As much of the digital world grapples with rising anxiety, isolation and emotional fatigue among young people, a different story is emerging from parts of Africa. In countries like Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya, young adults are reporting some of the strongest “mind health” outcomes globally — a striking contrast to high-income nations where youth wellbeing is sharply declining. According to the Global Mind Health in 2025 report by Sapien Labs, this widening gap is not accidental but reflects deeper social, cultural and technological differences shaping how young people experience modern life.
This story is written and edited by Global South World
Young adults in several African countries are recording the strongest “mind health” scores in the world, even as a new international report warns that youth wellbeing is declining across much of the internet-enabled world.
The Global Mind Health in 2025 report by Sapien Labs says 41% of internet-enabled young adults aged 18–34 are now in a “mind health crisis”, meaning their challenges are serious enough to impair day-to-day functioning. But the report’s country rankings show a sharp regional split.
Ghana tops the list for youth mind health, followed by Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Tanzania, while several high-income countries rank near the bottom.
Sapien Labs measures mind health using the Mind Health Quotient (MHQ), a composite score that reflects emotional, cognitive, social and physical functioning, the capacities people rely on to manage life, work and relationships.
Researchers link the global decline to factors including early smartphone exposure, ultra-processed food consumption, weakening family bonds and reduced spirituality. They say parts of sub-Saharan Africa score better on some of these indicators, including later smartphone adoption and stronger spiritual and family connections.
Tanzania, for example, ranks highly on spirituality measures and reports a later average age of first smartphone use.
This article was originally published by Global South World and is republished here with permission. View the original article.
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