WASHINGTON — The percentage of U.S. adults who reported having depression or having been diagnosed with depression reached the highest level since Gallup Polling began collecting data on the issue in 2015.
According to the Gallup poll, 29% of Americans reported a doctor had told them they had depression at some point in their life as of 2023. At the same time, 17.8% of Americans told Gallup they are currently being treated for depression.
Going deeper into the numbers, the rate of depression in a lifetime or being currently treated for depression was highest in adults 18-44. Looking at ethnicity, Black and Hispanic adults had the sharpest growth in diagnoses for depression over the past six years, 14.3% and 12.9%, respectively.
Overall, the Gallup poll found 17% of U.S. adults "report experiencing significant loneliness 'yesterday,' projecting to an estimated 44 million people."
Gallup reports that globally, nearly 40% of people aged 15 and older "either endure significant depression or anxiety themselves or have a close friend or family member who suffers from it."
