Introduction
New findings from the WIN Worldviews Survey 2026, based on responses from more than 45,000 people across 45 countries, show that stress has risen sharply around the world and remains deeply uneven across population groups. While the sources of stress are broadly similar from one country to another, the people most affected – and the reasons why – vary significantly by gender, age, education and life stage.
Globally, 42% of respondents say they feel stressed very often or fairly often, up from 32% in 2025, while the share reporting low stress has fallen from 36% to 26%. Although WIN notes that a change in question placement may have influenced part of this increase, the overall trend appears consistent: among the 39 countries surveyed in both waves, stress levels rose in 34 of them, across all genders and age groups.
As in previous years, stress is not distributed equally. Women report significantly higher stress than men (48% vs. 36%), confirming a pattern observed since 2018. Age differences are equally pronounced: nearly one in two adults aged 18–34 report high stress, compared with just 24% of those aged 65 and over. Stress is also particularly elevated among those with basic education only (51%), as well as among students and unemployed people (50% each), though levels also remain high among those in work.
The study shows that the main drivers of stress are rooted in everyday life rather than global crises. Worldwide, the leading causes are debt or financial difficulty (32%) and work (32%), followed by family (29%) and health (28%). These concerns rank well ahead of factors such as domestic politics, unemployment, war, geopolitical tensions, environmental disasters or phone use. Among those who feel stressed frequently, the link with financial pressure and job insecurity is especially strong, underlining the central role of economic insecurity in shaping mental strain.
The findings also reveal clear differences in how stress is experienced. Women are more likely than men to cite family, money and health, while men are more likely to point to their job. Across the life course, money and work dominate among younger adults, with phone use and doom-scrolling especially visible among the youngest respondents. In midlife, family pressures peak alongside work and finances. After the age of 55, health becomes the leading source of stress, while concern about politics and war becomes more prominent.
At regional level, stress drivers also reflect local contexts. War and geopolitics are more frequently cited in Europe and the MENA region, while environmental disasters are a stronger concern in APAC, particularly in Indonesia, India and Thailand. In countries where stress rose most sharply, local researchers point to a combination of economic strain, political instability and employment anxiety, including concerns linked to the impact of AI on work in India.
Overall, the study highlights a simple but important conclusion: the world’s biggest stressors are not abstract global threats, but the daily pressures of making ends meet, keeping a job, and managing family and health responsibilities. For governments, employers and communities, the findings suggest that addressing stress requires more than awareness alone – it also means tackling the everyday economic insecurity that lies behind it.
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