Loneliness among adults worldwide by country 2021

According to a global survey, about 33 percent of adults experienced feelings of loneliness worldwide. Brazil had the highest percentage of people experiencing this, with 50 percent of respondents declaring that they felt lonely either often, always, or sometimes. Turkey, India, and Saudi Arabia followed, with 43 percent to 46 percent of respondents having experienced loneliness at least sometimes. On the contrary, the Netherlands, Japan, Germany, and Russia registered the largest share of interviewees which did not feel lonely.

Coping with loneliness during the pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has suddenly cut off people from all over the world from their social life, and the lack of companionship has been a difficult situation for many to cope with. In the United States, people who experienced lack of company were, unsurprisingly, individuals living alone, and unemployed, disabled, or unemployed people. In relation to mental health, Americans who reported more symptoms of depression were by far more likely to feel lonely.

Impact of mental health

According to a survey conducted in 2021 among G7 countries, about seven in 10 people experienced a worsening of their psychological health during the pandemic. A study on clinician-reported changes in selected health behaviors in the United States showed that during the pandemic patients have suffered more from feelings of loneliness, depression or anxiety, and burnout. Also nutrition and other habits have been impacted. The study reported an increase in alcohol consumption, smoking cigarettes, poor nutrition, and use of other substances.

How often do you feel lonely?

Characteristic	Often/Always/Some of the times	Hardly ever/Never
Brazil	50%	28%
Turkey	46%	32%
India	43%	27%
Saudi Arabia	43%	37%
Italy	41%	29%
South Africa	40%	28%
Malaysia	39%	21%
South Korea	38%	28%
Chile	38%	37%
Peru	37%	35%
France	36%	39%
Argentina	35%	38%
Mexico	34%	40%
Great Britain	34%	39%
Global average	33%	37%
Canada	31%	36%
United States	31%	41%
Singapore	30%	36%
Australia	30%	42%
Hungary	29%	40%
Belgium	28%	38%
Spain	27%	42%
Germany	26%	50%
China	26%	27%
Sweden	25%	42%
Russia	25%	49%
Poland	23%	38%
Japan	16%	48%
Netherlands	15%	55%

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Release date

February 2021

More information

Region

Worldwide

Survey time period

December 23, 2020 to January 8, 2021

Number of respondents

23,004 respondents

Age group

16-74 years

Method of interview

Online survey

Supplementary notes

The source adds the following information:
"The sample consists of approximately 1,000 individuals in each of Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, mainland China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Spain and the U.S., and 500 individuals in each of Argentina, Chile, Hungary, India, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, and Turkey."
and
"The samples in Brazil, Chile, mainland China, India, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, and Turkey are more urban, more educated, and/or more affluent than the general population. The survey results for these markets should be viewed as reflecting the views of the more “connected” segment of their population."

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