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Background: According to previous studies the prevalence of adolescent depression is 4–8% both in the USA and Europe. The aim of the current study was to investigate the prevalence of adolescent depression separately in several European countries. Method: Data were drawn from the Saving and Empowering Young Lives in Europe (SEYLE) study, which included 11 countries (Austria, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Israel, Romania, Slovenia and Spain) and Sweden served as the coordinating centre. Depression was measured by the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). Adolescents with a score of 20 or greater on the BDI-II were defined as depressed. Multiple imputations were conducted to address missing data. Results: Out of 14,115 students who consented to participate, finally 12,395 adolescents (5,568 (44.92%) boys and 6,827 (55.08%) girls) were enrolled into the study. The mean age of the students was 14.81 years (SD=.83). Significant differences were detected in the ratio of non-depressed and depressed adolescents among countries (χ2(20)=385.352 p=.000). The prevalence of depressed adolescents ranged from 7.1% to 19.4%. The prevalence of depressed adolescents according to country in increasing order is: Hungary: 7.1%, Austria: 7.6%, Romania: 7.6%, Estonia: 7.9%, Ireland: 8.5%, Spain: 8.6%, Italy: 9.2%, Slovenia: 11.4%, Germany: 12.9%, France: 15.4%, Israel: 19.4%. Conclusion: Based on a screening tool our data underlines the importance of taking account country specific prevalence rates of adolescent depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]