The prevalence of depression and depressive symptoms among adults in China: Estimation based on a National Household Survey

China's fast economic growth in the past decades is accompanied by a rapid epidemiological transition from communicable to non-communicable diseases (NCDs). An important yet often neglected NCD is mental disorder, which accounts for 14% of global disease burden but has been paid relatively little research attention in China. This paper uses a nationally representative dataset to investigate the prevalence and correlates of depression and depressive symptoms among the adult population in China. Our results indicate that the prevalence rate of depression, estimated with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), is high (37.9% for depressive symptoms and 4.1% for depression) and unevenly distributed across regions and subpopulations. Specifically, women, older people and those who live in the central/western and rural areas are more likely to be depressed. We also find significant socioeconomic gradients in mental health: higher education and income levels are associated with lower likelihood of depression, especially among the lower socioeconomic groups. Our results indicate the urgent need for depression prevention and treatment in China (particularly in the economically less developed regions) through the expansion of primary mental health care resources and a reduction of socioeconomic inequalities.