WHO says non-communicable diseases caused 74% of deaths worldwide in 2023
The World Health Organization says non-communicable diseases accounted for 74% of global deaths in 2023, up from 58% in 2000. Its latest estimates also show life expectancy has nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels, while healthy life expectancy and mental-health outcomes have recovered more slowly.
Non-communicable diseases accounted for 74% of deaths worldwide in 2023, up from 58% in 2000, according to the World Health Organization’s latest Global Health Estimates. The WHO said the figures reflected a continuing shift in the global disease burden towards chronic illnesses and mental-health conditions. Eight of the 10 leading causes of death in 2023 were non-communicable diseases, with cardiovascular disease remaining the leading cause of death and disease burden.
Ischaemic heart disease alone caused about 9.5 million deaths and 210 million disability-adjusted life years in 2023, the organisation said. Although many regions have reduced its burden since 2000, individual-level risks have risen in the Western Pacific and South-East Asia regions. The estimates also identified major increases in diabetes and dementia.
The WHO said the risk of dying from diabetes had risen considerably since 2000, particularly in South-East Asia. Dementia moved from the 19th leading cause of death globally in 2000 to fifth in 2023, while deaths linked to the condition tripled. 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, which remained 0.4 years below the pre-pandemic level. Mental-health conditions also contributed significantly 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 110 million years of healthy life lost in 2023. Alani Labrique of the WHO said the challenge was ensuring that longer lives were spent in good health. He said the estimates could help governments adapt health systems, strengthen data infrastructure and target interventions as populations age and chronic diseases become more prominent.
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