According to an online survey made by GfK money is the main source of stress for people all over the world, while self-given pressure is the leading cause of stress for Chinese.

Money, self-given pressure and lack of sleep are the top three major causes of stress internationally. Latin American countries stand out for the 'threat of crime' appearing in their top five major causes of stress, while France is the only country where 'children' appear in the top five. Japan and Germany are mostly free of major stress.

The online study was conducted this summer and asked over 27,000 consumers to identify major causes of stress from a given list. Overall almost three in ten (29 percent) people cite the amount of money that they have to live on, making this the leading cause of stress internationally. This is followed by the pressure that people put upon themselves (27 percent), not getting enough sleep (23 percent) and not having time for the things they want to (22 percent). The amount of work people have to get done in the day (cited by 19 percent) comes next, completing the top five most common major causes of stress internationally.

For respondents from China's mainland, their stress come mainly from the pressure on themselves, lack of sleep, lack of time, money and pressure from their parents. People aged under 30 believe their main pressures come from their parents. People between 30 to 50 years old said the main source of stress come from their children. For those aged 50 and over, taking care of a family member and the worries about their own health are their main causes of stress.