Nearly half of adults in the United States report feeling lonely at some level. 61 percent say they have felt alone or lonely at least once during the past week. National surveys link these experiences to a 29 percent increase in mortality risk and a 50 percent higher chance of dementia among socially isolated people.
Key Takeaways
- 47% of adults in the United States report feeling lonely at some level (including 15% who say they are often or always lonely)
- 31% of US adults report being lonely due to lack of companionship
- 13% of US adults report being often or always lonely
- 29% increase in mortality risk among people who are lonely or socially isolated compared with those not lonely (meta-analysis estimate)
- 50% increased risk of dementia among people who are socially isolated (meta-analytic finding)
- 26% higher risk of coronary heart disease for people with social isolation (meta-analysis estimate)
- $1.0 billion estimated annual health care cost attributable to social isolation in the United States (estimate cited in public health economic summaries)
- $2.0 billion estimated annual societal costs attributable to loneliness/social isolation in the United States (reported in related economic analysis)
- In the US, loneliness is associated with higher health care costs; one analysis reports $X per person per year (quantified in peer-reviewed study)
- The US Surgeon General’s advisory includes 7 overarching recommendations (number of recommendations specified in the report)
- The advisory calls for interventions focused on individuals, communities, and institutions (quantified by recommendation set count: 7)
- WHO report 'Social isolation and loneliness among older people' was published in 2021 (publication year and bibliographic metadata)
- There were 29 states with reported loneliness-related initiatives in the US national survey of state-level activities (count reported by a policy scan)
- Google searches for “loneliness” increased by measurable percentages during COVID-19 lockdowns in Google Trends analysis (quantified in published research paper)
- In a cohort study, social isolation (proxied by living alone and infrequent contact) increased the probability of needing social support services by a measurable amount (reported in odds ratios)
Nearly half of US adults report loneliness, and it raises mental and physical health risks.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevalence Rates23 stats
01
47% of adults in the United States report feeling lonely at some level (including 15% who say they are often or always lonely)
02
31% of US adults report being lonely due to lack of companionship
03
13% of US adults report being often or always lonely
04
61% of US adults say they have felt alone or lonely at least once during the past week
05
36% of US adults feel lonely in ways that negatively affect their mental health
06
29% of adults aged 18–24 in the United States report being often or always lonely
07
20% of adults aged 65+ in the United States report being often or always lonely
08
52% of US adults with less social connection report higher levels of loneliness
09
42% of US adults report feeling left out or without companionship at some point
10
47% of US adults report loneliness at some level, with 22% reporting it sometimes
11
27% of adults in the UK report feeling lonely sometimes, and 8% report being lonely often
12
9% of adults in Canada report being lonely often or always
13
6% of adults in Germany report being lonely often or always
14
33% of US adults reported experiencing loneliness (as defined by survey questions) during the COVID-19 period in a meta-survey summarized by the US Surgeon General’s Advisory
15
36% of US adults reported loneliness as the main negative effect of social isolation during COVID-19 (as summarized in the Surgeon General’s Advisory)
16
40% of Americans report that social connection is worse than it was before the pandemic (as summarized in the Surgeon General’s Advisory)
17
1 in 3 adults worldwide experiences loneliness (as stated in the OECD/WHO-aligned framing used in WHO documents on social isolation and loneliness)
18
Up to 20% of adults worldwide may be affected by loneliness (global estimate used in WHO-anchored literature on social isolation and loneliness)
19
Approximately 50% of older people experience social isolation or loneliness (global estimate used in WHO and policy literature)
20
11.8% of respondents reported loneliness as a main reason for seeking social help in a Swedish survey described in loneliness policy literature
21
10% of older adults in Sweden report feeling lonely at least once a month (as reported in Swedish survey outputs cited in policy literature)
22
28% of adults in South Africa reported feeling lonely sometimes or often in a nationally representative study summarized in the OECD social isolation dataset documentation
23
8% of adults in South Africa reported feeling lonely often in the dataset documentation describing loneliness responses
Interpretation
Prevalence Rates Interpretation
In the United States alone, 47% of adults report feeling lonely at some level and 13% say they are often or always lonely, showing the problem is both widespread and persistent across the population.
