Key points
- 16% of working-age adults were estimated to have a mental disorder in 2023 (WHO, mental health at work fact sheet, 15 September 2026).
- An estimated 12 billion working days are lost every year to depression and anxiety, at a cost of US$1 trillion a year in lost productivity (WHO).
- Burn-out is listed in ICD-11 as an occupational phenomenon, not a medical condition — a syndrome from chronic workplace stress not successfully managed (WHO).
- About 2 billion workers — around 60% of the world's employed population — work in the informal economy, mostly without formal protections (ILO).
Direct answer: Work shapes mental health, and mental health shapes work. 16% of working-age adults were estimated to have a mental disorder in 2023 (WHO). An estimated 12 billion working days are lost every year to depression and anxiety, at a cost of US$1 trillion a year in lost productivity. Almost 60% of the world population is in work. This page is for workers generally: what the risks are, what burn-out is, and what WHO says governments and employers should do. It does not advise any individual about their own job or health.
The scale
The figures are WHO’s, from the mental health at work fact sheet (page shows 15 September 2026; originally September 2024). 16% of working-age adults were estimated to have a mental disorder in 2023. Depression and anxiety cost an estimated 12 billion working days a year, and US$1 trillion a year in lost productivity. Almost 60% of the world population is in work — so the workplace is where most adults spend most of their waking hours, and where the conditions of work meet mental health most directly. The figures are population estimates. They do not describe any one worker, and they cannot be used to judge whether a particular person is unwell.
The risks WHO names
WHO names the workplace risks at population level: excessive workloads and work pace, understaffing, long, unsocial or inflexible hours, lack of control over job design, unsafe working conditions, a culture that enables negative behaviours, limited support and authoritarian supervision, violence, harassment and bullying, discrimination and exclusion, unclear job role, under- or over-promotion, job insecurity and inadequate pay, and conflicting home and work demands. Unemployment, job and financial insecurity, and recent job loss are risk factors for suicide attempts. The list is a description of conditions, not a checklist for judging a workplace or a worker — most jobs carry more than one of these at once, and risk is usually several things together, not one cause.
Burn-out
Burn-out is listed in WHO’s ICD-11 as an “occupational phenomenon”, not a medical condition. WHO defines it as a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed, characterized by three dimensions: feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and reduced professional efficacy. It refers specifically to the occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life. That distinction matters: burn-out describes a relationship between a person and their work, not a diagnosis of the person. This page states the definition and goes no further — it does not help anyone decide whether they are burned out.
What WHO says should happen
WHO’s actions are aimed at governments and employers, not at individual workers. They are: organisational interventions targeting working conditions (for example flexible working, and frameworks against violence and harassment); manager training; worker mental-health literacy training; reasonable accommodations; return-to-work programmes; and supported employment. The framing is deliberate — the risks above are mostly set by how work is organised, so the responses WHO names are mostly organisational too. This page states what WHO recommends at that level; it does not tell any worker what to ask their employer for, and it does not advise any employer either.
Informal-economy workers at work
This section is the home for the gap the research found: informal-economy workers. About 2 billion workers — around 60% of the world’s employed population — work in the informal economy (ILO). They are not recognised, registered, regulated or protected under labour legislation and social protection. The share is highest where formal work is scarcest: in sub-Saharan Africa informal employment reaches around 90%, and it is similarly pervasive across South and South-East Asia. The WHO risks named above apply to these workers too — long hours, unsafe conditions, no control over job design, income insecurity — with fewer safeguards and no formal route to the accommodations and return-to-work programmes WHO recommends. Most workplace guidance is written for formal employment; for the majority of the world’s workers, that guidance describes a workplace they do not have. This page states that gap and goes no further: it does not invent informal-sector figures, and it quotes no mental-health prevalence figure for informal workers, because none was verified in the research behind this page.
Frequently asked questions
How common are mental disorders among workers?
16% of working-age adults were estimated to have a mental disorder in 2023 (WHO). Almost 60% of the world population is in work.
Is burn-out a medical condition?
No. WHO lists burn-out in ICD-11 as an occupational phenomenon, not a medical condition — a syndrome from chronic workplace stress not successfully managed.
What about workers in the informal economy?
About 2 billion workers — around 60% of the world's employed — work informally, mostly without formal protections. The WHO risks apply to them too, with fewer safeguards.