By Dr. Gyan Pathak
“In this age when the possibilities to connect are endless, more and more people are finding themselves isolated and lonely,” said Director of World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, after the release of a new WHO report that found one in six people were affected by loneliness globally during 2014-2023.
As for deaths caused by loneliness, the report found that about 100 people were dying every hour during 2014-2019, with an annual death of 871 000. This has probably been the case for years, but the coronavirus disease2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and growing concern about digital technology have brought more attention to the issue, including from governments.
Social health is a vital but often overlooked pillar of health: It is just as essential as physical and mental health. Social connection can reduce the risk of disease, lengthen life expectancy and strengthen the fabric of communities and society. Social connection enhances life, giving us meaning and a sense of belonging.
Yet the report said that between 2014 and 2023, an estimated 16% of people worldwide – one in six –experienced loneliness. It affects all ages and regions but is most common among adolescents and young adults (20.9% among 13–17-year-olds and 17.4% among18–29-year-olds) and decreases with age.
It is also more common in low-income countries, where nearly one in four people (24%) report feeling lonely. The highest rates are found in the WHO African Region (24%), followed by the Eastern Mediterranean (21%), and the South-East Asia (18%) regions. The European Region has the lowest rate, at about 10%.
Data on social isolation – which differs from loneliness – are more limited; however, estimates suggest that 25–34% of older people are socially isolated (1990–2022). About 72% of people of all ages say they feel fairly or very connected to others.
Overall, the rates of social isolation and loneliness during the pandemic were estimated to be 31.2%and 28.6%, respectively, which were higher than those before the pandemic.
There is another aspect of the situation that is presented by the data of percentage of people agreed with statement “most people can be trusted”. Between 2004 and 2022, the percentage increased in China (52.5% to 63.5%), the USA (35.5% to 37%) and Germany (33.1% to 41.6%), remained broadly stable in Australia, Brazil, France and the Philippines. However, it decreased, for instance, in Bangladesh (20.5% to 12.9% between 1998 and 2022), Egypt (37.5% to12.3% between 2004 and 2022) and India (35.5% to 16.7% between 1993 and 2014). India’s situation is almost at the stagnant level, by 2022.
Many factors, such as modernity, industrialization, technological change and secularization, are blamed for what is often assumed be an increase in social isolation and loneliness, but most remain unproven. What we do know is that certain factors increase the risk of individuals experiencing social disconnection. These include poor physical or mental health (especially depression), personality traits such as neuroticism, being without a partner or unmarried, living alone and features of the built environment such as poor access to public transport. The impact of digital technology is still unclear, but experts urge caution, particularly to protect the mental health and well-being of young people.
Social connection is an under recognized factor in individual and societal health and well-being. It mitigates many serious risks, improves outcomes and may extend the lifespan. Social isolation and loneliness have serious impacts on mortality, physical health (e.g. cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes), mental health (e.g. depression and anxiety) and society (e.g. education, employment, economic growth, innovation). The economic costs to employers, healthcare and individuals are significant and are only beginning to be estimated.
The report said that there is an urgent need for accurate, regular global, regional and national monitoring of social connection, social isolation and loneliness conducted with standardized, comparable measures.
Strong social infrastructure can play a role in fostering social connection and alleviating social disconnection, as it increases the possibility that individuals can participate fully in civic life. However, situation is dismal in this regard.
At present, measures of social infrastructure that would allow global comparisons are in their infancy, although measures that are being developed with open-source data from Google Places and Open Street Map, for instance, hold promise.
Ina comparison in 2024 of 30 countries on a five-pillar infrastructure “barometer”, the “social and community impact” pillar of the barometer included several dimensions of social infrastructure, such as community engagement and support and access to public services and utilities. The average score on this pillar in the 30 countries was50.3, Canada (75.6), Australia (73.0) and Norway (72.3) scoring the highest and India(34.8), Indonesia (29.5) and Nigeria (16.5) the lowest.
Well-designed social infrastructure can also cater for lonely individuals by providing opportunities to either interact with others or spend time by themselves in social spaces, which can have a positive impact on mental health and alleviate feelings of loneliness, the report said. (IPA Service)
