It is assumed that around 300 million people worldwide are affected by depression, but here are the least depressed countries in the world.
Depression, together with anxiety is referred to as frequent mental disorder because they are very common. Depression is reflected in the constant feeling of sadness, stress and/or fear, loss of interest, feelings of guilt, etc. which, if not treated, lead to severe and long-term mental disorders. Depression and similar disorders, together with bad socio-economic status and poverty often lead to suicide, especially in these Most Suicidal Countries in the World. The risk of depression is increased by poverty, unemployment and other social issues. Also, the interesting fact is that globally from depression more often suffer women than men.
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Our main resource of information was data that we collected from the World Health Organization namely from Depression and Other Mental Disorders: Global Health Estimates publication published in 2017. The data consists of the percentage of people suffering from depression disorder for each country. That figure includes both sexes and it is not age-standardized. We have also presented the number of total cases of depression in those countries, because even though the percentage was the main leading figure in this research, we wanted to show how actual numbers differ significantly. For example, 3,2% of the population in Nepal includes 890,316 people, while in Tonga, for example, the number is 3,205.
Are the least depressed countries also the happiest? The answer is no. Even though depression is greatly influencing the status of people’s happiness, it seems that happiness is more related to socio-economic status and well-being. That is why, you might have guessed, Scandinavian countries are at the very top concerning overall happiness, although depression rate is somewhat high (being around 5% of the population). Since Scandinavian countries are therefore not on our list, let’s see what are the least depressed countries in the world:
10. Nepal
Crude depression percentage: 3.2
Total cases: 890,361
Perhaps the tame nature of Nepalese and strong social bonds put Nepal among least depressed countries. But on the other side, the main reason for depression in Nepal is poverty and low level of education. Depression in Nepal is slightly more dominant in women.
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9. Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Crude depression percentage: 3.2
Total cases: 209,326
The low rate of literacy of Lao people (77% of men and only 55.5% of woman are literate) and low income rates are probably the main reasons for depression rate in Lao. But Lao is on a great step to fight depression successfully, as seen this year on Lao People’s Democratic Republic World Health Day.
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8. Samoa
Crude depression percentage: 3.2
Total cases: 5,803
Being a tropical paradise, remotely isolated from world’s problems, it is no surprise that Samoa is one of the least depressed countries in the world. Nevertheless, as everywhere, depression is a serious mental problem, and that is why the National University of Samoa launched a project in order to prevent depression rate through training psychiatric nurses in specialized issues.
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7. The Kingdom of Tonga
Crude depression percentage: 3.2
Total cases: 3,205
We are continuing our list of least depressed countries in the world with The Kingdom of Tonga that represents a group of 169 small islands scattered in Pacific, inhabited by only around 100,000 people. Interestingly, in Tongan language there is no expression for depression. Mental illnesses in Tonga are relatively rare, except for depression and schizophrenia, which rates are slightly rising.
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6. The Republic of Kiribati
Crude depression percentage: 3.1
Total cases: 3,452
Even though reported figures of depression rate in Kiribati are low, the case might be that many cases of depression are underrated and unreported. That is why, since 2008 Mental Health Policy in Kiribati has gained effort to prevent mental illnesses as much as possible by providing top quality care.
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5. Micronesia
Crude depression percentage: 3.1
Total cases: 3,182
Although still among the top least depressed countries in the world, depression rate in Micronesia is actually on the rise. One of the reasons for that lies in social changes influenced by fast modernization during the last several decades.
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4. Vanuatu
Crude depression percentage: 3.1
Total cases: 7,917
Vanuatu is a beautiful tropical Pacific country spreading on around 100 islands, but it is also, according to the UN, one of the least developed countries in the world. That is why, concerning mental health, World Health Organization is on their move to improve health care for both physical and mental health of people of Vanuatu.
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3. Timor – Leste
Crude depression percentage: 3
Total cases: 33,932
This tiny country, the number 3 on the list of least depressed countries in the world, only has around 1,5 million people, and as many South East Asian Pacific countries, it doesn’t have well-established health care. Because of that reason, the percentage of the population affected by depression might be on a higher level. Nevertheless, Limor-Leste’s government has adopted a strategic plan in order to prevent mental illnesses and improve health care in general.
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2. Papua New Guinea
Crude depression percentage: 3
Total cases: 223,094
Depression is among common mental illnesses among people of Papua New Guinea. A campaign Depression-Let’s Talk during 2013 has made a great leap towards understanding why and how people are affected by depression, making a plan for Papa New Guinea to improve well-being of the people by 2050.
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1. Solomon Islands
Crude depression percentage: 2.9
Total cases: 16,535
Statistically, Solomon Islands is the least depressed country in the world. Since 2010 great effort has been made towards modernizing health services. Mental health services have also become more accessible in Solomon Islands, so the rate of mental illnesses and depression, together with suicide rates are slowly being reduced.
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