Chronic depression, Cypriots at 4.7%

According to data collected in 2019 and published by Eurostat, the statistical service of the European Union, 7.2% of EU citizens suffer from chronic depression, while in Cyprus the percentage is much lower, at 4.7%.

According to the same data, the percentage of women with chronic depression is higher than that of men in both the EU and Cyprus.

The percentage of people who report having chronic depression in Cyprus has increased compared to 3.6% in 2014. The EU average increased slightly by 0.3%.

The highest percentages among Member States in 2019 were recorded in Slovenia (15.1%), Portugal (12.2%) and Sweden (11.7%).

The lowest rates were recorded in Romania (1.0%), Bulgaria (2.7%) and Malta (3.5%).

Furthermore, in 2019 the percentage of women with chronic depression (8.7%) was higher than that of men (5.6%) on average in the EU.  In Cyprus, chronic depression was recorded in 5.8% of women and 3.4% in men.

The highest rates of chronic depression among women were recorded in Portugal (16.4%) and Slovenia (14.3%).  The highest rates of chronic depression among men were recorded in Slovenia (14.3%), Sweden (10.0%) and Germany (9.9%).

The data was made public today on the occasion of World Suicide Prevention Day (September 10), as part of the global mental health awareness effort.