Almost two-thirds of British teenagers could be diagnosed with a mental health condition by 2030, a new report has warned.
Analysis by Zurich Insurance found that 51 per cent of 15 to 19-year-olds in the UK currently have a mental or behavioural condition such as depression, ADHD and anxiety.
But if current trends continue, this figure could rise as high as 64 per cent in the next four years – fuelling fears that Britain’s youth employment crisis is set to worsen.
It comes after health secretary Wes Streeting admitted that there is an ‘overdiagnosis’ of mental health conditions in Britain as the government’s welfare bill continues to balloon.
Mental health is now the UK’s leading cause of long-term sickness, with more than half of the rise in disability benefits due to mental health claims last year.
Statistics published last month show that there are 839,900 people in England between the ages of 16 and 24 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) – with around 20 per cent reporting a mental health condition.
This is more than two-and-a-half times the rate reported in 2012, with youngsters citing mental problems such as anxiety, depression, nerves, phobias and panics.
Experts have warned that without drastic intervention, this ‘will become a persistent drag on productivity, economic growth and social mobility’ in the years to come.
Almost two-thirds of British teenagers could be diagnosed with a mental health condition by 2030, a report has predicted
Will Shield, a professor of child psychology at the University of Exeter, said there ‘is a risk that we’re over-medicalising normal childhood or teenage experience’.
Speaking about Zurich’s findings, he told The Telegraph: ‘I think we have to ask why people are using this language to describe themselves.
‘I think it is because society and things are really hard at the moment. It’s far easier to try to make sense of your experience through that lens of ‘I fit into this box’ or ‘this is why I find things so challenging’.’
Since January 2020, the number of children and young people in contact with secondary NHS mental health services – which require a referral from a GP – has more than doubled.
Between 2024 and 2025, more than one million under-18s made contact with services.
Overall, referrals to NHS talking therapies – such as cognitive behavioural therapy, counselling or guided self-help – have risen by 26 per cent since 2018, with more than seven million referrals in the three years to the end of 2025.
NHS leaders say millions more are still missing out on support, with an estimated 9.4 million people experiencing a common mental health condition.
Zurich predicts that 10.5 million Britons could be living with anxiety by 2028, up from 8.7 million today.
It raises concerns that the country’s ‘anxiety epidemic’ shows no signs of slowing down.
The figures are indicative of sharply declining mental health across the globe, but there are fears that Britain’s young people in particular are deteriorating at rapid rates.
Zurich’s analysis found that the UK’s youngsters had worse mental health than those of a similar age in countries like Germany, Australia and Malaysia.
The report said this was as a result of ‘reduced stigma, social media exposure, academic pressure, economic uncertainty and strong engagement through schools and universities’.
Peter Hamilton, head of market engagement at Zurich, said: ‘The rise in youth mental health care needs is the start of a wave that will shape the UK’s workforce for a generation.
‘Unless we intervene, mental health risks will become a persistent drag on productivity, economic growth and social mobility.’
The number of NEETs has skyrocketed since the pandemic.
Shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately has described the sharp increase as ‘seriously concerning’ and said it will have ‘huge knock-on effects on the welfare system’.
She told the Daily Mail previously: ‘Far too many young people are being signed off or opting out, claiming benefits and not working. For the vast majority, this is the wrong path and makes their mental health worse.
‘Instead of fixing this, the Government is destroying opportunities for young people – risking a wasted generation. Only the Conservatives will stand up for the next generation and get Britain working.’
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has also vowed that her party would ‘draw the line on what health issues the state can support’, arguing that ‘all of us will have physical and mental challenges at some point in our lives’.
