List of countries by antidepressant consumption explained

This is a list of countries by antidepressant consumption according to data published by the OECD.

OECD list

The source for the data below is the OECD Health Statistics 2018, released by the OECD in June 2018 and updated on 8 November 2018.^[1]

The unit of measurement used by the OECD is defined daily dose (DDD), defined as "the assumed average maintenance dose per day for a drug used on its main indication in adults".^[2] The sources used by the OECD are primarily national health authorities.^[2] Definitions, sources and methodology per country is explained further in a document available on the OECD website.^[2] The OECD have not included the United States in these reviews, but if added the country would have the highest or second-highest rate.^[3]

Country	Defined daily dosage per 1,000 inhabitants per day	Year	Data include drugs dispensed in hospitals	Data include non- reimbursed drugs	Data include OTC drugs	Notes
	141.4	2017
	106.7	2016
	103.6	2017		^[4]	^[5]
	100.1	2016
	99.6	2017			See note^[6]	^[7]
	96.8	2017			^[8]
	79.0	2016
	77.0	2015
	75.5	2016
	72.8	2014
	67.6	2016	^[9]
	60.5	2016	^[10]	See note^[11]
	58.6	2016		See note^[12]	See note^[13]
	57.1	2017
	57.1	2016
	56.5	2016		See note^[14]
	52.7	2017
	49.8	2009	^[15]
	49.2	2017
	48.1	2015				^[16]
	46.1	2016
	41.4	2017
	41.0	2016			See note^[17]
	40.3	2017				^[18]
	38.9	2016
	28.8	2017
	28.8	2017
	19.9	2016
	13.3	2016

See also

• Antidepressant
• List of countries by suicide rate

Notes

1. Web site: OECD Health Statistics 2018 . 28 June 2018 . . 10 May 2019.
2. Web site: OECD Health Statistics 2018: Definitions, Sources and Methods . June 2018 . . 10 May 2019.
3. News: Gould, S. . L.F. Friedman . 4 February 2016 . Something startling is going on with antidepressant use around the world . Business Insider . 18 July 2020 .
4. Data include both reimbursed and non-reimbursed products.
5. Yes, but only OTC products sold in pharmacies.
6. Generally, claims for OTC drugs are not reimbursed, but OTC drugs are not explicitly excluded.
7. Provisional value.
8. Data include OTC drugs both from pharmacies and from other retailers.
9. Data are based on wholesale of pharmaceuticals.
10. Drug consumption in hospitals and in hospital ambulances is excluded.
11. Data cover only drugs reimbursed by the sickness funds within the statutory health insurance.
12. Data include all medicines with a medical prescription – compulsory health insurance, regardless of the reimbursement.
13. Only OTC drugs with a medical prescription.
14. Data contain exclusively the drug consumption debited to the statutory health insurance (i.e. drugs reimbursed by German Statutory Health Insurance).
15. Data include drug consumption both in hospitals and in pharmacies.
16. Difference in methodology.
17. Data include drugs dispensed in pharmacies and non-reimbursed drugs.
18. Estimated value.

References

1. Web site: OECD Health Statistics 2018 . 28 June 2018 . . 10 May 2019.
2. Web site: OECD Health Statistics 2018: Definitions, Sources and Methods . June 2018 . . 10 May 2019.
3. News: Gould, S. . L.F. Friedman . 4 February 2016 . Something startling is going on with antidepressant use around the world . Business Insider . 18 July 2020 .
4. Data include both reimbursed and non-reimbursed products.
5. Yes, but only OTC products sold in pharmacies.
6. Generally, claims for OTC drugs are not reimbursed, but OTC drugs are not explicitly excluded.
7. Provisional value.
8. Data include OTC drugs both from pharmacies and from other retailers.
9. Data are based on wholesale of pharmaceuticals.
10. Drug consumption in hospitals and in hospital ambulances is excluded.
11. Data cover only drugs reimbursed by the sickness funds within the statutory health insurance.
12. Data include all medicines with a medical prescription – compulsory health insurance, regardless of the reimbursement.
13. Only OTC drugs with a medical prescription.
14. Data contain exclusively the drug consumption debited to the statutory health insurance (i.e. drugs reimbursed by German Statutory Health Insurance).
15. Data include drug consumption both in hospitals and in pharmacies.
16. Difference in methodology.
17. Data include drugs dispensed in pharmacies and non-reimbursed drugs.
18. Estimated value.

External links

• News: Gould . Skye . Friedman . Lauren F. . 6 October 2016 . Antidepressant use is rising sharply around the world . https://web.archive.org/web/20190511094105/https://www.businessinsider.com/countries-largest-antidepressant-drug-users-2016-11?r=US&IR=T . dead . 11 May 2019 . . 11 May 2019.