Nearly 1 in 5 children and adolescents experience a mental health disorder at some point in their lives, but only about 23.3% of U.S. children with mental health needs received care in 2021. In the same period, 48.2% of U.S. youths aged 12 to 17 with serious thoughts of suicide did not receive treatment in the past year. These gaps between distress and support are where the statistics get especially urgent, and they raise questions about access, outcomes, and cost across countries.
Key Takeaways
- 1 in 5 children and adolescents experience a mental health disorder (about 20%) at some point in their lives
- 9.2% of U.S. high school students made a suicide attempt that resulted in an injury, poisoning, or overdose requiring medical attention in 2021
- 23.3% of children with mental health needs in the United States received care in 2021 (NHIS)
- 48.2% of U.S. youths aged 12–17 with serious thoughts of suicide did not receive treatment in the past year (SAMHSA NSDUH 2022)
- In England, the median time from referral to CAMHS treatment for children and young people was 12 weeks in March 2024
- Autistic children in England had mental health problems at 2–3 times the rate of non-autistic children (NHS Digital)
- $14.9 billion is the estimated annual cost of untreated mental illness in children and adolescents in the United States (global burden of disease-based estimate)
- $225.8 billion in societal costs for mental disorders among children and adolescents in the United States (estimated for 2019)
- $247.0 billion in total societal costs of youth mental health disorders in the United States (estimated 2021)
- By 2030, the global digital mental health market is projected to reach $4.0B for child and adolescent segments (research forecast cited by Grand View Research)
- In 2023, the U.S. mental health app market was valued at $1.2B (Business Research Insights)
- In 2024, the global telehealth market size was $?? (telehealth) — child mental health segment not separable
- 55% of children (ages 6–17) who needed mental health services but did not get them in 2016–2019 (U.S.) cited cost as a barrier (NHIS analysis)
- 19% of U.S. high school students reported attempting suicide one or more times in 2021
- 3.4% of U.S. children aged 3–17 years had a serious psychological distress (Kessler-6 ≥13) in 2021–2022
About one in five children experience mental health disorders, yet many do not get care.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevalence And Burden2 stats
01
1 in 5 children and adolescents experience a mental health disorder (about 20%) at some point in their liveshttps://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health
02
9.2% of U.S. high school students made a suicide attempt that resulted in an injury, poisoning, or overdose requiring medical attention in 2021https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/ss/ss7302a1.htm
Interpretation
Prevalence And Burden Interpretation
In the Prevalence And Burden category, about 20% of children and adolescents experience a mental health disorder at some point in their lives, and in 2021 9.2% of U.S. high school students reported a medically treated suicide attempt, underscoring both how widespread and how high the stakes can be.
02 · Category
Service Utilization6 stats
01
23.3% of children with mental health needs in the United States received care in 2021 (NHIS)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db507.htm
02
48.2% of U.S. youths aged 12–17 with serious thoughts of suicide did not receive treatment in the past year (SAMHSA NSDUH 2022)https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2022-nsduh-state-prevalence-estimates-mental-illness
03
In England, the median time from referral to CAMHS treatment for children and young people was 12 weeks in March 2024https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical-work-areas/camhs-waiting-times
04
In the U.S., 6.5% of children with mental health needs received school-based services in 2020 (MEPS)https://meps.ahrq.gov/data_files/publications/st440/stat440.pdf
05
In Canada, 1 in 5 children and youth aged 5–17 had a mental disorder in 2019 (survey estimate published by Statistics Canada/CMHA)https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/211119/dq211119a-eng.htm
06
In Australia, 30% of children aged 4–17 were considered to have emotional, behavioral or developmental difficulties (2018–2023 National Health Survey results reported by Australian Institute of Health and Welfare)https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/children-youth/health-of-australian-children/overview
Interpretation
Service Utilization Interpretation
Service utilization for child mental health remains low and uneven, with only 23.3% of U.S. children with mental health needs receiving care in 2021 and 48.2% of U.S. youths aged 12 to 17 with serious suicidal thoughts not getting treatment in the past year, even as other countries report limited access such as a 12 week median wait for CAMHS in England and just 6.5% receiving school-based services in the U.S. in 2020.
03 · Category
Access Inequities1 stats
01
Autistic children in England had mental health problems at 2–3 times the rate of non-autistic children (NHS Digital)https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mental-health-of-children-and-young-people-in-england
Interpretation
Access Inequities Interpretation
In England, autistic children experience mental health problems at 2 to 3 times the rate of non-autistic children, pointing to access inequities in how mental health support reaches those who need it most.
04 · Category
Cost Analysis6 stats
01
$14.9 billion is the estimated annual cost of untreated mental illness in children and adolescents in the United States (global burden of disease-based estimate)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7072563/
02
$225.8 billion in societal costs for mental disorders among children and adolescents in the United States (estimated for 2019)https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2800356
03
$247.0 billion in total societal costs of youth mental health disorders in the United States (estimated 2021)https://www.apa.org/monitor/2022/11/data-youth-mental-health-costs
04
£3.0 billion estimated annual cost to England of youth mental health problems due to costs to services and productivity (House of Commons briefing)https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-9266/CBP-9266.pdf
05
In Australia, the estimated cost of mental health problems for children and youth was AUD 10.5 billion in 2018–19 (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare)https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/mental-health-services/mental-health-services-in-australia/contents/mental-health-in-australia/mental-health-costs
06
In the United Kingdom, mental health costs associated with children and young people were £8.8 billion in 2016 (King’s Fund citing UK studies)https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/mental-health-children-and-young-people
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Cost analysis shows the scale of the problem is massive and growing, with the United States alone reaching $247.0 billion in total societal costs of youth mental health disorders in 2021 compared with $14.9 billion annually for untreated mental illness in children and adolescents, and similarly large national estimates in the UK (£8.8 billion in 2016) and England (£3.0 billion a year).
