Key points
- Globally, 1 in 7 (14.3%) of 10–19-year-olds experiences a mental health condition, accounting for 15% of the global burden of disease in this age group (WHO, fact sheet 1 September 2025).
- Depression, anxiety and behavioural disorders are among the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents (WHO, 1 September 2025).
- More than 1 billion people worldwide live with a mental health condition — roughly 1 in 7 people globally (WHO, Mental disorders fact sheet, 11 September 2026). The older figure of about 970 million, or 1 in 8, is superseded.
- Conditions in children remain largely unrecognised and untreated. This page names conditions and factors at population level only — it does not screen, score or triage any child.
Direct answer: Globally, 1 in 7 (14.3%) of 10–19-year-olds experiences a mental health condition, accounting for 15% of the global burden of disease in this age group — and conditions remain largely unrecognised and untreated (WHO, fact sheet published 1 September 2025). This page is for families: what those conditions are called, how common they are, what raises or lowers risk at population level, and why the first five years matter. It names conditions. It does not screen, score or triage any child, and it gives no advice about any individual family.
How common are mental health conditions in children?
The headline figure is WHO’s: 1 in 7 (14.3%) of 10–19-year-olds experiences a mental health condition, accounting for 15% of the global burden of disease in that age group (WHO, “Mental health of adolescents”, 1 September 2025, using Global Burden of Disease 2021 data). Depression, anxiety and behavioural disorders are among the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents. WHO’s mental disorders fact sheet (11 September 2026, using Global Burden of Disease 2023 data) puts the all-ages figure at more than 1 billion people worldwide living with a mental health condition (1.2 billion), roughly 1 in 7 people globally. The older headline of about 970 million, or 1 in 8, is from 2019 data and is superseded; this page does not quote it as current.
| Condition | Ages 10–14 | Ages 15–19 |
|---|---|---|
| Anxiety | 4.1% | 5.3% |
| Depression | 1.3% | 3.4% |
| ADHD | 2.7% | 2.2% |
| Conduct disorder | 3.3% | 1.8% |
| Eating disorders | 0.1% | 0.4% |
| Schizophrenia | — | 0.1% |
The table above is WHO’s, from the same fact sheet (Global Burden of Disease 2021 data). It is included so that families can see the shape of the picture — anxiety the most common, depression rising with age — not so that any child can be matched to a row. A percentage in a table describes a population; it says nothing about any individual child.
The first five years
Mental health does not start at school. The first five years — from birth to age five — lay the foundation, and the UK Department for Education’s early-years mental health guidance is written for that age band specifically. UNICEF’s age-banded guidance for families (Europe and Central Asia, 16 May 2025) describes distress differently at each age: what it looks like in babies and toddlers is not what it looks like in a teenager, and the conversations that help are different too. The same UNICEF guidance names what harms young children’s mental health most directly: violence, shouting and hitting, frequent arguments, and neglect — which together can cause what it calls toxic stress. The protective side is the mirror image: secure relationships, play, sleep, and safety. This section is the home for the early-years gap the research found — no competitor covers the 0–5 years as a worldwide, plain-language family page, and this page does not try to be a parenting manual; it states the frame and links to UNICEF’s age-banded detail.
What raises the risk
WHO names the risk factors at population level: exposure to adversity, violence (especially sexual violence and bullying), harsh parenting, severe socioeconomic problems, peer pressure, identity pressures, media influence, and gender norms. Higher-risk groups include adolescents in humanitarian or fragile settings, adolescents with chronic illness, autism or intellectual disability, pregnant adolescents, orphans, and adolescents from discriminated groups. These are population patterns, not predictions about any child. A child can face several of these factors and be well, and a child can face none of them and struggle. The factors explain where support is most needed across a population; they do not explain any individual.
What protects children
WHO names the protective factors too: healthy sleep patterns, regular exercise, coping, problem-solving and interpersonal skills, and managing emotions — in protective and supportive environments in the family, at school, and in the wider community. Promotion and prevention work at several levels at once: strengthening the capacity to regulate emotions, building resilience, and promoting supportive social environments and networks, delivered through digital media, health and social care, schools and community. WHO names two programmes in this space: the WHO–UNICEF Helping Adolescents Thrive (HAT) initiative, and the mhGAP child and adolescent module. None of this is advice to a family about their child; it is a description of what the evidence says helps children in general.
What families can do, in general terms
The general points follow from the protective factors: keep sleep and exercise regular, keep the home environment supportive, and keep conversations open. UNICEF’s guidance includes, by age band, how to start a conversation with a child about how they feel — the page links to it rather than repeating it. For anything beyond general awareness, the routes are a clinician, the child’s school, and the official routes listed in the Wellbeing Support Directory on this site. That directory lists official routes only; it does not triage, score or diagnose anyone. The companion guide on finding support for a child describes those routes in full.
Frequently asked questions
How common are mental health conditions in children?
Globally, 1 in 7 (14.3%) of 10–19-year-olds experiences a mental health condition (WHO, 1 September 2025). Conditions remain largely unrecognised and untreated.
What does mental health mean for babies and young children?
The first five years lay the foundation: secure relationships, play, sleep and safety. Violence, shouting, hitting, frequent arguments and neglect can cause toxic stress.
Does this page assess my child?
No. It names conditions and factors at population level only. It does not screen, score or triage any child. For a personal question, see a clinician or use the official routes in the Wellbeing Support Directory.