A new World Health Organization (WHO) report has sounded the alarm on loneliness and social isolation, calling them a “global public health epidemic” on par with smoking and poor diet.
The report, From Loneliness to Social Connection – Charting a Path to Healthier Societies, released in June, revealed that nearly one in six people worldwide experience loneliness, with the highest prevalence found in Africa.
In the WHO African Region, 24 percent of people report feeling lonely the highest rate globally, compared to 21 percent in the Eastern Mediterranean, 18 percent in South-East Asia, and just 10 percent in Europe. The report estimates that loneliness contributes to 871,000 premature deaths each year, with impacts ranging from heart disease and stroke to depression and anxiety.
For Botswana, the findings are striking. While the country’s communal traditions and the spirit of Botho have long emphasised connectedness, modern pressures are fraying those social bonds. Urbanisation, migration to cities, youth unemployment, and changing family structures are eroding traditional support systems. In villages, older people once relied on extended family and neighbors for care, but in urban centers such as Gaborone and Francistown, nuclear living arrangements and fast-paced lifestyles have left many vulnerable to isolation.
Young people, too, are not spared. Social media offers the illusion of connection, but the report cautions that “excessive use of some types of digital communication can be seriously harmful”. For Botswana, these challenges add to existing concerns around mental health, where loneliness often remains invisible compared to more recognized issues like substance abuse or HIV. Yet, experts warn the consequences are far-reaching, from poorer health outcomes to reduced productivity and weakened community resilience.
The WHO notes that while high-income countries such as Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States have adopted policies to address loneliness, Africa is lagging behind. The Commission stresses that “social health is not an optional extra. It is integral to health” and calls on governments to embed social connection into public health policies, strengthen community programs, and create spaces that encourage people to come together.
As WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “health is not merely the absence of disease, but a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being. Without social connection, there is no health.”
