The World Health Organization (WHO) has revealed that loneliness is responsible for approximately 871,000 deaths worldwide each year.
A WHO commission found that one in six people globally suffers from loneliness, which, together with social isolation, significantly increases the risk of various physical and mental health conditions—including strokes, heart attacks, diabetes, depression, anxiety, and suicide.
Detached individuals also face broader challenges: lonely teenagers are 22% more likely to underperform academically, while adults struggling with loneliness often experience difficulty securing or maintaining employment. The societal impact is vast, with healthcare systems incurring billions in added costs and economies suffering significant losses due to reduced workforce productivity.
Commission co-chair Vivek Murthy described loneliness as “a painful, subjective feeling… when the relationships that we need do not match the relationships that we have,” contrasting it with social isolation, which he defined as “an objective state of having few relationships or interactions.”
The report highlights that roughly one in three older adults and one in four adolescents worldwide experience social isolation. Key contributing factors include illness, lack of education, low income, limited social engagement opportunities, living alone, and over-reliance on digital technology.
Murthy emphasized that humans inherently communicate through facial expressions, body language, tone, and silence—forms of connection diminished by overuse of mobile phones and social media.
As a progressive model response, Sweden has implemented a national strategy against loneliness. Swedish Social Minister Jakob Forssmed noted the country is investing in community-building within shops, restaurants, neighborhoods, and clubs.
Additionally, Sweden is launching a program to give prepaid cards to children and teens, which are redeemable only for group leisure activities. They are also banning mobile phones in public schools—an initiative shown to boost face-to-face interaction, reduce cyberbullying, and improve sleep quality.
Forssmed acknowledged the downside of mobile devices: “Children are often frustrated when their parents are constantly distracted by their phones.” However, the WHO also recognizes the benefits of technology, such as enabling video calls that were previously impossible.
The commission stresses the importance of creating more offline spaces where people can connect naturally. Murthy summed it up: “Having places and spaces in our life where we can interact face to face… without the distraction of technology is very important.”
dpa/NAN
