Is loneliness really an epidemic?

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1. 1

   Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation: the U.S. Surgeon General's advisory on the healing effects of social connection and community

   US Department of Health and Human ServicesPublished May 3, 2023Checked Sep 30, 2026

   “About half of US adults report experiencing loneliness. Lacking social connection increases the risk of premature death to a degree comparable with smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.”

2. 2

   Loneliness and Social Isolation as Risk Factors for Mortality

   Perspectives on Psychological Science (Holt‐Lunstad et al.)Published Mar 1, 2015Checked Sep 30, 2026

   “We conducted a literature search of studies (January 1980 to February 2014) using MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Social Work Abstracts, and Google Scholar. The included studies provided quantitative data on mortality as affected by loneliness, social isolation, or living alone. Across studies in which several possible confounds were statistically controlled for, the weighted average effect sizes were as follows: social isolation odds ratio (OR) = 1.29, loneliness OR = 1.26, and living alone OR = 1.32, corresponding to an average of 29%, 26%, and 32% increased likelihood of mortality, respectively. We found no differences between measures of objective and subjective social isolation. Results remain consistent across gender, length of follow-up, and world region, but initial health status has an influence on the findings. Results also differ across participant age, with social deficits being more predictive of death in samples with an average age younger than 65 years. Overall, the influence of both objective and subjective social isolation on risk for mortality is comparable with well-established risk factors for mortality.”

3. 3

   The prevalence of loneliness across 113 countries: systematic review and meta-analysis

   BMJ (Surkalim et al.)Published Feb 9, 2022Checked Sep 30, 2026

   “Prevalence data were available for 113 countries or territories, according to official WHO nomenclature for regions, from 57 studies. Data were available for adolescents (12-17 years) in 77 countries or territories, young adults (18-29 years) in 30 countries, middle aged adults (30-59 years) in 32 countries, and older adults (≥60 years) in 40 countries. Data for all age groups except adolescents were lacking outside of Europe. Overall, 212 estimates for 106 countries from 24 studies were included in meta-analyses. The pooled prevalence of loneliness for adolescents ranged from 9.2% (95% confidence interval 6.8% to 12.4%) in South-East Asia to 14.4% (12.2% to 17.1%) in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Problematic levels of loneliness are experienced by a substantial proportion of the population in many countries. The substantial difference in data coverage between high income countries (particularly Europe) and low and middle income countries raised an important equity issue. Evidence on the temporal trends of loneliness is insufficient. The findings of this meta-analysis are limited by data scarcity and methodological heterogeneity.”

4. 4

   The association of loneliness with health and well-being: A second-order meta-analysis.

   Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association (Zell & RoPublished Sep 3, 2026Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “We used second-order meta-analysis to assess relations of loneliness with health and well-being.ResultsWe found a robust association of loneliness with broad indices of mental health, r = .37, 95% confidence interval [CI; 0.31, 0.44], psychological adjustment, r = .32, 95% CI [0.28, 0.36], and physical health, r = .15, 95% CI [0.10, 0.20], as well as specific indices of anxiety, cognitive functioning, depression, relationship functioning, social support, and problematic technology use. Loneliness associations varied significantly by loneliness measure and inclusion of unpublished studies, longitudinal studies, and covariates. However, risk of bias may have inflated effect sizes.ConclusionsOur findings clarify the association of loneliness with several indices of health and well-being as well as the conditions under which these associations are most pronounced. Additional study is needed to examine longitudinal associations, interventions, and preregistered effects. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).”

5. 5

   Is my loneliness killing me? Effects of loneliness and social isolation on transitions between cognitive status categories and death.

