Mapping global prevalence of depression among postpartum women.
About one in six new mothers develops postpartum depression and it doesn't necessarily start in the first weeks — will anyone be screening me at my later appointments, or only at the six-week check?
Well-supported by good-quality research. how we score evidence
Caveat on this rating: Most contributing studies were cross-sectional and used self-report screening scales such as the EPDS rather than diagnostic interviews, so this is a symptom-threshold prevalence and will run higher than the rate of diagnosed major depression. The article also carries a published Correction (PMID 34930896).
Pooling 565 studies of 1,236,365 women across 80 countries, postpartum depression affected 17.22% (95% CI 16.00-18.51) — roughly one in six new mothers. Rates varied enormously by place, from a low in high-income countries to 39.96% in Southern Africa, and prevalence stayed broadly flat across the first year (17.70% at 1-3 months, 15.31% at 3-6 months, 18.19% at 6-12 months) rather than fading after the early weeks.
Worth asking
About one in six new mothers develops postpartum depression and it doesn't necessarily start in the first weeks — will anyone be screening me at my later appointments, or only at the six-week check?
Source
Mapping global prevalence of depression among postpartum women. — Wang Z, Liu J, Shuai H, et al. (2021)
Reputable peer-reviewed journal
Read the source: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-021-01663-6
DOI: 10.1038/s41398-021-01663-6
How this was scored
- Study design
- Systematic review of observational studies
- Funding
- Independently funded
- Published in
- Reputable peer-reviewed journal
- Sample size
- 1,236,365
- Preregistered
- No
- Conflicts disclosed
- Yes
- Independent of proponent
- Yes
- Retracted
- No
Read the full scoring rubric, including what it can't tell you.
Published August 19, 2026.
Where we put this study in context
Questions
How strong is the evidence behind this?
Resolv rates this source "strong evidence". Well-supported by good-quality research. It scores 80 out of 100 on our published rubric. One caveat travels with that badge: Most contributing studies were cross-sectional and used self-report screening scales such as the EPDS rather than diagnostic interviews, so this is a symptom-threshold prevalence and will run higher than the rate of diagnosed major depression. The article also carries a published Correction (PMID 34930896). The score is calculated from recorded facts about the source — study design, funding, publication venue, sample size, preregistration — not typed in by an editor.
What is the source for this?
Mapping global prevalence of depression among postpartum women. — Wang Z, Liu J, Shuai H, et al. (2021). Published in: Reputable peer-reviewed journal. DOI: 10.1038/s41398-021-01663-6. The full source is linked on this page so you can read it yourself.
Who paid for this research, and does that matter?
Study design: Systematic review of observational studies. Funding: Independently funded. The researchers were independent of whoever benefits from the result. Industry sponsorship is one of the most reliably measured biases in medicine, which is why funding carries real weight in the score rather than sitting in a footnote.
Is this medical advice?
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.