The World Health Organization (WHO) has released its latest Global Health Estimates, showing major trends in life expectancy, mortality, disease burden and morbidity from 2000 to 2023.
In a statement on Friday, the organisation said global life expectancy rebounded to 73.3 years in 2023, approaching pre-pandemic levels, although healthy life expectancy remained below the 2019 figure.
Noncommunicable diseases accounted for 74 per cent of all deaths globally in 2023, up from 58 per cent in 2000. Dementia deaths tripled, while health loss linked to anxiety and depression rose significantly after the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2023, the 10 leading causes of death accounted for 33 million of the 61 million deaths recorded worldwide, with noncommunicable diseases making up eight of the top 10.
Cardiovascular diseases, including ischaemic heart disease and stroke, remain major contributors to global deaths, alongside respiratory conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lower respiratory infections.
The estimates cover health trends across countries and regions between 2000 and 2023, providing data on life expectancy, mortality, morbidity and disease burden.
The data is available through interactive visual summaries and the Global Health Observatory, where users can examine information by country, year, age and sex. Key trends are also broken down by country income group, and complete datasets can be downloaded for further analysis and research.
