The pandemic has left us more socially isolated

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-09-16 01:00

Australia; New Zealand; International

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Globally, levels of social isolation have increased over the last 15 years, but specifically, they have increased since the pandemic, according to new international research. The study looked at data from 2009 to 2024 from more than 150 countries, and found that the global prevalence of social isolation increased by 13.4% with the entire increase occurring after 2019. This increase in social isolation was also largely in lower-income groups in each country, with higher-income groups showing no significant change. Australia fell in the moderate increase group for social isolation levels, which includes countries with increases in social isolation of around 3 to 6%.

Media release

From: JAMA

Global Trends and Disparities in Social Isolation

About The Study:
In this cross-sectional study, social isolation was found to have increased globally after theCOVID-19 pandemic, with the initial increase disproportionately seen in lower-income populations and subsequent increases broadening across socioeconomic strata. Targeted interventions for vulnerable groups and research ex-amining country-level policies are urgently needed to mitigate high isolation levels and reduce inequities.

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Journal/
conference: JAMA Network Open

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Auburn University, USA

Funder: Conflict of Interest Disclosures: None reported.

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