At a glance
- Despite contributing to a substantial 290 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of the global disease burden, mental health conditions only receive 2 percent of domestic government healthcare funding globally, resulting in an annual funding gap of $200 billion to $350 billion.
- Scaling known, cost-effective interventions to prevent, treat, and help people recover from mental health conditions (which include mental and substance use disorders) could avert 150 million DALYs globally in 2050.
- Each $1 invested in scaling mental health interventions could have an economic return of $5 to $6.
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), such as cancer, depression, diabetes, and heart disease, have emerged as a formidable challenge to global health, representing a substantial shift from the infectious disease paradigm that dominated much of the 20th century. NCDs cause 76 percent of deaths globally, and their burden has been steadily rising at 1.3 percent annually over the past few decades. Yet within this crisis lies an underappreciated opportunity for transformative change: investing in mental health.
Mental health conditions contribute to 290 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), but they only receive approximately 2 percent spending on healthcare by governments around the world. Addressing the $200 billion to $350 billion mental health investment gap can have a transformative potential on the global NCD epidemic and economy. McKinsey Health Institute (MHI) analysis finds that implementing and scaling proven mental health interventions globally by 2050 could reduce direct and indirect mental health disease burden by over 40 percent. Furthermore, every dollar invested in expanding these interventions has the potential to generate an economic return of $5 to $6 in GDP growth globally.
Over the past 15 years, the United Nations General Assembly has convened three High-Level Meetings on the Prevention and Control of NCDs, with another scheduled for September 2025. The latest of these meetings, held in 2018, recognized mental health conditions as exacerbating the NCD crisis both directly and indirectly. Mental health conditions are the leading contributors to the global morbidity burden measured in years lived with disability (YLDs) and are on par with cardiovascular and circulatory diseases when measured by DALYs. Those with mental health conditions can face reduced life expectancy. Data makes the case clear: Individuals with mental health conditions experience significantly worse outcomes from NCDs compared with those without such conditions, compounding the overall disease burden. For example, people with depression are up to four times more likely to experience and die from cardiac-related problems than those without depression.
By 2050, scaling cost-effective, evidence-based mental health interventions could reduce the mental health disease burden by over 40 percent, or 150 million DALYs. This investment could also add 1.1 years to healthy life expectancy and contribute up to $4.4 trillion to the global economy in 2050. The profound influence of mental health conditions on the progression and management of NCDs highlights the urgent need for increased investment in cost-effective mental health interventions, both to improve access to current treatments and to drive innovation in developing even more affordable solutions.
Behind every dollar invested, there is a person with a mental health condition whose life could become healthier. But investing in mental health is more than a way to improve individual lives; it’s a strategic economic move to reduce the global NCD and mental health burden, extend healthy lifespans, and unlock substantial financial benefits. The following insights shed light on this critical, underappreciated opportunity to invest in mental health as a strategy for global health and economic growth.
Mental health conditions exceed leading NCDs in morbidity burden
In 2025, the total burden from mental health conditions stands at approximately 183 million DALYs. The majority of this burden, amounting to 170 million DALYs, is attributed to morbidity, measured in YLDs. When comparing this burden with other NCDs, the morbidity from mental health conditions is considerably higher than that of the four leading non-mental-health diseases, which include cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes and kidney diseases, and cancers, combined. This means that mental health conditions cause more years of poor health globally than the four major NCDs do.
Mental health conditions increase the risk for and exacerbate other NCDs
In 2025, the total disease burden from NCDs is estimated to reach approximately 1.8 billion DALYs. Mental health conditions contribute meaningfully to this burden, accounting for 290 million DALYs—183 million directly and 107 million indirectly from their exacerbation of other NCDs. This means that roughly one in six DALYs from NCDs can be attributed to mental health conditions. The indirect burden encompasses the effects of pre-existing mental health conditions that increase the likelihood and severity of other NCDs. For instance, depressive disorders increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases by three times and digestive system diseases by more than four times. Depressive disorders can make it harder for an individual to sleep well, exercise, quit smoking, or prioritize other well-being measures that could reduce the risk of developing another chronic disease.
