The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) and McKinsey Health Institute (MHI) are proud to share a groundbreaking report: “Investing in the future: How better mental health benefits everyone.”
Mental health conditions contribute to 290 million disability-adjusted life years globally, yet receive only 2 percent of government health spending. Further, at least 67 percent of current mental health budgets go to institutional care, despite evidence that community-based approaches deliver better outcomes at lower costs. This striking mismatch represents a healthcare gap and a significant missed economic opportunity.
At CHAI, we’re launching a mental health program focused on addressing severe mental health conditions, and the findings in this report reinforce the urgency of our work.
Our analysis shows that each US$1 invested in scaling mental health interventions could yield US$5-6 in economic returns. By 2050, these investments could reduce the mental health disease burden by 40 percent and add US$4.4 trillion to the global economy.
As we move forward, three priorities stand out:
- We urgently need additional research to identify the most cost-effective mental health interventions, particularly in low-resource settings
- We must explore innovative approaches like market shaping (something CHAI has pioneered in other health areas) to increase access to quality mental health care
- We need to dramatically increase funding and prioritization of mental health services globally
In today’s constrained funding environment, strategic investments in mental health represent one of the most pragmatic paths forward—benefiting individuals, health systems, and economies alike.
