Loneliness is reported across every major population group, but the estimated level varies by age, income, geography and how a survey asks the question. Recent World Health Organization estimates put global loneliness at 16% for 2014–2023, while national surveys show different patterns in the United States and England.
Contents
- Global prevalence
- Age and sex differences
- Income and regional differences
- U.S. adult statistics
- England statistics
- Health, education and support
Global prevalence
The WHO report From loneliness to social connection estimates that 16% of people worldwide felt lonely during 2014–2023, equivalent to about 1 in 6 people. The same report says about 72% of the global population reported feeling very or fairly connected to other people in a recent global survey reported in 2025. These measures describe different experiences, so the connection figure should not be treated as the inverse of the loneliness estimate. WHO Commission on Social Connection
Evidence summarized by WHO in 2025 places the estimated share of lonely people aged 13–29 at 17%–21% worldwide, based on evidence from 2014–2023. WHO also estimates that up to 1 in 3 older adults experience social isolation worldwide and that about 1 in 4 adolescents experience social isolation. Social isolation and loneliness may affect about 25% of the global population, according to the WHO technical advisory summary; this is an estimate, not a count of every person affected. WHO, “Social connection linked to improved health and reduced risk of early death” and WHO Technical Advisory Group on Social Connection
The WHO June 2025 estimate linked loneliness to 100 deaths every hour worldwide. That figure is presented as an estimate associated with social disconnection, not as a directly observed global death count for a single survey period. The evidence summarized by WHO also estimates that 5% of global dementia risk is attributable to social isolation. WHO, “Social connection linked to improved health and reduced risk of early death”
Age and sex differences
The global estimates for 2014–2023 show the highest reported loneliness among adolescents and the lowest among people aged 60 and older. They are estimates across available evidence rather than a single worldwide census.
| Group | Estimated loneliness rate, 2014–2023 |
|---|---|
| Adolescents aged 13–17 | 20.9% |
| Young adults aged 18–29 | 17.4% |
| Adults aged 30–59 | 15.1% |
| People aged 60 and older | 11.8% |
| Females, all reported ages | 16.1% |
| Males, all reported ages | 15.4% |
Among adolescents, the estimated rate was 24.3% for females and 17.2% for males. Among older adults, the estimated rate was 13.0% for females and 9.9% for males. These figures come from the WHO report and should be read with its evidence base and measurement differences in mind. WHO Commission on Social Connection
The age pattern is not identical in every country. In a U.S. survey conducted September 3–15, 2024, 24% of adults aged 18–29 said they often felt lonely, compared with 20% of adults aged 30–49, 11% of those aged 50–64 and 6% of those aged 65 and older. This survey wording and period differ from the WHO global estimates. Pew Research Center, Men, Women and Social Connections
Income and regional differences
For 2014–2023, the estimated global loneliness rate was 24.3% in low-income countries, 19.3% in lower-middle-income countries, 12.1% in upper-middle-income countries and 10.6% in high-income countries. The figures show a clear difference by World Bank income grouping, but they do not establish that income category alone causes loneliness.
The WHO regional estimates for the same period were 24.3% in the African Region, 21.0% in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 18.3% in the South-East Asia Region, 13.6% in the Region of the Americas, 11.0% in the Western Pacific Region and 10.1% in the European Region. Regional comparisons depend on the countries and studies represented in the underlying evidence.
For older people specifically, the best current estimates place global social isolation between 25.0% and 33.6%, using evidence from 1990–2022. This is a social-isolation estimate, not the same measure as self-reported loneliness. WHO Commission on Social Connection
U.S. adult statistics
In a CDC analysis of the 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 32.1% of U.S. adults reported loneliness and 24.1% reported lacking social and emotional support. The same 2022 analysis found loneliness among 43.3% of adults aged 18–34, 41.1% of adults with less than a high-school education, 45.9% of adults who had never married and 47.9% of adults with household income below $25,000.
Other 2022 estimates from the CDC analysis were 29.6% among non-Hispanic White adults and 27.4% among adults living in households with two adults. Loneliness was reported by 33.5% of U.S. women and 30.7% of U.S. men. CDC, Loneliness, Lack of Social and Emotional Support, and Mental Health Issues — United States, 2022
The same analysis reported loneliness among 41.2% of gay adults, 44.8% of lesbian adults and 56.7% of bisexual adults. Among transgender respondents, the reported rates were 56.4% for transgender women, 62.6% for transgender men and 63.9% for transgender gender-nonconforming adults. These are subgroup estimates from the 2022 analysis and are not interchangeable with the global figures above.
Pew Research Center’s U.S. survey from September 3–15, 2024 used a different response scale. Sixteen percent of adults said they felt lonely or isolated all or most of the time, 38% said they sometimes felt lonely, and 47% said they hardly ever or never felt lonely. Because the question and categories differ from the CDC analysis, the percentages should not be directly combined. Pew Research Center
England statistics
In England’s Community Life Survey for October 2023–March 2024, 7% of adults said they felt lonely often or always, approximately 3.1 million people. Twenty percent said they never felt lonely, approximately 8.8 million people. The survey also reported high indirect loneliness for 10% of adults, approximately 3.9 million people. These are separate measures and should not be added together.
Feeling lonely often or always was reported by 10% of adults aged 16–24 and 9% of adults aged 25–34. The rate was 15% among disabled adults and 3% among non-disabled adults. It was 8% among female adults and 6% among male adults.
| England group | Lonely often or always, October 2023–March 2024 |
|---|---|
| Adults aged 16–24 | 10% |
| Adults aged 25–34 | 9% |
| Disabled adults | 15% |
| Non-disabled adults | 3% |
| Female adults | 8% |
| Male adults | 6% |
The rate was 19% among adults whose gender identity differed from their sex registered at birth, versus 7% among adults whose gender identity matched it. By sexual orientation, the reported rates were 16% for bisexual adults, 12% for gay or lesbian adults and 7% for heterosexual or straight adults.
Deprivation and location also showed differences. Adults in the two most deprived English deciles reported loneliness often or always at 11%, compared with 4%–8% in the other deciles. The rate was 7% among urban adults and 5% among rural adults. By region, the North East recorded 8%, compared with 6% in the South East. Community Life Survey 2023/24: Loneliness and support networks
Health, education and support
WHO’s technical advisory summary associates lack of social connection with a 14%–32% higher mortality risk. It also reports associations with a 32% higher risk of stroke and a 29% higher risk of cardiovascular disease. These are reported associations, not claims that loneliness alone produces each outcome. WHO Technical Advisory Group on Social Connection
Education is included in the global evidence as well: teenagers who felt lonely were 22% more likely to obtain lower grades or qualifications in the evidence summarized by WHO. The result describes a likelihood difference in that evidence base; it does not predict an individual teenager’s grades.
The CDC’s 2022 U.S. analysis found that lonely adults had adjusted prevalence ratios of 3.61 for stress, 3.05 for frequent mental distress and 2.38 for a history of depression, compared with adults who did not report loneliness. Adjusted prevalence ratios account for the analysis variables, but they do not by themselves prove causation. CDC
Pew’s September 2024 U.S. survey measured where adults expected to seek emotional support. Seventy-four percent said they would be extremely or very likely to turn to a spouse or partner, 46% to a friend and 19% to a mental-health professional. These figures measure a stated source of support, not the percentage who actually used that source or the percentage who felt lonely. Pew Research Center