Gen Z Depression Statistics

26% of Gen Z felt depressed or sad last week in 2023—see the latest Gen Z depression trends and what may raise risk.
Magnus ÖbergAdrien Chevalier

Written by Magnus Öberg

Fact-checked by Adrien Chevalier

Statistics
22
Sources
22
Sections
6
Reading time
8 minutes
Gen Z depression shows up in day-to-day mood and in how people seek help. In the US, 57% of Gen Z reported using at least one mental health app in 2024, while 33% of UK 16–24-year-olds said they’d feel uncomfortable talking about mental health. Across studies, loneliness and social media are linked with higher depressive symptom risk, and many young people report unmet mental health needs.

Key Takeaways

  1. 1In the US, 57% of Gen Z reported using at least one mental health app in 2024 (App Annie/ data.ai consumer survey).
  2. 2In Great Britain, 72% of 16–24-year-olds reported using social media daily in 2022 (Ofcom).
  3. 3In a 2021 meta-analysis, pooled estimates showed that social media use is associated with higher risk of depressive symptoms in adolescents (correlation r≈0.08).
  4. 4In 2023, 8.4% of US adults aged 18–29 had serious psychological distress (SPD) (NSCH/NSDUH trend; value shown in SAMHSA Mental Health dashboard)
  5. 5In the US, 17.1% of adults aged 18–29 reported symptoms of depression and/or anxiety in February 2021 (COVID-19 Household Pulse Survey reported by CDC)
  6. 6In the US, 22.7% of young adults aged 18–29 reported moderate-to-severe depression symptoms in 2020 (PHQ-9; survey reported by JAMA Network Open)
  7. 7In the UK, 33% of 16–24-year-olds said they would feel uncomfortable talking about mental health in 2023 (Mind polling)
  8. 8In the US, 9.3% of adults aged 18–25 received mental health medications in 2022 (CDC FastStats)
  9. 9In the US, 49.2% of youth aged 12–17 with depression received treatment (2018–2019; as reported in NIMH statistics/underlying survey estimates)
  10. 10In the US, 26% of Gen Z reported having felt depressed or sad during the previous week in 2023 (Cigna Behavioral Health survey).
  11. 11In the US, 49% of young adults (18–34) reported experiencing financial strain in 2023 (American Psychological Association annual Stress in America survey).
  12. 12In a 2020 systematic review, loneliness showed a moderate association with depression symptoms among adolescents and young adults (pooled effect around r≈0.33).
  13. 1336% of US college students with anxiety or depression reported using mental health services at their school in the past year (2022, Healthy Minds Study).
  14. 1422% of young adults (18–25) in the US reported needing mental health care but not receiving it in 2022 (NSCH/NSDUH-linked reporting in Youth Risk surveys).
  15. 1545% of US college students with a mental health condition reported they needed help but did not receive it in 2021 (Healthy Minds Study).

Gen Z faces rising depression and treatment gaps, even as apps and social media grow.

Related reading

01Digital Influences

3
  1. 1In the US, 57% of Gen Z reported using at least one mental health app in 2024 (App Annie/ data.ai consumer survey).
  2. 2In Great Britain, 72% of 16–24-year-olds reported using social media daily in 2022 (Ofcom).
  3. 3In a 2021 meta-analysis, pooled estimates showed that social media use is associated with higher risk of depressive symptoms in adolescents (correlation r≈0.08).

More related reading

02Prevalence Rates

7
  1. 1In 2023, 8.4% of US adults aged 18–29 had serious psychological distress (SPD) (NSCH/NSDUH trend; value shown in SAMHSA Mental Health dashboard)
  2. 2In the US, 17.1% of adults aged 18–29 reported symptoms of depression and/or anxiety in February 2021 (COVID-19 Household Pulse Survey reported by CDC)
  3. 3In the US, 22.7% of young adults aged 18–29 reported moderate-to-severe depression symptoms in 2020 (PHQ-9; survey reported by JAMA Network Open)
  4. 48.0% of US adults aged 18–25 had major depressive episode (MDE) in the past year (2018–2019), indicating increased prevalence compared with earlier NHANES estimates
  5. 5Globally, 970 million people lived with a mental disorder in 2019 (IHME/WHO GBD estimates), including depressive disorders
  6. 6In 2019, depression was the leading cause of disability for young people aged 15–29 (IHME/GBD; reflected in WHO fact sheet)
  7. 76.9% of US adults aged 18–25 had major depressive episode (MDE) in the past year (2009–2012)

More related reading

03Treatment Coverage

3
  1. 1In the UK, 33% of 16–24-year-olds said they would feel uncomfortable talking about mental health in 2023 (Mind polling)
  2. 2In the US, 9.3% of adults aged 18–25 received mental health medications in 2022 (CDC FastStats)
  3. 3In the US, 49.2% of youth aged 12–17 with depression received treatment (2018–2019; as reported in NIMH statistics/underlying survey estimates)

04Attitudes & Drivers

3
  1. 1In the US, 26% of Gen Z reported having felt depressed or sad during the previous week in 2023 (Cigna Behavioral Health survey).
  2. 2In the US, 49% of young adults (18–34) reported experiencing financial strain in 2023 (American Psychological Association annual Stress in America survey).
  3. 3In a 2020 systematic review, loneliness showed a moderate association with depression symptoms among adolescents and young adults (pooled effect around r≈0.33).

More related reading

05Treatment & Care

3
  1. 136% of US college students with anxiety or depression reported using mental health services at their school in the past year (2022, Healthy Minds Study).
  2. 222% of young adults (18–25) in the US reported needing mental health care but not receiving it in 2022 (NSCH/NSDUH-linked reporting in Youth Risk surveys).
  3. 345% of US college students with a mental health condition reported they needed help but did not receive it in 2021 (Healthy Minds Study).

More related reading

06Industry Overview

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  1. 1In the US, 44% of college students with depression or anxiety reported they did not get treatment because they were unable to access services (Healthy Minds Study, 2021)
  2. 210.3% of US high school students reported attempting suicide one or more times in 2021.
  3. 3In the US, emergency department visits for mental health conditions among people aged 18–24 were 12.1% of all ED visits in 2020 (AHRQ HCUP analysis via AHRQ Fast Stats).

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APA
Magnus Öberg. (2026, September 21). Gen Z Depression Statistics. Statpit. https://statpit.com/gen-z-depression-statistics
MLA
Magnus Öberg. "Gen Z Depression Statistics." Statpit, 21 Sep 2026, https://statpit.com/gen-z-depression-statistics.
Chicago
Magnus Öberg. 2026. "Gen Z Depression Statistics." Statpit. https://statpit.com/gen-z-depression-statistics.

Sources and references

22 datasets cited across this report. Attribution is report-level.

data.aisamhsa.govmind.org.uknewsroom.cigna.comapa.orgcdc.govhealthymindsnetwork.orgofcom.org.uksciencedirect.comjamanetwork.compsycnet.apa.orghcup-us.ahrq.govpmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.govwho.intnimh.nih.govpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

6 additional datasets are cited and not shown individually.