WHO reports rise in death from noncommunicable diseases

The World Health Organization, WHO, says global life expectancy rose to 73.3 years in 2023, approaching pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels.

In its latest Global Health Estimates, covering health trends across countries and regions from 2000 to 2023, the global health body estimated that the recovery in life expectancy has not been matched by a full recovery in healthy life expectancy, which remained below its 2019 level.

WHO said noncommunicable diseases, NCDs, accounted for 74 per cent of all deaths globally in 2023, up from 58 per cent in 2000.

It said dementia deaths had tripled over the period, while health loss associated with anxiety and depression had increased significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The organization said the 10 leading causes of death accounted for 33 million of the 61 million deaths recorded globally in 2023.

NCDs accounted for eight of the 10 leading causes of death, reflecting their growing contribution to the global disease burden.

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Cardiovascular diseases, including ischaemic heart disease and stroke, remained among the major causes of death worldwide.

Respiratory conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lower respiratory infections, also continued to contribute significantly to global mortality.

The Global Health Estimates provide data on life expectancy, mortality, morbidity and disease burden across countries and regions between 2000 and 2023.

The data also allows users to examine health trends by country, year, age and sex through interactive visual summaries and the Global Health Observatory.

WHO said the estimates provide information on key health trends across different country income groups.

Complete datasets are also available for download to support further analysis, research and evidence-based health planning.

The latest estimates provide a broad picture of how global health has changed over more than two decades, including the effects of the pandemic and the growing impact of chronic diseases on populations worldwide.

NAN