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The Indicator from Planet Money · July 8, 2024 · 10m
The Loneliness Tax on the US Economy
The Indicator quantifies the economic cost of loneliness: $6,700 per person per year in excess healthcare spending, $154 billion in employer absenteeism costs, and reduced GDP growth from lower worker productivity.
This summary was generated from show notes and public descriptions, not from a full transcript review. Details may contain inaccuracies.
Canon
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The team argues that the economic cost data on loneliness is simply the dollar-denominated version of what longitudinal psychology studies have been showing for decades: human connection is the single most important factor in health and wellbeing.
Highlights
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Loneliness costs the US economy $406 billion per year — roughly 1.5% of GDP — through healthcare, absenteeism, and reduced productivity
The team compiles estimates from multiple sources: lonely people spend $6,700 more per year on healthcare, miss more workdays, are less productive when present, and consume more social services. The aggregate cost approaches $406 billion annually.Was this useful?