Sunday, September 21, 2025 - The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a stark warning that nearly one billion people worldwide are living with mental health conditions, urging governments to take urgent and decisive action ahead of a critical United Nations meeting later this month.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus raised the alarm
ahead of the High-Level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) and Mental
Health, scheduled for September 25 during the UN General Assembly in New York.
He said that failure to act would not only cost millions of lives but also
place unsustainable pressure on already fragile economies.
“Non-communicable diseases account for seven of the world’s
top 10 causes of death. In addition, almost one billion people face mental
health conditions,” Dr. Ghebreyesus said. “Countries that act decisively to
beat NCDs will save millions of lives, protect families, cut health costs, and
unlock economic growth.”
The WHO chief highlighted the devastating human toll of
mental illness, pointing out that suicide is now the third leading cause of
death among young people globally. Among those aged 15 to 29, it ranks fourth,
with 73% of cases occurring in low- and middle-income countries. In Nigeria
alone, the suicide mortality rate was recorded at 3.5 per 100,000 people in
January 2024, an estimated 15,000 deaths annually.
Beyond the loss of life, Dr. Ghebreyesus warned that the
global burden of NCDs and mental health challenges carries enormous economic
and social consequences. “Apart from cutting lives short and robbing families
of their loved ones, these deaths also incur huge costs for health systems and
economies,” he said.
To tackle the crisis, WHO member states have been
negotiating a political declaration over the past year, which is expected to be
finalised at the upcoming UNGA session. The draft includes a series of
ambitious global health targets to be achieved by 2030: reducing tobacco use by
150 million people, expanding mental health care access for another 150
million, and ensuring 150 million people achieve control of hypertension.
Dr. Ghebreyesus stressed that investing in prevention is not
only a moral obligation but also an economic necessity. “Investing in NCD
prevention is not a cost. It’s one of the smartest economic decisions any
government can make. But often, governments face fierce opposition from
industries that profit from unhealthy products,” he said, calling for bold
leadership to overcome political and commercial resistance.
The September 25 meeting is expected to deliver a strong
political declaration that will shape global cooperation on noncommunicable
diseases and mental health for the next decade, with experts warning that
inaction could accelerate the collapse of health systems and deepen
inequalities.
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