New data from the World Health Organization (WHO) show that global life expectancy has almost fully recovered from the decline recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Alongside the recovery, the WHO points to significant changes in the global disease burden: chronic diseases now account for nearly three in four deaths worldwide, dementia is climbing the rankings of leading causes of death, and the burden of depression and anxiety is increasing.
According to the WHO’s latest global health estimates, global life expectancy reached 73.3 years in 2023, almost identical to the 73.4 years recorded in 2019, the last year before the COVID-19 pandemic. The new data provide a picture of changes in population health worldwide between 2000 and 2023.
However, the recovery is not complete across all measures. Healthy life expectancy - the number of years a person can expect to live in good health - stood at 62.8 years in 2023, still 0.4 years below its 2019 level.
The WHO emphasizes that alongside the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, a long-term shift is taking place in the world's leading causes of death. Noncommunicable diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and dementia, accounted for 74% of all deaths worldwide in 2023, up from 58% in 2000. Eight of the world's 10 leading causes of death are now noncommunicable diseases.
The shift is also evident in low-income countries. In 2023, for the first time, infectious diseases accounted for less than half of all deaths in these countries.
“Living longer is one of the great achievements of public health," said Dr. Alain Labrique, WHO Director of the Department of Data, Digital Health, Analytics and Artificial Intelligence. He said the next challenge is to ensure that the additional years are lived in good health while preparing health systems for the changing needs of populations.
Cardiovascular diseases remain the world's leading cause of death and disease burden. Ischemic heart disease alone caused approximately 9.5 million deaths in 2023. While significant progress has been made since 2000 in reducing the disease burden in many parts of the world, the WHO points to persistent disparities between populations and regions.
One of the most striking changes concerns dementia. Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia climbed sharply in the rankings of causes of death, reaching fifth place worldwide in 2023, compared with 19th in 2000. The global number of deaths from dementia tripled during that period. The risk of dying from diabetes has also increased since 2000, particularly in Southeast Asia.
The data also point to a worsening mental health burden. Between 2019 and 2023, the age-standardized disease burden increased by about 20% for depressive disorders and nearly 45% for anxiety disorders. According to WHO estimates, depression and anxiety together accounted for approximately 110 million healthy life years lost in 2023 due to premature death or disability.
The report therefore presents a mixed picture: the world has nearly completed its recovery in life expectancy from the upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the global disease burden is changing rapidly. While people are once again living roughly as long as they did before the pandemic, the challenge identified by the WHO is to ensure that more of those additional years are also healthy years.