Death Rates from Chronic Diseases Dropped in Most Countries

"The chance of dying from chronic illnesses such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes declined in four out of five countries between 2010 and 2019, finds a study of 185 countries published in The Lancet today. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of death globally. The United Nations has set the goal of reducing deaths from these diseases by one-third by 2030. The latest study is the first to investigate the change in NCD mortality across countries."

"It finds that, from 2010 to 2019, the probability of dying from an NCD before the age of 80 fell in 152 countries for women and in 147 countries for men."

"Despite these gains, more than half of the countries saw slower declines in the 2010s compared with the previous decade. Around the beginning of the millennium, we saw significantly lowered mortality rates, but despite political attention suddenly over the last decade, things are not doing as well as before, says Majid Ezzati, a co-author and global-health researcher at Imperial College London."

"In 2019, women in Japan and men in Singapore had the lowest risk of dying from a NCD among the countries studied, while women in Afghanistan and men in Eswatini had the highest. All 25 high-income countries in the data set saw declines in NCD mortality between 2010 and 2019, with Denmark recording the largest drop for both sexes and the United States the smallest."

Between 2010 and 2019 the probability of dying from chronic illnesses such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes declined in four out of five countries across 185 nations. Non-communicable diseases remain the leading global cause of death. From 2010–2019 the probability of dying from an NCD before age 80 fell in 152 countries for women and in 147 for men. More than half of countries saw slower declines in the 2010s than in the previous decade. All 25 high-income countries recorded declines; Denmark had the largest drop and the United States the smallest. China, Egypt, Nigeria, Russia and Brazil reduced chronic-disease deaths, while India and Papua New Guinea had increases.

Read at www.nature.com