The growing body of recent research surrounding social connection and loneliness strongly suggests that we are experiencing a wide-spreading loneliness epidemic. And as a result, government agencies, politicians, corporations ,universities, and non-profits have taken action in the form of legislation, research, and innovation. Loneliness poses a large threat because of its consequences, asymptomatic surface, and contagion. To have a chance at combating or reversing our collective loneliness, we must know what it is, where it comes from, and why it exists in such abundance today.

Reviving deep and meaningful social connection is an important mission but loneliness is especially difficult to solve at-scale because the factors driving it are so embedded into our modern lives, and is synonymous with our global development narrative. The State of Modern Loneliness sheds light on the magnitude of our global loneliness crisis, what is driving it, and whose affected. This report puts forth what loneliness means for society at-large and how organizations can collaborate to drive solutions. We examined the most prominent bodies of work surrounding the topic and conducted an analysis to find themes, trends, and insights that cut across.