Mental health
Most children and adults in Sweden report their health as good, but many also report recurring mental and somatic health problems such as headaches, feeling low and sleeping difficulties.
There are differences between various groups. Girls report mental and somatic health problems to a larger extent than boys, and women have problems more often than men. Young people report psychosomatic problems more often than older people. When employment status is considered, those who are unemployed report mental and somatic health problems more often than employed individuals.
Since the mid-1980s, self-reported mental and somatic health problems have increased among school children in Sweden, primarily among 13 and 15-year-old girls.
Worry or anxiety
Over the last decade self-reported worry or anxiety has increased in the Swedish population (16–84 years old), from 31 percent in 2011 to 44 percent in 2024. Most people are rating their problems as mild, but 8 percent are perceiving severe symptoms.
In all age groups, more women than men report these symptoms, and the prevalence is especially high among young women, i.e., those aged 16–29 years. Severe worry or anxiety was reported by 23 percent of the young women 2024. In 2011, the corresponding proportion was 9 percent. For young men, there has been a similar increase, from 5 percent 2011 to 10 percent 2024.
Our mission
The Public Health Agency of Sweden has been assigned to build and develop the work aiming to promote mental health and prevent mental ill-health among the entire population at a national level. An important part of this work is to compile, analyze and convey new knowledge within the area. This is conducted, for example, in the form of a national public health survey "Health on equal terms" which the Agency has performed annually since 2004. Another example of how new knowledge is developed is when we compile different types of literature reviews within the mental health area.
The Agency also has several government assignments and tasks, including coordinating national work in the area of mental health and suicide prevention. The coordination aims to support cross-sectoral collaboration between authorities and other actors whose assignments and activities are important to the area. One of our main assignments is being responsible for the coordination, support and follow up of the implementation of Sweden’s new national strategy for mental health and suicide prevention. The strategy, which extends from 2025 to 2034, contains a comprehensive framework with goals and objectives, and for the first time, these will be linked to a follow-up system for increased learning and more efficient work.