The World Health Organisation (WHO) has released its global health estimates.
These 11 African countries have the highest number of depressed people
The global health estimates by the World Health Organisation show that Africa has 29.19 million cases of depressive disorder.
The 2015 report titled, 'Depression and Other Common Mental Disorders' shows that depression is the second-leading cause of disability in the world.
It is also the single largest contributor to global disability and a major contributor to suicides (about 800 000 per year).
Depressive disorders are characterized by sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, feelings of tiredness, and poor concentration.
According to the research, there are 322 million cases of depressive disorder across the globe. The African region has 29.19 million cases (9%).
Here are the 11 African countries with the highest number of depressed people:
Djibouti
Djibouti is Africa's most depressed country. It has 43,909 cases of depressive disorders, that's 5.1% of its population. This is more common in females than in males.
Cape Verde and Tunisia
Cape Verde and Tunisia tie for the second most depressed African country. 4.9% of their populations are suffering from depressive disorders with Cape Verde having 24,240 cases of depressive disorders while Tunisia has 518,432 cases of depressive disorders.
Lesotho
Lesotho is third with 4.8% of its population suffering from depressive disorders. The country has 98,988 recorded cases of depressive disorders.
Botswana and Ethiopia
Botswana and Ethiopia come in fourth with 4.7% of their populations suffering from depressive disorders. Ethiopia has 4,480,113 cases while there are 102,065 cases of depressive disorders in Botswana.
Uganda and South Africa
Uganda and South Africa are in fifth place with 4.6% of their populations suffering from depressive disorders. There are 1,747,769 cases in Uganda South Africa has 2,402,230 cases.
Algeria, Morocco, and Libya
Algeria, Morocco, and Libya come in sixth place. 4.5% of their populations suffer from depressive disorders. Algeria has 1,683,914 cases, Morocco 1,484,441 cases while Libya has 265,883 cases.
Nigeria, on the other hand, has 3.9% of its population suffering from depressive disorders. Nigeria has over 7 million cases.
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