Depression is becoming an increasingly significant challenge not only for Poland’s healthcare system, but also for employers and the wider economy. In 2024, 878,300 people received healthcare services linked to a diagnosis of depression, while the combined cost of public reimbursement for treatment and medication exceeded PLN 754 million. The sharpest increase concerns younger patients: over eleven years, the number of minors filling prescriptions for reimbursed antidepressants rose more than fivefold.
In 2024, 878.300 people in Poland received healthcare services with a diagnosis of depression — nearly 42% more than in 2013 — while 1.88 million patients filled prescriptions for reimbursed antidepressants. The sharpest increase has been among the youngest patients: over eleven years, the number of minors using these medicines rose more than fivefold. For the healthcare system and labour market, this represents a tangible and rapidly growing cost: total reimbursement by the National Health Fund (NFZ) exceeded PLN 754 million, while sick leave due to severe depression reached 8.5 million working days.
Kraków, 28 June 2026
Scale: more people treated, increasingly younger patients
The number of people receiving healthcare services with a diagnosis of depression — either primary or co-occurring — increased throughout the decade, but accelerated markedly after 2021: from 682,000 in 2021 to 730,000 in 2022, 809,000 in 2023 and 878,000 in 2024. Women consistently account for around three-quarters of patients (72% in 2024). The most significant shift, however, concerns age structure: the share of people under 18 among those treated rose from 1% in 2013 to 4% in 2024.
These figures should be interpreted with caution. A rise in the number of people treated is not equivalent to a rise in incidence; it also reflects better detection, broader access to psychiatric care — including following reform and the pilot rollout of mental health centres — and reduced stigma, which encourages more people to seek help. In other words, part of the increase is a positive development: people who previously remained outside the system are now receiving treatment. Whatever the interpretation, the effect on the public payer and employers is the same: the number of patients and the cost of their care are rising.
| Indicator | 2013 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patients with a depression diagnosis (k) | 619.3 | 878.3 | +41,8% |
| Patients filling antidepressant prescriptions (k) | 953.8 | 1,884.1 | +97,5% |
| of which, people under 18 (k) | 15.9 | 88.4 | +456,0% |
| Share of women among patients treated | 74% | 72% | −2 pp |
| Share of patients aged 0–17 | 1% | 4% | +3 pp |
The key trend: rising costs for the public payer
The financial dimension best illustrates the scale of the phenomenon. NFZ reimbursement for services provided with depression as the primary diagnosis rose from PLN 212.7 million in 2013 to PLN 464 million in 2024 (+118%), while reimbursement for antidepressants alone increased from PLN 100.5 million to PLN 290.2 million (+189%). Together, this amounts to more than PLN 754 million in 2024, compared with approximately PLN 313 million eleven years earlier. Both categories show the same clear acceleration after 2021, coinciding with the sharp increase in patient numbers.
The unit cost is also rising. Reimbursement for services per patient increased from PLN 695 in 2013 to PLN 1,960 in 2024 — almost threefold. This reflects not only inflation and higher service valuations, but also more intensive and comprehensive treatment. Patient co-payments for medicines are also increasing, from PLN 82 million to PLN 147 million annually, meaning that part of the burden falls directly on households.
Antidepressants: patient numbers double and minors emerge as a key issue
Use of antidepressants grew even faster than the number of diagnoses. The number of patients filling prescriptions for reimbursed products increased from 953.800 in 2013 to 1.88 million in 2024, while the number of defined daily doses (DDD — a standard measure of medicine consumption) rose from 159 million to 457 million, nearly tripling. An important caveat is needed here: these medicines are also used outside psychiatry, including for neuralgia, painful diabetic polyneuropathy and other disorders. Therefore, the number of patients filling prescriptions does not relate exclusively to depression treatment and should be treated as an indicator of a broader trend, rather than a direct count of people with depression.
The increase among the youngest people is the strongest and most concerning trend. The number of people under 18 who filled a prescription for a reimbursed antidepressant rose from 15.900 in 2013 to 88.400 in 2024 — an increase of 456%. The sharpest jump came in 2021–2022, from 40,000 to 77,000, coinciding with the pandemic period and its consequences for young people’s mental health. For education, healthcare and public policy, this is a structural signal that reaches beyond the statistics.
Labour market: sick leave rises, but disability pensions decline
For employers and the insurance system, sick leave is the most tangible cost. The number of medical certificates for severe depression rose from 289,800 in 2013 to 418,300 in 2024 (+44%), while the number of absence days rose from 5.39 million to 8.54 million (+58.5%). The average duration of leave also increased, from 18.6 to 20.4 days. A marked jump occurred in 2020 (7.8 million days), the first year of the pandemic, after which absence levels did not return to their pre-crisis values.
