Cardiovascular disease remains the leading global burden: WHO

Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death and disease burden worldwide. In 2023, ischaemic heart disease alone caused approximately 9.5 million deaths and 210 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), measured in years of healthy life lost, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

There has been substantial progress in reducing the burden of ischaemic heart disease since 2000 in many parts of the world. However, increases in risk at an individual level were recorded in the WHO Western Pacific and South-East Asia Regions, highlighting persistent inequalities in cardiovascular health between populations. 

Other chronic conditions are also becoming increasingly prominent. The risk of dying from diabetes has risen substantially since 2000, particularly in South-East Asia. Alzheimer disease and other dementias have also risen sharply, for example dementia became the fifth leading cause of death globally in 2023, compared with 19th in 2000. Global deaths from dementia tripled over this period. 

Global life expectancy reached 73.3 years in 2023, close to the 73.4 years recorded in 2019. Healthy life expectancy has recovered more slowly, reaching 62.8 years in 2023, still 0.4 years below its 2019 level, according to WHO.

At the same time, the long-term shift towards NCDs continues. NCDs accounted for 74% of deaths globally in 2023, compared with 58% in 2000. Eight of the world’s ten leading causes of death were NCDs in 2023.  

This shift is increasingly visible across all income levels. In 2023, for the first time, communicable diseases accounted for less than half of all deaths in low-income countries, marking another step in the global epidemiological transition. 

“Living longer is one of the great achievements of public health,” said Dr Alain Labrique, Director of WHO’s Department of Data, Digital Health, Analytics and AI. “The next challenge is to ensure that those additional years are lived in good health, while health systems are equipped to respond to the changing needs of populations.”