OECD Releases Cross-Country Loneliness Report To Guide Social Connection Policy

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being | SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
Institutions: Ministry of Health & Family Welfare | Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs

The OECD has released Social Connections and Loneliness in OECD Countries (October 2025), an in-depth assessment of how people’s social ties shape health, education, employment, and civic participation. Building on the OECD’s How’s Life? well-being framework, it uses newly combined, large-sample official data to compare both the quantity and quality of social interactions across population groups and over time.

The report finds that people are meeting in person less often than before, while feelings of connection worsened after the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, men and young adults (16–24)—once thought to be at lower risk—now show some of the largest declines in connectedness. It also confirms that loneliness overlaps with socioeconomic disadvantage, living alone, and older age, and that its causes are multi-dimensional, spanning economic, environmental, and structural factors. The OECD identifies two major policy levers: social infrastructure (parks, libraries, public spaces) and digital technologies, both of which can either strengthen or weaken community bonds depending on design and access.

The report reframes loneliness as a public policy and urban planning issue, not merely a personal one. For India, its insights align with the National Mental Health Programme and Smart Cities Mission, highlighting the need for community-oriented design, digital inclusion, and preventive mental-health infrastructure. Incorporating loneliness metrics into city and health dashboards could guide place-based interventions and social infrastructure investments under India’s well-being and urban policy frameworks.

Follow the full report here: OECD report page (16 Oct 2025)

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