India’s youth mental health crisis deepens as seniors fare far better in global rankings

India’s young adults are struggling with mental well-being at levels far below their elders, according to the latest Global Mind Health 2025 report, which places Indians aged 18–34 at 60th out of 84 countries — a stark contrast to those aged 55 and above, who rank 49th globally.

The study finds that younger Indians record a Mind Health Quotient (MHQ) score of just 33, compared to 96 among seniors — nearly three times higher and closer to what researchers classify as functional mental health. The findings point not to a fleeting post-pandemic dip, but to what experts describe as a structural, generational shift.

The report, part of the Sapien Labs Global Mind Project, draws on responses from 78,093 internet-enabled and literate individuals in India — including 29,594 in the 18–34 age group and 24,088 aged 55 and above. Globally, the research spans over a million respondents across 84 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.

A decline beyond anxiety and depression

“This is not simply a rise in anxiety or depression diagnoses,” says Tara Thiagarajan, founder and chief scientist at Sapien Labs.

“What we are seeing globally — and in India — is a decline in core mental functioning among younger adults: the ability to regulate emotions, maintain focus, build stable relationships and recover from stress. This represents a fundamental shift in how younger generations are able to navigate life,” she says.

The consequences are already visible: difficulties in holding jobs, strained personal relationships, and a reduced capacity to cope with everyday pressures.

What the MHQ measures

The Mind Health Quotient maps emotional, social, cognitive and physical capacities essential to thriving in work, relationships and daily life. These dimensions are combined to produce a single score reflecting overall mental functioning — not merely the absence of clinical illness.

Behavioral markers reveal worrying trends

Beyond MHQ scores, the report ranks countries on four behavioural indicators: family bonds, spirituality, ultra-processed food consumption and childhood smartphone exposure.

India ranks 28th globally on family closeness across both age groups. However, generational differences are pronounced. While 78% of Indians aged 55 and above report being close to their families, that figure drops to 64% among those aged 18–34.

Ultra-processed food consumption stands at 44% among younger Indians — four times higher than the 11% recorded among seniors. Meanwhile, India ranks 71st on age of first smartphone exposure, with the average at 16.5 years — a figure that researchers note is falling steadily among younger cohorts.

Thiagarajan warns that while India retains “protective cultural elements” such as family bonds, its youth mirror global vulnerabilities. The structural pressures shaping mental health outcomes, she argues, are common across modern, internet-enabled societies.

Economic and social consequences

The implications extend beyond personal distress.

“MHQ is linearly related to productivity,” Thiagarajan notes. Declines in mind health, therefore, signal potential economic fallout. Additionally, a sub-measure known as “Social Self” — which is negatively correlated with violent crime — is falling most sharply across generations, suggesting possible long-term societal risks.

Experts attribute the shift to multiple features of modern life that may clash with human biology: increasing neurotoxin exposure in food systems, early smartphone immersion that hands childhood development to algorithms, declining family engagement, and reduced opportunities for deep social and spiritual connection.

While factors such as physical activity and time spent in nature were not examined in this report, researchers argue that the trajectory is clear: younger generations are navigating a world structurally misaligned with their neurological and emotional development.