WASHINGTON, D.C. — The percentage of U.S. adults who report currently having or being treated for depression was 19.1% in the first quarter of 2026, similar to the high mark of 20.0% recorded the preceding quarter and up nearly nine percentage points since the initial measurement in 2015. The current rate of 19.1%, among the highest in Gallup’s trend, projects to an estimated 51 million Americans suffering from depression.
Depression rates climbed sharply between Quarter 3, 2019, and Quarter 2, 2023, hitting 19.2% at a time that corresponded with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declaring an end to the COVID-19 pandemic. The following four quarters were characterized by a slight — but steady — easing of the depression rate to 17.4% by Quarter 2, 2024, before an ensuing uptick in the quarters since.
The most recent results for 2026 were obtained Feb. 18-March 3, with 5,017 U.S. adults surveyed by web as part of the probability-based Gallup Panel. Respondents were asked, “Do you currently have or are you currently being treated for depression?” There were no measurement periods for this metric in 2021 and 2022.
Gallup also asks, “Has a doctor or nurse ever told you that you have depression?” Consistent with the higher rates of current depression, the percentage of U.S. adults who report being diagnosed at any point in their lifetime has also edged up since 2024, to 29.5% today. It is now nearly 10 points higher than the initial 2015 reading of 19.6%.
Both measures of Americans’ experiences with depression diagnoses are part of the ongoing Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index.
Depression Rates Up Most Among Young and Lower-Income Adults
Current depression rates have risen dramatically over the past decade among adults younger than 30, more than doubling from the 13.0% recorded in Quarter 4, 2017, to 28.0% thus far in 2026.
Two factors appear to explain the surge in depression rates among young people. First, the youngest adult Americans today have much higher levels of depression than those entering adulthood nine years ago. The latest data find that 28.0% of the youngest adults — currently aged 18 to 29 and most of whom were adolescents in 2017 — have depression, far higher than any other age cohort today or in 2017. Second, Americans who were already adults in 2017 show higher rates of depression than they did then. Tracking the youngest age cohort in 2017, the current depression rate among adults now aged 27 to 38 is 24.6%, notably higher than the 13.0% for the analogous group of adults in 2017 (when they were aged 18 to 29).
In addition to the increases seen among young adults, depression rates have increased 15 points since 2017 among those in households earning less than $24,000 per year — from 22.1% in 2017 to 37.4% today. This is partially explained by age, as adults younger than 30 are about twice as likely as those aged 50 and older to live in low-income households (13% vs. 7%, respectively).
One in Five Americans Experience Significant Daily Loneliness
Gallup research has shown a strong link between depression and loneliness, with a depression rate of 33% among U.S. adults who experienced loneliness the day before the survey, compared with 13% among those who did not.
During the 2020 pandemic year and into the early months of 2021, an average of 23% of U.S. adults reported experiencing loneliness “a lot of the day yesterday.” This included three different monthly measurements of 25%, the last of which was in March 2021. This eventually receded to 17% to 18% throughout much of 2022 through 2024, but it has since edged higher, leveling off around 20%. The recent uptick corresponds with the increased depression rate.
Loneliness and Depression Both Linked to Worsening Life Satisfaction
A clear relationship exists between being lonely or being depressed and believing that life is getting worse. Over a third (35%) of those who say their life has gotten worse over the past year also say they were lonely “yesterday,” compared with 14% among those who say their life has gotten better. The relationship also exists with depression — although not as strongly — with 30% of those who say their life has gotten worse reporting depression, compared with 19% among those who say their life has gotten better.
Implications
The elevated prevalence of depression among U.S. adults today dovetails with relatively high self-reports of poor mental health. In 2012, 48% of U.S. adults described their own mental health or emotional wellbeing as “excellent,” compared with just 29% in 2025. And the percentage of adults who report visiting a mental health professional at least once in the past 12 months has more than doubled, from 10% in 2001 to 24% today. All of this has occurred amid little change in assessments of physical health.
Daily experiences of significant loneliness among young American adults are particularly acute among men. Recent Gallup research found that U.S. men aged 15 to 34 are 67% more likely to experience significant loneliness on any given day than their peers across OECD nations (25% vs. 15%, respectively). Among U.S. women of the same age, the gap is far narrower; they are just 13% more likely than their OECD peers to feel lonely (18% vs. 16%).
Evidence suggests that the public stigma surrounding mental health as a part of routine healthcare is now small, with 70% of U.S. adults preferring that their primary physician ask about both mental and physical health rather than physical health alone. With 32% — including 38% of men — reporting that their primary care provider has never asked about their mental health, however, a key avenue for professional help continues to evade many Americans.
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