Today’s youth are dealing with many difficulties — from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and social or political instability to wars happening close to home. The latest report from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) shows that almost 40% of European teens struggle with their mental health. What’s especially concerning is that girls are having a much harder time than boys.
For over 30 years, ESPAD focused mostly on alcohol, tobacco, and drug use among teenagers. But last year, for the first time, the survey included questions about how young people feel overall.
Nearly 114,000 fifteen- and sixteen-year-olds from 37 countries took part. They answered questions about feeling happy, waking up rested, and having the energy to get through the day.
From their answers, researchers created a mental well-being score. A score above 50 out of 100 meant good mental health. On average, 59% of teens scored above this line — but results varied a lot depending on the country.
The best scores were in Nordic countries. For example, 77% of young people in the Faroe Islands said they feel mentally well. Iceland (75%) and Denmark (72%) also had high scores.
At the other end, Ukraine had the lowest numbers, with only 43% of teens feeling mentally well. This isn’t surprising, given that many Ukrainian young people are growing up during wartime, often without psychological support and dealing with trauma. Other countries with lower scores include the Czech Republic (46%), Hungary (47%), Cyprus, and Poland, where only 49% reported good mental health.
One of the clearest findings is the difference between boys and girls. In every country, girls reported worse mental health than boys. Overall, 69% of boys said they feel mentally well, but only 49% of girls said the same.
In Poland, the gap is even bigger — only one in three girls said they feel good mentally, while two in three boys felt that way. Even in countries with better overall scores, like Sweden (62%), the difference is big: 80% of boys but less than 50% of girls report feeling mentally well.
Kadri Soova, director of Mental Health Europe, says these results show how important it is to create support that truly meets the needs of young people — and takes gender into account.
“Mental health is closely linked to the social world young people grow up in,” Soova told Euronews.
Experts are urging politicians and leaders to invest more in mental health education and to build easy-to-access, effective support systems for young people. It’s important that schools, families, and public services work together to create safe and supportive environments.
As a recent article in the medical journal The Lancet highlights, the mental health crisis among youth isn’t just a European problem — it’s a global one. Quick and coordinated action is needed everywhere.
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