   Journal of personality and social psychology (Yoneda et al.)Published Jun 15, 2026Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “Further, extensive between-study variability in operational definitions, modeling approaches, and covariate adjustments may be contributing to mixed results in the existing literature. In this registered report, we applied a multistudy approach (i.e., coordinated data analysis) in which independent but identical models were fit across 11 longitudinal studies representing participants from 18 countries (Ntotal = 175,070). Random effects meta-analyses synthesized results across studies, showing that loneliness was consistently associated with an elevated risk of cognitive impairment and mortality across statistical approaches, even after adjusting for social isolation. Conversely, social isolation was not consistently associated with cognitive impairment and showed weaker associations with mortality risk. Together, our findings suggest that loneliness is a robust, proximal predictor of major aging outcomes and highlight avenues for theory development, strategies to strengthen cognitive resilience and independence in older adulthood, and more efficient resource allocation of public health resources. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).”

6. 6

   Prevalence and factors associated with loneliness among older adults in Africa: systematic review and meta-analysis.

   Systematic reviews (Mekonnen et al.)Published Jun 11, 2026Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “this problem in the African region.ObjectiveTo determine the pooled prevalence and associated factors of loneliness among older adults in Africa.MethodOriginal studies on the prevalence of loneliness among older adults in Africa were retrieved from well-known international databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library, as well as search engines like Google and Google Scholar. A random-effects model was applied to estimate the combined prevalence of loneliness among older adults in Africa. Statistical analysis was performed using STATA version 17 software.ResultsThis systematic review and meta-analysis included 18 cross-sectional observational studies that provided data on the prevalence of loneliness among older adults. The overall pooled prevalence of loneliness in this population was 37.86 [95% CI (30.11, 45.62), I2 = 100%, p ConclusionIn this systematic review well over one-third of older adults suffered from loneliness which highlights that loneliness is a significant concern among older adults in Africa. Marital status, alcohol-drinking habits, and depressive symptoms were found significant predictors of loneliness among older adults in Africa.”

7. 7

   Worldwide Changes in Loneliness Among Older Adults From 1997 to 2025: A Cross-Temporal Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review.

   The International journal of social psychiatry (Kang et al.)Published Sep 4, 2026Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “Cross-temporal meta-analysis was conducted to assess trends in loneliness and its associations with societal indicators.ResultsOverall loneliness among older adults showed a modest decline over time (d = -0.331), with significant regional variation. Loneliness decreased in Asia and North America but increased in Europe, where levels were highest. No significant overall gender differences were observed, although women showed a slightly greater decline. Higher GDP per capita, life expectancy, and old-age dependency ratio were associated with lower loneliness, whereas unemployment was associated with higher loneliness. The influence of female labor force participation changed over time.DiscussionOver the past three decades, loneliness among older adults has generally improved, though regional and gender disparities persist in this trend, which remains closely linked to multiple macro-level social indicators. Future policy formulation must account for regional variations and the long-term effects of social change, promoting more targeted psychological support systems for older adults to effectively enhance their mental wellbeing and quality of life.”

8. 8

   Measuring loneliness at a national scale: The measuring loneliness in England (INTERACT) study's approach and initial findings.

   BMC global and public health (El-Osta et al.)Published Aug 6, 2026Checked Sep 30, 2026

   “The cohort was predominantly female (61.6%), White (82.6%) and aged over 65 (32.4%). The sample over-represented highly educated individuals and under-represented minority ethnic groups. On DMLO, 16.5% of participants reported feeling lonely "often or always," while the UCLA-3 indicated that 21% to 22.5% frequently felt a lack of companionship, left out, or isolated (median score=6, Interquartile Range (IQR) = 3-7). Social capital perceptions were mixed (median=4, IQR) = 2-6). The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated feelings of loneliness for 44.0% of respondents and isolation for 48.2%. As a volunteer-based, non-probability sample, findings are descriptive of respondents and are not intended to estimate population prevalence.ConclusionsThe INTERACT Study provides a comprehensive national dataset on loneliness and social disconnection in England. The scale, methodological rigour and spatial granularity of the INTERACT study offer indicative insights that may inform the design of targeted, place-based interventions, pending confirmatory analyses in representative samples to mitigate loneliness and promote social connection across communities.”