Loneliness and Social Isolation in Older Adults Across Europe

According to the 2022 EU Loneliness Survey, 13% of respondents reported feeling lonely most or all of the time in the past four weeks, while 35% experienced loneliness at least occasionally (European Commission, 2022). In 2016, the percentage of people aged 65 and over who reported feeling lonely most or all of the time was between 10% and 15% in Poland, Portugal, and Italy, while in Spain and the Netherlands, it was below 10% (Sandu et al., 2021). This trend was also observed in the 2022 survey (European Commission, 2022).

Recent data indicates that the global prevalence of loneliness among individuals aged 60 and older is 26%, meaning nearly three in ten older adults experience loneliness. North America has the highest prevalence at 38%, followed by Africa (34%), Asia and South America (32% each), and Europe (23%), while Oceania reports the lowest prevalence at 13% (Susanty et al., 2025).

The European Commission has dedicated significant efforts to addressing the issue of social isolation and loneliness in Europe, particularly given the well-documented negative effects on individuals’ physical and mental health (Hopwood & Mann, 2018; Labit, 2015). Although data may vary across countries, there is some assumption that loneliness and social isolation may lead to greater depression and social anxiety (Kadotani et al, 2022). It has been also detected that, even understudied, that being socially isolated from a group of friends is damaging for ones’ mental health, opening the discussion of social inclusion as to involve not only family members, but also others as friends (Taylor et al, 2016).

In this context, the United Nations declared the Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030), presenting a valuable opportunity to tackle social isolation and loneliness (WHO, 2020). This initiative aims to establish a global, multi-stakeholder, and multi-sectoral coalition to raise awareness about social isolation and loneliness among diverse stakeholders, enhance research and strengthen the evidence base for effective interventions; and facilitate the implementation and scaling-up of proven interventions through a collaborative, multi-stakeholder approach (WHO, 2021a). The FRIEND program seeks to contribute to this global effort by addressing these issues at the local level within each partner country.