COVID-19: The countries reporting the highest mental health declines

Aug 13, 2020

With the collaboration of Statista.

Lori Hutter (R) cries with her daughter Cassie next to their burned out home in the Rancho Bernardo neighborhood of San Diego, California October 27, 2007. Risk Management Solutions, which predicts and assesses insured damages, said in a statement that the wildfires which have devastated Southern California would likely cost insurers between $900 million and $1.6 billion. REUTERS/John Gress (UNITED STATES) - GM1DWLUTSGAA

Around the world, the pandemic continues to take its toll both physically and mentally. Image: REUTERS/John Gress

Niall McCarthy

Data Journalist, Statista

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SDG 03: Good Health and Well-Being

The pandemic is having a significant impact on people's mental health.
From grief to social isolation, the causes are numerous.
In the US, a third of adults reported their mental health had suffered as a result of the pandemic.

Along with the obvious physical implications for people who contract Covid-19, the pandemic is having a devastating mental health impact on people all over the world. The grief among those who have lost loved ones, the unease at losing a job and economic security, the frustration of lockdowns, the challenges of working from home while taking care of kids along with the fear of contracting the disease have all taken their toll on mental health.

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The impact on mental health as been widespread. Image: Statista

The Commonwealth Fund and research firm SSRS recently released a survey about the issue, focusing on the situation across ten high-income countries (no data was available for Germany for the following infographic). It found that a third of people in the United States said they experienced stress, anxiety or sadness that was difficult to cope with alone since the outbreak of Covid-19. Around a quarter of respondents in Canada, the UK, and France also said they had suffered mental health problems as a result of the pandemic.

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