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On World Mental Health Day, United for Global Mental Health is proud to unveil a comprehensive report on “Financing Mental Health: The Current Situation and Ways Forward” that underscores the critical need for immediate and sustained investment in mental health worldwide. This report highlights the US$200 billion financing gap that currently exists. It provides an analysis of domestic mental health financing and external financing, and the additional financing required to ensure widespread provision of mental health services.
Why this matters:
The need for improved mental healthcare has never been more evident. This World Mental Health Day the theme is “Mental Health is a Universal Human Right.” Yet that right cannot be upheld without the necessary services and support.
Mental health affects individuals, families, workplaces, and entire communities. By better understanding the financial aspects of mental healthcare, we can work towards creating more accessible, equitable, and effective mental health services. The report highlights the urgent need for collective action and investment in mental health, which can lead to healthier, more prosperous societies.
Key findings of the report include:
- The global annual mental health finance gap is at least $200 billion. The majority of countries in the world are far from meeting even modest mental health funding targets. To begin closing the financial gap in a sustainable way, governments should incorporate mental health into budgets and programmes across the health sector and of other ministries in a coordinated way.
- Aid for mental health dropped by a third from 2018 to 2021, from $300m to $200m, with private philanthropists making up over half of the total spending. International donors including bilateral and multilateral organisations urgently need to invest more in mental health to support vulnerable people around the world.
- Government international aid agencies must allocate at least 0.5% of their overall health development financing to mental health and commit an extra US$179 million to mental health services in low- and middle-income countries. If this was increased to 1%, there would be almost an extra half billion dollars available per year.
- There is no universally agreed upon definition for development assistance for mental health. A definition needs to be developed and agreed upon, and this definition should be used to systematically report on and analyse Development Assistance for Mental Health flows.
Download the full report here.
““The right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health will only be realised if investment in mental health is increased and improved. It is important to understand what the current financial situation is across the world, and this report shows that it is not good. With the growing interest in improving mental health, now is the time to redouble our efforts in encouraging governments and donors to provide the money that is desperately needed by so many.” James Sale, Director of Policy, Advocacy and Finance, UnitedGMH.
As the World Bank meetings take place this week, we urge the World Bank and other donors to commit to making mental health a priority as part of their actions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
About United for Global Mental Health
UnitedGMH is a global collaborative organisation that aims to create a world where mental health is valued, promoted, and protected. The organisation works to catalyse global action, advocate for increased investment, and drive policy change to ensure mental health is prioritised on national and international agendas. For more information, visit https://unitedgmh.org/.
For media inquiries, please contact: faith@unitedgmh.org