(NewsNation) — More than a billion adults worldwide reportedly feel very or fairly lonely, according to a new Meta-Gallup survey.
Researchers asked adults in 142 countries and territories how lonely they feel in general. As a result, nearly one in four adults around the world said they feel consistently very lonely.
It’s important to note, however, that the numbers could be higher as the survey only represents about 77% of the world’s adults as China — the world’s second-most populous country — did not participate in the polling.
About half, or 49%, of the world’s adult population said they don’t feel lonely at all. This translates to about 2.2 billion people across the more than 140 countries surveyed.
While the survey found that women and men are equally as lonely, there was a 10-point gap reported in loneliness among older versus younger adults. Younger adults said they felt lonely more frequently than older adults.
The survey comes in the wake of the World Health Organization‘s warning of the dangers of loneliness, the report said. WHO called attention to the social well-being of humans, which influenced the research behind this survey.
Overall, the survey found that millions of people experience loneliness on a daily basis, and it elevates the risk for physical and mental health conditions, the report said.