In 2001, the loneliest Australians were the elderly. By 2021, that had completely reversed. Today, Australians aged 15–24 are the loneliest age group in the country — lonelier than those aged 65 and over — and the trend has been building for nearly two decades. Yet Australia has no National Loneliness Strategy, no dedicated tracking survey, and almost no public policy response to what the data is clearly showing.
Chart 1 of 5 — The great reversal
Source: AIHW analysis of Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, waves 1–23 (2001–2023). Melbourne Institute, University of Melbourne. Published in AIHW Social Isolation and Loneliness report (2024) and HILDA Survey: Selected Findings from Waves 1–21 (University of Melbourne, 2024).
Between 2001 and 2009, older Australians were the loneliest. Then something shifted. A turning point emerged around 2008–2009 — coinciding with the mass adoption of smartphones and social media — and since then loneliness among 15–24 year olds has climbed steadily while all other age groups have trended downward. By 2021, young Australians were the most isolated age group in the country.
Chart 2 of 5 — The distress connection
Source: HILDA Survey Selected Findings from Waves 1–21, University of Melbourne (2024); Baker et al. (2025), ‘The changing impacts of social determinants on youth mental health in Australia’, International Journal of Social Psychiatry; NSW Population Health Survey (Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence, 2021).
The co-movement is striking. Psychological distress among 15–24 year olds nearly doubled over the decade — from 18% in 2011 to 42% in 2021. Loneliness and lack of social support were identified as the strongest and most increasing drivers of this distress, ahead of poor family relationships, unemployment, and economic hardship. Young people who report persistent loneliness are over seven times more likely to experience high psychological distress than those who are not lonely.
Chart 3 of 5 — Who is most at risk (multivariate)
Source: Manera et al. (2025), University of Sydney / HILDA 2022–23 loneliness analysis, published in ‘More than 2 in 5 young Australians are lonely’ (The Conversation, 2025); Mission Australia Social Media and Young People report (2025); Orygen and Ending Loneliness Together, ‘Young People and Loneliness Policy Report’ (2024). Odds ratios are approximate, derived from reported relative risks across cited studies.
No single factor explains the epidemic. Young people with poor mental health are nearly four times more likely to be persistently lonely — but poor mental health is also a consequence of loneliness, creating a reinforcing cycle. Notably, high social media use affects nearly half of all young Australians and nearly doubles the risk — yet it is one of the few factors that could be targeted by policy immediately.
Chart 4 of 5 — The gender and geography gap (multivariate)
Source: AIHW Social Isolation and Loneliness (2024); AIHW analysis of HILDA survey waves 1–23; ABS Measuring What Matters — Social Connections indicator (2023). Regional/remote figures reflect higher isolation due to reduced access to social infrastructure and mental health services.
Loneliness is not equally distributed. Young women report higher rates than young men across all settings, but geography compounds the gap dramatically — young women in regional and remote Australia carry the highest loneliness burden of any demographic. The pattern also reveals that loneliness is not simply about age: it peaks at 15–24 across all four groups, then declines — except in regional areas, where the drop is slower and shallower.
Chart 5 of 5 — Australia vs the world (multivariate)
Source: Orygen and Ending Loneliness Together, ‘Young People and Loneliness Policy Report’ (2024); Ending Loneliness Together, ‘A Connected Australia’ (2023); UK Government loneliness strategy review (2023); OECD / Meta Wellbeing Lab cross-national wellbeing data (2023). Policy scores are author-assessed based on published government strategy documents. Investment figures reflect approximate annual public commitments where disclosed.
The international picture is damning. Among comparable nations, Australia has both the highest rate of youth loneliness and the least developed policy response. The UK appointed a Minister for Loneliness in 2018 and has since invested nearly A$150 million in social connection programmes. Japan followed in 2021. Denmark launched a national action plan in 2023. Australia has done none of these things. The data has been in plain sight for years. The only thing missing is the political will to act on it.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2024). Social isolation and loneliness. AIHW, Australian Government. https://www.aihw.gov.au/mental-health/topic-areas/social-isolation-and-loneliness
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2023). Australia’s welfare 2023: data insights — Social isolation, loneliness and wellbeing (Chapter 2). AIHW. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-welfare/australias-welfare-2023-data-insights/contents/social-isolation-loneliness-and-wellbeing
Baker, D. G., Wang, M., Filia, K. M., Teo, S. M., Morgan, R., Ziou, M., McGorry, P., Browne, V., & Gao, C. X. (2025). The changing impacts of social determinants on youth mental health in Australia. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 71(1), 116–128. https://doi.org/10.1177/00207640241280910
Ending Loneliness Together. (2023). A connected Australia: The national strategy to reduce loneliness. https://endingloneliness.com.au/
Leigh, A., & Tripodi, G. (2025). The rise of social media and the fall in mental well-being among young Australians. Australian Economic Review. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8462.12584
Manera, K. E., Smith, B. J., Owen, K. B., & Phongsavan, P. (2025). More than 2 in 5 young Australians are lonely, our new report shows. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/more-than-2-in-5-young-australians-are-lonely-our-new-report-shows-this-is-what-could-help-261260
Mission Australia. (2025). Social media and young people. https://www.missionaustralia.com.au/what-we-do/evidence-impact-and-advocacy/research/reports/social-media-and-young-people/
Mission Australia. (2025). Youth survey 2025. https://www.missionaustralia.com.au/media-centre/media-releases/2025/young-australians-call-for-action-on-cost-of-living-mission-australias-2025-youth-survey/
Orygen & Ending Loneliness Together. (2024). Young people and loneliness policy report. https://endingloneliness.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Orygen-young-people-and-loneliness-report-November-2024.pdf
University of Melbourne. (2024). HILDA survey: Selected findings from waves 1–21. Melbourne Institute. https://www.unimelb.edu.au/newsroom/news/2024/february/hilda-data-shows-psychological-distress-rising,-loneliness-highest-amongst-young-people
University of Sydney. (2025, August 4). More than 40 percent of young Aussies are lonely, as experts call for National Loneliness Strategy. https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2025/08/04/more-than-40-percent-of-young-aussies-are-lonely-as-experts-call-for-national-loneliness-strategy.html ```