WHO charts the chronic disease burden
Rank 2 | Health and human development | Global | SDGs 3, 10
Source publication: 2 October 2026. Clock time not stated by publisher. Evidence status: WHO estimates for 2000 to 2023.
AI-generated representative illustration | delicate scientific graphite drawing with translucent colour washes. Credit: Development Connects | Kallol Saha.
Noncommunicable diseases accounted for an estimated 74% of deaths worldwide in 2023, up from 58% in 2000, according to new Global Health Estimates released by the World Health Organization. The figures describe the year 2023; their publication this week makes them new evidence, not a measure of 2026 mortality.
WHO estimated global life expectancy at birth at 73.3 years in 2023, compared with 73.4 years in 2019. Healthy life expectancy, which adjusts for years lived in poor health, was 62.8 years. Ischaemic heart disease remained a leading cause, associated with about 9.5 million deaths in 2023. The estimates underline the combined need for prevention, primary care and treatment of chronic conditions alongside responses to infectious diseases and injuries.
Case detail
The release adds detail beyond the overall share of deaths. Eight of the ten leading global causes of death in 2023 were noncommunicable diseases. Dementia ranked fifth, compared with nineteenth in 2000, and estimated deaths from dementia tripled over that period.
WHO also recorded worsening age-standardized burdens from depression and anxiety between 2019 and 2023. Mortality counts and disability measures describe different aspects of health: a condition can place a substantial burden on people even when it is not a leading cause of death. The estimates therefore offer a basis for comparing prevention, continuing treatment and support needs. They do not establish that all countries have experienced the same transition or recovered equally from the pandemic.
Evidence and delivery status
WHO's modelled estimates combine available mortality and health information across countries. Global averages conceal differences by income, region and population group. The 2023 results are newly published evidence, not 2026 death counts. A rising share of deaths from chronic disease also does not, by itself, identify the effect of any one health policy.
The share of deaths from chronic disease rose
Remaining causes are calculated as 100 minus the reported noncommunicable disease share.
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