Depression across European countries: 2014 study

Across European countries 6.8% of adults over the age of 18 reported experiencing depression or depressive symptoms in 2014, with 2.9% saying that their symptoms are major.

Depression or depressive symptoms are defined as persistent sadness, a loss of interest in activities that are usually enjoyed, and an inability to conduct regular daily activities. According to the United Nations health agency, depression is the leading cause of functional disabilty worldwide.

The 2014 study showed that the countries with the largest share of the population reporting depressive symptoms were: Hungary (10.5%), Portugal (10.4%), and Sweden (9.0%). Depressive symptoms are least reported in the Czech Republic (3.2%) and Slovakia (3.5%).

Women seem to be more affected than men, or self-report depressive symptoms more than men. In the study 7.9% of women in the EU reported experiencing depressive symptoms compared to 5.5% of men.

Higher levels of education seem to be tied to lower rates of depressive symptoms. The rate for the population with only primary or secondary education was more than double the rate of the population with tertiary education. People in lower income countries reported experiencing depressive symptoms triple the rate of people in higher income countries.

People over the age of 18 reporting depressive symptoms were represented as follows: Czech Republic (3.2%), Slovakia (3.5%), Croatia (3.9%), Lithuania (4.0%), Italy (4.2%), Greece (4.3%), Cyprus (4.5%), Latvia (4.5%), Romania (4.5%), Austria (4.7%), Finland (4.9%), Poland (5.2%), Slovenia (5.2%), Malta (5.5%), Ireland (5.7%), Denmark (6.2%), Norway (6.2%), Turkey (6.8%), Spain (6.8%), and Estonia (6.8%) – the EU average is 6.8%. Countries higher than the EU average include France (7.1%), Bulgaria (8.0%), United Kingdom (8.1%), Germany (8.2%), Luxembourg (8.2%), Iceland (8.5%), Sweden (9.0%), Portugal (10.4%), and Hungary (10.5%).

Artwork (above) by Zurab Tsereteli

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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