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Women’s mental health in the U.S.

Three sourced facts that make the scale of women’s mental health needs visible today.

Last updated August 17, 2026

Women’s mental health is essential to today’s world because women’s well-being reaches into families, workplaces and communities. These figures describe national patterns, not any one person’s experience.

26.4%

Fact 01

Of adult women experienced mental illness in the past year.

SAMHSA estimates that 34.8 million women age 18 or older experienced any mental illness in 2023.

Source: SAMHSA, 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Among Females Aged 12 or Older, 2023 ↗

40.1%

Fact 02

Of women ages 18 to 25 experienced mental illness in the past year.

Among young adult women, an estimated 6.8 million experienced any mental illness in 2023.

Source: SAMHSA, 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Among Females Aged 12 or Older, 2023 ↗

6.9%

Fact 03

Of adult women experienced serious mental illness in the past year.

SAMHSA estimates that 9.2 million women age 18 or older experienced serious mental illness in 2023.

Source: SAMHSA, 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Among Females Aged 12 or Older, 2023 ↗

Source and Method

How to read these figures.

This page summarizes findings from SAMHSA’s 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The figures were checked against the original source on August 17, 2026.

SAMHSA, 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Among Females Aged 12 or Older (2023) ↗

Suggested Citation

Mensimah’s Round Table. “Women’s Mental Health: 3 U.S. Statistics for 2026.” Updated August 17, 2026. https://mensimah.com/womens-mental-health-statistics

A Place to Reflect

There is room for your life, too.

For women carrying a great deal, transformational coaching can offer a thoughtful space to reconnect with what matters and consider what comes next. Coaching is not a replacement for mental health care.

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