Overview

• The WHO Commission on Social Connection attributes more than 871,000 deaths each year to loneliness and estimates one in six people worldwide is affected
• Loneliness and social isolation increase the risk of stroke, heart attack, diabetes, depression, anxiety and premature death
• The report warns that lack of social bonds costs societies billions of dollars in healthcare, education and lost productivity
• Adolescents, older adults and marginalized groups such as people with disabilities, refugees, migrants and LGBTQ+ individuals face heightened isolation
• It lays out a five-part roadmap—policy reform, expanded research, community interventions, improved measurement and public engagement—to help governments combat loneliness