Health Worry and stress have increased worldwide, according to a report
Worry, stress and anger have increased worldwide over the past ten years, according to a report. Almost four out of ten adults stated that they had felt a lot of worry or severe stress the previous day.
13.10.2025, 08:05
SDA
This is the result of surveys conducted by the Gallup Institute among people aged 15 and over in 144 countries and regions.
Positive emotions such as happiness, on the other hand, have remained stable, write the authors of the report "State of the World's Emotional Health 2025".
In 2024, 39% of adults worldwide said they had experienced a lot of worry the previous day and 37% reported stress. This includes a particularly large number of people in countries affected by conflict. In 2024, worries decreased slightly on average worldwide, returning to pre-pandemic levels. Nevertheless, they are still five percentage points higher than in 2014.
Women sadder than men
Physical pain (32%) increased by two percentage points compared to the previous year. Sadness (26%) and anger (22%) showed no change during this period. Nevertheless, according to the report, all values for negative feelings are higher than a decade ago. Worldwide, women report more sadness, worry and physical pain than men.
The report is to be presented on Monday at the World Health Summit in Berlin. This summit brings together several thousand people from politics, science, business and civil society to shape a healthier future and greater well-being for all people.
"The global rise in unhappiness over the past decade is well documented, yet many leaders have overlooked it by relying on economic indicators and ignoring day-to-day emotional health," the authors write.
This omission is significant, according to the report, because negative emotions narrow people's focus and reduce their capacity to cope with problems, among other things. They could also make societies more susceptible to instability.
On the other hand, positive emotions remain widespread: Despite the reported stresses, almost nine in ten people (88 percent) said they had been treated with respect the previous day. That is three percentage points more than in 2023.
Many people around the world are laughing
Other positive aspects remained stable at the long-term level or were hardly changed: 73% of adults reported having laughed or smiled a lot, and just as many felt joy. 72 percent felt rested.
52% said they had learned something new or done something interesting the previous day - slightly below the 2023 level, but still above the 2014 level.
The report combines Gallup's data with the Global Peace Index and the Institute for Economics and Peace's Positive Peace Index, among others, to see how closely people's emotions are intertwined with stability.
"Emotional health is not just a private experience - it's an endowment that shapes societies as much as economic or political forces," said Ilana Ron Levey, managing director at Gallup.
While the mood in the world has worsened, it has also become more unstable, with increasing political unrest, more conflicts and higher casualty rates, the team writes.
The Global Peace Index, which measures the absence of violence and conflict in 163 countries, shows that unrest, strikes and anti-government demonstrations increased by 244 percent between 2011 and 2019 - remarkably, even before the pandemic.
Notepad
