Indian youths rank 60 in 84-nation mental health study, older people perform better

Indian youths rank 60th in global mental health study, performing worse than older adults, revealing concerning trends in mental well-being.

Indian young adults have performed poorly in Mind Health Quotient (MHQ) scores, ranking 60 out of 84 nations featured in an ongoing global mental health study.

The study by US-based Sapien Labs -- Global Mind Health in 2025 -- also revealed that not only did Indian youths in the 18-34 age group score poorly globally, but they also did worse on mental well-being parameters compared to older Indians aged above 55, who were ranked 49.

According to the study, young adults in India had an average MHQ score of about 33, defined under the "Distressed or Struggling" category, while the average for those above 55 was nearly 100, indicating the "Managing or Succeeding" category.

"Since we began measuring in 2019, the mind health of adults aged 55 and older has remained consistently at scores of about 100, exactly where a normal population is expected to be on the MHQ scale. On the other hand, young adults under 35, who were already struggling relative to their parents and grandparents before the COVID-19 pandemic, took a sharp nosedive during the pandemic from which they have never recovered," Tara Thiagarajan, founder and chief scientist at Sapien Labs, said in the report.

Geographically, the 18-34 age group fared worse than older adults in all countries.

Those countries that have relatively better mind health are predominantly in Sub-Saharan Africa and include Ghana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Tanzania.