Around the world, one in three people are now living with a mental health condition – and young adults are the most affected. Our 2025 Mind Health Study shows that stress, anxiety and depression are rising fastest among 18-34-year-olds, who are now two times more likely to struggle than older generations.
But the picture isn’t the same for everyone: non-natives – individuals who live or work overseas – continue to face greater mind health challenges than their native peers. And for the first time, we can even see a generational divide appearing among young adult non-natives themselves – with Millennials now experiencing poorer mental health than Gen Z.
From digital burnout and loneliness to financial instability and career insecurity, our latest study explores what’s driving this divide and what it means for the future of young adult mind health.
an 11%
rise in depression, anxiety, and stress last year alone among young adults globally (18-34s).
42%
of non-native Millennials are struggling, while non-native Gen Zs are 25% less affected.
66%
of Gen Z and Millennial non-natives would use, or have used, AI virtual therapists for mind health support.
51%
of Gen Z and Millennial non-natives say that excessive use of social media and digital devices is harming their mental health.
In our Mind Health studies, natives are people living in the country where they were born, while non-natives live or work in a country different from where the one they were born in.
Millennials are the first generation of digital natives, who came of age during the rise of the internet and social media. They saw the shift from dial-up to smartphones, from landlines to livestreams and also lived through major world events.
Unlike Millennials, Gen Z has grown up using the internet, modern technology and social media. They’ve never known a world without constant connectivity. But they’ve also grown up in times of global crises such as climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now in its fifth year, our 2025 Mind Health study looks into the wellbeing of young adult non-natives and the challenges they’re facing in a complex and constantly shifting world. Magnified this year are the differences between the Gen Z and Millennial non-natives populations, whose mind health experiences are being shaped in very different ways.
Our findings focus on:
‘Our 2025 Mind Health report offers rich insights into where change is most needed for young adult non-native mental health. As employees, policymakers, communities and individuals, we all have a role to play in turning the tide. This means listening to young adults more closely, acting more decisively and building systems of care that reflect the reality of their world.’
‘By the age of 12, 97% of UK children (91% in the US) have a smartphone, three in four are using them in ways that mirror behavioral addiction and Gen Z are online more than any other demographic. Modelling behaviour that helps them to reclaim agency over this dependency is crucial, as is education around algorithmic literacy.’
'The 2025 Mind Health Report highlights a gap: young people seem to be living with moderate to severe stress, anxiety or depression and are accepting of this, thinking they’re doing fine. Whether we’re employees, family, colleagues or friends – recognising this ‘mind health gap’ is important. It helps us better understand ourselves, support each other, and build healthier workplaces and communities.’
How’s your mental health doing at the moment? Maybe it's not something you think about regularly, but you'd like to pay a bit more attention to.
At AXA, we recently launched the Mind Health Self-Check to help individuals learn more about their mental wellbeing and what they can do to improve it.
In just ten minutes, we'll ask you a short series of questions to gather insights into your emotional wellbeing. It's:
Once you’re done, you’ll receive a personal report with practical tips to support your mental wellbeing.
It's important to look after our emotional wellbeing in the same way we look after our physical health. We've worked with psychologists and mental health experts to provide a range of resources and guidance to help you improve and maintain good mind health.
