An increasing number of people in industrialised nations are meeting up less with their friends in person, although the frequency of remote contact has increased. — dpa
A growing sense of loneliness – and the associated risks of stroke, heart disease, depression and stress – is spreading among young people and senior citizens in industrialised countries, new research shows.
Among 16- to 24-year-olds, the proportion of those with daily contact with friends fell from 44% in 2015 to 36% in 2022, following an earlier decline of nine percentage points between 2006 and 2015, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) says.
Between 2018 and 2022, young people were the group most affected by the feeling that social relationships had deteriorated, the OECD reported in Paris on Oct 16 (2025).
The strongest increase in social isolation across all age groups was observed among older people aged 65 and above.
The proportion of people who reported never meeting friends rose by 5.5 percentage points to 11.4% between 2015 and 2022.
Prolonged loneliness is associated with several known health risks, but the OECD also points to links to poorer job performance, a higher likelihood of unemployment or leaving education early.
The researchers reported that men and young people have emerged as new at-risk groups.
“While men have traditionally reported lower rates of feeling lonely and better relationship quality than women, between 2018 and 2022 they experienced larger deteriorations in both,” the authors say.
At the same time, unemployment and low income are important factors, as well as older age and living alone.
Compared to the general population, unemployed individuals and those in the lowest income quintile are around twice as likely to report feeling lonely.
However, the OECD cautioned that the overall increase in isolation likely reflects the reluctance to engage in direct contact during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Overall, the study found that the proportion of people in industrialised countries who meet others in person has steadily declined over the past 15 years, while frequent contact with friends and family via phones or social networks has increased.
A similar finding in 2024 showed that almost a quarter of the world’s people feel lonely, with American survey organisation Gallup warning of “serious physical and mental effects”.
The rise in loneliness comes despite decades of technological advances, such as social media, which can help people to stay in touch with each other to a degree arguably unprecedented in human history.
Research has shown that older people can counteract loneliness by being online.
A 2024 study published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour found that people aged 50 and over who are online have fewer depressive symptoms on average.
Researchers in the United States also found evidence earlier this year that hearing aids can help reduce loneliness and perceived isolation among older people who fear going deaf.
ALSO READ: Seniors, wear that hearing aid to help ease loneliness
However, particularly among younger people, there have been indications that phone addiction and endless scrolling through messages and apps are contributing to unhappiness and mental health issues.
In 2023, US Surgeon-General Dr Vivek Murthy flagged “increasing concerns” that social media was harming young users.
The same year, Dr Murthy warned of a wider “loneliness epidemic” in the US that was putting people at greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety and premature death.
In late 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) listed loneliness as a health concern.
Demographic and social changes in wealthy countries have, according to some studies, contributed to loneliness, with family sizes shrinking and older people increasingly likely to be put in care or nursing homes, rather than be looked after in their dotage by family.
Harvard University doctors published research in 2024 showing that over-50s who “experienced chronic loneliness” were 56% more likely to suffer a stroke than other people of similar age.
Robot “companions” for lonely old people have been rolled out in countries such as Japan, South Korea and the US.
Research has also suggested artificial intelligence (AI) bots could be added to such robots to enable them to “chat” to their isolated owners. – By Michael Evers/dpa
