The Global Mind Health in 2025 report1 released by Sapien Labs under the Global Mind Project indicates a significant generational divide in mental wellbeing across internet-enabled populations worldwide, including India.
The findings, based on approximately one million responses collected during 2024 and 2025 using the Mind Health Quotient (MHQ) assessment, show that younger adults, particularly those aged 18–34, have markedly lower mind health scores compared to individuals aged 55 years and above.
The report states:
The global average MHQ score stands at 66.
Adults aged 55+ have an average MHQ score of 101, which is considered within the expected healthy range.
Only about 10% of the 55+ group experience clinically significant mental health challenges.
In contrast, adults aged 18–34 have an average MHQ score of 36.
Approximately 41% of young adults globally fall into the clinically distressed or struggling range.
India’s youth population reflects similar concerning trends, with younger internet-enabled individuals reporting substantially lower MHQ scores compared to older adults in the country.
The MHQ score is designed to assess an individual’s capacity to manage emotional, cognitive, and social challenges and function productively in daily life.
While the report notes that young adults in Sub-Saharan African countries such as Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya, and Nigeria fare comparatively better, wealthier nations including the UK, Japan, and New Zealand rank among the lowest.
India, categorized among emerging economies with high digital penetration among youth, shows patterns aligned with global trends where younger age groups experience poorer mind health outcomes compared to older adults.
In contrast, individuals aged 55 and above in India demonstrate significantly higher MHQ scores, mirroring global data that older generations maintain more stable mind health.
The report identifies four major factors associated with diminished mind health in 18–34-year-olds.
Strong family relationships are associated with significantly better MHQ scores.
Individuals who report poor family relationships are nearly four times more likely to fall into distressed categories.
Those who feel close to multiple family members show substantially lower depressive symptoms over time.
An India-based study cited in the report found that closeness to family had a stronger association with mind health than income levels.
This finding is particularly relevant in the Indian socio-cultural context, where intergenerational family structures have traditionally played a stabilizing role.
Spiritual engagement is associated with:
Lower depression rates
Reduced suicidality
Lower substance abuse
Improved life skills
Among young adults, individuals rating their spirituality at 7 or above (on a 10-point scale) typically score 20 points higher on MHQ than those with low spirituality ratings.
Gen Z (ages 18–24), identified as the first fully smartphone-era generation, shows a strong correlation between earlier smartphone ownership and poorer adult mental health outcomes.
The report indicates:
Younger age at first smartphone access is linked to increased suicidal thoughts, aggression, detachment from reality, and emotional instability.
Negative effects are particularly pronounced for exposure below age 13.
Mechanisms include sleep disruption, cyberbullying, exposure to harmful content, and reduced development of social cognition skills.
India’s rapid smartphone adoption over the past decade places its younger population within this high-risk exposure category.
Ultra-processed foods are associated with:
Increased depressive symptoms
Reduced emotional control
Cognitive difficulties
After adjusting for other variables, UPF consumption is estimated to contribute 15–30% of overall mental health burden.
In Western countries, over 60% of caloric intake comes from ultra-processed foods. India has also seen rising consumption of packaged and processed foods among urban youth.
Adults aged 55+ consistently show:
Higher emotional resilience
Lower rates of reported distress
Stronger life navigation skills
The report indicates that mental health outcomes show no direct correlation with national spending on psychiatric services or number of therapists per capita, suggesting that lifestyle, social structure, and environmental factors may play a larger role than healthcare expenditure alone.
The MHQ is a comprehensive online mental function assessment that evaluates:
Emotional regulation
Social functioning
Cognitive abilities
Risk of clinically significant mental health challenges
Scores below certain thresholds categorize individuals as distressed or struggling, while higher scores indicate functional wellbeing.
Reference
Sapien Labs. 2026. Global Mind Health in 2025 Report. Washington, D.C.: Sapien Labs. February 26, 2026. https://sapienlabs.org/whats_new/the-global-mind-health-in-2025-report/.