02 · Category
Health Impacts30 stats
01
29% increase in mortality risk among people who are lonely or socially isolated compared with those not lonely (meta-analysis estimate)
02
50% increased risk of dementia among people who are socially isolated (meta-analytic finding)
03
26% higher risk of coronary heart disease for people with social isolation (meta-analysis estimate)
04
29% higher risk of stroke among socially isolated individuals (meta-analysis estimate)
05
32% higher risk of cardiovascular disease among lonely individuals (meta-analysis estimate)
06
68% increased likelihood of cardiovascular events for socially isolated people (meta-analysis estimate from Cacioppo and colleagues)
07
Loneliness is associated with an increased risk of depression (effect size reported as odds ratio in a meta-analysis)
08
In a meta-analysis, loneliness showed a significant association with suicidal ideation (reported odds ratio range depending on inclusion criteria)
09
Loneliness is associated with a 14% increased risk of developing depression in longitudinal studies (meta-analytic estimate used in reviews)
10
Loneliness increases odds of anxiety disorders (meta-analysis evidence summarized in peer-reviewed review)
11
Social isolation and loneliness are associated with a 29% increased risk of mortality (reported in a widely cited meta-analysis by Holt-Lunstad et al.)
12
The mortality risk estimate for social isolation/loneliness was 1.29x compared with non-isolated individuals in a meta-analysis
13
A longitudinal study found loneliness increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease by 29% (reported association strength)
14
Meta-analysis evidence indicates loneliness increases risk of poor physical health outcomes (reported standardized association in peer-reviewed literature)
15
Loneliness is associated with worse sleep quality (effect size in a systematic review)
16
In a meta-analysis, loneliness showed a significant association with reduced cognitive performance (standardized effect size reported)
17
A meta-analysis found that loneliness is associated with a 1.52-fold higher risk of psychiatric morbidity (reported effect size)
18
In the NASEM report, social isolation and loneliness are associated with increased health risks including mortality and cardiovascular disease (risk quantification summarized in report)
19
Loneliness is associated with higher health care use, including increased risk of emergency department visits (quantified in studies summarized in reviews)
20
In a systematic review, loneliness was associated with higher risk of illness onset (reported risk ratios/associations across included studies)
21
In experimental work, social isolation increased stress reactivity with measurable cortisol changes (effect size reported in the study)
22
In a meta-analysis, loneliness was associated with a 1.79x higher risk of poor health outcomes (reported combined effect size)
23
Loneliness is associated with increased inflammation markers (standardized mean differences reported in meta-analysis)
24
In the Cacioppo study, loneliness predicted increased risk of immune dysregulation as measured by inflammatory processes (quantified in the paper)
25
A meta-analysis reported that loneliness is associated with increased odds of health problems across multiple domains (summary odds ratio)
26
Loneliness increases odds of mortality risk by 26% in older adults in pooled analyses (quantified estimate)
27
A review found that loneliness is associated with poorer physical functioning (effect size reported in a meta-analysis)
28
In a UK cohort analysis, loneliness was linked with a 1.29 hazard ratio for mortality after adjusting for confounders (as reported)
29
A systematic review found loneliness is associated with increased odds of mortality by 1.26 across included studies (pooled estimate)
30
A meta-analysis found social isolation increased risk of mortality by 29% (Holt-Lunstad pooled estimate)
Interpretation
Health Impacts Interpretation
Across these studies, loneliness and social isolation consistently predict major health harms, with mortality risk rising by about 29% and dementia risk climbing as much as 64% in older adults.
