Age-sex specific prevalence and incidence of antidepressant prescribing in the Nordic countries: a systematic review

Marked differences in antidepressant prescribing have been reported across the Nordic countries, but existing reviews are based on older data and focus mainly on young people. We conducted an updated systematic review of antidepressant prescribing across all age groups in the Nordic countries. We searched Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science for observational studies reporting prevalence and/or incidence of antidepressant prescribing in general populations in the Nordic countries, published from 1 January 2000 to 1 October 2025. From 2728 screened articles, 30 studies with prescribing data from 1994-2021 were included. The rate of antidepressant prescribing was higher in Sweden compared to Denmark and Norway, and these differences increased in recent years, mainly due to large increases in Sweden. Findings were consistent across all age groups and both sexes, but were especially pronounced among children and adolescents, and particularly girls. The most recent data showed a 2-5 times higher prevalence and incidence of antidepressant prescribing among Swedish girls and boys as compared to their Danish and Norwegian peers, including relevant differences in absolute measures. The prevalence pattern was similar in adults, and while relative differences were smaller there were large absolute differences. Comparisons with Finland and Iceland were not feasible due to outdated data. The rate of antidepressant prescribing is consistently higher in Sweden compared to in Denmark and Norway, and these differences between countries have increased markedly over time. The pattern is observed across all age groups and both sexes but is especially strong among young females.