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Depression and Loneliness among the Elderly in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Author

Listed:
  • Abhijit Banerjee
  • Esther Duflo
  • Erin Grela
  • Madeline McKelway
  • Frank Schilbach
  • Garima Sharma
  • Girija Vaidyanathan

Abstract

We combine data from longitudinal surveys in seven low- and middle-income countries (plus the United States for comparison) to document that depressive symptoms among those aged 55 and above are prevalent in those countries and, unlike in the United States, increase sharply with age. Depressive symptoms in one survey wave are associated with a greater decline in ability to carry out basic daily activities and a higher probability of death in the next wave. Using additional data from a panel survey we conducted in Tamil Nadu with a focus on elderly living alone, we document that social isolation, poverty, and physical health challenges are strongly correlated with depression. We discuss potential policy interventions in these three domains, including some results from our randomized control trials in the Tamil Nadu sample.

Suggested Citation

  • Abhijit Banerjee & Esther Duflo & Erin Grela & Madeline McKelway & Frank Schilbach & Garima Sharma & Girija Vaidyanathan, 2023. "Depression and Loneliness among the Elderly in Low- and Middle-Income Countries," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 37(2), pages 179-202, Spring.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:jecper:v:37:y:2023:i:2:p:179-202
    DOI: 10.1257/jep.37.2.179
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Yi Chen & Hanming Fang, 2020. "The State of Mental Health Among the Elderly Chinese," NBER Working Papers 26690, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    Cited by:

    1. Roth, Christopher & Schwardmann, Peter & Tripodi, Egon, 2024. "Misperceived effectiveness and the demand for psychotherapy," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 240(C).
    2. Elliott Ash & Francesco Capozza & Sergio Galletta, 2026. "Demand for Conversational AI," CESifo Working Paper Series 12673, CESifo.
    3. Goldman, Nina & Alemdar, Melek & Megges, Herlind & Matsumoto, Naka & Schoenmakers, Eric & van den Berg, Pauline & Lasgaard, Mathias & Christiansen, Julie & Junttila, Niina & Goldman, Andreas & Draxl, , 2026. "National policy responses to address loneliness: A global scoping review of 194 WHO member states," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    4. Guimbeau, Amanda & Menon, Nidhiya, 2024. "Pensions and Depression: Gender-Disaggregated Evidence from the Elderly Poor in India," IZA Discussion Papers 17530, IZA Network @ LISER.
    5. Dorrit Posel, 2025. "Race Differences in the Loneliness of Older Adults: Evidence from South Africa," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 177(1), pages 273-292, March.
    6. Jin, Shan & Liu, Tiancheng & Sun, Zepeng & Zhang, Xiaomeng, 2026. "Social isolation induced negative emotions affect economic behavior: A natural experiment study," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    7. Roychowdhury, Punarjit, 2024. "Social Identity and Depression Among the Elderly: Evidence from India," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1466, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    8. Lakshmi Ullas & and Amrita Chatterjee, 2025. "Co-residence with Adult Children and Elderly Mental Health: Evidence from India," Working Papers 2025-284, Madras School of Economics,Chennai,India.
    9. Jingyi Fang & Yasuyuki Sawada, 2024. "On the effectiveness of insurance mechanisms for older individuals in China," The Japanese Economic Review, Springer, vol. 75(4), pages 1007-1040, December.
    10. Anukriti, S & Herrera-Almanza, Catalina & Hossain, Shahadat & Karra, Mahesh, 2026. "Son Preference, Intergenerational Household Dynamics, and Women’s Mental Health in India," IZA Discussion Papers 18653, IZA Network @ LISER.
    11. Chen, Dapeng & Chou, Shin-Yi & Xue, Bingjin, 2026. "Bittersweet: Grandparenting and elderly mental health in the two-child policy era," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    12. Huang, Yao & Ma, Yueru & Yang, Shuwen & Ma, Jian, 2024. "Loneliness, children's support, and demand for socialized elderly services: Empirical findings from China," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 111-123.

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      More about this item

      JEL classification:

      • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
      • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
      • J14 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-Labor Market Discrimination
      • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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