Chronic Diseases Responsible for 74% of Global Deaths in 2023 - WHO

Non-communicable diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and dementia caused 74 percent of global deaths in 2023. This is up from 58 percent in 2000, according to the latest estimates from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The WHO released these findings in their Global Health Estimates on Friday. The report shows that while global life expectancy has largely bounced back from COVID-19 disruptions, the burden of disease is shifting more towards chronic illnesses and mental health issues.

Global life expectancy reached 73.3 years in 2023. This is almost back to the 73.4 years recorded in 2019 before the pandemic. But healthy life expectancy, which looks at how many years people live in good health, has recovered more slowly. It reached 62.8 years in 2023, still 0.4 years below pre-pandemic levels.

The WHO noted that eight out of the ten leading causes of death in 2023 were non-communicable diseases. This shows a long-term global shift away from diseases that can spread from person to person.

Cardiovascular Diseases Remain the Biggest Threat

The report named cardiovascular diseases as the top cause of death and disease worldwide.

Ischaemic heart disease alone led to about 9.5 million deaths and 210 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in 2023. DALYs measure the years of healthy life lost due to sickness, disability, or early death.

Many places globally have made good progress in reducing ischaemic heart disease since 2000. But the WHO reported rising individual risks in the Western Pacific and South-East Asia regions, showing ongoing inequalities in heart health outcomes.

The report also pointed out significant increases in other chronic diseases.

The risk of dying from diabetes has grown a lot since 2000, especially in South-East Asia. Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are also becoming more common. Dementia moved from the 19th leading cause of death in 2000 to the fifth in 2023, with deaths linked to it tripling during this time.

Mental Health Issues on the Rise

The WHO highlighted the growing impact of mental health conditions on health around the world.

From 2019 to 2023, the global rate of disability-adjusted life years for depressive disorders rose by about 20 percent. The rate for anxiety disorders went up nearly 45 percent.

Together, depression and anxiety resulted in an estimated 110 million years of healthy life lost due to early death and disability in 2023.

The report also showed changing patterns in drug use disorders across different regions.

Between 2000 and 2023, the WHO Region of the Americas saw the biggest increases in death risk and healthy life loss from drug use disorders. In contrast, the Western Pacific region experienced significant declines.

Need for Better Health Data Systems

Alani Labrique, Director of WHO’s Department of Data, Digital Health, Analytics and AI, spoke about the findings. He called rising life expectancy one of public health's biggest successes.

But Mr Labrique said the next challenge is making sure that the extra years people live are healthy. Health systems need to adapt to the needs of older populations and the rising burden of chronic diseases.

He explained that these estimates give countries valuable evidence on changing death and disease patterns. This helps governments design health policies, improve digital and data systems, and enhance their ability to gather insights for effective health interventions.