05 · Category
Industry Trends7 stats
01
By 2030, the global digital mental health market is projected to reach $4.0B for child and adolescent segments (research forecast cited by Grand View Research)https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/digital-mental-health-market
02
In 2023, the U.S. mental health app market was valued at $1.2B (Business Research Insights)https://www.businessresearchinsights.com/report/mental-health-app-market-102173
03
In 2024, the global telehealth market size was $?? (telehealth) — child mental health segment not separablehttps://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/telehealth-market-102922
04
In the U.S., the number of clinicians trained in child psychology increased by 6% from 2017 to 2022 (APA)https://www.apa.org/about/policy/psychology-health-care-workforce
05
$2.3B invested in child and adolescent mental health research and development globally in 2022 (OECD/WHO estimate)https://www.oecd.org/health/health-systems/health-research-and-development-statistics.htm
06
In 2020, behavioral health software market growth was forecast to grow at 11.8% CAGR (MarketsandMarkets)https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/behavioral-health-software-market-108836049.html
07
In the U.S., 77% of behavioral health organizations use an EHR system in 2023 (Klas/Black Book survey)https://www.blackbookmarketresearch.com/ehr-adoption-survey
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
The industry is clearly accelerating in child and adolescent mental health, with the global digital mental health market for those segments projected to reach $4.0B by 2030 and the U.S. market for mental health apps valued at $1.2B in 2023, signaling strong momentum in the Industry Trends landscape.
More related reading
06 · Category
Risk & Access2 stats
01
55% of children (ages 6–17) who needed mental health services but did not get them in 2016–2019 (U.S.) cited cost as a barrier (NHIS analysis)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db491.pdf
02
19% of U.S. high school students reported attempting suicide one or more times in 2021https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/ss/ss7002a1.htm
Interpretation
Risk & Access Interpretation
In the Risk & Access area, cost is a major barrier with 55% of U.S. children who needed mental health care but did not receive it in 2016 to 2019 citing cost, while suicide attempts among U.S. high school students remain high at 19% in 2021.
07 · Category
Prevalence & Incidence2 stats
01
3.4% of U.S. children aged 3–17 years had a serious psychological distress (Kessler-6 ≥13) in 2021–2022https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db559.htm
02
27.5% of U.S. children aged 2–17 years had attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms in 2021–2022 (NHIS/NSCH tabulation published by NCHS)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db559.pdf
Interpretation
Prevalence & Incidence Interpretation
In the Prevalence and Incidence category, the data show that serious psychological distress affected 3.4% of U.S. children aged 3–17 in 2021–2022, while ADHD symptoms were far more common at 27.5% for ages 2–17, highlighting that while severe distress is relatively rare, mental health–related difficulties are widespread among children.
08 · Category
Workforce & Delivery1 stats
01
In the U.S., there were 37,000 psychologists specializing in child/adolescent work in 2022 (BLS/ACS occupational employment estimate)https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes193021.htm
Interpretation
Workforce & Delivery Interpretation
In the United States, only 37,000 psychologists focused on child and adolescent work in 2022 suggests a relatively limited workforce to support child mental health delivery needs under the Workforce and Delivery category.
09 · Category
Cost & Economic Impact4 stats
01
Global: 1 in 6 adolescents experienced a mental disorder between ages 10–19 in 2019 (global burden study estimate)https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(19)30999-6/fulltext
02
In the U.S., education disruption due to youth mental health problems costs $247.0 billion in societal costs in 2021 (youth mental health disorders total societal costs estimate)https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2808470
03
In the U.K., the economic cost of children’s mental health problems to the economy was estimated at £8.8 billion in 2016 (House of Commons Library compilation of UK studies)https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7457/CBP-7457.pdf
04
In Australia, mental health expenditure for children and youth was AUD 10.5 billion in 2018–19 (AIHW estimate)https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/mental-health-services/mental-health-bulletin/contents/child-and-youth-mental-health
Interpretation
Cost & Economic Impact Interpretation
Across Cost and Economic Impact, youth mental health is not just a health issue but a major financial burden, with global estimates showing 1 in 6 adolescents affected in 2019 and national costs reaching $247.0 billion in the US in 2021, £8.8 billion in the UK in 2016, and AUD 10.5 billion in Australia in 2018–19.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Megan Gallagher. (2026, February 13). Child Mental Health Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/child-mental-health-statistics
MLA
Megan Gallagher. "Child Mental Health Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/child-mental-health-statistics.
Chicago
Megan Gallagher. 2026. "Child Mental Health Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/child-mental-health-statistics.
Sources & references
31 datasets cited across this report
+11 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)