Loneliness contributes to an estimated 871,000 deaths worldwide every year, and the people most affected are teenagers, not pensioners. The WHO Commission on Social Connection put adolescent loneliness at 20.9% against 17.4% for young adults, and Gallup’s survey across 142 countries found the same inversion: 27% of 19 to 29 year olds report feeling very or fairly lonely, against 17% of those aged 65 and over. Meanwhile a third of adults over 60 are socially isolated, which is a different measure entirely and the reason the two findings can both be true. The figures below come from the WHO Commission’s 2025 flagship report, the Meta-Gallup Global State of Social Connections, and the US Surgeon General’s advisory.
TL;DR
- An estimated 16% of people worldwide experienced loneliness, roughly one in six (WHO, 2025)
- Loneliness contributes to an estimated 871,000 deaths globally each year (WHO, 2025)
- Adolescents aged 13 to 17 report the highest rate at 20.9% (WHO, 2025)
- Young adults aged 18 to 29 report 17.4% (WHO, 2025)
- Roughly a third of adults aged 60 and over are socially isolated (WHO, 2025)
- Gallup found 24% of people worldwide feel very or fairly lonely (Meta-Gallup)
- Gallup’s survey covered 142 countries and areas (Meta-Gallup)
- Loneliness ranged from 45% in Comoros to 6% in Vietnam (Meta-Gallup)
- 27% of 19 to 29 year olds feel very or fairly lonely (Meta-Gallup)
- Only 17% of those aged 65 and over report the same (Meta-Gallup)
- About half of people worldwide report no loneliness at all (Meta-Gallup)
- The US Surgeon General compared the mortality impact to smoking 15 cigarettes a day (US Surgeon General, 2023)
- About 50% of US adults reported experiencing loneliness (US Surgeon General, 2023)
1. Global Prevalence
Two major datasets measure this and they land in different places for a legible reason. The WHO Commission puts global loneliness at 16%, roughly one in six people, while Gallup’s 142-country survey reports 24% feeling very or fairly lonely. The gap is question wording: WHO synthesises studies using varied clinical instruments across 2014 to 2023, while Gallup asks a single direct question about feeling lonely. Neither figure is wrong, and quoting one as though it refutes the other is the most common error in coverage of this topic.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Global loneliness prevalence | 16%, roughly 1 in 6 | WHO, 2025 |
| Period covered by that estimate | 2014 to 2023 | WHO, 2025 |
| Feel very or fairly lonely | 24% | Meta-Gallup |
| Countries and areas surveyed | 142 | Meta-Gallup |
| Report no loneliness at all | about half | Meta-Gallup |
| Highest national rate | 45%, Comoros | Meta-Gallup |
| Lowest national rate | 6%, Vietnam | Meta-Gallup |
| Spread between highest and lowest | 39 points | Derived from Gallup figures |
| WHO report publication date | June 30, 2025 | WHO |
The 39-point national spread is larger than any demographic gap in either dataset, which suggests that cultural and structural factors outweigh individual characteristics in explaining who feels lonely. Source: WHO on social connection and reduced risk of early death.
2. The Mortality Estimate
The number that moved loneliness from a social concern to a public health category is a death toll. The WHO Commission estimates loneliness contributes to 871,000 deaths globally each year, working through elevated risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, depression, and cognitive decline rather than as a direct cause. The US Surgeon General framed the same evidence differently, comparing the mortality impact of social disconnection to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated annual deaths linked to loneliness | 871,000 | WHO, 2025 |
| Cigarette equivalence cited for mortality impact | up to 15 per day | US Surgeon General, 2023 |
| Comparison to obesity and physical inactivity | greater impact than both | US Surgeon General, 2023 |
| Conditions with elevated risk | cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, depression, cognitive decline | WHO, 2025 |
| Additional risks cited | dementia, stroke, anxiety, premature death | US Surgeon General, 2023 |
| US adults reporting loneliness | about 50% | US Surgeon General, 2023 |
| Length of the Surgeon General advisory | 81 pages | US Surgeon General, 2023 |
| Advisory publication date | May 2, 2023 | US Surgeon General |
The cigarette comparison is the most-quoted and least-understood figure in this field. It derives from meta-analyses of observational studies, so it describes an association of comparable magnitude, not an experiment showing equivalence. Adjacent digital wellbeing data sits in our screen time and digital wellbeing statistics. Source: US Surgeon General’s Advisory on our epidemic of loneliness and isolation.
3. The Age Pattern Inverts Expectations
Almost every intuition about loneliness gets the age distribution backwards. Adolescents aged 13 to 17 report the highest loneliness at 20.9%, young adults 18 to 29 report 17.4%, and Gallup finds 27% among 19 to 29 year olds against 17% for those 65 and over. Two independent methodologies producing the same inversion is strong evidence that this is real rather than an artefact of how any one survey reaches respondents.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Loneliness, ages 13 to 17 | 20.9% | WHO, 2025 |
| Loneliness, ages 18 to 29 | 17.4% | WHO, 2025 |
| Very or fairly lonely, ages 19 to 29 | 27% | Meta-Gallup |
| Very or fairly lonely, ages 65 and over | 17% | Meta-Gallup |
| Gap between youngest and oldest adults | 10 points | Derived from Gallup figures |
| Global loneliness average for comparison | 16% | WHO, 2025 |
| Adolescent rate versus global average | approx. 5 points higher | Derived from WHO figures |
| Direction of the age relationship | inverse | WHO and Meta-Gallup |
Teen loneliness running five points above the global average matters for anyone reading it alongside teen platform data: the same cohort with the highest connectivity reports the highest loneliness. Related behavioural data sits in our teen social media statistics. Source: Meta-Gallup Global State of Social Connections.