As another example, research shows that substance use disorders greatly increase the risk of NCDs. Alcohol use alters the gut microbiome, enabling toxins to enter the bloodstream and increasing the risk of seven types of cancer. Of the three million alcohol-related deaths that occur every year, more than half are due to NCDs like cancer, digestive diseases, and cardiovascular diseases.
These examples underscore the interconnectedness of mental health conditions and other NCDs, emphasizing the importance of integrated strategies to address these conditions effectively.
Opportunity to intervene early with mental health conditions
Many NCDs, such as cardiovascular disease, typically develop and worsen in older age, as evidenced by nearly half of the disease burden occurring in populations aged 60 and older. Mental health conditions are the opposite: More than half of the mental health disease burden affects individuals who are under 40 years old. This highlights the importance of early intervention for mental health conditions, which can not only improve immediate outcomes for health and workforce productivity but also set individuals up for better health throughout their lifespan.
There are also sex-based differences in disease burden from mental health conditions. Almost 80 percent of substance use disorder deaths are among men, underscoring the broader crisis of deaths of despair—suicide, drug overdoses, and alcohol-related diseases—which disproportionately impact men worldwide. Meanwhile, although women experience a lower overall burden from mental health conditions compared with men, they lose substantially more years to disability from mental disorders such as anxiety and depression, leading to lower quality of life. These disparities underscore the importance of considering sex-specific approaches when addressing the mental-health-related NCD burden.
Scaling mental health interventions adds substantially to healthy life expectancy
On the current trajectory, the global burden of mental health conditions is projected to reach 365 million DALYs by 2050. However, implementing proven mental health interventions at scale could radically reduce this burden. By scaling interventions such that 90 percent of affected individuals receive the evidence-based services and support they need (in alignment with The Kennedy Forum’s 90-90-90 aspirational goals), the mental health disease burden could be reduced by approximately 41 percent or 150 million DALYs, preventing 1.6 million deaths in 2050.
Advancements in healthcare and technology are leading to longer lifespans, with life expectancy projected to increase by nearly five years over the next 25 years. However, longer lives do not necessarily mean that people will spend all those years in good health. Expanding access to evidence-based mental health interventions could not only improve overall lifespan but also increase healthspan—the number of years of life lived in good health. By 2050, these interventions could increase average life expectancy by three months and health-adjusted life expectancy by 1.1 years per person—similar to the global impact of eliminating obesity.
Scaling proven and cost-effective mental health interventions can bridge access gaps
Among the evidence-based, cost-effective interventions examined, therapeutic interventions account for over 82 percent of the potential impact by 2050. Expanding access to established treatments such as psychotherapy and psychiatric medications—which alone could avert nearly 80 million DALYs—will be key to reducing the global mental health disease burden. Additionally, emerging therapeutic options such as digital therapies are gaining recognition for their accessibility and effectiveness, particularly in low-resource settings.
Scaling these interventions will require substantial investment to address access and cost barriers to treatment. However, current funding for mental health conditions remains severely inadequate. Multiple expert groups, including The Lancet Commission on Global Mental Health and Sustainable Development, United for Global Mental Health (UGMH), and the Coalition for Mental Health Investment (CMHI), have reached the same conclusion that mental health interventions are systematically underfunded, undermining their potential impact.
Mental health interventions can be scaled cost-effectively
Based on a review of high-quality peer-reviewed studies on intervention costs, which included approximately 140 estimates across over 30 countries, cost-effective mental health interventions on average cost $800 per DALY in low- and lower-middle-income countries and $6,800 per DALY in upper-middle- and high-income countries, resulting in a global average of $4,300 per DALY. If mental health interventions were scaled to reach 90 percent of those in need today, it would require a global investment of $350 billion in 2025.
