outperform peers in higher-income regions, including North America, Europe and parts of Asia.
Ghana ranks first globally, followed by Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Tanzania, making the top five countries entirely African.
South Africa, however, ranks 46 out of 84 for young adults.
On the Mind Health Quotient (MHQ) scale, which measures mental well-being on a spectrum from distressed to thriving, SA has an average score of 39 for those aged 18 to 34, compared to 98 for those aged 55 and older.
The global average MHQ stands at 66. It lies in the “managing” region on a scale from distressed to thriving.
Generational slide in mental well-being
“The mind health crisis appears to be a progressive slide from generation to generation and goes far beyond rising rates of depression and anxiety,” said Dr Tara Thiagarajan, lead author of the report and Sapien Labs’ founder and chief scientist.
“We assessed a wide range of capacities essential for navigating life’s challenges and found that many young adults are struggling. Alongside depression and anxiety, they often experience challenges across emotional control, handling relationships with others, and their ability to focus.”
According to the study, the strong performance of several African countries suggests that protective factors like spirituality and family bonds may have contributed positively to the outcomes.
It shows that in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, young adults reported the strongest spirituality globally, later adoption of smartphones during childhood, and closer family bonds compared to peers in wealthier regions.
ALSO READ: Spotlight on inmate wellbeing as half of prison deaths are suicides
Protective factors and policy warnings
Tanzania, for example, ranks highest globally in spirituality measures and has the oldest average age for smartphone adoption, despite moving from first place overall last year to fifth this year.
Kenya and Nigeria are also high up the list, with Kenya showing improvement compared to previous years.
Thiagarajan says spending on mental health research and care in the US has risen dramatically, by billions of dollars, as it has across Western countries.
“And while important, it’s not moving the needle,” she said.
“We need to stop chasing the symptoms and instead begin tackling the broader problems that erode the productivity and well-being of young adults around the world.
“For example, policy interventions that limit smartphone access in childhood and consumption of ultra-processed foods help safeguard the mind health of the youngest generations – without them, the global economy will flounder for the next several decades.”
Factors contributing to mind health challenges
Highlighting four primary factors contributing to youth mind health challenges globally, the report notes that smartphones, ultra-processed foods, reduced spirituality and deteriorating family ties jointly account for the majority of the mind health challenges that emerged from the survey data.
- Smartphones: Among those aged between 18 and 24, the younger they were when they acquired their first smartphone in childhood, the more likely they are to have struggles as adults.
- Ultra-processed foods: Mind health declines systematically with consumption of these products; estimated to contribute between 15% and 38% of the mental health burden.
- Spirituality: Defined as a sense or feeling of connection to a higher power, among the 18 to 34 age group, those with spirituality ratings of seven or higher (out of nine) typically have MHQ scores 20 points or more higher than those with ratings below three.
- Family bonds: Those with poor family relationships are almost four times more likely to have mind health scores in the distressed or struggling ranges compared to those who are close to many family members.
The study paints a bleak picture of a widening gap in mental health between the youth and the older generation.
“Overall, young people today are merely enduring life in sharp contrast not only to their parents and grandparents’ generations today, but also to young adults in the early 2000s, who reported the greatest well-being of all age groups,” the study reveals.
NOW READ: Men urged to take HIV treatment as deaths outnumber women