4. Isolation Is Not Loneliness
The single most useful distinction in this literature is also the one most often collapsed. Roughly a third of adults aged 60 and over are socially isolated, while the same age group reports the lowest loneliness of any cohort. Isolation is an objective deficit in social contact; loneliness is the subjective feeling that connection is inadequate. Older adults have fewer contacts and mind less; young adults have more contacts and mind more.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Adults 60 and over who are socially isolated | roughly one third | WHO, 2025 |
| Loneliness among adults 65 and over | 17%, the lowest cohort | Meta-Gallup |
| Definition of social isolation | objective deficit in social contact | US Surgeon General |
| Definition of loneliness | subjective feeling of inadequate connection | US Surgeon General |
| Direction of the two measures in older adults | opposite | WHO and Meta-Gallup |
| Highest-loneliness cohort | adolescents at 20.9% | WHO, 2025 |
| Global loneliness prevalence for reference | 16% | WHO, 2025 |
| Whether the two are interchangeable | no | US Surgeon General |
Policy that targets isolation, such as increasing contact frequency for older adults, does not automatically reduce loneliness, and interventions evaluated against the wrong measure routinely appear to fail. Device-adoption context for that cohort sits in our older adults technology adoption statistics, and the digital mental health response in our mental health app statistics. Source: Report of the WHO Commission on Social Connection summary.
5. Who Is Most at Risk
Beyond age, the WHO identifies populations where both measures run higher simultaneously. People living with disabilities, migrants, ethnic minorities, indigenous people, and LGBTIQ+ individuals are more likely to experience both loneliness and social isolation than the general population. These risks compound with the age pattern rather than replacing it, meaning a young person in one of these groups carries elevated risk on both axes.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Groups identified as higher risk | people with disabilities, migrants, ethnic minorities, indigenous people, LGBTIQ+ | WHO, 2025 |
| Relationship to general population | more likely on both loneliness and isolation | WHO, 2025 |
| Interaction with the age pattern | compounding, not replacing | WHO, 2025 |
| Highest national loneliness rate | 45%, Comoros | Meta-Gallup |
| Lowest national loneliness rate | 6%, Vietnam | Meta-Gallup |
| Countries and areas in the Gallup sample | 142 | Meta-Gallup |
| Framing adopted by the Commission | social connection as a health determinant | WHO, 2025 |
| Report title | From loneliness to social connection | WHO, 2025 |
The Commission’s framing shift matters more than any single number: treating social connection as a determinant of health puts it in the same policy category as air quality or sanitation rather than as an individual emotional problem. Source: WHO Director-General’s remarks at the report launch.
Summary: Loneliness by the Numbers
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Global loneliness prevalence | 16% | WHO |
| Estimated annual deaths linked to loneliness | 871,000 | WHO |
| Loneliness, ages 13 to 17 | 20.9% | WHO |
| Loneliness, ages 18 to 29 | 17.4% | WHO |
| Adults 60 and over who are socially isolated | roughly one third | WHO |
| Feel very or fairly lonely worldwide | 24% | Meta-Gallup |
| Countries and areas surveyed | 142 | Meta-Gallup |
| Very or fairly lonely, ages 19 to 29 | 27% | Meta-Gallup |
| Very or fairly lonely, ages 65 and over | 17% | Meta-Gallup |
| Report no loneliness at all | about half | Meta-Gallup |
| Highest national rate | 45%, Comoros | Meta-Gallup |
| Lowest national rate | 6%, Vietnam | Meta-Gallup |
| Cigarette equivalence for mortality impact | up to 15 per day | US Surgeon General |
| US adults reporting loneliness | about 50% | US Surgeon General |
| Comparison to obesity and inactivity | greater impact | US Surgeon General |
| Advisory length and date | 81 pages, May 2, 2023 | US Surgeon General |
| WHO report publication date | June 30, 2025 | WHO |
| Period covered by WHO prevalence estimate | 2014 to 2023 | WHO |
| Higher-risk groups identified | disabilities, migrants, minorities, indigenous, LGBTIQ+ | WHO |
| Conditions with elevated risk | cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression, cognitive decline | WHO |
Methodology and Sources
- Global prevalence, the mortality estimate, age breakdowns, isolation figures, and at-risk groups come from the report of the WHO Commission on Social Connection, published June 30, 2025 (WHO news release, summary slide deck, Commission page, launch remarks).
- Country-level and age-level loneliness rates come from the Meta-Gallup Global State of Social Connections, covering 142 countries and areas (Gallup, Gallup analysis, follow-up polling).
- Mortality comparisons, US prevalence, and the loneliness versus isolation distinction come from the US Surgeon General’s 2023 advisory (advisory record, AHRQ summary). Cross-country comparative framing draws on OECD work on social connections (OECD).
- Data watch: the WHO’s 16% and Gallup’s 24% measure different things and must not be presented as competing estimates of the same quantity. WHO synthesises studies using varied instruments across a 2014 to 2023 window, so its figure is a decade-spanning synthesis rather than a current-year reading; Gallup asks a single direct question at a point in time. The 871,000 annual deaths figure is a modelled attribution from observational associations, not a count of death certificates, and attribution modelling of this kind carries wide uncertainty that the headline number does not convey. The cigarette comparison derives from meta-analyses of observational studies and describes comparable association magnitude, not experimental equivalence. The Surgeon General advisory dates to May 2023 and covers the United States only. Rows marked as derived are arithmetic on reported figures.
- Last updated: August 1, 2026. We update this roundup quarterly as WHO, Gallup, and national health bodies publish new social connection data.