WHO says non-communicable diseases caused 74% of deaths in 2023

Non-communicable diseases accounted for 74% of deaths worldwide in 2023, up from 58% in 2000, according to the World Health Organisation’s latest Global Health Estimates. The figures indicate a growing global burden from conditions including heart disease, diabetes, dementia and mental health disorders. Eight of the 10 leading causes of death in 2023 were non-communicable diseases, the WHO said.

Global life expectancy reached 73.3 years in 2023, nearly returning to the 73.4 years recorded in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthy life expectancy recovered more slowly, reaching 62.8 years, or 0.4 years below the pre-pandemic figure. Cardiovascular disease remained the leading cause of death and disease burden.

Ischaemic heart disease alone caused about 9.5m deaths and 210m disability-adjusted life years in 2023, according to the estimates. The WHO reported that diabetes mortality risk had risen considerably since 2000, particularly in South-East Asia. Dementia moved from the 19th leading cause of death globally in 2000 to the fifth in 2023, while deaths linked to the condition tripled over that period.

Mental health conditions also contributed substantially to lost healthy life. Between 2019 and 2023, the global age-standardised disability-adjusted life-year rate increased by about 20% for depressive disorders and nearly 45% for anxiety disorders. Together, the conditions accounted for an estimated 110m years of healthy life lost in 2023.

Alani Labrique, a WHO data and digital health official, said longer life expectancy was a major public health achievement but argued that the additional years should be spent in good health. He said the estimates could help governments shape policies and target interventions.