News Story

Nearly a quarter of Scottish adults are experiencing poor mental health, according to new figures, with experts saying rising living costs and pressure on public services have “taken a toll”.

The Mental Health Foundation (MHF) data shows that in 2024, 1.1 million people, or 24.6% of all Scottish adults, were experiencing poor mental health.

This is around 425,000 more than in 2009, when the figure stood at about 720,000 adults (16.6%).

The MHF said financial insecurity is a “significant driver” of the increase, against a backdrop of austerity, the global Covid-19 pandemic, and an ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

The charity said those already experiencing social and economic inequality have been hardest hit.

Dr Calum MacLeod, policy and public affairs manager at the MHF, said: “The past 15 years have been incredibly challenging for many people.

“Rising living costs, insecure work and pressure on public services have all taken a toll on people’s wellbeing.

“Today, the number of people experiencing poor mental health in Scotland could fill Hampden 22 times over.

“We must take urgent action to address the root causes of this public mental health emergency, or that number will continue to grow.

“Otherwise, more people, families and communities will be devastated by a preventable condition.”

The report said nearly half of Scottish adults (47%) feel financially insecure, which the charity said underscored the scale of concern about money and its impact on mental health.

The figures also show a “widening gap” between communities, with people living in more deprived areas significantly more likely to experience poor mental health (31%) compared with those (17%) in the least deprived parts of the country.

At the same time, the report recognised Scotland is the only UK nation to have decreased rates of childhood poverty, as well as seeing increases to the Scottish mental health budget and £81 million of funding for community initiatives.

However the charity said other commitments have been missed, such as a 2021 pledge to ensure 10% of NHS spend is on mental health, including 1% on services for children and adolescents.

Dr MacLeod said: “While our findings are deeply worrying, these trends can and must be reversed.

“The importance of preventing poor mental health is now widely recognised, with recent Scottish Government strategies giving it greater prominence.

“However, investment and implementation have, so far, fallen short of what is needed.

“There is broad agreement on the need for a more cross-Government approach, but delivering this in practice remains elusive.”

The MHF has made a number of recommendations to the Scottish Government, including the creation of a new £20 million fund for improving Scotland’s mental health.

The charity also called for it to be made a legal duty for Scottish Government directorates to embed preventative action in their budgets.

“We must now move rapidly beyond ambition and into decisive action,” Dr MacLeod said.

“Prevention must be made a reality across Scotland. It must be supported by protected, ring-fenced funding and a comprehensive, cross-Government implementation plan.

“This needs to be robustly monitored and have sustained delivery.”

The Scottish Government has been approach for comment.