This high-level estimate is limited by the current cost-effectiveness data available, especially in low- and lower-middle-income countries, where delivery costs can vary widely across studies and countries. However, this estimate is higher but similar in scale to others, such as United for Global Mental Health (UGMH), which estimated a $200 billion mental health financing gap based on the difference between current and recommended allocations of health spend by country. The difference between these two funding estimates arise from differing methodologies: MHI used a bottom-up approach to assess the impact of scaling specific evidence-based interventions to 90 percent of affected individuals, while UGMH conducted a top-down analysis to determine the funding needed to meet recommended spending levels.
However, both approaches point to the same conclusion—current levels of investment in mental healthcare are inadequate to address the growing mental-health-related burden and support populations to thrive in the “brain economy.”
Opportunity to invest in the brain economy
Scaling mental health interventions could unlock $4.4 trillion in GDP by 2050 by enabling 60 million individuals to participate in the global labor force and enhance their productivity through improved health.
The economic impact at stake is estimated through five main levers. Increasing access to mental health interventions could lower absenteeism, short- and long-term absences from the workforce. Fewer premature deaths would let more people live long, fulfilling lives, both personally and professionally. Informal caregivers of those with mental health conditions—many of whom leave the labor force due to the logistics and emotional toll of care responsibilities—would have more freedom and flexibility to pursue their personal and economic goals. Better mental health would enhance productivity by reducing presenteeism for adults already in the labor force. Finally, preventing and reducing burden associated with mental health conditions in children through mental health interventions would not only improve their well-being and levels of educational attainment but also enable them to develop into healthier, more capable adults who can contribute more effectively to the economy in the future.
When considering the additional impact mental health interventions can have on disease burden, each dollar invested in scaling mental health interventions could have an economic return of five to six dollars in global GDP. Prioritizing mental health saves and improves lives, reduces healthcare costs, and has the potential to contribute to a thriving economy.
Addressing the rising burden of NCDs is a pressing global challenge, and mental health interventions offer a uniquely cost-effective solution with outsize impact, increasing both healthy life expectancy and economic returns. Achieving this future requires both increased funding for mental health conditions and prioritizing evidence-based mental health interventions.
Countries of all sizes and income levels can consider their disease burden from mental health conditions and funding allocations for mental healthcare. In many cases, they will find it’s a mismatch. As part of their NCD and mental health strategy, countries can consider a base guideline from the Lancet Commission on Global Mental Health and Sustainable Development’s mental health funding targets of 5 percent of health budget for low- and middle-income countries and 10 percent for high-income countries to close the annual mental health care investment gap. However, achieving 90-90-90 impact and addressing the needs of the entire population will require a comprehensive public health approach and significantly greater funding beyond these government targets. Given the substantial mental health government financing gap, all sectors—including private and social—have a role to play as catalytic donor funding is needed. Furthermore, given that the benefits of mental health interventions extend beyond just mental health to the broader NCD burden as well, it will be essential to engage a wide range of NCD and public health stakeholders, alongside traditional mental health stakeholders.
Even within current budgets, there is an opportunity to spend more strategically to achieve better outcomes by focusing on cost-effective, evidence-based interventions. Countries can prioritize these interventions by shifting funding from institutional care to community-based approaches such as integrating mental health care into existing healthcare pathways. Currently, 66 percent of government mental health budgets globally are allocated to institutional care, such as long-stay mental hospitals, despite community-based services being more accessible, cost-effective, and delivering better outcomes. The World Health Organization’s Global NCD agenda underscores the need to address mental health alongside NCD prevention and control. Programs such as the WHO’s Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) and UNICEF’s Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) have successfully implemented integrated care models in multiple countries, allowing patients to receive check-ups for both NCDs and mental health conditions in a single visit.
These analyses not only make practical sense and offer long-term economic growth potential but offer the chance for cross-sector leaders to meaningfully improve the lives of individuals. There is an inextricable link between mental health conditions and physical health NCDs, and this analysis shows that addressing mental health conditions is key to reducing the rising NCD burden. By working together, leaders have an opportunity to create change and sustainable reductions in the NCD burden, extend healthy lifespans, and realize the transformative potential of mental health interventions on global health outcomes and economies.
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