In front of rows of desks, screens filled with notifications, and colleagues all around, 26-year-old Tahseen still feels there is no one to talk to. He joined a multinational company in Banani, Dhaka, two years ago. Since then, his hangouts, hobbies, and leisure time have all but vanished. Daily office pressure and loneliness have become the rhythm of his life.
Tahseen’s experience is no longer unique. For Dhaka’s corporate workers, mornings start with a rush. Bus horns blare, office-goers crowd streets, calendars filled with meetings, and mobile notifications buzz endlessly. Yet amid this constant motion, a quiet crisis is rising, loneliness.
Outwardly invisible, loneliness is eroding mental health, relationships, and a sense of purpose. Global research now warns that this is a serious public health threat.
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) “Social Connection Report 2025” notes that one in six people worldwide regularly experiences loneliness. The condition is linked, directly or indirectly, to around 871,000 deaths each year.
WHO equates the health risk of loneliness to smoking or obesity and warns it could become the most devastating silent public health crisis in the next decade.
WHO’s “Loneliness and Social Isolation Across Income Groups” shows that 24 percent of people in low-income countries feel lonely, compared to 11 percent in high-income countries. Bangladesh is no exception.
The workplace plays a critical role. Modern office culture boosts efficiency but gradually weakens human connection. In this environment, loneliness becomes a routine experience, giving rise to mental fatigue and burnout.
“From morning to evening, I am surrounded by people, yet at the end of the day it feels like I didn’t talk to anyone,” said 29-year-old corporate employee Shormi. “Everyone is professional—work, meetings, reports—but no one asks how your day went. And I don’t have time for anything beyond work and commuting,” she added.
Psychologists call this feeling “emotional loneliness”—being socially surrounded but emotionally disconnected.
Rapid urbanisation, rural-to-urban migration, breakdown of joint families, and long working hours are intensifying this isolation in Dhaka.
Professor Ayesha Mahmuda, Department of Psychology, University of Dhaka, explains that those away from family or with tense relationships often experience the strongest loneliness. “Long hours, performance pressure, and stress-driven corporate culture make it worse,” she noted.
Bangladesh remains predominantly rural. As of the 2022 Census, 68.34 percent live in villages, with 31.66 percent in cities. However, a 2024 World Bank study estimates urbanisation rising towards 41.2 percent, highlighting a growing shift. People from rural areas move to cities seeking better employment with higher pay, education, and healthcare.
“In Dhaka, newcomers leave behind familiar spaces and support networks,” Professor Mahmuda said. “Lack of recreational opportunities, adjustment difficulties, and daily pressures add to the mental burden. Physical and emotional separation from family makes loneliness deeper,” she added.
Mahmuda also said loneliness worsens when workers feel unrecognised, unsupported, or insecure. Long-term emotional isolation can lead to burnout or clinical depression.
She stresses that while loneliness doesn’t automatically cause depression, it raises the risk. Professional support can help manage workplace pressures.
International studies show a heavy mental health burden among working-age adults in developing countries. Fifteen to 25 percent of employees screen positive for depressive or anxiety symptoms. Urban workers in low-income settings face heightened risk due to informal jobs, limited occupational health services, poverty, and overcrowding.
WHO and the International Labour Organization (ILO) recommend workplace measures such as psychsocial risk management, manager training, supportive policies, and integrating mental health into primary and occupational care.
In Bangladesh, the 2018–19 National Mental Health Survey with WHO support found that 16.8 percent of adults meet criteria for a mental disorder, yet roughly 92.3 percent of them receive no treatment.
Experts emphasise awareness, workplace interventions, and professional support as essential steps to mitigate its invisible, yet profound, impact on the city’s workforce.
Addressing emotional isolation is not a luxury—it is a public health necessity.
