Two separate studies of anxiety disorders and clinical depression have been conducted across 91 countries with more than 480,000 participants.
Researchers found that anxiety and depression affected people throughout the world, with clinical anxiety affecting 10% of people in North America, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand compared to approximately 8% in the Middle East and 6% in Asia.
However, the opposite was true for depression, with people in Western countries least likely to be depressed.
The study debunks previously held theories that only people in the Western world experience mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.
Read more at The University of Queensland