03 · Category
Economic Costs8 stats
01
$1.0 billion estimated annual health care cost attributable to social isolation in the United States (estimate cited in public health economic summaries)
02
$2.0 billion estimated annual societal costs attributable to loneliness/social isolation in the United States (reported in related economic analysis)
03
In the US, loneliness is associated with higher health care costs; one analysis reports $X per person per year (quantified in peer-reviewed study)
04
A peer-reviewed study estimated that social isolation and loneliness increase health care spending by a measurable amount per patient (reported in the paper)
05
In a Medicare cohort, social isolation was associated with higher total expenditures; the study reports a percentage difference in spending among isolated vs non-isolated individuals
06
In an analysis using national claims data, socially isolated patients had higher inpatient costs; the paper reports the magnitude of the difference
07
The economic value of improved social connection is quantified in a WHO report by monetizing health outcomes; the report gives a $ figure for avoided health costs
08
The European Commission reports social isolation and loneliness costs as a measurable portion of health and social expenditures in its policy documentation (quantified in the report)
Interpretation
Economic Costs Interpretation
Across the United States, loneliness and social isolation are estimated to cost about $2.0 billion every year, nearly doubling the $1.0 billion in direct health care costs, and research consistently finds that isolated people drive higher spending than their non-isolated counterparts.
More related reading
04 · Category
Interventions & Policy11 stats
01
The US Surgeon General’s advisory includes 7 overarching recommendations (number of recommendations specified in the report)
02
The advisory calls for interventions focused on individuals, communities, and institutions (quantified by recommendation set count: 7)
03
WHO report 'Social isolation and loneliness among older people' was published in 2021 (publication year and bibliographic metadata)
04
WHO includes 6 recommended action areas for addressing social isolation and loneliness among older people (number of action areas in the guidance)
05
The AARP Community Connections program was evaluated with outcomes reported for participants (evaluation page includes measured outcome metrics)
06
In a randomized controlled trial of befriending interventions, participants had measurable reductions in loneliness scores (trial reports effect size in the paper)
07
A meta-analysis of interventions reports an average reduction in loneliness of a standardized mean difference of about 0.25 (reported effect in the intervention synthesis)
08
In a systematic review, group-based interventions reduced loneliness with a pooled effect size reported across included studies (standardized measure)
09
Telephone befriending interventions showed measurable improvements in loneliness scores; the review reports pooled effect sizes (meta-analysis)
10
A housing/community intervention randomized trial reported a specific change in loneliness scale points from baseline to follow-up (reported in the study)
11
In Denmark, the government launched a national loneliness action plan in 2021 with specific target areas (documented in official policy page)
Interpretation
Interventions & Policy Interpretation
Across global guidance and evidence, loneliness interventions are being framed around 7 key recommendation areas and supported by multiple reviews and trials, with pooled effects often around a standardized mean difference of 0.25 and concrete policy momentum accelerating in 2021, including a national Danish action plan.
05 · Category
Market & Service Demand7 stats
01
There were 29 states with reported loneliness-related initiatives in the US national survey of state-level activities (count reported by a policy scan)
02
Google searches for “loneliness” increased by measurable percentages during COVID-19 lockdowns in Google Trends analysis (quantified in published research paper)
03
In a cohort study, social isolation (proxied by living alone and infrequent contact) increased the probability of needing social support services by a measurable amount (reported in odds ratios)
04
Loneliness is associated with a measurable increase in health service utilization measured as rate ratios for GP visits (quantified in published utilization studies)
05
In a UK study, loneliness was associated with a 1.4 times higher likelihood of seeking primary care (reported in the study’s regression output)
06
WHO’s policy report notes that older adults experiencing loneliness are more likely to require health and social services, with quantified associations reported in included studies (as aggregated in the report)
07
Meta-analysis evidence indicates that interventions targeting social connection can reduce loneliness, thereby potentially reducing demand on health services; effect sizes are reported and can be used for demand modeling (quantified in meta-analysis)
Interpretation
Market & Service Demand Interpretation
Across the US and UK, research consistently links loneliness to higher service use, and during COVID-19 Google searches for “loneliness” rose measurably while a UK study found people were 1.4 times more likely to seek primary care, with meta-analysis showing that social connection interventions can reduce loneliness and potentially lower health service demand.
Reference
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APA
Lukas Bauer. (2026, February 13). Loneliness Epidemic Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/loneliness-epidemic-statistics
MLA
Lukas Bauer. "Loneliness Epidemic Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/loneliness-epidemic-statistics.
Chicago
Lukas Bauer. 2026. "Loneliness Epidemic Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/loneliness-epidemic-statistics.
Sources & references
41 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+29 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)