Health at a Glance 2017
OECD Indicators
This new edition of Health at a Glance presents the most recent comparable data on the health status of populations and health system performance in OECD countries. Where possible, it also reports data for partner countries (Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Indonesia, Lithuania, Russian Federation and South Africa). The data presented in this publication come from official national statistics, unless otherwise stated.
This edition contains a range of new indicators, particularly on risk factors for health. It also places greater emphasis on time trend analysis. Alongside indicator-by-indicator analysis, this edition offers snapshots and dashboard indicators that summarise the comparative performance of countries, and a special chapter on the main factors driving life expectancy gains.
Mental health
Mental illness represents a considerable – and growing – proportion of the global burden of disease. An estimated one in two people will experience a mental illness in their lifetime, and around one in five working-age adults suffer from mental ill-health at any given time (OECD, 2012; OECD, 2015). Depression alone affects millions of individuals each year. shows self-reported prevalence of depression in Europe. On average, 12-month prevalence of depression was 7.9% of the population. Women reported higher rates of depression in all countries; in Spain, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland women were more than 50% more likely to report experiencing depression in the previous year than men, rising to 66% in Portugal. People in Iceland or Ireland were close to three times more likely to report depression than people in the Czech Republic (). These differences are in part driven by different attitudes and understandings around mental ill-health and depression. Lower stigma around depression may contribute to higher rates of self-reported illness, and higher rates of diagnosis.
Also available in: French