Overview
- An academic analysis of more than 218,000 Gallup World Poll responses from nearly 150 countries finds about 20% of people report feeling lonely.
- The study reports a stark income gap with loneliness at roughly 31.3% in low‑income countries and 15.7% in high‑income countries.
- People who say they feel lonely also report lower life satisfaction and more frequent stress, worry, anger and physical pain, connecting loneliness to worse mental and physical health.
- A comparison of 2023–2024 data across 113 countries shows no single global rise in loneliness: rates fell in many places, rose in low‑income countries and stayed stable in middle‑income countries.
- Researchers and public‑health bodies point to structural drivers such as poverty, unemployment and weak social spaces and recommend income‑specific responses that range from social protection in poorer settings to investment in community ties in richer ones.