Young people most likely to have poor mental health

The 2022 census took place after two years of disruption and lockdowns caused by the Covid pandemic which other surveys have shown affected mental health conditions.

The latest census report said that the results may reflect people’s willingness to report their health condition as well as changes in prevalence.

For specific conditions such as depression, anxiety and self-harm there have been clear increases in reporting throughout the last decade

Increases in demand for services may be partially driven by decreased stigma and more awareness about mental health and wellbeing, the report said.

Other census results show that, after accounting for age, 6.8% of the population said they were in bad or very bad health in 2022 – up from 5.9% in 2011.

The census found that the Glasgow City council area had the highest percentage of people reporting bad or very bad health at 10.8% while Aberdeenshire had the lowest at 4.2%.

Comparable figures for England and Wales show 5.4% of people reported bad or very bad health in the 2021 census, while in Northern Ireland it was 8.2% of people.

The census also recorded 627,700 people providing unpaid care, a 27.5% increase on the numbers at the previous census in 2011.

Most unpaid carers are aged 50 or over and 58.8% are female.