- October 31, 2025
- 2:36 pm
- World News
Look around: cities are bustling, cafes are packed, work chats are buzzing until night. People argue about crypto and whether apartments in Tel Aviv are getting more expensive, joke about morning espresso, post photos from the beach.
And yet — millions wake up already tired.
The study by IHME / Global Burden of Disease is not about the mood of “oh, autumn.” It is an accurate map of how humanity breathes. And it has one conclusion: depression has become almost as global a reality as internet networks and rising housing prices.
What does it even mean — when the world is tired?
Scientists have been sifting through medical databases, archival data from the 80s, survey results, clinical reports for years. They don’t listen to guesses — they count.
Algorithms help, but at the core are real people, real doctors, real stories.
Depression, according to DSM and ICD criteria, is not just a “tough week.”
It’s when thoughts dull, the color of life washes out, the body feels like it’s carrying a concrete backpack.
Sometimes it manifests so routinely that it’s frightening:
phone in hand, but not a single contact you want to write to
energy runs out before the phone finishes charging
even joy comes as if in battery-saving mode
The world picture: where it’s hardest
Numbers sound cold, but behind them are living people.
Top countries by depression level (IHME):
🇬🇧 United Kingdom — 7.04%
🇳🇱 Netherlands — 6.9%
🇺🇦 Ukraine — 6.56%
Then a long list — from Lebanon to Iceland, from Greece to Chile.
The geography is so wide, it’s as if it’s not about a disease, but a new global language.
Israel — 5.05%.
Approximately at the level of Europe. Formally — everything is fine: therapy is available through health funds, support programs exist.
But those who have lived here for a long time know: the queue to a good psychotherapist can stretch like the repairs on Allenby, and the conversation about “weakness” is still taboo in some families.
Why now?
Doctors and analysts speak plainly:
the era of accelerations is also an era of exhaustion.
Too many factors press simultaneously:
social isolation, even though we are “online” 24/7
rising prices, mortgages, the feeling of “we can’t manage”
wars, anxieties, news that hit like sirens
endless comparisons on social media: who is better, brighter, happier
And most importantly — the feeling that a person must be productive even in moments when they just need to lie down and breathe.
Ukraine and Israel: two different contexts, similar tension
In Ukraine, depression is not surprising:
war forms internal cracks that are not always visible. People hold on — the habit of surviving has become almost a cultural code.
In Israel, it’s a different style of pressure: constant readiness, a background of anxiety, a rhythm where “just a little longer.” You see people joking at the supermarket checkout, but inside they have an emotional storage map at its limit.
In both places — a huge will to live. But will is not armor.
Why are the numbers understated? Because people are silent
Official statistics are only the visible part.
In the same IHME data, it is emphasized:
cultural barriers, lack of fresh surveys, fear of admitting “I’m not okay,” and lack of specialists — all this makes the real numbers higher.
And if you look at WHO data — about 330+ million people are facing depression right now.
Every eighth woman in the world goes through this at least once in her life.
The peak is 20–40 years, the age when the world demands “be successful.”
Is there light? Yes. But it requires honesty
Yes, society has started talking about it more.
Yes, access to therapy is growing.
Yes, help is becoming closer.
But I’ll be honest — sometimes the most luxurious thing in life is not yachts and not bright parties.
The real luxury now is to allow yourself to be human.
To say out loud: I need a pause, help, a breath.
We build smart cities, launch rockets, and teach machines to think.
But learning to be kinder to ourselves — that’s what looks like the real future.
Full list of 25 countries with the highest depression levels:
1. United Kingdom — 7.04%
2. Netherlands — 6.90%
3. Ukraine — 6.56%
4. Tunisia — 6.12%
5. Lebanon — 5.89%
6. Greece — 5.87%
7. Switzerland — 5.77%
8. Mauritius — 5.38%
9. Libya — 5.27%
10. Chile — 5.26%
11. Iceland — 5.22%
12. Gabon — 5.16%
13. Puerto Rico — 5.08%
14. Bangladesh — 5.06%
15. Israel — 5.05%
16. Luxembourg — 5.03%
17. Sweden — 5.02%
18. Morocco — 4.98%
19. Sudan — 4.96%
20. Portugal — 4.95%
21. Greenland — 4.94%
22. Germany — 4.85%
23. Jordan — 4.80%
24. Georgia — 4.74%
25. Lithuania — 4.73%
