State of Global Health 2023
A data-driven summary of global mortality patterns, trends, and shifts
Global mortality progress continues, but faces headwinds from population aging, climate change, antimicrobial resistance, and widening inequalities. The post-COVID recovery has been uneven across regions.
Non-communicable diseases now dominate the global burden of death, and their share will only grow as populations age. Meanwhile, some low-income regions still face a double burden of infectious and chronic disease.
This report is generated automatically from the IHME Global Burden of Disease 2023 study, processed and distributed by Our World in Data. Death rates are age-standardised per 100,000 population unless otherwise noted. Crude death rates and population figures come from the World Bank World Development Indicators.
Regional classifications follow the World Bank income and geographic groupings. Cause-of-death categories use the IHME Level 2 hierarchy, which groups hundreds of specific causes into nine broad categories.
All figures are estimates with inherent uncertainty. Data from the IHME Global Burden of Disease Study (2023 revision), processed via Our World in Data.
Understanding the Global Mortality Report
What the numbers tell us about the state of world health
This annual report synthesises the latest Global Burden of Disease estimates into a single-page overview of humanity’s leading causes of death. The data covers over 200 countries and territories, providing a comprehensive snapshot of global mortality patterns. Key metrics include total deaths, age-standardised death rates, years of life lost (YLL), and the relative contribution of communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases, and injuries.
Key Trends in Global Mortality
The long-term arc of progress and the setbacks
The long-term trend in global mortality is one of remarkable progress: age-standardised death rates have declined by approximately 30% since 1990, driven by reductions in infectious diseases, child mortality, and cardiovascular disease. However, this progress is uneven. Sub-Saharan Africa still carries a disproportionate burden of communicable diseases, while the fastest-growing causes of death globally are metabolic conditions (diabetes, kidney disease) and neurological disorders (dementia, Alzheimer’s).
The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted decades of steady progress, causing the first significant spike in global mortality since the HIV/AIDS crisis. The report quantifies excess mortality from COVID-19 and its indirect effects on healthcare systems. As populations age worldwide, the composition of death will continue shifting toward non-communicable diseases, creating new challenges for healthcare systems built around treating acute conditions. This report is designed for researchers, journalists, policymakers, and anyone seeking a data-driven understanding of the state of world health.
What is the leading cause of death globally?
Cardiovascular diseases (heart disease and stroke combined) are the leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for roughly 18 million deaths annually. Ischaemic heart disease alone is the single largest killer in most countries, followed by stroke. Together, they represent approximately one-third of all global deaths.
Are global death rates increasing or decreasing?
Age-standardised death rates have been declining steadily since 1990 (down roughly 30%), meaning that for any given age, people are less likely to die than in the past. However, the total number of deaths has increased due to population growth and ageing. COVID-19 caused a temporary reversal in 2020–2021, but the long-term downward trend has resumed.
What are years of life lost (YLL)?
Years of life lost measures premature mortality by calculating the gap between the age at death and a reference life expectancy. A child dying at age 5 contributes far more YLL than an 85-year-old dying of the same cause. YLL highlights causes that kill younger people — road injuries, self-harm, and neonatal conditions rank much higher in YLL than in raw death counts.
Can I print or share this report?
Yes. The report is designed for both screen reading and print. Use the Print button to generate a clean, print-optimised version. All data on this site is licensed under Creative Commons BY 4.0, meaning you may share, adapt, and redistribute with appropriate attribution to the Human Mortality Explorer and the underlying data sources (IHME, WHO, World Bank).
Which cause of death is growing fastest?
Diabetes and chronic kidney disease are among the fastest-growing causes of death globally, driven by the worldwide obesity epidemic and ageing populations. Neurological conditions (dementia, Alzheimer’s) are also rising rapidly as populations age. In contrast, infectious diseases and neonatal conditions continue to decline, reflecting the ongoing epidemiological transition.