Do not trust appearances …
Some countries are regularly classified among the happiest nations in the world, like Denmark or Finland. They are distinguished by an excellent quality of life, strong social cohesion, large green spaces, as well as a good balance between professional and personal life, factors that promote good mental health. However, we must not trust appearances: one of these countries, renowned for its exceptional well-being and high level of happiness, is also the biggest consumer of antidepressants in the world, reveals a new classification of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) relayed by Statista.
This country has an average consumption of 165 doses of daily antidepressants for 1,000 inhabitants. This means that in average, around 1 in 6 people take a standard dose of antidepressants every day. This does not mean that all the inhabitants take these drugs, but rather that they are commonly prescribed in the population, some by taking regularly, others not at all. Conversely, in France, this average falls to about 1 out of 16 people, which places France in the low range of the ranking.
This record consumption of antidepressants may seem paradoxical in a country so famous for its well-being. And yet, as everywhere else, the average happiness of a country does not reflect the absence of individual suffering or depressive episodes. Especially since the country in question is very long, very dark, with little natural light, which promotes seasonal depressions. You may have guessed: this country is none other than Iceland, a small Nordic island which has 383,000 inhabitants (the equivalent of the total population of Nice for example).
A high consumption of antidepressants can also be explained by the fact that in Iceland, consulting a mental health professional seems more common and less taboo than elsewhere. These professionals more easily prescribe this type of treatment. This has notably been suggested in several studies, including one published in the Nordic Newspaper of Psychiatry. In general, DREES said in early 2025 that almost 6% of Europeans suffer from depressive syndrome, with highest depression in Western and North Europe, especially among the youngest.
