Mapping the uneven impact of education on mental health: a cross-national analysis by income level

Abstract The relationship between education and mental health is not well understood. Findings are mixed, especially in low- and middle-income countries. We examine the impact of education on mental health using individual-level data from over 120,000 participants across 121 countries, comprising 42 high-income countries and 79 low- and middle-income countries. Results show that better-educated individuals are less likely to experience mental health issues in the overall sample. We observe the same effect in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs); however, the effect is not significant in high-income countries (HICs). The study suggests that mental health policy should be tailored to the socioeconomic environments of LMICs and HICs. In LMICs, education can be leveraged as an important tool for improving mental health by strengthening access to material and social resources. In HICs, where education alone appears insufficient to improve mental health outcomes, the findings point to the need for broader interventions that address social, economic and psychosocial stressors across the population. Coordination between health and education sectors remains essential for developing effective and context-specific policy responses.