Loneliness Statistics 2026

Loneliness is the painful feeling of a gap between the connection you want and what you have. Social isolation is objectively having few social contacts. You can be isolated without feeling lonely, or lonely in a crowd.

Young people and people in low- and middle-income countries report the highest rates (UN News). Loneliness in low-income countries is roughly double that in high-income countries.

A roadmap across five areas: policy, research, interventions, measurement (including a global social connection index) and public engagement (WHO).

The WHO report flags concerns about excessive screen time and harmful online interactions, especially for young people (UN News). Online connection helps most when it is safe, adult-appropriate and leads to real relationships.

TalkWithStrangers.club Research (2026). Loneliness Statistics 2026. talkwithstrangers.club/research/loneliness-statistics. Last reviewed 3 October 2026.

The WHO links loneliness and isolation to higher rates of stroke, heart disease and dementia, and reports lonely people are about twice as likely to experience depression (UN News). The US Surgeon General's 2023 advisory described loneliness as associated with greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety and premature death (US HHS).

Figures come from the WHO Commission's report and official summaries. The 871,000 deaths estimate covers 2014–2019. Loneliness is self-reported, so figures depend on survey wording and may under-count where stigma is high.

• "Nearly 1 in 6 people worldwide are affected by loneliness." — WHO Commission on Social Connection, 2025
• "Loneliness is linked to about 100 deaths every hour." — WHO, via UN News, 2025
• "17–21% of people aged 13 to 29 report feeling lonely." — WHO Commission, via LSHTM, 2025

The WHO Commission on Social Connection was co-chaired by Dr Vivek Murthy, former US Surgeon General, and Chido Mpemba, Advisor on Youth and Women to the African Union Chairperson. Its flagship report, From loneliness to social connection: charting a path to healthier societies, was published in June 2025 (WHO; WHO report record).

Source: WHO.

In May 2023, the US Surgeon General issued an advisory calling loneliness, isolation and lack of connection a public health crisis and proposing a national strategy built on six pillars (US HHS). The accompanying release noted that lacking connection can raise the risk of premature death to levels comparable to smoking daily (AHRQ).

The WHO report highlights a paradox: in a highly connected digital world, young people report some of the highest loneliness rates. Co-chair Chido Mpemba noted that technology must strengthen, not weaken, human connection, and the report raises concerns about excessive screen time and harmful online interactions for young people (UN News).

Loneliness is usually measured through self-report surveys asking how often people feel lonely or lack companionship. Because it relies on self-report, results depend on question wording, cultural attitudes to admitting loneliness, and survey method. Differences between countries partly reflect these factors as well as real differences in social connection.

When citing, use the original source linked in each row, include the year, and distinguish loneliness (a feeling) from social isolation (an objective lack of contact). The 871,000 figure is an estimate of deaths associated with loneliness, not a count of deaths directly caused by it.

• Nearly 1 in 6 people worldwide are affected by loneliness (WHO Commission, 2025).
• Loneliness is associated with more than 871,000 deaths a year, about 100 every hour (WHO, 2025).
• 17–21% of people aged 13–29 report feeling lonely (WHO Commission, 2025).
• Loneliness is about twice as common in low-income countries (~24%) as high-income countries (~11%) (WHO Commission, 2025).
• Lonely people are about twice as likely to experience depression (WHO, 2025).

All figures link to sources in the tables above.

The WHO defines loneliness as the painful feeling arising from a gap between desired and actual social connection, and social connection as the ways people relate to and interact with each other (UN News). Social isolation is the objective state of having few contacts. Interventions differ: isolation may need more opportunities to meet people, while loneliness may need better-quality connection or support.

Loneliness is the problem; connection is the response. See how even brief conversations with strangers affect wellbeing in our science of talking to strangers review.