How Many People in the U.S. Have Depression?

Summary: According to the latest data, around 21.5 million people over age 18 in the U.S. have depression, while around 15 million people have depression with severe impairment.

Key Points:

• Rates of depression for most adult age groups remained stable between 2021-2024.
• For adults ages 18-25, rates of depression and depression with severe impairment decreased.
• Rates for adults ages 26-49 remained stable on average between 2021-2024, but increased slightly between 2022-23, then decreased slightly from 2023-2024.
• Rates for adults age 49+ remained stable on average between 2021-2024, but increased slightly between 2021-2022, then decreased slightly from 2022-2024.

Depression in the U.S.: New Report Shares Latest Data

Every year, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a division of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), partners with research experts RTI International to conduct a nationwide survey of over 70,000 people from all 50 states in the U.S. and the District of Columbia (DC) with the following goal:

“To provide up-to-date information on tobacco, alcohol, and drug use, mental health, and other health-related issues in the United States. The information is designed to support prevention and treatment programs, monitor substance use trends, estimate the need for treatment and inform public health policy.”

The survey, called the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH, is important for two reasons:

1. Consistency. Since 1971, the NSDUH has provided reliable data on mental and behavioral health for people ages 12 and older. This allows providers and policymakers to identify both short- and long-term trends and respond accordingly.
2. Sample size. The large sample set – around 70,000 people per year – allows for population level generalizations and conclusions about mental and behavioral health trends that enable providers and policymakers to make decisions on current and future treatment and prevention efforts.

This year, the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2024 NSDUH) provided updated data for 2021-2023 alongside new data for 2024 that gives us a snapshot of mental health trends in the years since the COVID pandemic.

In this article, we’ll share the latest data on depression and severe depression among adults over 18. We’ll share the top-line data for all adults over 18, then share data age groups 18-25, 26-49, and 49+.

How Many People Have Depression? Major Depressive Episode (MDE) and Major Depressive Episode (MDE) With Severe Impairment

In the early days of the NSDUH, scientists created a metric called major depressive episode (MDE) in order to count people who may not have a clinical diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD) for various reasons, but primarily to include people who may meet the criteria for clinical depression, but have never had an official evaluation administered by a mental health professional.

To meet criteria for MDE – thereby approximating a diagnosis of MDD – survey respondents reported

• At least one period of 2 weeks or longer in the past year when, for most of the day nearly every day, they felt depressed or lost interest or pleasure in daily activities.
• They also had problems with sleeping, eating, energy, concentration, self-worth, or having recurrent thoughts of death or recurrent suicidal ideation.

To meet criteria for MDE with severe impairment, symptoms of depression must be so disruptive they prevent – partially or completely – an individual from successful participation in various life domains, such as work, school, peer relationships, and family relationships.

The MDE questions in the NSDUH are based on diagnostic criteria published in the  Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) (DSM-5), which requires the presence of five or more the symptoms described above during the same 2-week period.

Let’s take a look at the results of the report, staring with the overall prevalence rates of MDE and MDE with severe impairment for people over age 18 in the U.S.

Major Depressive Episode (MDE) and MDE With Severe Impairment: Past Year Prevalence, 4-Year Trends, Adults 18+

2021:

• MDE: 8.5%
• MDE w/severe impairment: 5.9%

2022:

• MDE: 8.8%
• MDE w/severe impairment: 6.2%

2023:

• MDE: 8.5%
• MDE w/severe impairment: 5.9%

2024:

• MDE: 8.2%
• MDE w/severe impairment: 5.6%

Here we see that while the totals for each year varied slightly, the overall trends in MDE and MDE with severe impairment remained statistically stable. On average per year, this data translates to around 21.5 million adults 18+ with MDE, and around 15 million adults 18+ with MDE with severe impairment.

Major Depressive Episode (MDE): Past Year Prevalence, 4-Year Trends, By Age/Year

18-25:

• 2021: 19.3%
• 2022: 20.1%
• 2023: 17.5%
• 2024: 15.9%

26-49:

• 2021: 9.6%
• 2022: 9.7%
• 2023: 10.2%
• 2024: 10.0%

50+:

• 2021: 4.5%
• 2022: 4.6%
• 2023: 4.5%
• 2024: 4.4%

Here we see rates of MDE remaining relatively stable for all age groups with the exception of young adults, 18-25. For this age group, prevalence decreased by 3.4 percent, from 6.2 million people with MDE in 2021 to 5.5 million people with MDE in 2024.

Major Depressive Episode (MDE) With Severe Impairment: Past Year Prevalence, 4-Year Trends, By Age/Year

18-25:

• 2021: 13.8%
• 2022: 14.7%
• 2023: 12.9%
• 2024: 11.5%

26-49:

• 2021: 6.6%
• 2022: 6.9%
• 2023: 7.4%
• 2024: 7.0%

50+:

• 2021: 3.0%
• 2022: 3.1%
• 2023: 2.7%
• 2024: 2.6%

Here we see a similar pattern as with rates of MDE without severe impairment. Rates remained relatively stable for all age groups with the exception of young adults, 18-25. For this age group, prevalence decreased by 2.3 percent, from 4.4 million with MDE with severe impairment in 2021 to 4.0 million with MDE with severe impairment in 2024.

We’ll discuss these results below.

Depression in the U.S.: Decreases in Young Adults Are a Good Sign

In 2021, the Surgeon General of the United States (SGOA) declared a youth mental health crisis, and published this advisory:

Protecting Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Report

Then, in 2023, the SGOA released a report on the growing problem of loneliness in the U.S.:

Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community

Those reports had an impact, and resulted in renewed efforts on the local, state, and national levels to increase awareness of and reduce stigma around mental health issues, especially those associated with increased risk of suicidality, such as depression.

We’ll report on suicidality in another article: the initial reports are promising.

Now, almost five years after the advisory on youth mental health – many of those youths are now adults – and two years after the advisory on loneliness, we see rates of depression among all age groups stabilizing and decreasing among young adults.

In light of those warnings, the facts in this new NSDUH are good news. What they tell us is that in the group that was most at risk about five years ago, rates of depression have decreased, and among people who were the most lonely just two years ago – older adults – rates of depression have stabilized and decreased slightly.

That tells us we’re headed in the right direction, and the work we do to raise awareness and support patients with depression or another serious mental illness is having an impact, and improving the overall state of mental health for people of all ages in the U.S.