Global causes of death
Non-communicable diseases now account for nearly three out
of every four deaths worldwide, as people live longer and chronic illnesses take
a larger toll, the World Health Organisation says in its latest estimates.
NCDs accounted for 74 per cent of all deaths globally in
2023, up from 58 per cent in 2000.
Eight of the world’s 10 leading causes of death were NCDs,
with heart disease, stroke and chronic respiratory disease among the biggest
killers.
The new WHO Global Health Estimates, released on October 2,
show that global life expectancy has also recovered following the disruption
caused by Covid-19.
Life expectancy reached 73.3 years in 2023, close to the
73.4 years recorded in 2019, although healthy life expectancy has recovered
more slowly.
Kenya presents a different picture. The latest WHO country data on causes of death, which covers 2021, estimates that communicable,
maternal, perinatal and nutritional conditions accounted for 50 per cent of all deaths in Kenya and NCDs 37 per cent.
Tuberculosis,
HIV/Aids and lower respiratory infections were the top three individual causes of death.
This contrasts with the global ranking in 2023, when
ischaemic heart disease was the leading cause of death, followed by stroke,
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lower respiratory infections.
Alzheimer disease and other dementias ranked fifth globally,
followed by diabetes, lung cancers, hypertensive heart disease, kidney diseases
and diarrhoeal diseases. Diabetes was the sixth leading cause of death
globally, while kidney diseases moved from 17th place in 2000 to ninth in 2023.
“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.”
The estimates show how dramatically the causes of death have
changed over the past two decades.
Covid-19, meanwhile, dropped out of the world’s top 10
causes of death for the first time since the pandemic began.
Mental health conditions are adding another dimension to the
changing burden. Between 2019 and 2023, the global age-standardised disease
burden increased by about 20 per cent for depressive disorders and nearly 45
per cent for anxiety disorders.
Together, the two conditions accounted for an estimated 110
million years of healthy life lost through premature death and disability in
2023.
“The value of these estimates is not only in the numbers
themselves,” said Labrique.
“By showing how causes of death and disease burden are
changing over time and across populations, they give countries evidence to help
shape health policies and priorities. They also help WHO support countries in
building resilient, essential digital and data infrastructure while
strengthening national and subnational capacity to analyse health data and
generate timely, actionable insights. These capabilities are critical to better
enable targeted, effective interventions and ultimately further improving
health and well-being for all.”
The WHO estimates for Kenya need to be read differently from
the latest figures from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.
WHO described its Kenya figures as statistical estimates across the population using multiple sources.
KNBS, on the other hand, records registered deaths. Its 2024 Kenya Vital Statistics Report shows that 113,379 deaths were registered in
health facilities during the year.
Pneumonia was the leading recorded cause in those
facilities, with 9,682 deaths, followed by cancer with 8,954 and cardiovascular
diseases with 7,478.
Hypertension accounted for 5,035 registered deaths, followed
by injuries at 4,574 and anaemia at 4,572. Kidney diseases accounted for 4,247
deaths, prematurity and birth asphyxia 4,223, diabetes 3,822 and heart disease
3,730.
The WHO Global Health Estimates current release covers 2000
to 2023.