{
  "id": 19571334,
  "title": "Depression and anxiety could have cost Singapore’s economy an estimated S$19.6 billion in 2025, says report",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/11/depression-and-anxiety-could-have-cost-singapores-economy-an",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-11T22:30:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Independent Singapore",
    "slug": "the-independent-singapore",
    "url": "https://theindependent.sg/depression-and-anxiety-could-have-cost-singapore-s-economy-an-estimated-s-19-6-billion-in-2025-says-report"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Singapore's economy could have been hit by an estimated S$19.6 billion in 2025 due to mental health issues, particularly depression and anxiety, according to a recent report. The global advisory firm Access Partnership's study, \"Beyond the paycheck: The economic cost of mental health in Singapore’s workforce,\" found that one in five adults in the city-state exhibits symptoms of depression or anxiety. Despite their presence, many continue to work, albeit at a diminished capacity, which has led to economic repercussions. The report estimates that depression and anxiety symptoms cost Singapore's economy S$19.6 billion in 2025, which surpasses the S$18.5 billion spent on health operations that year. However, by 2030, this economic burden is projected to increase to S$21.7 billion, accounting for 2.3% of the country's GDP. Employers are expected to shoulder nearly 94% of this financial burden, with the costs stemming from reduced employee performance, absenteeism, and increased employee turnover. Workers, caregivers, and the government collectively cover the remaining 6% of the expenses. The report suggests three workplace interventions, including organization-wide mental health promotion, supervisor and manager training, and employee assistance programs, which return S$6.20, S$7.50, and S$5.20 for every dollar invested, respectively. Scaling up these interventions could potentially reduce the economic burden by S$2.6 billion to S$5.4 billion by 2030, contingent on the level of investment from governments and employers. While Singapore has taken significant policy steps, such as the National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy and the Tripartite Advisory on Mental Health and Well-being at Workplaces, the implementation of these initiatives remains limited, particularly in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) where the majority of workers are employed. Additionally, manager training lacks a standardized quality measure, and employee assistance programs (EAPs) are available but often underutilized, with only 5% of employees engaging with them.",
  "summary": "SINGAPORE: A recent report stated that the high prevalence of mental health problems, especially depression and anxiety, could cost the economy. On Tuesday (Nov 10), the global advisory firm Access Partnership published “Beyond the paycheck: The economic cost of mental health in Singapore’s workforce,” which said that one out of five adults in the city-state shows symptoms of depression or…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}