Chronic Respiratory Diseases

Chronic respiratory diseases including COPD and asthma are a major global health burden, particularly in regions with high rates of tobacco use and indoor air pollution from solid fuel combustion. Mortality trends reflect both demographic changes and shifts in risk factor exposure across populations.

This data is sourced from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, processed via Our World in Data. Values represent each cause's share of total deaths (%) unless otherwise noted. Explore related mortality data using the links below.

Chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) — principally chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma — kill over 4 million people each year. COPD alone is the third leading cause of death worldwide, characterised by progressive airflow limitation from chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Tobacco smoking is the predominant risk factor in high-income countries, while household air pollution from solid-fuel cooking is equally important in low- and middle-income settings. Occupational dust and chemical exposures, outdoor air pollution, and a history of childhood respiratory infections also contribute. The disease burden falls disproportionately on South and East Asia, where biomass fuel use remains widespread. Asthma, though generally less lethal, affects over 260 million people globally and can be fatal when poorly managed. CRD mortality has declined modestly in recent decades in high-income countries owing to smoking reductions, but remains high where tobacco epidemics are maturing and indoor air quality is poor. Under-diagnosis is a major challenge: the majority of COPD cases in low-income countries are never formally diagnosed.

Across 210 countries, chronic respiratory diseases accounts for an average of 4.2% of total deaths. Regional disparities are substantial: South Asia has the highest regional average at 12.8%, while Sub-Saharan Africa records the lowest at 2.5% — a 5.1-fold difference that underscores the geographic inequality in chronic respiratory diseases mortality burden.

Tobacco cessation is the single most effective intervention for preventing COPD progression. Clean-cooking solutions — improved stoves, transition to LPG or electric fuel — address household air pollution, which causes COPD in millions of non-smokers. Inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting bronchodilators improve asthma control and reduce exacerbations. Pulmonary rehabilitation programmes improve quality of life for COPD patients. Ambient air quality regulations, occupational health standards, and childhood pneumonia vaccination (reducing lung damage) round out the population-level prevention portfolio.

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