Mental health remains the top health concern globally, ranking above cancer, obesity and heart disease. This is according to a new Ipsos survey, conducted between July 25 and August 8, 2025, across 30 countries.
Awareness of mental health has grown significantly since the pandemic. In 2020, only 27 percent of respondents considered it one of their country's most pressing health issues. By 2024 and 2025, that figure had risen to 45 percent. While Covid-19 was unsurprisingly considered the biggest health concern in 2020, with 72 percent of respondents around the world citing it, concern over the respiratory disease has sharply declined to six percent naming ith as the top health concern.
Perceptions, however, varied across countries. Mental health ranked as the number one healthcare priority in 18 of the 30 countries surveyed. The highest levels of concern were found in Chile (68 percent), Sweden (63 percent), Spain (62 percent), Australia (62 percent) and Canada (59 percent). The U.S. was also among this group, with 50 percent of respondents selecting mental health as the top issue in the country. Places where mental health was less of a concern included Japan (25 percent), Romania (21 percent) and India (20 percent).
In nine countries, cancer was seen as the leading health problem, including France (60 percent), Belgium (60 percent), India (52 percent) and Japan (39 percent). Mexico was the only country where obesity ranked as the top health concern (58 percent), while South Africa was the only one to cite drug abuse first (54 percent).
The Ipsos Health Service Report 2025 also highlights a generational divide. Younger people were more likely to view mental health as a primary concern: on average, 48 percent of 16-29 year olds named it their country’s top health issue, compared to 35 percent among adults aged 70-74 years old. This may reflect that young people are particularly struggling as well as different levels of awareness and stigma around mental health between generations.
If you are feeling overwhelmed, anxious or depressed, please reach out to your family or friends, a mental health professional or contact a crisis line in your area. You are not alone, help is available.
