New national data paints a concerning picture about the mental health of young Australians.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's latest Australia's Health 2026 report shows that around one in five Australians aged 16 to 85 (or 22 per cent) experienced a mental illness in the previous 12 months. While that figure has remained relatively stable overall since the last report, the same cannot be said when zeroing in on the younger population.

Among Australians aged 16 to 24, the proportion experiencing mental illness jumped from 26 per cent in 2007 to 39 per cent in 2020–22. In other words, while the overall prevalence of mental illness increased by just two per cent across the broader population, it rose by 13 per cent among young Australians.

For women, the increase has been even more pronounced. Almost half (46 per cent) of women aged 16 to 24 experienced a mental disorder in the previous year, up from 30 per cent in 2007.

Mental health challenges emerge early in life, but support doesn't match demand

As noted in The Conversation's analysis of the report, around 75 per cent of mental illnesses emerge before the age of 25, making adolescence and early adulthood a critical period for prevention, early intervention and access to support.

Despite this knowledge, and the growing impact of mental illness among younger Australians, the report highlights a significant gap between need and investment in support. Mental health conditions account for around 15 per cent of Australia's disease burden, but they receive just 7 per cent of the nation's total health spending.

The consequences of this are extensive. More Australians are living with psychosocial disability – a disability arising from mental illness – with prevalence increasing from 4.6 per cent in 2018 to 6.5 per cent today.

At the same time, an estimated half a million Australians living with moderate to severe psychosocial support needs are not receiving assistance through the National Disability Insurance Scheme or other government-funded support programs, leaving many without access to ongoing care and support.

Access to care more generally is also becoming more difficult. The report found that 27 per cent of Australians who needed to see a GP in 2024–25 delayed or didn't attend at least once because of cost, availability or wait times. Cost alone prevented 7.7 per cent of Australians from seeing a GP when they needed to; a figure that has almost doubled over the past decade. While these findings relate to healthcare more broadly, they point to growing barriers to accessing support at a time when demand for mental health care continues to rise.