Against this backdrop, however, an important move in the opposite direction is visible. The number of work-incapacity decisions due to severe depression issued for disability-pension purposes fell from 7,570 in 2013 to 2,944 in 2024 — a decline of 61%. This contrast is telling: shorter, temporary absences are increasing, while the number of cases leading to permanent exclusion from the labour market is falling. This may indicate that earlier and more effective treatment is helping people remain professionally active, although changes in certification practice also complicate the interpretation.
| Labour-market indicator (severe depression, F32/F33) | 2013 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of sick-leave certificates | 289,810 | 418,278 | +44.3% |
| Number of absence days | 5.39 mln | 8.54 mln | +58.5% |
| Average leave duration (days) | 18.6 | 20.4 | +1.8 days |
| Disability-pension decisions (incapacity for work) | 7,570 | 2,944 | −61.1% |
Depression is no longer solely a clinical issue; it has become a growing cost item for the healthcare system and a burden on the labour market. Over eleven years, NFZ reimbursement more than doubled, sick leave rose by nearly 60%, and the number of minors using antidepressants increased more than fivefold. At the same time, the decline in disability pensions suggests that earlier treatment can help people remain professionally active.
What this means for employers and the system
For employers, 8.5 million absence days annually from just one diagnostic group represents a material productivity cost — and a case for investing in prevention and mental-health support programmes, which in other countries have been associated with lower absence and staff turnover. For the public payer, rising reimbursement for services and medicines means psychiatric-care spending must be planned over a multi-year horizon rather than managed reactively. For insurers and private providers, it signals growing and persistent demand for psychological and psychiatric services, including telemedicine. The contrast between rising absence and fewer disability pensions also indicates that early intervention has not only a health dimension but an economic one: treatment that keeps people in work is less costly than permanent exclusion.
What next?
If trends from recent years continue, the number of people treated, medicine consumption and reimbursement costs will keep rising. The pace, however, may depend on the availability of psychiatric staff — a bottleneck for the entire system — and on the durability of psychiatric-care reform. Young people’s mental health remains an open question, as this group saw the strongest growth in recent years. If the decline in disability pensions continues, it would signal that the system is becoming better at helping patients remain professionally active. These forecasts are uncertain: the data presented describe the past (2013–2024) and do not guarantee that these trends will continue.
Key findings
- The number of patients with a depression diagnosis rose by 41.8% (to 878.300), with a clear acceleration after 2021; women account for around 72% of those treated.
- The number of minors filling prescriptions for reimbursed antidepressants increased more than fivefold (15.900 → 88.400).
- Total NFZ reimbursement (services + medicines) rose from approximately PLN 313 million to PLN 754 million; the cost of services per patient nearly tripled.
- Sick leave due to severe depression reached 8.5 million working days (+58.5%) — a real cost for employers.
- Disability pensions moved in the opposite direction: the number of incapacity-for-work decisions fell by 61%, which may point to more effective and earlier treatment.
Support: if you are experiencing emotional difficulties or a mental-health crisis, free support is available, including from the Support Centre for People in Mental Health Crisis — 800 70 2222 (available 24/7), the Child and Youth Helpline — 116 111, and the Adult Emotional Crisis Helpline — 116 123.
Sources and methodology
Data source: NFZ — the “NFZ on Health: Depression” report, with data for 2013–2024 (diagnoses F31.3–F31.6, F32, F33, F34.1, F34.8, F34.9, F38 and F39 under ICD-10). Data on sick leave and disability-pension decisions come from ZUS and cover severe depression (F32, F33). All figures are historical; the “What next?” section contains uncertain forecasts. Financial indicators are stated in nominal terms, without inflation adjustment. DDD means defined daily dose — a standard measure of medicine consumption.
Methodological notes: the number of patients receiving services with a diagnosis of depression is not equivalent to prevalence or incidence; it also reflects changes in detection, access to care and willingness to seek support. Data on filled antidepressant prescriptions do not relate solely to depression treatment: these products have broader reimbursed indications, including other mental disorders, neuralgia and painful diabetic polyneuropathy. The value of service reimbursement excludes, among other things, services settled through primary-care capitation, emergency departments and some lump-sum services, which understates the true total cost. The increase in indicators in 2020 is partly associated with the pandemic. Data are comparable only within the same NFZ and ZUS methodology.
